Chapter 15, Twenty-seven moments in the four years of Chongzhen (15)
The fifteenth moment: Changzhou Su Lao’s ambition
AD 1631, the fourth year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty, December of the seventh year of Kan'ei in Japan, Changzhou Domain, Maguan, Chunfan Tower
The Chunfan Building in Shimonoseki is a private villa built near the Shimonoseki Strait by the Japanese hero and "Changzhou Su Lao" Mr. Shinji, who has become famous in recent years. The layout of this building is not large, but the victory lies in the defeat. The mountain faces the sea, with blue sea waves in front and mountains and forests behind. The scenery is quite beautiful.
In the late spring of this year, when Marshal Huang Shi, the famous general of the Ming Dynasty, crossed the sea to Changzhou to discuss the joint attack on Satsuma, he stayed here. He was so excited that he named the building "Chunfan Tower" with a splash of ink. It seems to commemorate his arrival here in the spring. The owner of the building, Shousui Xinji, was naturally delighted to accept Huang Dashuai's calligraphy and commissioned a craftsman to make a gold plaque and hang it in front of the building. From then on, the name of the building was officially changed.
On this day, Mr. Shou Suisu had nothing to do. He was entertaining several guests and colleagues to drink and enjoy the snow in the Chunfan Tower.
Although it was the twelfth lunar month of winter with howling north wind and heavy snowfall outside, the interior of Chunfan Building was as warm as spring with the blazing brazier. As far as the eye can see, all kinds of splendid furnishings are full of exotic customs that are very different from the Japanese style - exquisite crystal glass chandeliers hang from the ceiling; the floor is not paved with tatami mats, but Persian carpets, colorfully woven with various patterns; On the carpet stand two tables filled with various enamels. There is a red sandalwood shelf with Langzhen glassware, and a colorful screen with gold-painted landscape paintings; in front of the screen are not Japanese-style cushions and low tables, but Chinese-style carved wooden chairs and Eight Immortals tables. Because it is winter, the seats are There is also a thick felt cushion on the backrest, which is very comfortable. Even the brazier for heating in the corner is extremely elegant. Exotic spices are added to the fine hardwood charcoal, making the whole house fragrant and full of spring.
The most eye-catching part of the interior is a specially built enclosed balcony facing the courtyard and the sea. Three walls are covered with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, and even the ceiling is inlaid with glass panels. If one stands in it, It’s really like being in the Dragon King’s Crystal Palace!
Several foreign warriors who were visiting Chunfan Building for the first time were shocked as soon as they walked in and saw the floor-to-ceiling glass windows and transparent roof that were almost like the greenhouses of later generations. I even couldn't help but move closer to the large, clear glass panel, staring blankly at the leaden sky in the middle of winter, the cold plum blossoms blooming resolutely amidst the silence of all things, and the snowflakes falling in the wind through the window. He fell into a trance for a while, and even reached out involuntarily to touch the falling snow outside the window. It was not until his fingertips were blocked by the glass that he woke up in shock.
——Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the novel feeling of not being exposed to the wind and snow, but being like being outdoors is something they have never experienced before.
Seeing those foreign warriors acting in such a daze, all the Changshu feudal lords present laughed, completely forgetting that when they first came to Chunfan Tower, they seemed to be in a general state of disbelief... However, the owner of this place , only twenty-six years old, tall and burly (by Japanese standards), Nobuyoshi Morisui just smiled calmly and invited everyone to come and take a seat, which made the guests admire him for his demeanor as a famous official.
Because the food and drinks were not ready yet, everyone just sat in a circle around the table, drinking fragrant Lingnan oolong tea with exquisite, small, crystal-clear glass tea sets, tasting some "Wagashi" cakes, and casually chatting about some topics to relieve their boredom.
At first, they just talked about trivial matters, but as they chatted, they involuntarily brought the topic to current affairs.
