Like Tachibana Soshige, almost all the generals were secretly relieved when they learned that the envoy of the Celestial Empire had arrived outside Nara with a large army, and they had been a little overwhelmed by Naotaka I's army recently, and they had been looking forward to receiving reinforcements, and now that their wishes had come true, they would naturally be relieved. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

And after Zhou Pu learned of the situation on Tachibana Zongmao's side, he also stepped up to urge his subordinates' troops to hurry up and march to avoid the collapse of the front line.

The Han army was ready to go, and the news of the imminent landing on Honshu Island was quickly transmitted to Zhou Pu's side, which also made him very excited, with the main force of the Han army landing on Honshu Island, their original plan to hit the shogunate in two directions at the same time will finally be realized, and this will be an unbearable blow to the shogunate.

But he also knows that now is the most critical moment, the so-called half-ninety of those who travel a hundred miles, and the more they get to the end, the more they must not make mistakes, otherwise the work that they have built up before will be wasted, at least greatly disgraced. Although the general trend has been set and the Han has overwhelmed the shogunate, he does not want to deduct points for himself when the court is rewarding meritorious deeds.

The movement of the Han army to Nara was so powerful that it was naturally impossible to hide from the enemy army on the opposite side, and the sentry sent by the shogunate army reported the news they had seen to Ii Naotaka, and Ii Naotaka immediately ended his carefully prepared attack, but reshrank the army back into the camp - Tachibana Soshige thought that Ii Naotaka hastily ended the last general attack because Ii Naotaka was cautious by nature, in fact, he also heard the news that reinforcements had arrived, so he made such a decision.

Relying on the strength he had, Jing Yi Naotaka dared to launch attacks again and again against Tachibana Zongmao, but he was not so bold to seek a decisive battle against the Han army, especially since he thought that there would be a large number of Han troops among them.

After repeated bloody lessons, although the shogunate was still very tough on the surface, they were already deeply afraid of the sharpness of the artillery fire and weapons of the Han army, and they no longer dared to fight them head-on. Especially in this precarious situation, Naotaka Ii is even more afraid to take risks.

Under the threat of the approaching army, Naotaka Ii changed his previous oppressive force, constantly gathered his army, and then began to retreat step by step, apparently wanting to reorganize the army and hold on to the Han Kou.

After many days of fierce fighting, Naotaka Ii had given up his plans to recover and Kyoto, and he no longer had the pride to fight to the death with the Han army and recapture the capital, but instead planned to fight the enemy army and attrition, so that the Han would suffer unbearable losses.

After Naotaka Ii withdrew his troops, the fighting under Nara Castle came to an end for the time being, and the surviving officers and soldiers cleaned up the battlefield that was already littered with corpses while waiting for the arrival of the envoys of the Celestial Empire.

And just two days later, Zhou Pu came to the city of Nara.

Tachibana Muneshige and other generals gathered around him, except for Tachibana Muneshige, at this time these people were a little afraid, they all fought the idea of retreating before, but the Han envoy came to Nara so quickly, if he really retreated, he would definitely be punished by this lord.

After the entire occupation of Kyushu Island by the Shimazu family, these daimyo were very eager to get new territories on Honshu Island as compensation, and this was very dependent on the Han envoys to reward them, so these people were afraid of Zhou Pu, and no one dared to be angry with him.

So when Zhou Pu came to the government office in Nara Castle.

In the silence, Zhou Pu, who was dressed in a robe, walked to the center of the lobby without squinting. And behind him, Nijo Yasudo, the right-hand lord of the Japanese court, also followed, and the two of them turned to face these daimyo and military generals together.

"See your lord!"

The daimyo and generals on both sides, as if they were seeing the general, knelt down in the administrative office, bowed their heads and listened to the punishment. Because of Zhou Pu's victories along the way, his status in the hearts of this group of people is getting higher and higher, and when he calms his face, these people are a little frightened.

