"Everyone, the ultimatum of the Ming Dynasty has been sent, I don't know what you think."

The head of the Takeda family placed a scroll of documents on the table, glanced at the surrounding feudal lords, said a word, and then stopped speaking, waiting for their answer.

"How to look at it, how else to look at it."

The Hojo patriarch sneered disdainfully and sneered: "This is obviously a threat from the paper tiger, Da Ming seems to be attacking quickly, but in fact, the rear is extremely empty. ”

"You and I both know that they only have more than 20,000 but less than 30,000 troops, and after such a long battle, they have lost at least half."

"After taking such a large territory in the south, they can't defend it with this little force, so how can they still have the strength to launch an attack on our north."

"In my opinion, we don't need to talk about it at all, just gather troops and kill them after the beginning of spring."

"At that time, we will be the savior of the entire Wa Kingdom, and the Ashikaga family has been shattered, so we can directly unite and form a new shogunate to control the entire Wa Kingdom."

When the other feudal lords heard his words, they all rolled their eyes.

They couldn't figure it out, what happened to the Hojo family? How could this idiot be chosen as the patriarch.

The Ming army has no offensive capabilities, what are you kidding?

Not to mention the more than 60,000 Korean troops left, the traitor Shimazu Hisatoyo, who took refuge, was able to raise an army of 50,000.

More than 100,000 troops, with the elite legions of the Ming Dynasty, where did this guy get the confidence to defeat them.

"Your Excellency Takeda, can you tell us about the requirements of the Ming Dynasty?"

The lord of the Owari domain, whose sphere of influence was closest to Kyoto, ignored the clamor of the Hojo clan, bowed slightly, and asked what Takeda Ming Dynasty had requested.

Takeda bowed slightly, picked up the scroll on the table, and slowly unfolded it:

"Tell the lord of the northern power of the Wa Kingdom: The Emperor of the Wa Kingdom, the general of the Expedition Ashikaga Yoshito, has no thoughts of dignity and humility, offends the Ming Dynasty, and even privately sends people to murder the saint, this is a sin of eternity!"

"Today, after teaching unfilial piety with the heart of the father, after looking at the whole country, the people are ignorant, the people are not happy, and the monarch's father is heartbroken."

"Today, on the orders of Emperor Daming, I will first manage his country, and then return it when it finds the Lord who loves the people and saves the world."

"As soon as this decree is issued, the lords of the feudal lands must not disobey it, otherwise they will be punished as treason."

"I order all the feudal lords to disarm themselves and go to Kyoto to accept the appointment of the Ming Dynasty before March 3, and there must be no mistake."

"If those who fail to arrive within the time limit, or those who have not disarmed their respective arms, the Great Tomorrow Army will defeat them!"

"Baga, damn the Great Ming, my Wa Kingdom has never recognized its subordinate relationship with them, and they actually claim to be their father, how can it be unreasonable!"

As soon as Takeda finished reading the contents of the scroll, Hojo jumped out and pointed in the direction of Daming and cursed.

The other feudal lords didn't look very good.

In the concept of the Japanese people, except for the Tang Dynasty, which is their teacher, they don't look down on other dynasties in the Central Plains at all.

Meng Yuan was powerful enough back then, and the countries of the East and West screamed.

But in the face of their Japanese state, several expeditions were defeated.

So much so that in the concept of the Japanese people, if they win the Mengyuan, they will win the whole world.

In this world, the country of Wa is the first in the world.

When Ashikaga Yoshimitsu paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty, it caused many people to be dissatisfied.

If it weren't for the fact that he couldn't defeat Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, it is estimated that many people would have jumped out at that time and used this as an excuse to overthrow the Ashikaga shogunate.

"Okay, the head of the Hojo family, it's useless to say this, let's discuss and discuss, how to deal with Daming."

The lord of the Owari domain made a statement to calm down the Hojo patriarch.

He can't care what others think, he's really anxious now.

His power is closest to Kyoto, and it can be said that it is now completely bordered by the control of the Ming Dynasty.

If he doesn't come up with a solution, when Da Ming launches an attack, he will be the first to be beaten.

"Everyone, let's not mention whether Da Ming's statement is right or wrong, I want to ask you if Da Ming continues to attack, can we stop their invasion."

"Even if we can block it for a while, if Daming increases its troops in the later stage, can we continue to be able to block it."

"You must know that the population of Daming is as large as 10,000, if they really want to fight us, it will be easy to draw out an army of millions."

