On September 10, the seventh year of Tensho (1579), the mighty Hongye Fleet sailed around the south side of Shikoku Island, and after a long voyage, finally arrived at their destination - Hyuga Country on Kyushu Island. After nearly a year, the Hongye Fleet
Due to the repairs, a large number of new ships were able to sail into the sea, and many newly trained sailors also joined the fleet. The scale was barely restored to before the Naruto Sea Battle, but the strength was estimated to be much inferior. On this fleet, carrying
Hoshiryanagi Bei, Yushu Bei, special forces and recruits from many new military camps, as well as many businessmen and parliamentarian representatives. Also on board were a large number of workers from the Yuqiu family's Military Industry Department, idle workers from Sakai Port, and a large number of military industry production companies.
The artillery and iron cannons came out. Before Yu Qiuping set off, he also sent a letter to Yu Qiu Shang who was fighting on Shanyin Road.
As for why he chose Hyuga Country as his first target, Yu Qiuping explained it this way.
"You have to pick the weak ones. If you want to attack the Western Alliance and attack the Miyoshi family, hardliners like the Mori family will definitely not succeed. You have to pick those weak and weak-willed daimyo.
It was already declining after the war, and they probably joined the alliance in order to stop the Shimadzu family's invasion in a legitimate name. If I don't fight them, who will I fight?"
Yu Qiuping remembered that in the original history, the Ito family had been destroyed after the Battle of Erchuan. However, in this life, they still retained part of their territory. So Yu Qiuping decided to take action against them without saying anything.
The Ito family probably don't have much ability to resist.
As Yu Qiuping expected, the Miyazaki Castle guard, the young master of the Ito family, Ito Yuhei, lost everything in an instant after seeing more than 80 battleships of the Red Leaf Fleet and the high-flying Maple Bird Horse Seal.
He immediately abandoned the city and fled, while the Momiji Fleet swaggered to occupy Miyazaki Castle and Miyazaki Port, and then blockaded the Yaegawa River.
Ame Akihei's sudden appearance detonated the entire Western Kingdom. The appearance of the Momiji Fleet in the rich water channel at the western end of the Seto Inland Sea also signaled that the Shimazu army that had landed in Shikoku might lose its retreat to Kyushu Island. The Shimadzu navy immediately felt like a formidable enemy.
The ground began to prepare for war.
"Let Hoshiyanagi Bei and Shoshu Bei land, then send people to Satohara Castle, and call Ito Yoshisuke out for negotiation."
Yu Qiupei asked the Hongye Army to set up their formation in the Hyuga Kingdom, and made a posture to attack Sadohara Castle. Ito Yisuke looked at the Hongye Army who was descending from the sky, and then looked at the companies in his hand that were used by the Hongye Army.
A poor reserve company that couldn't even squeeze its teeth into a company suddenly felt that the end was coming. But thinking of Yu Qiuping's reputation for always keeping his promises, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and negotiate with Yu Qiuping.
When he came to Miyazaki Castle with his entourage, he discovered that in just a few days, Miyazaki Castle had changed beyond recognition. A large number of workers brought by the Hongye Army transformed the seaside Miyazaki Castle and Miyazaki Port into a solid bunker.
, there are a lot of artillery at the top of the city. It seems that they are not planning to leave. Ito Yisuke just feels cold in his heart. Miyazaki Port is the most important port in the entire Hyuga Kingdom. If Miyazaki Port is lost,
The Ito family really didn't know what to do.
Ito Yisuke originally thought that the negotiations would be held in Miyazaki Castle, but the guards who came to pick him up from the Red Leaf Army had no intention of taking him into the city, but took him directly to Miyazaki Port. At the port, Ito
Gisuke finally saw that monster-like fleet. The largest ship of the Ito family was probably not as big as the smallest destroyer here, let alone those behemoth battleships and the one that made Ito Gisuke feel sick just by looking at it.
The trembling ironclad ship. He couldn't imagine what it would be like if so many large cannons were fired at the same time.
"Please get aboard." Asahina Taihei pointed to the ironclad Suruga Maru anchored at the seaside. The sailors on the Suruga Maru had already put down a small boat, "My highness invites you."
Ito Yoshisuke cautiously climbed up the Suruga Maru along the cable rope. His old bones were really strong. After climbing to the side of the ship, Ito Yoshisuke couldn't help but turn his head and glance at the sea, and then he realized that the ship
How high was it? He felt a chill in his heart and hurriedly grabbed the side of the ship, but the cold steel made him even more frightened.
"It's impossible to win." Ito Yisuke has already made a calculation in his mind, "against such a fleet... there is no possibility of winning. Even if the Red Leaf Army doesn't fight back, it just brings this ship in front of me and lets us fight.
There is no way at all.”
Ito Yisuke looked at this terrifying fleet and the powerful red leaf soldiers, and thought about his ragtag group of people. He felt more and more frightened in his heart. He followed Asahina Taihei without hesitation, and unknowingly he had arrived in the cabin.
Yu Qiuping's room. Mori Ranmaru opened the door for him and led him to sit in front of Yu Qiuping. It wasn't until Yu Qiuping spoke that Ito Yisuke came back to his senses.
"Your Highness Ito, I am Yuqiu Hongye. This is my first time meeting you. Please take good care of me."
"Your Majesty, Ito Yoshisuke, I have met His Highness Jibu." Ito Yoshisuke was much more polite than Yu Qiuping, and he directly used the honorifics used by subordinates to their superiors.