"Look up." Zhou Pu still had a calm face, as if he was a little unhappy, "You have followed me all the way to the expedition, and you have fought bravely in several battles, and today we can fight here, you are indispensable, I want to thank you here." ”

No one answered, and everyone quietly lowered their heads to listen to the instructions of the envoys of the Celestial Empire.

"Not long ago, our army took Kyoto, and this is the biggest victory we have achieved since we sent our troops!" When he said this, Zhou Pu also deliberately increased his volume, "Now, Kyoto has been pacified, and the imperial court of your country is about to return to Kyoto, and then rule Japan justifiably, and you will also be rewarded for your previous merits." I have written a merit book before, clearly listing the merits you have made along the way, please rest assured, our Han has always been rewarded for meritorious service! ”

With his words, these generals couldn't help but be a little eager, they followed the big man, weren't they just looking forward to these rewards? Now everyone knows that the imperial court must listen to the words of the Great Han, so as long as the Great Han envoys decide to reward them, then the reward will definitely be indispensable.

However, when they were still snickering in their hearts, Zhou Pu changed his tone again, "However, we will not only reward those who have merit, but also punish those who have done wrong!" ”

The stern tone was like a basin of cold water poured on everyone's hearts, and everyone hurriedly lowered their heads again.

"Michihisa Shimazu!" Zhou Pu suddenly focused his gaze on one of them.

Shimazu Michihisa was a little panicked at a loud shout, but he didn't dare to refuse, so he had to raise his head and respond in a low voice. "The Last General ......"

"Two days ago, you were afraid of the enemy army, and you actually told the main general to retreat, but there is such a thing?!" Zhou Pu immediately looked at the other party sternly, and then questioned.

Shimazu Michijiu didn't dare to look at him, and hurriedly lowered his gaze again, and sweat slowly oozed from his forehead.

In the march along the way, because of Zhou Pu's strength and determination, coupled with repeated victories, he was already very afraid of this envoy of the Celestial Empire, and he did not dare to show the same arrogance in front of him as in front of Tachibana Zongmao.

"Your Excellency...... Actually...... Actually......"

"Is there such a thing?" Zhou Pu didn't give the other party a chance to breathe at all.

"Yes." Seeing that he couldn't escape the questioning, Shimazu Michihisa had to admit it, but he immediately began to explain, "My lord, our department has fought with the enemy army repeatedly, and the losses are huge, and then the headquarters has been exhausted, so I have a little retreat, it's not that we are cowardly, but we are too tired from fighting...... Please also have a good understanding! ”

"I know that your department fought bravely before, but is it only your department that is fighting bravely? Why didn't the other troops fight, and you thought about retreating? Zhou Pu still didn't mean to let him go, "Also, you still want to blackmail the main general, and you also say that you want to do your own thing, but is there such a thing?" ”

"The last general did not ask the main general to ...... It's just that...... It's just that our Shimazu family has already made it clear to adults before......" Shimazu Michihisa hurriedly explained to himself.

"Even if there is something before, you can't disobey the master!" Zhou Pu directly interrupted him, "The army is the most important military discipline, and whether to advance or retreat is something that can only be decided by the main general, do you want to make decisions for the master in the future?" Tachibana Soshige is the commander I personally chosen, and you, as a general, should obey his orders, but you want to do your own thing, are you guilty? ”

"My lord...... "Michihisa Shimazu wanted to say something.

"Say no more!" Zhou Pu waved his hand directly, let the soldiers outside the house come in, and grabbed Shimazu Michihisa directly from the ground, "I said, our Han will be rewarded for meritorious service, and the guilty will be punished, you have committed the military discipline of the commander this time, according to the military law of our Han Dynasty, it was supposed to be directly executed, but Nian followed us all the way north before you, and the battle was meritorious, so today it will be set as a battle responsibility, and after the fight, he will be sent back to his hometown directly, think about it!" ”

As soon as he said this, not only Shimazu Michihisa was shocked, but even the other generals turned pale, and they were shocked by the thunderous anger of the Han envoys. No one dared to speak for Shimazu Michihisa, but everyone was silent, and some people were still glad that they did not express their intention to retreat with the main general.

