On the fifth day of the first lunar month, when the imperial envoys came to Edo Castle to meet with Ashikaga Yoshi, the composition of the envoys was unusual. The leader of the delegation was Konoe Maekyu, the left minister of Kanshiba, followed by the two right Konoe.
General Kuga Tōken, the three chief ministers of the Great Nagon are now out of Sichuan Seishi, the three chief officers of the Hōnaka Nagon are buried in the middle court, and the fourth officer of the lower house, Sakonoe Hoshi, Major General Kanshudera Harutoyo, formed a delegation and rushed to Edo Castle to announce the edict.
The presence of such luxurious court envoys on such a grand occasion frightened the Kanto samurai. Ever since the Kamakura shogunate and the early Northern and Southern Dynasties, the palace shoguns had left the throne. In the past few hundred years, there had not been such a large-scale appearance of ministers in Kanto, including
In previous Kamakura dynasties, when Duke Furukawa ascended the throne, he only sent one of the third senior ministers of the Habayashi family to congratulate him.
Especially those rustic warriors from all over the Kanto region. Their families have never seen a high-ranking official for generations. He is still one of the chief ministers of the current imperial court, starting with the elder of the Fuji family, Kanbazuo, minister Konoe Maekyu, and the elder of the Tsinghua family, the elder Genji.
His Majesty the Right General Kuaga Tsuken, Nagada Nagon who was born in the Qinghua family, Imedekawa Haruyuki, Ashikaga Yoshitoki's sworn brother Nachu Nagon Nakain Tsumi, and the elder brother-in-law of the current first prince, Prince Seihito, advised Harutoyo to build the temple.
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Among the above people, except for the family who recommended building the temple, who have a relatively distant relationship and were sent by Prince Seihito to gild and reap benefits, the others are all serious "Yoshitoki Party". In recent years, Ashikaga Yoshitoki has supported them in opening commercial houses.
Doing business, sending them a lot of food and money to support them in holding frequent singing parties, tea parties and other banquets in Kyoto, in order to keep these big families active in Kyoto and give the court great influence.
Although these ministers do not usually do much, their most important job is to study literature, music, historical records, Cuju, tea ceremony and other artistic hobbies. But in fact, these ministers' groups play a very important role. They are all in the sixty-six states in the world
Kyoto culture is the most advanced leader, and the core of Kyoto culture is Gongqing culture. They are the improvers of Japanese culture and the advocates of new culture.
As top cultural figures and excellent diplomatic envoys, the ministers can easily reach any hostile area and act as diplomatic mediators. Their role is somewhat similar to that of the shogunate's diplomatic envoys, but the difference is that they are not samurai and do not need to worry about being tabooed. Secondly, the ministers and Kinai
Several major temples in Kyoto jointly hold the supreme say in public opinion in Kyoto. These ministers can bring unexpected benefits to many people through their influence in the court.
Ashikaga Yoshitoki has often benefited from positive comments from Kinai public opinion. In recent years, Rokkaku Yoshiken, Asai Hisamasa, Hieizan Enryakuji Temple and even Miyoshi Nagakei have all been coveting Sakamoto's fat piece of meat. If it weren't for the support of his good reputation in Kinai
These companies were very worried when they took over Sakamoto by force. Maybe this territory would be divided up by these companies.
Konoe came here specifically to support his sworn brother Ashikaga Yoshitoki. At the banquet that day, he announced the latest appointment of the imperial court. Ashikaga Yoshitoki was promoted to the third position and resigned as governor of the Sabei Guards. He was awarded Hōdai Nagon, and the general of the garrison was as follows.
Yuan, and the format changes from the general of the garrison to the general of the garrison automatically.
"Congratulations! His Highness Kimikata has been declared the first shogun!" Namioka Sobo had a proud look on his face. Ashikaga Yoshitoki was promoted and he followed suit. With his family background in the Kitahata family, his promotion speed was much faster than that of ordinary samurai.
The original 4th lower right Konoe Major General was promoted to the 4th senior right Konoe Lieutenant General.
Also promoted were Yamamoto Tokiyuki who was far away in Kinai and was promoted to the fifth rank of Shogun Sado Mamoru. Sanada Yukitaka was awarded the fifth rank of Shobutaka Shobute. Hosokawa Fujitaka was promoted to the fourth rank of Daisuke of the Ministry of War. Many samurai in the family were promoted.
Receiving the title became a formal official position conferred by the imperial court personally, which was also the greatest support the imperial court gave to the Ashikaga family.
