Tokugawa Tadanaga was previously claustrophobic in Takasaki Castle by his brother Tokugawa Iemitsu, and he was humiliated many times, and he was about to be persecuted to death, but at this time, the Han launched an attack on Japan, and the shogunate was also hit hard, and for a while there was no time to pay attention to this big Nayan lord who had become a fish on the board. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

When the Han quickly occupied Kyushu Island and marched into Honshu Island, the shogunate also fell into an unprecedented crisis, and Tokugawa Tadacho, who was claustrophobic in Takasaki Castle, finally got the news, and he did not dare to kill him, he quickly made a decision, and escaped from Takasaki and escaped into the people before the shogunate's envoys went to Takasaki Castle and killed him directly.

At the same time, Tokugawa Tadanaga was not satisfied with the freedom he had obtained for a while, and he did not want to live a bleak life incognito as a commoner, he wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to seek greater benefits for himself.

And the development of the situation did create room for him to act - since he took out Takasaki Castle, his news began to become well-informed, and these news, for the shogunate, were bad news - the Mori family was attached to the Dahan's men, and assisted the Dahan to start the march towards Rakuchu, and their march was also very smooth, it can be said that the battle was successive, not only the feudal lords in various places along the way could not resist, either died in battle or fled, even the military power of the shogunate itself could not resist their troops.

After the fall of Himeji Castle and the collapse of the shogunate army that was fighting the Han in the western country, Tokugawa Tadanaga began to realize that the shogunate had no way to expel the Han army, and it was even possible that it would be defeated by the Han army and fall into a situation from which it could never recover. Therefore, he thought that he had to find a way to negotiate with the Great Han in order to get the Tokugawa family out of this terrible situation.

The Han army's inscription has made it very clear that they want to punish the shogunate, that is, to punish the first evil Tokugawa Iemitsu, so Iemitsu will fight desperately in order to save his life, and finally forcibly drag the Tokugawa family to bury him, and Tokugawa Tadacho believes that he has the obligation to stand up and save the blood and blood of the Tokugawa family, rather than fighting to the end in this situation.

Therefore, after a period of hibernation, Tokugawa Tadanaga decided to take the initiative to come forward and contact the Great Han.

However, he also knew that he was now a lonely man and did not have any power to rely on, so he did not dare to go to in person, or even to play his own banner, but lurked in the mountain village where he had been hiding, and then sent one of his remaining retainers, Inaba Masatoshi, to seek contact with the Han.

Inaba Masatoshi was also very cautious, after he came to, he has been carefully investigating the information related to the Han army, figuring out the general movement and location of the Han army, he disguised himself, took advantage of the chaos in various places to come to the occupied area of the Han army, and then tried his best to get in touch with the Japanese feudal army in the Han army.

When the news reached the base camp in Kobe, and Zhou Pu himself learned about it, he immediately stopped what he was doing and ordered Inaba Masayori to be brought to him.

Although the Han was now fighting a decisive battle with the Tokugawa family, as far as the purpose of the Han army itself was concerned, Zhou Pu knew that what they were seeking was not to eradicate or destroy the shogunate, but to seek a situation in which all Japanese forces could contain each other, and as a result, the Han had to be in a transcendent position, and only this situation was most conducive to the Han Dynasty, so that the Han could continue to squeeze money from Japan as His Majesty had envisioned before.

Under this policy, the Tokugawa shogunate, and even Tokugawa Iemitsu himself, were not the sworn enemies of the Han Dynasty, but the tools of the Han Dynasty to beat and establish their authority, and this battle was first diplomatic and political, and then military, and military victories again and again were just to increase the bargaining chips of the Han in the negotiations and the confidence in controlling the Japanese political situation.

Therefore, Zhou Pu did not exclude contact and negotiation with the Tokugawa family, and Tokugawa Tadanaga's identity was so special that it was even more worthy of his use. So, Inaba Masanori was allowed all the way to Kobe Castle, which was surrounded by a large army.

