On the nineteenth day of the first lunar month, it was just past noon, and Ikoma Okamasa and the monk agreed to visit Fushimi Castle Tokugawa Prefecture as the four old envoys except Ieyasu. Ieyasu deliberately asked all the sliding windows to be opened so that the neighboring Fukuhara Mansion could see everything here, and then he went to greet the special envoy with a smile.
"Ah, you came just in time. Plum blossoms happened to be blooming in the past two days, with sparse shadows and faint fragrance. I was fascinated just now." Ieyasu came over and said. He smiled easily and naturally, not at all serious like Shintaro Torii behind him, and he still held the knife firmly in his hand.
Chengcheng hesitated and said coquettishly: "Well... Your Highness Zuofu, in fact, today we are here as the special envoys of the elder of Osaka City to reprimand Zuofu."
"Elder?" Ieyasu raised his eyebrows slightly, seemingly surprised.
"Yes, headed by Maeda Danagon, as well as His Highness Mori, His Highness Ukita and His Highness Uesugi, the other five have this intention as well, so this is the result of repeated discussions among everyone."
Ieyasu said "Oh", turned his attention to Ikoma Oishimasa, and asked seriously: "Since it is a rebuke, naturally it is not so relaxed. Is there something wrong with Ieyasu's behavior?"
Ikoma didn't dare to look at him. He subconsciously turned his face to the other side and threw the problem to Acceptance: "Master Acceptance, you speak first."
Seeing this, Chengcheng became even more nervous, and said as if reading from the script: "Since the death of Taiko, His Highness Tokugawa has inevitably acted a little arbitrarily. And..."
"And what?"
"On the matter of intermarriage with the Yinda, Fukushima, and Haizuka clans, the Taige had an explicit order, but now the Zuofu decides on it without authorization. What does this mean? If His Highness's answer is not satisfactory, the elder must be given up. Position... In short, such punishment is inevitable."
Ieyasu wanted to laugh out loud several times - if he said this was a rebuke, the wording of acceptance was so respectful, his expression was gentle and peaceful, and his tone was calm, which made the listeners feel that it was too modest.
"This rebuke is a bit strange. I don't care whether Ieyasu did anything arbitrarily after Taige passed away, but it is really unreasonable to say that I made my own decisions regarding the marriage!"
"Your Highness means..."
"In fact, since there is a matchmaker and all parties have been informed about it, how can you say that I am making independent decisions?"
Chengcheng was stunned for a moment. He looked at Qinzheng blankly and exhaled hard. Ieyasu's unexpected answer seemed to put him at ease. Perhaps before coming here, Sancheng had given him various ideas and imagined various situations.
"In this case, the poor monk should immediately report His Highness's intentions. Uh... maybe we need to ask the matchmaker in person."
"This is the best. The matchmaker is Zong Xun from Jiegang, so thank you for his hard work." Ieyasu said nonchalantly, with a smile on his face. He paused and then quickly asked: "How is Dai Nayan's condition? Has he recovered?" Inadvertently, Ieyasu changed the topic easily.
Osaka must have painstakingly discussed this rebuke for several days, but it only took a moment before it was refuted.
"It seems there is no improvement." Qin Zheng breathed a sigh of relief, and he dared to answer the question, and replied hurriedly and seriously, "Oh, it's really worrying."
Ieyasu seemed to have completely forgotten the rebuke just now, and turned towards Ikoma Okamasa and said: "His Majesty Ikoma has a close relationship with Oda. There are not many people in the world who have a close relationship with the late Nobunaga, right?"
"Yeah, yeah...it's really touching."
"Looking back, His Highness Maeda was a personal attendant of Lord Nobunaga, and I was like Lord Nobunaga's brother. Now, even though Taikaku has passed away, the burden of peace in the world still needs to be shared by everyone... It is really emotional to think about it. thousand."
Oka seemed to be completely moved by Ieyasu and said, "Yes, life flies by so fast, the sun and the moon fly by."
"That's right. Therefore, now we must ask His Highness Maeda to take it very seriously. I'm afraid there are not many people who can still understand Nobunaga's lifelong ambition and Taikaku's lifelong ambition, and His Highness Maeda is one of the few. one."
"What Zuofu said is absolutely true."
"Master Acceptance, you have to keep this in mind." Ieyasu said calmly, turning to look at Acceptance: "Needless to say, Lord Nobunaga hopes that a unified Japan will become prosperous. And in order to inherit this legacy , Taige risked his wealth and life... It is useless to talk about the conquest of the dynasty now, but the motivation behind Taige cannot be understood.
