After Mu Yannian and the others left, Minoru Hashimoto asked to see Zhou Pu. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

This Hashimoto Minoru can be regarded as Zhou Pu's old acquaintance - it was with Zhou Pu's help that he was able to leave Japan, come to the Han Dynasty and submit a credential for help to the Han Emperor.

In Dahan, he was treated with unexpected courtesy, not only by the warm hospitality of the officials who received him, but also by the prime minister of Dahan, who kindly asked him a lot of questions about Japan.

What excites him the most is that after staying in the capital of the Han Dynasty for a period of time, he was actually received by the Emperor of the Han Dynasty, because he already had the consciousness of "if the Han Dynasty can send troops to rescue him, let Japan be a vassal state of the Han Dynasty", so when he was in the audience, he deliberately respected the Emperor of the Han Dynasty, and it can even be said that he groveled.

It was also during this audience that after Hashimoto Minoru counted the various misdeeds of the shogunate and accused the shogunate of oppressing the imperial court, the emperor of the Han Dynasty was furious, and Xuancheng and such rebellious ministers and thieves must be punished.

Even if he already knew that the Great Han had already decided to attack the Shogunate, and the other party was now acting on the other side, but since it was beneficial to him, Hashimoto Minoru naturally followed, and even he burst into tears, imploring the Great Han to send troops to help the Japanese Kuangfu Sheji and sweep away the rebellious ministers and thieves who held the king hostage.

Seeing that this envoy was so impassioned, and the letter of state was written so sadly, the emperor of the Han Dynasty was also very moved, and declared that he would help the Japanese court sweep away the shogunate and restore Japan's discipline.

It was after this meeting that the Han court issued an official edict, enumerating the illegal or rude acts of the shogunate in its previous dealings with China, declaring that they had repeatedly disrespected the Han court and the Son of Heaven, embarrassed the Han officials, and unjustifiably erected obstacles to trade between the two countries.

At the same time, the edict also said that the Japanese shogunate did a lot of evil, hijacked the monarch, and ran rampant, which brought great trouble to Japan, so in order to punish the shogunate and end the chaos brought by the shogunate, the Han court decided to send troops to crusade against the Japanese shogunate.

The edict has been prepared for a long time, which is equivalent to a means to announce the official outbreak of this war to the whole country, and the previous articles that have counted the sins of the shogunate are all to give an explanation to the people of the world, and by the way, they have played a banner of righteousness, and now a paragraph of the Japanese court has been added, which makes the Han move appear fair and just, which is also a necessary means of propaganda.

After the edict issued by the Han Dynasty, the war between the two countries also entered the public stage, and at this time, the representatives of the shogunate in the Han Dynasty had all been arrested, and Hashimoto Minoru became the only representative of Japan recognized by the Han court.

And during this period of time, he also had a good look at the Han Dynasty, and felt even more that the country of the Han Dynasty is rich and the people are strong - it is clear that it has been less than ten years since the founding of the country, and there is such a momentum, which really surprised him, and also strengthened his confidence in the Han Dynasty's crusade against the shogunate.

At this time, although he had heard about some of the harsh conditions that the Han Dynasty required of the Japanese court, like Nijo Yasudo and others, he believed that as long as the imperial court could get rid of the embarrassment of being shackled by the shogunate and obtain a position where he could exert power, then it was acceptable to pay some price.

After the good news of the successful march of the Han army reached the capital, he could not contain the excitement in his heart, and asked the Han court to return to China to help the court restore the world, and after a few days of discussion, his request was accepted, and then he was sent to Japan together with the representatives of the shogunate in the Han and the officials selected by the Han to be sent to Japan.

By the time he returned to Japan, Kyushu had been conquered by the Han army, the Mori family had surrendered to the Han, and the Imperial Court had fled from Kyoto to the south, and issued a decree designating the shogunate as an enemy. He traveled directly to the island of Honshu and met with the imperial court, which had moved south to the territory of the Mori family.

When he returned to the court, he was greatly commended by the court for his adventures, and even His Majesty the Emperor, who of course could not be called that now, encouraged him personally, saying that he was so loyal and brave that the court would be of great use in the future.

Of course, this kind of talk was not just a verbal statement, and on the day of the audience, he was announced by the imperial court and appointed him as the lieutenant general of the left guard. Konoe House was the department that guarded the emperor and guarded the inner side of the imperial palace in ancient Japan, and served as a personal soldier when the emperor was lucky. After the evolution of the times, it has also become a high-ranking position for military generals, and can command the army.

The generals of the Tokugawa family have all served as the right guard generals, and the left guards have always been held by the ministers, and the left guards are lieutenant generals of the left guards, and this appointment actually means that Hashimoto Minoru has become the real steward of the imperial army.

Originally, before this, he was just the last of the ministers, and he could be said to be an insignificant figure, but now after this accident, he has ascended to the sky and become one of the important figures in the imperial court, how can this not make him excited?

Although the imperial court has no soldiers in his hands now, and he, the lieutenant general of the left guard, is an honorary title, with no soldiers and no money in his hands, judging from the territory and resources that the imperial court will get in the future, his future is unlimited.

