Even the Sendai Clan has already come to the door? This news surprised all the vassals present. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 info

The Date family of the Sendai Domain was a rising star in the Warring States period, but their rise was not slow, and after several generations of management, they became a powerful force, and in the troubled times of the Warring States, such a force would of course become the focus of attention and attraction from all sides. After the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the ambitions of his various daimyo began to rise again, especially Tokugawa Ieyasu, who fought for power by aggressively suppressing dissidents on the one hand, and desperately trying to win over powerful daimyo for his own use.

In order to win over the Date family, he promised to add the territory of the Sendai Domain to at least 1 million koku after the war, and at the same time let his son Matsudaira Tadaki go to Date Masamune's eldest daughter. After careful judgment, the Date family also decided to join the camp that supported the Tokugawa family.

After the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate, the Date family's rule within the main domain was recognized and settled by the Tokugawa family, and they had a territory of 600,000 koku - in addition, because of the geographical environment of the Sendai domain and the favorable climate, agriculture and fishing were very developed, and the actual stone height in the domain was higher than it appeared, probably more than 1 million koku, which was not smaller than the Maeda family of the Kaga domain.

Such a wealthy and powerful feudal domain naturally aroused the suspicion of the shogunate, and under the control of the feudal lord Date Masamune, the Sendai domain of the Date clan had always regarded world hegemony as its goal, so the Tokugawa shogunate had always regarded the Sendai domain as its own confidant after establishing its rule over Japan.

From the first shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu to the second shogun Tokugawa Hidetada to the current shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu, the three generations of shoguns have been trying to establish an in-law relationship with the Date clan and be gentle with the Date clan. At the same time as Huairou, the Tokugawa shogunate had always been wary of the Sendai Domain, regarding it as an imaginary enemy, and established various systems of prevention.

During the Battle of Sekigahara, although the Date family became an ally of the Tokugawa family because of Tokugawa Ieyasu's promise, after the war, Date Masamune was forcibly detained by Tokugawa Ieyasu for the construction of Edo Castle and other reasons, and was not able to return to his territory until a few years later, and the million-stone territory promised to him before the war was also in vain.

If it is a person like Tokugawa Ieyasu who can endure, he can still endure this kind of embarrassment and humiliation, but Date Masamune, the head of the Date family, is not this kind of person, he has always had the desire to follow Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi and others to sweep the world, and has said many times that he only hates not being able to be born twenty years early and compete with them for the world.

With this character, he naturally remained resentful of the shogunate, but at the same time, he never extinguished his ambition to rise again and compete for Japan.

There have always been rumors that he colluded with his son-in-law Matsudaira Tadashi and some other people within the shogunate to create turmoil in the shogunate, although there may not be direct evidence, but the shogunate is very strict against them, although Matsudaira Tadahui is the son of Ieyasu, but the shogunate is very harsh on him, after Ieyasu's death, his brother, Tokugawa Hidetada, who inherited the shogun's throne, exiled him several times, and finally was imprisoned in Takashima Castle in Shinano Province.

Since Date Masamune's feud with the shogunate was so famous, it was obviously worth pondering that he had sent a messenger to the Maeda family at this delicate time.

In the silence, all the unsuspecting vassals were secretly wondering what the Date family was planning to do with the Maeda family.

Fortunately, the feudal lord Maeda Toshitsune did not hide their intentions.

"The messenger has brought a letter, which was written by Lord Quan Zhong Nayan himself."

Gonchu Nayan is the Date Masamune himself, who is now in the imperial court.

"The letter told me about the past friendship between our two families, and encouraged me to take courage in this difficult time and keep the foundation of the Maeda family...... In addition, in the letter, he proposed that when the Great Han and the shogunate were in a fierce war, let the two of us join forces to protect each other! ”

Although his words were plain, they caused a huge wave here, and everyone was surprised.

The previous words are all polite words, and no one will take them seriously, but the latter words are too weighty - Date Masamune actually wants to let the two families advance and retreat together! This is tantamount to saying that the two families will unite and not obey the shogunate's dispatch.

Everyone knew that Date Masamune would make some moves in such a situation, but he did it so quickly and so unabashedly, which made them feel very shocked.

The fact that the cunning Date Masamune made such a move was tantamount to indicating that he had already made a judgment that it was impossible for the shogunate to win the war, and that it would either be greatly weakened or simply disappear, and that it would be impossible to impose any substantial punishment on the two families after the war.

This made the group feel very relieved, but also very nervous - because whether they agreed to the other party's conditions or not, it meant that the Maeda family had come to the most tense juncture.

"What does Lord Nayan mean is that we both will wait and see and not help either side?" Toshitaka Maeda asked in a low voice.

"Lord Zhong Nayan said very earnestly in the letter, clearly saying that our two families are now in a relationship of lip to mouth, and we must watch and help each other." In the silence, Maeda Toshitsune continued. "Although our two families are big feudal clans, compared to the shogunate and the Great Han, after all, they are still alone, and Japan is already in chaos today, if we don't unite again...... I'm afraid that whoever wins or loses will be very difficult for us after the war. ”

"Lord Nayan is selfish." Maeda Toshitaka pondered for a moment and then suddenly said. "He's behind the shogunate, so he can't move freely, so he wants to tie our hands and feet!"

