Daming: Apocalypse of Longevity

Chapter 215 War and Peace

After a day and night of coma, the second-generation shogunate Tokugawa Hidetada died. Tokugawa Iemitsu held back his grief and officially took over the real power of the shogunate from his father's hands. Then he appointed his six closest shoguns, Matsudaira Nobutsuna and Hotta Masaru. Mori, Miura Masaji, Abe Tadaki, Ota Shimune and Abe Shigeji were the "six people".

Subsequently, the positions of Laozhong, Wakainenji, Shixing, Daimufu, and Mufu were established. The responsibilities and authority of the shogunate were thus standardized, and the new shogunate political system was completely established.

The first thing Tokugawa Iemitsu did after taking power was to solve the aftermath of the Battle of Nagasaki. Two voices emerged in the shogunate.

One is to respect Tokugawa Hidetada's orders and not to conflict with the Ming Dynasty. Peace should be the most important thing. Even if you take the initiative to apologize to the Ming Dynasty, you should not offend the Ming Dynasty. This is the main peace faction.

The other advocated seeking an explanation from the Ming Dynasty. It was Japan that suffered a loss in the Nagasaki naval battle. We must not swallow this breath easily, otherwise the Ming Dynasty will definitely make further progress. Since Toyotomi Hideyoshi dared to go to war with the Ming Dynasty before, now the Tokugawa family has won. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who had more powerful power, why did he not dare to go to war with the Ming Dynasty? So it is inevitable that some people will say that the Tokugawa family is not as strong as Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and this is the main war faction.

For a time, there was a heated debate between the war faction and the peace faction, and Tokugawa Iemitsu found it difficult to make a choice.

During this period, the court of the Ming Dynasty was also having a fierce debate over the Battle of Nagasaki. Similar to the situation in Japan, some advocated peace and some advocated war.

It's just that the Ming Dynasty was not worried about not being able to defeat the Japanese country. It was just worried about starting a war and wasting money and food. The ministers still talked about the same thing, hoping that the court could stop the conquest and recuperate with the people.

But even if the Ming Dynasty's peace advocates did not want to go to war with Japan, they were not all a group of cowards. The peace advocates were also divided into conservatives and hardliners.

The conservatives naturally value peace and hope that the imperial court will send envoys to hold peace talks with the Japanese about the Nagasaki naval battle. The two sides will resolve misunderstandings, agree on losses, reward gold and silver, and shake hands to make peace.

Hard-liners, on the other hand, think otherwise. They believe that although the Ming Dynasty was the victor in the Nagasaki naval battle and its losses were far less than those of the Japanese, they cannot use the "the weak have theories" argument. The Japanese did suffer heavy losses, but that was also them. The Ming army was the first to take the blame, so they were the ones at fault and should apologize to the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, the hardliners believe that it is necessary to negotiate a peace with the Wa Kingdom, but ask the Wa Kingdom to apologize to Daming, and then Da Ming will forgive and pardon the Wa Kingdom.

As for the main war faction, needless to say, the Japanese country has a history of invading North Korea, and now they dare to attack the Ming army. How can they swallow this breath without sending troops to beat them to their knees and surrender?

The difference between the Ming Dynasty and the Japanese country is that as the emperor, Zhu Tianqi has made a clear decision, that is, "start a war"!
Previously, the Ryukyu envoy Cai Jin came to pay tribute and Shangshu accused the Japanese Satsuma clan of invading the Ryukyu Kingdom. Zhu Tianqi had already convened the cabinet and made the decision to help Ryukyu expel the Japanese. However, before going to Ryukyu, he needed to clear the way. Obstacles - Mao Wenlong of Jeju Island.

In the process, another "accident" such as the Nagasaki Naval Battle occurred. For Zhu Tianqi, this incident only gave him more reasons to crusade against Japan and made his determination stronger.

Therefore, Zhu Tianqi overcame all opinions at the court meeting and said to the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty: "The Japanese are a small country, but they are ambitious and ungrateful people. Since ancient times, their generations have received the favor of China and have learned the etiquette of China. Culture, however, is not like repaying kindness, but repaying kindness with hatred.

In the past, there were pirates and Japanese pirates who repeatedly invaded our waters and harmed the people of our Ming Dynasty. Later, Toyotomi Hideyoshi invaded Korea and invaded our Ming Dynasty vassal. The hatred between our Ming Dynasty and the Japanese country has been going on for a long time!
Furthermore, the Japanese invasion of North Korea ended hastily due to the death of the chief culprit, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, but the Japanese country has apologized to Daming and North Korea for this incident, and it is right to pretend that this has never happened. The unkind and unjust people are tolerable and intolerable!

Therefore, I have decided to send troops to attack the Japanese country!

You said that we must first treat Japan with courtesy and then use troops to negotiate peace with Japan. That is fine, but it is definitely not the Ming Dynasty’s main initiative to go to Japan for peace talks. I want to "first use military force and then courtesy". I will first defeat Japan’s Goto Islands and Nagasaki, and let Japan send people to come and find them. I'll negotiate a peace tomorrow, and then we'll talk to them.

