The Emperor and his entourage traveled for several days to the south, and like Emperor Go-Daigo, they left Kyoto and then traveled south in trek. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

After Emperor Go-Daigo traveled south, he took advantage of the authority of the emperor and the dissatisfaction of others with the Kamakura shogunate, and for a time re-ruled the Gogoku and ruled over a large area, opening up the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and the emperor and his right-hand men were more ambitious than their predecessors.

Because of the invasion of the Han army on Kyushu Island, the southern country was already in chaos, and there were refugees fleeing to the north everywhere, and the feudal clans originally wanted to use force to block the refugees from leaving the country, but it soon became useless in the face of the surging crowd, so they finally gave up blocking, and even many feudal lords also joined the fleeing crowd with their families.

Under the impact of the surging crowds, the roads everywhere are somewhat blocked, and there is no one to maintain them, the order has become very chaotic, and there are even many bandits in it, and even the lonely women and children and even the young people who are not in a group will be looted, and the cries and cries come one after another, which makes people feel sorry.

The group of people who traveled all the way south were mixed in with the flow of refugees, and almost no one noticed that they were going in a different direction than themselves, and now everyone was only concerned about themselves, and there was no room to care about other people's affairs. However, fortunately, due to the large number of people in this group and the weapons in their hands, they looked very difficult to provoke, so the sporadic bandits did not patronize them.

Along the way, looking at the scenery that was very different from Kyoto, and at the endless stream of people and the expressions of panic and despair on their faces, the Emperor's heart became heavier and heavier, and finally he let out a long sigh.

"I really hope that these disasters will pass soon, so that ...... Let the people live and work in peace and contentment as soon as possible, and no longer have to suffer like this! ”

"As long as the shogunate can be defeated sooner, we will already be able to return the world to a clean place." Yasudo Nijo, who was guarding next to him, whispered. "In order to defeat the shogunate, it is always necessary to pay some price, and now it is only up to the people to be patient."

"You're right." The Emperor lowered his gaze, apparently convinced of Nijo Yasudo's words.

Even though he has compassion, but the desire for power still occupies the upper hand in his heart, as long as he can regain the lost power, then even if the world suffers, he will not hesitate, just because he saw what the emperor wanted, so Nijo Kangdao simply gave him a step down.

"Yes, the people are suffering a little now, but as long as they can overthrow the shogunate, it's worth it." Minister Zuo Ichijo Kaneyao also participated in at the right time, "The long pain is better than the short pain, instead of suffering under the rule of the shogunate for generations, it is better to have a big tide and overthrow the rule of the shogunate, so that the suffering of all the people will only be a little less." ”

"Lord Zuofu is right." Nijo Yasudo also immediately echoed him, "We will definitely not compromise with the people of the shogunate this time, otherwise it will be a repeat of the mistakes of the past." I'd rather die than suffer that humiliation again! ”

The mistakes he refers to are the lessons of the Southern Dynasty, which became increasingly difficult and had less and less territory after Emperor Go-Daigo fled to the Southern Kingdom and established a political power to confront the Muromachi shogunate. Finally, during the reign of the third-generation Muromachi shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, after decades of confrontation, the southern imperial family, which was no longer able to confront the Northern Dynasty, finally chose to surrender to the Northern Dynasty under the inducement condition that the shogunate recognized their imperial succession.

However, after their surrender, the shogun reversed his promise and deprived the Southern Emperor of the throne, and Emperor Kameyama, the queen of the Southern Dynasty, died of depression in anger. Of course, these people know this lesson well, and the reason why they say it is to make the Emperor firm in his will, so that he will not be shaken at this step.

"Yes, now that we and the shogunate are at odds, there is no room for compromise." The Emperor clenched his hand, obviously much firmer than before. "All of you Aiqing understand the righteousness, and I am really moved."

"Your Majesty, it is important to give everyone a place to rest, so that everyone can rest for a while, and at the same time, the edict can be issued as soon as possible." Ichijo Kaneya immediately stated his current plan, "If we keep wandering on the road, I'm afraid Kyoto will be in danger......"