His words were echoed by many.

Obviously, the Sendai Domain was located in the northeastern region, behind the Shogunate's Kanto base area, and was under the most pressure from the Shogunate, and it was the least free to act, so it was best for the Sendai Domain to watch from the sidelines, and they had no way to interact with the Han anyway.

However, it was a different story for the Kaga Domain, which was located in the central part of the country, and it was clear that it was already the first to bear the brunt of the invasion of the Han army into the region, and it was under great pressure from the Han Dynasty, and it also needed more freedom of movement.

Now that the Kaga Domain has decided to send an envoy to to negotiate with the Daihan, perhaps they will follow the example of the Maori family and surrender to the Daihan in order to preserve their foundation.

"My lord, the Date family has always been cunning, and Lord Nayan is even more scheming, if we listen to his rhetoric, it will be very bad for us, and maybe we will fall for them." The day before yesterday, Li Feng also opened his mouth to express his opinion, "Our Kaga Domain must move freely, let alone obey their Sendai Domain's command. ”

After these two expressed their opinions, the others also spoke, and although there were different opinions, their general opinion was the same, they all thought that they should not get too close to the Sendai Domain, but should act freely.

As he spoke, some people even began to laugh at Date Masamune, thinking that he was just a powerful man, but in fact he was ambitious and talented, although he boasted that he could compete for the world, but when he won the war, he was lackluster, but he failed repeatedly, and if he was born twenty years earlier as he boasted, he would have been destroyed by Nobunaga and Hideyoshi.

"Everyone is very reasonable, we really can't get too close to the Date family, and we can't put our hopes in them. But...... After all, the Sendai Domain is a large domain, and there are many places that can be used by us. At this time, a highly respected vassal suddenly bowed his head and spoke, "If we join forces with the Sendai Domain, then our strength and influence will increase greatly, and not only the imperial court but even the envoys of the Han Dynasty will look down on us." Besides...... At present, although we are negotiating with the Han Dynasty, the future is uncertain, and the negotiations between the two sides may collapse, so we should seek a way back for our domain. Besides, we can negotiate with the Han Dynasty and unite with the Sendai Domain. ”

"That makes sense." After pondering for a moment, Maeda Toshitsune nodded and agreed with the old man's opinion. "At present, the situation is difficult, we should win over all the people who can be won over, and strengthen our momentum, only by expanding our own strength is the only way to keep the foundation. So no matter what the Sendai clan has in mind, we can use them. ”

Then, in the deliberations of these people, the Kaga clan finally decided on the general policy of "winning over the Sendai clan to gain momentum, and then seeking to negotiate with the Daihan to obtain the best negotiation conditions." And Maeda Toshitaka, the brother of the feudal lord Maeda Toshitsune, has also become a secret envoy of the Kaga Domain, and will personally go to to find the Great Han for negotiations.

If all goes well and the Maeda family is guaranteed to keep the family business and even expand its territory in the hands of the Great Han, then the Sendai clan can be abandoned; If the negotiations don't go well, this short-lived alliance could be a retreat for the Maeda family, at least making them less worried.

And in the course of their discussions, they also set the bottom line of this negotiation - the upper situation is naturally that the fiefdom can be maintained or even expanded, but they don't dare to think that it is so wonderful, so they decided that as long as they can preserve the foundation, even if the territory is slightly reduced, it is acceptable.

The Kaga Domain's territory was large, but the most fertile land and the most tightly controlled in the domain were some territories such as Notoguni and Kaga Province and Echichu, which were about seven or eight hundred thousand stones, and they decided that if the Maeda family really couldn't keep all the territories, then it would be feasible to hand over some territories appropriately in exchange for keeping the basic territory.

"I will go out of the city tomorrow to find an opportunity to negotiate with the Han, even if it is to sacrifice my own life, I must save the Maeda family." After the discussion was completed, Maeda Toshitaka looked at the feudal lord with a sigh of relief, "Please also ask the feudal lord to take this domain as the priority, and don't spoil a big thing because of personal feelings!" ”

His words meant something.

No matter how the strategy is formulated, if the Maeda family does not obey the dispatch of the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu, then the relationship with the shogun will definitely drop to the freezing point, and it can even be said that it is close to a rupture, and at this time, it is necessary for the feudal lord Maeda Toshitsune to eliminate all personal considerations and make decisions based on the interests of his own domain.

Maeda Toshitsune married the daughter of Tokugawa Hidetada, and his eldest son was also born to this lady, and is still a hostage in Edo, if the two families break up, the lady will definitely not be able to explain the past, and the eldest son who remains in Edo is also very likely to meet with accidents. At this time, we must show resolute courage and must not be moved.

As soon as Maeda Toshitaka finished speaking, the others also looked away, obviously hoping that the lord of the domain would make a statement in public in order to calm the hearts of the clan.

