The King of Korea is having a hard time, and Japan's Taige isn't feeling any better either. In Nagoya, Toyotomi Hideyoshi also received a two-month truce agreement from the Ukita Hide family a few days ago. He has been silent for several days, only doing things like pruning flowers and plants, or looking for someone to taste tea utensils. .
Maeda Toshiie felt that Taikaku's mood was not right, and came to express his condolences with some worry. Toyotomi Hideyoshi said angrily: "It is difficult for the navy to defeat Yi Sun-shin, so holding on to Pusan will be reported as a great victory; the army has superior strength, but in a small Jinzhou cannot be captured for a long time, and the lives of our soldiers are withering like cherry blossoms. Toshiie, tell me, is Governor Konishi still waiting for my answer to the truce agreement?"
Maeda Toshiie nodded in agreement, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi shook his head and said: "Those boys are already scared, it's really strange. When he was in Japan, although I knew that he liked to use tricks in doing things, I didn't know that he was so incapable of fighting a tough battle.
After the three thousand cavalry of the Ming army fought with him, he actually thought that the reason why he failed to destroy the cavalry was because our army's combat effectiveness was not as good as that of the Ming army? Absolutely ridiculous!
It is difficult to defeat cavalry with infantry, and it is even more difficult to achieve annihilation. Otherwise, how could Nobunaga be so powerful in the world when he defeated Takeda Chibei? Now that his First Legion has defeated the elite cavalry of the Ming Army, no matter how many people he uses or how many people he loses, victory is victory, and the winner is the winner! Now the winner is actually afraid of the loser. Isn't it ridiculous? "
Maeda Toshiie explained: "It's not about fear, but about reorganizing the battle line. Your Highness, it is reported that our army's rear is now unstable. It is difficult to wipe out all the Korean rebels in the short term. Sea supplies are also often attacked. Regardless of the ordnance and ammunition in each army, , winter clothing, medicine, food, etc. are all insufficient, which is very worrying.
What's worse is that what North Korea can provide locally is quite limited. Endemic diseases are spreading in the army, and many soldiers have died of frostbite. If they can't rest and recuperate, the army will be too tired, and its morale and combat effectiveness will be reduced, which is not conducive to the future. war. "
Toyotomi Hideyoshi frowned and said, "Why, do you even agree to the truce with the Toshi family?"
Maeda Toshiie had an extremely close relationship with Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He was really not afraid of Taikaku. Instead, he regarded Toyotomi Hideyoshi as a good friend. Therefore, he spoke more straightforwardly, saying: "After all, we are about to fight against the Ming Dynasty. Let's raise our spirits." Accumulating force is also extremely necessary. Especially now we don't know how many troops Ming will send, and we don't know whether Ming will respond to Governor Konishi's proposal.
For a complete strategy, we should indeed be prepared for the next war. As long as our army is well prepared, North Korea is as weak as an ant, and even the Ming Dynasty, we do not need to be afraid. "
"North Korea is just an ant, and the Ming Dynasty is just a show-off. Have you forgotten what those businessmen said? They almost captured Nanjing, the capital of the Ming Dynasty, with so few people! What does this mean?
This shows that even if the Ming Dynasty has more or less elite soldiers, they are only a few troops deployed on the border, and its vast inland is completely defenseless! As long as our army can defeat the elite soldiers who came to rescue North Korea, it will be just around the corner to wipe out the Ming Dynasty. "
"But we still need to make repairs..." Maeda Toshiie saw that Taige was starting to "look to the future" again and couldn't help but cut off his words.
It's a pity that Hideyoshi couldn't listen and said no on the spot: "Absolutely not! Couldn't you have imagined that while we were resting, North Korea was also resting, and Ming Dynasty was also resting! Governor Konishi was clearly trying to protect his own interests. Come up with high-sounding reasons to trick me!
I will never agree to the truce agreement and order an attack immediately! Capture the King of Korea and occupy the entire territory of Korea! If anyone dares to disobey, I will send you Maeda Toshiie to personally go to North Korea to chop off their heads to enforce military law! "
Friends are friends, status is status. Since Toyotomi Hideyoshi insisted on this, Maeda Toshiie had no choice but to accept the order.
Immediately after this incident, Hideyoshi's adopted son Toyotomi Hideji, who had already taken office as Sekihaku, heard that Hideyoshi was ill and came to Nagoya to visit him. Hideyoshi was surprised when he saw Hideji coming suddenly, and asked quickly: "Why did my son come here suddenly and let go of domestic affairs?"
Hideji replied: "I heard that my uncle was anxious and uneasy because of the affairs in Korea and was ill. I was very frightened and couldn't find peace in everything, so I came here to take care of my uncle. As for domestic affairs, I don't have to worry about it. I'm here. The major matters have been arranged before now, and all other matters can be reported after we return."
