For the Maori family, Zhou Pu used both soft and hard, coercion and temptation, in order to force the Maori family to surrender as soon as possible, which is also necessary for the situation. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

Now, the chaos on Kyushu Island has been gradually pacified, whether it is the shogunate, the pro-shogunate feudal lords, or the rioting Catholics, they have been defeated by the Han army without discrimination, their core figures have died under the sword soldiers, and those soldiers and civilians have been broken up by the Han and then forcibly incorporated into labor camps.

Now that the matter of Kyushu Island has been settled, the next move has naturally surfaced, and these days Zhao Song and his senators have been studying the issue of attacking Kyushu Island next behind closed doors.

Although there is still a little controversy over all the specific details, everyone has reached a consensus on the general strategy, that is, to thoroughly implement the tone of the expedition to Japan chosen by the Son of Heaven - two routes of marching, all the way north to attack Kyoto, all the way directly to the Kanto Plain.

The Kanto Plain is the fundamental place of the shogunate, and a direct attack on the Kanto region will definitely bring a great shock to the shogunate, and really hurt their foundation, but the Tokugawa shogunate has been operating there for many years, and the strength and foundation it has must not be compared with Kyushu and the western country, so attacking Kyoto first can not only occupy the righteous name of the Japanese court as soon as possible, but also attract the shogunate to rush to the aid of Kyoto, consume their strength in the Kanto, and make it more convenient for the Han to directly attack the Kanto.

Therefore, although they were the main force and planner of the Kwantung landing, Zhao Song and his senators attached great importance to the attack on Kyoto. According to the results agreed upon by the imperial court before, the envoy Zhou Pu was responsible for the attack on Kyoto, in order to reflect the justice of the Han Kuang to support the discipline of the vassal state and crusade against the unministers, but Zhou Pu never led troops, so he definitely needed a senator to assist him.

In addition, it is also quite difficult to think about how many troops to allocate to him, because everyone does not have much confidence in the combat effectiveness of the feudal army on Kyushu Island, except for the Satsuma Domain and the Yanagawa Domain, which are both led by Warring States generals and have some background, the other feudal clans that surrendered to them are very weak in military strength, and they are not in the eyes of Zhao Song and others at all.

However, the number of Han troops was too small, and neither Zhao Song nor Vision wanted to allocate too many troops to Zhou Pu, so as to weaken the forces they could use in the decisive battle against the shogunate on the Kanto Plain.

In such a situation, the status of the Mori family is reflected - the Mori family is also a powerful force in the Warring States Period, although the territory was greatly weakened by the shogunate by various means, but after all, there is still the heritage of the year, many people have even participated in the war many times, and have accumulated rich experience.

This is also the reason why Zhou Pu deliberately gave preferential treatment to the Maori family from the beginning.

However, it turned out that the Maori family was too cunning, and blindly allowed them to be favorable, and instead of being able to pull them into their hands, they would give them luck and make them want to take advantage of the opportunity to ask for higher terms.

In that case, it is better to simply deal with it and force them to make a choice immediately.

Now Zhou Pu has made it very clear to them that he must surrender within the specified time limit, and if he does not surrender, he will regard the Maori family as his enemy and will attack directly. He wanted to let the Maori family know that they didn't have much choice now.

On the same day, Mori Motonobu, who had been frightened by Zhou Pu, did not dare to delay any longer, rushed back to the Choshu Domain, and then relayed Zhou Pu's tough conditions to the feudal lord Mori Hidesho.

Mori Shu was immediately shocked by the sudden hard-line attitude of the Great Han, and he immediately convened the important ministers of the domain again to discuss the matter. At this moment, they also received the news that Dahan's gunboats had appeared on the sea surface of Xiaguan and were ready to open fire at any time.

Although they were a little dissatisfied with such an arrogant and merciless move by the Great Han, they were at a loss in the current situation, and they could not say what else could be done but to submit - the Mori family had waited for many years to come across such an opportunity, and they were really unwilling to let it go and continue to submit to the shogunate.

Moreover, now that they are already bearing the brunt, if they don't surrender, I am afraid that they will become the first sacrifice of the Han army, so everyone feels that there is no way out at this time except to agree to the conditions of the Han Dynasty.

