Emperor Ming's grandson

Chapter 314: Destruction of the Muromachi Shogunate
Not long after, the main force of more than 70,000 Ming troops led by Cao Duke Li Wenzhong all arrived in the southern part of Japan's Honshu Island. With the support of such strong military forces, Zhu Xiongying could finally let go and implement his layout for Japan one by one.

Soon, the last remnants of the Uesugi clan in Kanto were wiped out by Ashikaga Mitsukane, the Kamakura Shogun and Kanto Shogun, with the support of a detachment of the Ming army that landed by sea.

However, Imagawa Ryotoshi, who had ambiguous relations with all parties, remained silent.

It’s not that he doesn’t want to move, but he has too few troops at hand, and his prestige in the Kanto region is far less than that in the Kyushu region where he has painstakingly managed for twenty years.

The dilemma faced by Imagawa Ryotoshi was very real. He could stop Ashikaga Mitsukane from marching towards Kyoto and get stuck between Kyoto and Kanto, but he could neither stop the Ming army from attacking Kyoto nor fight against his close friend Ouchi Yoshihiro.

Therefore, keeping quiet is his best option.

And if they were really determined to go out of the city and fight, they would probably lose their lives in vain.

Now these Japanese bigwigs are very clear that the firearms of the Ming army have evolved to a level that can be called "destroying the world". With the existing equipment and tactics alone, they are simply unable to fight against them. Before finding a good solution or acquiring the same firearms technology, fighting with the Ming army would be just sending away lives.

As for other forces, there may still be time to make their plans slowly. For example, Kitabatake Manmasa of the Southern Dynasty had repeatedly inquired about the Ming army's firearms, but was turned down every time. Ashikaga Mankane, who was far away in Kanto, still had some value, so he did not have to worry about being destroyed by the Ming army for the time being.

But the Muromachi shogunate trapped in Kyoto City was in serious anxiety every day.

Many high-ranking officials of the shogunate suffered from insomnia night after night, as if they were afraid that the Ming army would be at the gates of the city the moment they opened their eyes.

And their worries soon became reality.

The Ming army, which had rested for a long time in the Nara Basin, began to move north on a large scale.

In those days, the "Flower Shogun" of the Southern Dynasty, Kitabatake Akiie, set out from Kanto to attack the shogunate. The two armies fought at Aonohara, and the Northern Dynasty shogunate army was defeated. Ashikaga Takauji listened to the advice of the brothers Takauji and Takauji Yasu, who believed that "Kyoto has been easy to attack but difficult to defend since ancient times, and most of those who defended Kyoto were defeated." Ashikaga Takauji gave up the plan to defend Kyoto.

Now Ashikaga Yoshimitsu thought about peace talks with the Ming army, but was rejected. He wanted to summon local shugo daimyo to come to the king's defense, but was also rejected. In the desperate situation where there was no way to retreat, unlike Ashikaga Takauji, he did not have the courage to go out of the city to fight. Instead, he stayed in the Hana no Gosho and gave up on himself. In the face of the Ming army's strength that made him despair, this hero who had dominated Japan for decades completely lost his will.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu drank to drown his sorrows every day in Hana no Gosho, and looked like he was waiting to die. The important officials in the shogunate, such as the "Three Kanrei" and "Four Positions", also began to have other thoughts.

"My lord, the general is angry."

When Hatakeyama Motokuni came to ask for an audience with Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, he was stopped by his servants. From a room not far away, there were sounds of smashing and banging.

Hatakeyama Motokuni frowned, his eyes looking through the tightly closed sliding door, as if he could penetrate the thin barrier and see the decadent figure of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in the room.

At this moment, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was not just angry, but was facing unprecedented despair, or powerlessness.

The Ming army is at its peak of power, and has now assembled more than 100,000 soldiers and horses. Even the Muromachi shogunate in its heyday was no more powerful than this, let alone the current Muromachi shogunate?

"It's come to this point. Escape is not an option."

Hatakeyama Motokuni signaled his servants to leave, and he stood quietly outside the door, waiting for Ashikaga Yoshimitsu to calm down.

"Sir, I have an important matter to discuss with you, Hatakeyama Motokoku. It concerns the survival of the shogunate. I hope you can grant me an audience."