Hideyoshi laughed loudly, patted Hideji on the back and said: "My son's filial piety touches heaven and earth, and he is very happy to be his father. Let's stay here today. There is no need to rush back to Kyoto, and he can drink tea with his father... Oh, by the way. , how did the land inspection go?"
Hideji replied: "Uncle, don't worry. The land inspection is going very smoothly. The land and grain production in each place are being inspected in detail, checked repeatedly, and registered and recorded. Those who deliberately concealed it have also been punished. Be sure to Let the Toyotomi clan control the world."
Xiuji was very satisfied with this, and asked Toyotomi Xiuji if he had heard any news about Tokugawa Ieyasu since he came. Toyotomi Hidetsu replied: "As far as I understand, His Highness Ieyasu has no unusual behavior. In addition to daily life, he comes to my side from time to time to assist in government affairs. When he makes plans, he does not comment too much on the Korean War. Moreover, this His Highness Ieyasu has been by my uncle's side for several months, does my uncle have any suspicions?"
There is one point that needs to be mentioned here, that is, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi sent troops to Korea, although Tokugawa Ieyasu was not asked to send troops across the sea in the end, he was instead asked to be responsible for cleaning up the remaining forces of the Hojo family in Kanto, and to start "dealing with" the maritime trade alliance Kanto fleet, but Tokugawa Ieyasu himself was not allowed to return to the fiefdom, and instead mostly stayed in Nagoya to "accompany" Toyotomi Hideyoshi, only occasionally allowed to go to Kyoto - theoretically to pay homage to the emperor.
Hideyoshi snorted and said: "Tokugawa Ieyasu is indeed a smiling tiger. I asked him not long ago why the Kanto side has not taken action against the Sea Trade Alliance. What do you think he said?"
Toyotomi Hideji shook his head and said, "I don't know."
Hideyoshi said: "He said that the Tokugawa family was not as talented as the Toyotomi family, so in the past, he had to do all the big things personally. Now that he is in Kyushu, Kanto is inevitably out of reach, and his subordinates are not very capable. , don’t you just procrastinate when doing things?”
Toyotomi Hideji wondered: "Isn't that the case? The 'Tokugawa Four Heavenly Kings' don't look like fuel-efficient lamps. Why do they have to take so much trouble to pacify some Hojo remnants?"
"It won't be that hard. Ninety-nine percent of the time, Ieyasu did this on purpose. He just didn't want to send troops to North Korea." Toyotomi Hideyoshi snorted: "You think I can't see it? What a joke, I can't see it?"
Toyotomi Hideji was surprised and asked: "Since there is such an inside story, why didn't uncle strictly order Ieyasu to send troops to Korea?"
"Strictly order him to send troops to North Korea? Why? Why should I let him go to North Korea to perform meritorious service, and then entrust the land of North Korea to him in the future? Do I still think that Guandong is not big enough for him to become the most famous person in the world?" Feng Hideyoshi shook his head and continued to teach his nephew and adopted son while Toyotomi Hideji was dumbfounded.
"I let him stay in Japan because I didn't want him to send troops to Korea to make meritorious service and continue to expand his strength; I kept him in Nagoya because he couldn't directly command the Tokugawa army to quickly pacify the East Kingdom, and then he could recuperate and become stronger; I left him The purpose of letting him deal with a Kanto fleet is to cut off his connection with the Beiyang Maritime Trade Alliance, especially trade, to prevent him from also relying on trade to make a fortune."
Toyotomi Hideji was stunned for a while, then hesitantly said: "Since my uncle is so guarded against him, why not simply conquer him? Ah, I mean...conquest."
"Are you sure of victory?" Toyotomi Hideyoshi glanced at him sideways and asked: "During the battle between Komaki and Nagakute, I wanted to conquer him directly, but unfortunately I couldn't do my best. At that time, the world Wait and see, people are still undecided. If I remain in a stalemate with him for a long time, more variables may arise.
Therefore, I could only make adjustments at that time. No matter what the price, I had to let him come and surrender. Once he surrendered, the overall situation of the world would be decided. Some people who were waiting and watching would have no basis to wait and see and could only declare their allegiance to me. At this time, I can use this to mobilize the soldiers of the world to besiege Odawara Castle.
After taking Odawara Castle, the strongest city in the world, no one in the world can dare to say that they can withstand my thunderous strike, so they all came under my rule, and Tokugawa Ieyasu himself also made a master-slave agreement with me. My status cannot escape from my grasp.
As for the future, not to mention after conquering the Ming Dynasty, as long as our Toyotomi clan captures Korea and enfeoffs the eight realms of Korea to our Toyotomi clan and the daimyo loyal to the Toyotomi clan, our advantage over Tokugawa Ieyasu will be even greater.
