Ming Zuo

Chapter 1084 Evidence
When the news of the defeat of the Kumamoto clan and the death of Tadori Hosokawa came, the daimyo who were marching immediately retreated one after another.

Everyone was horrified.

Even the most powerful Kumamoto Clan was defeated by the Shimahara Rebels. They finally put away their arrogance and realized that the situation was getting worse.

Now what they think about is no longer how to profit from it, but how to quell the riots and consolidate their own rule.

If the Shimabara rebellion continues, the entire island of Kyushu will be turned upside down.

Since the Shimahara Rebels were able to kill Matsukura Katsuie and Hosokawa Tadori, they would naturally be able to kill other daimyos as well.

At the moment of life and death, such a little bit of dirty thinking is not important anymore.

It doesn't matter even if the Tokugawa shogunate takes the opportunity to take the lead in Kyushu Island.

As long as it can continue its own rule, it is not impossible to be a dog for the Tokugawa shogunate.

Under such circumstances, urgent documents from various daimyos were sent to Matsudaira Nobutsuna's desk.

At this time, the information Matsudaira Nobutsuna received was far more detailed than that of other daimyos.

"Baga, it is impossible for these untouchables to own iron cannons and Guobeng. Someone must have secretly funded them, and immediately send someone to investigate."

Matsudaira Nobutsuna couldn't be more clear about the virtues of Japanese farmers.

It is naturally very strange that a group of farmers who do not even have complete farm tools now have large-scale muskets and artillery.

Matsudaira Nobutsuna speeded up the march while presenting the situation to Tokugawa Iemitsu.

When he led his army to land on Kyushu Island, he finally got the details.

"Xia Kingdom's artillery? Can you see it clearly?"

Kumamoto's deserter knelt in front of him and swore to God.

"We can see clearly that the artillery used by those untouchables is exactly the same as the weapons on the boats of the Xia State Navy."

Matsudaira Nobutsuna's heart was overwhelmed, and Xia Guo's involvement made him feel a little bit of fear.

That powerful country has cast a psychological shadow on him.

What is Xia Guo's purpose?
But in any case, the Shimahara Rebels possessed muskets and artillery, which undoubtedly made it more difficult to counter the rebellion.

"Immediately send a letter to Nagasaki Fengxing, asking him to negotiate with Xia Guo, and this matter must be settled."

Matsudaira Nobutsuna decided to give priority to cutting off the source of weapons of the Shimahara Rebels.

As long as the Shimahara Rebels do not have powerful firearms, it is still very easy to counter the rebellion.

Sakakibara made an emergency appointment with Shen Tingyang, and was furious when they met.

"Master Shen, why do you secretly support the mob in Shimabara?"

Shen Tingyang was surprised.

"What exactly is Mr. Fengxing talking about? Please say it clearly and don't beat around the bush."

Seeing him pretending to be confused, Sakakibara bites hard.

"The army of the shogunate discovered that the Shimabara mob was using your country's weapons to commit crimes. Will Mr. Shen not give an explanation?"

"Oh, so that's what happened."

Shen Tingyang pretended to be enlightened, and smiled, not caring.

"What does this matter have to do with our country of Xia?"

Sakakibara gritted her teeth in anger.

"That's Xia's weapon! General Da'ao is very angry. If this affects the relationship between your two countries, you will have to bear all the responsibilities."

Shen Tingyang remained calm.

He told a story.

"In our country of Xia, there was a peddler who sold kitchen knives. One day, a man bought his kitchen knife, and then that person killed someone with a kitchen knife. May I ask Mr. Fengxing, what should the peddler of kitchen knives do?"

Sakakibara was a little baffled.

"What do you mean by that?"

Shen Tingyang's face turned cold.

"My country Xia sells countless weapons to the outside world, and the number of people who buy them is even more numerous. As for where the people who bought the weapons used them and who they gave them to, what does it have to do with my country Xia? Dongying don't want to splash dirty water indiscriminately. Take the opportunity to make trouble. Otherwise, Xia Guo will definitely not sit idly by."

Seeing Shen Tingyang's refusal to admit it, Sakakibara's mouth almost twisted in anger.

But what Shen Tingyang said was not wrong.

Unless there is real evidence, it's really hard to blame Xia Guo.

After Sakakibara went straight back, he immediately reported the result of the negotiation to Nobuzuna Matsudaira.

Matsudaira Nobuzuna, who was old in accidents, could tell at a glance that Xia Guo refused to admit it.

Anyone with a discerning eye knows that the weapons of the Shimahara Rebel Army must have been provided by Xia Guo.

But Shen Tingyang was full of confidence.

What is the reason?

It is Xia Guo's powerful strength.

As long as there is no evidence, Dongpu has no choice but to suffer from this dumb loss.

Dongying didn't dare to turn against Xia Guo recklessly.

No one wants Xia Guo's navy to do it all over again.

Once it reaches that point, the Tokugawa shogunate will completely lose its prestige, and it will be difficult to suppress the heroes.

But with Xia Guo continuously providing weapons to the Shimabara rebels, can the shogunate still suppress the rebellion?
Matsudaira Nobutsuna asked the defeated soldiers of the Kumamoto Domain in detail, and learned about the combat situation at that time.

In addition to the previous Tsushima sea battle, Dongpu had already realized the power of Xia's weapons.

Moreover, the Kumamoto clan, which was originally relied on as the main force, had lost its combat capability, which cast a cloud over the counter-insurgency.

After much deliberation, Nobutsuna Matsudaira found only one solution.

"Send an order to the Satsuma clan to let their navy blockade the coast of Shimabara and not allow any ships to enter or leave."

Since he didn't dare to trouble Xia Guo, he had no choice but to cut off the sources of weapons for the Shimabara rebels.

Matsudaira Nobuzuna even thought about if he could catch Xia Guo's ship transporting weapons.When the evidence is conclusive, Dongying can take the opportunity to make a big fuss and win back a city.

Kyushu Island was turbulent, and the sea was also affected.

The remaining navy of the Satsuma clan was ordered to dispatch and spread all over the sea near Shimabara.

Any passing ship was checked by them.

"Captain, can we rush over?"

A sailboat sails quietly in the dark sea.

A young man was lying on the bow of the boat, trying hard to see the situation ahead.

However, the night was like a curtain, and he couldn't see far, so he couldn't see anything clearly.

But there is no other way.

The navy of the Satsuma Clan has blocked the sea, and if they want to deliver weapons and ammunition to the Shimabara rebels, they can only use the cover of night.

Everyone knows the risks involved.

But under the order, everyone has no hesitation and doesn't care about their own safety.

In order to reduce the movement as much as possible, the sails on the boat have already been unloaded, and they can only move on the water bit by bit by paddling.

If it weren't for the compass, the people on board would have lost their way long ago.

The young man in charge had a resolute face. While observing the situation carefully, he kept praying for a smooth trip.

But what to be afraid of.

Suddenly, a large mass of black on the sea directly in front rushed forward.

Immediately afterwards, the squeaky Japanese dialect rang out.

"Who? Stop the ship immediately for inspection."

The young man's scalp was numb, and he quickly shouted: "Turn around, go!"

In an instant, there was a sound of killing on the originally calm sea.

(End of this chapter)