After all, it was Japan's co-leader, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who gave the order, and famous people from all over the country came to Luo one after another. The retainers of the Toyotomi clan were more active than the others, for fear that they would be regarded as disrespectful to the emperor if they came too late.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi has been in poor health recently, so he spent a lot of time dressing up before the conference. The originally dry and yellow monkey face suddenly looked red. Fortunately, the others were sitting far away, so they might not be able to see him. Thick face powder.
Hideyoshi preached at the conference: "Since the truce came, you have rested for too long, and I am afraid that even your swords have become rusty. I did not want to continue this war because the casualties were heavy and the country was impoverished because of it, but - "
He suddenly raised his voice: "North Korea and the Ming Dynasty actually conspired to humiliate us, and we fought bloody battles for several years, and in the end we didn't even get land compensation, and the soldiers had to die in vain! This is intolerable! Therefore, I have made up my mind Determined, they must repay tenfold for the suffering you suffered before! I order you: attack North Korea again!"
The first military order issued by Toyotomi Hideyoshi was to order Kato Kiyomasa to lead the 10,000-man First Division as the vanguard and land at Sesaengpo in Ulsan by boat. Kato Kiyomasa was in disbelief when he heard this.
Hideyoshi glanced at him sideways and said: "Why do you show such an expression? Kato, do you think your achievements in Korea will make me abandon you? No, no, I know that you have always been the most loyal to me. During the last earthquake, you risked your life and only wanted to protect me, so in my heart, you are like my son."
Kato Kiyomasa was deeply moved and could not help but burst into tears: "Your Highness Taikaku, I, Kato Kiyomasa, will never be able to repay His kindness to His Highness Taikaku in my lifetime. My descendants and I will dedicate ourselves to His Highness Taikaku from generation to generation! We will definitely kill him this time. The head of the King of Korea is presented to His Highness Taige!"
Hideyoshi was very satisfied, stepped forward to help Kato Kiyomasa, and said sternly: "Not only the head of the King of Joseon, Kato, but also the head of the Emperor of Ming Dynasty. The King of Joseon is just a cowardly and incompetent person who only knows how to run away. Taking his head is like chasing a crazy rabbit, sooner or later.
What I want is the self-proclaimed and extremely arrogant Ming Emperor. Bring me his head. I want to trample him under my feet! "Kato Kiyomasa responded with a bang and fell to the ground to accept the order.
Hideyoshi then ordered Ishida Mitsunari to read the meter. The whole plan was to order Kato Kiyomasa to lead the first division at 10,000, Konishi Yukinaga to lead the second division at 14,000, Kuroda Nagamasa to lead the third division at 10,000, and Nabeshima Naoshige to lead The 4th Division has 12,000, Shimazu Yoshihiro leads the 5th Division with 10,000, Nagasougabe Motochi leads the 6th Division with 13,000, Mouri Hidemoto leads the 7th Division with 31,000, Ukita Hideie and Kuroda Yomizu led the 8th division with 20,000 troops and divided them into generals of the left and right armies, joining the Busan reserve team, totaling 140,000 troops.
The navy ordered Kuuki Yoshitaka, Toudo Takatora, Kato Yoshiaki, Wakisaka Yasuji, Kurushima Michizou and others to lead 13,000 men, advance by land and water, and then invade North Korea.
Maeda Toshiie added: "No peace or negotiation is allowed under any circumstances. In view of the fact that traitors (rebels) were everywhere in North Korea last time, so this time not only the North Korean and Ming troops must be killed, but the Korean people, regardless of gender, must also be killed." Anyone old or young who resists will be killed immediately!
If it is not convenient for each division to transport the heads back, their noses will be cut off, pickled with salt and lime, and sent back here for examination and evaluation. But there are exceptions, such as captured Korean craftsmen, who can work for us as prisoners! All Koreans who benefited Japan were to be captured alive. "
After he added these words, Hideyoshi ordered everyone to prepare for the battle and wait for orders. No matter what their thoughts were, everyone accepted the order with awe.
Tokugawa Ieyasu, who had moved to Kanto for several years, still did not need to go to North Korea. The order he received was still to "clear out the remnants of Hojo and stabilize the situation in the East Kingdom." There is nothing to say about the suppression of the remnants of the Hojo. If Tokugawa Ieyasu hadn't deliberately released the water, there would be no remnants of the Hojo. It was just that he supported the bandits to respect himself - or in other words, he supported the bandits and fled the war.
