In the sixth year of Yongle, the March day of the spring breeze, Kyoto, Japan is a good season for flowers.

However, under this bright sunshine, an undercurrent is quietly surging.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the owner of Japan's most powerful deer-in temple, wore a robe and lightly twisted rosary, and held a 1,000-member concert performance in the deeren temple by the monks of the Ichisai-in and Mahayana-in temples.

He led Emperor Gokomatsu and his entourage, shuttling through the sound of silk and bamboo, but there was a deep meaning hidden in his eyes.

After three rounds of drinking, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu gently signaled to Emperor Komatsu with a slightly drunken meaning.

The emperor understood and gave the cup of wine to Ashikaga Yoshitsugu, the youngest son of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu who had just ceremonized the Motofu of the prince in Ouchi.

This move is undoubtedly announcing to the world that the successor in Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's heart is already clear.

Moreover, it is not just a matter of succession, at the banquet, the tatami mat on which Ashikaga Yoshimitsu sits is a green pattern that only the emperor and the emperor can use at that time, and the building is also decorated with sixteen-petal chrysanthemums representing the Japanese imperial family, and the temple is erected with a golden phoenix representing the imperial family, and his own clothes are embroidered with sixteen-petal chrysanthemums. Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's desire to usurp the throne was so evident that he couldn't wait when his body was getting weaker.

If combined with the fact that he made Ashikaga Yoshiji, the second son of Eizan Enryakuji Temple, more vulgar, and planned Ashikaga Yoshiji "Tong Den Shang" (let the children of the underage ministers serve the emperor), and in just two months, Ashikaga Yoshitsugu was promoted from the left horse head (the head of the official horse ranch under the fifth rank) to the third senator, directly making him among the top ranks of the public family, it can be said that Ashikaga Yoshimitsu is only one step away from the dream of Ashikaga Yoshitsu usurping the throne.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu planned to make Ashikaga Yoshitsugu the adopted son of Go-Soko-in, and then coerce Emperor Go-Komatsu to take the throne, and finally let Ashikaga Yoshitsugu succeed him as emperor, and he himself ruled Japan as emperor.

For this reason, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu met with the angels of the Ming Angel Pavilion in Japan, and asked about the attitude of the Ming Dynasty.

In fact, for the various measures of the Ming Dynasty, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu did not guess that the Ming Dynasty had the intention of making a move against Japan, but because the Ming Dynasty's secrecy work has been done very well, so what the Ming Dynasty has prepared, how many troops, and whether it really intends to do anything to Japan, these questions are unknown to Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.

As for Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, he obviously can't offend the Ming Dynasty now, because his main source of military spending is the tax revenue from Japan's trade with the Ming Dynasty.

What's more, because the domestic situation in Japan is still unstable, he must not let the Ming openly support other forces, so no matter what, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu must try to avoid any conflict with the Ming side.

Therefore, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu plans to complete the process of usurping the throne first, and then dispose of all opponents, and then hand over Japan to his beloved son Ashikaga Yoshiji, and then he will not be afraid of the threat of the Ming Dynasty.

——————

In the shogun's flower palace, the atmosphere is extremely heavy, and even if the garden is full of flowers, it can't make the owner of the flower palace even the slightest bit happy.

Ashikaga Yoshimori, the current shogun, sat at a delicate sandalwood table, his face pale, and his eyes revealed a deep horror and unease.

His fingers unconsciously tapped on the tabletop with a dull sound that contrasted with the melodious birdsong outside the window.

Even if you look closely at this shogun, you will find . He's shaking.

His henchman, the shogunate commander Yoshisho Spo, was standing beside him at the moment, his eyes as sharp as a knife.

He was well aware of the source of Ashikaga Yoshinori's fear, Ashikaga Yoshinori's father, the owner of the deer garden, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.

Although Ashikaga Yoshinori was already a shogun, under the huge shadow of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, he was never able to truly hold real power.

In fact, it was very popular in Japan and Korea at this time to cede their position to their heirs and to rule by themselves.

So don't look at Ashikaga Yoshimochi as a shogun, in fact, he doesn't have much real power.

"General, we must act."

General Spoi's voice was low and firm, and his words broke the silence in the room: "Wait any longer, in the words of the Great Ming, it is 'sit and wait'." ”

Ashikaga Yoshimori raised his head, his gaze intersecting with that of Spoyoshi.

Ashikaga Yoshimori saw the fierceness in the eyes of Shogun Spo, and also saw his own fearful eyes reflected in Shogun Spo's eyes.

"I know but, but, what do we do?"

Ashikaga Yoshinori asked, his voice revealing powerlessness and confusion, after all, he was just a young man in his early twenties, too tender compared to an old fox like Ashikaga Yoshimitsu!

Expressionlessly, Spooy pulled out a glass bottle from his sleeve, and some white crystals were placed in the glass bottle.

"What is this?"

"Penicillin, after being ground into powder, is basically colorless when integrated into water, and has a slightly bitter taste."

Ashikaga Yoshitsu frowned: "Where did you get it from?" ”

"Da Ming got it over there."

When Ashikaga Yoshinori heard this, a trace of shock flashed in his eyes, he had never thought of poisoning his father, but the words of Shogun Spo Yoshisho made him see the possibility of wielding real power.

"This ...... Will this work? He asked hesitantly.

Seeing that Ashikaga Yoshimoru was still hesitating, General Spoyi said in a low voice: "General, this is the only way. ”

"We must take a risk, as soon as the master of the deer-in temple dies, you can completely grasp the real power and become the real shogun, otherwise, your future path is only to be deposed and become a monk."

Ashikaga Yoshinori was silent for a moment, his heart struggling.