Zhou Pu ignored Shimazu Michihisa's incessant cries of forgiveness, and directly asked his own soldiers to pull Shimazu Michihisa out to take responsibility, and soon Shimazu Michihisa's screams reached the house, although it would not kill him, but it would definitely make him break his muscles and bones.

"Did you all see that? This is the fate of disobedience to military orders and the absence of a master. Zhou Pu looked at this group of pale people and said quietly, "If anyone dares to do this in the future, then don't blame me for being ruthless!" ”

He chose to blame Shimazu Michihisa, of course, not just to give Tachibana Soshige a breath. Recently, because of the successive battles of the headquarters, Zhou Pu felt that his subordinates had some tendency to be arrogant generals, and he had to kill this arrogance, even if it was to make an example of the monkeys, he also wanted these generals to know that they were afraid.

At the same time, the Shimazu family's previous actions made him a little annoyed, especially the fact that he refused to help when he only hit. Although he has given the Shimazu family great benefits in order to buy horse bones for his daughter, but now, he is not so dependent on the help of the Shimazu family, so he plans to knock the Shimazu family and let them understand who has the final say now, which can be regarded as laying a foreshadowing for continuing to control the Shimazu family in the future.

What's more, now that the enemy is present, he will definitely not tolerate any disobedience to orders.

After Shimazu Michijiu was dragged down and reprimanded, everyone else knelt on the ground and didn't dare to come out, and after achieving the purpose of beating them, Zhou Pu no longer continued to keep a straight face, but relaxed slightly, and then turned his head to look at Nijo Kangdao, who had not spoken, and made a gesture for him to speak.

Nijo Kangdao glanced at the group of people, and his mood was a little complicated.

The majesty that this envoy of the Celestial Empire showed just now was also what he diligently sought, and he dreamed of restoring the imperial court to its former authority, commanding the whole world, and making the daimyo fearful. But he also knew that now these people were afraid of the big man instead of himself, and even he himself could only be respectful to the big man.

With this feeling of helplessness, he cleared his throat and looked at the group of daimyo who were kneeling on the ground.

"You have fought bravely all the way, repeatedly defeated the enemy army, and helped the imperial court recover the national capital, which can be described as a high level of hard work. The imperial court is very grateful to you for your great contributions to the country's social development, and has decided to reward you with land, and hopes that you can continue to move forward and continue to serve the imperial court with the fief as the thought for generations! ”

Then, he had a piece of paper presented to each of the generals in the column.

After the opening of the Edo Shogunate, each feudal lord had to obtain the Shogunate's security certificate in order to continue to hold the domain, and only with the confirmation of the Shogunate could these domains be considered legal and passed down from generation to generation.

And these security regulations are certainly not applicable now, and now that the imperial court has been restored, only by offering the security certificate in the name of the imperial court can it be regarded as a legitimate territorial confirmation - this is also a way to expand the influence of the imperial court when it is unable to restrain the local daimyos.

Now that it is time to reward meritorious deeds, Zhou Pu decided to fulfill his promise and let these people have hope of continuing to fight.

Under the gaze of Nijo Yasudo, the patches were presented to certain people, some cheering, others seemed dissatisfied, and some looked calm and indifferent, as if they didn't feel anything—Tachibana Muneshige was one of them, although he had been given a large territory in Ise Province, Owari Province, and Mino Province, and was the biggest beneficiary of this blockade, almost 800,000 koku.

"Why, isn't General Tachibana dissatisfied with today's bounty?" Zhou Pu walked up to him, and then faced him with a rare smile. "In my opinion, there are enough rewards this time."