The noises in the room gradually died down, and Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's voice came through the crack in the door, sounding tired and hoarse: "Come in, let me hear your wise words, I hope they are not useless consolations."

Hatakeyama Motokuni pushed open the door and walked into the room, only to see Ashikaga Yoshimitsu sitting among wine jugs and cups scattered on the ground, looking haggard and with empty eyes.

He sighed inwardly, but had to stay calm and began to state his plan: "Sir, the Ming army is powerful, and a head-on confrontation is undoubtedly like an egg hitting a rock, but Kyoto is not without its own defenses. We should take advantage of the terrain and redeploy the city defenses. At the same time, we should seek ways to negotiate, even if there is a slight possibility of peace talks."

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Negotiation? Do you think I haven't tried? What they want is the submission of all of Japan and the destruction of my Muromachi shogunate. As for those local guardian daimyo I mentioned last time, they either have ulterior motives or have long been frightened by the might of the Ming army. How can they talk about serving the king?"

"General, what you said is very true, but because of this, we need to save ourselves even more." Hatakeyama Motokuni's eyes flashed with determination, "I propose that we immediately mobilize all the craftsmen and civilians in Kyoto to reinforce the city walls, dig trenches, and set traps. At the same time, we select elite warriors to form a death squad in case of emergency. In addition, we can also use Kyoto's complex terrain to set up ambush points and delay the Ming army's offensive. As for diplomacy, we might as well try again. Perhaps we can seek a glimmer of hope through the Southern Dynasty or other forces that have not yet made a clear statement."

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was silent for a moment, as if weighing every word of Hatakeyama Motokuni.

Finally, he slowly shook his head.

"useless."

Seeing that Ashikaga Yoshimitsu had lost all his fighting spirit, Hatakeyama Motokuni was secretly annoyed. He simply stamped his feet, bowed, and left without saying another word.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu knew that he had hurt the feelings of this loyal subordinate, but he could only sigh.

The reason why Hatakeyama Motokuni showed more concern than Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was that compared with other families, his Hatakeyama clan was the least able to get off the big ship of the Muromachi shogunate.

The Hatakeyama clan was a retainer of the shogunate and had a prominent status. The Hatakeyama clan was particularly distinguished among the Ashikaga clan, on par with the Sasaki clan. Hatakeyama Motokuni was one of the most important political figures in the entire Kyoto. Anyone could betray the shogunate, but he could not.

As for the remaining two families, the Sasaki clan and the Hosokawa clan, they had always been at odds with each other. Now that they saw the disaster approaching, they had some new conflicts.

When talking about the feud between these two families, we have to mention another character who has appeared several times before, namely, Hosokawa Yoriyuki.

When he was young, Hosokawa Yoriyuki fought in various places with his father Hosokawa Yoriharu, and destroyed Hosokawa Kiyoshi in the Battle of Shiramine Castle in Sanuki, thus establishing the stability of the shogunate's regime in the Shikoku region. At that time, Ashikaga Takauji listened to the advice of the brothers Takase and Yasuyasu, and sent his direct military generals such as Takase, Hosokawa Yoriyuki, and Sasaki Takauji to Mino Province to set up a battle array between the Kurochi River and the Fuji River to block the Kitabatake army.

He was also the "minister of state" of the Muromachi shogunate and assisted Ashikaga Yoshimitsu as an important retainer when he was young.

At that time, the Muromachi shogunate had Kanrei Hosokawa Yoriyuki as Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's "Eboshi relative".

Well, this is a tradition of the Japanese nobility, which is a bit similar to the meaning of "godfather" or "godfather". When a Japanese noble man performs the coming-of-age ceremony, a respected or powerful person will put an eboshi on him, tie a hatband on him, and give him a daimyo. The person who performs the ceremony is called "Eboshi-kino". By performing the coming-of-age ceremony for the young boy, he becomes the father and son of the boy. Not only does he take care of the boy, but he also often gives him a character from his own name.

However, because Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was young, the Hosokawa family monopolized power in the Muromachi shogunate. Hosokawa Yoriyuki implemented the Oan Taipo to strengthen control over land, and reorganized the Gozan system in Kyoto and Kamakura to strengthen control over religion. At the same time, he sent Imagawa Ryotoshi and Ouchi Yoshihiro to Kyushu Island, the Southern Court's inherent sphere of influence, to weaken the Southern Court's rule in these areas. After twenty years of painstaking efforts, he successfully turned the tables on Kyushu Island.

