Not only Torii Motoada is seriously examining his own death, but Ieyasu is also doing the same, but he has never said it out loud. At this point, they can only let themselves transcend life and death, risk everything, and strive for the best possible tomorrow.
This is not only for himself, but also for his descendants. After all, clan and family status are almost everything to a samurai.
It has only been half a year since the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the "man of the world", and the world has already fallen into chaos. Can such a world be unified again? Could it be that I, Tokugawa Ieyasu, has gone through untold hardships and endured for more than fifty years, and finally finally
Will they only spend their lives in vain like Matsunaga Hide and Akechi Mitsuhide?
It was with such worries that Tokugawa Ieyasu had no choice but to bow his head to the man who coveted the rule of Japan and win the preservation of his family integrity through bloodline replacement.
Of course, according to Tokugawa Ieyasu's plan, although the bloodline of the general conquering barbarians will be "replaced" by then, his own sons will be preserved as shoguns, and they should even become lords of a feudal clan. In this way,
In other words, the "Tokugawa Shogunate" is used to maintain the family status, and each biological son also has his own security [Note: "Japan's security" roughly means that the court recognizes someone and a family's hereditary territory], so it is not a waste of his life.
Thank you for your hard work.
At this time, Ieyasu and Motoada had the same mind. From time to time, the two held hands and looked at each other, crying or laughing. At dawn, Torii Motoada was pulled back to the bedroom by Ieyasu.
"I have no regrets in this life." Yuan Zhong said casually, and then hurriedly covered it up: "I firmly believe that the Lord will be able to revive the world." He was filled with emotions because he was already past his sixtieth year when he realized how difficult it is to govern the world.
.
"Even a man like Taige is helpless. He has more than enough ambition but not enough power... You must not forget this..." Yuan Zhong rambled on.
No matter how extraordinary one's abilities are, one's lifespan is ultimately limited. If one is not aware of this, all efforts will be in vain in an instant. Recently, Yuan Zhong had someone interpret for him the Tang Dynasty book "Zhenguan Zhengjia" published by Ieyasu Yuanji.
In the past, he was no less stubborn than Honda Sakuzaemon, but now, he said: "Learning is the most important thing."
The pavilion has more than enough weapons but not enough virtue and talent." Or, "Even if there are hundreds of thousands of troops approaching, Yuan Zhong never knows what to fear, and at worst he will perish together with the city."
That night, every word he said was deeply imprinted in Ieyasu's mind.
The next day, Ieyasu ordered the army to rest for a day at Fushimi Castle. At dawn on the 18th, Ieyasu set off in a sedan chair. Motoada, his parents, Ietada, and Chimasa stood side by side outside the gate to see him off. Everyone looked serious and couldn't see.
No trace of sentimentality or nostalgia.
After leaving Fushimi, we have entered the battlefield. Omi, which we must pass next, is close to Ishida Mitsunari's sphere of influence.
At noon, Ieyasu arrived at Otsu and was warmly entertained by Kyogoku Councilor Takatsuki. Takatsuki's wife is the sister of Hideyori's biological mother, Mrs. Yodo, and the sister of Hidetada's wife, Oe. Ieyasu has always regarded Takatsuki as an ally, but at present
But it was not convenient to make it clear to him. At this time, Ieyasu still regarded Uesugi Kagekatsu as his primary enemy and went all out to conquer Aizu.
On the day he left Otsu, Ieyasu rushed to Ishibe with a few close ministers. Surprisingly, Nagasuke Masashi, who had always been close to Mitsunari, actually rushed there first and asked to visit him. There is no doubt that he must have been instructed by Mitsunari.
Come and check out what's going on with Ieyasu.
The 60,000-koku castle of the Nagasuke Masa family is at the mouth of Omi. The mouth of the water is in front of Ishibe and is more than 80 miles away from Ishibe. Therefore, Masaashi must have entered his castle first and then returned to Ishibe to greet Ieyasu.