Ashikaga Yoshinori knew that what Shomasaki was right, but he still couldn't make up his mind to poison his father, but thinking about the situation he had been in, he felt that this was an opportunity worth taking a risk.

Eventually, Ashikaga Yoshinori raised his head and his gaze became determined.

"Okay."

Ashikaga Yoshinori said, "Just do as you say, but we have to make sure nothing goes wrong." ”

Spoy's tone was full of confidence: "No one can solve this poison, we can buy off the close ministers who can get close to the master of the Deer Garden." ”

In the early days, artificially extracted penicillin was basically no different from poison, and it did have no taste except for a slight bitterness, and it had no color when dissolved in water.

And the biggest obstacle to the Ming Dynasty's attack on Japan is undoubtedly Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, a generation of heroes who unified Japan's northern and southern dynasties.

Jiang Xinghuo doesn't have any thoughts of heroes sympathizing with each other, if he can achieve his goal, it is best to let Ashikaga Yoshimitsu die, so that without Ashikaga Yoshimitsu who can calm the field, all forces within Japan that have been temporarily suppressed can be chaotic themselves.

For the Ming army, the difficulty of an organized and unified Japan and a separate and chaotic Japan was completely incomparable.

Ashikaga Yoshimoru figured out a lot of things in an instant, but he didn't speak, but hesitated for a long time before he said, "Who are you looking for?" ”

There is no doubt that Ashikaga Yoshimochi, who was cornered, made up his mind.

"Find the ape music actor Shi Ami and ask him to poison the wine he gave to the owner of the Deer Garden."

After the death of his father, Ami inherited the title of "Kannon Doctor", and inherited the artistic achievements of his father, on the basis of Yamato ape music, which was characterized by imitation performances, absorbed the song and dance components of Omi ape music, and extensively absorbed local folk songs, ancient court music and Chinese poetry, and set the culmination of various genres of acting, creating a unique style of Kanshiro-ryu, and the ballads created by Ami to poetry, glamorous beauty and mystical beauty.

As a "play", he is very loved and trusted by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.

"Just do as you say, if you need money, the treasury of the Imperial Palace of Flowers is at your disposal."

Shogun Spoi was relieved to see Ashikaga Yoshito's determination, he knew that his next plan would be very dangerous, but he also believed that if he was careful, he would be able to succeed.

So, Shobo bowed to Ashikaga Yoshimori, then turned and left the Flower Palace, and began to prepare for the next move.

Ashikaga Yoshinori looked at the other party's distant back and fell into deep thought.

There is no love for no reason in this world, and the other party is so strategic, or even desperate, naturally has a plan.

The Spo clan was one of the three leaders of the Muromachi shogunate, and had the position of guarding the daimyo in many places, and the family had served as both the Oshu and Hashu examiners for a long time, and also served as the Kyushu tandem and the Kanto governor for a short time, and the power was huge, and was suspicious and suppressed by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.

There is no doubt that Spoo intends to push himself to the throne in order to seize more power.

After Shogun Spoyoshi left, Ashikaga Yoshinori remained in place for a long time.

His mood is very mixed, with both anticipation for the future and fear of the danger that is coming.

However, Ashikaga Yoshinori knew that he had made a choice, so he had to go on firmly, in fact, he really had no choice, and if Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's plan succeeded, then there would be no need for him, the shogun, to exist.

So, Ashikaga Yoshinori took a deep breath, tried to calm his mind, and then began to think about his next plan.

Next, Ashikaga Yoshinori gave a gift to the Imperial Palace.

- "New Tang Book".

The Imperial Observatory has been replaced, and after the death of Hino Yeko a few years ago, Hino Yasuko, who was also born in the Hino clan, as Hino Yeko's niece, naturally became Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's wife, of course, the two sides are still political marriages.

But neither Hino Yoshiko nor Hino Yasuko gave birth to an heir for Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and Ashikaga Yoshitsugu was not close to the new stepmother, and the relationship between the two sides was very stiff, coupled with the position of the Hino clan, it gave the Imperial Palace and Hanano Imperial Palace a chance to join forces.

When night falls, the streets of Kyoto are filled with the faint scent of cherry blossoms, but the inside of the Flower Palace is full of slaughter.

Ashikaga Yoshinori has already received a return gift from Goshodai.

He paced around the room, his heart getting heavier.

Although Ashikaga Yoshinori had made up his mind, he was still struggling at the thought of attacking his father.

For no other reason, the sense of oppression that Ashikaga Yoshimitsu has brought to him in the past twenty years of life is too strong.

At this moment, there was a slight knock on the door, and the figure of General Spoyi appeared at the door.

"General, everything is ready." His voice was deep and powerful.

Ashikaga Yoshimochi nodded, taking a deep breath, trying to calm the turmoil in his heart.

"How's it going over there?"

"Ami has agreed to our plan."

General Spoy replied, "He will take the opportunity to poison the wine of the master of the Deer Park Courtyard during tomorrow's performance." ”

Ashikaga Yoshimoru was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly.

Tomorrow will be the day that will decide his fate.

——————

The next day, Xiangguoji Temple.

The sun is shining, the deer park courtyard is bustling, and people are excited about the upcoming performance.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu also arrived at the performance site early, completely unaware of the impending danger.

In Japanese themes such as "Takasago", "Bow Hachiman", and "Old Pine", as well as Chinese themes such as "White Lotte", "Handan", and "Queen Mother of the West", Ashikaga Yoshimitsu chose "Old Pine".

Originating from the Han and Tang dynasties in China, Sarugaku was introduced to Japan in the Nara period and developed into Sarugaku at the end of the Heian period.

The show soon began, with Ami and his ape ensemble team performing stage.

Their performances were brilliant and won bursts of applause from the audience.