"...This year's statistics show that the number of stones in the collar is 1.5 million shi. Although the rice harvest has not been a bumper harvest in the past two years, the output is still decent. As for the new crops introduced from the Ming Dynasty, those sweet potatoes and potatoes Even the output is amazing. It will cost a lot to send troops to Satsuma this year, but after the autumn grain is put into the warehouse, the military rations in the domain can still be used for one year. If the former master (Mori Terumoto) knew this, he would definitely be very happy. "< br>
An old man with white beard and hair was chattering while sipping tea, looking very energetic. It's a pity that he is a bit too old. Not only does he speak in a leaky and slow manner, but his articulation is also unclear, which makes everyone feel sleepy. However, because he is the master of the feudal lord, they have to force it. Patience - until he seemingly inadvertently let out the last sentence:
"... Now it's time to prepare for the New Year's banquet. Your Majesty, my lord has been hesitating for a while. When it comes to accepting toasts from the ministers at the end of this year, should we continue to follow the old routine? Or should we say something different from previous years? What?”
After hearing this, the foreign warriors still looked at a loss, but the eyes of several Changshu feudal warriors who responded quickly brightened up in an instant.
——Every warrior of the Maori family knows the extraordinary meaning contained in the seemingly ordinary words above:
The curtain falls!
Speaking of which, long before the last "Zhengchang War" broke out, the relationship between the Choshu clan and the Edo shogunate was almost "hatred in two places in one day, hatred in three rivers and four seas". It is no wonder that in another In the history of the world, the Choshu clan will eventually become the vanguard of the overthrow movement.
Of course, in the history of this world, the Choshu clan is still the vanguard and the backbone of the overthrow movement.
——The ancestor of the Maori family of the Choshu Domain was Maori Motosuke, who was known as "the most intelligent general of the Warring States Period". When the Maori family was at its most powerful during the Warring States Period, it once occupied 80% of the land in the western part of Honshu Island. After Mourimoto died, his successor was his grandson, named Mouri Terumoto. This person's performance in history can be summed up in one sentence: his heart is higher than the sky and his hands are softer than tofu. Because he has a high vision and a low hand, he often suffers from various misfortunes.
Therefore, in the fifth year of Keicho (1600), the largest battle in history broke out in Japan - the Battle of Sekigahara. Tokugawa Ieyasu faced off against Ishida Mitsunari. Among them, the Western Army led by Ishida Mitsunari, In fact, it represented the Toyotomi family, the highest ruling family in Japan at the time. However, although Ishida Mitsunari is said to be the representative of the Toyotomi family, he is actually the commander-in-chief on the battlefield, and the general-in-chief of the Western Army is Mouri Terumoto.
At that time, Ishida Mitsunari asked the powerful Mori Terumoto to be the general of the Western Army. At first, he put on airs and refused to come. In the end, Ishida Mitsunari promised that once Tokugawa Ieyasu was defeated, the Mori family would become the second largest in Japan. It was a large family, second only to the Toyotomi family, and this man agreed to participate in the war.
By the time of the decisive battle between the Eastern and Western armies in Sekigahara, the total number of Western armies on the battlefield reached approximately 100,000. Among them, the strength of the Mori family alone and the three branches of the Mori family, the Kobayakawa family and the Yoshikawa family alone, were 30,000 to 40,000. However, these 300,000 to 40,000 people were killed due to the perennial incompetence of the elder Maori Hui and the conflicts between the three families. The conflict was so divided that it was impossible to unite as one. On the battlefield, he either watched or defected. The hesitant and timid Mori Terumoto followed the advice of Yoshikawa Hiroie (who had been bought by Ieyasu at the time), so that the Tokugawa family could preserve the Mori family territory after the war. In exchange for the terms of exchange, the Eastern Army adopted a passive policy of avoiding war. As for the Kobayakawa family, they simply betrayed the Tokugawa family on the battlefield, which directly led to the defeat of the Western Army on the battlefield of Sekigahara.
But the failure of the Sekigahara battlefield did not mean the failure of the entire war. You must know that at that time, Mouri Terumoto himself also brought tens of thousands of people to station in Osaka Castle, and Osaka Castle was known as "the best in Japan" at that time. The city of golden soup, if you lead the people to occupy the city and defend it, it may not be impossible to defeat the Tokugawa army.