It can be said that the Northern Dynasty Muromachi shogunate obtained most of Kyushu Island and Shikoku Island under the personal planning of Hosokawa Yoriyuki.

So the head of the Hosokawa family at that time, Hosokawa Yoriyuki, held a very high position in the shogunate. However, during the Kangli coup, this old retainer of the shogunate was squeezed out by Sasaki Yoshimasa and returned to his territory Sanuki. Hosokawa Mitsurugi took over as the head of the family, or, in Japan, it's called a family heir.

The so-called "Kōreki Coup" refers to the fact that the guardian daimyo Sasaki Yoshimasa and Toki Yoriyasu, who were opposed to Hosokawa Yoriyuki, surrounded Yoshimitsu's residence and demanded the removal of Hosokawa Yoriyuki. As a result, Hosokawa Yoriyuki was removed from the post of kanrei and replaced by Sasaki Yoshimasa.

After the Kangli coup, all the personnel in the shogunate were replaced by the Sasaki faction. Sasaki Yoshimasa issued an order to attack Hosokawa Yoriyuki, but Ashikaga Yoshimitsu pardoned him the following year on the grounds that Yoriyuki was a elder statesman, allowing the Hosokawa and Sasaki factions to coexist and check each other, thereby strengthening the power of the shogun.

Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to say that the Hosokawa clan and the Sasaki clan are incompatible like water and fire.

It can even be said that the failure of the attack on the Southern Dynasty was partly due to the fact that neither Sasaki Yoshimasa nor Hosokawa Mitsunari were willing to watch the other destroy their country. The two of them went on the expedition together, but because they did not get along well as a team, and with the addition of Akamatsu Yoshinori who was not very smart, the three of them held back, which is why they held back on each other many times when they needed to attack with all their strength.

If everyone keeps one hand, that means he has three hands. How can we fight a war like this?

When the commander of the central army, Sasaki Yoshimasa, was seriously injured and unconscious, the one who was most happy was Hosokawa Mitsurugi, because Toki Yoriyasu, who forced Ashikaga Yoshimitsu to abdicate and forced Hosokawa Yoriyasu to step down in the "Kangli Coup", had died a few years ago. The Toki clan in Mino Province fell into civil strife. At the instigation of Hosokawa Mitsurugi, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu ordered an attack on the Toki clan, which was the Toki Yasuyuki Rebellion.

Well, I can only say that the shogunate is a bunch of insects. Once they face a real strong enemy, they are indeed not very united.

But this is not surprising. Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes. It would be strange if these families were all loyal and had no selfish motives, and only worked hard for Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's goals.

These families have been fighting openly and secretly for their own interests for decades. It was impossible for them to stop fighting among themselves before, and it is even more impossible to stop fighting among themselves now.

Therefore, Hosokawa Mitsuru, who had always been dissatisfied with Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, secretly sent envoys to contact the Ming army.

The one who met him was the commander-in-chief of the Ming army, Duke of Cao Li Wenzhong.

In fact, the envoy of Hosokawa Mitsurumoto had tried his best to appear calm, but he could not hide the nervousness in his expression. When he stepped into the main camp of the Ming army, it was dusk. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the tents, shining with golden light, adding a bit of solemnity.

Li Wenzhong sat at the desk, still wearing his armor. As a famous general of the founding of the Hongwu period, his expression naturally revealed an aura of majesty without even being angry.

When the messenger entered the military tent, he slowly raised his head and looked directly at the uninvited guest.

Behind him, two guards wearing the same armor and holding swords at their waists also looked at him.

"Messenger from the Hosokawa family, what can I do for you?" Li Wenzhong's voice was not loud, but in the other party's ears, it was as if every word seemed to echo in the tent.

The envoy bowed and presented a secret letter with both hands, saying earnestly: "My family head, Hosokawa Mitsurumoto, is well aware of the power of the Ming army and is willing to be the vanguard to fight against the stubborn elements in the Muromachi shogunate in order to protect ourselves. I am also willing to present the Kyoto defense map to show my sincerity."

Li Wenzhong took the secret letter and a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

This was not only a sign of Hosokawa Mitsurumoto's surrender, but also a clear proof of the deepening rift within the Muromachi shogunate.