Kobe was originally a bustling seaport city, but recently due to the war between the two countries, many people had chosen to flee before the Han army entered, and when the Han army reached the city, the residents of the city were even more empty, so the city could no longer see the prosperity of the past.

However, after the occupation of Kobe, the army was stationed here, and the merchant port was also congested with Han and Japanese merchant ships transporting food and munitions.

After Zhou Pu came to Kobe, he requisitioned the most luxurious mansion of a wealthy merchant in the city for his own use, and lived in it in a grand manner, and Inaba Masatoshi was also escorted all the way here.

When Inaba Masanori was brought to Zhou Pu's room and saw the Han envoy, he hurriedly knelt down and bowed to the de facto ruler of the Western Kingdom.

"In Shimoinaba Masanori, meet the angel!"

"Get up, don't be polite." Zhou Pu waved his hand directly, signaling that the other party didn't have to be so respectful. "You're here on behalf of Tokugawa Tadanaga, so do you have anything to say to me?"

Although Zhou Pu looked quite polite, Inaba Masanori did not dare to raise his body, but still knelt down in front of Zhou Pu. "Lord Kaiyu, Lord Da Nayan has sent me here to find out how to make peace between the Tokugawa family and the Great Han. As the son-in-law of the former shogun of the Tokugawa family, he was deeply saddened by the current situation, and he also hoped that he could do his best for the Tokugawa family, so that the two families could stop fighting and reconcile. ”

"Get back together? Sounds pretty good. Zhou Pu nodded slightly, as if he was very useful, and then his face suddenly froze, "But I heard that although your family is the son-in-law of the previous shogun and the younger brother of Tokugawa Iemitsu, he has always been quite jealous within the shogunate, especially not valued by Tokugawa Iemitsu, Tokugawa Iemitsu has been suppressing your family for many years...... So now that your family is just a lonely family, even if you want to do something for the two families, how can you do it? ”

This cross-examination was very forceful, and it could be said to be unceremonious, so Inaba Masatoshi's face turned red from some embarrassment, and he could barely speak. At the same time, he was also surprised by the detailed knowledge of the Han envoy about the internal situation of the shogunate.

Fortunately, as an envoy, of course, he already had a draft in his heart about the various situations that might arise, so he quickly suppressed the unhappiness and embarrassment in his heart, and explained to the Han envoy again.

"My lord, you are right, Tokugawa Iemitsu has been seeking to suppress the Great Nayan since he inherited the position of shogun because of his jealousy of the Great Nayan, which shows that this person is narrow-minded and ruthless." As he spoke, he gritted his teeth a little because of his hatred for Tokugawa Iemitsu, "His unsympathetic and perverse approach has already caused the ancestors to be distressed when the previous shogun was in power, and it made the retainers of the shogunate very unbearable...... Today, the situation is very different. ”

"You mean there were many ministers within the shogunate who were very dissatisfied with Tokugawa Iemitsu?" After hearing this, Zhou Pu finally became a little interested, "Then what is the approximate number of people in this group?" Can we get in touch with each other? Will you be able to do whatever your head of the house calls you? ”

These questions are all to the point, which makes Inaba Masanori a little speechless for a while.

There will definitely be many people in the shogunate who are dissatisfied with Tokugawa Iemitsu's tyrannical behavior over the years and the way he treats Tokugawa Tadanaga, but those who hold this kind of dissatisfaction will definitely not show too much in front of others, so how can he know who the specific people are? Not to mention that these people should be at the disposal of Tokugawa Tadadenaga.

Inaba Masanori said this, just to raise the value of his master and increase his bargaining chips with the Han envoys, but the Han envoys did not accept all his words, and a few words of interrogation made him a little speechless.

