While the fleets of the Chinese "purchasing mission" and the British mission were leaving the European continent and embarking on a long journey home, a major event was taking place in the east of the world that would change the course of a country's history.

Edo Castle, Japan.

The third Tokugawa shogun was terminally ill, and he was bedridden last winter until April of the fourth year of Keong'an, when he ran out of oil and dried up. However, he was reluctant to leave behind his heir, the "stupid princess" Tokugawa Ietsuna, so he still hung his last breath and waited for a major event to be completed that could eliminate the source of the troubled times.

This major event is the "Huatai Battle", that is, the invasion of Kuwu Island, China's sacred territory since ancient times!

However, Tokugawa Iemitsu did not think that he had become an aggressor who undermined world peace, nor did he think that Huatai Island belonged to China in his eyes, that is, the Ming Dynasty.

It has been so many years since the Ming Dynasty gave up Kuwu Island, and the mainland land across the sea from Kuwu Island is the territory of the Qing Dynasty, and it is so far away from Daming, not to mention that it can't be beaten with eight poles, even if it is eight hundred poles!

And he didn't really intend to occupy the entire island of Katai Island - to be honest, although this Katai Island was painted in the "Complete Map of Japan", Tokugawa Iemitsu, the Japanese ruler, did not know anything about how big it was and what the situation was on it. He only knew that the climate in that place was colder, colder than Ezo Island, and he couldn't grow rice at all.

If you can't grow rice, you won't have "shigao", and without "shitaka", you won't have a stable income, and you can't give samurai land to know how to go.

In addition, Iemitsu also knew that except for a little bit of low-value fur and gold that I don't know where, there was nothing of value on the island, and there was no trade to do.

This whole is a deserted broken island, no matter how large the area is, the value is quite limited. If no one wants it, send a few people up and circle it, and it's good to have fun with the picture on the "Complete Map of Japan".

But if you really want to fight for a big desert island, it's not what Mingjun did.

But at the last moment of his life, Ming Jun Jiaguang still resolutely decided to send troops to Huatai Island!

In addition, he prepared for more than a year for the "Birch Table" event, and also took out a large amount of gold and silver from the shogunate treasury to use it for the military expenses of the "Birch Table".

It is said that in order to fight a protracted war and show compassion for the feudal domains, Tokugawa Iemitsu reduced the military service required of each feudal domain as much as possible, and at the same time spent money to recruit about 5,000 "ownerless men" who were wandering in Edo, Kyoto, Osaka, and other places, and formed them into the "Katai Army".

So during this time, the security in Edo Castle was much better, and there were fewer poor ronins on the streets.

And what made Tokugawa Iemitsu feel most relieved was that he invited Yubi Masayuki to serve as the general of the First Army of the First Army, who was known as "a combination of the art of war of the Han family" and claimed to be the orthodox successor of Kusunoki Masanari.

Tokugawa Iemitsu, who was visibly emaciated and had a dead face, was sitting weakly in the Seven Treasures room at this time, supported by two small surnames, and one of them was putting on makeup for him to make him look less like a dying man.

His younger brother, Masayuki Hoshina, was kneeling on one side, muttering on the results of the Tokugawa Ietsuna, who was about to become a shogun......

"The score of the minor arithmetic test is a little lower, but it is still an improvement compared to the last time, and as long as you work hard in the future, it will definitely get better and better.

As for the test score of "The Treatise on Things", it is much better than the last time, and the test score has doubled! If this momentum can be maintained, the young master will become a great Confucian sooner or later! ”

The specific score of the test, Baoke Zhengzhi does not dare to say...... In case the general is, his responsibility is great.

The general suddenly asked, "How does it compare to Guangguo?" ”

Masayuki Hoshina stubbornly said, "Gongfang, the young master of Mito did not take yesterday's exam. ”

How to take the test? It's so easy! Tokugawa Mitsukuni can't even put pen to paper!

Moreover, Tokugawa Mitsukuni has already completed the self-study of "Elementary School Arithmetic" and is now studying the content of "New Arithmetic" by himself. Masayuki Hoshina and several other teachers in charge of teaching Tokugawa Ietsuna can't catch up with Guangguo, so how can they take the test?

Tokugawa Iemitsu sighed, "It's hard to be sorry for Guangguo, he's so smart, let him accompany a kid with a brain to read together......"