"With our current strength, can we withstand the attack of Daming's million-strong army."

"And don't forget, the sailor of Daming is also very powerful."

"They can put the army, from anywhere, into the battlefield."

"Since the defeat of the south, our water power is gone, and at that time, if the Ming Dynasty attacks us from the sea, how should we block it, and what should we use to block it."

The words of the lord of the Owari domain caused everyone to fall silent again.

The result of the fiasco in the south made the Wa Kingdom, which originally thought that it had defeated Meng Yuan and was the strongest in the world, suddenly woke up.

Although they were shouting fiercely, in the face of the huge Daming, they were all a little desperate in their hearts at this time.

Lack of strength is a hard injury.

They were able to defeat the Mengyuan because the Mengyuan people did not understand the sea and suffered a big loss on it, and they did not take a base in the Wa State, and they did not have a solid foothold.

But the current Ming is different.

The water power of the Ming Dynasty is desperate, and the other party understands the situation at sea, so he can successfully avoid the divine wind that the Wa Kingdom considers a miracle.

What's more, at this time, the area south of Kyoto was all occupied by the Ming Dynasty, and with the help of the Shimazu dog-legged family, it was impossible for them to defeat the Ming Dynasty like they defeated Meng Yuan.

Even to put it mildly, whether they can resist the attack of the Ming Dynasty and hold the current territory is unknown.

Every feudal lord in the room understood this situation, and knew that it was a difficult battle to win.

But who wants to be a dog at the feet of others after being on it for so long.

It is because of this psychology that they have been unable to make that decision for a long time.

I don't know how long it was silent, but the head of the Hojo family took the lead in opening his mouth.

"I don't care what you want to do, but my Hojo family will never surrender."

"I'm used to giving orders, I'm used to enjoying everything, I can't accept the days of kneeling at someone else's feet as a dog."

After speaking, the Hojo patriarch got up and left directly.

"If we accept all this, how will Daming settle us."

No one paid attention to the Hojo patriarch who left, and when the door closed again, he didn't speak from beginning to end, but the patriarch Nagao, who closed his eyes and recuperated, opened his mouth.

Patriarch Takeda nodded, took out a letter and placed it on the table.

Hojo's-stirring stick is gone, and everyone can finally discuss things normally.

"This is a letter written to me by Shimazu Hisatoyo, and he explained to me that after we surrender, the treatment that the Ming will give."

Passing the letter to a few people, the Takeda patriarch continued: "The Ming Dynasty took Kyoto as the boundary and set up the north and south sub-districts, which were the upper and lower slave districts. ”

"The Shimazu family relied on being a dog for Daming to obtain the right to manage the lower slave area."

"Shimazu Hisatoshi told me that as long as we are willing to surrender to the Ming Dynasty unconditionally and accept the later treaty, the Shangwa District can be handed over to our families to take turns to manage."

A few people understood the meaning of these words, Da Ming was planning to borrow the hands of several of their families to wipe out all the other small feudal lords.

Since they were not conquered feudal lords, in order to ensure good control, the Ming did so that several families could devote all their energy to competing for the position of consul.

In addition to letting them fight among themselves, they also want their power in the north to contain the Shimazu family in the south, so that they can afford to be dominant.

"This is an attempt to divide our country!"

Imagawa Patriarch, who also did not speak from beginning to end, was silent for a while after reading the letter, and expressed his opinion on the matter.

The others just nodded silently, with such a simple and clear intention, they could naturally see it.

In the same way, they believe that the Shimazu family on the other side can also see it.

"Can we cooperate with the Shimazu family to elevate the power of the Ming Dynasty little by little."

"Daming is a country that loves infighting, and if they will be in chaos at any time, they won't have the heart to care about our country."

"When the time comes, we can take advantage of the situation and remove the control and influence of the Ming Dynasty on our Wa Kingdom in one fell swoop."

After reading the letter, the lord of the Owari domain came up with his own ideas.

As the leading Takeda patriarch, he was silent for a while and shook his head.

"I can't trust the Shimazu family, I believe him more than to unite with us, and he will sell us to Daming."

"It's been a dog for a long time, and it's hard to turn back into a wolf."

The rest of the patriarchs looked at Takeda one after another, and their eyes were unabashedly expressed.

You can't trust Shimazu, and we can't trust you.

Noticing the gazes of several patriarchs, Takeda felt a pang of anger in his heart.