In the eyes of the people here, the main family behaves extremely loyally.
Accompanied by family elder Matsukawa Kinchi, the main family came to Ieyasu and said respectfully: "I would like to entertain Zuofu in the city tomorrow morning. Please come and see Zuofu no matter what."
Ieyasu suddenly felt pity for the Masa family. The man in front of him was indeed a good hand at managing money and food, but he always seemed cautious, wavering, and without any idea.
"I will definitely go. As for the banquet, it will be too extravagant." Ieyasu sighed and said half-truthfully: "The national power has been consumed a lot in recent years, so I can save some."
"Just expressing my feelings briefly."
"Then it's better to be respectful than to obey. However, what are you planning to entertain me, my lord?" Before he finished speaking, Ieyasu regretted his teasing. The man in front of him has always been good at talking, could he really do that?
Ieyasu had prepared "a little thought", and suddenly had such an idea, so he asked casually.
As expected, the Masa family was in a very miserable state. Ieyasu felt pitiful, so he took out the Kunimitsu short sword and the Yukihira long sword and said, "I remember that there are many small rivers from here to the water mouth. Loach is probably a famous product in this area."
With that said, he gave the short sword to the principal family and the long sword to the son of the principal family.
Zhengjia retreated in panic. It was dusk, and although Zhengjia was riding a horse, it was probably already night when he returned home.
Thinking of this, Ieyasu was suddenly shocked: Masaiya came here specially for the banquet tomorrow morning, but he couldn't tell what he was going to entertain him. What did this mean?
Ieyasu waved to Shintaro Torii and ordered in a low voice: "Go and find out how many followers the Masaiya has brought with him."
Torii Shintaro understood this and immediately chased him out. When they reached the Shirochi River beach outside the inn, Shintaro saw the main family and seventy or eighty retainers gathered together, and immediately came back to report.
"He asked his followers to wait for him at the river beach?"
"Yes. But why did he take his entourage outside the inn? What a weirdo."
"How far have the main family traveled?"
"About eight miles away."
"There is still time..." Ieyasu began to think deeply. At Xu time, he suddenly stood up and ordered the troops to set off from Ishibe overnight. He was obviously worried that he would be unprepared in Ishibe at night. Once the army was attacked, the consequences would be disastrous.
Shintaro understood Ieyasu's intention, but he was puzzled as to what basis he could use to infer that he was about to be attacked.
"Hurry, the moon is about to come out. If you are slow, something big will happen." Ieyasu said to Shintaro. Shintaro immediately ordered someone to call the bearer.
"Can't others carry the sedan?" Ieyasu got into the sedan anxiously.
Since it was such an emergency, he couldn't wait for the bearers to arrive. Watanabe Chuemon, who was accompanying him, put on his straw sandals, tied his leggings, and shouted: "Lord, please be patient." He immediately lifted the rear shaft of the sedan.
The one in front was carried by the Ashigaru Samurai of the Musketeers.
There were only about twenty personal guards accompanying him. The female relatives and Mizuno Masashige, Sakai Shigekatsu, Naruse Shoichi, Honda Tadakatsu and others who arrived later were left behind.
"Shintaro, quietly tell everyone that I will take the first step and ask them not to be careless."
After the sedan passed Sunagawa Bridge, Ieyasu finally showed his face, looked at the sky, and said to the back of the sedan: "Who is carrying the sedan behind?"
"Your Majesty, this is Watanabe Chuemon."
"Okay, you did a good job."
"My lord, you praised me. This is what I should do."
"Tadaemon, do you know why I left Ishibe in such a hurry?"
"My lord, this is a difficult question for you... Do you think that Chang Shuzheng's family came here under the instruction of the Shao Fu of the Ministry of Governance, so..."
"Haha, the main family is here to greet me under the order of the Zhibu, so I must leave the Shibu in a hurry?"
