"We've been debating when it's better to go into the army, and you've been in Japan lately, so I'd like to ask your opinion and see what you think would be better." After thinking for a while, the prince decided to simply refer to Zhou Pu's opinion.

Then, he told Zhou Pu about the differences that were now being discussed within the military council, and then waited for Zhou Pu's opinion.

For Zhou Pu, of course, he hopes that the sooner the better, so that the risk he faces is minimal. However, he also knew that he could not use his own safety as a reason to convince His Highness.

"The ministers of the military state were originally not qualified to put their beaks, but since His Royal Highness consulted the ministers, the ministers had to say some of their own opinions." He found himself a staircase first.

"But it doesn't hurt to say it, even if it's wrong, no one will blame you." The prince urged impatiently.

"The minister thinks that the ideas of both sides are reasonable, but it seems that it is better to enter the army as soon as possible." Zhou Pu said cautiously, "I hope to postpone the idea of entering the army, I am afraid that after a long period of destruction, there will not be enough ports available, but Japan today is very different from back then." At that time, Japan did not have much trade with foreign countries, but now it has been a hundred years since the opening of the sea, and there have been trade with Westerners and ports in various places before, so there are many ports on Kyushu Island suitable for our army, and after we occupy Kyushu, even if Kyushu cannot be used for the time being, we can use other ports. ”

"Won't other ports be destroyed?" The prince asked rhetorically.

"Probably not." Zhou Pu shook his head, looking very determined, "Now many of the ports in Kyushu are in the hands of local wealthy clans, such as the Satsuma Domain and the Pingdo Domain, these domains have a very bad relationship with the shogunate, and even have enmity, so they will definitely be happy to see us attack the shogunate." Satsuma clan aside, they have agreed to cooperate with us, and their port will be open to us at that time. The Hirado vassal had already communicated with each other, and they were also quite opposed to the shogunate, and the retainer was confident that he would be able to convince the Hirado vassal to turn against us after the war, and that Hirado had been a large port for trade before that, which was sufficient to meet the needs of our army. ”

"If that's the case, it would be great!" The prince was overjoyed. "It seems that my father sent you to Japan with a good sense of knowledge, and my father has a clear vision!"

Then he stood up excitedly, as if he had already made up his mind about it. "Let me ask you again, military affairs are by no means child's play, and if you make a wrong judgment, I am afraid that many soldiers will die innocently because of this...... Are you sure that what you just said will be achieved? ”

As he interrogated, Zhou Pu suddenly felt a little difficult to breathe, and the weight pressed on him like a mountain.

He lowered his head, thought carefully, weighed how sure he was, and for a while beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

It was as if he had returned to the day when he participated in the state council, when he had already made an excellent impression in front of the emperor and was entrusted with important tasks, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was the future emperor, if he could also leave a shrewd and resolute impression on His Highness, then wouldn't he be able to stay rich and prosperous for a long time?

After a long time, he finally nodded heavily, "Back to Your Highness, the minister does not dare to Meng Lang, so I can't say that I am completely sure, but the minister is seventy or eighty percent sure that after my army enters Kyushu, Hirado can be used by me, at least it will not be burned." The minister thought that there was no need to worry about Kyushu's resistance, because the shogunate in Kyushu was very weak and would not cause us too many obstacles. ”

Of course, he knew the weight of these words in his heart, but he also knew what impression he would leave on His Royal Highness the Crown Prince by doing so, and he was even more sure of his own judgment.

His firm attitude was enough to infect His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and with the help of this minister who had just rushed back, he finally made up his final mind.

"Well, then I'll gather them over and tell them my decision. You also join in, tell them all the opinions you have told me today, and let everyone set a time for entering the army during this meeting. In addition, if there is anything you need their help with, you should also make it clear to them as soon as possible, so as not to get everyone to hit Kyushu but not cooperate well. ”

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Just as Zhou Pu, the crown prince and others were agreeing on the final time of the march, Naito Tadashige's letter about the current delicate situation between the two countries was sent to Edo Castle, causing a great uproar in the upper echelons of the shogunate.

In the deep hall of Oku, several of the elders in Edo were summoned to discuss the increasingly serious situation and how to deal with it, in the presence of Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu.

Because Naito Tadashige is now in Nagasaki, and Inaba Masakatsu has now gone to Ueno Kuni Takasaki Castle, where the general's younger brother Tokugawa Tadanaga is imprisoned, only Sakai Tadashi, Matsudaira Nobutsuna, Doi Toshikatsu, and Sakai Tadakatsu are the four old middle schools, as well as the eldest old Ii Naotaka himself.

The elders, divided into two rows, knelt behind their seats, while Tokugawa Iemitsu himself sat upright on the throne, looking blankly ahead. The dim candlelight illuminated everyone's faces a little blurred, and also made the atmosphere in the hall even more gloomy.