However, behind this laughter, there is a deadly killing intention.

During the toasting session at the end of the performance, Seami took the opportunity to poison Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's wine glass.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu drank the glass of wine without noticing, and then continued to enjoy the performance.

As the minutes passed, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's face gradually showed a painful expression, his body began to tremble, and then he suddenly fell to the ground.

The ministers and monks in the courtyard of the deer park were stunned by this sudden scene, and the whole scene fell into chaos.

Ashikaga Yoshinori stood beside Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and watched this happen.

His heart was full of mixed emotions, not much grief for his father's death, but more excitement about the imminent rise to power.

The physician soon announced the death of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and Ashikaga Yoshimori, as the shogun, rightfully declared martial law on the spot, and all the ministers and monks were not allowed to leave.

General Spoyi walked up to Ashikaga Yoshinori and said softly, "General, you have taken the most important step, now you should go out and stabilize the situation and announce to everyone that you are the real shogun." ”

"Ami."

"I'll take care of it."

Ashikaga Yoshimochi nodded, took a deep breath, and walked out of the deer garden.

He first ordered his henchmen to take control of the shogunate and control of Kyoto, and then went to the emperor to report the situation.

However, the death of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu does not mean the end, this murder only means that the real struggle has just begun.

Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's death undoubtedly dropped a bombshell on the seemingly calm Kyoto, and Emperor Komatsu posthumously awarded him the honor of "Emperor Taijo of Shikaen-in", and Ashikaga Yoshinori refused to give this title on the grounds of transgression under the opposition of Shogun Spo, but the Buddhist forces represented by Sokokuji Shikaen-in accepted the title smoothly, making the whole situation even more confusing.

Buddhist temples, in Japan is quite a large force, and no one can ignore it, in Japan, the economic development of Buddhist temples is very deformed, these people are not only monks, but also big landlords, and their own arms.

At this time, the new Yasuko Hino of the Hino clan is also playing an ambiguous role in this power game, but her mind seems to be completely not on her late husband, but busy looking for new support in this turbulent Kyoto.

Every corner of Kyoto, whether it's Ouchi, Hana-no-Gosho, Godaisho, or Shikaen-in, is shrouded in an atmosphere of nervous vigilance, with everyone speculating about what will happen next, and everyone secretly planning for their own benefit.

Although it was announced that Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was suffering from a sudden illness, the impact of this murder incident did not completely dissipate, and in a certain corner of Kyoto, there were people secretly investigating the truth of the incident, suspecting that Ashikaga Yoshimitsu's death was not so simple.

Especially after Ami was assassinated by the ninja, the situation became more and more paradoxical.

These undercurrents did not arouse sufficient vigilance on the part of Ashikaga Yoshimori, who was busy contacting powerful factions in various places to support his rule.

The Muromachi shogunate was a deformed product from the very beginning, and there were a large number of guardian daimyo in the shogunate who had a hereditary monopoly on real power in the center of the shogunate and a large number of local territories, which were represented by the so-called "three management and four positions", that is, the Spo, Hosokawa, Hatakeyama, Akamatsu, Yamana, Isshiki, and Kyogoku families.

In the face of the guardian daimyo represented by the "three pipes and four positions", the generals of the Muromachi shogunate had no better way, starting from the first shogun Ashikaga Sonji, the most common and best way for the generals of the Muromachi shogunate to deal with these people was to provoke trouble, that is, to let the guardian daimyo fight with each other, and then the shogun came out to mediate or suppress, so as to strengthen his authority.

In addition to the "three pipes and four positions", these powerful factions within the Muromachi shogunate, Ashikaga Yoshinori also had to face the same "Kamakura Gongkata".

The so-called "Kamakura Gongkata" refers to the fact that when the first shogun of the Muromachi shogunate, Ashikaga Takashi, founded the shogunate, in order to fight against the Southern Dynasty, he had to set up the shogunate in Kyoto, and in Kanto, the center of gravity of the samurai, the Sonji clan was given to his son Ashikaga Kei, and the seat of governance was in Kamakura, which was the "Kamakura Kokata".

The Kamakura Principality ruled over the eight Kanto provinces and the two countries of Izu and Kai, and the guardian daimyo and Kanto governors of the above ten countries had the right to appoint and dismiss the Kamakura Prefecture, so it can be said that the Kamakura Principality was the shogun of the Kanto region.

At the same time, the organization of Kamakura Prefecture was almost identical to that of the Shogunate, and it was sometimes referred to as the Kanto Shogunate.

By the time Ashikaga Yoshinori was in his generation, the contradictions between the two sides were already very acute, and the Kamakura Principality often had the idea that "he could take his place", in fact, if the historical line was not crooked, in another thirty years, the Kamakura Principality would have openly confronted the shogunate in the "Eternal Enjoyment Rebellion", and finally the army was defeated, and the Kamakura Principality's bloodline was cut off for a while.

Therefore, the shogunate was actually equivalent to two shogunates, one in Kyoto, the Muromachi shogunate, and the other in the Kanto shogunate of Kamakura, both of which were Ashikaga clans, but at this time, after several generations of inheritance and power struggles, they were no longer strangers.

Within Kyoto, there are also factions with different positions, such as Ouchi (Emperor), Hanano Gosho (Shogun), Goshodai (Hino Yasuko), and Shikaenin (Buddhist Family).

In addition to the shogunate, there are also powerful daimyo who have never been one heart with the Muromachi shogunate, as well as the three major explorations of Oshu, Yushu, and Kyushu (about equal to the governor of the Ming Dynasty), plus the Southern Dynasty, the monk and the dormant Emperor GoKameyama and those old ministers who were concerned about the Southern Dynasty. It can be said that while the shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori was consolidating his position of power and had no time to take care of it, these undercurrents would eventually converge into a huge force that posed a threat to the rule of the young man in his early twenties.