Many people unexpectedly remembered the story of Kobayakawa Hideaki.

Kobayakawa Hideaki was a famous general of the Warring States period, the nephew of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and was once the adopted son of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and later became the adopted son of Kobayakawa Takakei, and inherited the Kobayakawa family governor.

After the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he ostensibly followed the Mori family, but he took refuge in Tokugawa Ieyasu long ago. On the battlefield of the Battle of Sekigahara, he hesitated for a while, but Tokugawa Ieyasu decisively ordered his men to bombard their military formations, urging him to make a final decision to turn against him.

It was under the coercion of Tokugawa Ieyasu that he made the final decision and fought back in the Western Army, which brought heavy losses to the Western Army and finally fulfilled the world of the Tokugawa family.

Kobayakawa Hideaki's move naturally won the hatred of the entire Maori family. However, time has changed, and they didn't expect that now, they will have to experience the feeling of being forced to make a decision by someone with a knife on their neck.

Because of the urgency of time, Mao Lixiu didn't care about discussing with Nijo Yasudo and the imperial court, but only informed Nijo Yasudo of his life, so that he could understand the situation his family is facing now.

Of course, Nijo Yasudo was very surprised to hear that the situation had changed so suddenly, but he had no choice but to watch the situation continue to develop.

As expected by the old rival Shimazu Tadashi, the Maori family agreed to Zhou Pu's conditions within three days, surrendered to the Han Dynasty, and issued proclamations everywhere to support the imperial court, wash away family feuds, crush the brutal and unkind shogunate, and call on the lords of the world to rise up against the shogunate.

As the feudal lords of Honshu Island, the Mori family was also famous during the Warring States period, so their transmission, combined with the edicts issued by the imperial court, quickly caused a sensation on the island of Honshu, and people were stunned that the shogunate was now facing not only the enemy of the Great Han, but also the sworn enemies of the country, the imperial court and the powerful feudal clan.

This stormy situation further shook the confidence of the feudal lords in various places in the shogunate, and further undermined the prestige of the shogunate. Fortunately, the shogunate had been on guard against the rebellion of the Mori clan beforehand, so the Hiroshima Domain, which was in the north of the Mori clan's territory, had already deployed troops on the border to prevent the invasion of the Mori clan.

However, although the anti-flag was raised, the Maori family did not march as soon as the Shimazu family did, and they did not move. On the one hand, it was to gather the military strength and resources of the domain, and on the other hand, it was to wait for the Han army to land.

Yes, despite the submission of the Mori family, the Han Dynasty's march into Honshu Island was already a smooth one, and the shogunate's rule in the western country was already in jeopardy.

And in the past few days, with the fact that the Maori family surrendered, the differences within the top echelons of the Han army on the number and focus of the two lines of division have finally been bridged. The successful surrender of the Maori family can save them a lot of worries.

Under Zhao Song's order, a battalion was drawn from the Liaodong Regiment of the Japanese army and put into Zhou Pu's account, which was close to 1,000 troops, which was all the troops sent by the Han in the army to the north. At the same time, Huang Changguo, the former senator of the Liaodong Regiment, was also ordered to follow Zhou Pu to assist Zhou Pu in commanding the army.

Of course, this was by no means all the horses who marched north from Kyushu to Kyoto, and under the orders of the Han army, the feudal lords of the entire Kyushu island who had defected to the Han were mobilized, and they would send all the troops in the domain to follow under the command of Zhou Pu and Huang Changguo.

These feudal armies had been gathered in battles against mobs in various places, and had been reorganized by the Han army, numbering almost 10,000 men. The rest remained in Kyushu to assist the Han army in suppressing civilians in various places to prevent further turmoil.

Because the transport ships of the Han Navy shouldered the task of transporting supplies, and the main force of the Han army left in Kyushu was also called upon, only a small part of the transport ships could be handed over to these northbound troops for use, and there was no way to transport all these troops together, so Zhou Pu could only choose to assemble them outside Kokura Castle first, and then transport them to the territory of the Choshu Domain on the other side of the sea one by one.