At this time, they are still supporting each other, and they are still doubting each other.

Sure enough, Da Ming has a saying that is right, if you go outside, you must first settle inside.

The meeting ended in vain, and several feudal lords did not even attend the banquet of the Takeda family, so they left in a hurry and returned to their own domain.

Takeda, who was waiting in the banquet hall, heard the report of the retainers, his face turned blue for a while, and he slammed the wine glass on the ground.

"Yaga, these bastards, if I want to kill you, can you escape?"

With a few breaths of breath, Takeda took a few turns around the hall with his hands behind his back.

Alliances are no longer possible, and several feudal realms do not trust each other, and it is difficult to unite them.

"Baga, if you want to find death, then I won't accompany you."

Gritting his teeth and making a decision, Takeda turned to the table and began to write.

Soon a letter was completed, which he sealed and handed over to his most trusted retainers.

"You go to Kyoto and hand over this letter to General Daming, and they will know how to arrange it after reading the letter."

"It has to be fast!"

The retainer nodded, took the letter, and turned to leave.

Takeda finally chose to take refuge in the Ming Dynasty.

His idea is very simple, Daming is thousands of miles away, and it is impossible to devote all his energy to the Japanese country.

Perhaps the first few years will be more strict, once the time is long, the Ming Dynasty often has the phenomenon of imperial turmoil, and the Wa Kingdom will soon be unable to take care of it.

As long as he endures it for a few years, the Wa Kingdom will still be theirs.

What's more, without the emperor and the Ashikaga family, the Takeda family, which stood up with the support of the Ming Dynasty, will rise directly.

When the time comes, defeat the Shimazu family in the south, and their Takeda family will become the only emperor of the Wa Kingdom.

"Stand down!"

Thinking of the beauty, he picked up the flask and took a sip, and was about to squint to enjoy it, when he suddenly thought of something and waved his hand to both sides.

There was a sound of footsteps, and a large group of samurai came out of the hiding places on both sides, saluted Takeda, and left the banquet hall.

A few days later, in a feudal city dozens of miles away.

Winter is about to pass, and Zhu Gaoyu, who doesn't want to be washed away by the smell of Kyoto, moved here.

The charcoal fire burned in the castle lord's mansion, bringing a trace of warmth to the large hall.

Zhu Gaoyu sat on the top, with a few dishes in front of him, while tasting the wine, he looked at the Japanese dancing girls sent by several feudal lords, dancing with very national characteristics.

Of course, it's the kind that wears clothes, after all, if you don't wear clothes, the devil knows which nationality it is.

"Your Highness, I have received another letter."

Zhu Gaoyu, who was beating lightly to the beat of the drums, withdrew his gaze to look at a certain dancing girl, poured a glass of warm wine for Zuo Jun who came in, and asked, "Which family sent it this time." ”

Putting the letter on the table, taking the wine glass handed over by Zhu Gaoyu, and drinking it in one gulp, Zuo Jun sighed with satisfaction and replied: "They say that they are from the Hojo family, and they also say that their patriarch has great respect for the Ming Dynasty. ”

"Hehe..."

Zhu Gaoyu couldn't help but chuckle, took the letter and looked at it casually, then threw it aside.

"Takeda, Owari, Hojo, Imagawa."

"The five major forces in the north are just one long tail away."

"The Longtail family may really not care, after all, they are at the back, and there are several families in front of them, and they may feel that they can't threaten them for the time being." The left army put forward its own conjecture.

Zhu Gaoyu shook his head, "It's actually them who should be worried the most." ”

"Sun Tzu has a saying, the way of using soldiers, with the right fit, with the odd victory."

"If we fight and push them to rush and go all out, we will be in a state of anxiety with them, and it will be impossible to end the fight before the summer comes."

"How to break this deadlock, we must win by surprise."

"Send a partial division, take Sado Island as a supply point, and then attack the northern resistance forces from the rear, attack from both sides, and collapse in one fell swoop."

"That's why I said he was the least safe."

"The long-tailed patriarch Shimazu Hisatoyo has been in contact with him and is a very cautious person."

"He knows for sure that his location will not be as safe as he thinks, and even more dangerous."

"The reason why he hasn't come here to show favor now, it's very likely that he has a bigger plan."

"Your Highness, there is important information!"

As soon as Zhu Gaoyu finished speaking, a soldier ran in and made a quick report.