"There are so many things that can be done. The only thing the general has announced is the Shogun Palace in Kyoto. It would be better for General Yu to keep a low profile." Ashikaga Yoshitoki smiled softly and avoided Namioka's proposal. There was only one general in the history of the garrison.
Once, it was the Southern Dynasty generals during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. The two famous people in the Nayan Beihata family, this man was the ancestor of Nangang Zangfang.
Ashikaga Yoshitoki did not want to have a bustling farce in Edo that was announced by the general of the garrison, which would cause trouble for the general of the conquest of barbarians Ashikaga Yoshiteru in Kyoto. That was a bad attitude that clearly wanted to break up with the shogunate, and even more
It was a slap in the face to the loyal minister and good general he had maintained for many years. Of course, he really needed this general to be announced as a strong hint to the Kanto warrior family. Without this intention, he would not have asked for this general in the garrison.
The ministers were sitting together drinking tea and chatting. The young Kanshuji Harutoyo was coaxed by Nangoka's room talking about the samurai of Kanto. The young and energetic Kuga Tongken couldn't help but join in and chat.
It's great to see the general atmosphere when the ministers gather together is very harmonious. Compared with the Wu family's empty-headed testing of each other, many utilitarian factors are eliminated.
Zhongyuan Tongmin said proudly: "In any case, this is also the second general in the shogunate. When Yoshitoki was promoted to the rank of Prime Minister, it is the second highest official position in the Wu family!"
"Isn't the Hōdai Nagon a little too high? I think that the Zuohei Guardsman is quite good, and I'm worried that His Highness the General will have other ideas when he learns of my official position." Ashikaga Yoshitoki gave him a worried look. He felt that the imperial court
This appointment seems a bit hasty. The status of Governor Sahei in the Ashikaga family is not low. Ashikaga Takauji has been in this position for many years and has great influence. In his own opinion, he can be used until the second position.
Konoe Maekaku said with a smile on his face: "Yoshitoki probably doesn't know yet! His Highness the Shogun was promoted to a right minister earlier. Kuze's right minister has retired, and Yoshitoki's uncle Nakainden has been promoted to the two inner ministers."
"Oh! So that's it! Congratulations to His Royal Highness the General and Tong Chen."
Ashikaga Yoshiteru was promoted to a right minister and was already a very popular minister. Unless he could wait another ten or eight years until Konoe Maekyu retired, he might be able to become a left minister. Ashikaga Yoshiki felt that this was probably the court's treatment of Ashikaga Yoshiteru.
After losing his beloved son, this is a stimulus and encouragement, hoping that he can get over the shock of his son's death as soon as possible and contribute more to protecting Kyoto.
Kuga Harumichi served as the right minister for several years and it was time for Cain to retire. If he did not retire, he would not be able to make room for his legitimate son Kuga Tong Ken to continue to be promoted. The extra ministers were given to the middle court as a conscientious person.
He worked hard for decades and fought for the expected rewards from various places for the imperial court. Of course, this was also a factor in selling well to Ashikaga Yoshitoki.
If the imperial letter announced by the shogunate is just a prelude, the appointment by the imperial court is equivalent to a final decision on the appointment of the Kanto public. The dual recognition and strong support of the imperial shogunate made many samurai of the Eight Kingdoms of Kanto understand the iron-clad
The fact is that Ashikaga Yoshitoki's background is too deep. It is not something that country samurai like them can play with.
Combined with the recent rumors about the evil deeds of Ashikaga Fujimasa, and the impact of several big assassins in Kanto who were punished by reducing their seals and changing their seals, resistance forces in various parts of Kanto have moved closer to the new Kanto government. Ashikaga Yoshitoki has no regard for these insignificant trumpets.
The Chinese people are still very tolerant and will basically grant a license for security measures as long as the circumstances are not egregious.
Under the influence of Ashikaga Yoshitoki, who was promoted to the third rank of Shoudainagon and the garrison general, Odawara Castle, which was isolated on the western border of Sagami, was shaken. Looking at the entire Kanto, the Hojo family was the only samurai family to resist the Ashikaga family. It took so much time.
Any fool knows that he will definitely kneel down, not to mention that Takeda Shingen is sharpening his sword and aiming at Izu Country at any time to "respond" to Ashikaga Yoshitoki's call to launch an attack.
Most of the 20,000 troops in the city came from the two countries of Sagami and Izu, and a small number were from Musashi, Shimosu, and Kamosu who had retreated into Odawara Castle. So many samurai who were not direct descendants of the Hojo family saw their territories confiscated, and the retainers group
He was torn apart and reorganized into the Kanto Public Service Agency for selection and recruitment. He had no idea how his wife, children, and children were doing. He fought hard for the Hojo family, but his wife and children were scattered and their families were destroyed. The feeling was simply worse than slashing them with a knife.
