Tsurumaru Castle.

Sakai fled back to Kagoshima as a survivor of the battle with the Ming army, and after more than ten days of sea ordeal, he was not at all like a samurai, not even a ronin, but more like a sailor who had lived at sea for many years.

So, Sakai felt ashamed when he knelt there. Of course, another reason why he didn't dare to look up was that he was surrounded by the elders of the Shimazu family.

The fact that the elders of the Shimazu family's retainers were usually not in their own domain, and it was difficult for them to get together, but the fact that they all appeared today shows that what happened next was far more important to the Shimazu family than the news Sakai brought back.

The old and important ministers of the family were all kneeling on the mats, and they were waiting for the arrival of Tadatsune, the lord of the Hou clan and the head of the Shimazu family.

While Sakai was waiting anxiously, the wooden door behind him was suddenly slowly pulled open from both sides, and Shimazu Tadatsune, the lord of the Satsuma clan and the governor of the Shimazu family, dressed in a sleeveless haori and holding a folding fan, entered the council hall.

"Domain Lord!"

All the old and important ministers bowed down to pay tribute to their governor, and Sakai pouted his ass high, as a survivor of the battle with the Ming army, he didn't feel any luck in front of the head of the family, but felt extremely depressed and afraid.

Shimazu Tadashi did not squint, walked straight to the top cushion and sat down, and the little surname who served beside him put the robe of the head of the family and then silently stepped aside.

"You know what?"

Shimazu Tadashi has a slightly dark complexion and thick eyebrows, but his eyes are like that of a woman, and his voice is not loud when he speaks. However, none of the old and important ministers present regarded their head of the family as a lord with a woman's heart, but had the same fear of their lord as Sakai in their bones.

Not long ago, Zhongheng had just gotten rid of the second person in the Satsuma Domain, the old Ijiin Tadashi and his son Ijiin Tadashi, and then suppressed the Zhongdong clan who had set up a rebellion in the country.

"My lord, we already know."

The speaker was Shimizu Shuichi, who succeeded Tadato Ijiin as the elder of the Satsuma Domain, a position equivalent to that of the Chinese Dynasty.

Due to the alternation of the shogunate, the elders of the clans who managed the mansions of each feudal clan in Edo were called Edo family elders. The elders of the family in the territory of the vassal kingdom are called the elders of the country, and the elders of the family are in the house.

The status of the national elder is higher than that of the Edo family. The highest status among the elders is called the pen head of the family, the first seat of the family, and the first of the family. The elders who manage the administration within the territory are called the elders of the Shizhi family.

Therefore, the old Shimizu Shuichi is also the head of the Shimazu family, and this important minister who grew up with Shimazu Tadashi is the most staunch supporter of Tadashi, and it was he who led the troops to kill the former family of the old Ijiin Tadato.

"So, my lord, does this mean that the Ming people have completely occupied Ryukyu?"

The person who questioned him was the old Okamura of the Nishiki family, who had been in charge of internal affairs and was not very clear about Ryukyu and military affairs.

"So to speak."

Shimazu Tadashi waved the folding fan, and everyone sat up straight.

"Birch-san-kun?" Okamura's expression was awe-inspiring.

Shimazu Tadashi did not speak, and the old and important ministers present who knew the details were also silent. Okamura understood, and his face became very gloomy.

"Sakai, isn't the envoy of the Ming people lying, their emperor really sent a large army?" The old dyed valley of the Ichiban family said in a sullen voice.

"My lord, I haven't seen the Ming army, but their sailors are very strong..."Sakai recounted the battle with the Ming navy in the Ryukyu Sea that day.

"What do the Ming people want to do?" Okamura was a little incredulous, "Do they really want to cross the sea to attack my Satsuma?" ”

Shimizu Shuichi: "Okamura-kun, the army of the Ming Kingdom has occupied the Ryukyus, and their fleet is approaching Kagoshima, all of which already shows that they really want to attack our Satsuma." ”

"I really can't believe that the emperor of the Ming Kingdom could mobilize people for the sake of the little Ryukyu Xingjun." Okamura muttered.

"Yes, when Guan Bai attacked Korea, the emperor of the Ming Kingdom did not send troops to invade Japan, but today he is raising troops for the Ryukyus, which is really incomprehensible." Someya Taiya thinks this thing is ridiculous.

"No matter what the emperor of the Ming Kingdom thinks, their army is under our noses." Shimazu Tadashi opened the folding fan, was silent for a moment, and said: "It seems that my father was also justified in opposing my attack on Ryukyu back then, but I didn't expect the Ming Kingdom to attach so much importance to Ryukyu, if I knew that they would send troops, I would not have let Kayama-kun move." But it has already happened, and I have a lot of responsibility as the lord of the domain for the affairs of Kayama-kun, and I will not shirk this, but I need your opinion on the next thing. ”

"My lord, Huashan-kun finally won the Ryukyus for us, we can't let him fall into the hands of the Ming people, I think we should send troops to take it back immediately." Someya Tai and Hisaka Kayama have a deep relationship, and instinctively want to avenge him.

"Yes, my lord, we can't afford to lose Ryukyu!"

The rest of the important ministers expressed their opinions one after another, and their opinions were quite unanimous, believing that all the forces of the vassal state should be immediately mobilized to retake the Ryukyus and drive the Ming army back.

It is not surprising that the elders of the Ryukyu family have this unanimity, after all, the things plundered from the Ryukyus over the years of occupation of the Ryukyus have been very helpful to the development of Satsumafan. And if the Ryukyus are abandoned at this time, where will the Shimazu family put their face? Will the newly succeeded General Hidetada laugh at the incompetence of the Shimazu family?

"Ladies and gentlemen, do you think we have the strength to fight the Ming army?"

Shimizu Shuichi took a deep look at the important ministers who advocated sending troops, as an elder of the country, he knew that the heart of the feudal lord was definitely not what the important ministers hoped for.

The old ministers of the family stopped arguing, and they all looked at the head of the family.

Shimazu Tadashi did not say anything about whether to send troops, but said to himself: "Why does the army of the Ming Kingdom call itself the imperial army? ”

When Miura, the important minister in charge of Satsuma's intelligence work, heard this, he bowed his head with some guilt and said, "My lord, I'm really sorry, I haven't learned anything about the Ming army. ”

The deputy general of the Shimazu family's main camp, Iino, thought for a moment and said, "My lord, I seem to have heard of this imperial army somewhere. ”

"Oh?"

Shimazu Tadashi was in good spirits.

"Ah, I remember!"

Irino was reminded of one thing, and that was a flyer incident that occurred in Hyuga Country last year.

"The leaflet was distributed by an unknown person, saying that the Imperial Army would soon go to Japan to extort the emperor, that the Imperial Land would be established in Japan, and that the people should respond in unison to overthrow the tyranny of the shogunate... At that time, the officials in charge of handling this matter only thought that it was spread by those Catholics who were demagogic, so they only disposed of it as a lesson plan and did not pay attention to it. ”