But Li Wenzhong just slowly unfolded the letter, glanced at it, and then put it on the table as if throwing away garbage, and focused his eyes on the messenger again.

"I already know the intentions of the Hosokawa family."

Li Wenzhong was very confident, and his words were also quite weighty: "However, the direction of the Ming army is not for personal grudges, but for the welfare of the people of the world. The survival of the Muromachi shogunate depends on whether it can follow the will of heaven and submit to the Ming. You go back and tell Hosokawa Mitsurumoto that if he really submits, we need to wait until our army pacifies Kyoto before we can discuss his merits and demerits."

Upon hearing this, the messenger felt disappointed.

The Kyoto defense map was not taken seriously by anyone, and this was the most valuable thing that Hosokawa Mitsurumoto could offer as a token of his loyalty.

What does "After our army has pacified Kyoto, we will discuss their merits and demerits" mean? It is obvious that they don't intend to let the Hosokawa family go! The envoy was stunned, with mixed feelings in his heart. This was related to the survival of the entire Hosokawa family. He really couldn't just leave. He forced a bitter smile, bowed again, and tried to make a final effort: "Your Excellency is wise. My family head is indeed sincere in his allegiance and is willing to lead the way for you and clear the obstacles. I hope you can give us a glimmer of hope. The Hosokawa family will repay your kindness with all our hearts."

Li Wenzhong's eyes were deep, as if he could see into people's hearts.

He shook his head gently: "What the Ming Dynasty needs is sincere submission, not expedient measures. Go back and tell Hosokawa Mitsurumoto that when the Ming Dynasty flag flies over Kyoto, it will be the day for him to show his loyalty. Before that, all words are empty talk."

The messenger had no choice but to leave the tent sadly.

As night fell, the Ming army camp was brightly lit, forming a sharp contrast with the dimness of Kyoto in the distance.

After the Hosokawa envoys had retreated, Zhu Xiongying and Li Jinglong, who were standing behind Li Wenzhong as "ghostwriters", both laughed.

"It seems that the enemy has already been thrown into disarray regardless of our army's efforts."

Not long after the Hosokawa envoy left, another envoy who had an appointment arrived.

——He was an envoy of the Akamatsu clan, and was brought by the Southern Dynasty army commander Kitabatake Manmasa himself. He did not come to the door on his own.

The reason why the Akamatsu clan and the Southern Court are connected is that they have historical roots. The Akamatsu clan's origin is the Murakami Minamoto clan. His fifth-generation grandson Motoki was exiled to Haruma Sanayosho and settled there. At that time, they were called the Uno clan. Until his son Kimifune's generation, he was pardoned and took over the Haruma Shirahata Castle. It was not until the time of the fourth-generation head of the Akamatsu clan, Akamatsu Norimura, that the Akamatsu clan officially rose.

It was the end of the Kamakura period, and the rule of the Kamakura shogunate was in crisis. Due to conflicts with the shogunate over the issue of succession to the imperial lineage, Emperor Go-Daigo attempted to overthrow the Kamakura shogunate twice. Although the actions failed, they ignited a fire of resistance against the shogunate's rule in various places, and the emperor became the core symbol of resistance to the shogunate.

After Akamatsu Norimura raised his army, he quickly defeated the shogunate's punitive army and cut off the reinforcement route of the western shogunate's troops. Since the main force of Rokuhara of the shogunate was fighting Kusunoki Masashige at Kongoyama at that time, Akamatsu Norimura was able to approach Kyoto with great momentum. On March 12, the third year of Genkō, the Akamatsu army entered Kyoto, but was repelled by Rokuhara. Afterwards, they set up a formation in Yamazaki and engaged in a tug-of-war with the shogunate army. During the stalemate, Ashikaga Takauji raised the flag to counterattack the shogunate in Tamba, which led to a reversal of the situation. As one of the main forces, Akamatsu Norimura, together with the Ashikaga and Nawa armies, defeated the main force of Rokuhara. The fall of Rokuhara marked the end of the Kamakura shogunate's rule in Kyoto and even Kinki.

Therefore, the Akamatsu family was truly a great contributor to the overthrow of the shogunate on an equal footing with the Ashikaga family at that time.