My brain is still suffering.
These Japanese people resolutely demanded to leave Odawara Castle, and if they were not allowed to leave, they clamored to go back. The matter became so big that a mutiny almost broke out. In the end, Hojo Ujiyasu came forward to temporarily appease the mutinous samurai with his high prestige, but what happened after all was
You can't just pretend it didn't happen before, and the people who were born in Sagami Izu also feel very sad about it.
There is only one Odawara Castle left in Sagami Kingdom. The closest way to Izu Kingdom is by sea transportation. However, after Ashikaga Yoshitoki moved to the castle and entered Edo Castle, the number of naval forces of the Ashikaga family in Sagami Bay immediately increased.
The speed increased, and the sailors of the Hosui Peninsula and the Musashi Kingdom all joined the Ashikaga family without saying a word. When they learned that their sailors had deserted their masters, they almost made Satomi Yoshihiro angry to death.
With the growth of the navy and the construction of ports and docks near Edo Castle, they worked day and night to build Kansune and Anzai ships. In just a few months, all the shipbuilding lumber prepared by shipwrights from all over the Kanto region was collected.
.Reluctantly built more than a hundred new ships and added the newly attached navy, and soon gathered more than 200 ships to become the Kanto Tianzi No. 1 navy.
The Hojo family's Sagami navy couldn't defeat them, and if they couldn't protect the waterway, they couldn't deliver information and supplies to Odawara Castle. Over time, Odawara Castle became an isolated "artificial desert", which was equivalent to animals living in isolation that would soon be destroyed by natural enemies.
Targeted and easily killed, this is almost the case with the Hojo clan in Odawara Castle.
Enemies on all sides with no retreat is a huge crisis faced by the Hojo family. This is even more dangerous than the night battle in Kawagoe fifteen years ago. Even if the Ashikaga family did not use the posture of a lion fighting a rabbit with all their strength, they would use the city little by little.
As the village advanced, Hojo Ujiyasu was forced to do nothing. His most capable right-hand man, Hojo Tsunari, became a prisoner. His son, Hojo Ushige, was slightly inferior to Hojo Tsunari in terms of talent and strength. This prevented the Hojo family from making a good counterattack.
the possibility of war.
Under such dire circumstances, Hojo Ujimasa decided to send Hojo Genan as an envoy to Edo Castle, and personally met Ashikaga Yoshitoki and expressed his willingness to open the city and ask for surrender. This diplomatic action was different from the ones mentioned repeatedly in the past few months.
"Sudding for peace", even an alliance under the castle, is not the result Ashikaga Yoshitoki wants, and this time it is precisely that he really wants to "beg for surrender" to Ashikaga Yoshitoki.
Facing Hojo Genan's pleading, Ashikaga Yoshitoki replied calmly: "Immediately surrender the city, lift the military service and only allow to retain three thousand soldiers, and I will give the Hojo clan Izu a national security in accordance with the original conditions."
I will not talk about the ownership of Sagami Country. Odawara Castle must be given up. I don’t want such a strong city to remain in the hands of the Hojo family."
Hojo Genan raised his beard in anger and said tremblingly: "This... this is not allowed! My lord has repeatedly asked us to preserve Odawara Castle. This is the territory that my Sagami Hojo clan has worked hard to manage for generations!"
Ashikaga Yoshitoki sneered: "It turns out that Hojo Sagami Mamoru has always been in love with Odawara Castle! Well, I will grant his request. Odawara Castle will be secured and Izu Kingdom will be reduced."
"...Why do you have to fight to the death, Your Majesty Kōkata! I, the Hojo clan, really want to surrender!" Hojo Genan clasped his hands together and said with a sad face: "Please, Your Highness Kōkōta, leave a way for my Hojo family to survive from now on.
From now on, we will always be loyal to His Highness, and if we violate our oath, we are willing to be punished and killed by gods and Buddhas!"
Ashikaga Yoshitoki laughed at his statement. The so-called oath he swore at that time must have been true to every word. His descendants may have a strong will to betray him. Relying on an oath to start an invitation and send it to a temple or shrine is fragile. Who can rule?
There is no guarantee that this system, which is purely supported by blood ties, will last long before it collapses.
For example, the disastrous situation of the Muromachi shogunate is closely related to the imperfect system. Ashikaga Takauji's system of one-line management and guardianship has been proven to be the product of failure. Ashikaga Yoshitoki used
Another system is gradually improving the new system, in which the public has absolute military strength and land advantages.