But this has to be a premise - he must be able to survive until that time, and he must also have a good relationship with the big man.

From the experience of the past few months, he has seen that in the future, the Han will definitely be the dominant force in Japan, and has the status of the suzerain, and will definitely be able to exert great influence on the Japanese court.

As long as the Han Dynasty supports him, even if he has no foundation in the court, he should be able to sit in a hard-won position. And since he has been commended by the Han court, and has been received by the emperor of the Han Dynasty, he must have a different status from others, as long as he continues to maintain a good relationship with the Han in the future, then there will definitely be no risk of being left behind by the rest of the court.

Yes, he was willing to take risks before, not only for the court, but also for himself? Now that the court has been saved, it's time to think about yourself next.

Because he had met with the imperial court and His Majesty before, Zhou Pu was very polite to Hashimoto Minoru this time, and saluted him as soon as he saw Hashimoto Minoru, and he didn't see his usual arrogance in front of other feudal lords at all.

"My lord, don't come unharmed?" And Hashimoto Minoru is also very respectful to Zhou Pu, "Since the last goodbye, I have always been very concerned about the safety of adults. ”

"You also took great risks before, and it was not easy for you to go to our country, and finally achieved your mission, and I also admire you a lot." Zhou Pu also politely said to him, "How much effort has my country invested in order to support your country, and what is the little risk I personally take?" ”

"My lord, it's really a high wind!" Minoru Hashimoto bowed deeply to him again.

Then, he turned to the topic, "My lord, we were sent by the imperial court to cooperate with you all the way to the march. If you fight all the way, you will soon reach the vicinity of, so in order to stabilize the place and to facilitate the collection of supplies along the way, the imperial court specially sent us to assist you. ”

Zhou Pu knew that what he said was not true, and of course he had the idea of assisting him, of course, the main idea was to enter the region and begin to seek initial control over the territory that the imperial court would obtain, so as to facilitate the future rule of the imperial court.

However, even if he knew the other party's thoughts, he didn't have any idea of getting in the way - after all, with someone from the imperial court making a signboard for him, his next battle would definitely go smoother.

Besides, it is also justified for a lieutenant general of the left guard of the imperial court to participate in his army and play a role.

"Okay, now that you're here, of course I'll have to give you something to do." Zhou Pu also nodded, "Can you be General Tachibana's deputy and assist him in commanding the alliance forces of the various domains?" If the adults feel condescending, I will think about another arrangement......"

"Adult...... "Minoru Hashimoto didn't expect Zhou Pu to be so generous, and he was a little surprised all of a sudden. But he reacted immediately and immediately agreed. "General Tachibana is a famous general in my country, he has been a great soldier before, and these days, he has made a lot of meritorious contributions to the imperial court, if he can act as his deputy, it is my honor, how can I have opinions!"

If he can be the deputy of Tachibana Muneshige, then he can be with him

"As a high-ranking official in the court, if you are a deputy, will there be any opinions on the side of your court?" Zhou Pu still hesitated.

"This court will never have an opinion, my lord." Hashimoto Minoru hurriedly shook his head, "My lord doesn't know yet, in order to commend General Tachibana's merits, the imperial court has now promoted General Tachibana, and now he is already the fourth secretary of the military department, in charge of the military affairs of the imperial court." ”

Tachibana Muneshige's previous official position in the imperial court was from the fourth to the lower one, and now he has become the secretary of the military department on the fourth position, and he has jumped a few levels at once, which can be regarded as a smooth rise - although the official position of the imperial court actually does not mean much to him.

In Japan's thousand-year-old Ritsuryo bureaucracy, the secretary of the military department is the bureaucratic body in charge of military affairs throughout the country, while the general Konoe and others are in charge of specific military commands, which is of course a very important position. However, after years of evolution, the imperial court no longer has troops and resources in its hands, and the secretary of the military department has gradually evolved into a virtual title, which has little effect.

But even so, the secretary of the military department is still the nominal supreme military officer, and the Japanese court gave this title to Tachibana Soshige, which must have saved the meaning of wooing Tachibana Soshige, which is certainly not a happy thing for Zhou Pu.

However, the war is important now, and as long as there is no internal turmoil, these things will be put aside.

"Oh, is that so?" Zhou Pu responded indifferently. "That's fine, General Tachibana has made so much credit to us, and we really need to be rewarded."

Then, he patted Hashimoto Minoru on the shoulder, "Lord Hashimoto, you have also seen the situation of our army, although the combat power is high, but after all, it is a guest army, and the number is very small, which requires you to work harder to strengthen the strength of our army, and help our army to collect more grain and grass from the local area, and only in this way can our army defeat the shogunate more easily, so that the imperial court of your country can return to the capital!" Of course, considering your difficulties, my side will give priority to the ...... that the general's wealth has allocated to you."

The implication of his words is that he does not have many troops that can be directly allocated to Hashimoto Minoru, and Hashimoto Minoru needs to recruit troops and horses, which of course creates a problem for Hashimoto Minoru, but it is also to give him a chance, at least he can develop the military force directly under the imperial court without constraints - and Zhou Pu also made it clear that he will give financial support.