Akamatsu Norimura had four sons, namely Fan Zi, Zhen Fan, Zeyou and Ujiyou. When Akamatsu Norimura sided with the Northern Dynasty, a loyal minister named Akamatsu Ujiyou who served the Southern Dynasty emerged in his family. In the second year of Kan'ei, the head of the Akamatsu family, Akamatsu Norimura, once surrendered to the Southern Dynasty, but later defected to the Northern Dynasty. However, Akamatsu Ujiyou still stayed in the Southern Dynasty and worked hard. In order to reward him, the Southern Dynasty also gave him the imperial paulownia leaf phoenix flag.

Of course, if it was just a "separate bet", it would not be enough for the Southern Dynasty to be willing to give a guarantee to the Akamatsu clan at this critical moment.

What really made the two sides form a "blood bond" was another incident, that is, the elderly Akamatsu Ujiyan once launched an attack on Kyoto with the awareness of certain death, but was finally defeated in Harima. The Muromachi shogunate appointed Yamana Ujikiyo as the general-in-chief and surrounded Akamatsu Ujiyan's clan in Kiyomizu Mountain, and his nephew Akamatsu Yoshinori was in the shogunate army.

Seeing that there was no hope, Akamatsu Ujiranori committed seppuku with a total of 137 people in his family, including his four sons. Before his death, he left a letter to the Southern Court, saying that he had been loyal to the Southern Court all his life and hoped that the Southern Court would not make things difficult for the Akamatsu family in the future. Akamatsu Yoshinori asked Ashikaga Yoshimitsu for his afterlife and specially sent two towns of land to the Kiyomizu-dera Temple where he died as a sacrifice.

Although the Akamatsu family made great contributions in the overthrow of the Kamakura shogunate, they were not relatives or direct retainers of Ashikaga Takauji. In addition, their relationship with the Southern Court meant that the Akamatsu family was destined to be unable to hold the highest position in the shogunate. At this time, the head of the Akamatsu family, Akamatsu Yoshi, was the shogunate's samurai-shoshi, in charge of the security of Kyoto and the shogunate, and was known as the "Four Positions" together with Kyogoku, Isshiki, and Yamana.

Li Wenzhong had long known that the Akamatsu family, who controlled the city gate security, would defect to the Ming Dynasty, so he was not interested in the Kyoto defense map brought by the Hosokawa envoy.

What’s the point of setting up a defense map if you can just open the door?
The envoy from the Akamatsu clan was Akamatsu Mitsuyoshi, the legitimate son of Akamatsu Yoshinori.

He had learned from Kitabatake Manmasa that the Hosokawa clan had also sent envoys to contact the Ming Dynasty, and he secretly felt lucky that he could get in touch with the Southern Dynasty. Otherwise, he would probably be buried with the Muromachi shogunate. The Akamatsu clan had personally participated in the war to overthrow the Kamakura shogunate, and he was not a direct descendant of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. At this time, he certainly did not have the awareness of working hard for the Muromachi shogunate.

Akamatsu Mitsusuke was also very self-aware. Even if his own people did not help to open the city gates, considering the current morale in Kyoto, it would be a piece of cake for the Ming army to attack the city.

Therefore, when Akamatsu Mitsusuke stepped into the military tent, his attitude was extremely respectful.

Akamatsu Mitsuyoshi was well aware that the success or failure of this trip was directly related to the survival of the Akamatsu clan. However, compared to the Hosokawa clan, the Akamatsu clan at least had the support of the Southern Court, but this was not a foolproof plan.

"Messenger from the Akamatsu family, what advice do you have for me?" Li Wenzhong's eyes were sharp, as if he could see into the deepest secrets of people's hearts.

Akamatsu Mitsuyu bowed and said earnestly: "My family head, Akamatsu Yoshinori, feels that the end of the Muromachi shogunate has come. I am willing to be the vanguard and lead the royal army into Kyoto."

Seeing that the other party was silent, he quickly added: "My master is truly loyal and is willing to lead the way for the king's army and clear away obstacles. I hope the king's army can give us a glimmer of hope. The Akamatsu clan will do its utmost to repay your kindness."

Li Wenzhong nodded slightly and said.

"Go back and tell Akamatsu Yoshinori that if you truly surrender, we will reward you according to your merits after our army pacifies Kyoto."

Upon hearing this, Akamatsu Mitsuyu felt a little relieved.

