In Edo Castle, Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, stood on the castle tower and remained silent for a long time.

At this time, the situation in Japan was like a heavy mountain, and he was almost out of breath. The Han army captured Kyushu, Shikoku, then China, and then Kansai.

From Emperor Kanmu's relocation of the capital to Heiankyo, Kyoto has been the capital of Japan for more than 800 years. More than 100 years ago, Kyoto was almost a battlefield in vain during the Onin War, but it has since been rebuilt and restored.

In the history of Japan, no foreign tribe has invaded Japan and occupied Kyoto.

But now, under his rule, most of Japan's territory has been lost, and even Kyoto has been occupied. If it weren't for the Han army's initiative to stop the eastward advance, I am afraid that it would have occupied the central region at this time and would have come to the eastern part of the country.

Several times, Tokugawa Iemitsu wanted to lead his troops westward and fight to the death against those Han Chinese. However, no one in the shogunate supported him. Everyone was persuading him that he must not fight the Han people by force, and that if he wanted to save Japan, the shogunate, and the Tokugawa family, he could only reconcile.

But the Han people had no intention of reconciling at all.

If he were the emperor of the Han people, he would not want to reconcile, because he had enough strength to annex the whole of Japan, so why should he reconcile.

Is he going to become the last shogun of the Edo shogunate? Is Japan going to be conquered by foreign nations in his hands?

Japanese ministers and aristocrats, and even the shogunate, like to refer to Japan as Little China. But there will never be anyone who is willing to be a slave to the country.

"General, the retainers have arrived." The waiter reminded him.

The Tokugawa family has laid down the castle tower, and the retainers are already waiting for him.

In the face of today's bad situation, everyone has a sad face. But the difference today is that there is a person invited today. His Majesty Emperor Meisho.

Emperor Meisho was the daughter of Tokugawa Iemitsu's father's second shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada, and the second daughter of Emperor Gomizuo, who succeeded to the throne at the age of seven and has reigned for 11 years.

The eighteen-year-old Emperor Meisho was not yet married, and she sat there quietly.

Tokugawa Iemitsu walked up to his niece Koko, knelt down, and bowed his head. "Your Majesty, the survival of Japan is all counting on Your Majesty alone."

All the retainers of the shogunate also bowed down to Xingzi.

Emperor Koko was only eighteen years old and reigned for eleven years, but he did not handle government affairs at all, nor did he have the right to deal with government affairs. For hundreds of years, the Japanese imperial family has long since fallen from power.

Her father was deliberately embarrassed and humiliated by the shogunate because he had not asked the Edo shogunate in advance to grant purple robes to the monks. Eventually, her father, Emperor Gomizuo, abdicated in anger and passed the throne to her when she was only seven years old.

Emperor Meisho and her father had no rights other than the right to take the era name.

She was even eighteen years old, but without the arrangement of the Edo shogunate, she didn't even have the right to get married. Xingzi is the one hundred and ninth emperor of Japan and the seventh female emperor in Japanese history.

But just an emperor who has no rights.

She had no idea how Japan's survival depended on hers.

Jiaguang was also looking at his niece. Xingzi is not beautiful, medium height. Even a little delicate. He has fair skin and has inherited the elegance of the royal family. Because the power of the royal family has been lost for hundreds of years, the royal family of all dynasties can only study music and poetry, Xingzi is also a person who is proficient in music and rhythm, and he is also very interested in Han culture.

It's not a beauty, but it's really good. Happens to be so young again.

"Your Majesty, Japan has such a great calamity because of the lack of virtue of the ministers. The daimyo from all over the country had to ask the shogunate to be honored and asked the ministers to return the great government. After careful consideration, the minister decided to obey the will of the people. From now on, the power of Japan will be returned to the emperor and the imperial court. At the same time, in order to apologize for his sins, from today onwards, the minister withdrew from the position of Tokugawa family governor, because the minister had no heirs, so the minister requested to accept His Majesty's brother Prince Shohito as an adopted son, and pass on the position of family governor to Prince Shohito. ”

Xingzi didn't expect that Jiaguang would say such a thing.

The Edo shogunate returned the great government to the emperor, and Iemitsu had to retire, accept Prince Shohito as his adopted son, and pass on the position of governor to Shohito? This, she was a little puzzled for a while. Even if she no longer has power, she is still smart and knows how the Tokugawa family fought for power back then.

At that time, Oda abolished the Muromachi shogunate, and later Toyotomi took power in Japan, and did not open the shogunate, but after the victory of Tokugawa Ieyasu Sekigahara, he opened the Edo shogunate and further controlled the power of Japan.

Now Jiaguang wants to return the great government and abdicate, how is this possible.

