"Good ......?" The Tokugawa family laughed angrily, "They want me to step down from the shogun's position, and they also want to punish the important ministers of the shogunate...... How can we possibly agree to these humiliating conditions? ”

"The Han Kou are now marching all the way into the army, the soldiers are impressive, and the battle is going well, they are naturally full of confidence, and it is normal for the conditions proposed to be very harsh. www.biquge.info"Doi Toshikatsu was still very calm, "But my lord, since they put forward such conditions, it means that they don't want to fight the shogunate endlessly, and they can accept a situation where the Tokugawa family still continues, or even retains a part of the foundation......"

As soon as he heard Doi Toshikatsu's explanation, Tokugawa Iemitsu suddenly realized.

"Since they don't want to fight us to the end, it means that as long as we bargain again, there will always be a time when they will slow down their position and eventually reach a compromise with us." Doi Toshikatsu went on to explain, "The point is to start talking, and that's a good thing – of course, if you want them to reduce their asking price, you have to rely on the shogunate's army to show themselves on the battlefield, so that the Han Ko has to find out that they can't manipulate us at will." If nothing is achieved on the battlefield, then there is no way to negotiate. ”

"In other words, you still insist that you should make peace with Han Ko?" Tokugawa Iemitsu asked rhetorically.

"Yes, sir...... The minister felt that he should still negotiate peace with Han Kou as soon as possible, so as to stabilize the situation in the world. Doi Toshikatsu was also dry, and immediately nodded, "Your Excellency, please see, the current situation is too bad, the western kingdom has collapsed except for, and the shogunate's orders can no longer be carried out......"

When he heard such a harsh comment that the western country had collapsed, Tokugawa Iemitsu's face suddenly became ugly, but he still didn't say anything after all, and let the other party continue. "In other places outside the western country, the daimyo from all over the country have also received news, and even received an edict from the imperial court calling on them to raise troops...... They are also ready to move, and according to the news reported from various places, whether it is the Date family in Sendai or the Maeda family in Kaga, they have begun to recruit soldiers in the domain and close the territory with malicious intentions. ”

As he spoke, Tokugawa Iemitsu's brow furrowed tighter and tighter. "These traitors and rats, the enemy is still only caring about themselves at the moment, and they have no loyalty! Sooner or later, they must be exterminated one by one, so that the world can be stable! ”

Although there were many grievances between the daimyo and the Tokugawa family, this did not prevent Tokugawa Iemitsu from considering himself as the co-head of the samurai family. Thus the resentment of betrayal became even more intense.

"Your Excellency is right, if it weren't for the fact that they had dragged the shogunate back, why would we be in such a difficult situation? Now the Han Kou soldiers are blazing, in the final analysis, it is these feudal lords who are selfish, and even recognize thieves as fathers and tigers...... We were too tolerant of them before. Doi Toshikatsu sighed, obviously a little regretful,

"As the saying goes, we must first settle the inside, we must first eliminate them all, so that we can muster the strength of the whole world to fight against the Han Kou. Otherwise...... If we continue to hold each other, the situation will become more and more unfavorable for us, after all, the more power the shogunate consumes, the more powerful the surrounding feudal clans will become, until finally the strong feudal clan will stand up and leave the shogunate with no way out. ”

Because many daimyo were dissatisfied with the oppression and bullying of the shogunate and raised troops to join the Han, not only the daimyo in Japan but also within the shogunate now there is a debate about whether it was unreasonable to be so harsh on the feudal domains before, and as the two main decision-makers of the tough policy towards the feudal domains, Tokugawa Iemitsu and Doi Toshikatsu could not admit that the previous daimyo policy was wrong, but they could only say that they were too tolerant of the feudal clans before, so that they even had the strength to rebel against themselves.

And compared to the Han Kou, these feudal lords are also more hateful and terrible.

"So according to you, if we want to negotiate peace with Han Ko, what kind of conditions can we give on our side?" Tokugawa Iemitsu asked.