"Isn't it? I heard that Ishida has a famous general named Shimazakon Katsuki who is good at night attacks. You must not be careless about such a person. Considering that Nagasuke Masashi's visit this time, he must be under the command of the Minister of Justice
I have received an order to find out if your Excellency wants to stay overnight with Ishibe. In this case, Ishibe will not be able to stay for a moment. Therefore, Your Excellency..."
"Hahaha, Tadayemon, do you really think you make me feel comfortable carrying the sedan?"
"I don't dare. However, the crisis has not passed yet, so please continue to be patient."
"There is no need to worry. Even if they want to launch a sneak attack, they will have to do it at least late at night or at dawn, and before that, we have already passed the water mouth. Masato never imagined that Ieyasu would dare to cross him with only a few people.
Below the city. Look, the moon is out. Don't be nervous and relax."
Ieyasu rushed from Tagawa to the spring, and Honda Tadakatsui led his troops to leave Ishibe and pursue him. When the large army arrived at the water bank at Mizukou at dawn, Ieyasu's sedan was already eight miles away from Mizukou.
"Well, you're a long-time man, do you think I'm going to sneak over here? Come on, scare him first, and then rush over."
Honda Tadakatsu ordered Mizuno, Sakai, Naruse and other troops to light the fuses, and the other soldiers took up positions on the river beach under the moonlight and shouted loudly. The sudden sound of gunfire broke the silence of the dawn.
"Okay! Everyone rush over to me!" Honda Tadakatsu took the lead and led his troops to rush through the city like a storm.
Once a war started, he was like a fish in water, and he was like a fish in water. This was Honda Tadakatsu. In fact, not only Honda Tadakatsu, but Ieyasu was also the same. Once a war started, he who usually looked quite short and fat suddenly became
Be sharp and flexible.
The experience accumulated through hundreds of battles has become an incredible habit, hidden in the body. But he is already fifty-nine years old after all. Time is not forgiving, and fatigue is inevitable. The sedan walked eastward from Shuikou.
After 16 or 17 miles, when we arrived at Tushan, Ieyasu's joints were already sore. However, there were still more than 800 miles from here to Edo. It seemed that this journey was another training for the body and mind.
At this age, Hideyoshi had already sent troops to conquer Korea, but when Hideyoshi was tired of trivial matters, Ieyasu began to fight for unification. Maybe this time he spent more time than Hideyoshi's expedition - after all, even Ieyasu
I don’t even know what the “Great Ming Guan Bai” will be satisfied with if he sees what Japan will do.
Ieyasu couldn't help but sigh, it's unimaginable that a person can work so hard in his life! Now this war is for the future of the Tokugawa family at best, and for the survival of Japan at worst. Such a heavy burden, look at it
I will never take it off my shoulders for the rest of my life...
There was no castle in the Tushan area, so Ieyasu ordered his people to set up a temporary tent in front of the house of a family named Tushan Heijiro. Just after lunch, a horse galloped over, and it was none other than Nagasuke Masaiya.
In Ishibe, Ieyasu already knew that he was a spy sent by Mitsunari. This time, he must have felt that Ieyasu had seen through the trick, so he was restless and wanted to take the initiative to explain: "It's a pity that I couldn't come to the small town for a rest..."
The principal should have said this, but unexpectedly at this moment he turned pale and said: "I can't bear to leave you so much, Zuofu. I always wanted to come to say hello again, so I came here."
Ieyasu looked at him, a little regretful, but also a little cold. Perhaps, his strength is stronger, so that no one dares to rebel, and people like Nagasuke Masa will not be so confused. But Ieyasu also judged
What Chu Zhengjia said was from his heart. He must be thinking that once Zuofu goes eastward, the two sides may never meet again.
"Coming from afar, Ieyasu is really frightened, so I will give this to you." Ieyasu took out a Kunimitsu sword and placed it in front of Masakaya. This sword is exactly the same as the short sword given to Masakaya in Ishibe.