In order to stabilize the situation and at the same time to show the prestige of the Han Dynasty, Zhou Pu took the Han army directly under him, escorted by warships, and set foot on the land of Honshu Island first.

The Maori family had already been waiting on the other side, and when they saw the majestic battleships of the Han Dynasty appearing in the open sea in a combat-ready posture with full muzzle, they were all subdued as Zhou Pu hoped, and the gunboats of the Han Dynasty had landed in Fukuoka and Nagasaki before, and the impression of the gunnery of the ships had already taken root in their hearts, but when they saw the majestic faces of these warships with their own eyes, they still couldn't help but be in awe.

They understood that these warships could turn the coastal areas of the Choshu Domain into a blank slate, as had happened to Nagasaki, and that the plight of Nagasaki Castle and the inhabitants of Nagasaki had now reached their ears, and that their tragic plight had not aroused the indignation of the common enemy, but had made the entire Choshu Domain even more fearful of the Han.

Under their awe-struck gaze, Zhou Pu and Huang Changguo walked out of the cabin of the battleship, then descended the gangway and came to the trestle. Both of them had serious faces, and Huang Changguo was even more dressed in a military uniform and wearing his own medals, which looked very arrogant.

After seeing the arrival of the courtiers of the Han Dynasty, from the feudal lord Mao Li Xiu to the Mao Li Yuanxin and other vassal ministers, everyone stood respectfully and solemnly, and when Zhou Pu walked in front of him, Zhou Pu's face was calm, and he didn't look at the people who knelt on the ground on both sides, and walked straight forward.

However, although there is no fluctuation on the surface, his heart is already surging.

Although he had been to Honshu not long ago, he had a heavy responsibility at the time, and he was in a hurry, which reminded him of the fear of being discovered. Where is the scenery of being greeted by the lord of Choshu with a large army now?

Inadvertently, he also thought of the fact that he was the first Han Chinese to set foot on the Japanese island of Honshu with a large army, and he participated in a previously unprecedented feat. How is this not exciting?

Just a few years ago, he could not have imagined that he was still where he is today.

Just behind him, the transport ships also anchored to the pier, and then the soldiers of the Han Dynasty also walked out of the transport ships under the leadership of the officers, and then walked to the land of Honshu Island in a neat queue after Zhou Pu and Huang Changguo and others, becoming the first foreign army ever to set foot on Honshu Island.

Although the officers and soldiers of the Han army were silent, their calm attitude and strict queue still put great pressure on the people opposite, and everyone was panicked in the center of this solemn atmosphere, and finally there was no commotion.

Zhou Pu forcibly suppressed the distractions in his heart, and he walked to the place where the lord of the Maori clan and the important ministers were, although he had never met Maori Xiu, but he knew that the person kneeling in the first place must be the feudal lord Maori Xiu himself.

"But the feudal lord?"

"The contemptible person is none other than the lord of the Choshu domain, Maori Hide, who has seen an angel!" Maori Xiu immediately touched the ground with his head and replied respectfully, "I didn't know the general situation before, and I offended the angels a lot, and I asked the angels to forgive me!" ”

"The feudal lord is loyal to the country, takes the initiative to abandon the darkness and surrender to the light, and helps the **** crusade against the shogunate, what is the crime? Please up, please up! Zhou Pu's tone became much warmer, "There was a dispute between the two sides over some trivial matters before, but this was just a small misunderstanding, and now that the feudal lord has gone anyway, there is no need to mention the previous things." Please continue to serve the country and your country's society in the future! ”

"The clan had already had a blood feud with the Tokugawa family before, and it was only because of the great power of the shogunate that they had to make a false accusation and submit to them. At that time, I thought that the shogunate was so perverse, it must not last long, but I didn't expect to live under the minister for thirty years, ashamed, ashamed......" Mao Lixiu raised his head and looked at Zhou Pu with shame, "Fortunately, there is a **** to raise heavenly soldiers to support justice for our country and crusade against the tyrannical shogunate, so that we can get rid of the tragic fate of continuing to submit to the shogunate...... Up and down this domain, all the lives and the world are grateful for the grace of ****! ”

He said it very impassionedly, as if he was about to shed tears, even though he knew in his heart that he was just acting, but Zhou Pu was quite happy.