——————

The western suburbs of Kyoto, Saga-Daikakuji Temple.

After the "Mingde Peace Treaty", the Southern Dynasty handed over three artifacts on behalf of the emperor's legal system, that is, the Tiancong Cloud Sword, the eight-foot Qiong Hook Jade, and the Eight Mirrors, after that, Emperor Gokameyama has been living here, calling himself "the Lord of the South" and "Dajue Temple", although life is lonely, Emperor Gokameyama has endured and persevered.

At this time, the Japanese emperor, who had already become a monk, sat in an exquisite Buddhist hall.

Minoru Ano, Gongwei father and son, and close ministers such as Rokujo Tokiki served by his side.

"Has the news been confirmed?"

"Confirmed."

Yoshida Kanatsu said with certainty: "The news from the side of Xiangguoji Temple, combined with the news from Kyoto, is confirmed. ”

On the other side, Yoshida Kaneki added: "And your daughter Prince Taikonai wrote from the previous that the national teacher of the Ming Dynasty intends to support you to return to the throne of the emperor, and now that Ashikaga Yoshimitsu is dead, it is completely okay to cause trouble." ”

"The samurai who are watching over us around Saga Daikakuji Temple have also obviously been evacuated a lot, and Ashikaga Yoshinori should be very nervous, he doesn't think we can do anything."

Emperor Go-Kameyama listened to their story, and an inexplicable excitement swelled in his heart, his ambition to restore the Southern Dynasty had never stopped, and now, the opportunity had finally come.

Emperor Go-Kameyama knew very well that as long as Ashikaga Yoshimitsu died, the situation in the government and the opposition would inevitably undergo drastic changes, not only would Emperor Go-Komatsu of the Northern Dynasty not be willing to become a puppet, but other forces would not obey the shallow Ashikaga Yoshinori, Ashikaga Yoshinori as the successor of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu will face countless troubles and challenges, and this is the opportunity that Emperor Go-Kameyama has been waiting for for a long time.

"Yes, even without Daming's intervention, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity now."

"Uprising."

Emperor Go-Kameyama quickly made a decision, there is no better chance than this, the worst result will not be worse than the current state of house arrest, the good result is to either restore the Southern Dynasty or become the emperor of the whole of Japan again, what is there to hesitate about?

Soon, Emperor Go-Kameyama consulted with his cronies and decided to go out and secretly visit Yoshino, the old capital of the Southern Dynasty, believing that as long as he could gather the forces of the old Southern Dynasty, he would be able to raise an army against the rule of the Muromachi Shogunate and restore the glory of the Southern Dynasty.

Under the cover of night, Emperor Gokameyama led his group quietly out of the temple of Saga Daikakuji Temple, and they made their way through dense forests, over steep mountain peaks, and after a great deal of hardship, they finally arrived in Yoshino.

This ancient capital still retains traces of the Southern Dynasty, which made Emperor Go-Kameyama feel extremely intimate.

Emperor Go-Kameyama, who returned to Yoshino, immediately began to rally the forces of the old southern dynasty, and he issued orders to Yoshino's loyal nobles and samurai, calling on them to respond.

At the same time, he sent envoys to contact the remnants of the old Southern Dynasty and his once loyal supporters, including his most important supporter, the Kitabatake clan.

During his time in Yoshino, Emperor Go-Kameyama's life became extremely busy and stressful, and he dealt with various government and military affairs every day, barely having time to rest, but feeling the excitement that he had not felt for a long time.

Moreover, Emperor Go-Kameyama also knew very well that his actions had attracted the attention of the Muromachi shogunate, and he had to have the power to protect himself as soon as possible, so he not only constantly gathered forces to prepare for the upcoming war, but also officially sent an envoy, Rokujo Toki, to ask for help from the Ming Dynasty.

——————

April of the sixth year of Yongle, Nanjing.

In the Mukden Palace, after receiving the envoy Rokujo Shihee sent by Emperor Kameyama, the high-level of the Ming Dynasty was discussing the affairs of Japan.

Whether it is the envoy sent by Imagawa Toshi, or the Jinyi spy disguised as a Ming merchant, or the intelligence from various other channels, it has been confirmed that Ashikaga Yoshimitsu is indeed dead, and now Japan is calm on the surface, but in fact it is a mess.

And the death of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu meant that many things went smoothly for Daming.

Later, Emperor Kameyama also expressed his respect for the Ming Dynasty in his own letter and asked the Ming Dynasty to support him.

"Since Houguishan has asked the heavenly soldiers to help suppress it, then there is a reason to start a war."

Zhu Di knocked on the dragon chair and asked: "But there is such chaos in Japan, whether to wait and see what happens, wait for their own internal chaos, or take the initiative to attack, I haven't thought about it yet." ”

Zhu Di's worries are reasonable, if Da Ming takes the initiative to attack, then even in the name of helping Emperor Hou Kameyama, it may still have the opposite effect. Assuming that with the death of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, various forces within Japan would be in chaos, then the coming of the foreign enemy of the Ming Dynasty would unite them instead.

But there are also two sides to the matter, and there is also a possibility that although there is chaos in Japan, it is not enough to overthrow the rule of the Muromachi shogunate, and the dispatch of troops by the Ming Dynasty will give these forces the courage to rise up against the shogunate.

The crowd roughly expressed their opinions.

Whatever is said, the military ministers usually prefer to fight now, while the civil ministers generally believe that they should wait for the internal chaos in Japan itself.

"What do you think of the national teacher?" Zhu Di looked at Jiang Xinghuo and asked.

"It's time to fight now, sooner rather than later."

