Naotaka Ii's sudden speech made Doi Toshikatsu and Tokugawa Iemitsu not react for a while, and looked at the elder in surprise. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

It was not because his opinions were shocking, but because, when discussing a strategy to defend against the Han invaders recently, perhaps because he did not have a plan in mind, or because he did not want to interfere with the train of thought of Tokugawa Iemitsu and Doi Toshikatsu, Naotaka Ii basically did not speak or express his opinion on their policies, and his acquiescence also gave Doi Toshikatsu great convenience.

But now, he suddenly made a rare statement, and he was clearly against Doi Toshikatsu, which really surprised everyone.

Doi Toshikatsu was particularly surprised and embarrassed, because he was the chief writer of the old middle school, and he had won the trust of Tokugawa Iemitsu, he had always been able to say that he had always been the same, and it had been a long time since he had been opposed and reprimanded by others, which really made him feel a little embarrassed.

What's more, Naotaka Ii also threw a big hat directly on his head - Mikawa Province is the place where the Tokugawa family started, and it is also the base of the Tokugawa family before Tokugawa Ieyasu was transferred to the Kanto region by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

In addition, the geographical location of Mikawa Province, located in the middle of Honshu Island, is also very important, and it can be said that it is the gate of Kanto, and if it is really hit by Mikawa Province, then Kanto will also face the enemy's front directly.

Of course, Doi Toshikatsu couldn't afford such a harsh accusation, and he immediately distinguished himself.

"My lord, I don't mean to let the shogun give up Mikawa's hometown, on the contrary, I think that in order to hold the Kanto, Mikawa must do his best to defend it, even if the casualties are great, we must fight to the death, so that Han Ko can see our courage to defend the shogunate to the death!"

"You mean to give up Kyoto, right?" However, his defense did not satisfy Naotaka Ii, who looked at him coldly and asked, "Just ask, if we give up Kyoto like this, how can people in the world believe that we can hold on to other places?" If we lose the hearts and minds of the people of the world, can we still stop the Han Kou in Sanhe? If you can't stop it in Kyoto, you can't stop the three rivers, and the two sides are one! ”

As he asserted his categorical assertions, the other shogunate ministers nodded their heads and whispered to themselves, apparently others had the same thoughts.

"The opinion of the straight filial piety, the contemptible people do not agree!" At this time, Doi Toshikatsu was anxious, and hurriedly raised his voice, "Kyoto is Kyoto, and Sanhe is Sanhe, how can the two be one?" Kyoto is isolated in Kansai, and the surrounding area is already turbulent, and if you don't pay attention to it, you will be surrounded by enemies on all sides; Mikawa is backed by the Kanto region, and the people are also deeply favored by the Tokugawa family for generations, and there is the full support of the shogunate, so the difference between the two is too much! ”

Naotaka Jing just smiled coldly, obviously unmoved.

"You seem to have a point, but if we give up Kyoto, will the powerful clans and nobles of other places believe your words? We have now seen that the Maeda family and the Date family are already on the verge of action, and the reason why they have not done anything great is nothing more than the last vestiges of reverence for the shogunate, if we give up Kyoto and the western country without a hard fight, then they will undoubtedly think that the shogunate is at the end of the road, then they will not directly rebel at that time? ”

This interrogation was so powerful that Doi Toshikatsu suddenly stopped.

He also knew that now that the shogunate had suffered a series of setbacks, its prestige had been greatly damaged, and the powerful feudal lords everywhere had already privately spied on the reality of the shogunate, and they might turn against each other at any time. Now they are just watching from the sidelines and not obeying the shogunate's orders, but if the shogunate really abandons Kyoto and the whole of Saikoku, they will not make even more drastic moves, and even Doi Toshikatsu himself cannot guarantee it.

Kyoto's status is too special, and if it is lost, it will definitely be a heavy blow to the shogunate's political and prestige, not to mention that as soon as the western country is lost, the Maeda family has already become one with the Han, and it is difficult to say whether they will be afraid of the shogunate. Naotaka Ii's political doubts are indeed very reasonable.

