Another Prince Regent?

As if a stone had been cast in a calm pond, there was a sudden commotion in the originally silent temple, and everyone looked at each other and whispered something. Pen fun and pavilion www.biquge.info

The turmoil that had taken place in Kyoto had also reached Edo a few days ago with an urgent report from Katsushige Itakura, the representative of Kyoto's office.

The Emperor, the Emperor, the Ministers, and many other ministers disappeared in the turmoil that night.

These are already the top few people in the imperial court, and their disappearance at the same time is tantamount to the emptiness of the entire court.

This news, in normal times, must have been an earth-shattering event, and it could shake Edo; Even today, when the Han Kou came and the shogunate faced its greatest crisis since its founding, it was still shocking.

For a long time, although the shogunate repeatedly encroached on the imperial court, and used various means to attack the prestige of the imperial court and even force the emperor to abdicate, but after all, the imperial court was the nominal lord of the world, and held the righteous name of calling for the world.

Although Itakura Katsushige was vague and said that everything was under investigation, the shogunate ministers and even Tokugawa Iemitsu himself were convinced that if there was no private collusion with the Han, the important ministers of the imperial court and the emperor would not dare to make such a drastic move, and there was no point in doing so.

What is even more worrying is that everyone understands that although the imperial court itself has no power or money, it is an ornament when the shogunate is stable, but it can give any careerist an incentive when the shogunate is facing difficulties.

Compared with the terrible pressure brought by the Han army, the harm of the imperial court is smaller, but it is still not to be underestimated.

If they do join forces...... I am afraid that it will bring a terrible disaster to the shogunate.

"This trip to the imperial court must have been instructed by the emperor, and now there is no love for them! Why not just declare them rebellious and set up a new emperor? Sakai Tadashi said with some dissatisfaction, "It's okay to appoint another Prince Regent, but we must tell the people of the world about this person's guilt, and let the people of the world know the determination of our shogunate." ”

"This person's culpability must be investigated, but not now." Naotaka Ii was not as excited as him, "Now that our great enemy is present, think about it, the Emperor has already fled, and His Majesty the Emperor is also in his hands, if it is announced to the world, it is tantamount to admitting that the imperial court has broken with the shogunate!" This will do us more harm than good. ”

Naodaka Ii was also as worried about the imperial court as Sakai Tadashi and others, but after judging the situation, he felt that it was better not to completely tear his face for the time being.

It was not that he cared about the face of the Emperor or that he had any feelings for the Imperial Court, but it was an obvious fact that once the Shogunate announced to the world that the Emperor and the ministers were opposing the Shogunate, it would be tantamount to saying that the Shogunate was only fighting for itself, and the Imperial Court was not on the side of the Shogunate.

Therefore, Ii Naomasa felt that it was better not to admit the fact that the imperial court had completely broken with the shogunate, and only to tell the people of the world that the two Majesties were now held hostage by rebellion, and that all the edicts issued by the two Majesties, and even all the possible cooperation with the Han Kou in the future, were acts of coercion, and could not be regarded as the true will of the imperial court.

Moreover, judging from the current situation, His Majesty the Emperor, who is only ten years old, was originally held hostage, and the culprit of all the sins should be His Majesty the Emperor, who has always had a bad relationship with the shogunate, so it is at least half right to say that they were held hostage by traitors.

"You have a point, at present, we still have to act in the name of the imperial court, and we really can't be embarrassed in front of the world." After thinking about it for a long time, Tokugawa Iemitsu finally bowed his head, but he added a sentence with some unwillingness, "However, the Emperor is really intolerable in this matter, he is not only against the shogunate, but also colluded with the Han Kou who invaded our country...... He is a sinner in the world! As long as we drive away Han Ko, then we must abolish him, and let him stink for 10,000 years! ”

"He did this, and of course we will make him pay the price in the future." Naotaka Ii wasn't as excited as he was, but he still echoed his words.

