The news of Toyotomi Hidetsu's death was brought to Osaka by Masanori Fukushima. When Toyotomi Hideyoshi learned about it, he was furious and shouted angrily: "Does he know how much effort I put into cultivating him! How much effort I put into saving him this time! He actually trampled on my good intentions so casually!
Ning Ning, you have also seen that I have tried my best for him, but he repaid me in this way! Am I not good enough to him? I even asked him to do what Guan Bai did, and even tried my best to eliminate such a big trouble for him, but he failed me like this! It's all his fault, it's all his fault! I must let Sun Qilang know how terrible it is to anger me - even if he is already dead! "
Hokusei's persuasion was fruitless, and Hideyoshi refused to listen to any of her persuasion. He angrily ordered Ishida Mitsunari: "Convict me of treason. Yes, it is treason! I told the outside world that I discovered the evidence of Hideji's treason, so I took advantage of it." His conspiracy was discovered during the preparation period!
Hideji's head... will be exposed to the sun in Sanjo Kawara. His family and retainers are all suspected of being involved. I will execute them all! I want them all to pay for this! "
Ishida Mitsunari was frightened by Hideyoshi's madness and became uneasy, but after all, he had been with Hideyoshi for a long time, so he quickly calmed down and asked: "If it is concluded that it is rebellion, but now there is no conclusive evidence..."
This problem is very real. Xiuji never thought of rebellion. Where is the evidence? Hideyoshi calmed down for a while, and then wanted to use Hideji's request for the daimyo to sign a serial oath of loyalty as evidence of premeditated rebellion.
Ishida Mitsunari, whose head was as big as a bucket, said with a helpless smile: "Although that serial verdict was Hideji's request for the loyalty of the daimyo, it was actually an act of loyalty to His Highness Taikaku, and it was also authorized by His Highness Taikō. Now it is used as a conspiracy. The evidence... seems inappropriate."
Hideyoshi said angrily: "Then what else can be done! What evidence can there be! Just treat it as evidence! Do you have to let the world think that I forced him to death? The face of my Toyotomi family has been lost this time It’s not enough!”
When he said this, the nature of the matter changed. Ishida Mitsunari felt frightened and did not dare to question the use of this as "evidence". At the same time, he quickly changed the topic and asked: "Hidetsu has many wives and concubines, all of whom come from high officials, daimyo, If all the Onmyoji and others are executed, it will probably cause turmoil in the hearts of the people. I dare to ask His Majesty Taige... can you forgive me?"
Hideyoshi was still furious and shouted: "Ishida, if you don't dare to go, then don't go, I will go myself!" Ishida Mitsunari shivered from being yelled at, and now he really didn't dare to say any more, so he knelt down obediently. Take orders.
In fact, what Ishida Mitsunari said just now was not exaggerated in the slightest. Hideji's wives and concubines did come from famous families. Hidetsugi's father-in-laws who were implicated in this matter are almost all famous figures in Japan. Among them are the right minister Kikuttei Haruyuki, Yamashina Yansuke, Ren Geshi Satoba Shoba, Onmyoji Abe Kushu, etc., all of them are His pleas for his daughter failed, and instead he was ordered to be exiled.
Hidetsugi's close retainers include Maeno Nagayasu, the lord of Deishi Castle, Hattada Hattada, the lord of Matsuzaka Castle, and Shigetsu Watase, the lord of Oba Castle (Note: In the original history, he was the lord of Yokosuka Castle, but at this time Yokosuka was in the hands of the Kanto Fleet of the Maritime Trade Alliance, and the port was under construction. Under construction, so this person was renamed), Ogaki Castle Lord Ito Mikage and other minor daimyo were ordered to have caesarean sections.
However, the "Wakae Eight", the backbone of the young samurai group under his command, was valued by Ishida Mitsunari. With his repeated mediation - of course mainly because of their low status - they were finally able to avoid death and serve as officials for the Ishida family. .
In addition, Asano Nagamasa, the head of the Five Families, also had a close relationship with Hidetsu, so Asano Yukinaga, the legitimate son of the Asano family, was exiled to Noto. Other prominent lords who had close contacts with him, such as the Date family, the Kuroda family, the Mogami family, and the Kobayakawa family, also They all received severe warnings, especially Hidetsu's younger brother Hideaki Kobayakawa, who even had his 100,000 koku territory in Tanba and Kameyama confiscated.
Some of Hidetsu's family elders, such as Yamauchi Kazutoyo, Tanaka Yoshimasa, Tokunaga Shoumasa and others, were originally the auxiliary political team provided by Hideyoshi. At this time, they naturally chose to add insult to injury and surrendered to his old employer Toyotomi Hideyoshi. , thus winning Hideyoshi’s commendation.
On the second day of August in the fourth year of Wenlu, all thirty-nine members of Xiuci's wife, concubines, and descendants were beheaded in Santiaohe. As a result, Santiaohe "screamed loudly throughout the sky" that day. Afterwards, Hideyoshi ordered Juleti to be burned in an attempt to erase all traces of Hidetsu's existence.
