"Siege artillery?" Zhou Pu was stunned for a moment, and then immediately understood what the other party meant. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

The siege artillery of the Great Han was extremely powerful, and it was specially used to fight the fortresses and fortresses of the enemy army, and in Kyushu before, in order to show off its strength, it had been displayed under Kurume Castle and in front of various daimyos, and even Zhou Pu was terrified by the overwhelming momentum.

However, the disadvantage of its great power is that the cannon is extremely heavy, and if you want to move, you must first disassemble it and then use a special gun truck to haul it, so it is very inconvenient to move. Moreover, the status of this kind of cannon is also very important, and it directly belongs to the personal command of Zhao Song, the commander of the Japanese army, and others have no right to transfer it.

When Zhou Pu landed in Honshu with a large army and marched towards Kyoto, in order to pursue the speed of the attack, they deliberately did not carry particularly heavy firearms, and only brought some field guns that were convenient for movement in addition to muskets, because of their previous combat experience in Kyushu, they were quite contemptuous of the military strength of the Japanese feudal domains and the shogunate, and the military strength of Kyoto was definitely not as good as the Kanto nest of the shogunate, so they felt that even if they did not carry this kind of heavy firepower, it was enough to defeat the enemy along the way.

But now, Huang Changguo and the others no longer think so, and the shogunate is obviously very aware of the situation, and they refuse to engage the Han army in the western country, but want to rely on the fortress to delay their own march. And attacking fortifications is the weakness of this army.

So after discussing it for a long time, everyone decided to ask Zhou Pu to ask Zhao Shuai of Kyushu for help, and asked him to order the navy to transport the siege artillery and use this heavy firepower to knock down Himeji Castle little by little.

After Huang Changguo carefully explained the current situation to Zhou Pu, Zhou Pu did not dare to slack off, and hurriedly wrote a letter and sent it to the rear, asking Zhao Song to transport the siege artillery to him and assist him in capturing Himeji Castle.

As for the location of the transportation, they have already chosen it, which is close to the Harima area and at the same time close to the sea. Just after this letter was sent, Zhou Pu also sent a large army from the army, led by Huang Changguo himself, to occupy Kojima County and get the port by the sea.

Kojima-gun was the domain of the Okayama Domain, which belonged to the Ikeda family, and now that the Ikeda family has fled, there should be no resistance along the way.

As for the main force of the army, it will continue to march into the territory of Harima Province and prepare to fight until the castle of Himeji Castle.

And just after Zhou Pu made such a deployment, his subordinates suddenly reported to him a message - the messenger of the shogunate asked to see him.

These emissaries seemed to be very cautious and secretive, and after discovering the traces of the army, they only sought to make contact with the forward troops at night, and were almost eliminated by the forward troops as enemies. After expressing his intentions, the officers of the vassal army of the forward troops did not dare to slack off, and immediately led them to the main formation of the army, and he was also quite obedient, and he was very secretive along the way, so the news did not spread.

After learning the news, Zhou Pu's first reaction was to be overjoyed.

Although his march along the way was very smooth, he knew the Han army well, and he now attached great importance to the enemy, so he did not have much arrogance, and the Han had planned to seek compromise through war, and it was a great thing that the shogunate began to seek compromise with them so quickly.

However, even though he was overjoyed, he knew that he should not show this emotion. He deliberately snubbed the messengers and had them detained until the evening, when they were brought to him.

They are now stationed in a village, and in order to avoid the Han army, the villagers have already fled, so they were directly requisitioned by Zhou Pu as a temporary camp for their own formation. The best dwellings in the village naturally became his resting place.

However, the furnishings of this Japanese-style farmhouse can't be very good, and the humidity has been heavy in the recent summer, so he also feels a little uncomfortable.

The messengers were soon brought to him by the soldiers. After meeting Zhou Pu, the envoys of the shogunate, led by Takagi Kiyoshi, knelt on the floor and saluted Zhou Pu, appearing respectful but not groveling. "In Shimotakagi Kiyoshi, as a subordinate of Toshikatsu Doi, the old middle of the shogunate, I have seen adults."