As followers of Nobunaga, everyone is very clear about what we must do: no matter what, we must not let the foundation of the peaceful and prosperous era created by Taiko be shaken. Maeda Daigon is a benevolent person who has always taken this as his duty. At this critical moment, please be sure to take care of yourself... You must convey these words to Daigon. "
"As you command!"
"Recent affairs have been complicated. The movements of the Ming army, Taikaku's funeral, and rumors among the people are all worrying. Fushimi, Ieyasu, did not dare to slack off at all, and Osaka left everything to Maeda Daigon. You also These words must be conveyed to Mahanayana."
"We have taken note of everything, please rest assured, Your Highness."
"Also, I heard that His Highness Maeda is going to mobilize more than 5,000 troops from Kaga. I wonder if things are going smoothly?"
Upon hearing this, I was trembling with fear in person. I subconsciously put my hands on my knees and said, "It should go smoothly..."
"As it should be. I think His Majesty Maeda will never be careless about these things. Well, since that's the case, I can rest assured... You have worked hard for coming from a long way, so please enjoy some simple meals here. Come, Serve.”
The waiter who had been waiting outside came in. Chimasa and Acceptance looked at each other, they had always thought that Ieyasu would mention 30%. The two also planned to reveal to Ieyasu discreetly that the central figure who initiated this operation was not Toshiie but Mitsunari.
But Ieyasu didn't mention a word.
Soon, the maid came in with the meal, and the two looked at each other in panic again. For them, this mission was actually extremely dangerous. Once Ieyasu took a tough stance, the outcome would be unpredictable.
Maeda and Tokugawa are indistinguishable in strength, Ieyasu may be stronger, but Maeda has a relatively harmonious relationship with all the daimyo, and there is almost no hatred towards him... But here is the problem. Once the daimyo are involved, the outcome will be difficult to say. . Therefore, the two envoys were always worried.
Unexpectedly, Ieyasu not only changed the subject without any effort, but also acted upright and pressed forward step by step. In this way, how to report after returning to Osaka has become a problem.
But having said that, the fact is that as Ieyasu said, the person who can understand the essence of Nobunaga and Taiko's ambition is none other than Maeda Toshiie. As long as the interests of the family and the family remain harmonious, the world will naturally be at peace.
But the problem is that as an envoy, I feel a little embarrassed to go back empty-handed like this, and even be "taught" by others in turn. The two of them were on pins and needles at this time, even trembling with fear.
"I'm neglecting you two. I only have fish from Wakasa. Please eat before you go." Ieyasu smiled and said, "Oh, I'm sorry for mentioning something fishy in front of the master. This is a leaf, a leaf, it's Wakasa. The leaves produced. Haha..."
The two looked at each other and picked up the kuaizi, but they didn't know whether they should eat it or not. Ieyasu still had a good appetite and ate a lot of food, but the two envoys couldn't eat anything, and they were wrapped in thick worries.
At this moment, Jing Yinzhizheng suddenly walked in and reported: "Your Highness, excuse me. Something urgent has happened."
Ieyasu chewed the fish meat and asked, "What's the matter? Let's talk about it here."
"Yes. Kanwara Shikibu Daisuke Yasumasa has entered Omi."
"Kang Zheng is so fast...but why is this so urgent?"
"I heard some rumors along the way and everyone was very angry."
"He led his troops here?"
"Yes. The number of people is still...slightly too many."
"A little too much, how much is that?"
"I heard that there are more than 40,000 people, it's so majestic..."
"forty thousand?"
"Yes. If they all enter the capital, I'm afraid they won't even have enough food to eat."
"Well... let them stop advancing in the Omi area. I heard that Maeda's troops are about to enter Osaka, so there is no need to worry about the security in Kinei. Tell them not to be impatient, and then let them collect food and grass immediately. Since they have come out , and we can’t let the soldiers go hungry.”
Ieyasu sent Naomasa away with a few words, and shouted with his kuaizi: "You all heard it, there is no need to worry about the area from the capital to Fushimi. After you go back, carefully report Dai Nayan."
Hearing these words, the two of them were so frightened that they almost fell down, and they hurriedly straightened their sitting postures. Ieyasu, on the other hand, still seemed to be only interested in satisfying his appetite, chewing heavily.
The 40,000 troops may be false. Although the Tokugawa family is strong, they should not be able to send 40,000 troops to Kinki at will. After all, there were many daimyo around the Tokugawa family who had moved to block him, including the Aizu-Uesugi family with a stone height of 1.2 million koku. It was impossible for him to send nearly half of his army to Kinki.
Of course, it is certainly true that Kanbaru Yasumasa is leading a large group of people to the capital.
"I didn't expect to bother you for so long. Let's take our leave now."