However, Inaba Masatoshi was also a little anxious, so he didn't fully show that embarrassment. "My lord, the people who are dissatisfied with Iemitsu are still in the shogunate, and they can't easily reveal their identity, so please forgive us for not being able to tell you for the time being, but please rest assured, Iemitsu is not popular in the shogunate, and no one wants him to drag the shogunate and the Tokugawa family into a catastrophe! As long as the adults can give help to the Great Nayan, then the Great Nayan will definitely bring the two families back to peace as soon as possible. ”

Zhou Pu frowned slightly, thinking carefully about the other party's words. Although he was vague, he had now seen through the confidence of the other side - in fact, Tokugawa Tadanaga was really a loner now, and he could not provide much help to the Great Han, and there was no way to directly create a disturbance within the shogunate to weaken the shogunate's strength.

However, even so, he did not intend to drive Inaba Masatoshi away - although Tokugawa Tadanaga could not provide him with much help now, the status of the direct descendants of the Tokugawa family could still be used to make a fuss, especially now that Tokugawa Iemitsu had no heirs, and his brother was the most direct and legitimate successor, if Tokugawa Tadanaga could hold it in his hands, it could have a great psychological impact on the shogunate.

"Your family has such an identity, but you have fallen into such a situation, to be honest, we are very sympathetic. Tokugawa Iemitsu acted so excessively, not only bullying the imperial court and the wealthy daimyo in various places, but also not letting go of his own younger brother, it is really a jackal's heart, if we do not eradicate this kind of jackal, I am afraid that Japan will not know how many disasters will suffer. Zhou Puhao looked at the other party for a long time, "It's just that since your family can't directly control the civil and military generals in the shogunate, and now you are just a lonely family, how can you make peace between the two families as soon as possible?" ”

"As long as the adults help the Great Nayan to play the banner, then ...... Then my lord will definitely be able to replace Tokugawa Iemitsu as the shogun with the help of the shogunate's important ministers. Inaba Masatoshi said his own calculations, "As long as Lord Da Nayan becomes the shogun, then he will definitely let the two families rest their troops, so that Lord Yaya can return to China with meritorious deeds." ”

Zhou Pu sneered slightly. Tokugawa Tadanaga really sought the support of the Great Han as expected, but his idea seemed too naïve - Tokugawa Iemitsu had been a shogun for nearly ten years, and even if the shogunate was in turmoil now, how could his position be shaken by a few words from Tokugawa Tadanaga? And...... He also forgot about the more important issues.

"Do you still think that after the fight, there will be a shogun?" Zhou Pu suddenly sneered, almost mocking.

This mocking smile made Inaba Masanori suddenly feel chills in his heart. Could it be that the Great Han really intends to exterminate the Tokugawa family? Surely they can't tolerate the Tokugawa family?

"Let me tell you bluntly, Tokugawa Iemitsu has already sent a special envoy to negotiate with us, and we have also told them our negotiation requirements." Fortunately, Zhou Pu did not sell Guanzi, and continued to explain to him, "The shogunate's bullying of the imperial court caused the corruption of Japan's discipline, which is actually the source of all misfortunes, so after the war, the Tokugawa family must dissolve the shogunate, return to the imperial court of your country, and from then on list in the imperial court as an ordinary daimyo." ”

It wasn't meant to destroy the Tokugawa Gate...... Masanori Inaba finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The Great Han had come under the banner of restoring the discipline of the Tsuna, and the demand for the Tokugawa family to dissolve the shogunate was not particularly abrupt - although it was indeed very harsh.

"That'...... Where do you plan to place the Tokugawa family after the war? ”

"After all, the Tokugawa family is a big family that has accumulated years, and it has contributed to the elimination of the Toyotomi clan, so we don't plan to let the Tokugawa family be annihilated, so the condition I put forward with Tokugawa Iemitsu is to let him restore the old Kanto clan." Zhou Pu immediately replied, "The shogunate is in power, causing the anger of the heavens and the resentment of the people, and being able to do this is already a great grace of heaven." ”

Restoration of the old Kanto ...... At this time, Inaba Masatoshi was in a tremor like the envoy Takagi Kiyoshi sent by the shogunate.