However, in order to win a dominant position and reflect the Han Dynasty's magnanimity, Zhou Pu was much more arrogant, he sat on the main seat, then squinted at these envoys, and then said coldly.

"I am Zhou Pu, the envoy of the Han Dynasty, this time I followed the army of your court to the capital of your country, dare to ask you what you have to say?"

"I have come here on the orders of the old man and the shogun, and I want to seek reconciliation between your country and the shogunate." Gao Muqing was not discouraged by Zhou Pu's arrogant attitude, but calmly said his intentions.

Since the Han Dynasty occupied Kyushu and issued letters everywhere announcing the crusade against the shogunate, Zhou Pu's name has spread all over Japan, and Takagi Qing has naturally heard of it, and today he can get the opportunity to see him with his own eyes, and Takagi Qing did not expect him to be so young.

But it's natural to think about it, I heard that although the emperor of the Han Dynasty started at the end of the slightest, he started very badly, and he rose very fast, and he had already won the world before he was thirty years old, and the Western Han Dynasty Gaozu who only started in his forties is not the same.

He is young, and the brothers around him are also very young, and even the courtiers below him are naturally not too old, so Dahan can now be said to be a vigorous court, no wonder he has such a strong enterprising spirit.

It is a pity that this kind of aggressiveness has now brought such a catastrophe to Japan.

"Reconciliation?" Zhou Pu frowned, as if he didn't understand his words, "Hasn't the envoy seen the text released by our Han before?" We have made it very clear that we have come here this time to help Japan crusade against the unsubordinate and support the Compendium, and now that the Japanese rebels have not bowed their heads, and the Compendium has not been restored, how should we reconcile? ”

"My lord, the official position of our shogun was given by the emperor, and we have the duty to rectify the samurai for the emperor and recruit non-ministers, so how can we be said to be a traitor?" Takagi Kiyoshi suppressed the anger in his heart and carefully argued, "Since hundreds of years ago, our country has always been the monarch of the country, and the shogun is in charge of the military and civil affairs, and the Tokugawa family is just conforming to the customs of our country, so how can we corrupt the discipline?" ”

"This is nonsense!" Zhou Pu immediately interrupted him, "You say this with a lotus, but the facts are there, can you deny it?" The generals of your shogunate are tyrannical and bully the imperial court, and their wolf ambitions have long been known to everyone in your country! How can such an arrogant and domineering general be loyal to the monarch? The shogunate of your country hijacked the imperial court, usurped the power of the imperial court, and oppressed the imperial courts of the daimyo in various places, which is even more degraded, and who can deny it? If the envoy is here today to say these false words and clever words, in a vain attempt to deceive our court, then please go back, how can my country's holy son of heaven be deceived by such rhetoric as you!! ”

"My lord, the shogunate has been in power since ancient times, and compared to the previous shogunates, our Edo shogunate respected the emperor more and gave the court and the ministers better treatment, so how can it be regarded as bullying the imperial court?" Takagi Kiyoshi still argued with reason, "The adults are new to the city, and they may be deceived by some villains, but I can swear to the heavens that I and other people of Edo will not be contemptuous of the imperial court!" ”

"Swear to God? What is the use of swearing to the heavens? Zhou Pu laughed, "Now that the court and the monarch of your country are in our hands, we have already complained about the bad deeds of the shogunate with our court, and it is really bloody...... Even if you say these things, what is the use? ”

"His Majesty the Emperor and His Majesty the Emperor are both deceived and held hostage by villains, and they can't help themselves, and how much of what they say can be taken seriously?" Gao Muqing's expression changed slightly, but he still reluctantly replied, "There are some treacherous people in the imperial court, who are in high positions and do not want to serve the country, but want to stir up chaos, let the two countries fight each other, and fulfill their ambitions!" These treacherous villains, adults must not believe them. ”

"Whoever is loyal and who is traitorous is obvious to all, and no matter how nice the messenger says, it is not as good as seeing is believing." Zhou Pu still sneered, "Now that the document issued by your imperial court to crusade against the shogunate has spread all over the place, and it has caused a commotion in the whole of Japan, doesn't this prove that your country has been suffering from the shogunate for a long time?" ”

This interrogation was so powerful that Takagi Kiyoshi froze slightly, and did not answer for a moment.