The unforeseen danger he was talking about was that the shogunate would set up another regent or even another emperor in Kyoto after they fled, and then brand them as rebels, which would be a drain on their already weak authority, and would make it more difficult for them to elevate their status.

Fortunately, now that they have the emperor in their hands, Edo is already in chaos, and even if they want to set up a separate court in a hurry, they may not be able to do it.

In addition, even if you want to play the banner of the imperial court now, it is very difficult. Now there are displaced refugees everywhere, and order is chaotic everywhere, even if the imperial court is raising its banner here now, who will listen? Not to mention that he still wants to issue an edict and spread it to the world.

No one will send it at all.

Everyone knows the embarrassment of the current situation, and they didn't have time to take care of it because they needed to escape from the shogunate, but now that they have been displaced to the south, they must face it squarely.

"The current plan is to find one or two strong vassals, and then use the cooperation with the strong vassals to let them play the banner of respecting the imperial court." The right minister, Nijo Yasudo, did not have so many scruples, and immediately said what was in his heart. "Now that there is a shortage of soldiers everywhere, only a strong feudal clan can have soldiers and people who can defend the imperial court, and a strong feudal clan can strengthen the momentum of the imperial court, so that the imperial court can call on the people of the world even more."

Of course, Emperor Masahito also knows this truth, but he also knows that things will not be as easy as they sound. "If you want to cooperate with a strong domain, which strong domain should you find? The imperial court has been lost for many years, and the feudal domains have long been on their own, and they ...... They have ill intentions, I'm afraid they may not be happy to help the court......"

He is also true, the authority of the imperial court has been untenuous for hundreds of years, and now the feudal lords of the various feudal domains, their ancestors have not obeyed the orders of the imperial court, how can they easily obey now? If they don't obey, if they have the intention of showing their merits to the shogunate, or if they simply think about their own selfish interests, and hold the court hostage after receiving the news, what will happen then?

All of this is really worrying.

"In the final analysis, the court has no soldiers and no money in its hands, so that it can only tremble and walk on thin ice, and has to look ahead and backward when acting, for fear that the previous achievements will be wasted." Thinking of this hatred, the Emperor couldn't help but sigh again, "I only hope that I and Aiqing can be blessed by heaven, so that the imperial court can get rid of such embarrassment, so that future generations will not have to suffer such suffering!" ”

Seeing the emperor's grief and indignation, the two ministers naturally could only confess to him together, and at the same time couldn't help but be relieved, which soothed the emperor's emotions.

Resentment is resentment, since it has come to this point, it is impossible not to face the reality, so you can only follow the previous plan and find a strong vassal in the south to ask for help.

There are not many powerful feudal clans in the southern country, and even fewer can be trusted a little, so the two ministers on the left and right carefully consider and think about which people to ask for help.

The Ikeda family, which was now closest to them, and whose main and sub-clans ruled the Tottori domain of Inaba Province and the large stone domains of the Okayama domain of the country, were the first to be excluded. The ancestor of the Ikeda family, Terumasa Ikeda, was a military commander in the Warring States period, first serving Oda Nobunaga and then belonging to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and finally defecting to Tokugawa Ieyasu after Toyotomi Hideyoshi's death, and made great achievements in the Battle of Sekigahara, and won the trust and reliance of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the shogun.

In order to win him over, Tokugawa Ieyasu married his daughter Tohime to him, and the descendants of the Ikeda family all intermarried with the daughters or adopted daughters of the Tokugawa family.

In addition to his own direct descendants, the shogunate also rewarded his relatives, and his younger brother Ikeda Nagayoshi, his second son Tadatsugu, and Mitsuo Tadao were all made feudal lords, and finally the Zhu family and various branches of the Ikeda family had a large territory of nearly one million koku, so Ikeda Terumasa was also known as "Saikoku Shogun" or "Himeji Prime Minister" by the world.

Now that Terumasa Ikeda is dead, the Ikeda family is still very much favored by the shogunate, and they are also the pillars of the shogunate in the western kingdom, although these favors may not be able to overcome the fear of being destroyed by the Han dynasty, but the imperial court cannot hope for them.