"It depends on whether the war goes well or not, if everything goes well and we directly defeat the Han Kou, then of course we don't have to give them anything...... But if the war is unfavorable and we can only barely stalemate, then we will ...... We have to accept some harsh conditions. Toshikatsu Doi lowered his voice, afraid that others would hear, "For example, punish some culprits, pay some money, or...... Or...... Cut out the island of Kyushu and recognize the Han occupation there. ”

"Cut Kyushu?" As soon as he heard this suggestion, Tokugawa Iemitsu's eyes suddenly widened, and then he could barely control his emotions. "I ...... How can I cede the land of Japan to the Han Kou? That's not ...... Isn't that going to be a sinner of the Tokugawa family?! ”

"At present, Kyushu Island has fallen into the hands of Han Ko, if you want to talk about sinners, my lord, we are now sinners of the Tokugawa family." Doi Toshikatsu told the truth without fear, "But my lord, we didn't have much territory on Kyushu Island in the first place, and even if we discard it now, it won't be too big a loss to us." Of course, the loss of Nagasaki is indeed painful, but since it has been lost, we have to face reality. ”

Doi Toshikatsu's words that were so unabashed and inconsiderate of the king's mood certainly sounded extremely uncomfortable in the heart of Tokugawa Iemitsu, who had always been irritable, but he also knew that he could only listen to some contrary advice now, so he still endured it.

"If Nagasaki is lost, how can it be more than a small pain for us? Besides...... Now that our shogunate's finances are so embarrassed, if we still need to pay compensation, where can we pay it? The matter ...... I'm afraid it's not as easy as it sounds. ”

"If we can let the Han Kou know that we are not an enemy that can be easily taken, then the Han Kou will naturally reduce the asking price and not insist on going his own way. And...... Now those gold and silver mines in the west have fallen anyway, and as a bargaining chip, we can simply give them directly to Han Kou. "Toshikatsu Doi's attitude is still very stable, which gives Tokugawa Iemitsu great confidence." These mines must also be the hearts and minds of those powerful vassals, and if we compromise with the Han Kou and cede them to the Han Kou, the Han Kou will definitely lose peace with these strong vassals, and then we can be separated. In addition, there is no way for the powerful feudal clans to use this to strengthen their own power, and it is convenient for us to destroy them in the future. ”

"Surrender the gold and silver mines of the western country to the Han Kou......" Tokugawa Iemitsu groaned slightly.

"My lord, this is just an expedient measure, just to delay time for the shogunate and let the Han Kou retreat!" Seeing that Tokugawa Iemitsu had already "There is definitely no way for the Great Han to sustain such a large army expedition for a long time, as long as they get something satisfactory, they will withdraw, and we will take advantage of the time when they withdraw to cut off all the powerful feudal domains...... When the time comes, the whole of Japan will be at your disposal, and when the time comes, we will annul the agreement with the Han Kou, even if they want to go on an expedition against us again...... We will be able to resist it. ”

Although his words seem to be impassioned, it means that he just sounds good to Tokugawa Iemitsu, after all, with Tokugawa Iemitsu's character, if he wants to make such a big concession, he must bear the burden of humiliation and wait for the opportunity as a reason. However, if you want to crusade against the previous traitors, how easy is it to integrate the various powerful domains? Can we really go to war with the Han Kou again? The answers to these questions are known to Toshikatsu Doi.

After Doi Toshikatsu made his own suggestion, Tokugawa Iemitsu fell back into a deep groan, and although he was extremely reluctant to admit this reality, after careful consideration, he still felt that Doi Toshikatsu's advice to him was the most feasible and effective.

Now I can only endure the humiliation.

"Then you should use these conditions as a benchmark and start negotiations with Han Ko, they will definitely not agree at first, but we should also let them know our bottom line." After a long while, he sighed, "This kind of humiliation must be repaid by those traitors with blood." ”

Doi Toshikatsu lowered his head and received the Shogun's order.

