When the top echelons of the Han army and their envoys were still in Nagasaki Castle to discuss the next steps of the Japanese army, they did not pay much attention to the fact that the whole of Kyushu had not yet been completely captured by the Han army.

At this time, although the shogunate's armies in Nagasaki and elsewhere had been completely wiped out by the Han army, there was still a small area on the northernmost tip of Kyushu Island that had not been touched by the iron hooves of the Han or its allies.

This area is the territory of the Hosokawa family of the Ogura clan.

It was not that Zhao Song and Yan Guang were unaware of their existence, but they knew that at this time they had a large army advancing towards the Ogura Domain, and they had no doubt that this place would soon fall into their hands, so there was no formal discussion about it at all.

The Ogura Domain could easily be taken - Bisu and his subordinates, who were marching towards Kokura at this time, thought so.

Under the clear banner, Bi Su led the main force of his regiment, marching in columns, swaggering northward, his ranks were so strict and disciplined that they were like an army of red ants going out to sweep.

After fighting the shogunate and the feudal army again and again, and winning victory after victory, this army was full of self-confidence and no longer looked at the next enemy, and their demonstrative march was also the product of this mentality.

As the head of the regiment, Bi Su rode on a horse requisitioned from somewhere, and as the ranks of his army advanced, the countryside was quiet all around, although the outlines of some villages continued to appear between Gu Ying, but there were not many people in sight.

This is quite normal. Under the propaganda of the shogunate and the feudal domains, the villagers of these villages were very afraid of the Han army, so they scattered and fled when they saw the Han army, lest they be touched by the Han army; In addition, the Han army was indeed searching for grain for its own needs, and some of the requisitions developed into looting, which further increased the fear of the villagers everywhere.

Accompanying the ranks of the Great Han army were the soldiers of the Liuhe Domain, who were originally subordinates of Tachibana Soshige, but because of Bisu's arrangement, most of the army of the Liuhe Domain became vassals of his troops and followed them.

It was precisely because of the cooperation of these feudal soldiers that they were able to requisition and loot in villages along the way so easily, meeting the needs of the troops all the way to the march.

Of course, the military discipline of these feudal soldiers is very bad, and they will do some things like killing **** when they are requisitioned, which aggravates the panic of the residents, but Bi Su doesn't care about this - the feudal soldiers are all Japan's own people, and they have nothing to do with him in the first place. He just needs these feudal soldiers to complete their mission.

After a few days of marching, they soon came to the borders of the Ogura Domain, and to Bisu's slight disappointment, there was no waiting feudal army waiting for him.

Without any hesitation, the army of the Great Han immediately marched into the territory of the Ogura Domain.

The road was still sparsely populated, but the large farmland showed that it was not a barren place, and along the uneven road, Bisu and the soldiers of the Liaodong Regiment marched all the way to Kokura Castle, forcing the soldiers of the Ogura clan who had been hiding from them to fight them.

Kokura Castle is almost the northernmost point of Kyushu Island, across the sea from Honshu Island, and the short strait divides them, but it has never been an obstacle to communication between the two places. However, when the Han Dynasty occupies it, this short Sister Haixia will become a moat.

Just as Zhou Pu was in Nagasaki to meet with the feudal lords from all over the country and greatly demonstrated the majesty of the Great Han, the red-clothed army also marched to Ogura Castle.

And this time their wish was not disappointed, and the army of the Ogura clan under the castle and at the head of the castle was already in full array.

As far as the eye can see, the flags printed with the crests of the Hosokawa family are as dense and unfurling as the trees in the mountains and forests, and they are also a little powerful, but in Bi Su's view, this is just a bird with a frightened bow, and under the military might of the Han Dynasty, their momentum has already been discharged.

Before approaching the enemy, the Han army began to change formations, from the beginning of the long marching army slowly formed a formation according to the order, ready to meet the enemy, while in contrast, the vassal army of the Liuhe Domain next to it was much slower, and the formation and formation were also crooked.