The Asano family of the Hiroshima Domain, also has a deep relationship with the shogunate, the ancestor Asano Nagamasa is one of the five commissioners in the Toyotomi Hideyoshi regime, in the fierce struggle between the military generals after the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he chose to take refuge in the Tokugawa family, and made an important contribution to the Tokugawa family's seizure of Japan, so he was rewarded by the Tokugawa family and sealed the territory of the Hiroshima Domain of Aki Province with 420,000 stones.

At the same time, like the Ikeda family, the shogunate also deliberately used in-laws to entrap the Asano family, and the son Asano Nagasho, who inherited the position of the head of the Asano Nagamasa family, married the daughter of Tokugawa Ieyasu, Zhenhime, and the son-in-law of Tokugawa Zhenhime, Asano Mitsusho, has now inherited the position of feudal lord after Asano Nagasheng's death - Asano Mitsusho is still the uncle of the current shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, although he is younger than Iemitsu.

From this point of view, the Asano family can also not be relied on.

After all, among the daimyo of the western country, the only one who can be trusted to a certain extent is the Maori family.

The dispute between Mori Terumoto and Tokugawa Ieyasu is a well-known fact, and it is also known that the Mori family was wantonly suppressed by the Tokugawa family, and the family's territory has shrunk greatly, so it is impossible for them not to harbor resentment in their hearts, at least it is worth trying.

What's more, after the Han pacified the island of Kyushu, the territory of the Mori family was the first to bear the brunt, and as long as the Han wanted to go north, the Mori family had to make a choice - and under the Han army, the Emperor and the ministers believed that they would not make up their minds to die for the shogunate.

However, even if it was determined that the Maori family should be contacted first, how to contact them made it difficult for the monarch and ministers.

Located at the southernmost tip of the island of Honshu, the Mori family now held the two kingdoms of Shufu and Nagato, and although their territory was still large, it was isolated by the shogunate and the feudal lords loyal to the shogunate. The west and south of their territory were the sea, and the Iwami Province in the north was accepted by the shogunate as a heavenly domain because of the Iwami Silver Mountain, which belonged to the direct jurisdiction of the shogunate; And the Aki country to the east of them is the Asano family's Hiroshima Domain.

After the Tokugawa shogunate seized the world, it took great pains to consolidate its rule, and this arrangement was naturally carefully designed to prevent the Mori family, and the local feudal clans, genealogies, and trusted daimyo surrounded the daimyo with different intentions, did not give them any room for development, and then suppressed them by various political and economic means.

If it hadn't been for the sudden attack of the Great Han Dynasty and the breaking of this absolutely strong balance, I am afraid that in a hundred or two years, the Mori family and other powerful feudal clans would not have had a chance to rise up against the rule of the shogunate.

In such a situation of isolation, it is really difficult to establish a connection between the two sides and give the imperial court a place to live.

It is conceivable that in order to guard against the big Han, martial law has now been imposed in various places along the way, and his group of people are so eye-catching all the way south, maybe they will be discovered at any time.

"It's definitely not okay for everyone to travel south together to go to the Maori family's territory." Ichijo Kaneyao also nodded, "Let's not talk about the difficulties and dangers along the way, if the Maori family has two hearts and refuses to contribute to the imperial court, we fall into their hands, wouldn't we be a sheep?" ”

"That's what Lord Zuofu said." Nijo Kangdao also agreed, "Then what does Zuofu think we should do next?" ”

"As we continue south, we get closer and closer to the Kyushu front, and the guards will become more and more stringent along the way, and the crowds will become thinner and thinner, and it will be difficult for us to hide our identity...... So in my opinion, it's best to head west now and take the path to Iwami Province. Iwami has a lot of mountains, and although it is a direct territory of the shogunate, there are not many garrisons, so as long as we hide it carefully, it will be fine......" Ichijo Kaneya said his thoughts along the way.