Jiang Xinghuo replied decisively, and then elaborated on his basis.

"After all these years of intelligence detection, the situation in Japan has become very clear."

"Although there are many contradictions in the shogunate system, whether it is Hou Komatsu or the new imperial palace Tai Hino Yasuko, or the guardian daimyo represented by the 'three pipes and four positions' and the 'three major explorations', they are actually grasshoppers on the same line as the Muromachi shogunate, at least for now, the Muromachi shogunate has fallen, and they have no good fruit to eat, so whether it is facing the expedition of the Ming Dynasty or the restoration of Kameyama after the Southern Dynasty, their attitude must be the same - that is, to repel foreign enemies first, and then carry out internal strife."

"And outside the shogunate system, the Kamakura Shogunate, that is, the Kanto Shogunate, is a separate system, and their attitude is different from the Muromachi Shogunate system, the Kamakura Shogunate sits on the Kanto Ten Kingdoms, and its strength in Japan is not strong, and in terms of seizing the supreme rule of Japan, although these two families are surnamed Ashikaga, but on the contrary, they are incompatible. If the Ming Dynasty sends troops, then the Kamakura Shogunate will immediately raise the knife to Luo, and the possibility of bitterly stating the interests in front of Hou Komatsu is very great, because the Ming Dynasty's dispatch of troops will not cause damage to the interests of the Kamakura Shogunate in a short time, but will greatly damage the interests of the Muromachi Shogunate, and the damage to the interests of the Muromachi Shogunate will be an out-and-out benefit for the Kamakura Shogunate to seize power. ”

Zhu Gaoxu added: "What's more, the Ming must have started the attack from the west, and the Kamakura Dukes are in the Kanto!" Even if the Kamakura Shogunate really thought that the Ming Dynasty had the possibility of annexing Japan as the war progressed, they would definitely replace the Muromachi Shogunate first, and then summon the Kanto and Kansai princes to resist, in any case, the Kamakura Shogunate would first take action against the Muromachi Shogunate. ”

"Yes, long-range and close-range."

Zhu Di nodded and motioned for Jiang Xinghuo to continue.

Jiang Xinghuo pondered for a moment, and continued to state: "And once the Ming Dynasty landed, the first thing to face was actually these guardian daimyo of Kyushu Island, Shikoku Island and the western part of Honshu Island, that is, the Matsuura clan, the Otomo clan, the Ouchi clan, the Kono clan, the Hosokawa clan, the Arima clan, and the Yamana clan, these families have been trading with the Ming Dynasty for many years, and generally attach importance to overseas trade. It is completely possible to win to stand on the side of the Ming Dynasty. ”

Zhu Gaochi, the king of Qi, also said at this time: "The biggest problem now is that if you only have the help of Kitabatake Manya, it will be difficult to resist Ashikaga Yoshinori, because Ashikaga Yoshinori will inevitably use this weak enemy to deter the heroes." ”

In fact, the life or death of Houguishan is not important, it is just a name for sending troops, but everyone tacitly understands it, and Zhu Gaochi asks if he can land directly and go straight to Kyoto to achieve his goal.

After all, the Ming fleet did this to small countries such as Ceylon and Britain, which was very convenient and fast.

Zheng He suddenly asked at this time: "Can you directly land on the territory of the Hatakeyama clan in the southern part of Honshu Island?" In this way, it will be possible to directly support Yoshino, and even directly march into Kyoto, much faster than pushing it from the west. ”

"Nope."

At this time, Pingjiang Bo Chen Xuan explained: "The hydrology over there has been seen, except for a few ports, other places cannot land, and these large ports are too close to the core area of the Muromachi shogunate's rule, and the Muromachi shogunate is probably easy to gather 100,000 people near here, and the Muromachi shogunate has not been able to fight the unification war of the northern and southern dynasties for a few years, even if the combat power is not as good as my Ming Dynasty, but it is definitely not to be underestimated, if you forcibly land, it is easy to be pushed into the sea." ”

Zhu Di looked at the masters of the landing battle in the Ming army, and successfully staged the landing of Cao Guogong Li Jinglong.

After pondering for a while, Li Jinglong also gave a negative answer: "Based on the transit point of Jeju Island, landing from the west, the conditions are relatively favorable in all aspects, and it is easy to gain a firm foothold, and then send troops up in a steady stream, but if you forcibly land from the south of Kyoto, which is not familiar with Neiying, then it is inevitable that a fleet of this size will be discovered in advance by the Japanese sailors, even if a naval battle does not break out, it will mean that the task of the fleet will be very heavy, not only to seize the beach, but also to transport personnel and materials and cover with naval guns. With our transportation capacity, counting the necessary supplies, thousands of people will be sent up to the sky at a time, and some warships will have to be left to cover, and the remaining ships will return to Jeju Island to continue loading people and goods, and they will not be able to come back at all in a few days, if the shogunate army is determined to attack at any cost in these few days, the troops on the beachhead may not be able to hold it, and if the first landing is ineffective, the suddenness will be lost, and it is impossible to succeed. ”

"Can't land directly, isn't the lesson of the Mongols painful enough?" Zhu Neng also expressed a clear attitude of opposition.

"What about sending firearms troops up? With the cover of naval artillery and the formation of a hollow phalanx of firearms troops, even if tens of thousands of shogunate troops come, it is not possible to take the initiative to attack, but it should be able to hold it. ”

Jiang Xinghuo shook his head and only said: "You have to consider the weather factor, it's already April, if you cross the sea to conquer the day, you must start before the autumn to avoid the storm at sea, but the southern part of Japan's main island is affected by the southeast monsoon from the sea in summer, and the precipitation is generally too much. ”

Yes, although the firearms troops formed a hollow phalanx with fierce firepower when defending, the biggest problem is that the flintlock guns have not yet been installed, and now they are all arquebuses, and once it rains, the combat effectiveness is greatly weakened.