However, Doi Toshikatsu knew that losing Kyoto would be such a big risk, but he still insisted on his original opinion.

"My lord, you are very reasonable, if the western kingdom is lost, I am afraid that all the daimyo and powerful feudal lords will be cold, and there are even some treacherous people who will take advantage of the chaos to raise troops against the shogunate...... But even so, I still think that I must give up the western country and stick to the Kanto region for now! ”

His stubborn request made Jing Yi Naotaka couldn't help but widen his eyes, and finally shook his head, "As the chief of the old middle school, you take on a big responsibility, but you are so afraid of Han Kou like a tiger, it's really chilling!" ”

"If you can expel the Han Kou and defeat them by singing a high tune in the air, you can shout 10,000 high-pitched sentences now! Don't you want our army to win successive battles and directly knock Han Kou into the sea all the way? Doi Toshikatsu was also a little angry, and even his face was a little red, "I also want to fight to the death with Han Kou and beat them out, but now that the situation is like this, shouldn't we face up to reality and adopt a realistic strategy?" ”

Then, he looked around at the whispering shogunate ministers around him, and his pressured gaze forced them all to silence, "Since the two countries began to fight each other, our army has fought with the Han Kou so many times, it can be said that they have been defeated in successive battles, and they have been defeated all the way, allowing the Han Kou to fight all the way from Kyushu Island at the southern tip to Kinai!" It is already clear that it would not be wise for us to fight the Han in the western country, and it would only put the shogunate at risk...... So now I can only think of sticking to the Kanto region and consuming Han Kou. If anyone thinks that they will be able to defeat the Han Kou by leading their troops to the Western Kingdom, then please stand up and tell the general! ”

Sure enough, as soon as he asked, the others also made a difficulty, and no one spoke anymore for a while.

After several battles with the Han Kou army, many people in the shogunate army were defeated and returned, and they were apprehensive about the sharpness of the Han Kou's artillery fire and the proficiency of the battle, and they described the difficulties and horrors of the war with the Han Kou to the people around them in unison.

Besides, the shogunate is retreating like this, but before Itakura Shigemune and his subordinates in Himeji Castle can be said to be desperately resisting, they can't stop it even if they are so desperate, who has the confidence that they will be able to stop it?

As long as no one can stand up and say that they can resist the Han Kor, then Doi Toshikatsu's words are perfectly valid - since no one has the confidence to go to the West to defeat the Han Kor, then why force the West Country and put the shogunate army in danger?

However, Toshikatsu Doi's calculations were quickly broken by Naotaka Ii. He suddenly bowed down and bowed to Tokugawa Iemitsu.

"Lord Shogun, in this autumn of crisis, as the Shogunate Elder, I can't turn the tide, and I am really ashamed of my lord and the spirit of the god in the sky. Now at this critical juncture, the western country is really important to the shogunate, and we have no way back...... Although the minister is incompetent, he has also followed the Divine Monarch to fight everywhere before, and has learned some experience of the Divine Monarch leading troops to fight...... Therefore, the minister felt that at this moment, the minister should do his best for the general, and then die. ”

Tokugawa Iemitsu's eyes widened for a moment, and the others were also extremely shaken.

As the elder, Naotaka Ii had a very high status within the shogunate, and he could be said to be the first person under the shogun, with such a status, he could have enjoyed glory and wealth, but at such a critical juncture, he stepped forward and asked the shogun to let him lead his troops to fight the Han Kou and save the precarious situation in the western country, which is really touching.

You must know that with his position, even if he wins the shogunate, he will not be rewarded much, at most he will be grateful for his merits in supporting the shogunate, and if he loses, it will be ruined for a lifetime - and judging from the current situation, there is a high probability that such a situation will occur.

Of course, this elder knows this reality, but even if he knows, he still has to do it, which is really brave and loyal.