The Maori family is good at watching the situation and submitting to the strong, and it really lives up to its reputation.

"I am carrying the Son of Heaven to the sky, creating a new dynasty, and the wise and martial arts are better than the Qin Emperor and the Han Dynasty, and I naturally have the world in mind. Your Majesty has personally said that although Japan is isolated overseas, it can be regarded as a corner of the world and cannot be ignored. Zhou Pu laughed indifferently, looking complacent, "The Son of Heaven heard that the Shogunate was rampant, hijacking the monarch and bullying his subordinates, he was already furious, and the Shogunate has angered our country many times recently, so the Son of Heaven was furious and determined to raise a large army to crusade and restore the discipline of your country, which is a good deed for me to act on behalf of the Son of Heaven, and it is also the luck of your country." ”

"Yes, yes......" Although he didn't think much of Zhou Pu's words, Mao Lixiu still nodded again and again, without any hesitation.

Now that the situation is stronger than people, the Han has already beaten over, and the shogunate has been beaten to the ground, so naturally he has a point in saying it, besides, the Maori family has already taken refuge in them, so the more righteous they are, the less responsible they are.

In the midst of these three words, Zhou Pu and Mao Lixiu resolved the conflict between the two sides that had arisen temporarily due to bargaining, and reunited for the common goal of crusading against the shogunate, which could be maintained as long as the war went well.

However, Mori Shu was not blindly optimistic about the situation, and he knew that although he had suffered an unprecedented defeat on the island of Kyushu, the shogunate's foundation and strength were still very strong, and he still had a huge amount of land and population resources in his hands, which could not be easily defeated.

Not to mention their old nest of Kanto, even Kyoto, according to the information they have learned, has gathered a large number of troops from the shogunate and various feudal domains, even if the combat power is not high, at least the number is placed there, I am afraid that there are tens of thousands of people.

Therefore, how many men the Han will send north to attack Kyoto is a crucial question for him. Because this means how much pressure their own army will face.

He wanted to ask Zhou Pu directly, but he didn't dare to ask. So while he answered with Zhou Pu, he looked at the transport ship behind him cautiously, like other vassals, and estimated how many people the Han had sent.

With his appearance, Zhou Pu naturally understood what he was thinking.

"Although the shogunate is not evil, but after all, it has been entrenched in Japan for so many years, and the strength in its hands cannot be underestimated, so in order to defeat the shogunate, we Han have also made various preparations." Zhou Pu said unhurriedly, "Today, it is only the first batch of Han troops who will go ashore with us, and the follow-up troops will continue to drive here to assist your vassal to march to Kyoto together, and rescue your country's court from the dire situation as soon as possible!" ”

"Then dare to ask how many troops are **** going to send to Kyoto?" After enduring it for a long time, Maori Xiu finally couldn't help it and asked cautiously.

"Since it is to restore your country's discipline and defend your country's court, it is natural to use your country's own talents." Zhou Pu replied indifferently, "Therefore, our army going north this time is mainly based on the **** vassal army on Kyushu Island, with no less than 10,000 people. At the same time, in order to support the noble domain and these feudal armies, the Han army also specially dispatched 1,000 people to march to Kyoto with everyone! ”

"Thousand?!" When he heard this number, Mao Lixiu couldn't help but be dumbfounded, and he looked at Zhou Pu with some trembling, as if he didn't believe the facts he had heard.

"Although there are only a thousand people, but this is the elite of our army, and the battle with the shogunate is enough to fight ten or more, so what is the feudal lord afraid of?" Zhou Pu squinted at the other party, as if he was laughing at the other party's guts, "Marching into Kyoto and supporting the imperial court is a domestic matter of your country, and it is reasonable for the feudal lords of your country to do their own thing, why should the feudal lords be surprised?" As for the army of our Great Han, it is natural to go straight to the Kanto Plain and fight the shogunate! Tokugawa Iemitsu, the traitor, must be captured in front of the **** army! What is the feudal lord afraid of?! ”