Hideyoshi's crazy behavior naturally caused deep chills in the hearts of many daimyo. A few days later, Kuroda Rusui came to visit Hideyoshi. At this time, Hideyoshi was crying alone about the Xiuji incident.
When he saw Kuroda Rushui coming, he immediately pointed at him and said: "How much I want to train Sun Qilang into an outstanding man, but why did he commit suicide without explaining anything to me? Why on earth is this? You, still There is Matashiro and the retainers of the Toyotomi family, but everyone is silent and watching this with cold eyes, why are you!"
Kuroda Rushui bowed slightly and replied: "The misunderstanding between His Highness Taige and His Highness Guan Bai is not irresolvable. It's just that your two statuses are too noble. What ordinary people can say cannot be said to you two. It is because of the lack of candor. This weakens trust, and every move by either party will arouse the suspicion of the other party, further worsening the situation.
As for the retainers, they did not dare to say anything because of Taige's family affairs, and please His Highness Taige not to punish them again. As long as His Highness Taige can miss him and pray in his heart, His Highness Guan Bai will know and be grateful. The current ending is actually a relief for His Highness Guan Bai. Please take care of yourself, Your Highness Taige. "
"Freed? He is freed, what about me? What about me!" Hideyoshi then burst into tears and even fainted. Kuroda Rushui did not expect this to happen, and was so shocked that he hurriedly called for help.
When Hideyoshi woke up, his body was weak, and he seemed to be much older, but his anger seemed to be much lighter. He rarely held Kuroda Rusui's hand and said: "I never wanted to force Sunshichiro to death, you must Believe me! Yes, yes, Guan Bai's position will be taken up in the future, but I don't want to abandon Sun Qilang.
I am already old and I probably don’t have many years left to live. I don’t want to die, I want to watch Shi grow up... I still have North Korea and Ming Dynasty to conquer! Whoever blocks this road deserves to die and must die! "
At the end of the sentence, Hideyoshi's dim and turbid eyes showed the familiar madness of Kuroda Rusui, but while he was talking so crazily, he kept coughing at the same time.
Heitian Rushui sighed in his heart, but he just heard the words and advised: "Your Highness, you are too sad, please rest assured and nurse yourself back to health."
However, Toyotomi Hideyoshi regained his energy, forced himself to sit up, and stared at Kuroda intently, saying: "Rusui, you follow me in the north and south. Without you, I can't take over this world. I know, You must be angry with me when you become a monk...but I don't have many wishes left, are you still unwilling to serve me for the last time?"
Seeing that Hideyoshi's expression was declining, Black Sky Rusui observed carefully and guessed that Hideyoshi's life was running out. With a thought in his heart, he said to Hideyoshi: "Please rest assured, His Highness Taige, Ruishui is always willing to dedicate all of himself to His Highness Taige." Strength. I am willing to go to Korea again when His Highness Taikaku is in need, and win North Korea and the Ming Dynasty for His Highness Taikō. I only hope that Your Highness Taikō can be in good health, be kind to others, and accumulate virtue and blessings for the Toyotomi family."
Toyotomi Hideyoshi was overjoyed when he saw him voluntarily agreeing to conquer Korea. He praised him very much until he couldn't support his energy anymore and fell asleep.
After the matter was over, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was in Kyoto, quickly got the news and called Honda Masanobu for discussion.
Honda Masanobu commented: "With Hidetsugi's death, the Toyotomi clan has become a hollow tree. If Taiko dies within a few years, the world will change."
Tokugawa Ieyasu narrowed his eyes and asked, "How can you see it?"
"My lord knows it in his heart, but he must tell it through the mouth of his subordinates?" Honda Masanobu smiled and said: "Taiko had no children in his early years, so he had to adopt his sister's son as his eldest son, named Hideji, and raised him as his heir. For many years, Taige and his wife treated Hidetsu as if they were their own children and trained him carefully, which is obvious to all the world.
So by the time Taikaku unified the world, Hidetsugi's 'prince prince' system was already very complete: Maeno Nagayasu was the assistant, Yamauchi Kazutoyo and other four elders were important ministers, young samurai such as 'Wakae Hachirenzu' and other young warriors were the backbone generals. There was also his father-in-law Ju Ting Qingji in the imperial court as an aid.
This entire team can completely guarantee that even if Taiko suddenly passes away, Hidetsu will be able to inherit the Toyotomi clan's great cause without any obstacles. At the same time, other great names in the world have already pledged their allegiance to Hidetsu under Taikaku's instructions. Even if Taikō passes away, everyone can only continue to be loyal to the Toyotomi clan - after all, they have neither the strength nor the name to oppose.
However, the early death of Hematsu and the birth of Shimaru changed the originally stable situation. Taiko's love for Shimaru was simply shocking. Not only did it become clear that Shimaru would succeed Guan Bai in the future, he even wanted to skip Hideji. , directly handing the world into Shiwan's hands.
In fact, if you think about it, when Shimaru was born, in order to reassure Hideji, Taiko even proposed that Shimaru marry Hideji's daughter in the future. However, Taiko became increasingly unable to control his selfishness and pushed Hideji to the edge step by step. ——First ran away, then 'rebellion', and finally the whole family was killed.