For many years, Tokugawa Iemitsu was not very satisfied with Naotaka Ii because his prestige and power were too great, but today he was deeply moved by the old man's approach.

In particular, what Naotaka Jing said and did coincided with what he thought.

"Lord Shogun, although the Han army has been fighting with the shogunate since the war, they have not fully confronted us, and they have fought all the feudal armies in various places, and the army hastily assembled by Itakura Shigemune, these armies are already insufficient in combat power, even if they are defeated, it is a very normal thing." Under the encouraging gaze of Tokugawa Iemitsu, Naotaka Ii continued to talk eloquently, "And if we go and fight them with the most well-equipped and outnumbered Kwantung samurai of the shogunate, we will definitely be able to turn the situation around!" It was because we were too conservative that they were so unscrupulous that the situation fell to the point where it is now. ”

"Before, the Han Kou army was in full swing, and we were not prepared in a hurry, so it is natural to avoid it a little, and we can't blame anyone."

Ii Naotaka was too afraid of the big man before he was sarcastic about Doi Toshikatsu, and took the initiative to avoid too many places, Tokugawa Iemitsu of course could hear it, in order to protect his number one henchman, of course he had to say a few words for Doi Toshikatsu. However, he was already inclined to follow the strategy of Naotaka Ii - after all, as a young man, he also felt very aggrieved by the current situation in his heart, and he was even more reluctant to avoid Han Kou all the time.

Of course, he was still a little worried.

"If we raise our troops to the west, do you really have the confidence to resist the Han Kou?"

Now, not only the daimyo such as Shimazu and Mori have taken refuge in the Han Kou, but even the imperial court already has a strong military force under the support of the Han Kou, so he no longer wants to completely defeat or expel the Han Kou, he only wants to defend the territory of the current shogunate, and then find a way to seek and consume a lot of resources and troops to negotiate the Han peace.

"The Han Kou firearms are fierce and skilled in combat, and they have been fighting everywhere since the founding of the country, so they can be described as strong soldiers, so they ...... I have no confidence that I will be able to drive them out. In addition, because of the retreat we have made in the past, the situation in Kyoto is already in danger, and I am afraid that even if we go to rescue us now, we may not be able to save it. Naotaka Ii was very frank in admitting the predicament he was facing, and made it clear that he might not be able to turn the tide.

"But...... The retainers will definitely show the determination and courage of our Mikawa samurai, and let the Han Kou shed their blood, and as long as we fight to the death against the Han Kou, we will definitely be able to inflict considerable losses on the Han Kou, and then they will retreat, and the other feudal clans will also see the strength of the shogunate...... Only in this way can the foundation of the Divine Monarch be preserved! ”

His voice grew louder and harder, a little impassioned. "Please give the order of the general, let our army go to the decisive battle with the Han Kou!"

With his agitation, the others were slowly infected, and then they asked Tokugawa Iemitsu for his life with him, and for a time the entire Omoteden was indignant, and they had the strength to go into battle together to defeat the Han Kou.

And Tokugawa Iemitsu was also infected by this impassionedness. In this time of turmoil, no one could look forward more than him to someone who would stand up and sustain the entire crumbling situation, so that the inheritance passed down to him by his grandfather and father could survive this storm.

Because of this, Naotaka Ii made such a statement that moved him so much.

Moreover, Naotaka Ii is not just singing high-pitched, he is very pragmatic - in the current situation, Kyoto may not be able to be saved, and the most important thing now is to guard the gateway to Kanto, and at the same time fight to the death with the Han Kou, protect Mikawa, and let them see the determination of the shogunate.

When other people say this kind of thing, it may not be very convincing, but when Naotaka Ii himself speaks, it is completely different. In the current environment, Tokugawa Iemitsu would rather trust the shogunate elder left to him by his grandfather and father.

"Shogun-sama......" Seeing that Tokugawa Iemitsu had already wavered a little, Doi Toshikatsu felt very anxious and hurriedly wanted to speak again, but Tokugawa Iemitsu stopped him with a look.