"Stabilizing the situation in the Eastern Kingdom" is very meaningful. Last year, there was an uprising in Kanto. In theory, this was indeed an uneasy situation that needed to be stabilized. But in fact, with the strength of the Tokugawa family, it was not a problem to pacify such an uprising. Down. Last year, the Tokugawa family seemed to have been fighting for more than half a year, but in fact it was also a deliberate attempt to show that Kanto was unstable and that Tokugawa had no time to care.
But in addition, Toyotomi Hideyoshi had something else to point out here, and that was to remind Tokugawa Ieyasu again: You have to keep an eye on Misaki Castle's Maritime Trade Alliance Kanto Fleet!
In fact, Toyotomi Hideyoshi at this time had a strong ambivalence towards both Tokugawa Ieyasu and the Sea Trade Alliance.
Let’s talk about Tokugawa Ieyasu first. Toyotomi Hideyoshi must be worried about him, but the strength of the Tokugawa family is there. If Toyotomi Hideyoshi wants to kill him by force, firstly, there will be no suitable excuse that can convince the world’s famous people. Secondly, even if Being able to do this will definitely bring huge losses to the strength of the Toyotomi family.
The Toyotomi Gongyi established by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a "man of the world", is not like the Chinese dynasties of all dynasties. "The whole world is not the king's land, and the shore of the land is not the king's ministers." In the final analysis, he is just the most powerful Daimyo, just like the leaders of the alliance during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, once their own strength is not enough to overpower the various daimyo, it will be like "Toyotomi loses his deer, and the whole world will chase him away."
The strongest Toyotomi and the second strongest Tokugawa fight to the death, and the Mori family who is ranked third must not laugh until they cramp? Therefore, unless Toyotomi Hideyoshi was sure that he could easily crush Tokugawa, he could only force him to surrender. Obviously, the Toyotomi family does not have such strength now, unless... they capture North Korea and reward most of them to the daimyo of the Toyotomi clan, while the rest are directly controlled by the Toyotomi family.
In this way, the Toyotomi family or Toyotomi clan will have enough strength, and they no longer have to worry about Tokugawa and Mori. Therefore, the current situation is actually like this: Tokugawa Ieyasu refuses to send troops to preserve his strength because he is not optimistic about the outcome of sending troops; Toyotomi Hideyoshi does not want Tokugawa Ieyasu to send troops to avoid giving him a fiefdom in the future, which is why Hideyoshi is optimistic about sending troops. result.
In essence, both of them are now betting on whether the "Korean Expedition" can be won and real loot can be obtained.
Closer to home, after Toyotomi Hideyoshi issued the military order to go out to Korea again, Ukita Hideie, Kuroda Jishui, and Konishi Governor arrived in Busan first and began to arrange to leak military information.
At this time, Marshal Quan Li of North Korea was also discussing the military situation. After receiving the order from the leader to discuss politics, Quan Li said: "Strengthening the wall to clear the country and relying on danger to save money are not new tactics, but they are also the most suitable tactics at the moment. . I will personally go on a tour of Jeolla Province to check the preparations of various military camps."
While preparing, Kim Eung-sang, the right-wing envoy of Gyeongsang Province, came to report that the Japanese general Kato Kiyomasa was about to attack Seosangpo and then land in Ulsan. Quan Li was shocked that the Japanese army would be so quick, and asked Jin Yingshou where he got the news. After learning that the news was leaked by President Konishi, Quan Li hurriedly met with the King of Joseon, Li Wan.
Li Huo was also very surprised by this, especially because he couldn't figure out why President Konishi behaved like this. Li Hengfu boldly speculated on this: "Your Highness, as far as I know, President Konishi and Kato Kiyomasa have always been incompatible with each other. This matter is well known in Japan. On the other hand, President Konishi has repeatedly tried to make peace through To end the war, I boldly suggest that perhaps we can consider defeating Kato Kiyomasa as the vanguard at sea, because in this case, it will be more conducive to ending the war for Konishi Governor."
Li He was very moved by what Li Hengfu said, and immediately said: "What you said is not unreasonable. If the Japanese pirates' vanguard general can be buried at sea, and our side wins a great victory, then North Korea will control the war, and there will be no need to fight again." Relying on the Ming army for rescue, you don’t have to keep mumbling about this matter... Well, this is really a God-given opportunity."