The Toyotomi family originally had one of the biggest problems, which was that there were too few clan members, and there were also extremely few daimyo. This was a hidden danger that the Toyotomi family had already existed and could not be changed.
Xietsugu had meritorious service in battle and had been trained as his heir for many years. His existence as Guan Bai could have offset some of the problems caused by this hidden danger.
But now that he is dead, his "Crown Prince" team has also dispersed. This means that the next generation of the Toyotomi clan's power core has suddenly disappeared, and the entire Toyotomi clan has become a giant hollow tree. It looks towering, but in fact it is pushed away. Just pour..."
"Will it fall down with just one push?" Tokugawa Ieyasu interrupted: "It's not that dangerous, right? As long as Hideyoshi himself is still alive, I think this tree will still be stable."
"If Taiko is alive, this tree is indeed unlikely to fall, but it does not necessarily count as stable." Honda Masanobu said solemnly: "Since the conquest of North Korea, Taiko has become more and more crazy. This time The armistice would have been a good opportunity to allow the Taikaku or Toyotomi forces to recover quickly without the damage being done.
Who knew that at this time, Taige could no longer tolerate anything that might damage his reputation. The canonization in the Ming Dynasty only mentioned the canonization itself, and did not consider any of the conditions proposed by Taige. This was a complete loss of face to Taige. Therefore, Taige could not accept it and could only let the country regroup its troops to prepare for another war.
But here comes the problem. Last time, the Toyotomi family and the Daimyos of the Western Kingdom who were loyal to the Taige showed up with all their elites, but they were still defeated one after another by the Liaodong Army of the Ming Army Li Rusong, who had far fewer troops than themselves. They could only find their own way and let Xiao Commander Nishikyō came up with the "canonization" that Japan did not need at all this time, and his army also retreated to Busan.
After spending a lot of money and losing a lot of troops, they were eventually surrounded in Busan, facing encirclement and suppression by the Ming and Korean troops at any time. Under this situation, if Taige cannot achieve political conditions, he will have no choice but to continue the war, otherwise his prestige will be destroyed.
However, isn’t it dangerous to continue the war? No, this is probably a greater danger. The Ming Dynasty had millions of troops. Because it had just conquered Mongolia, it had no choice but to send only 50,000 troops to Korea. Now that so much time has passed, what should be restored in the Ming Dynasty should have been restored long ago, and what should be prepared must have been completed. This time the Taige is launching a war, which may be more difficult to fight than the previous one.
The last time they faced 50,000 Ming troops, they were unable to defeat them. What if the Ming troops dispatched 100, 150, or even 200,000 troops this time? What will His Highness Taige do in response?
To sum up, I think this war will probably exhaust the strength of the Toyotomi clan and the Daimyos of the Western Kingdom who are loyal to him. When the Toyotomi clan's strength is exhausted, how much prestige will be left that Taikaku established to unify the world?
Considering the situation we have so far, Taikaku's body has become increasingly difficult to support. Once he himself passes away around the time of that situation, the lord believes that the big tree of the Toyotomi family can still maintain the illusion of being towering. What? "
His long speech actually got into Tokugawa Ieyasu's heart. Ieyasu finally showed a faint smile and said: "Human life is determined by God. His Highness Taikaku is an extraordinary person. Who dares to predict that his life span will be over?" ?”
Honda Masanobu shook his head and said: "Not to mention how Xiuji's death affected him, nor to say that his body has been getting worse and worse in the past few years. I just want to say that if there is another problem on the Korean battlefield, especially a complete defeat... ... He is so proud of himself now, but when the time comes that he loses all his face, I am afraid he will become ill."
Tokugawa Ieyasu pondered for a moment and asked: "In your opinion, what should I do at this time? Or... do nothing?"
Honda Masanobu said: "On the surface, of course, we don't do anything. After all, whatever we do will attract the attention of the increasingly sensitive and suspicious Taiko. But privately, the lord does have a lot to do. Not only must he win over us as quickly as possible but carefully, forces, and at the same time must win the support of the Sea Trade Alliance.
Once the defeat of Korea is determined, the decline of the Toyotomi clan will be irreversible and can only be counted on. What could influence the world at that time was, in addition to the ebb and flow of various forces in Japan, the Sea Trade Alliance, which was wealthy and powerful and could influence the major policies of the Ming Dynasty, must be another transcendent and absolute force.
Perhaps to a large extent, whoever this force is on will be able to replace Toyotomi! Lord, no matter how high the cost, the Tokugawa family must get the support of the Maritime Trade Alliance. "
Tokugawa Ieyasu nodded and said, "Time is running out. How did you go about the things you told me last time? Is Kaiji willing to believe my sincerity and return to the Ming Dynasty as soon as possible?"
Honda Masanobu said: "She doesn't seem to object, but she said she wants to wait for the consent of her husband, Mr. Gao Ge."
Tokugawa Ieyasu sighed: "I hope everything goes well."
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PS: The epidemic is spreading again in various places. I wish everyone well.