Under the expectant gaze of everyone, he continued, "After we get there, while we spy on the current situation in the world, we will find a way to contact the Mori family and other feudal lords, as long as we can say that one or two feudal lords can be used to drive us, it will not be difficult to announce the world...... Even if everything doesn't go well, at least we can wait for the Han army to go north, and then go to them to take refuge, and keep the leeway. ”

His consideration was very comprehensive, and Nijo Yasudo thought about it for a while, and felt that he had nothing to object to.

After he nodded, everyone else turned to look at Emperor Masahito, waiting for him to make a final decision.

"Aiqing's strategy is very skillful, and I think it is very good." The Emperor nodded at first, and then immediately raised his own doubts, "It's just an envoy to the Maori family, who should I send?" The situation is difficult, and if you want to move the Maori family, you must have great wisdom and courage......"

"Your Majesty, judging from the minister, the Maori family has been completely shaken now, as long as we push it again, he will definitely fall, and the minister is at least seventy or eighty percent sure!" Ichikane said suddenly.

"Why...... Why? The Emperor was amazed.

"As the ministers traveled south, very few of the refugees they saw were from the Hiroshima Domain...... Your Majesty, isn't this matter quite strange? Ichijo Kaneya lowered his voice, "Don't the lords of the Hiroshima Domain want to run?" It must have been the Hiroshima Domain's other plans, so they didn't let the people escape. ”

The Emperor and Nijo Yasudo looked at each other, obviously seeing some clues.

Ichijo Kaneya smiled, "In order to make it easier for them to defend themselves against the enemy, the feudal lords in various places are taking the initiative to let the people move out, and they have also deliberately sent the families of the feudal lords to the north, and there are even feudal lords who have fled on their own initiative...... Why is there no sign of the Hiroshima Domain? Could it be that the Maori family was really so loyal to the shogunate that they decided to burn the entire domain? ”

"That's right! Right! "The Emperor suddenly realized." What Aiqing said is extremely true. ”

Judging from this indication, in front of the Han army, the Maori family must have had a different mind.

This is not surprising, originally the Maori family could only be indignant in their hearts, but now, the situation is different, the big man has given them a chance, and they haven't thought about taking advantage of the opportunity is a strange thing.

It's just that Ichijo Kaneya can be so careful and know the subtleties, which is surprising and deeply admired by others.

Obviously, it is not so much about moving the Mori family to rebel against the shogunate, but rather about getting them over before they surrender to the Han Dynasty, and as the imperial court's support, everyone needs it everywhere.

"In that case, why don't you let me go to the Hiroshima Domain! As long as they are allowed to take advantage of the risks, they will surely be able to see the best way out for them. Nijo Kangdao said excitedly, "The road ahead is difficult, and I don't feel at ease about sending others there, please let me go!" ”

The Emperor and Ichijo Kaneyao looked at each other, and finally agreed to his request. Nijo Yasudo is very courageous, and he is the respect of the right minister, so he is indeed a good candidate to go to the Hiroshima Domain.

"Your Majesty, if you want to move the hearts of the Maori family to us, it is not possible to give some good conditions." At this moment, Ichijo Kaneyao suddenly reminded the Emperor, "The Maori family has always been treacherous, and they are mercenary, and they will never take action if they do not give actual benefits." ”

The Emperor closed his eyes slightly, apparently considering how to treat the Maori and prescribe conditions that would make them happy.

"Specific matters, Aiqing can consider it herself, and I can give you full authority to deal with it." After a moment, he made up his mind, and then opened his eyes and looked at Nijo Yasudo, "If necessary, I can promise to give them all the original territories of the Maori clan in the western country, and ...... It can be rewarded in imitation of the example of the Toyotomi family. ”

Imitation of Toyotomi? Nijo Kangdao was slightly stunned.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi was the head of the minister and became the minister of the Imperial Minister...... Moreover, the Toyotomi family was also listed as a regent family and became the highest-ranking minister's family.

Maori Taiko? It sounds a little laughable......

However, now is an extraordinary time, and there is nothing to do about doing something extraordinary, right, all the things that led the Han foreign soldiers have been done, and you are still afraid to do this?

"Yes!" He solemnly saluted His Majesty the Emperor and agreed.