At that time, no matter how ambitious he is, he can only hide quietly and become a vassal of my Toyotomi clan. From now on, it will be a matter for people of your generation. With your ability, you must be at least much stronger than Ieyasu's current sons. The Toyotomi clan's world is impregnable. "
Toyotomi Hideji heard that Hideyoshi had once again recognized him as his heir. He couldn't help but be overjoyed and praised his uncle for his far-sightedness and his ability to see thousands of miles.
Hideyoshi smiled again and said: "But having said that, the naval force in North Korea is now under great pressure, and it is not reasonable for the new fleet to always be parked in Osaka for defense. It seems that we can't just wait for Ieyasu like this, we should force him... …
I will ask the Toshi family to go back to assist with government affairs in the next two days. Once the Toshi family returns to Kinki, Ieyasu will definitely have some scruples, and the affairs of the Kanto Fleet will definitely be accelerated. Hidetsuki, you have to remember that if you have to make a decision in a state of affairs, you can always ask the Toshi family of Maeda for advice. I will go back to help you after a while. " Xiuji accepted the order and resigned first.
Not long after, Hideyoshi's main wife Ning Ning and his side wife Chacha also came to inquire. At this time, Hideyoshi was not as shrewd and cunning as he was in front of others. Instead, he relaxed and said to himself: "Since Hesong died young, my mother After my death, I often felt lost. Although I held the world in my hands, I felt extremely lonely. I, Hideyoshi, have fought for a lifetime. Originally, I wanted my family to enjoy this glory and wealth, but in just a few years, they all fell one after another. Gone from me.
I hate it, I hate that I couldn't bring peace to the world a few years ago. Now that I'm over fifty, it's probably hard to keep my bloodline. Recently, I even wanted to follow my mother and have a look there again. Hesong, just thinking about you makes me uneasy, but I am in a dilemma. "
As mentioned before, the Japanese value the continuation of the family name far more than the continuation of the bloodline, but that refers to a real samurai family, and Hideyoshi is not from a samurai family at all, he is just an ordinary farmer, and his family is even involved in business, so he attaches great importance to his bloodline , even with tears in his eyes when he said this, he held the hands of his wives and concubines tightly, showing no heroic appearance.
Ning Ning from the Beizheng Institute comforted: "Please cheer up, you still have us, and we will always be by your side. Mother and Hesong don't want to see you so sad and lost. Not only that, you are also the mother-in-law of Japan." Your Highness, you are the hope of the world, please cheer up."
Ning Ning's status is very special in the Toyotomi family. She is not only the simple "Taiko principal wife, North Political Office", but also the "director's mother" of "Owari Kindergarten". It can be said that she is the real core of the Toyotomi family's military commander faction. . How core is it? For example, many famous generals of the Owari faction, such as Kato Kiyomasa and Fukushima Masanori, are not so much loyal to Toyotomi Hideyoshi as they are to Nening, the "mother".
In addition, when Ning Ning married Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Hideyoshi's status was still very low, but Ning Ning was from a serious samurai family, and his father was Hideyoshi's boss at the time, so Ning Ning was really "married down". It is precisely because Ningning can still call Hideyoshi "you" until now, and Hideyoshi will never be dissatisfied with it.
At this time, Chacha also comforted him and said: "Yes, Your Highness, please cheer up for the safe birth of your future heir."
Hideyoshi was stunned by these words. He didn't know what Chacha meant. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that Chacha was pregnant again, and he couldn't help but feel happy.
However, Ning Ning suspected that Chacha was lying just to make Hideyoshi laugh. She frowned and said: "Dian-don, don't talk nonsense just to comfort His Highness. Have you asked a pharmacist to see what you said? If you are really pregnant, that would be really joyful. The Toyotomi clan has an heir again, which is a happy event for both the Taipei and the world."
Chacha insisted that she was indeed pregnant. Hideyoshi became even more happy and asked if she was really pregnant. Chacha continued to say yes. Hideyoshi asked how he knew it was his son? Chacha replied: "When I dreamed of having a child, my destiny lies, and God bless Toyotomi."
Hideyoshi was so excited that he walked back and forth in excitement, while Ningning's mood was unknown, but she looked very pleased.
Hideyoshi had no idea about this matter at all, and called Maeda Toshiie to tell Chacha that she was pregnant. What could Toshiie say? Congratulations, of course.
However, Hideyoshi was still a little worried about Tokugawa Ieyasu, so he asked Maeda Toshiie to meet with Tokugawa Ieyasu first to test how much he knew about the specific situation of the Korean War and whether he had any dissatisfaction because of the current predicament he was facing. Maeda Li Jia took the order and left.
Not long after, Tokugawa Ieyasu heard that Maeda Toshiie was coming and went out to greet him. The two of them invited each other to sit down. It was raining heavily, and Tokugawa Ieyasu ordered him to get some hot tea to warm himself up. Ieyasu asked, "Toshiie suddenly came to my place. I don't know why?"