Since the Battle of Sekigahara, the Tokugawa family has established a great advantage in the whole of Japan, and redivided the territory of the whole of Japan, and incorporated most of the territory into the pattern of the shogun's direct leadership, the Tokugawa family and the Matsudaira family's feudal domain, and the shogunate's cronies' genealogy daimyo, and the condition of the Han Dynasty means that this pattern will be directly destroyed, and the Tokugawa family and his generations of retainers and lords can only retreat to the old Kanto domain.

No wonder Tokugawa Iemitsu never agreed. Inaba Masatoshi suddenly realized.

"Your Excellency...... These conditions are simply too harsh. Finally, he retorted in a low voice.

"Harsh? I don't see any harshness! Zhou Pu didn't give the other party a word at all, "The Tokugawa family and our Han Heavenly Soldiers have fought many battles, and they have been defeated repeatedly, and now we have fought to Kinai, and we are about to enter Kyoto, so that your court can recover the world, and everyone can see that the Tokugawa family and the shogunate have reached the end of the day...... At such a time, we are still willing to keep the Tokugawa family, which is already a great favor and kindness, and you still say that it is harsh? If you can't even accept this, then I don't see any difference between Tokugawa Tadanaga and Tokugawa Iemitsu, so please go back! ”

After finishing speaking, Zhou Pu flicked the sleeves of his robe, obviously not wanting to talk to him anymore.

"My lord, please stop your anger!" Seeing that the situation was not good, Inaba Masaori hurriedly kowtowed again, and finally let Zhou Pu stay, "My lord, it's not that we don't want to agree to your request......

"That's pretty much it." Zhou Pu's face finally looked better. "If you can agree, we can talk, it doesn't matter if you let your family become the governor of the Tokugawa family-although the Tokugawa family can't be the shogun's general, but the old Kanto domain is big enough, let your family master rule this large territory, will it still insult your family? I would like to ask you to think about it. It's best if you say yes, if you don't...... Then we don't care, anyway, the Tokugawa family is big enough to always find someone willing to cooperate. ”

Under the threat of Zhou Pu's coaxing and intimidation, Inaba Masashi has fully understood their current situation - it is obvious that as long as the Han defeats the shogunate, the Tokugawa shogunate will no longer exist, but the Han does not intend to destroy the Tokugawa family, but only wants to eradicate the Tokugawa family alone, so the Tokugawa family will still have the territory at that time, just to see who is willing to attach himself to the Han and sit in the position of the governor.

Tokugawa Tadanaga is now just a lonely man, without any Austrian aid, and even has a grudge against many important ministers within the shogunate, although he has the identity of a former shogun's son-in-law, but without the approval and help of the Han, it is impossible to become the Tokugawa family governor.

Therefore, even if the foundation of the Tokugawa family will be greatly reduced, even if the Han is so arrogant, it is necessary for Tokugawa Tadanaga to seek their help.

As long as you take refuge in the Han, then you can at least make a big name in the case of the Han win, and be happy, if Tokugawa Iemitsu wins, or if he doesn't take refuge in the Han, then he can really only be a country man in the future, and even if he wants to live in the world, he can't get it.

It's not a difficult choice to make, at least not in Inaba's eyes.

"Tokugawa Iemitsu has gone perverse before, done so many crimes, and brought such a disaster to Japan, so it is also ......a curse to be punished," Finally, he said to Zhou Pu respectfully, "The Great Han is the Heavenly Empire, if the Great Han wants to punish the Tokugawa family in this way, we have nothing to say, and the Great Nayan will definitely obey his orders and will never commit the crime of trespassing." ”

"Your lord, you really still know the current affairs!" Seeing that the other party finally chose to give in and become a pawn in his hand, Zhou Pu couldn't help laughing, "It seems that Da Nayan is indeed a hundred times stronger than Jiaguang as a superintendent!" It's okay, then you should go and inform your family as soon as possible, he, we have made it! ”

"Thank you, sir!" Inaba Masanori kowtowed again.

There is no doubt that although Tokugawa Tadanaga would of course say to himself that he was doing this not only for himself, but for the preservation of the Tokugawa family, no matter how much he comforted himself, it was a clear betrayal of the family.

It's just that now, I can't care about it so much. (To be continued.) )