Therefore, Tachibana Munesege, the Daimyo of the Western Kingdom who was also in the city at that time, and even Mori Hidemoto, the adopted son of Mori Terumoto, and others all believed that they should defend the city and fight to the death. Even if they had to negotiate peace with Tokugawa Ieyasu in the end, they should at least show their strength. Strength, so as not to be underestimated by that old turtle. But at this most critical moment, Terumoto Mori backed down again - he decided to believe in Tokugawa Ieyasu's promise to preserve the territory of the Mori family and surrender without a fight.
Unexpectedly, Tokugawa Ieyasu immediately changed his face after the war. Facing Mouri Terumoto who came to beg for mercy, Tokugawa Ieyasu overturned his previous promise and reduced the feudal land of the Choshu clan from 1.2 million koku to 300,000 koku. , suddenly became poor. In this regard, Maori Terumoto was mute and could not tell the pain of eating coptis, so he had to swallow the bitter wine he brewed, and then retired to become a monk to repent. From then on, everyone in the Chosu clan hated the shogunate deeply, and they all hated it to the point of bone marrow.
Now that the wheel of history has just rolled to the seventh year of Kan'ei, only thirty years have passed since the Battle of Sekigahara. There are still many old people in the Choshu clan who experienced that war alive. They mentioned that they lost their lives in the Battle of Sekigahara. Everyone gnashed their teeth in hatred at the good opportunity and the past events of being reduced from feudal lordship to feudal lordship. Although the disaster that year was mainly caused by Mouri Terumoto being too stupid, hatred is hatred. Since the opening of the Edo shogunate, every Choshu clan warrior has been burning with revenge in his heart. So much so that at the annual New Year's reunion, the Maori feudal lords of Choshu would say, "My lord, is it possible to (fall)?" as the beginning of the congratulatory message - of course, the feudal lord's reply was always "The time is not yet ripe, please Keep waiting" and so on.
However, even Terumoto Mori himself probably never imagined that this tragic wish that he regretted until death might be realized when the Mori family had just passed it down to the next generation - in Kyushu this summer The expedition was a complete victory, and the Satsuma clan's Shimazu family surrendered. The feudal clans in Kyushu were frightened and frightened, and they all flattered the Maori family and the Ming reinforcements and begged for mercy. Kato Kiyomasa's son Kato Tadahiro (Lord of the Higo Domain), Kuroda Kanbei's grandson Kuroda Tadayuki (Lord of the Fukuoka Domain) and other famous Warring States period descendants sent letters of surrender. The current lord of the Choshu Domain, Hidesumi Mouri, has also received many letters of surrender. He said with emotion to the attendants on the left and right: It seems that at this year's New Year's reunion, I may be able to answer something different.
——Based on Japanese politicians’ always vague rhetoric of “belly art”, this is a very straightforward statement that they want to end the war next year.
Obviously, as the strength expanded step by step, the seed of ambition in Maori Xiu's chest began to grow rapidly.
Of course, having such an idea in mind does not mean that it will be put into practice - as a famous family that has been passed down for several generations, Mourixiu is not a fierce hero like Oda Nobunaga. He wants to make a decision For any major matter, the opinions of the retainers must be consulted in advance and unified Internal thinking can only be used, otherwise it will lead to disastrous consequences: The reason why Mouri Terumoto showed hesitation, vacillation, and indecisiveness before and after the Sekigahara War, and finally became the laughing stock of the world, is largely the same as that of Mouri at that time. The split within the retainer group was related to sharp opposition.
As for the new generation of leader Mouri Hideyoshi, the first opinion he needs to refer to is the opinion of the "old man" Morisuki Nobuyoshi.