In this world, no promises count, or only soldiers and horses can have a say. Besides, because of this war, the surrounding area of Gyeonggi is now full of displaced people, and it is not difficult for the displaced people who have no food and clothing to be integrated into the army.

"Your Excellency, please rest assured, I will definitely do my best to expand the strength of our army, so that our army can defeat the shogunate as soon as possible." "I've lived in Kyoto for many years, and I know a lot about the customs and customs of each place, so as long as adults support me, it's not difficult to come!" ”

"Then wait for the good news of the adults." Seeing that his hidden worries have also been solved, Zhou Pu is naturally quite relieved. "I'm also looking forward to the day when you, as a general, will enter Kyoto immediately before the battle!"

"There will be a day." Minoru Hashimoto is also full of confidence.

Before he came, he also saw a large group of generals of his army patrolling around, how majestic! He also envied this majesty. Under Zhou Pu's compliment, he couldn't help but think of the scene when he rode into the capital on a horse amid the cheers of all the people, and completely forgot the fact that he only knew literature and never learned to fight.

However, when he imagined it, real problems still needed to be taken seriously, and he immediately asked about the most important issues in his heart. "My lord, this time I went north, and when I saw the formation of our army, it was really well armored, but it was ...... inside It seems that there are not many soldiers who belong to the Great Han? ”

In order to unify the command, Zhou Pu ordered the coalition troops going north this time to try to dress uniformly, and he chose cyan or black clothes, although the shapes are different, but they are all unified. The difference between these feudal armies and the Han soldiers is of course easy to distinguish.

"Yes, this time we went north, and the Kyushu side only gave me a thousand people." Zhou Pu nodded and answered this question honestly, "Because in General Zhao's view, the main goal of our army is to fight a decisive battle with the shogunate, and the foundation of the shogunate is in the Kanto region, so we must concentrate all our forces and go to the Kanto region to defeat the shogunate." ”

"That's a good idea." Minoru Hashimoto agreed, but immediately asked, "Then I wonder how many large armies of the Great Han will go directly to the Kanto region to fight the shogunate?" ”

"About five or six thousand people, and that's all our troops in Kyushu." Zhou Pu still confessed to him - this is also the first time he has told people in Japan about this confidential issue.

"Five or six thousand ......?" Minoru Hashimoto was taken aback, and he knew the true strength of the Han army. "This ...... That's too little, right? Shogunate...... There are a lot of people in the hands of the shogunate......"

"Less? Where is it missing? Zhou Pu's face changed and became much more serious, "Our army has fought so far, and you have also seen the combat power, it is not too much to say that one is ten and twenty is not too much, right?" Although the shogunate seems to be a behemoth, they have long been decrepit and decaying, and they have to send troops everywhere, how many people can be our enemies? Besides, there aren't many of their soldiers who can fight, they claim to be hundreds of thousands, and it would be nice to have tens of thousands of people who can fight......"

"But...... But ......" Although Zhou Pu has a point, after all, the gap in numbers is still there, and Minoru Hashimoto is still a little hesitant.

He was not worried that the Han would suffer heavy losses, but that if the shogunate fought with the Han like this, it would still have strength, and then it would bring ruin to the unstable imperial court.

"My lord, you've been to Dahan before, and you've seen how powerful our country is, right? Our country is rich and strong, so how can we be afraid of the shogunate? Even if this army does not defeat the shogunate in one fell swoop, it can still send reinforcements in the future...... Are you still afraid that we will retreat halfway and leave your court alone? Since I have already issued an edict to the Son of Heaven, it will not be just a joke, and I will definitely not withdraw my troops if I don't win completely. ”

"That's good...... That's good......" Under Zhou Pu's coaxing and frightened appeasement, Minoru Hashimoto finally stabilized. "Then let's do everything according to the arrangement of the adults."

Just after Mu Yannian, Hashimoto Minoru and others came to Zhou Pu's tent, Zhou Pu's army continued to march north, all the way like a bamboo, and soon hit Bizen Kingdom, and the gateway to Gyeonggi was already in sight; Such a victory also gave Zhou Pu and others greater confidence, and along the way, Hashimoto Minoru and others expanded the army in the name of the imperial court, and also allowed various places to begin to have a preliminary order.

The shogunate officials stationed in Dahan, who were sent back to Japan, were also sent directly to Edo by Zhou Pu.

They also told the shogunate about the terms of the peace talks offered by the Great Han.

"Bastard! Bastard! After Tokugawa Iemitsu learned that the Han had actually offered such harsh conditions, he was so angry that he scolded, "If I agree to these conditions, how can I go to see the god in the future!" No way...... Absolutely no promise! ”

However, his henchman, Toshikatsu Doi, the chief pen of the old middle, is much calmer than him - even he may be listed as the "culprit" that must be punished by the Great Han.

"My lord, whether we can agree to their advice or not, at least now they have made a bid, which is a good thing."