Now that the situation is so difficult, everyone doesn't know when they will be able to drive away the Han Kou, and then discussing how to deal with the rebellious emperor is really a bit unnerve-wracking. As long as they can drive away the Han Kou, the Emperor and his rebels are nothing more than chickens and dogs, and they can concoct whatever they want, and there is no need to be angry with them.

"If you want to make a prince regent, it's best to ask Her Majesty the Queen Mother......" At this time, Doi Toshikatsu once again added his opinion, "It must be more acceptable to the people of the world to authorize her personally." In addition, as these were extraordinary times and the country was in turmoil, His Majesty felt that it would be better to move the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Family, as well as the remaining courtiers of the Imperial Court, to Edo...... In this way, it can reflect the determination of the public samurai to fight the Han Dynasty with the same hatred and hatred, and secondly, it is also convenient for the shogunate to issue decrees in the name of the imperial court and command the world. ”

Doi Toshikatsu's suggestion also made the important ministers in the hall bow slightly. At this time of crisis, Kyoto is in the western country, and it may face the front of the Han Kou at any time, so it is also beneficial to their safety to let them move over as soon as possible.

What's more, although he didn't say it explicitly, everyone knows that this is also to prevent similar things from happening again. Now that there has been such a big **** in the imperial court, the shogunate can no longer afford to suffer greater losses, so it is better to move them all over and control them in the palm of your hand first.

"That's right, that's it! This time we have to keep the court in the palm of our hands! Tokugawa Iemitsu gently patted the folding fan in his hand with his hand, "The Emperor and those traitors were able to escape from the Imperial Palace, and they were able to escape from the whole of Kyoto, there must be internal responses everywhere, after we moved these people over, we must carefully interrogate them, find out the hidden rebellions one by one, and punish them canonically, so as to sue the world!" ”

Seeing that the general's anger had risen again, the others lowered their heads one after another, for fear of provoking the general's anger.

"Her Majesty the Empress Dowager's authority is unquestionable, and Her Majesty the Emperor should also keep his position, after all, it is also in the blood of our Tokugawa family. As for Masahito......" Tokugawa Iemitsu's tone became even colder, and he even called his name directly, "When the time comes, I will definitely break him into pieces!" ”

After venting his anger, he breathed a sigh of relief, as if he was finally in a better mood, "Hey, if only my sister's male heir bloodline could be preserved...... This time, we will also take the opportunity to purge the imperial court, and remove all the people who oppose us in the imperial family and the public family, and wait until after the war, we must choose an imperial family loyal to us to succeed to the throne, and then let him marry the Tokugawa family...... In the future, the imperial family can only be a vassal of the Tokugawa shogunate, and they can no longer be given a chance to rebel against us! ”

"The minister seconded the proposal!" Toshikatsu Doi directly touched the ground with his head, leading the others to follow the will of the general.

On weekdays, although Tokugawa Iemitsu and these important ministers of the shogunate acted arrogantly and domineeringly, they did not feel that there was anything to be sorry for the court, but felt that they had given superior treatment to the powerless court and the imperial family, and they should be grateful to Daitoku.

This escape from the imperial court really provoked their anger, and everyone wanted revenge, not just Tokugawa Iemitsu.

Of course, revenge is something that can only be done later, and shouting it out now is not very useful except to vent emotions, so Naotaka Jing immediately began to speak.

"General, the Han Kou's army is strong, but it is not terrible, it is constrained by distance and financial resources, and it is really difficult to consume with us...... For us, the most terrifying thing is the daimyo from all over the world, especially those from Kyushu and Saikoku...... If they throw themselves into the Han Kou and fight for them as a tiger, it will be tantamount to making the Han Kou like a tiger. ”

"Your Majesty is also worried." Doi Toshikatsu also helped, "Judging from the current signs, the Han Kou attaches great importance to winning over the local wealthy families for their own use, and they are already terrified in front of the Han Kou's soldiers, if the imperial court comes to the side of the Han Kou again and calls on the local wealthy clans to rise up against the shogunate, I am afraid ...... I'm afraid there will be a lot of people who are tempted. ”

His words once again silenced the temple.