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After listening to the words from the feudal lord's entrustment, facing the bright eyes of all the guests, Mamosu Nobuyoshi just drank another cup of tea leisurely, and then replied slowly, "...what do you mean, my lord?" , I already know It's just that some of them are really puzzling! If it is said that it is an enemy of the shogunate, isn't it already planning to go to Beijing and Shangluo? "< br>
"...Master Shousui, with our current military strength and prestige, can't we send troops to Luo?" A young warrior with a distinguished family background asked, "...The new vassal created by the method of Marshal Huangshi of the Ming Dynasty The army has been trained to 10,000, and there are many stocks of food, ammunition and ammunition. The Shimazu family, the strongest in Kyushu, has surrendered, and the other vassals in the Western Kingdom are also in fear. The people in the center of the Three Darks facing the shogunate, such as the Yamauchi family of the Tosa Domain, the Terazawa family of the Karatsu domain, the Matsukura family of the Shimabara domain, are also far away from our Choshu domain, and they have few soldiers and generals, so they are unable to stop them. Our vassal is sending troops. From this point of view, even if our army’s eastward expedition to Shangluo cannot be said to be a response to a hundred calls, it can at least make the vassals unable to help each other, so why can’t we send troops?”
——The Japanese samurai shogunate in the Middle Ages was such an unreliable system. The shogunate must maintain an overwhelming advantage over the vassal state at all times, so as to maintain the peace and tranquility of the entire shogunate system. If the shogunate shows signs of weakening, then the next step will be the tragic prospect of betrayal, separation of relatives, and collapse of the wall; or at least this is the situation of sitting back and watching the rebellion break out, with no one paying attention to the safety of the shogunate.
"... How can things be so simple? Do you know how many heroes successfully went to Luo before and after the Warring States Period? The Ouchi family, the Hosokawa family, the Miyoshi family... But except for the last Nobunaga, which family To win the world? Or is it that the middle path will collapse, and the prosperity will turn into decline, and the dominance will be in vain? ”
Morisuke Nobuyoshi shook his head at this, "...even for Lord Nobunaga, it probably took more than ten years for him to succeed in going to Luo to dominate the world! Therefore, for my Maori family's journey, going to Luo and entering the capital is just a step. The beginning is not the end! Compared with four years ago, the Tokugawa Shogun family is indeed much weaker, but it is not so weak that it can be destroyed in one battle. You still have to prepare for the battlefield for several years or even more than ten years. preparation.
There is a proverb from the Ming Dynasty: ‘A sharpened sword will never fail to chop wood’. Since the fall cannot be accomplished overnight, in order to fight for a long time, the rear must be cleaned up! I remember that after Toyotomi Taikaku sent 200,000 troops to win the battle of Odawara Castle and eliminate the Hojo family, the overlord of Kanto, it was clear that the world was settled, but he still spent another year sweeping away the Mutsu and Dewa kingdoms in the Northeast. The princes of the family calmly mobilized the troops and horses of each vassal to go to Korea. If it had not been done in advance to clear the holes and eliminate future troubles, I am afraid that after Toyotomi Taikaku's crossing the sea to attack Korea was slightly frustrated, the remote area of Ou would have immediately exploded. Chaos!
In the same way, although our clan first defeated the shogunate and defeated Satsuma, its military power shocked the whole country. But the current situation in Kyushu can only be said to be rough at best. Most of the vassal states have only secretly sent letters of surrender, but have not yet publicly surrendered, so they cannot be said to be reliable. There are also several clans including Hirado, Karatsu, and Shimabara, which are even more die-hard Sabaku faction. They continue to use the shogunate and Shitosa clan as foreign aid and insist on being enemies of our army. Even Nagasaki, which the shogunate placed in Kyushu, has not yet been wiped out. In the past few months, it has continued to contact Western merchants through Nagasaki Port to help the shogunate import saltpeter and ordnance from overseas..."
While he was talking to everyone, he dipped his finger in tea and drew a rough map of Kansai, Japan on the table, "...For our domain, next year can indeed start to raise the flag of collapse. But absolutely must not I only thought about going to Luo and marching to Heian Kyo, but I forgot about the safety of the way back. Instead, we need to proceed step by step. No matter what, we must first remove the nail in Nagasaki and at the same time force all the Western vassals to stand in line and send troops together..."