If they recognize our situation and are willing to agree to our demands and conditions, there is no need to stop the troops and call a truce.

If they don't know the signs, then beat them until they do! "

As soon as Zhu Tianqi said these words, all the officials were shocked and looked up at Zhu Tianqi on the platform. The conservative peace advocates did not dare to say any more nonsense, while the tough war fighters were boiled with blood by these words. See The look towards Zhu Tianqi was full of admiration!

Zhu Tianqi saw that all the officials stopped talking, so he immediately made a decision on the matter: "From now on, anyone who dares to talk lightly about peace talks, or privately discuss peace talks, will be regarded as a traitor to the Ming Dynasty, and will be executed! Retire from the court! "

The reason why Zhu Tianqi was so determined to go to war with the Japanese country was because he knew very well that all diplomacy was based on strong strength. If the Japanese country was not conquered or frightened, with their strength I am afraid that my character will not surrender obediently.

After the court meeting, a military order was immediately sent to Li Banghua of Jeju Island. Li Banghua immediately summoned troops and horses, prepared the army for war, and selected a day to send his troops south to take the Goto Islands and Nagasaki.

But at this time, the Wa country still has not negotiated a clear result. This has something to do with Tokugawa Iemitsu's just taking power. There are still some collisions.

At this moment, the Satsuma Domain sent an envoy to report to the shogunate that Yakushima and Tanegashima of the Satsuma Domain were invaded by Mao Wenlong a month ago and are now occupied by Mao Wenlong. They requested the shogunate to send troops to help the Satsuma Domain expel Mao Wenlong. Retake Yakushima and Tanegashima islands.

Yakushima and Tanegashima are located in the waters south of Kagoshima. They are the two larger islands in the Osumi Islands at the southernmost tip of Japan. There are many small islands around them.

After hearing the news, the shogunate was even more shocked and said to himself: "Misfortunes never come singly!" The fall of Yakushima and Tanegashima was not just a matter of losing territory. What was terrible was that the strategic locations of Yakushima and Tanegashima were very critical.

The Osumi Islands are the channel connecting Kagoshima and the Ryukyu Islands. Now that Yakushima and Tanegashima are occupied by Mo Wenlong, it means that the Satsuma clan has been operating in the Ryukyu Islands for many years and has failed.

The link between the Satsuma Domain and the Ryukyu Islands was cut off, and they were sent to the Ryukyu Islands to carry out the "Zaiban Pursuance". The retainers who were stationed in various parts of the Ryukyu Kingdom in charge of local administration could not return, which was equivalent to being trapped on the Ryukyu Islands. .

Not only that, after Mao Wenlong occupies the Osumi Islands, the security of both the Ryukyu Islands in the south and Kagoshima itself in the north will be seriously threatened. The previous places such as Nagasaki, Saga, and Fukuoka are examples, especially In Nagasaki, Mao Wenlong is not a kind person. As long as he is there, there will never be peace!
The Satsuma Domain could not defeat Mao Wenryu on its own. He could only place its hope in the shogunate, hoping that the shogunate could send troops to attack Mao Wenryu, recapture the Osumi Islands, and relieve the Satsuma Domain.

If the Battle of Nagasaki had not occurred and there had been no disputes with the Ming Dynasty, the shogunate would definitely have sent troops to attack Mao Wenlong without hesitation, because the shogunate had already made up its mind to attack Mao Wenlong and get rid of this scourge that endangers the security of the Japanese country. Qi was plundered, not to mention that Mao Wenlong had directly invaded the territory of Japan.

However, the shogunate is now unable to help the Satsuma clan. The first task of the Japanese country now is to resolve the direct dispute with the Ming Dynasty. Otherwise, the Japanese country will face a war with the most powerful country in Asia.

Perhaps it was precisely because of the situation of the Satsuma Domain that Tokugawa Iemitsu felt the sense of crisis brought by Mao Wenlong from the south, which made him more and more eager to resolve the dispute with the Ming Dynasty as soon as possible, and the fastest way was to negotiate a peace.

If peace is not negotiated, once the war between Japan and the Ming Dynasty begins, the war will definitely be protracted, and it will be difficult to determine the outcome in a short period of time. At this time, Japan will not have the energy to deal with Mao Wenlong in the south. Mao Wenlong is likely to take the opportunity to invade Kagoshima and continue to invade the north. More land in Japan.

Tokugawa Iemitsu finally decided to send Matsudaira Nobutsuna among the "Six People" as an envoy to the Ming Dynasty to negotiate peace with the Ming Dynasty regarding the Battle of Nagasaki.

However, as soon as Matsudaira Nobutsuna left Edo, news came from Nagasaki that the Ming army was attacking and the Goto Islands had been lost. At the same time, an envoy sent by Zheng Zhilong came to Edo from Nagasaki.

After hearing the news, Matsudaira Nobutsuna hurried back to Edo. Because when Zheng Zhilong's envoy arrived in Edo, Matsudaira Nobutsuna had not returned yet, so the shogunate sent Horita Masamori, one of the six people, to meet him.