Masaiya couldn't help but be startled. Lai Kunimitsu was Ieyasu's beloved sword, and now he actually gave it to him. It seemed that Ieyasu had no intention of returning to Osaka.
"I really deserve it."
"Just think of yourself as me and cherish this knife from now on."
"How dare the main family?"
"It was only after I set off from Osaka that I finally realized that Taikaku was the same age as me when he marched towards Nagoya. Although I took the lead in conquering Uesugi, it was not that easy... hahaha." Although Ieyasu wanted to comfort Masaru.
At home, the tone is completely that of a fighter.
Masaiya finally felt relieved. Even if Ieyasu had a plan, it would be after he won the battlefield, so he didn't have to worry about it now. After thanking Ieyasu again and again, he returned to Mizuguchi. Of course, these things that happened above will definitely spread to Sancheng
in the ears.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! On June 19th, Ieyasu stayed at Sekijizo, and arrived at Yokkaichi on the 20th. The owner of Kuwana Castle, Shoyuki Hiroshi, came out to greet Ieyasu respectfully and wanted to entertain him.
, Ieyasu didn’t dare to believe him easily.
If you are attacked by a group of 30% here, even if you can break out safely, you will probably be laughed at. More importantly, if someone takes the opportunity to criticize you, it is very likely to damage your martial arts and reputation.
"Thank you very much. Ieyasu will pay a visit tomorrow morning." Ieyasu agreed readily at first, then prepared the boat at night and rushed directly to Saku Island in Mikawa, and then entered Okazaki Castle.
Okazaki Castle is the birthplace of Ieyasu and the city of his ancestral home. Ieyasu's struggle is closely related to this city. The man currently responsible for guarding it is Daisuke Yoshimasa of the Tanaka Military Department.
Yoshimasa was once appointed as the governor of Toyotomi Hidetsu. After the Hidetsu incident, he was also severely reprimanded by Hideyoshi. Later, he was spared due to Ieyasu's reconciliation. Therefore, he was grateful to Ieyasu.
"This is the birthplace of Zuofu. Please rest well."
"It's strange to say that as soon as I came to this city, I felt at ease. Even though Taige deliberately made things difficult, changed my title, and also changed the city lord..."
Ji Zheng scratched his bald head and said with a smile: "The people here are very impressed by Zuofu. After entering the city, I found that Zuofu's kindness is everywhere. It is really admirable..." At this point
At this point, he suddenly changed the topic and said: "There is someone waiting to see you. Please allow me to do so."
Before he finished speaking, someone walked into the academy and it turned out to be a young nun.
Ieyasu couldn't help but be stunned, staring straight at the nun. He always felt that she was very similar to Yoshimasa, and asked: "Are you the beloved daughter of the Daisuke of the Ministry of War?"
"Yes. The poor nun is the Qingshun nun who lives next to Gaotaiyuan."
"Do you serve Gaotaiyuan?"
"Exactly."
"You haven't come to see my father for a long time, so you came all the way?"
"No, the poor nun came here specially to see Master Zuofu off on the orders of Gaotaiyuan."
"Oh?" Ieyasu was startled at first, and then said solemnly: "I don't dare to take it, I don't dare to take it."
"Kodaiyuan originally wanted to come to see you off in person, but was unable to do so, so he sent a poor nun to Okazaki to say hello on his behalf."
Tokugawa Ieyasu nodded and said thoughtfully: "I wonder if Kodaiin has anything to tell Ieyasu?"
"Everyone can see the internal troubles in the world, but there are still external troubles in the world today... This must be clearly understood by Zuofu." After a pause, Qingshunni said in a low voice: "Today's world can truly inherit
Zuofu is the only one who left the legacy of Taige, so please take it seriously - these are Madam's original words."
"Ieyasu is really frightened, extremely frightened! After you return to the capital, you must tell Kodaiin that Ieyasu was so moved that he will never forget Taikaku's legacy."