These feudal lords, when weighing the problem in their hearts, all consider the interests and inheritance of the family, there is no national righteousness in mind, and the shogunate has been suppressing them for many years, many of them must have dissatisfaction with the shogunate in their hearts, if the Han Kou lure them, plus have the endorsement of the imperial court, they will definitely have many people who will choose to wait and see, or even surrender to the Han Kou.

The Han Kou were invaders from afar, and they themselves would be under great pressure from logistical supplies, and if they were fiercely resisted, the logistical supply would become more difficult, and eventually it would become a consumption that even the Central Plains Dynasty could not bear; But if there is a local wealthy family to drive it, it will be completely different, and by taking refuge in the cooperative wealthy family, it will be much less difficult for the Han to gain a firm foothold.

"So what do you say you should do?" Tokugawa Iemitsu asked with a frown. "Is there any way to stop them from throwing themselves into the Hanko?"

"There's no such thing as a reliable way." Jing Yi Naotaka sighed helplessly, "These people have no loyalty, and it is impossible to use loyalty to awaken their conscience. If the Han army's troops are overwhelmed, and we are defeated one after another, they will definitely have a rebellion in their hearts, and we can only try to remedy it...... If the army gathers in Kyoto, it should be able to deter the feudal lords of the western country. ”

In the current situation, Naotaka Ii said very directly, because he knew what the feudal lords thought in their hearts, so he did not have much hope for them to be able to maintain their loyalty, and could only say that he tried his best to fight for it.

"Just issue a general order and tell the lords of the western province that if they bravely resist the Han Kou, no matter how much they have suffered, the shogunate will compensate them after the war, and expand their territory from the shogun's imperial land, so that they may be able to reassure them a little." Matsudaira Nobutsuna, who had not spoken for a long time, finally spoke, "The Han Kou soldiers are so sharp, it is inevitable that some feudal lords will be shaken, and we must allow them to benefit." ”

"Yes, it's to make a profit!" Naotaka Ii nodded, "For example, the Maori family, we promised them to restore the territory of the family when it was cut down before, and let them lead the army of their own domain to resist the Han Kou. They are located at the southernmost tip of Honshu Island, and if the Han Kou wants to go north to Kyoto, they are the first line...... It should also be rewarded. ”

Hearing that he actually wanted to return to the territory of the Maori family before the 1.2 million koku, Tokugawa Iemitsu couldn't help but stiffen.

However, he also knows that now is a critical moment, and the conditions will inevitably be lenient, as long as the people's hearts can be stabilized, even if some unbearable conditions can be offered, it is natural - as long as the shogunate can repel the Han invaders and re-possess Japan after the war, whether these promises will be implemented or not is not a matter of the shogunate's words?

"Then issue an edict calling on the daimyo of the Western Kingdom to form an alliance to jointly resist the Han Kou." The Tokugawa family pondered for a while, and seeing that the ministers could not come up with a better solution, they had to admit the reality, "and at the same time urge the army to arrive in Kyoto as soon as possible, so as to calm the people." ”

"Your Majesty has one more suggestion." Doi Toshikatsu suddenly spoke again, his face solemn, but his eyes flickered a little.

"What advice?" Tokugawa Iemitsu looked at him.

"This Han invasion has dealt us a heavy blow, and it is likely to further provoke chaos in the domestic situation...... "Doi Toshikatsu lowered his gaze, "In addition to holding on to the western country and Kyoto, His Majesty feels that we must also prepare for the worst." ”

"What's the worst-case scenario?" Tokugawa Iemitsu asked again.

"If the imperial court is really rebellious, and a large group of vassal lords are disloyal and take refuge in the Han Kou, we ...... We must be prepared for the possibility that Kyoto or the western country may not be guaranteed. Doi Toshikatsu's tone suddenly became a little gloomy, "Of course, Your Majesty is not saying that things will definitely develop to this point, but the necessary preparations should still be made. ”

His words immediately caused an uproar in the temple.

