At the castle tower of Edo Castle, Toshikatsu Doi and Tokugawa Iemitsu sat at the top of the council chamber with serious expressions on their faces. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

It was a critical moment in the life and death of the Tokugawa family.

The relationship between the Tokugawa family and Li Zhi was not good. Li Zhi once went on an expedition to Japan and captured 10 million taels of silver and Osaka Castle from the Tokugawa family. Ten million taels of silver was a huge expense for the Tokugawa family, equivalent to the total financial income of the Tokugawa family for four years. The Tokugawa family's financial income had to be paid to the samurai and Ashigaru was paid, and the annual surplus was only a few hundred thousand taels.

After the defeat to Li Zhi, Doi Toshikatsu borrowed money from big businessmen throughout Japan and collected 10 million taels to give to Li Zhi.

However, what made the Tokugawa family even more humiliating was the loss of Osaka Castle.

In Japan, Osaka is a city with a special significance. After Toyotomi Hideyoshi unified Japan, he ruled the country with Osaka Castle as the center. After the Tokugawa family took over the control of Japan from the Toyotomi family, they also made Osaka Castle the center of their rule in western Japan.

As the chief of the Japanese samurai, the Tokugawa shogunate not only had the power to rule Japan, but also had the obligation to defend Japan. The cession of a city like Osaka to Li Zhi meant that the Tokugawa family was powerless to defend Japan.

In Japan's original history, in 1853, when the American black ships knocked on the border by force, the Tokugawa shogunate simply agreed to the Americans' trade demands, which led to the anger of the Japanese people. The Japanese people shouted "Shooyi" and shouted "Downfall", which eventually led to the Meiji Restoration.

The fact that a trade treaty alone led to such an outcome shows the weight of the Tokugawa shogunate's responsibility to defend Japan.

Of course, in this day and age, when commoners, merchants, and new landlords had not yet risen, it was impossible for the Meiji Restoration to be launched. However, the Japanese had the same mentality to defend their country, and after the occupation of Osaka by Lee Chik, the dominant domestic samurai class also despised the Tokugawa shogunate.

Originally, in order to weaken the economic power of the local princes, the Tokugawa shogunate constantly asked the local daimyo to carry out "general invitations", that is, to undertake the construction work sent by the Tokugawa family. These tasks often involve the construction of cities, river embankments, roads, and other large projects, which can often destroy the finances of local princes.

Now, however, after the loss of Osaka, the daimyo of the western province are no longer following the orders of the Tokugawa family. When encountering a large amount of money, the daimyo of the western country often turned a deaf ear. In particular, the four daimyo of Shimazu and Mori, who had taken refuge in Li Zhi, did not take the shogunate seriously at all, and refused to participate in even the most expensive general invitation.

The original system of attendance and accountability, which constrained the personal freedom of local princes, was less and less valued by the daimyos. Some of the daimyo even refused to come to Edo, and there was nothing the Tokugawa family could do about it.

In short, the authority of the Tokugawa shogunate as the ruler of Japan was already in jeopardy because of its defeat to Li Zhi. With the exception of the daimyo who continued to support the Tokugawa family, the other princes were already in a state of disintegration.

If the Tokugawa family did not make changes, within ten years, the Tokugawa family would completely lose control of Japan. Japan was either annexed by Li Zhi's intervention, or it entered a Warring States period again.

At this critical moment, the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu and the shogunate elder Doi Toshikatsu ushered in the envoys of the Daming Jiangbei Army and the Dutch.

It was Kuyt who came on behalf of the Dutch. And on behalf of the Jiangbei Army, there was a very important envoy, who was one of the two general soldiers of the Jiangbei Army, Wu Sangui.

Wu Sangui looked at the katana placed under the corner of the council hall and muttered for a while.

The martial and belligerent nature of the country of Japan left a deep impression on Wu Sangui. In Edo Castle, Kure Sangui discovered that almost all of the country's facilities were for samurai and military personnel. The so-called city is nothing more than a castle town that serves the castle.