In the face of firearms such as the Annan Army and the British Army, the Ming Dynasty certainly played a near-slaughter battle loss ratio, but the weather reason must not be ignored Once the battle is fought in the rain, the enemy is close, relying on the sword formation alone, the Ming army is simply impossible to play that amazing battle loss ratio, and in the cold weapon battle, the number is at a disadvantage, and it is not uncommon to be pushed into the sea by the superior number of enemies.

And Jiang Xinghuo's analysis of various forces within Japan is obviously very reasonable, Zhu Di is more and more aware of the urgency of the situation, as an ambitious emperor, he can't sit back and watch Japan's civil strife and ignore it, let alone let this opportunity slip away in vain.

At this critical moment, Zhu Di showed his determination and courage.

Zhu Di got up, and his gaze swept firmly over every important minister present.

"I have listened to your opinions and know the pros and cons of all aspects."

Zhu Di spoke slowly, his voice echoing in the silent palace: "Japan is about the currency reform of our Ming Dynasty, and it is also about the hegemony of the world of our Ming Dynasty, and we must not miss the opportunity!" ”

He paused for a moment and continued: "Therefore, I have decided to send troops to Japan, to seize this opportunity, to support a regime close to the Ming Dynasty, and to ensure that Japan becomes a loyal ally of my Ming Dynasty. At the same time, we will also take this opportunity to completely dismantle Japan and plunge it into constant civil strife. ”

"I've decided."

Zhu Di once again emphasized: "Prepare for the expedition as soon as possible to ensure the success of the First World War." At the same time, it is also necessary to make full intelligence and logistical preparations to prevent accidents. ”

When Zhu Di's words fell, the Fengtian Hall became quiet, and everyone's opinions obviously began to unify.

As for the specific selection of generals and combat strategies, Zhu Di also has a draft.

"Lu Shi took Chengguo Gong Zhu Neng as the main commander, Cao Guogong Li Jinglong as the deputy marshal, the crown prince Zhu Gaoxu as the vanguard, and Ping'an, Li Yuan, Liu Cai, Fang Kuan and others as generals; In terms of sailors, Zheng He, the eunuch of the Three Treasures, was the main commander, and Chen Xuan, the uncle of Pingjiang, was the deputy commander; The unification of logistics is prepared by the national division. ”

"As for the specific battle plan, according to the previous plan, the reserve Japanese army, which was already familiar with the landing operation, set out from Tenglai as the first group of troops, sailed to Jeju Island for training and adaptation, and then captured the two islands of Tsushima and Iki, the two unarmed trade zones, occupied these two islands, and then landed in western Japan."

Zhu Di made up his mind, the Ming Dynasty has a large volume and a large army, although Japan is already a behemoth for other countries in the world, with a population of 10 million, but for the Ming Dynasty, it is just an opponent with a little weight, after all, the Ming Dynasty alone has a long trained reserve army of 100,000, this is still the first batch of troops, if the follow-up does not go well, now the surrounding neighbors have been subdued by the Ming Dynasty can increase the troops to 200,000, 300,000, 400,000 at any time!

And how many shogunate coalition forces can there be? Jiang Xinghuo is calculated according to the standard of the Sekigahara battle, not counting the auxiliaries, and the 200,000 soldiers gathered are all up to the sky.

The Ming army has a large number, high quality, good equipment, and weapons have the advantage of generational difference, as long as the landing is smooth, there is no reason why the war cannot be won, so there is no need to see the Mongols step on the pit twice and step on it, honestly land from the west to hoard troops and materials, and then push all the way over to win.

And what the Ming Dynasty has to do now is to take advantage of the opportunity given by Houguishan to justifiably land in Japan under the banner of supporting Houguishan, as for whether Houguishan is dead or alive after landing, it doesn't matter.

"In addition, send an envoy to inform the king of North Korea, Li Fangyuan, and ask him to send a sailor to transport materials to assist the Ming Dynasty, and the land division will not be sent, and it will be a shame to go up."

——————

Although Zhu Di doesn't look down on Li Fangyuan very much, I have to say that Li Fangyuan still has two brushes.

After Li Fangyuan ascended the throne, he reformed the administrative divisions of Korea, removed the Ilyu Prefecture, the Five Metropolitan Protectorate, the Six Prefectures, and the Twenty Pastoral Houses inherited from the Goryeo period, and changed the two sides of the Five Provinces to the Eight Provinces of Korea.

Although these two groups of bugs in Seoul and Kaijing always dragged him back, Li Fangyuan never stopped in "sneaking and aggressive", such as pushing the fortress in the direction of the Tumen River

But a few years ago, Zhu Di's northern expedition to Tatar gave Li Fangyuan a great shock.

According to Li Fangyuan's words, "My emperor (Zhu Di) is a great achievement, such as my country's less wrecked and big gifts, and he will be a teacher to ask for guilt." I think that one is sincere, and the other is to consolidate the fortress and store food and salary, which is the most urgent task of the day." People understand it, and they know that the Ming Dynasty is not easy to mess with, so they must prepare for defense while pretending to be a grandson.

Therefore, in the fourth year of Yongle, Li Fangyuan sent his son Li Zhen to congratulate the Ming Dynasty, which was also the highest-level envoy sent by the Joseon State to the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Di was very happy and said to Li Zhen: "My father! ”

Well, anyway, Li Zhen is very happy, as for how he and Li Fangyuan will talk about the seniority after they go back, it will be a matter between them.