After hearing what Cheng Cheng said, Ikoma Oikasa quickly pushed away the food. The two knew that at this time in the Maeda residence in Fushimi, the three Toshi family retainers from Osaka, Murai Bungo Chief Nori, Okumura Yonomori Nagafuku, and Tokuyama Gohei, must be anxiously waiting for the results.
The two of them urged each other to get up and leave the table. Ieyasu suddenly remembered something and stopped them again, saying: "Oh, just now you two said that you want to remove Ieyasu from the top five elders. I don't think this belongs to you two." You mean, it’s not His Highness Maeda’s idea?”
"This, but..." Chengcheng was speechless and at a loss.
"Don't misunderstand me. I'm not trying to catch you, but I have to say this. Let me tell you bluntly. Under the current situation, if Ieyasu steps down, it will really go against Taikaku's orders. You go back , we must convey it to them well so that they can stop talking nonsense in the future.”
After speaking solemnly, Ieyasu politely thanked him for his hard work. But in the end, the two envoys who suffered such a heavy blow had no courage to answer at all.
After the two of them were sent away by Naomasa Iein, Ieyasu had already darkened his face and said slowly: "Close the doors and windows." Then he ordered Shintaro Torii: "Let's go to the Arima Hoin Mansion... almost invite the Hoin. I forgot about watching the ape music."
Shintaro couldn't help but laugh, and responded seriously: "Yes."
Ieyasu, however, pretended to be innocent, glanced at me, and asked, "Shintaro, why are you laughing?"
"Don't dare."
"Many generals have gathered in the Arima Hoin family today. Do you know about this?"
"Yes, your Majesty knows."
"Just do what you want, go there and watch the music of the monkeys, and understand people's hearts at the same time. You have to remember it well, so that there won't be any friction."
"Yes." As he spoke, Shintaro closed the sliding window and asked, "Did His Highness Kanbaru really march to Omi?"
"How could it be so fast? We probably only reached the Owari area. What I said today was Naomasa's idea."
As Ieyasu spoke, he clapped his hands to call the maid and ordered: "Get ready to change."
At this moment, Iyin Naomasa returned from sending the envoy, but he brought new news: "Chief Controller Kato has come to see His Highness."
"Qingzheng?"
"Yes. He said that he has important confidential matters to discuss with His Highness." Jing Yin Naozheng frowned a little.
Hearing this, Ieyasu's eyes suddenly sharpened and then disappeared in an instant.
"Meet you. Sure enough, something happened. Don't be busy changing clothes first... Naomasa, please find me the box of Komaki's battle costume armor." No one knew what Ieyasu was thinking. At this time, he returned to his seat and He sat down and ordered again: "Bring me that armored stomach, and then bring Qingzheng in."
Jing Yinzhizheng obeyed and asked the handyman to move the box.
"Take out the nail stomach inside." Ieyasu asked Shintaro to take out the nail stomach and wipe it gently with tissue paper. No one knew why Ieyasu took this thing out. This pair of white leather armor and stomach connected with black silk has now turned gray and is quite dull.
At this time, Kato Kiyomasa arrived under the leadership of Iyin Naomasa. When he saw Kogai, he couldn't help but be startled, thinking that Ieyasu was checking the weapons and equipment for the expedition.
"Commissioner, aren't you in Osaka? When did you come to Fushimi?"
"Stop by to say hello to Zuofu and leave immediately."
Ieyasu seemed to be listening but not listening, and was focused on taking care of the beloved armor, and asked: "Chief Chief, don't you think this armor looks familiar to you?"
"This... forgive my stupidity."
"This is the armor I wore during the Battle of Komaki." Ieyasu said nonchalantly, while Shintaro and Naomasa were stunned. The two of them were very aware of Ieyasu's determination to never fight again, but they did not understand that serving Kogai at this time was also Ieyasu's plan.
"Why did Your Highness take out such a dangerous thing?" Qingzheng said with a chuckle.
"Is the stomach a dangerous thing?"
"Haha, is there anyone in the world today who wants Zuofu to wear this thing again and let the world flow like a river of blood? Your Highness, please put it away quickly." Qingzheng spoke firmly, moved closer to Ieyasu, and said seriously: "Although I I don’t think there will be any commotion, but I still want to protect His Highness from tonight at the Zuofu Residence.”
"I Have a Picture Book of Ghosts and Gods"
"You want to protect me?" Ieyasu seemed a little surprised, and this time it was true.
"If there is only one person next, I am afraid it will only arouse resentment among the followers, but not scruples. Therefore, just in case, I would like to first let Dr. Fukushima Zaemon, Kuroda and his son, Toudo Watsumori, Dr. Mori Ukon and others Guard here."
