The old village chief's short body slowly softened, and he tried his best to hold on to the trunk of the tree by the side of the road so that he did not collapse to the ground.

His whole body trembled: "Master Kato, you know, the harvest of our Inuxiang Village is one thousand eight, and the land rent is six hundred stone, and if we give you six hundred and nine, we will only have five hundred and one left." More than 200 people had to go up the mountain to find wild things, go down to the river to fish, and go to the top to fish until the next year. But if we pay seven hundred and eight, we will only have four hundred and two left, and we won't be able to survive even if we gnaw the bark of grass roots! ”

Kato snorted from his nose, these untouchables always say that they can't survive and will starve to death, but they are alive and kicking every year, and they can't die at all. There is food hidden in each house! Hmph, do they know the honor of the samurai land? Shameless guy!

"Master Matsuura Jiuxin's order that grain must be collected. Whoever dares to disobey his orders, die! ”

The white-haired old village chief knelt down. Holding the corner of the old man's clothes and crying: "No, Master Kato is good, our Inuxiang Village really can't take it out!" ”

When the farmers saw this scene, they all took farm tools and surrounded them, food, but their life!

"What? Do you want to rebel? Master Matsuura has issued a suppression order, and those who plot rebellion will be killed! ”

Kato roared and pulled out the cold light on his waist, and the accompanying samurai unsheathed their long knives, and the seven or eight cold lights dazzled the peasants, and they involuntarily took a few steps back.

"Don't be impulsive, Master Kato, don't be angry, they are not evil parties."

At the critical moment, Murata Saburo still didn't want the villagers to die in vain, so he stepped forward and persuaded: "Folks, don't make a mess, we farmers can't beat the samurai, not to mention that Lord Matsuura still has a musket team, once dispatched, it will be difficult for you to live." Master Kato, spare them, kill these farmers, and there will be no one to pay taxes next year. ”

Kato stupidly inserted the knife back into the sheath and said viciously: "If it weren't for Master Murata's intercession, I would have made you all evil parties today!" Let's go, collect the grain tax that should be collected! ”

Where the farmers dare to resist, the hundred and eight farmers in their village are not enough to be used as bedbugs by the musketeers of the Matsuura family.

With tears in their eyes, the farmers put the life-saving food they had worked so hard to grow into bamboo baskets, and then carried them to the warehouse of the lord of the land under the supervision of the samurai.

The grain from each village was gathered from the drying field to the granary at the head of the field, and then sent to Hirado, the base camp of Matsuura Jiuxin, who was just a hand, the grain was collected with his left hand, and the right hand was exchanged for guns and ammunition from the office of the Tiance Army in Hirado, and the same scene was also played out in the area occupied by the rebels.

Not only food, but also the influx of various commodities such as cloth and farm tools from the starting town, all walks of life in Japan have been greatly affected, and the silk weaving workshops have closed down one after another, blacksmith shops have closed, and in addition to the war and food shortages in the past two years, I don't know how many people have begun to sell their children and even starve to death on the streets.

……

Edo, Kyoto, Japan.

A deep courtyard, the moss under the stone slabs, showing the imprint of time, the twilight rain in late autumn, the water droplets drip down the eaves to the pond, the soft sound of Ding Ding Dongdong, the ripples on the water surface slowly swing and dissipate, just like an eternal song.

Just behind the important courtyard and the high walls of the road, the chrysanthemums introduced from China are still in full bloom in late autumn, and several elderly people sit on their knees in the dimly lit Honmaru Palace.

The leader is a middle-aged man, and the fierce color in his eyes at this time makes him look like a ghoul ghost in Huangquan Hirasaka. With an angry face, he said, "Everyone, is the situation in the southwest still out of control? ”

The middle-aged man at the head was none other than Tokugawa Iemitsu, the ruler of the Edo shogunate.

At this time, the Japanese Emperor Mizuo was actually a puppet. The so-called emperor of Japan is not a puppet for a period of time, but a puppet for a long time. The general went to see the emperor, and it was called "Kamiraku", which is a saying that gray is often high.

After the death of his father Tokugawa Hidetada, Tokugawa Iemitsu changed the structure of the shogunate, established the system of the elder, the old man, the Wakanian sent, the gatory, and the big eye payment, and set the shogunate's current shogun as the highest authority, and the elder was equivalent to the first assistant of the Ming Dynasty, and the old middle set up four or five people, who were the second assistants, cabinet ministers, etc.

This system, in the historical Edo shogunate system, is basically formed. The power is concentrated in the hands of the general, and everything is up to him. As for the emperor, if he is happy, he will give three melons and two dates. Not happy, hum!

At this time, Tokugawa Iemitsu was at a time when his power was monstrous, and he completed the shogunate system and concentrated the power in his hands.

At this time, in the imperial hall, several high-ranking officials of the shogunate sat on the floor with solemn faces.

Today's Edo shogunate was challenged by the rebels and the Hirado Domain, and its prestige was declining, and Tokugawa Iemitsu was angry many times. It's been two years, but he still can't quell the rebellion in the country, and his mood can be imagined.

The head of the old middle doi Katsuo lowered his head, supported his body with his fists, did not change the posture of sitting cross-legged on the ground, quickly moved his body from the right side to the floor in the middle of the palace, bowed his head and said: "General, the subordinates think that the trouble of my shogunate, no, the trouble of all Japan is not in the four islands of Japan, but in the Ming Dynasty." ”

"Oh? Da Ming? Tokugawa Iemitsu asked, "My shogunate has no dealings with the Ming court, so why do they want to participate in our country's affairs?" ”

Elder Sakai smiled sympathetically, "Doi-kun, do you have any exact information?" ”

Doi Katsuo looked up at Sakai Nakamori and said, "There is no definite news, do I dare to talk nonsense to the general?" ”

Then he bowed his head to Tokugawa Iemitsu and said, "General, the subordinate has learned through many inquiries that the source of weapons for the two rebels comes from the same place, that is, the Tiance Army in the starting point city. ”

The Tokugawa shogunate was a very closed regime, and it was very slippery to close off the country, but after more than two years, I finally knew the source of the weapons of the rebels and the Matsuura family.

"Starting Point City, Tiance Army." Tokugawa Iemitsu was puzzled: "Is it the starting point of the prince of the Ming Kingdom, Shaobao Wang Yue?" ”

The goods of the starting point city were flooded all over Japan, and Tokugawa Iemitsu's mansion was also everywhere, so of course he knew about Wang Yue and the Tence army.

Doi Katsuo said: "It was the weapons provided by Wang Yue's Tiance Army for the rebels that caused my counterinsurgency army to suffer repeated defeats. ”

Tokugawa Iemitsu frowned and said: "Since the Battle of Keicho Fumiroku, His Royal Highness Toyotomi has passed away, and my shogunate has controlled Japan and coexisted peacefully with the Ming Kingdom for decades, why is this?" ”

Doi Katsuo said: "As far as the ministers know, this is Wang Yue's personal doing, and the Ming court does not know. ”

Tokugawa Iemitsu snorted and said: "As far as General Ben knows, the Ming Dynasty is guilty of provocation, does he Wang Yue want to give the Ming Kingdom another battle of Qingchang Wenlu?" Immediately send an emissary to the Ming State to hold their emperor accountable. ”