But in general, Li Fangyuan has always been very wary of Zhu Di and the Ming Dynasty, so under the guidance of the traditional diplomatic policy of "the doctrine of great things", Li Fangyuan respects the suzerainty status of the Ming Dynasty, but at the same time maintains a certain distance from the influence of the Ming Dynasty too much. The parliamentary government once suggested sending people to study in the Ming Dynasty, but Li Fangyuan did not allow it, and what he said at that time was that "the current emperor has many doubts, and the people of this dynasty will be ordered to be secretly inspected, and they cannot be mixed with the Yuan Dynasty for a while." ”

And the important ministers in North Korea also generally believed that after the Ming Dynasty drove Duoyan Sanwei to destroy the Jurchen tribes, he re-deployed troops on the banks of the Yalu River, which belonged to choking the throat of North Korea and choking North Korea's right arm.

For this reason, Li Fangyuan also made some precautions, because the Jurchens were actually between the Ming Dynasty and North Korea, so he had gathered many Jurchen Meng'an before, such as Sansan Meng'an Gu on Doulan Timur, Ocean Meng'an Kuo'er Tooth Fire Lost Timur, Jiazhou Meng'an Yungang, Hongken Meng'an Kuo'er Tooth Difficulty, Ballu Wu'an Clamp Wen Buhua, Mediation Meng'an Xitan Xue Lie and so on.

Moreover, Li Fangyuan could not do anything along the Yalu River, but in the vast area north of Gonglang Town to the Tumen River, North Korea set up six military towns composed of Jurchens and Koreans as outposts to resist the Ming Dynasty in the direction of the Tumen River.

And because the Ming began to plow the Jurchen tribes and sweep the caves, and kill them all, so many Jurchens fled to the territory of Korea, Li Fangyuan gave the Jurchen leader the title, encouraged him to enter the capital as a guard, and allowed intermarriage with the Koreans, and North Korea also provided horses, clothing, food, etc. for these tribes that came, making it clear that it was to collect the Jurchens to resist the possible attack of the Ming Dynasty.

And this time, Li Fangyuan was also greatly relieved to learn that Zhu Di did not need to send Lu Shi to be cannon fodder.

Regardless of whether Zhu Di looks down on the combat effectiveness of the North Koreans, as long as he does not go to be cannon fodder, it is good, as for dispatching sailors and providing supplies, although these terrifying quantities of materials have directly emptied more than half of the warehouses in the two capitals of North Korea, Li Fangyuan has to grit his teeth, otherwise? It is impossible to say that Daming will not fight Japan to fight him, because if he is reluctant to lose the throne with money, it will be worth the loss, and Daming can destroy Annan, and it is almost difficult to destroy North Korea, Li Fangyuan does not dare to bet.

However, once the Ming Dynasty and Japan went to war, the entrepot trade between Korea and Japan would definitely come to a standstill.

As early as the beginning of the founding of the Lee Joseon Dynasty, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu accepted the request of the Lee Joseon side to ban the Japanese and establish diplomatic relations with them, and the trade between Japan and Korea was established, and not only the shogunate participated, but also the guardian daimyos, local nobles and merchants actively participated, so the trade flourished. Japan exported copper, tin, sulfur, and herbs to Korea, and Korea exported cotton, Korean ginseng, rice, lacquerware, and Confucian classics to Japan.

"The Zongzhen family is going to be unlucky."

Li Zhen said helplessly.

"Then there is no way, who made the Zongzhen family the guardian daimyo of Tsushima Island? After making so much money over the years, it should be enough. ”

The trade between Japan and Korea was also called "communication charm" because of the use of messengers issued by the shogunate, and the closest Japanese daimyo to Korea was Munesada Shigeru on Tsushima Island, and the relationship between the two sides was good.

But now that Lee's North Korea is too busy to take care of itself, how can he still care about this old friend?

Li Fangyuan thought for a while and said: "Send an envoy to Tsushima Island, let Zong Zhenmao bring gold and silver treasures, tribes, and ships to Korea, pay ninety percent of the wealth, and assign him a small area in Huanghae Road, and allow him to keep his troops and ships." ”

"Yes."

Li Zhen looked at Li Fangyuan and asked, "What about sending troops?" ”

"Sending troops doesn't help."

At the end of April of the sixth year of Yongle, the king of Joseon ordered that Li Congmao, the king of Changchuan, be the commander, divided into two naval divisions on the left and right, and the left army was simple and simple, and the generals under his command were Park Hongxin, Park Maoyang, Jin Gai, and Jin Xi, and the right army was Li Shunmeng, and the generals under his command Kim Hyo-cheng and Park Tai led a total of 200 warships to assist the Ming army in attacking Japan.

——————

Night reigns over Tsushima.

The sea breeze on the island, with its saltiness and coldness, rustled through the dense woods.

In the center of the island, in the mansion of the guardian Daimyo Sosadamoge, the lights were bright, but it could not hide the panicked atmosphere.

When the news came, Zong Zhenmao was discussing affairs with several confidants in the study.

The cronies hurriedly broke in, panting and reported: "My lord, the fleet of the Ming army has appeared near Jeju Island on a large scale, and I am afraid that they will soon land on Tsushima Island!" ”

As soon as these words came out, everyone in the room changed color.

Zong Zhenmao only felt dizzy, he tried to stabilize his body, but his voice trembled involuntarily: "Is the news true?" ”

The cronies bowed their heads and said: "It's true, my lord, the flag of the Ming army is clearly visible, and the size of the fleet covers the sky, I'm afraid there are thousands of large and small ships." ”

At this time, Zong Zhenmao's son Zong Zhensheng was also present, he stepped forward and said in a deep voice: "Father, the Ming army is strong, we might as well surrender, maybe we can still keep the bloodline of the family." ”

Zong Zhenmao glared at his son, but his heart was mixed.