Under such pressure, Maeda Toshitsune frowned slightly.

He understood that he was usually hesitant and did not make up his mind easily, so everyone in the domain was suspicious of him, for fear that he would hesitate when the matter came. In such a situation, he must show a determination so that his subordinates do not doubt his leadership and abilities.

"As a descendant of the Maeda clan and the lord of the Kaga domain, of course I only think about the future of the domain, so would I think about anything else?" "Yes," he said aloud in the hall in a tone that bordered on rebuke, "Yes, my wife is the daughter of the Tokugawa family, but she is absolutely insignificant compared to the main domain; My eldest son is in the hands of the Tokugawa family, but I have many other sons! Shimazu Tadashi was able to lose a son in order to raise an army against the shogunate, could it be that as a descendant of the Maeda family, could I still be inferior to the Shimazu family?! ”

During the Warring States period, daimyo often sent hostages to each other to show that they would never attack each other, and such hostages were generally close relatives of the feudal lords, such as children, wives, and mothers. However, even if the hostages were sent away, the daimyo would generally act according to the established policy when the stakes were at stake, and there would be very few worries - in the face of the foundation of the Honkatsu, family affection would only be secondary.

In order to calm the hearts of the important ministers of this domain, Maeda Toshitsune deliberately said very decisively, but in essence, since he had made the decision to watch from the sidelines, he had already made up his mind to abandon his wife and children, and he had other wives and concubines and children anyway.

Didn't His Majesty the Emperor also resolutely abandon the Middle Palace and turn to the enemy of the shogunate?

"Your Excellency is wise!" Seeing Maeda Toshitsune's statement, everyone's hearts were relieved, and then they fell to their knees and saluted their lord of the domain.

On the second day, Maeda Toshitaka set off for with some henchmen in accordance with the arrangement of the domain, and set off to with light clothes to find traces of the Han army.

And the Han army is now wreaking havoc in, as they expected.

After winning the Battle of Himeji, the Han envoy Zhou Pu sent his lieutenant general, Tachibana Muneshige, who was in charge of the allied forces of the various feudal domains, to pursue him, and Tachibana Muneshige lived up to expectations, regardless of his old age and declining physical condition, and led his army to pursue the enemy army incessantly, all the way to, causing the whole of Japan to fall into terror.

The army led by Zhou Pu rested in Himeji Castle for a while, and after recovering from the huge damage suffered in the tragic siege battle, he led the army to attack Kinai again.

Because there was a road for Tachibana Soshige before, their march was very smooth, and they did not encounter any resistance along the way, but many people surrendered. And for logistical reasons, they have been marching along the coast.

It didn't take long for them to reach the territory of Settsu Province.

Settsu Province, like many other regions, was ruled directly by local officials sent by the shogunate, and in times of peace, these anointed lands provided the shogunate with a lot of goods and wealth, but in the current situation, there are no local lords to resist the Han.

After the army gradually entered the territory of Settsu Province, it soon penetrated into various villages and counties, and almost swept the entire territory, and Zhou Pu also took his senators to Kobe Castle in Arima County, and used this place as his new station.

Kobe is a port city with a long history, and it was from this port that Japanese envoys sent to the Tang Dynasty in ancient times, and although the city is now dilapidated due to the closure of the country after the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate, it is still a bustling commercial port.

Kobe's geographical location is also very advantageous, and if you go northeast, you can get a glimpse of Kyoto, which is located in the territory of Yamashiro Province; A short distance to the east, the bustling cities of Osaka and Sakai are within easy reach.

Zhou Pu used this place as his station, just to use this port to maintain the supply of the army, rest the whole army and prepare for the final march into Kyoto. It was also possible to liaise with various Japanese forces and further weaken the political and economic power of the shogunate.

The most sensitive to his actions are naturally the wealthy merchants in nearby Osaka and Sakai City, because of the fiasco of the shogunate army, they are now in chaos, and the shogunate's orders can no longer be carried out, and these wealthy merchants who have already reached a tacit understanding with the Han are no longer scrupulous, and they are scavenging for food supplies to this army that invaded Kinai, so as to make a lot of profits.

Zhou Pu deliberately co-opted them and invested a large amount of gold and silver in trading with them, on the one hand, naturally to relieve the logistical supply pressure in the rear, and on the other hand, to strangle the economic base of the shogunate - although the shogunate discriminated against merchants, but the shogunate's economy depended on these wealthy merchants to maintain and operate, as long as these wealthy merchants no longer cooperated with the shogunate, then the shogunate's economy and financial resources would be hit hard, and it would be difficult to maintain stability in the area under its control.

And after he came to Kobe, he also attracted more attention from all the forces in Japan, and the envoys of various forces kept pouring to, seeking cooperation with the Great Han, or at least seeking the forgiveness of the Great Han.

Among these envoys, one of them turned out to be a close retainer sent by Tokugawa Tadacho, the younger brother of the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu and the current Tokugawa Tadacho of the Great Minister. (To be continued.) )