Ieyasu was really surprised now. In fact, Toudo Takatora and Mori Tamasa had already told him secretly about the matter, but he did not expect Kiyomasa to take the initiative to mention it, which surprised him.
Kiyomasa's move was probably out of his distaste for Mitsunari, but because of this, he attracted the Kurodas, his sons, and even Fukushima Masanori to actively support Ieyasu, which is really unlikely.
After thinking for a while, Ieyasu asked: "Chief Accountant, have you seen Mrs. Hoi Masato in Osaka?"
"I saw you. I just went to pay my respects yesterday."
"Is it a secret order from the Northern Government to guard Ieyasu?"
Qingzheng's expression was a little stiff and he whispered: "If Your Highness thinks so, I have nothing to say."
From Kiyomasa's heavy face, Ieyasu could see his deep worries, and his heart couldn't help but feel warm: On one side were the Sancheng faction who could not see the reality clearly and only acted on their own likes and dislikes; on the other side were Kiyomasa and Hokusei Shozu, who could clearly distinguish right from wrong and had a profound understanding of righteousness. people……
Hokusei's love for Hideyori and concern for the future of the Toyotomi clan are definitely different from Mrs. Yodo's. What she and Kiyomasa are worried about is that if a fight breaks out between Ieyasu and Maeda Toshiie, who is instigated by followers, Hideyori, who is at the center of the vortex, will be wiped out.
Ieyasu once swore an oath that he would never fight with the Toyotomi clan again. Kiyomasa came to protect him because he trusted Ieyasu's oath, and it did not mean that Kiyomasa planned to betray Toyotomi and seek refuge with Tokugawa. After all, Ieyasu had never betrayed his oath in the past decades—Oda and Tokugawa's Seiju Alliance was the best example.
Thinking of this, Ieyasu nodded in admiration: "In that case, I will put away the stomach. Shintaro, put away the stomach." As he said that, he smiled and turned to Kiyomasa: "The world is not peaceful, Lord. The head of the plan. Even before Taige's corpse is cold, disputes arise, making people anxious and helpless."
Kato Kiyomasa said: "Not only the people I mentioned to the Zuofu just now, I heard that the young assistant of the Otani Punishment Department also said that if anyone dares to covet the Zuofu residence, he will come to protect him at any time, and his retainers have also prepared their troops and are ready at any time. Standby."
"Otani Yoshitsugi?"
"Yes. Although he has known Zhibu for many years, he is not like villains like Zhibu. He knows very well who really cares about the young master and who has evil intentions."
"For the young master?"
"Yes, for the sake of the young master. How can there be any good things if Zuofu and Dayan fight? Probably..." Qingzheng straightened his posture and sighed: "Beizhengsuo may have secretly sent a message to Dayan. , and we will work together to stay by Zuofu's side and try our best to prevent them from causing trouble."
"I understand, Chief Accountant. Ieyasu understands the intentions of you and the Hokusei Office. Ieyasu has also seen a long time ago that the reprimand was definitely not the intention of Kaga Danagon."
"Your Highness has seen through it?"
"What's the point of making a fuss? I know this, and Kaga Danagon naturally knows it too. Therefore, I did not deliberately make things difficult for the envoy today. Don't worry, I have no intention of starting a war. Even if the retainers do something, it is only for the sake of peace. Just in case.”
"Now that Zuofu said this, I feel relieved... Then, from tonight, Fukushima, Kuroda, Todo, Mori, Arima, Oda Yurakusai, and Shinjo Suruga Mamoru and others will come to guard you. I'm here. I heard that His Highness Zuofu is about to go out, so I won't disturb you and will take my leave first."
Ieyasu nodded vigorously, stood up and took Kiyomasa to the corridor. Jing Yin Naozheng came in from outside again, his face even grimmer than before. He bowed slightly and said: "Misaki Palace sent someone from Jie Port to send a secret letter to ask if the lord needs help."
Ieyasu's eyes suddenly condensed, and he subconsciously sat up straight with his fat body: "Narita Kai returned to Japan? She didn't go to Kanto, but she was in Kai Port?"
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Thanks to book friend "Cao Mianzi" for your reward and support, thank you!
Thanks to book friends "Yun Fuyue Yu", "Cao Mianzi", "Altay's Old West", "malyvu" and "soviet2003" for their monthly support, thank you!
PS: This chapter makes up for yesterday’s work. The extra 1K will be counted as today’s. I had to accompany my child for injections in the first half of the night, so I can only try to come back for 3K in the second half of the night. Nowadays, if a child has a fever, it can easily cost thousands. Isn’t Jinghua’s medical sector also very profitable... I might give him a loss in income!
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