As he was talking, there was a rush of footsteps outside between Shippo, and then a small surname opened the sliding door, knelt down on his knees, and announced loudly: "Gongfang, Matsudaira Izu Mamoru, Date Mutsu Okumori, and Yubi Masayuki ask to see you." ”

"Let them in!" Tokugawa Iemitsu struggled to raise his voice.

"Hay!" The little surname answered and turned to leave.

After a while, I saw this little surname leading the shogunate elder Matsudaira Nobutsuna, and a short and fat man in his fifties with a straight nose and a square mouth, and a strong man of forty-five or sixteen years old, medium stature, and a dark face.

That Humpty Dumpty was Date Tadamune, the lord of the Sendai Domain, and because the Sendai Domain was the most powerful domain in the Northeast Mitsunoku region of Japan, it was only natural that Tadamune became the general of the Kata Army. The main camp will be set up in the port of Umino Haji, which was owned by the Morioka Domain, and he will be in command.

Of course, Date Tadamune is only the nominal commander, and he will not leave Honshu to go north to Huatai Island, and the one who really commands the battle on the front line is the black-faced man, who is known as the "set of the art of war of the Han family".

It's hard to say whether this Yubi Masayuki has real skills, but in today's Japan, he is recognized as a "fierce man who has no talent", and is sought after by a large group of ronins who have no place to receive money, and a group of poor low-level samurai also regard him as an idol.

The shogunate has always wanted to woo this Yubi Masayuki for his own use, but Masayuki's asking price was too high, and he refused the 5,000 koku offered by the shogunate.

And this time, Tokugawa Iemitsu finally seized the opportunity and raised the two politically correct banners of "Qing Kou is coming" and "Kata is out of battle".

Now Yubi Masayuki can no longer refuse the shogunate's invitation - the national disaster of Japan is coming, how can you, a great soldier who "combines the art of war of the Han and Han families", not get out of the mountain?

Moreover, the shogunate's policy of recruiting ronins to conquer Kata Island is also very much in line with Hi Masayuki's appetite, because he was originally picked up by a group of ronin.

Therefore, this "big ronin" was not holding a stand, and happily accepted the order, and began to recruit and organize the Birch Tai Army with the assistance of Date Tadamune and Matsudaira Nobutsuna.

Hua Taijun is not just anyone can enter, because there are too many ronins in these years, if anyone is recruited, the quota of 5,000 people is not enough.

Therefore, Yubi Zhengxue and his protégés had to be assessed one by one to ensure that the ronins recruited into the Hua Tai Army were all civil and military, and could endure the bitter cold.

After the personnel are recruited, of course, they must be equipped and trained. The ronins were not samurai, and it was impossible for them to bring their own weapons and horses, so the Tokugawa shogunate had to take care of it.

In April of the fourth year of Qing'an, that is, in June 1651, everything was finally ready.

Today is the day when Date Tadamune and Yubi Masayukueki Castle bid farewell to Tokugawa Iemitsu!

"Zhengxue!" Tokugawa Iemitsu didn't have much strength to talk nonsense with Yubi Masayuki, so he got straight to the point as soon as he came up, "In the name of the general, this official allows you to use the Nanmu Miao character, and from today on, you are Nanmu Zhengxue!" I hope you don't put the name of Kusunoki to shame! ”

That's a great blessing!

Yubi Masayuki was born as a farmer, claiming to be a retainer of the Imagawa family with the blood of the Kusunoki clan, after Yubi Masanobu, and later worshiped the famous military family in Edo, and it is said that he was the last descendant of Kusunoki Masanari Nanbuden (Kusunoki Masatsune), and later hooked up with the daughter of Kusunbu Buden (Nan Buchuan no son), became a son-in-law (son-in-law adopted son), and after the death of Kusuno, he claimed to be the orthodox descendant of the Kusunoki clan.

But this Kusunoki clan has been in decline for too long, and it has been in the position of rebelling against the shogunate in the Muromachi shogunate era, so the genealogical inheritance is very informal. Not to mention the snow?

Therefore, Zhengxue has always dared to only call himself "Youbi", and did not dare to use the word "Nanmu" seedlings.

Now with the endorsement of the Tokugawa shogunate, his Kusunoki is justified, and the Kusunoki family is likely to be revived in his hands!

Such a great favor, Nanmu Zhengxue must be repaid, otherwise it will smash the signboard of the loyal ministers of the Nanmu Party!

Seeing Kusunoki Zhengxue's grateful look, Jiaguang knew that he could finally die with peace of mind...... for many ownerless ronin will go down to accompany him!