Because the troops have been marching recently, the soldiers are a little tired, and the siege equipment and artillery are still insufficient, and they need to be slowly transported from Hakata Bay, so Bi Su did not directly order the siege of the city, but let his subordinates camp under the city, preparing to find a way to besiege this small Kokura Domain first.

The army of the Ogura Domain was not large, except for the ashigaru in the front row, there were a few samurai wearing armor. The feudal lord Hosokawa Tadashi led his retainers and samurai to the castle behind. The armor that had been sealed for decades, Hosokawa Tadashi carefully observed the Han army opposite, and his heart was very uneasy.

Although the Ogura Domain had more than 300,000 koku in height, the land and production were quite barren, and it was not very wealthy, so there were not many feudal soldiers who could be raised.

Hosokawa Tadashi was of course very clear about the strength of his own army, but he was lucky before, thinking that even if he fought, there would definitely not be many troops that could go ashore at first, and if the armies of the shogunate and the various feudal clans were assembled, the number of troops could greatly exceed them, and as long as everyone worked together, they could drive the Han Kou into the sea.

However, the next developments disappointed Hosokawa Tadashiri, and after landing on the shore, he immediately defeated the forces of the Fukuoka domain and the shogunate, and then pursued them all the way. When he heard the news that the Great Han had landed in Hakata Bay, Hosokawa Tadashi had gathered the soldiers of his own domain to prepare to go south to support, but before he could go far, the news came that the Fukuoka Domain had been defeated on all fronts, and he had to withdraw his troops immediately.

Next, Hosokawa Tadashi, who stayed behind in Kokura, heard bad news one after another, and with the victory of the initial engagement, the big man began to attack all the way, advancing towards the position of Kyushu Island with a momentum like a bamboo, and almost no one could stop him. The feudal clans that were supposed to be united in good faith chose their avatars under the Han army, first the Shimazu family, then the Tachibana family, and finally Hosokawa Tadashi found that as long as the feudal lords who had not fought with the Great Han, they basically chose to surrender under the threat of the Great Han.

Seeing that so many people abandoned their dignity as feudal lords and surrendered to the Han under the might of the Han army, Hosokawa Tadashi originally had the intention of surrendering. However, when he obtained the full text of the "Kyushu Reward and Punishment Order" issued by the envoys of the Han Dynasty through various channels, he had to wait and see again.

This document clearly defines the daimyo of feudal lords who have been or will be at war with the Han Dynasty, such as the Arima family, the Sozong family, the Kuroda family, and the Hosokawa family of the Ogura Domain, as "pseudo-rebellious coercions", and declares that under the Han army, they will be burned with the shogunate officials, and the entire clan will be exterminated on the charge of rebellion.

To tell the truth, Hosokawa Tadashi also felt very aggrieved in his heart - he was obviously the same kind of daimyo as the Shimazu family and the Tachibana family, and he had not fought with the Great Han, but he was listed as an enemy by the Great Han in the text, and it was simply a disaster to get rid of him quickly.

Hosokawa Tadashi guessed that it might be that some disgruntled feudal lord had spoken ill of himself in front of the Han envoy and took the opportunity to eradicate himself.

As a last resort, Hosokawa Tadashi had no choice but to continue to prepare the feudal army, anxiously waiting for the inevitable arrival of the Han army.

Of course, he didn't think that he could resist the soldiers of the Great Han, but it was impossible for him to be tied up and wait for the Han to be wiped out, so he could only take one step at a time, and talk about how long he could resist. Of course, he also had hope in his heart, hoping that someone would come to his rescue.

Of course, it is impossible to come to the rescue on Kyushu Island again, but Honshu Island has not yet encountered the advance of the Han army, and when the Han first set foot on Kyushu land, Hosokawa Tadashi sent envoys north to Honshu Island, informing the feudal clans along the way, hoping that they can prepare their armies to help defend against the Han invaders. At that time, he felt that as long as his side struggled to resist the Han Kou, and the other feudal clans sent reinforcements over, it should not be a problem to block the Han Kou's troops.