"Lisheng Palace, that's a bit excessive, isn't it? Now that the enemy is present, we should be the same enemy, how can we say such disheartening words that blow our own morale? If the soldiers in front of us heard that we were planning to abandon the Western Kingdom, what would they think? Sakai Tadashi couldn't help but retort, "In front of Han Kou, we have already lost Kyushu, if we lose the Western Kingdom again, what face will we have to face the Divine Monarch?" Now the plan is to desperately resist Han Kou all the way, and there is no other way! ”

"It's awe-inspiring and very good, but does it make sense to sing this kind of high-pitched note now? Han Kou has already fought, and the West Kingdom is already crumbling, so wouldn't it be better not to plan for the worst beforehand? Toshikatsu Doi glanced at Sakai Tadashi with displeasure, "It's because we did too much before and didn't have enough planning that we got to where we are now, shouldn't we learn from it?" ”

Under his sharp gaze, Sakai Tadashi was speechless for a while. In the previous relationship between the shogunate and the Han, the Sakai family had always been hardliners, and unilaterally interrupting copper exports was also the most insistent on them, so when Doi Toshikatsu secretly accused them of causing these troubles, Sakai Tadakatsu could only be temporarily depressed.

"General, this disaster is all the guilt of the ministers, and I am really ashamed of my lord!" Seeing that the situation within the shogunate was already quite unfavorable to him, another old man of the Sakai family, Sakai Tadashi, stood up, "Such a heinous sin, we should have committed suicide to atone for our sins, but the minister asked the shogun to let the minister go to the west and lead his troops to fight the Han Kou to the death, and die in battle as forgiveness!" ”

As soon as his words fell, the two elders of the Sakai family fell to their knees at the same time, as if waiting for Tokugawa Iemitsu's fall.

Tokugawa Iemitsu didn't speak all the time, just looked coldly at the two people lying on the ground.

Cold sweat began to break out after Sakai Tadashi's farewell, and he was deeply afraid that Tokugawa Iemitsu would take their strategy of retreating as advance seriously, and really sent them to the western country to fight the Han Kou to the death.

"Okay, at this time, don't pursue the previous matter, resisting the Han Kou is the only priority at the moment." However, at this moment, Tokugawa Iemitsu finally spoke, but his tone was very calm, and he was almost like two people before, "The two elders have always been important ministers who have assisted me, and they have rich experience in handling state affairs, wouldn't it be the cart before the horse to be sent to the western country to resist the Han Kou?" There is no need to mention this kind of thing anymore. ”

Then, he turned to look at Toshikatsu Doi, "Say what you think." ”

Of course, he was not as kind as he appeared, but in fact he was already angry in his heart. The Sakai family had been disrespectful to themselves as a young general before, and now they dare to blackmail the lord, which is really a great crime. It's just that the inside of the shogunate can't be chaotic now, so I can only bear with them for a while.

He had already decided that after Han Kou was driven away, he must let these two old middle school members apologize.

"Your Excellency General Xie." Seeing that he had the support of the Shogun, Doi Toshikatsu continued, "Since the Western Kingdom is already in danger, we must prepare for the Han Kou to penetrate into the hinterland of the Western Kingdom and even take Kyoto under the guidance of a large group of feudal lords......

Then, in a louder tone, he said, "If that's the case, we're going to send the royal family and the feudal lords who are close to us to Edo as soon as possible." At the same time, Kyoto and were to be turned into blank fields, so that the Han Kou could not get supplies from...... Even from to Owari and Mino, the gateways to the Kanto region, this large area had to be prepared to be strong and clear, so that the Han Kou could not march from here. Yes, everything is about the defense of Kanto and Edo! ”

Is this a preparation for the entire loss of the Western Kingdom?

The others looked at Doi almost dumbfounded, as if they suspected that he was insane.

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