He didn't know that surrender might be the only way out, but as the guardian daimyo of Tsushima, how could his pride allow him to make such a choice?

You know, during the Mongol invasion of Japan, Tsushima was a bloody battle to the end!

However, at this time and then, now that Tsushima is doing business with a lot of oil, it is really difficult to say whether it still has the blood of the predecessors back then.

At this moment, Hayada Saemon Dairo, the local wealthy clan and the leader of the Japanese Bandits, also rushed to hear the news.

Although Zong Zhenmao did not convene him for discussion, it actually explained the relationship between the two very well

Hayada Saemon Dairo was short but strong, with a rugged face, and as soon as he entered the door, he said loudly: "Daimyo, I heard that the army is coming?" ”

Zong Zhenmao nodded helplessly and motioned for him to sit down first.

Hayada Saemon sat on his knees and continued to say in a loud voice, "Hmph, they want to land on Tsushima Island? It's not that easy! I'll lead the sailors over and let them know that Tsushima is not easy to bully! ”

Zong Zhenmao looked at Hayada Saemon Dairo's appearance of not being afraid of heaven and earth, but his heart was even more bottomless.

This man is by no means as reckless as he shows, he wants the command of the sailor, and he can't say what the hell he has in mind.

Zong Zhenmao had to persuade him warmly and perfunctory Hayada Saemon Dairo, but he didn't see the cruelty in the other party's eyes when he left.

The night was unusually long, and soon after, a North Korean envoy quietly landed on the island.

The North Korean envoy traveled frequently between Korea and Tsushima, and Zong Zhenmao was no stranger to him.

"Daimyo, I have a plan that may save you and your family."

Zong Zhenmao hurriedly asked, "What strategy?" Say it! ”

The envoy said: "You can neither surrender to the Ming Dynasty nor return to Japan, but take the wealth accumulated over the years to our Korea, the king has always respected the virtuous, and will definitely give you a proper settlement." ”

Zong Zhenmao was moved when he heard this, and felt that he could be regarded as able to offend, so he asked the messenger to rest first, and he thought about it before officially replying to him tomorrow.

However, it was the night of delay that something happened suddenly.

Wasada Saemon Dairo led his subordinates to initiate a mutiny.

These people are not only the wandering samurai of Japan, but also the Korean sailors in exile on Tsushima Island, and even the pirates of the Ming Dynasty, which can be said to be the crumbs of the whole world, they know that they are not tolerated by the Ming Dynasty, and they covet the wealth accumulated by the Zongzhen family through trade over the years, so they decided to sail back to do a big vote!

Taking advantage of the dark moon and high windy night, the Japanese raiders raided Zong Zhenmao's mansion.

The mansion was suddenly plunged into chaos, with fires blazing and shouts of murder shaking the sky.

Sosamoge and his close samurai put up a hard fight, but they were quickly defeated by the wolf-like pirates.

In a pool of blood, Hayada Saemon Dairo found the fallen Sosada Shigeru, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of joy when he saw that the daimyo of Tsushima Island, who had once been riding on his head as a prestige, had ended up like this.

Hayada Saemon Dairo smiled and raised his katana and slashed at Sosada Shigeru.

Zong Jung-sung, who was sent to the port by Jong Jung-mao to sail a ship to observe the situation of the Ming army at dawn, was devastated when he learned of his father's murder, and he knew that there was no point in staying on Tsushima Island, so he decided to defect to the Ming army on Jeju Island.

Taking advantage of the fact that the pirates were still immersed in the thrill of burning, killing and plundering before dawn, Zong Zhensheng drove a small boat and fled from Tsushima Island in a hurry.

After a day at sea, Jong Jung-sung finally arrived on Jeju Island.

He reported the tragic situation on Tsushima Island to the generals of the Ming army, and expressed his familiarity with the terrain and his willingness to lead the Ming army to the island to avenge his father.

Chen Xuan, Pingjiang Bo, who arrived early, looked at this embarrassed Japanese young man, and a complicated look flashed in his eyes.

Chen Xuan clearly knew that Zong Zhensheng's surrender was undoubtedly good news for the Ming army, but whether this matter was fraudulent or not, whether it was a bitter ploy, also needed to be careful. After all, it was the Mongols who attacked Tsushima last time, and the resistance encountered at that time was quite fierce.

So Chen Xuan asked Zong Jung-sung to temporarily settle down on Jeju Island and sent people to Tsushima Island to investigate the situation.

It turned out that Chen Xuan thought too much, and the intelligence officers who investigated soon returned, and Tsushima Island had been reduced to a human purgatory at this time, with a sea of fire on it, and the pirates were loading ships with a large number of looted treasures.

Chen Xuan immediately made a decision and asked the newly arrived Zheng He's fleet not to repair and immediately attack and take Tsushima Island.

The Japanese under the command of Hayada Saemon Dairo encountered the regular fleet of the Ming army, like a mouse meeting a cat, they were frightened and fled, and the sea around Tsushima Island was full of floating corpses of Japanese invaders, and the Ming army successfully landed on Tsushima Island.

Soon, a large number of Japanese troops and war materials from Denglai also arrived on Jeju Island as scheduled, fortunately, Jeju Island, which was once a horse breeding ground of the Yuan Dynasty, was large enough, and this place was operated by the Ming Dynasty for five or six years, and the port throughput was also very considerable, so although the number of Ming fleets was very large, the ports on Jeju Island were still able to operate in an orderly manner.

With the arrival of Zhu Neng, Li Jinglong, Jiang Xinghuo, Zhu Gaoxu, and others, the formal cross-sea attack on Japan was about to begin.

(End of chapter)