Although the time is ripe, for Ieyasu, the future of this expedition is still uncertain. If there is a slight mistake, it is very likely to be defeated like Imagawa Yoshimoto and Takeda Shingen.
The fifty-nine-year-old body is no longer suitable for the rough life of a soldier. Even Hideyoshi, who loved to travel, was obviously aging when he rushed from Hizen to Nagoya. Ieyasu saw this with his own eyes. In addition,
, everyone in the world looked at Ieyasu with strange eyes: "You are still starting a war at your age?" This made him even more painful and tormented.
Guan Bazhou is already in his hands. As long as the Ming Dynasty does not intervene directly, the Tokugawa family will never be in danger of destroying the country. After all, Hideyori is young and cannot have the prestige to surpass Hideyoshi.
From this point of view, those who are content with long-term happiness should quietly retire and enjoy their old age, which is the smartest way to live. But Ieyasu made a desperate move and once again launched a war to determine the general trend of the world. Presumably the world will take this to think that Ieyasu is
I am greedy and don't know what I am facing at this moment.
Even if he doesn't want to fight, the great Ming Guanbai must have a way to force him to fight - he can support Uesugi Kagekatsu, but can't he support Ishida Mitsunari? Or, he can even support Hideyori or Yodono.
In this predicament, Kodaiin, who understood Hideyoshi's thoughts better than anyone else, quietly came to support him. This was tantamount to a light in the darkness. Unfortunately, what Ieyasu could not say clearly was that he had already judged the disparity in power.
The power of pragmatism cannot be matched by the current Japan. The result of violating high pragmatism will inevitably end with Japan turning into powder.
This is intolerable.
Soon, they started talking about the boring daily life in Gaotaiyuan and the old Taige generals who visited her.
"Who really supports Shaojun has often become a topic of discussion among the generals." Qingshun Ni said.
"I think so. Whenever that happens, how will Kodaiin respond?" Ieyasu asked.
"Madam always answered unabashedly that it was herself. Others were just loyal and unprepared for emergencies. Gaotaiyuan also said that for the sake of Shaojun, she might have to ask Zuofu for help at some point.
But it would be better if you don’t have to ask..."
Qingshunni was so forthright that even Ji Zheng blamed her with some embarrassment: "Who doesn't know these things? You need to tell me!"
Ieyasu forced a smile and said nothing.
The march east of Okazaki turned into a pleasant tour.
On the evening of the 23rd, Ieyasu was welcomed by Horio Yoshiharu and his son Yoshiharu Kato in Hamamatsu Castle. On the evening of the 24th, he stayed at Nakayama in Saya. On the same day, he passed by the Kakegawa River and Yamauchi Tsuimamori Kazuhiro specially came to offer lunch.
.Ieyasu knew that Ippo was determined to follow him.
On the 25th, Ieyasu sent an envoy to Sunfu, which he missed very much, to check on the condition of the city lord Nakamura Kazuo. He himself stayed in Nidō Castle and was entertained.
That night, the sick Ichi came to Erdao City in a sedan chair. For the future of his family, he prayed to Ieyasu with tears in his eyes: "You must have seen it, sir. I am now seriously ill and cannot go with you. It is really a pity.
The children are young, so please let your foolish brother Hikoemon Ichirō join the army and do your best for the adults."
The generals headed by Fukushima of Kiyosu were originally specially deployed by Hideyoshi to suppress Ieyasu, but now they have all become Ieyasu's allies. It was only after they took over Ieyasu's old leadership that they deeply felt Ieyasu's influence.
His rule in the local area was stable and his influence was far-reaching, so he gradually became convinced.
On the 27th, Ieyasu arrived at Odawara, and on the 28th he arrived at Fujisawa. The twenty-nine people met with the Narita clan leader, Kahihime's father, at Tamana Castle... No one knows what they talked about.
When Ieyasu entered Edo, where the generals were gathering one after another, it was already the second day of July.
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