Jiaguang looked at his niece, and his heart was full of helplessness.

According to the retainers, the Tokugawa family was in danger, and the Han army was advancing step by step, as if a rope had been put around their necks, which had not been pulled up immediately, but it had been tightened step by step.

If this continues, at most a year, the whole of Japan will be annexed, and the Tokugawa clan will be the first to bear the brunt of the extinction.

Fight, if you can't beat it, then you can only fight. But the Han people refused to negotiate peace at all, and the retainers thought that the previous conditions were not enough, so they could only increase the weight.

But what kind of conditions can make the Han people let them go?

After thinking about it, in the end they came up with the only way, which was to return the government first, and then Jiaguang abdicated and let Prince Shaoren of the royal family take over the position of governor. Then, Emperor Ming Zheng was allowed to marry the Emperor of the Great Han, and in this way, Japan became a part of the Great Han.

The only thing that Iemitsu and the shogunate courtiers hoped for was to avoid the Han Dynasty from completely annexing them. In particular, I was afraid that the Han people were doing in Kyushu, Shikoku and other places, moving all the Japanese to the Han Dynasty, and then moving the Han people from the Central Plains to Japan.

If Ren Dahan completely annexed Japan, and then resettled each other in an all-round way, then Japan would really be destroyed, and the Tokugawa clan would be completely finished.

Now they expect that after marrying the emperor to the Han emperor, Japan will be completely subservient to the Han Dynasty, and will even be able to accept Japan as one or two provinces of the Great Han.

The only thing they hoped for was that after the emperor married the Han emperor, he would be able to save half of Japan east of Kangahara. It's good to surrender nominally, or even pay taxes to the Han Dynasty, as long as they don't completely abolish the daimyo of the feudal lords and immigrate them completely, their families will not die.

As long as we survive this disaster, there will always be a chance to make a comeback in the future.

"Your Majesty. I hope you can agree to marry the Emperor of the Han Dynasty! Jiaguang's voice was full of helplessness and expectation.

There's only one thing they can do.

Xingzi didn't expect that Jiaguang would make such a request. She had also heard many rumors about Liu Jun, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, such as the fact that this man came from an ordinary background, but rose to prominence in just a few years. The story of Liu Jun. In the past, there were people in the Kyoto court who compiled it into stories and recited poems.

Xingzi has also seen the silver dollar of the Han Dynasty, and there is a profile portrait of a young man on it, and I heard that it is the portrait of Liu Jun, the emperor of the Han Dynasty. Judging from the statue on the silver dollar alone, this Han emperor is indeed a handsome, tall and brave man as sung in the story.

It's just that she never thought that she would marry him.

"Your Majesty, this is the only way to save the Yamato nation!"

Xingzi looked up. "May I ask what the Emperor of the Han Dynasty meant, or the general?"

"This is what I mean, as long as Your Majesty is willing, we will immediately send someone to ask to see the Emperor of the Han Kingdom, with Your Majesty's beauty and talent, I think this proposal will be happily agreed to by the Emperor of the Han Kingdom. At that time, Yamato will be able to save it. ”

Xingzi thought to herself, can I refuse. Can you refuse? Seriously, she admires Liu Jun very much. She had heard many stories about him, and in those stories, he was a brave and powerful man who built an empire from scratch and ended the cowardly decay of the Ming Kingdom.

She even admired him a little.

But the Han army invaded in a big way. The arresting and looting in various places also made her no longer have a good impression of Liu Jun. Now in her eyes, Liu Jun is a terrible intruder, a robber. He shattered the peace and tranquility of Japan and caused constant war in various places.

"If I marry the Emperor of Han, I can save Japan. Then I do. General, you can now go to see the Emperor of Han. After saying that, Xingzi got up and said goodbye to everyone. She was upset and didn't want to stay here anymore.

Waiting for his niece to leave, Jiaguang sighed.

"Now, who wants to go on this trip and talk to the Han people?"

Tokugawa Yoshinao took the initiative to ask, "I'm willing to go." ”

He was the ninth son of Tokugawa Ieyasu and the lord of the Owari Domain, receiving 610,000 koku, and the first head of the Owari Tokugawa family of the Imperial Three Clans.

With him coming forward in person, Tokugawa Iemitsu was very relieved.

"Please, uncle, no matter how difficult the Han people are, I hope to focus on the overall situation, please do your best to promote this matter."

"Understood!"

Kyoto, Heiankyo, Japan.

The Han army had completely occupied, west of Sekigahara, and Heiankyo had become another large Japanese city controlled by the Han. Before the Han army entered the city, Tokugawa Iemitsu had already taken the imperial family and many ministers, and the rest of them had fled east of Sekigahara with their money one after another.

When the Han army came, there was basically no resistance.