Maeda Toshiie replied: "The Korean War has been going through many twists and turns, and His Highness Taikaku has become more worried. I was ordered to inspect the food supplies, and I happened to come to Ieyasu for advice."
Tokugawa Ieyasu waved his hands repeatedly and said: "Toshiie, you are a master of military strategy, His Highness Taikaku is also well versed in the art of war, Kuroda Kanbei is also planning military affairs in Korea, and there are generals and famous generals, so why do you need to ask my opinion? It doesn't make sense. It’s just to make people laugh.”
Maeda Toshiie pretended to be displeased and said: "Tokugawa Ieyasu is the most famous person in the world, his reputation is far-reaching, and his military strategy is not under the Taikoo. Of course it is worth asking! What's more, you are responsible for national affairs, how can you not know the situation of the Korean war? This is not a lie. Conceal it, otherwise I will be impartial and selfless and punish you immediately."
The punishment was naturally a joke, so Tokugawa Ieyasu laughed and said: "Don't scare me, Toshiie... Indeed, I am co-manager of state affairs and have some knowledge of the Korean war situation. I heard that seven of the eight Korean roads have been occupied, and Korea has been defeated, except for Jeolla Province. We haven't been able to break into it yet. There are some rebels in the remaining roads. Supplies are often disturbed. Arms are insufficient. There are also endemic diseases. At present, we can only occupy the main cities in each road. We are in urgent need of rest and recuperation. However, overall it is not a big deal. As long as we get through this period, the journey from now on will be smooth.”
Maeda Toshiie pointed out that Tokugawa Ieyasu did have a good understanding of the situation in Korea, but the last paragraph seemed too optimistic. Tokugawa Ieyasu explained: "I am not the only one who knows about this matter now. Guan Bai and others have also learned the truth. Isn't Guan Bai's flying mission designed to convey the situation of the Korean War to the country in a timely manner?"
Maeda Toshiie asked tentatively: "The army is trapped in North Korea. It will be difficult to completely occupy it in the short term. We still need to prepare for the Ming Dynasty's attack. I am afraid that the war will be prolonged. Today's unification of Japan is about to usher in a peaceful age, but There are always people trying to cause chaos. A few days ago, a lord was plotting in private. After being captured, he said that you, Tokugawa Ieyasu, was the secret leader. Is this true?"
Tokugawa Ieyasu was shocked, opened his eyes wide and said: "Brother Toshiya, such accusations are baseless and groundless. How do you want me to answer? With a good reputation, it is inevitable to be used by others, not to mention that I have a wide network of friends, even some so-called evidence is inevitable , after all, writing a letter can often be distorted by others, and you know this kind of thing.
I also know that His Highness Taikaku is suspicious of me, but many lords including myself are in Nagoya and under supervision, so how can anything happen? Moreover, in terms of strength and popularity, it is impossible for the Tokugawa family to compete with Toyotomi, otherwise I would not have surrendered in the previous decisive battle. This is the general trend, and I should follow the trend.
Now that I think about it, although great names such as Saito, Oda, Takeda, Kamishiro, Hojo, Imagawa, Mori, and Shimazu all once dominated one or another area, they were ultimately not destined to be destined to fall under the rule of Taikaku. I am already at the age where I know my destiny, how many more years do I have left to live? Now I just want to enjoy the wealth and glory. "
To be honest, fifty is really not too young in Japan at this time. Most people at this age will most likely not have too many unrealistic ambitions. At least Maeda Toshiie himself has this mentality. Therefore, although he is shrewd, But he could not help but empathize with him and believed Tokugawa Ieyasu's confession.
The two then talked about the Korean War. Tokugawa Ieyasu also believed that rest and recuperation should be the main focus at this time, and that we could not continue to attack in the face of many unfavorable factors.
Maeda Toshiie said: "The Korean frontline is in urgent need of rest and recuperation so that it can be prepared and maintain an invincible position. However, if Lord Nobunaga is still there, he will definitely launch an attack at all costs."
Tokugawa Ieyasu agreed with this: "That's true, Nobunaga is unpredictable, and he can always win unexpectedly no matter what kind of adversity he faces. I can't wait for Nobunaga to see what happens, so I can only choose to win steadily. "
The two smiled at each other and turned to drink and chat. In fact, both of them understood what the other party was referring to: It was not that Taikaku did not understand the current difficulties, but the person whom Taikō most hoped to surpass in his life was his original lord Oda Nobunaga.
Since Oda Nobunaga "will attack at all costs" when faced with this situation, how can he, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, be content to be behind others? Naturally, he also wants to attack with force and prove that he is not inferior to Nobunaga Gong and is the inevitable successor of "the people of the world"!
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Thanks to book friend "Cao Mianzi" for your reward and support, thank you!