Although both of them knew that the shogunate's attitude towards the imperial court was definitely not the most important factor in the current war between the two countries, in order to gain an advantageous position in the negotiations, they began to attack and defend themselves on this unimportant issue.

And in this first confrontation, Zhou Pu had the upper hand, this is not because of Takagi Kiyoshi's eloquence, but from an objective point of view, the shogunate did empty the imperial court, and bullied the emperor and various daimyos, if the Han is accused from the commanding heights of righteousness, it is really difficult to justify.

"China's national conditions are special, and we cannot generalize with the Central Plains." After hesitating for a moment, Takagi Kiyoshi had to turn away from the battle over righteousness and move closer to reality, "My lord, now that the two countries have begun to fight for some misunderstandings, it is very unfortunate for both the country and the people, and our shogunate generals can't bear to see such a miserable situation for the people, so they sent their subordinates to ask if your country can stop fighting and let the two countries get back together......"

"This time our country sent troops, all because your country is perverse everywhere, and you are quite disrespectful to our country, so that it has angered the Holy Dynasty Emperor, if you want to stop the army, it is simple, we have made it very clear before -- as long as the culprit of provoking the war between the two countries is punished and your country's program and discipline is restored, then our country will naturally have no reason to raise troops again." Zhou Pu immediately replied, "These words, presumably the people we sent back before have already been brought to the shogunate, right?" ”

"It is true that some ministers of the shogunate have mishandled the two countries to this point, so that there are factors that make the two countries hostile." Because his mood had begun to be a little nervous, some beads of sweat appeared on the tip of Gao Muqing's nose, "Of course, these people are unforgivable, and our general also intends to punish them to thank the world." ”

"Does the messenger still think that he can put an end to everything by throwing out a few scapegoats?" Zhou Pu's smile was even more mocking, "If this is the case, the envoy wants to be bad, we made it very clear before, this time the two countries are evil, the culprit is the shogunate's general Tokugawa Iemitsu, and Tokugawa Iemitsu is a subordinate who bullies the monarch, and it is an unforgivable crime, so he must take the blame and step down, leave from the position of shogun and head of the Tokugawa family, and no longer be able to manipulate Japanese national politics!" ”

"Don't you think this condition is too harsh?" Because of some anger, Takagi Kiyoshi's voice trembled a little, "Our general has made the greatest determination to reconcile with your country, but your lordship can't show any sincerity to us under such conditions...... Forgive us for being too hard to accept. ”

It's no wonder that he is so angry, this Han envoy is so arrogant in front of him now, and he threw out an unacceptable condition at the beginning, which really makes him angry, and he also understands that showing groveling in front of the big man will only be looked down upon, so he would rather show some gestures of resistance.

"Now that we are under the pressure of a large army, and all parts of your country have responded to us, your shogunate is now crumbling, even if you don't agree, what can you do?" Zhou Pu still didn't mean to soften his body, and still put high pressure on the other party, "If the envoy feels that there is nothing to talk about between the two of us, then go back, we will never leave the envoy in distress, and everyone will see you in Kyoto when the time comes." ”

Seeing that the two sides were about to collapse if the dispute continued like this, Takagi Qing gritted his teeth and finally endured it. When he came over today, he didn't intend to reach an agreement with Dahan directly, but now he is trying to find out their true intentions.

If the Great Han is determined to get rid of the Shogun and let the Tokugawa family fall, then there is no need to talk about it, but if the Great Han wants money or land, then there is room for bargaining.

"Don't worry, my lord, it's too important at this time, so we can't make a decision in a hurry, so let's put it aside for the time being. Surely the Shogunate would not have made this one condition alone, would he? ”

"That's nature." Zhou Pu nodded immediately. "The cause of this war between the two countries is in the shogunate, and it is because of the shogunate's unilateral interference in the trade between the two countries that this incident will be triggered, so the shogunate must compensate for the loss of trade and military spending in our country."