After the Han army took control of Kyoto, Liu Jun also moved to Kyoto.

The palace of the Japanese emperor has now become one of Liu Jun's palaces.

"Your Majesty, the Tokugawa family's proposal is very good." Feng Sheng, the commander of the Jinyi Guard, said to the emperor with a smile.

"I'm not surprised what they're proposing now." Liu Jun was not surprised by the shogunate's proposal. The shogunate was dissolved, the government was returned to the king, and even Iemitsu abdicated, and the female emperor, oh now called the queen of Japan, married the emperor of the Han Dynasty, and then let the queen's younger brother succeed Iemitsu as an adopted son, succeeding to the position of Tokugawa governor.

They even promised to include Japan in the territory of the Han Empire, make it a province, and pay taxes to the Han Dynasty, among other things. Their only request was that the Daihan would allow the Tokugawa clan and other daimyo to retain their lordship and continue to become feudal daimyos.

The only difference was that they had been vassals of the Edo Shogunate, and now they were willing to become vassals under the Han Emperor.

All but hope to keep the name and territory of the family.

This is the Tokugawa clan's retreat and abandoning the pawn to protect the car.

If they continue to fight, they will definitely be defeated, and then there will be nothing left. Surrender now, and want to lose only half.

However, Liu Jun doesn't think that surrender can only lose half.

"Your Majesty, in fact, I think I might as well promise them, that Emperor Mingzheng, the minister has investigated, this year is only eighteen, the length is not bad, although the figure is a little petite, but can sing and write a good poem."

Liu Jun smiled, "Will I lack a singer and dancer, or do you think I lack a woman who can write poetry?" ”

Feng Sheng had no choice but to smile wryly. In the emperor's harem, there are several of them, all of whom are from this aspect.

Unexpectedly, the emperor said, "But also, if you can win without a fight, why not agree to the other party's surrender and peace." ”

Feng Sheng was stunned, could it be that the emperor really had a heart for that female emperor?

"You say, if I agree to marry the Queen of Japan, will they really marry?"

"They can't ask for it!"

"Well, you go and inform the Japanese envoy, and say that I agree to marry the Japanese queen."

In a courtyard in Kyoto, a Han army officer came in and said to a restless Tokugawa Yoshinao, "Please come with me!" ”

"Is His Majesty the Emperor of the Han Dynasty going to meet me?"

However, the officer ignored him at all, and only led the way in front, and Tokugawa Yoshima, who could not get an answer, could only helplessly follow behind.

Soon, they came to a mansion, but it was not a palace.

"You're Tokugawa Yoshinao?"

"I don't know who your Excellency is?"

"I am Feng Sheng, the commander of the Imperial Jinyi Guard, and I am hereby informed to you by the will of His Majesty the Emperor that His Majesty is willing to marry Her Royal Highness the Queen of Japan. Just next month, the wedding venue will be in Kyoto. Go back immediately, and immediately escort His Royal Highness to Kyoto for the wedding, and remember that the entire Japanese royal family, as well as the Edo Tokugawa clan and the retainers of the shogunate, as well as all the ministers and ministers in the Kanto region, as well as the feudal lords, must come with you to watch the ceremony! ”

Tokugawa Yoshinao looked embarrassed.

He didn't expect that the Han people would immediately agree to marry Emperor Mingzheng, but he didn't expect them to have such additional conditions, requiring all members of the royal family, as well as ministers and nobles, and even all feudal lords and retainers of the shogunate to come to Kyoto to watch the ceremony.

If the big men come to catch them all at that time, won't they fall into the net by themselves?

"Go back and tell all the nobles and feudal lords that if anyone finds a reason not to come, we will not accept any reason. If anyone who does not come, the Han will remove him from his official position and cut off his territory. ”

Feng Sheng unceremoniously added another block to Tokugawa Yoshinao.

Come voluntarily or not, but do not come at your own risk.

"Within a month, the queen must be sent to Kyoto, and all members of the royal family, ministers, nobles, and feudal lords, and those who arrive late within a month will be relieved of their official positions and their territories will be seized."

"My lord, this request is really too demanding, can you?"

Feng Sheng interrupted Tokugawa Yoshinao's bargaining, "What, don't you even have this sincerity?" Keep saying that you want to be the feudal princes of the Han Dynasty, but you don't even have the loyalty to come and bow to Your Majesty, are you deceiving the king? ”

"Don't dare, don't dare, there's no such thing." Tokugawa Yoshinao hurriedly denied it.

"Since there isn't, then let's do it, come, send off!"

Feng Sheng picked up the teacup and ignored Tokugawa Yoshinao.

(To be continued.) )

PS: Thank you for loving my sister and my brother, thank you!