"Five days ago, under the call of the Takeda family, the various feudal domains gathered their forces in Sekino, and the soldiers of the Nagao family suddenly launched an attack when they passed by the Takeda family domain."

"The Takeda family was caught off guard and was beaten to pieces, and the Takeda patriarch also died in the battle."

"At the same time, the Hojo family also launched an attack, and the Takeda family could not support it, and it was already in danger of being destroyed at any time."

Zhu Gaoyu glanced at Zuo Jun with a smile, "I'm right, this old guy has already made plans." ”

"One north is too small, and there is simply not enough for several families to compete."

"If you choose to surrender and let us arrange it, we will definitely take turns with the mud and let them take turns."

"Naturally, these people were not willing to come like this, so they chose to do it and use their own methods to select the administrator of the Shangwei District."

Zuo Jun nodded suddenly, and then couldn't help but ask curiously: "The final victor, Your Highness, you really know how to use it." ”

"What do you say?" Picking up the wine glass and drinking it all, Zhu Gaoyu smiled meaningfully and gave an ambiguous answer.

The beginning of February of the tenth year of Yongle.

The Takeda family, who was fatly beaten by the two families of Nagao Hojo, saw that they couldn't hold on, and the Imagawa family suddenly attacked the Hojo family and caught them off guard.

The lord of the Owari domain didn't know what to think, and instead of guarding against the attack of the Ming army, he fought with the Imagawa family.

For a while, several families that could ally be together and compete with Daming for a period of time became a mess by themselves.

Zhu Gaoyu, who was sitting on the side of the mountain and watching the tiger fight, was happy in his heart.

He doesn't tell anyone, he makes promises to every family.

One daughter and five families.

And the five families didn't know, they all thought that the other party only promised themselves.

It is precisely because of this situation of not knowing each other and being wary of each other that the five parties are frantically biting, all wanting to win the final victory and get the position of the administrator of the Shangwei District promised by the Ming Dynasty.

Fighting until March, the five sides fought with a blue nose and swollen face.

The five families, who had already been drawn out of a part of the samurai, fell directly to the lowest level of strength after this scuffle.

The Owari Domain, which had the largest number of troops, numbered less than 2,000 people.

The Takeda family, which was attacked at the first time, was even more miserable, and the troops that could be mobilized were not even 300, holding on to the last city, waiting for the reinforcements promised by the Ming Dynasty to support it.

When the time arrived on the agreed March 3, the Ming Dynasty, who had privately promised to help the five parties, finally sent troops.

But before the five major forces rejoiced, thinking that they were going to win.

Da Ming ignored his original promise and pushed all the way over.

The Owari clan was the first to be unlucky.

Before the head of the lord of the Owari domain was cut off, he couldn't figure it out, obviously he had already taken refuge in the Ming Dynasty, how could the Ming Dynasty ignore the original promise and attack him backtracking.

The other four forces had no idea about this, and they all thought that Da Ming was helping them clear the other families according to their original promise.

After the destruction of Owari, the Ming Dynasty seemed to be directly divided into three ways in order to speed up the war.

Led by Liu Sheng all the way, he approached the Imagawa family.

The second road was led by Wu Shan, and he was beaten violently by the long-tail family.

The Hojo family, who found that something was wrong, wanted to retreat immediately, but was blocked by Sun An, who landed from other places.

After a scuffle, the Hojo family, from the head of the family to the ordinary samurai, all fell into a nameless canyon.

The battle lasted until the end of March, when four of the five major forces were completely wiped out, and the only thing left was the Takeda family in one city.

"Open the door, open the door ......"

The new Takeda patriarch looked at the Ming Legion that drove over, and danced excitedly.

Da Ming promised to help the Takeda family eliminate the other four major families, and then support them to ascend to the throne.

In the morning, he received news that the other four major families had been exterminated by the Great Ming, and now the only thing left was their Takeda family.

This young man who had just succeeded to the throne did not perceive any danger at all, and when the Ming army arrived, he directly opened the gate of the city that had been held for a long time.

"Kill!"

Seeing that the city gate was opened, Wu Shan, who led the team, raised his knife expressionlessly and gave the order to attack.

Looking at the rushing Ming Army, the Takeda Patriarch was stunned in place.

Didn't they all say yes, why did they suddenly change their hexagrams?

"Poof!"

The Takeda patriarch, who was still in a daze, was slightly narrowed by a white light, and when he wanted to open his eyes, he had no strength and fell down heavily.

(End of chapter)