However, contrary to Hosokawa's expectations, the Han army had swept across the island of Kyushu so quickly and began to march on him, and it now seemed unlikely that he could count on the other feudal domains to send troops to his rescue—except for the Choshu and Hiroshima domains, which were the closest to him.

However, the lord of the Choshu Domain was a famous Mori family in the Warring States Period, because he offended Tokugawa Ieyasu several times, and after the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate, they were suppressed many times, and the territory was greatly reduced, and even the army was forced to reduce a lot, both psychologically and in terms of strength, it was difficult to serve the shogunate. Therefore, although Hosokawa Tadashi waited desperately, the reinforcements of the Mori family never arrived.

Only a few envoys came, as if to observe the specific situation of the Han army, and now one of them stayed in his own array.

"The Han Kou has now hit our city, and if we lose it here, there will be no Japanese foothold on Kyushu Island anymore." After barely suppressing the nervousness in his heart, Hosokawa Tadashi didn't care about wiping the sweat on his forehead, and turned his head to the messenger Mori Motonobu next to him. "You must know that if we fall here, your domain will definitely become the target of the next step of the Great Han's march, and I am afraid that there will be no more peace at that time!"

He knew that the Mori family had no interest in maintaining the shogunate, nor was he interested in helping the Hosokawa family escape the disaster, so he just stated the problem from the Mori family's own standpoint, and wanted to impress them with the truth that his lips were dead and his teeth were cold.

However, Mori Motonobu was not as nervous and excited as Hosokawa Tadashi had hoped, and he stood at the head of the castle, looking out at the formation of the Han army.

"The army of the Han Dynasty is really strict in its behavior, no wonder it was able to sweep all the way through Kyushu." After looking at it for a while, he sighed, "How can the feudal lord defeat such an army?" ”

"Now that it's a matter of life and death, where can I manage so much?" Hosokawa Tadashi was a little angry, but now that he had a request, he still forcibly suppressed his anger, "If you don't resist, there will be no hope for the lives of my entire clan...... If we resist, we can at least delay some time for your domain, so that you can prepare calmly, because after destroying us, your domain will be the target of the Han Kou. ”

"Our Maori family is already preparing, but now that the time is in a hurry, it is really too late to rescue the feudal lord, so we can only rely on the strait moat to deploy the defense." As if he hadn't heard the sarcasm in his words, Mori Motoshin replied calmly, "But the lord of the domain doesn't have to be so discouraged, the Hosokawa family has been famous for so many years, and the warriors are well-known all over the world, even if it is a Han ko, there is no way to take your domain." ”

"You ......" Hosokawa Tadayoshi was so angry that he almost ordered the messenger of the Maori family to be thrown down the city and let him be buried with his family.

But in the end, he still held back, "It's okay for you to ridicule me now, but when the time comes, you can't find a way out either." Even if I die, I will live and die with the Ogura Clan. ”

"Why does the lord think that he has no way out?" Mori Motoshin didn't think so, he stretched out his hand and pointed to the military formation of the Liuhe Domain's army under the city, "Look, haven't they found a way out?" The Han army is now very important to them. ”

"......" Hosokawa Tadashi's eyes widened and he looked at Mori Motonobu in disbelief.

He didn't expect that this Maori envoy not only had no intention of helping him resist, but also persuaded himself and others to follow the example of Shimazu Tadashihiro, Tachibana Soshige and others to surrender to the Han Dynasty.

Could it be that the Maori family is also like the Shimazu family, and they have long colluded with the Han Kou? The thought flashed through his mind. But now that the catastrophe was approaching, he had no time to worry about so much - or, if there was such collusion, it would be a good thing.