"Loyalty and bravery are commendable... and we really can't let the world think that I am too stingy. Let's do this! I'll give you two choices for the Hojo family. The Higashi Sagami Hanguoan Castle is Tamana Castle. Or the Izu Ichikuni Castle is Nirayama Castle. According to the two
The player's choice will give the Hojo family an aggressive mission, Higashi-Sagami Hankuni will enter the Oyamada clan in Kai County, and Izu Ichikuni will enter the Suruga Ikoku."
"Isn't there a better choice?" Hojo Gen'an scratched his head with a frown on his face. He didn't dare to take these two options casually. If he couldn't pick up any of them, the Hojo family would be trapped. He was not stupid, of course he would see it.
The Takeda family wanted to use them to deal with the Centipede when Ashikaga Yoshi came out.
"Leave here and go to Kanto Shimono Country or Hitachi Country. You can choose any of the 100,000 stone grids. But you won't be willing to accept the credit if you don't get it!" Ashikaga Yoshitoki really wanted to laugh out loud.
, the thinking of the Hojo family is still stuck in the thinking of the Warring States Daimyo. One hundred thousand stone grids were enough to be the chief family patriarch in the past few years.
It’s just that the expansion has been too fast in recent years, and the standard has been continuously raised to 100,000 koku to qualify as the elder of the Shodai family. And among the new members of the Shodai family, they are also outstanding and powerful martial artists. For example, the Satake clan of Hitachi is still
There are more than 150,000 koku, which is enough to serve as the senior official of the clan. Before the reduction of the title, the Utsunomiya and Nasu clans were both 100,000 koku. After the reduction of the title, they were reduced to the position of the new chief minister of the clan of about 70,000 koku.
"This..." Hojo Genan thought hard for a long time but still couldn't find a solution. Finally, he bit the bullet and said: "I still need to think about it, and I will give an accurate answer to His Highness in a few days!"
…
The weather was clear and sunny on the 15th day of the first lunar month, and the good weather for several consecutive days melted a lot of snow on the roads. As soon as it got light on this day, a huge team appeared on the land of Kamakura, which is located on the Miura Peninsula. The western part of the country is also known as the capital of samurai. The word Kamakura is enough to represent all the meanings of samurai. When the samurai family was in the ascendant, it witnessed dramas of tragedy and joy several times here.
It represents the centuries-old glory and endless splendor of the Kamakura shogunate, and also represents the achievements of countless samurai with their blood. The Minamoto Yoritomo line is extinct here, and the Hojo Tokuso family line is extinct here. The Nitta family's last hope is here. Kamakura was wiped out by Lord Ashikaga Moto, and this ancient city no longer needs to be described with too many gorgeous words.
Riding a horse on the streets of the ancient capital of Kamakura gives you a different feeling. The ancient trees stand tall and the quiet ancient city exudes a peaceful atmosphere. Pass through the makeup slope and enter the central area of the city. You can see temples of all sizes everywhere. During this period, listening to the melodious bells in the ancient temple and the occasional chanting of morning prayers made people not feel how barbaric and brutal this city was back then.
The inauguration ceremony was held at Tsuruoka Hachimangu Shrine on Komachi Avenue on the east side of Kamakura Prefecture. When I visited Tsuruoka Hachimangu Shrine a few days ago, I found that the scenery in front of me was completely modern. I could clearly see many of the facilities in Hachimangu Shrine. Most of them were newly created, which greatly disappointed Ashikaga Yoshitoki, who was full of reverence.
After Hachimangu Shrine's explanation, he learned that this ancient capital had been attacked by a fire thirty-five years ago. This war, known as the Battle of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu or the Battle of Dayei-Kamakura, brought great disaster to Kamakura. The warehouse caused huge damage. The two sides in this battle were Hojo Ujitsuna and Satomi Yoshitoyo. The two sides had a major conflict over the expansion of the Fusui Peninsula, and Hojo Ujizuna joined forces with Furukawa and Ashikaga Takaki to fight against Koyumi and Ashikaga Yoshiaki. and triggered a surprise battle.
The Satomi family led the Bosui navy to raid Kamakura Prefecture, and the continuous fire enveloped half of Kamakura. It is unknown how many ancient and famous temples were burned in this battle. Hojo Uzuna raised funds to repair the damage. Kamakura gave this dilapidated city a chance to revitalize itself.
What's even more interesting is that the two sides had a heated argument over their qualifications to restore Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine after the battle. In the end, it was Hojo Tsuna who came first and got the opportunity. As a result, Yoshiaki lost his prestige and had no choice but to follow Satomi Yoshitoyo and retreat to the Fusui Peninsula with a shameless face.