At this moment, a rush of footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door, and someone rushed here, and Tokugawa Iemitsu's face suddenly became even more ugly. This is a place where the general and his ministers have secret discussions, and when there is no urgent matter, no one dares to come and disturb the general.

And in this stormy time, the major news that can be delivered must not be too good news.

Sure enough, when the person who reported the news came to this room, he didn't dare to come out, and knelt directly on the ground, saying the news he had just gotten in a trembling tone.

"General Kaiyu, according to the report from Takasaki Castle...... Da Nayan...... Lord Da Nayan, I have been ...... a few days ago A few days ago...... Take advantage of the chaos to escape from Takasaki Castle and disappear! ”

This sudden bad news made Tokugawa Iemitsu's eyes suddenly turn red, and he waited to look at the kneeling man on the ground, as if he was about to choose a fierce beast to devour. And his hand was also bruised, and then trembling and touched his waist.

"Traitor! Traitor! This brute traitor! He pulled out the saber from his waist, and then slashed it into a small table next to him, and the sharp saber immediately saw it in half, and made a loud noise.

After hearing the news, Doi Toshikatsu's expression also changed subtly, but he was not as impulsive as Tokugawa Iemitsu, but still knelt in place, but his eyes flickered, and he didn't know what he was thinking.

In the previous secret discussion, it was he who suggested that Tokugawa Iemitsu simply kill his younger brother, Tokugawa Tadadacho, in order to unify the inner heart of the shogunate, and Tokugawa Iemitsu also adopted his suggestion and sent an envoy to Takasaki Castle to end the life of his younger brother, whom he had always looked down on.

He didn't expect that Lord Da Nayan would be so alert that he would run away in advance at this time - it can be seen that although he is claustrophobic, his news is not very closed, at least he knows the major events that Japan is experiencing now, and he predicts what kind of misfortune he will suffer if he doesn't run, so he runs away decisively.

He refused to comply with the Shogun's wishes and committed suicide, which was a traitorous act in the eyes of Tokugawa Iemitsu, but in Doi Toshikatsu's eyes, it was human nature, and he was also a person who could face reality very well.

"My lord, we should step up our negotiations with the Han Kou, and we must pay more attention to the internal affairs of the shogunate, and we must not cause internal chaos because of the flight of Lord Da Nayan!" With mixed thoughts, he lowered his head and suggested to Tokugawa Iemitsu.

The turmoil within the shogunate, and even the decisions of the shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, of course, will also create ripples outside the shogunate, which in turn will affect the whole of Japan.

At this time, the western country, which was already in turmoil, could feel the gusts of cold wind blowing from Edo even more, and the shogunate ministers in the western country, they had to be under pressure from Edo, and they had to tremble in front of the Han army, and they only felt anxious, and they did not know when this scorching ordeal would end.

Although the time was approaching summer and the weather was starting to get hotter, the chill still made Itakura Shigemune, the director of Kyoto, sigh heavily.

As the highest official of the shogunate in the western country, the pressure he is under now is beyond the reach of no one, and the responsibility he needs to bear now is even more unmatched.

Ever since the Han Dynasty launched an attack on Japan and landed on Kyushu Island, bad news has been transmitted to Kyoto one by one, and when the Han army, with the cooperation of the Mori family, landed on Honshu Island and began to march on Kyoto, the pressure became more and more real as they marched all the way.

The Han army had already advanced into Bizen Province, and there was a smooth road ahead, and they were about to come to the region, and they were really threatening Kyoto.

In the past, although Han Kou was terrible, after all, it was other people who had to face them, but now ...... Soon it will be their turn.

We...... Can you really stop the menacing Han Kou? He couldn't help but ask the question.

Even in this majestic city, there was no way to give him much confidence.

Although this Himeji Castle is indeed a large and majestic city. Himeji Castle is located at the western point of the city toward Gyeonggi, and its geographical location is very important, so it has long been valued as a large city.