"The Great Han sent a message saying that he wanted the lives of my whole clan, how can I surrender!" He didn't say empty words to hide himself, he just told the truth. "I don't know what misunderstanding the Han army has about me, what can I do!"

"In this way, in fact, the feudal lord doesn't want to fight the Han to the death, and he doesn't want to die in the city, right?" Mori Motoshin asked rhetorically. "If you can make peace with the Han and save the lives of the whole clan, the feudal lord is willing to do it."

"Do you have any personal dealings with the big man?" Hosokawa Tadashi was a little suspicious.

"Not yet." Maori Yuanxin shook his head, "But it will be soon, don't hide it from the lord of the domain, this time the domain sent me, one of the tasks is to observe the strength of the Han army, and choose the opportunity to contact the Han army and establish contact." ”

"You ...... You really have such a mind......" Hosokawa Tadashi smiled bitterly, his laughter very dry, "That's right, it's a Maori family after all." ”

"What about the feudal clan's mind? If we go out of the city now to engage with the Han army, we can speak for your feudal lord and make them give up the idea of making the feudal lord an enemy. Mori Motonobu once again pretended not to understand the sarcasm, "If we really succeed, the feudal lord will be able to get out of the current predicament, right?" Or does the feudal lord have to fight with the Han Dynasty to the end, and the jade of the whole domain will be shattered? ”

"But how can I trust the big man? Don't forget...... The Han army issued a letter and asked for our lives. Hosokawa Tadashi patted the "Kyushu Reward and Punishment Order" on his hand, "If the Han army refuses to give up, even if I surrender, I will only bring humiliation on myself." ”

"How do you know if you don't try it?" Mori Motoshin still insisted, "Besides, I went to contact them as an envoy of the Mori family, even if it is an insult, it is also a humiliation for our Mori family, and the feudal lord does not have to worry." ”

At this time, Hosokawa Tadashi was silent.

This is good news, the Maori family and the Hosokawa family are both large feudal clans of more than 300,000 koku, if the two feudal clans choose to surrender to the Han at the same time, it must be very popular with them, and at this time, it may not be impossible to put forward a condition that spares the lives of the Hosokawa family.

Besides, it's already come to this point, and I don't have the idea of dying for the shogunate, so why not give it a try?

"Okay, you just go ahead and try it, I hope you are doing well." In the end, Hosokawa finally nodded in agreement.

"I hope so."

After the order to camp on the spot, the regiment of the Han army, Zheng Bisu, was already preparing to rest in the tent, he has been fighting in various places recently, and has not settled down, and today he plans to rest early, so that he can sleep well.

In addition to the necessary vigilance troops, he also ordered his men to rest and regain their mental and physical strength in order to prepare for the general attack on the Ogura Domain Castle that would soon be launched.

However, his wish was disappointed, and before he could rest for long, he was woken up by his own men.

"What happened?" He asked, slightly dissatisfied.

"A messenger was sent from the other side, saying that he wanted to see Tuanzheng." The subordinate replied carefully.

"No, we're going to completely destroy the Hosokawa family." Bi Su immediately rejected this request, because in his opinion, since the Great Han had issued a document to wipe out the Hosokawa family, it was necessary to follow through and set an example for the Japanese in Kyushu and other places.

Besides, the credit for winning the final battle is also greater than accepting the surrender of the Hosokawa family.

"They're not from the Ogura clan, they're ...... I came from Honshu Island, and I said that I was from the Maori family of the Choshu Domain. The senator hesitated, but decided to explain more. The Choshu Domain is a big domain, so if it can be used by me, it would be good......"

"What?" Bi Su was quite surprised by this situation.

Originally, he planned to contact the wealthy clans of Honshu Island after defeating the Ogura Domain, so that the imperial court envoys could turn against them, but he didn't expect that the lord of the domain would already start contacting him.

If you can really do this, it will be a credit.

"Okay, let him come to me."