At least, Li Wenzhong did not treat the envoy of the Hosokawa clan with contempt.

Then Li Wenzhong went back to bed. What puzzled Akamatsu Mitsuyu was that the two guards beside Li Wenzhong talked to him about the Ming Dynasty's requirements.

This was no longer the time for bargaining. Being able to preserve the Akamatsu family's lineage was already a blessing in disguise. Akamatsu Mitsuyu didn't dare to say anything. He just bowed again after listening and left the tent with tears of gratitude.

At this moment, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was still giving up on himself in the Hana no Gosho. He might not know, or might not want to know, that while he was sinking in despair, his shogunate had quietly fallen apart.

After Akamatsu Misuke came out and walked for a while, Kitabatake Manya, who came with him, suddenly asked.

"What do you think of the two guards beside the Duke?"

Akamatsu Mitsuyu felt a little ashamed of himself: "They are all tall, handsome and spirited, worthy of being people from the upper country."

"Then who is better?" Kitabatake Manma asked jokingly.

"It seems to be the one on the left. He speaks more clearly and has an excellent demeanor. I think he is a noble from a superior country."

Kitabatake Manma just smiled, then said, "Don't talk about this with anyone else, otherwise you will be hunted down," and then he said no more.

Akamatsu Mitsuru was totally confused and of course he didn't know the story of Wei Wu.

When Akamatsu Mitsuyu secretly returned to Kyoto, he found that even at night, every corner of Kyoto was filled with unrest, and the most talked about topic in the tavern was the strength of the Ming army.

In this chaos, some forces that were surging in the dark began to stir. They were trying to protect themselves or to take advantage of the chaos. After all, the ship of the Muromachi shogunate was being pushed into the abyss by the storm and was about to sink.

After a few more days, there was still no movement from the Ming army. Although there were more than 100,000 troops camped outside the city, they had no intention of attacking the city. The shogunate army in the city also gradually relaxed.

At night, just when Ashikaga Yoshimitsu woke up from his hangover, there was a sudden noise outside.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu staggered to his feet from the pile of wine jars and looked out the window with drunken eyes. Under the moonlight, shadows of people were looming and the noise was getting closer, which seemed to carry a hint of ominous atmosphere.

His heart tightened and he hurriedly called for his servant, but found that his voice was trembling.

"What's going on outside?" Ashikaga Yoshimitsu tried his best to remain calm, but the panic in his tone was hard to conceal.

The attendant came running over, looking panicked: "General, something bad has happened! There is movement at the city gate, it seems someone has opened the gate!"

Upon hearing this, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was struck by lightning. The drunkenness instantly disappeared. He stood up suddenly, staggered a few steps, and almost fell.

——How is it possible? How could the gates of Kyoto be opened so easily? Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, but none of them could explain the situation before him.

It's not that Ashikaga Yoshimitsu didn't know, or rather, he just didn't want to believe that someone, and many important people, had betrayed him.

"Hurry! Go and find out what's going on!" he roared, his voice full of anger rather than despair.

However, it was too late.

As the city gate slowly opened, the Ming army poured into Kyoto like a tide. Their steps were in perfect unison, the muskets with mounted swords in their hands gleamed brightly in the moonlight, and the clanking of armor echoed in the night sky.

Soon, the servant came to report.

"The Akamatsu family, the Hosokawa family, the Isshiki family, they all rebelled!"

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu stood there in a daze, feeling an unprecedented despair in his heart.

The end of the Muromachi shogunate has come, and no matter how he struggles, he cannot change this fact.

At this moment, he seemed to see a microcosm of his life, from glory to decline, from being in power to being helpless today.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu gave a bitter smile, fell to the ground, and muttered to himself: "Perhaps this is fate."

Then he drew his samurai sword and asked his servants to help him act as intercessor.

Perhaps Ashikaga Yoshimitsu had drunk too much or was a little confused, so the cesarean section did not go smoothly. When the blade of the sword cut across his belly, the pain was so severe that he could not hold the knife steadily.

In the end, the kaishakunin could no longer bear it and beheaded him with a wakashi, giving Ashikaga Yoshimitsu a decent death.

Just like that, the most powerful hero during Japan's Northern and Southern Dynasties period died.

The death of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu also meant that Japan would enter a new and more chaotic era.

(End of this chapter)