Just as he was talking about this, several maids had already brought the wine and food. Morusui Nobuyoshi stopped talking and led all the guests to clasp their hands and pray before the meal with a pious expression - as batches of Changzhou new troops completed their training in Liaodong and Fujian and returned to Japan one after another , the "Jesuit missionary and gunnery instructor Duncan" "Loyal to the King and Patriotic Catholicism" also entered the Choshu Domain: from Shoshuishinji and below, all the new Choshu troops were baptized collectively during their training and converted to the Japanese variant of "Loyal to the King and Patriotic Catholicism" to "Chōshu Catholicism to the Emperor's Love" ”……
The Changzhou New Army and the Ming Dynasty Funing Army (in order to deceive technical assistance from the Jesuits, Marshal Huangshi's army was baptized very early) were invincible on the Japanese battlefield, which in a sense proved The magical power and efficaciousness of Catholicism - Since ancient times, the Japanese nation has had the habit of imitating and following the strong, so after the last "Zhengchang War" ended successfully After that, under the leadership of the feudal lord Hideyori Mouri, many important ministers of the Mouri family converted to Christianity and officially became the "Kiroshidan Daimyo" (a nickname for Christians in medieval Japan). Upon seeing this, the merchants and common people of the Choshu Domain also Follow the example and become a believer... Next, those princes and lords who surrendered to the Choshu Domain also became baptized and converted one after another in order to please the Maori family.
——So, regardless of the degree of piety, at least within a few years, the Jesuits have collected nearly one million more "Lambs of the Lord" in Japan...
After the prayers, the first thing served were several plates of cold dishes, mainly pickles, dried fish and the like that are more common on Japanese tables. Since it was an ordinary thing that we usually eat, no one here used their chopsticks very much. They just listened to Shou Sui Xinji continue the topic just now - only to see Shou Suisu turning around and pulling over a young and beautiful boy with red lips, white teeth and delicate eyebrows, and spoke to everyone. Introduction... It was only then that all the guests suddenly realized Then he realized that this beautiful young man who was only ten years old was not the "little surname" or male favorite of the old and new Yoshinobu Yoshijuku, but a messenger sent by the Catholic Church on Kyushu Island named Amakusa Shiro Tokisada, whose father was originally He was a retainer of Yukinaga Konishi, the famous "Kirishidan" daimyo in the Toyotomi period.
After the Sekigahara War, the defeated Konishi Governor was beheaded by the Tokugawa family, his territory was reorganized, and his retainers scattered and became ronin. Amakusa Shiro Tokisada's family also came to Nagasaki Port, continued to believe in Catholicism devoutly, and organized secret churches underground to resist the "prohibition on Christianity" issued by the Tokugawa Shogunate. Amakusa Shiro Tokisada, who has been smart and proficient in teachings and Western medical skills since he was a child, is known as the "child prodigy". He is even praised as the "Holy Son" by Christians in Kyushu, and can be called an idol-level star - regardless of his age. He's so young, he just needs to wave and fans will come to work for him!
——At the end of the Muromachi Shogunate, as the Portuguese and Spanish arrived in Japan, Catholicism spread rapidly in Japan. By the 1680s, there were more than 200 churches across Japan, and the total number of Japanese Christians baptized and converted reached hundreds of thousands.
However, since the extremely conservative Tokugawa Ieyasu founded the Edo shogunate, he has always been hostile to Catholicism. He issued "prohibitions" many times, ordered the killing of missionaries, destroyed churches, and carried out various cruel and cruel measures against Catholics across the country. bloody repression in which nine of the most christian Kyushu Island is the hardest-hit area of the above-mentioned persecution, forcing the Catholic Church in Kyushu to turn underground... After more than ten years of such dark and bitter days, the Christians and missionaries on Kyushu Island suddenly discovered to their surprise : With the sound of cannon in Changzhou, a crusade came from Japan! ! !
As early as four years ago during the "Zhengchang War", the Changzhou New Army and the Ming Dynasty Funing Army were attacking the coastlines of the Kyushu vassals one by one, repeatedly using artillery shells and swords to "persuade" the Kyushu vassals to withdraw from the illegal aggression against the people of Changzhou. During a just war, they were also ordered not to continue to embarrass those in their own territory. "Kiroshidan"... When it came time to attack Satsuma this year, the Changshu New Army and the Ming Dynasty Funing Army took the opportunity to beat the Kyushu vassals again, focusing on beating a few whose attitudes were not correct and still colluded with the shogunate. Completely abandon the name of "Ban on Islam" and warn them not to follow suit again.