The samurai collected taxes from the peasants' fields, which they used to feed the soldiers, and the consumption of the soldiers and samurai fed the merchants, and that was what the economy of the country was all about.

The so-called tea ceremony, chess ceremony, geisha, everything revolves around the needs of the samurai's war life.

Wu Sangui pondered this Japanese worldview and said, "Samurai survive because of war, and if they surrender step by step in fear of war, they will eventually perish." ”

The translator relayed Wu Sangui's words to the two shogunate rulers.

Tokugawa Iemitsu's face changed suddenly. As a samurai, Wu Sangui's words obviously touched his dignity.

Doi Toshikatsu's castle was deeper, his eyes narrowed, and he didn't speak.

Wu Sangui observed Tokugawa Iemitsu's expression and said, "Li Zhi already knows about the Tokugawa Shogunate's sale of firearms to the Jiangbei Army, and Li Zhi will take revenge on the Tokugawa family sooner or later. Could it be that His Royal Highness the Shogun sat back and watched the demise of the Tokugawa family? ”

Hearing Wu Sangui's words, the Dutchman Kuyt raised his chin and looked at Tokugawa Iemitsu arrogantly.

Doi Toshikatsu frowned, propped his body up on the tatami mat with both hands, and turned around in a samurai-specific way. He said to Wu Sangui: "Your Excellency, our Tokugawa family is not Li Zhi's opponent. ”

Wu Sangui smiled and said, "Li Zhi has 100,000 troops, and the shogunate army may not be an opponent when it fights alone. After a pause, Wu Sangui said: "But I promise the elder that the Jiangbei Army can hold more than 60,000 Tiger Ben troops in Huai'an. What Japan needs to fight against is only 40,000 Tiger Ben troops at most. ”

Hearing Wu Sangui's words, Doi Toshikatsu and Tokugawa Iemitsu glanced at each other.

The Dutchman Kuyt added to his heart: "Thirty-nine warships of the United Provinces and Great Britain are also ready. As long as Japan entered the war, thirty-nine warships would provide sea power for Japan's land forces. Even if the Japanese army hits Korea and attacks Tianjin, the supply line at sea will not be cut off by Li Zhi. ”

Hearing the words of the Dutch, the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu was obviously moved. Trying to hide his excitement, he shifted uneasily.

The Dutchman looked at Tokugawa Iemitsu and said with a smile: "Our combined fleet has 1,695 cannons, which cannot be matched by Li Zhi's twelve ironclad ships. ”

Toshikatsu Doi was silent, as if in a final hesitation.

Wu Sangui said: "Actually, Li Zhi's 50,000 soldiers and horses have already attacked Huai'an. Counting the 20,000 soldiers and horses that were originally in Huai'an, there were only 30,000 soldiers and horses left at Li Zhi's disposal. ”

"I've heard that the Tokugawa shogunate was mass-producing new rifles with scopes this year. In fact, our Jiangbei Army is also making such rifles. The equipment of the 160,000 Jiangbei Army is no worse than that of the Tiger Army, and if nothing else, our Jiangbei Army can hold off all the 70,000 Tiger Ben Army infantry. ”

"I believe that the Tokugawa family is capable of fighting against 30,000 Tiger Ben soldiers."

"If Li Zhi is defeated in the end, our Jiangbei Army will recognize Japanese rule in Korea on behalf of the Ming Dynasty."

Doi Toshikatsu was finally moved by Wu Sangui, lowered his head, and he gritted his teeth and thought for a while.

On the one hand, it gradually perished under the bullying of Li Zhi, and on the other hand, it restored the most glorious territory of the Tokugawa family, and even invaded Korea.

Raising his head, Toshikatsu Doi had already made a decision.

"The Tokugawa family will bring all the relatives and daimyo to the war."