Seeing that it was about to rain, the air was unusually dull, making everyone's chest a little depressed, as if they were being enveloped by a behemoth.

The meeting had been going on for a long time, but no one had spoken, as if no one had taken responsibility for breaking the silence. This was because Tokugawa Iemitsu's face was terribly pale, and the group of high-ranking officials who were familiar with the shogun's temper knew how terrible the consequences would be if they disagreed and angered the adults.

The questions raised by Naito Tadashige in the letter shattered their previous predictions about the Great Han, and no one expected them to be so decisive. What's even more terrifying is that there may be an even bigger storm behind it.

After receiving Naito's letter, the shogunate ministers put aside their other matters and gathered to discuss the issue several times. Like Naito Tadashige, they believe that this is a means of trade blackmail by the Great Han, but they are also a little afraid that the Great Han may make more drastic moves.

It was impossible not to tell the shogun about such a big matter, and Tokugawa Iemitsu quickly learned of these things, and then directly convened the important ministers of the shogunate to discuss.

"Why didn't anyone speak? Aren't they all mouthful? I don't know how long it took, but the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu, who had been silent, finally spoke, "Usually you all point out the country, as if as long as I believe that you can have long-term peace and stability in the world, why are you all silent today?" ”

With a slightly mocking sneer, he looked around at the group of important ministers, and finally fixed on Sakai Tadashi.

"Tadashi, you've already read Naito's letter, what do you think about it?"

When he was stared at by Tokugawa Iemitsu, Sakai Tadashi instantly felt a thorn in his back, his heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and a wave of fear unconsciously emerged from his heart.

In the previous Shogunate deliberations, he was the most supportive of restricting trade with the Great Han as soon as possible, and was also one of the people who advocated the temporary cut-off of copper exports, and many things that he insisted on eventually became the Shogunate's resolution. One can imagine how angry the general must have been with himself in such a grim situation.

As the leader of the hardliners in the capital at that time, he could not help but speak now, giving an explanation and countermeasures that satisfied the general.

"I'm ashamed to ...... General," Sakai Tadashi bowed his head to the ground and apologized in the way of sitting down on the ground, "It was our previous misjudgment of the Great Han that caused the matter to fall to this point, and please punish the General!" ”

His posture was lowered so low that Tokugawa Iemitsu's complexion became slightly better.

"What's the use of asking for sin? Now you want to deal with it, Zhongshi, since you were the most active in asking for a ban on trade when we were discussing at that time, you must have been mentally prepared for the current situation, right? Say, what do you think is the best way to do it now? ”

"My lord, I think that now the big man obviously wants to use coercion to force us to comply, and this is something we must not show weakness." Sakai Tadashi raised his head again and looked at Tokugawa Iemitsu, "Once we show weakness, this will give the Han a false impression that we have something to ask for them, and then we will have to make an inch in the future and continue to pressure us to make concessions." ”

"You mean to fight back hard?" Tokugawa Iemitsu frowned.

"Yes, Your Majesty thinks that we must respond to this despicable act of the Great Han with an awe-inspiring attitude, and tell them that they are a great country, and that they must not do such a trick, and they must not think of using this method to force us to retreat." Sakai nodded, "I believe that as long as you respond to them with a tough attitude, they will eventually compromise." ”

"Then how do you think you should be tough?" Tokugawa Iemitsu asked again.

"We must make our attitude clear, and then write the letter of state and submit it to the Han court through the merchant houses in Nagasaki, so that they will understand our position of not giving in," Sakai replied loudly, "At the same time, we will hunt down those Han merchants in Nagasaki who have violated any prohibitions, so that they can be punished as they deserve, so that we can not be controlled." ”

Tokugawa Iemitsu didn't ask any more questions, he turned his head and looked at the big guy Naotaka Ii who hadn't spoken all this time.

"What do you think?"

"My lord, I don't think we should act so hastily." Naotaka Ii didn't say anything else, but instead said his opinion directly, which caused a slight commotion among others.

This is not his usual style of acting, as an elder, serving a withdrawn and arrogant person like Tokugawa Iemitsu, he is usually very cautious, and he will not easily express his opinion in front of the general, let alone praise and disparage his colleagues in front of the general, and it is unusual to say it so directly today.

"Why do you say that?" Tokugawa Iemitsu was a little curious.