Discovering that the "Kirishidan" in the territory actually had such an incredible backer, the princes on Kyushu Island had no choice but to follow the trend and ignored the shogunate's "ban on religion". Several daimyo and their families were even secretly baptized and converted to God. Christians! Even the shogunate in Nagasaki Port was too frightened to seriously implement the "ban on Christianity" after being attacked several times by bomb-laden fanatical Christians.
Although the shogunate has repeatedly promulgated various lock-down orders and religious bans in the past few years, with the great rebel leader of the Choshu clan taking the lead in singing the opposite tune, the shogunate's orders are basically a piece of waste paper west of Kyoto. On the entire Kyushu Island, only a few vassal states that were most loyal to the shogunate, such as Hirado, Karatsu, and Shimabara, still insisted on the shogunate's "ban on Christianity" and refused to waver, but this also aroused great anger among Japanese Christians... …
In short, for the Choshu clan's "Crusader" to conquer Kyushu, the hundreds of thousands of Japanese Christians on Kyushu Island are the best "fifth column." In the overthrow plan formulated by Shusui Nobuyoshi with Marshal Huangshi Huang and the Lingao Senate, these Japanese Christians on Kyushu Island will also play a more important role - in any case, the armistice with the shogunate four years ago At that time, the Choshu Domain signed a peace treaty in black and white. Therefore, if the Choshu clan wants to tear up the peace treaty and raise troops to overthrow the clan, it is best to concoct a name that can be justified.
Therefore, after Mosusu Nobuyoshi summoned Amakusa Shiro Tokisada and his godfather, and inquired about the status of church power in Shimabara, Nagasaki and other places, he prepared to give advice to the feudal lord Hidenu Mouri in a few days, advising the feudal lord to find ways to fund it. These Kyushu bases The governor received a batch of ordnance, ammunition and pay, allowing them to raise flags next spring and launch an attack on the Kyushu feudal kingdoms such as Hirado, Karatsu, Shimabara and Nagasaki that still insisted on siding with the shogunate...
Of course, the armed forces that the Catholic Church could mobilize at the local level, even if they had some ronin warriors as the core, were still a ragtag bunch. It's okay to pass on some information, set fires and cause destruction, etc., but it's a bit difficult to directly fight against the regular army of the feudal state.
However, the Choshu clan did not expect this mob to accomplish anything big. As long as they built up momentum, the Choshu new army, which was sharpening their swords, could march into Kyushu in large numbers under the banner of "protecting the faithful." , completely wipe out the remaining forces here that are leaning towards the shogunate.
Then, according to the idea of Shou Sui Nobuyoshi, the Mouri Hideyoshi feudal lord could imitate Toyotomi Hideyoshi Taikaku's Kanto expedition and summon the princes from all over the world to besiege the Hojo family's Odawara Castle, set up a main camp outside Nagasaki Castle, and stage a siege while doing so. On the one hand, he summoned the princes of the nine states to lead their troops to join the alliance. If someone is willing to bring troops over, they can be allowed to participate in the battle of Nagasaki against the shogunate army. The right to do so should be a sign of rebellion against the shogunate. If someone shirks and refuses to participate, it means that the thoughts and stance of that vassal state are very problematic, and the Changzhou New Army needs to move over and use artillery shells to "educate" it.
In this way, after Nagasaki is conquered and all the Samu clans are annihilated, the feudal lord can accept the worship of all the Daimyos of the Western Kingdom in Nagasaki and call himself Saigoku Tentai (the official name of the old samurai family during the Kamakura Shogunate era), thereby gathering the three Kansai clans. Troops from more than ten countries marched to Luo to compete with the Tokugawa family for supremacy in the world...
Military and political strategies like this should be kept in mind. Unfortunately, the Japanese at the moment do not have such a strong sense of confidentiality, and this matter is close to a conspiracy. Even if it is leaked, the remnants of the Kyushu shogunate will be unable to do anything... So, Morsu Nobuyoshi said nonchalantly at the wine table. out. After hearing this seemingly perfect plan to bring down the curtain, everyone here was filled with admiration. All kinds of flattery came pouring in as if they were free of charge. Everyone was chanting "God bless" and "Jihad must be fought." "Win", stretched out his hand and made the sign of the cross repeatedly without mentioning it.