"Well, then do as you wish." Tokugawa Iemitsu looked at Naodaka Ii again, "You bring troops from Kanto and go to battle the Han Kou...... I hope you can prosper and keep the Han Kou out of the Kanto region. Starting tomorrow, all the officers and soldiers of the shogunate in the western country will be under your control! ”

As soon as Tokugawa Iemitsu spoke, it was like a final word, and those who were still hesitant and supported Doi Toshikatsu began to echo the words of the shogun, and it seems that Ii Naotaka's phalanx has become the consensus of the shogunate.

After receiving his approval, Naotaka Ii would travel from Kanto to and become the hope of the entire shogunate.

In such a situation, Doi Toshikatsu had no choice but to bow his head and no longer raise objections.

"How many more troops do you need to take from Kanto?" After ostensibly unifying his opinion, Tokugawa Iemitsu asked Naotaka Ii again.

Now, after the desperate efforts of the shogunate, samurai and ashigaru soldiers were recruited everywhere, and now they have assembled an army of more than 200,000 people in the Kanto region.

However, as large as it may seem, everyone here knows that there is a lot of water in it—most of these armies are just hastily drafted soldiers, who have never been in battle before, and whose equipment is even more inferior, and who are not very useful for combat.

The ones who can really rely on it are probably those banners and their attendants under the shogunate system.

These banners had a fiefdom and had been practicing martial arts for generations, and because they had a family property, they could arm themselves and some of their attendants, learn the techniques and skills of warfare, and maintain some equipment. These people were the foundation of the shogunate's military might.

And these people are also the blood and blood of the shogunate army, if they collapse, the shogunate will already have no combat power at all.

"My lord, give me 50,000 troops." Ii Naotaka pondered for a moment before he said to Tokugawa Iemitsu, "There are still many troops loyal to the shogunate in the western country, and if the number of troops I bring with me is too large, it will make it difficult to supply the Kanto, so 50,000 men should be enough - but it must be an elite army that can fight the Han Ko field." ”

"Fifty thousand...... Tokugawa Iemitsu also muttered, after all, this is not a small number - and Ii Naotaka is obviously asking him to give him an elite banner-based army.

Toshikatsu Doi couldn't hold back anymore, and he suddenly spoke in a low voice. "General, the Han Kou naval army is sharp and can land in all directions, and the Kanto region is surrounded by the sea on three sides, which is very conducive to the maneuver of the Han Kou. If our army moves to on a large scale, then I am afraid that it will cause an empty space in the Kanto region...... At that time, the defense of the Kanto region will be quite difficult......"

"According to the information we have obtained now, the main force of the Han Kou is in the western country, and it is now advancing towards Kyoto." Before Tokugawa Iemitsu could answer, Naotaka Ii spoke directly, "If we go to war with the Han Kou and entangle the main force of the Han Kou, it will be the best response and help for the defense of the Kanto region, as long as we are at war, the main force of the Han Kou will not be able to be mobilized, and the Kanto region will be completely safe and become the rear base of our army." If Han Kou dares to transfer the main force while fighting with our army...... Then we will go straight to Kyoto, and then calm the world, and then return to the reinforcements of the class division to flank the Han Kou! ”

This remark once again provoked Tokugawa Iemitsu to nod frequently. Because Ii Naotaka's words won his approval, he was also willing to believe Ii Naotaka's judgment.

For him, if he can defend himself against the enemy outside of Kanto, then it is the best.

Seeing that Toshikatsu Doi wanted to say something, he raised his hand slightly and stopped the other party.

"Just do as the elder says."

After hesitating for a long time, Doi Toshikatsu finally sighed slightly and bowed his head to express his order.

In this way, after the shogunate's deliberations, Tokugawa Iemitsu decided to send the elder Ii Naotaka to personally lead the army to to confront the Han Kou and stabilize the situation, and he would send 50,000 troops, known as 100,000 troops. (To be continued.) )