During the tumultuous Warring States period, the castle changed hands several times before falling into the hands of the Kuroda family, a retainer of the Kodera clan, a branch of the Akamatsu family, and over the years of management by its owners, it has become a fortress city.

In the late Warring States period, Oda Nobunaga rose to prominence and made it his lifelong wish to unify Japan, and after pacifying the surrounding powers, he began to look further afield.

He ordered Hideyoshi Hashiba, who was still his general at the time, to go to the western country to conquer the Mori clan as a vanguard general, and began to attack Harima Province, the only way to the western country. In this war, the Kodera clan was originally on the side of the Maori, but the retainer Kuroda Takataka, who controlled Himeji Castle, defected, surrendered to Oda's side, and surrendered the castle to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Himeji Castle also became the rear base for Oda and Hideyoshi's armies to attack the Mori family.

After the death of Oda Nobunaga, Hideyoshi began to rise to prominence, and of course he did not ignore the importance of Himeji Castle, so he appointed his younger brother Kinoshita Ie, the head of the Hokumasho, as the lord of Himeji Castle and stationed him at Himeji Castle.

Not long after, with the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, his power was replaced by Tokugawa Ieyasu, in order to eradicate the remnants of Toyotomi's power and reward meritorious officials, Tokugawa Ieyasu carved out a 520,000-stone Himeji domain with Himeji Castle as the core, and made Ikeda Terumasa the lord of the Himeji Domain, ruling Himeji Castle.

However, after Ikeda's death, his son Tadao Ikeda inherited the Himeji Domain, and Ikeda Tadao died soon after, and his son Mitsumasa Ikeda was still very young at the time, and the Tokugawa shogunate transferred Ikeda Mitsumasa to the Tottori Domain on the grounds that Ikeda Mitsumasa was too young to take on the responsibility of guarding Himeji Castle, and the territory was reduced from 520,000 koku to 320,000 koku.

By this time, the Himeji clan had become a small feudal domain of 150,000 koku, and the lord of the domain was transferred to Honda Tadamasa, an important family of retainers of the Tokugawa family, and each branch of the clan became a daimyo and was relied on by the shogunate for generations. And Honda Tadamasa is the son of Honda Tadakatsu, one of the four kings of Tokugawa, and the shogunate asked Honda Tadamasa to protect this Himeji Castle, the purpose of which is of course self-evident, that is, to make this key rush the direct ruler of the shogunate.

Over the years, Himeji Castle has become one of the most magnificent and fortified fortresses in Japan. Everywhere there are towering buildings and supporting complete defense systems, and on the outside is a layer of stone walls, which envelops the entire city; In the city, it is even more heavily guarded, and unlike ordinary cities, there are several fortress-like castle towers, several small three-story castle towers with steep outer walls surround the large castle tower in the middle, and there are nearly 1,000 small castles designed in the narrow rooms of the castle walls, which are enough to provide firepower to support each other, and can also provide concealment for the defenders.

And in the center of the castle, Honmaru is a grand castle tower. The castle tower is a 10-foot tall castle tower, and it is entrenched on the highest point in the city, as if it is looking down on everything in the world. Its white exterior walls and sinuous eaves resemble an egret about to fly, and Himeji Castle has earned it the nickname Egret Castle.

Standing in the middle of the castle tower and looking from afar, you can see the tall and low buildings in the castle at a glance, and there is even a different kind of beauty.

Originally, climbing high and looking far away would give people a feeling of relaxation and happiness, but now Itakura Shigemune can't be relaxed no matter what.

And the middle-aged man next to him was no different.

The middle-aged man was pale and frail, and looked a little older than he was. And he is the lord of the Himeji Domain, the Daimyo Honda Masato of the Shogunate Lineage. He inherited the position of family governor after the death of his father, Tadamasa Honda, last year - how could he have known that he would be affected in such a way!

"Your Excellency...... We...... Can we really stop Hanko? He asked a third time. (To be continued.) )