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After a while, various sumptuous hot dishes were brought out by the maids: the fragrant salted fish stew; "Oden" made with fried eggs, dried tofu and potatoes; and chicken. Meatballs made from pork are also deep-fried. It is yellow and crispy, combined with mushrooms and winter bamboo shoots from the mountains, yellow and white braised tofu, almost transparent shrimp dumplings, carefully selected high-quality vermicelli, etc., which makes people very appetizing at first sight; even that Several vegetables are fried in the pot and look shiny. The accompanying beverages are also high-end, modern and high-end wines.
Although there was a tradition of tabooing eating meat in ancient Japan, it was mainly observed strictly by the ministerial class and some devout Buddhist people. And everyone here is a samurai, relatively speaking, they are not so cruel to their stomachs: even Toyotomi Hideyoshi ate wild boar hot pot in his early years! What's more, with the Choshu Domain's "conversion to God" and the spread of Western learning to the East in recent years, as well as the large number of new troops returning from training in the Ming Dynasty, many knowledgeable people in the domain believe that the "meat ban" needs to be abolished. Bad habits... In short, all the guests drank Nanman wine, their faces were shiny and they were in high spirits.
Then, came the next, more luxurious dish - a few more sturdy servants took turns bringing many small iron charcoal stoves, and placed one with fine white charcoal burning in the furnace in front of each guest. , the jumping flames happily burned the net made of copper wire. Another maid picked up a piece of fat and thin pork belly with long bamboo chopsticks inlaid with silver tips and placed it on the copper net. The copper grilled by the charcoal fire has excellent heat transfer performance, and immediately makes a sizzling sound, and the room is immediately filled with an alluring aroma of meat - these meats are marinated with fine spices and then grilled, making them plump and plump. The juice is delicious. In addition to grilled meat, there are also grilled fish, grilled squid, grilled scallops, grilled corn and other dishes to choose from. When dipped in sweet and sour tomato sauce, or spicy sauce mixed with Sichuan peppercorns, it will be even more delicious. The taste immediately whetted everyone's appetite and made them sweat profusely. As the host, Morisui Nobuyoshi saw this and thoughtfully ordered someone to serve him a refreshing and thirst-quenching orange-flavored "Australian soda".
Although soda is no longer a rare thing in the traveler base camp on Hainan Island, it is still extremely rare in Japan, because with the rather rudimentary sealing conditions of this era, soda can easily go out of gas if left out for a long time - go away It's just fruit-flavored sweet water. Therefore, all packaging must be made in special thick glass bottles with wooden stoppers on them and tied tightly with wires. Every twelve bottles were packed in wooden boxes with grids and then transported. After such a long journey, the price was naturally very expensive. The Japanese regarded it as fairy dew, so they immediately praised Mr. Morusui's generosity.
At the same time, many showgirls and geishas wearing bright kimonos and thick makeup also clapped their hands and gave out bursts of sweet smiles, swarming into the banquet like fluttering butterflies. Or they would sit down and play musical instruments, sing and perform, or they would stick close to the guests and pour wine to flatter them... Before long, everyone at the table was drunk, and they were all drinking prostitutes and having fun. They were really enjoying themselves. Looks like!
On the other side, looking at the sumptuous food and wine, smelling the aroma of powder and powder around him, and the heirs of these famous families who were respectful to me at the table, I thought of the heroism with which I had just guided the country and commanded the armies. The only 26-year-old "Changzhou Su Lao" followed Nobuyoshi, and for a moment he couldn't help but be filled with emotions, as if in a dream - who could have imagined that just nine years ago, he was just a poor ronin begging with a knife on the streets of Osaka?