Liu Chenglong always felt that something was wrong, so he advised caution. He said: "Your Highness, if this is a trick by the enemy to lure the enemy, the navy will definitely fall into the enemy's trap and suffer heavy losses. After all, for the Japanese pirates, it is impossible to cross the sea to fight against North Korea. , its biggest obstacle is Yi Sun-shin’s navy, and the Japanese pirates and we both know this very well, so under such circumstances, we must not trust any intelligence sent by the enemy general.”
Quan Li's current attitude was one of doubt and he could not fully agree with Liu Chenglong's opinion, so he asked: "Prime Minister, if the attack is real and we sit idly by and ignore it, we will lose this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we will not be able to Then intercept the Japanese pirates landing at sea.
If we lose the opportunity and allow Japanese pirates to flourish, it will inevitably cause great harm to our defense. What should we do then? "
Liu Chenglong replied: "Of course I know your worries, but this matter is of great importance. You must think twice before making a decision. You must not act rashly."
Li Huan was very frightened by the combat effectiveness of the Japanese army. He did not want to see the Japanese army land in Korea again and wreak havoc in all directions. Therefore, he did not want to miss the opportunity. Therefore, regardless of Liu Chenglong's cautious opinion, he ordered: "This is obviously a God-given opportunity. It is the best opportunity in the history of Korea." The late kings are taking care of this country and immediately convene a meeting of the Border Preparation Department to deploy actions!"
Since the king gave the order, Liu Chenglong could not resist, so he had to hold a Bibian meeting. The discussion at the Bibei Division was intense. Lord Ito Jusuri immediately attacked Kato Kiyomasa, while Li Dexin was worried that a Japanese pirate trap would cause the navy to suffer heavy losses. Zuo Yizheng Jin Yingnan believed that compared with the losses of North Korea's Eight Roads, as long as Kato Kiyomasa could be defeated, the losses of the navy were completely bearable.
Li Yuanyi, who was in charge of politics on the right, retorted: "The Japanese pirates are attacking with a strong morale and strong combat power. It is bound to be a fierce battle. If it is a trap, our army will win and it will be a tragic victory. At the same time, if the navy suffers heavy losses, even On the verge of collapse, it is like North Korea's strongest defense line has collapsed, and it is unable to resist the landing of other Japanese pirates. Therefore, I also agree with the leader's opinion and should not attack rashly."
Zheng Zhuo also believed that the combat power of the navy commanded by Yi Sun-shin was at least half of North Korea's and should not be lost easily. Yi Dooshou heard this and sneered, saying: "Those who don't know this may think that Yi Sun-shin is the only general in Korea. If you are so timid, you will miss the opportunity to fight, and after the Japanese pirates land, they will shed blood into a river." , corpses litter the fields, we could have stopped the Japanese pirates at sea, but why do we have to let the people suffer unreasonable disasters again? If this is the case, then what is the point of us people here!"
His accusation was so serious that no one could answer it immediately, so Li Hengfu suggested: "We can order the Gyeongsang Right Army envoy Jin Yingshou to closely observe the Japanese camp, and let Yi Sunchen wait for the military order first. If what Commander Konishi said is true, then let him He immediately attacked."
This is actually a compromise. Li Dexin agreed with this, but Liu Chenglong sighed: "Even an investigation can't reassure me. If the enemy is carefully deployed, they will not let us easily detect the truth... But right now it's not possible If there is no other better way, then let’s do this.” So North Korea ordered Gyeongsang Province to investigate the enemy’s situation.
The Samdo Navy Control Camp located on Hansan Island also received instructions that the Japanese pirates were about to attack Sesaengpo, and the court wanted the navy to attack. Pei Xingli, the fellow governor, immediately mocked the court for its ignorance: "It's really unreasonable. Even if the Japanese generals are at odds with each other, how can it be possible to end the war at the expense of the navy? This is an obvious trap, but the court still jumped into it without even thinking. !”
Song Xili also believed that this was a seduction ploy, and Yi Sunchen's subordinates also had different opinions on this. Finally, Yi Sunchen patted the table and said: "Of course we can ignore such information, but we cannot ignore the wishes of the king and the court." Order. It should be a fact that Kato Kiyomasa has crossed the sea now, and the king and the court are already leaning towards this as an opportunity to end the war in one fell swoop..."
Pei Xingli saw that Yi Sunchen's words meant that he was complying with the imperial order, and immediately asked what the navy should do if he really received the order to attack. However, Yi Sun-shin had not yet decided yet, so he did not answer.