"My lord is so kind to him, how dare he not be satisfied with it!" Tachibana Soshige immediately bowed down to him, "It's just that now that the enemy is now, it's really not the time to celebrate, wait until the shogunate is defeated, and then come down to thank the Lord on behalf of the whole clan!" ”

"Although the shogunate has not been defeated yet, since such a great feat has been made, it doesn't matter if you celebrate it a little." Zhou Pu smiled even more heartily.

He was indeed very happy for Tachibana Soshige's good manners.

Ise, Owari and Mino are all close to the gateway area of Kanto, and the imperial court sealed Tachibana Muneshige here, although it gave him a very fertile territory, but in fact it also made him a separate belt sandwiched between Kanto and Kinai, and was squeezed by both sides at the same time, which was actually the selfishness of the imperial court, wanting to use him to block the pressure from the Kanto Tokugawa family after the war.

And in this situation, he especially needed foreign help, especially the help of the Great Han. It was precisely because of this that Tachibana Zongmao did not show any gratitude to the imperial court, but only thanked Zhou Pu, he understood that he was able to get such a huge territory, all thanks to Zhou Pu's support, and he and his clansmen still had to rely on the help of this Han envoy if they wanted to continue to sit in the position of the lord of the domain.

In this way, Zhou Pu was given an assistant to assist him in his domination of Japan after the war, and the two reached a tacit understanding that although Tachibana Muneshige was in his last years, as long as his people continued to be the lords of the domain, they would become loyal pawns of the Great Han.

After these bounties were announced, the tense atmosphere in the hall finally relaxed, and everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the peace of mind and joy of the territory allowed them to drive away the previous gloom.

"These security measures are all to thank you for your previous contributions, this is a reward, but now the shogunate has not been completely defeated, so please continue to work hard." After motivating these subordinates of his own, Zhou Pu continued to encourage them, "As long as you can still make war achievements, then the territory can still be sealed, and you will definitely not be treated badly!" Everyone continue to follow me, and we must annihilate the shogunate army and capture Ii Naotaka alive! ”

"Naotaka Ii alive!" The others also shouted together, and everyone seemed to have a light in their eyes, and their fighting spirit was very high, waiting to continue to make great achievements and gain more territory for themselves.

However, although he said it impassionedly, Zhou Pu knew in his heart that in fact, he was not sure to annihilate the army under the command of Jing Yi Naoxiao, he just said this to encourage these generals who were already a little lax, and then use them to continue to deal with Jing Yi Naoxiao, anyway, for him, as long as he can attract Jing Yi Naoxiao and create space for the main force of the Han army.

And Zhou Pu regarded the court as nothing, and directly sealed the official and made a wish, which also made Erjo Kangdao feel even more uncomfortable, this Han envoy has now thrown away his original humility, and commanded the court, as if he was the emperor, and has been intentionally or unintentionally weakening the prestige of the court, but even if he is dissatisfied, he can only endure it silently.

He also knew that things could only be done step by step, and now that the imperial court had received a large area of land in that the Han army helped them occupy, he could already dispose of a large amount of materials and money, which was already different from before, and he had already made great contributions to the imperial court.

He still remembered that he had discussed things with Zuofu Ichijo and Yao before, although he had to endure humiliation in front of the Han Dynasty, but the rise and fall of the dynasty is a common thing in the world, as long as he can endure it, there will naturally be a day when he doesn't have to endure it anymore, maybe that day will be very long, and even his generation or the next generation can't wait for that day, but as long as the descendants work hard, there will still be a day when they will rise up again.

After reorganizing his army and strengthening his control over his subordinates, Zhou Pu left Nara with his army after a few days of rest, and pursued it all the way in the direction of Naotaka Ii's retreat, in order to entangle the army by his side.

And on the day he went out of the city to meet the attack, the main force of the Han army led by Zhao Song himself also came to the sea of Kanto by sea ship. (To be continued.) )