"The situation is already a bit critical, and now is no longer the time to take it lightly, my lord." Naotaka Ii suddenly hung his head on the ground, "Now we must show determination to restore the relationship between the two countries as soon as possible, instead of blindly showing toughness and making the relationship between the two countries worse, we must add some gentle means." ”

"When we discussed it before, you yourself agreed to be tough on the big man, why did you change the hexagram now?" Another Sakai family elder Sakai Tadashi who was present suddenly asked, "Although what Tadashi just said is a bit biased, I think there is nothing wrong in general, if you blindly give in, things will only get worse and worse, and you will be underestimated." Although the current situation is not good, at most, the trade between the two countries has been interrupted for a while, and it will not cause much damage to our country, but the Han Association will first have to compromise with us because it is difficult to bear this kind of damage. ”

"Before it was, who would have thought that the big man would actually deal with it in this way? Now that the relations between the two countries have reached a very dangerous situation, we should not continue to be reckless, but should think of other more ingenious ways to solve the problem, so that it will be beneficial to Japan, and there is no point in talking about any face. ”

"My lord, I don't think I'm reckless." At this time, Sakai Tadashi couldn't help but speak, "On the contrary, when the Great Han came up with such a means to force us, we actually didn't have much choice, except to force them to return to their original position, other means didn't make much sense. ”

"Why is there no other choice? Did we act in the first place to break down relations between the two countries? It's nice to be tough, but who is responsible for the losses suffered? Jing Yi Naotaka was a little annoyed, "In order to restore trade with the Central Plains, how much effort was spent by the Divine Monarch and the previous generals, have you forgotten?" How can you easily let all this hard work go to waste because of a momentary anger? ”

"Naturally, the Divine Monarch and the previous generals will not want us to show weakness to the Great Han!" Tadashi Sakai replied immediately.

Seeing that he hadn't yet expressed his opinion, the eldest old Ii Naotaka had already argued with the two Sakai family elders, and Tokugawa Iemitsu couldn't help but feel even more annoyed.

He was still too young, and the influence of the important ministers left behind by his father before his death was too great, especially the powerful and deep-rooted Ii and Sakai, who were the largest daimyo of the lineage, and who had served in the shogunate for many years, which was really a bit arrogant.

Originally, he thought that he would slowly promote his cronies in the future and replace these important ministers of the older generation, but now it seems extremely necessary. But I still need them now, so I can only bear with them for the time being.

The fan on his couch slammed into the table in front of him, and the handle of the bamboo fan broke almost at the same moment, making a loud noise.

This dull sound immediately brought back to the senses of these important ministers who had already quarreled, and they quickly silenced them, and then knelt down.

"If you quarrel like this, you won't be able to discuss a result in a day." He looked at these important ministers coldly, "But time will only pass in vain, and the situation will only get worse and worse when the time comes." You have just mentioned the Divine Monarch and mentioned my father, so I would like to ask, did you do the same when they were alive? ”

This stern interrogation was almost a reprimand, and several important ministers couldn't stand it, so they all quickly knelt down again, and they didn't dare to come out.

After venting the anger in his heart, Tokugawa Iemitsu finally calmed down and looked at Naotaka Ii again.

"You said you want to be Huairou, so how are you going to be Huairou, how do you want them to give up their current policy and have normal dealings with us?"

"Hui Lord, when I say Huairou, of course, I don't mean blindly Huairou, but without giving up our own position, try to let Dahan feel our sincerity, and at the same time dilute the impact of the previous trade disputes. In general, it is polite and courteous, and harmony is precious. Naodaka Ii still hung his head and replied in a very respectful tone, "The specific way is to reopen copper exports to Dahan on the grounds that the Dutch's orders have been completed, and at the same time apologize for some previous disputes, and try to make up for the deficit in previous copper exports." At the same time, in terms of terms of trade, we can also make some concessions, no longer rush to limit the scale of trade between the two countries immediately, and agree with them to maintain the existing scale of trade first, and then after that, reduce the volume of trade between the two countries at a steady rate year by year, and stop the outflow of gold and silver, so as to give the Han a time to adapt, and their resistance will be much lighter. ”

"The elder also said that he was not afraid, isn't this a sign of weakness? This will only make the big men look down on us, and they will be even more emboldened in the future, and it will not benefit us at all. If we continue to behave like this in the future, will we continue to give in? So how long do we have to concede? I think it would be better to make our position solemn and clear from the beginning. Sakai Tadashi couldn't help but say, "Although the big men are powerful, in fact, with our strength, there is no need to whisper to them so much. ”

"This is not a question of showing weakness or not showing weakness at all, the exchanges between the two countries are originally bargaining, and finally reaching a compromise, how can other countries not say anything and listen to us directly? Since our previous conditions seem unacceptable to them, then we will lower our bids and reduce our demands, so that it will be easy for them," Naotaka Ii disagreed, "Since it is useful for us to maintain trade, we must find a way to think about it on the basis of this, rather than thinking about the pointless question of showing strength or weakness." ”

Then, he slowed down his attitude and looked up at Tokugawa Iemitsu again, "Of course, we can't just lower our attitude and not let the other party see our determination, we really should show the big Han our strength, so that they will carefully consider the new method we propose, I think as long as we use both soft and hard measures, the big man will eventually stop their actions and negotiate with us on a new trade system that really works." ”

"What does hard mean?" Tokugawa Iemitsu asked again.