The first division led by Kato Kiyomasa had set off from Nagoya at this time. President Konishi and Soyoshi made a bet that Yi Sun-shin would never attack. Zong Yizhi wondered why his father-in-law was so convinced. Governor Konishi analyzed him confidently: "Because Yi Sun-shin has a big shortcoming, that is, he will never attack the waves before he is fully sure, and he is too Cherish the lives of his soldiers and do not want any unnecessary sacrifices.
In addition, the intelligence I sent will definitely make him suspicious, and he will weigh the battle losses and gains and losses. During this period of time, his caution will definitely make him choose to stay put, so my plan will definitely come true. "Zong Yizhi suddenly realized.
On the North Korean side, after observing Gyeongsang Province, they were convinced that Kato Kiyomasa was about to attack Niseipo, so the imperial court finally ordered Yi Sun-shin to attack immediately. Unexpectedly, Yi Sunchen thought hard and thought over and over again. As expected by President Konishi, he decided to stand still.
The generals were worried that disobeying the king's order would lead to trouble, but Yi Sun-shin still insisted not to attack. As a result, Kato Kiyomasa easily captured Nishijoura.
When the King of Joseon, Li Wan, learned about this, he was furious: "Is Yi Sun-shin crazy? Doesn't he know that this is an excellent opportunity? Doesn't he know what it means to let the Japanese pirates land in Sesaengpo? Everyone agrees, it's my fault Has the order been clearly communicated to Yi Sun-shin?" Du Chengzhi was so frightened that he repeatedly expressed that he was sure that it had been communicated. As a result, Li Ao became even more angry and felt that his royal power had been despised by Yi Sun-shin.
I Dooshou said with a stern face: "Your Highness, Yi Sun-shin's arrogance has gone beyond the courtesy of a minister. Such arrogance will destroy the fate of the country. Please order Yi Sun-shin to be dismissed immediately and escorted back to the capital for interrogation."
Jin Yingnan, Zuo Yizheng, also expressed his support with a heavy face, while Zheng Zhuo admonished: "Your Highness, Yi Shun-chen is a rare general. I think there must be a hidden secret in this matter. It is better to conduct a detailed investigation before convicting him."
Li Dexin and Li Hengfu were also worried that the collapse of the navy would be beneficial to the Japanese army, so they also believed that Yi Sun-shin should not be punished easily. Li Yuanyi, the right councilor, suggested that he might as well allow Yi Sunchen to make meritorious deeds and overcome the immediate crisis first.
Yi Dooshou was furious and said: "Li Sunchen relied on his previous military exploits, and now he is so arrogant that he ignores the court's orders and despises the king's majesty. Moreover, this is not the first time that this has happened. Before that, he did not respond to the crown prince's request." He held the imperial examination in the military camp without authorization, and now he is still using the excuse of searching for Japanese ships to collect tolls. Everyone, wake up, the various crimes committed by Yi Sun-shin are irreparable, how can you still exonerate him? !”
Zheng Zhuo reminded that all the above-mentioned things happened for a reason and have long been forgiven. Yi Dooshou retorted that it was precisely because of the original forgiveness that today's situation occurred. Yi Sun-shin's arrogance was indulged in this way, so he must be severely punished now.
Li He saw that Liu Chenglong was silent when he was discussing the affairs, so he asked the minister who recommended Yi Sun-shin to express his opinion.
Liu Chenglong sighed and said: "Your Highness, I know Yi Sunchen better than anyone else. Yi Sunchen is definitely not a rebellious person just because he has repeatedly made military exploits. How could he not know the consequences of resisting the king's order, and yet still persist despite this?" If he disobeys his orders, it means that there must be something more important and unavoidable than his life. I dare you to ask the king to investigate and then hold him accountable."
However, the most intolerable thing for Li Huo was contempt for the royal power. Although he asked Liu Chenglong for his opinion, he had already made up his mind. Therefore, he sneered several times and said solemnly: "I know Li Sunchen no less than the prime minister now. In his heart, he no longer regards me as the king, and he thinks that the people of North Korea regard him as a hero and follow him. He probably thinks that he is the king of North Korea! Send the order of the king of me, and immediately take Yi Sun-shin to Beijing for questioning!"
The matter has reached this point and is irreversible. Except for Liu Chenglong and a few others who did not say a word, all the ministers agreed that Yi Sun-sin must be severely punished for his crime. So Li Huo simply changed and supplemented the king's order, directly dismissed Yi Sunchen from all official positions, and arrested him in Beijing.
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