"Don't panic, Your Highness Ito. I am not here to be an enemy of the Ito family." Yu Qiuping saw Ito Yisuke's legs trembling with fright, and couldn't help but said some words of relief.
"Yes, yes!" Ito Yisuke seemed to be quite friendly when he heard Yu Qiuping's words, and hurriedly took the donkey path down the slope, "The Ito family and the Yu Qiu family have no enmity, and the name of His Highness Jibu is also in our Kyushu.
How can we be enemies with His Highness the Government? Don't you see, since your fleet arrived, Quanzi has abandoned the city and left the city, just for fear of conflict with you and misunderstanding!"
"Of course I know all the painstaking efforts of His Highness Ito." Yu Qiuping smiled and listened to the nonsense of the old man in front of him, "It's just...I heard not long ago that the great names of the Western Kingdom formed an alliance, and His Highness Ito was also among them. I don't know.
Is there some misunderstanding?"
"His Royal Highness Zhibu didn't know anything. This is really a misunderstanding!" Hearing this, Ito Yiyu immediately made an expression that was more unfair than Dou E's. Yu Qiuping was moved by his superb acting skills in an instant.
.
"His Royal Highness Jibu has also seen that our Ito family is now in great danger. The Shimazu family is pressing forward step by step. We are about to perish before our eyes! The Otomo family that we have been relying on before is also unable to protect itself after the defeat of Ergawa. How can our Ito family be able to protect themselves?
It’s really difficult!” Ito Yisuke almost burst into tears as he spoke. He spread his hands and complained to Yu Qiuping, “This time the Shimazu family is quite active in the Western Alliance, how dare the Ito family
Say 'no'? We have joined the Western Union, and the Shimadzu family is still secretly occupying the land of the Hyuga Kingdom. If we had not joined, I am afraid that the Shimadzu family would have destroyed them by now! We have joined the Western Union, it is really
You can't help yourself, how dare you want to be an enemy of His Highness the Ministry of Governance?"
Ito Yisuke's rapid-fire defense made Yu Qiuping, who was quite confident in his eloquence, speechless for a moment. This old fox's decades have not been in vain. He can really say it. Fortunately
Yu Qiuping was well prepared this time, otherwise he would really be unable to defeat him.
"What His Highness Ito said is true. We are not unaware of the Ito family's difficulties." Yu Qiu agreed to everything with confidence.
"Then..." Ito Yisuke hesitated upon seeing this, his eyes hesitated for a moment, and then continued, "Since there is no grievance or enmity, why did His Highness Jibu suddenly occupy our Miyazaki Castle and Miyazaki Castle? What if?
There is a misunderstanding, and I should naturally apologize to His Highness Jibu. I just want His Highness to know that this good port is very important to our Ito family! If the misunderstanding is resolved, I wonder if Your Highness can return it to us?"
"Okay, let's talk about this misunderstanding." Yu Qiuping smiled and clapped his hands. Immediately, Arima Antai, who had been waiting outside the house for a long time, burst in with arrogance. This person was none other than Yu.
The member Qiuping saw in the hall of the House of Commons that day who was clamoring for compensation—he was the boss who specialized in shipping.
"This is the retainer of the Yuqiu family. Let him talk about the misunderstanding between us." Yu Qiuping glanced at Arima Antai and Ito Yisuke with a gloating look, letting them know how to talk.
Let's have a good fight.
Arima Antai had already held back his breath and was waiting to curse. As soon as Yu Qiuping finished speaking, he couldn't wait to curse in a Kyushu accent: "You old man, are you still here nagging me?
You want to bully my Highness to talk easily? If it were me, I would slap you on the ground!"
I'll go... When Yu Qiuping saw Arima Antai's firepower, he suddenly felt like he was in the Internet of later generations.
Ito Yoshisuke was obviously confused by the scolding. As a prominent figure in a family, he had never been scolded by others since he was a child. So much so that he forgot to scold him for a while, but stammered and asked in honorifics.
, "I wonder what this gentleman means?"
"Don't pretend to understand here! Tell me honestly, did the Ito family sink several of our ships and kill many of our people? You tell me yourself!" Arima Antai said with a sigh of relief.
Yisuke Ito cursed again.
"This..." Ito Yisuke was stunned when he heard this, hesitantly lowered his head, "When did this happen..."
"Still want to deny it?" Without saying a word, Arima Yasushi threw out a ledger, which clearly stated the names and names of three Sakai merchant ships that were sunk at the Ito family port and one that was impounded at the Ito family port.
List of all goods and personnel. "See clearly for yourself. These were all sunk in the Ito family's port. There are also many that sank in the sea near your home. I haven't told you yet!"
"This..." Ito Gisuke swallowed, looked at Arima Antai's account book, and nodded with difficulty. He knew that Arima Antai was right, and the people of the Ito family did hit many merchant ships of the Yuqiu family.
, had to explain awkwardly: "Isn't this before... the Ito family was forced to join the Western United Nations... and then the Western United Nations asked us to embargo..."
"Let's not talk about the embargo. It's wrong in the first place, but since we asked you to embargo, how could you sink our ship?" Arima Antai slammed the table angrily, stood up, and faced Yi condescendingly.
Dong Yiyou yelled, "Do you know how much goods we lost and how many people died! We came here just to hold them accountable. Do you think such a big thing can be considered a 'misunderstanding'?"
Chapter completed!