"Because of the obstruction of some traitors, there have been some trade disputes between the two countries, and they have caused trouble, for which the Shogun is indeed a little apologetic, and is willing to compensate the affected merchants. But...... Your country has raised troops without negotiation and has caused such heavy losses to our country that the shogunate cannot compensate you. Kiyoshi Takagi immediately stated the shogunate's intentions. But...... Considering that your country's army is gathered, it will be inconvenient to mobilize or withdraw, so we can give a little **** fee. ”

This has already implied that for the sake of the reputation of the shogunate, the shogunate is unwilling to compensate the Han, but it is willing to compensate the Han in the name of compensation and **** reward, which is essentially not much different.

"So how exactly does the shogunate plan to pay for this reward?" Zhou Pu asked with interest. "As far as I know, the shogunate's finances are very difficult right now, and I'm afraid that it won't be able to come up with much money in a hurry."

"The shogunate has a lot of reserves, and even if it is spending a lot of money now, it can be fully supported." After singing a high note, Takagi Kiyoshi immediately said the true meaning of the shogunate, "However, judging from the opinion of the old man, it is best to pay for these expenses with the gold and silver mountains of the shogunate in the western country and Kyushu, and the shogunate can transfer these gold and silver mountains to your country for decades, and use the gold and silver mined to compensate your country." ”

"Now that the West Kingdom and Kyushu are no longer in the hands of the shogunate, you just threw them to our Han...... Isn't that all in vain? Zhou Pu couldn't help but laugh again, "Your general and Lao Zhong are doing a good business!" ”

But although he was laughing at it, he didn't mean to reject this opinion. After all, in the end, it's not for these things that the big man called.

"Now that the western province and Kyushu have been occupied by the fallen daimyos, if the shogunate is willing to recognize the daimyo who are now independent and promise not to pursue them again, then we can talk about this." Zhou Pu changed his gear, "If the shogunate still wants to crusade against them again, then we must not agree to negotiate peace with the shogunate." ”

"That's ...... Our generals are also willing to guarantee. If the Han withdraws, we are willing to maintain the status quo and recognize the territories owned by the daimyo of the Western Kingdom. Takagi Qing nodded gloomily, and then looked at Zhou Pu again, "However, dare to ask your lordship, how are you going to treat the Tokugawa family?" ”

"After all, the Tokugawa family is a famous family in Japan, and it is meritorious to eradicate the Toyotomi Hideyoshi family, if it is completely wiped out, it is naturally wrong." Zhou Pu said lightly, his attitude was slightly relaxed because of the other party's low profile, "The various bad deeds of the Tokugawa family are also due to the expansion of ambition because of the ascension to the position of general, so ...... As long as the Tokugawa family dismisses the shogunate and returns to the shogunate, it is not impossible to continue to retain the old domain. ”

Toyotomi Hideyoshi was considered a sinner in the official context of the Han Dynasty because of his invasion of Goryeo, and the Tokugawa family wiped out the Toyotomi clan, so it can be regarded as a credit to the Tokugawa family.

However, Gao Muqing couldn't appreciate it, and for a moment he felt that the blood in his whole body was going to freeze.

The shogunate was dissolved, the position of shogun was handed over, and the old domain was returned to the old ...... The conditions of Dahan are so harsh!

Before the opening, the old head of the Tokugawa family grew from small to large, from a corner of Mikawa to a huge Kanto, but at its peak, it was the land of 2.55 million koku that Toyotomi Hideyoshi had sealed when he transferred to the Tokugawa family. In other words, the Han has recognized so many old collars at most—and maybe not even so many.

If he agreed, then the Tokugawa family's current four million heavenly domains and millions of pro-domain territories would be handed over directly......

"My lord, under such harsh conditions, we would rather die in battle than accept it!" Takagi's blood surged, and he suddenly shouted. (To be continued.) )