What Zheng Zhilong's envoy brought to the Japanese shogunate was the news that Zheng Zhilong brought to the shogunate in his own name. Zheng Zhilong paid tribute to the shogunate's general Tokugawa Iemitsu, hoping that Tokugawa Iemitsu would put the overall situation first, weigh the pros and cons, and send an envoy to the Ming Dynasty as soon as possible. When negotiating peace, do not follow in the footsteps of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

After reading Zheng Zhilong's reply, Horita Masamori felt convinced that it was true, so he arranged for Zheng Zhilong's envoy to stay in Edo. He would take the letter back and present it to Tokugawa Iemitsu, and then give Zheng Zhilong a reply.

Horita Masamori was originally a peace advocate, so he naturally recognized Zheng Zhilong's advice. The reason why he wanted to take this letter back to Tokugawa Iemitsu was to hope that after reading this letter, Tokugawa Iemitsu would be able to firmly reconcile with him. Don’t waver in your belief in Ming Dynasty and kindness.

Because Horita Masamori can see that although Tokugawa Iemitsu has made the decision to send Matsudaira Nobutsuna as envoy to the Ming Dynasty to negotiate peace with the Ming Dynasty, it is largely due to the crisis in the south of the Japanese country and the pressure brought by Mao Wenlong to the Japanese country. Tokugawa Iemitsu was not happy to make a decision, but Tokugawa Iemitsu was still vacillating on the issue of war or peace.

At the same time, the ministers in the shogunate who were leading the war did not give up. They were likely to encourage Tokugawa Iemitsu to go to war with the Ming Dynasty again after they stabilized the Ming Dynasty in Japan and solved the problem of Mao Wenlong in the south. .

In fact, there are many "war elements" in the Japanese country now. They believe that the Japanese country has the strength to go to war with any surrounding country, because although the current Japanese country is backward compared to the Taixi people, it has obtained advanced muskets and artillery from the Taixi people. , the Japanese army was much stronger than before.

Moreover, Toyotomi Hideyoshi was able to conquer Korea and compete with the Ming Dynasty before. So as the Tokugawa Shogunate was a more powerful entity that defeated Toyotomi Hideyoshi, couldn't it compete with the Ming Dynasty?

As far as they know, the Ming Dynasty's firearms, artillery and ships should not have made much progress. They may not be as advanced as the Japanese firearms and ships. Once a war breaks out, it is not certain who will win!

And as long as the Japanese country can invade the territory of the Ming Dynasty, with the wealth of the Ming Dynasty, they will definitely be able to plunder a lot of loot. Even if they fail to win in the end, they will withdraw at worst, and they will always make money in the end.

After all, they still have the luck mentality that Toyotomi Hideyoshi had when he invaded Korea. They believe that if Japan goes to war with the Ming Dynasty, as long as Japan is unable to fight, does not want to fight, and withdraws, the Ming Dynasty will not pursue it again. The war will end and be nothing more.

But what they don’t know is that the Ming Dynasty did not pursue the case before. It was a matter of the Wanli Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty only mobilized tens of thousands of people to aid North Korea. It was not a big deal for the Ming Dynasty, and the court did not pay attention to it, so In the end, the Japanese country withdrew, North Korea's territory was recovered, and the Ming Dynasty was too lazy to take care of it.

But can it still be the same now?Now is the Tianqi Dynasty. Times have changed. The emperor who is in charge of the Ming Dynasty is no longer alone. Now Zhu Tianqi is a "war madman". The Japanese country does not provoke the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Tianqi still wants to overthrow the Japanese country, let alone them. If you dare to fight against Ming Dynasty, it would be strange if you don't beat them until they kneel down and beg for mercy.

Tokugawa Iemitsu also had the idea of ​​​​going to war with the Ming Dynasty because of the pie painted for him by the war-minded ministers, and it was difficult to make up his mind to negotiate peace with the Ming Dynasty.

Now Horita Masamori showed Zheng Zhilong's letter to Tokugawa Iemitsu. Although Tokugawa Iemitsu also felt that what Zheng Zhilong wrote in the letter was very reasonable, he still said disdainfully: "What qualifications does Zheng Zhilong have?" Come and preach to this general. According to what this general knows, he, Zheng Yiguan, is now the vanguard of the Ming army in attacking our country, right?"

Upon hearing this, Horita Masamori hurriedly said: "General, although Zheng Yiguan is currently serving as the vanguard of the Ming army, that is also his responsibility. After all, since he was recruited by the Ming court, he has served as the Fujian coastal defense commander of the Ming Dynasty. Since he was an official in the Ming Dynasty, he naturally had to obey the orders of the Ming Dynasty court.

However, Zheng Yiguan still has our Japanese country in his heart and misses the friendship with our Japanese country for so many years. Otherwise, why would he come to send us such a sincere letter?General, you still remember that before the Battle of Nagasaki, it was Zheng Yiguan who sent someone to deliver a message to us, telling us not to rashly start a war with the Ming army! "

(End of this chapter)