——The Morisui family originally came from the Kai Takeda clan in Japan, and the Kai Takeda clan came from the Minamoto clan. The ancestor of Morisui Shinyoshi was also a son of a certain generation of Takeda family governor. He was known for his quick brains and his ability to navigate the wind. After the Takeda family's last governor, Katsuyori Koshi, was defeated and died, the Morisuke family, who became a ronin, escaped from Kai and went all the way to the Kansai region of Japan, wandering among the various feudal clans, but he never found a way to become an official. It was not until the generation of Morisui Nobuyoshi that he was lucky enough to be hired by the Choshu Domain eight years ago, and was later promoted to the head of the Ashigaru-gumi, with a salary of fifty kilograms per year.
Due to the closed nature of Japan's traditional society, if there were no special opportunities, Mori Sui Shinyoshi's future would probably stop here - compared with the hundreds of thousands of ronin in Japan who are still begging with knives, he would be an official after all. He is considered quite lucky to be successful.
However, in the second year after Morisui Nobuyoshi became an official of the Choshu Maori family, the Choshu clan had a trade dispute with a group of "pirates". The other party violated the shogunate's ban and continued to dump Ming Dynasty bad money and self-made wares into Choshu. Fake money. After their counterfeit money shop was seized by the feudal lord, this group of strongmen went all out to occupy the Choshu Domain's Shimonoseki Port and openly blackmailed the Choshu Domain. Changzhou was so angry that he mobilized three thousand troops to attack.
Mamosu Nobuyoshi was also in the Changshu Army camp at that time. He thought that he would be able to capture hundreds of pirates who came ashore, but the result of the battle was shocking - these so-called "pirates" were actually all armored soldiers. , and there were many powerful artillery to assist in the battle. Every time a cannon was fired, the earth shook. Before the two sides had time to engage in hand-to-hand combat, the soldiers and horses of the Choshu clan that had not fought for many years were completely blown away.
After retreating in chaos, that night, the commander of the Choshu vassal army discovered that Shusui Shinji could speak Chinese and was very smart, so he promoted him to the rank of general to negotiate with the "pirates" on the opposite side. Then after hearing that the man behind the fake money shop "Pirates" was actually the Ming Dynasty's Crown Prince Shaobao (the official title of Marshal Huang Shihuang at the time), the faces of the Changshu Domain warriors turned green with fear. They estimated that someone would have to apologize this time - in the end, this infinitely glorious task once again fell to Shusui Xinji, who had just returned from the enemy camp. On the same day he was promoted to general, he was once again promoted to the rank of general for the first time. The elder of the Changzhou clan was then sent to the Ming Dynasty to apologize to the prince Shaobao.
——In this way, Morisui Nobuyoshi went from being the leader of the Ashigaru-gumi to the head of the family in just one day. The speed of promotion can be called a miracle!
At that time, the two deputy envoys of the Choshu domain who accompanied Morusui Shinkichi to the Ming Dynasty kept instilling in him the principle that "the master's family is the most powerful" along the way, and kept hinting that Morushi Shinkichi should be at the "critical moment" Stand up and "take responsibility" with courage. Morisui Shinji was naturally impassioned on the lips, but he couldn't stop cursing in his heart - I have only enjoyed the treatment of an elder for a few days, and I haven't even asked for a wife yet, who could be so stupid as to commit seppuku?
In short, although the salary of Mr. Shouxixin Ji's family has increased to 200 dan (actually it is an empty salary, as of that time, he had not even received a grain of rice or a penny), there still seems to be no trace of this ungrateful thing. The consciousness of committing seppuku for Changzhou - after he landed on Changsheng Island, he fell to the ground as soon as he saw Marshal Huangshi and took all the responsibility He took it over for the Changshu Domain and fully accepted all the other party's demands during the negotiations: Since Huang Shi's demands were not too excessive, the two parties quickly reached an agreement that Huang Shi could continue his copper coin trading in Japan. , but all the copper coins had to be sold to the Changshu clan, and the Changshu clan used its own channels to sell them, and the profits were divided in half between the two families.
In this way, with the conclusion of the agreement, the boss of the Morusui Shinyoshi family was finally able to return alive. Regarding the above-mentioned agreement, the Choshu clan was basically satisfied. At least they did not kill Morsusu Shinkichi to vent their hatred, because in this way, not only the realization of In order to achieve a win-win situation, we can also establish a strategic partnership with Daming.
Then, the business of counterfeit currency was extremely profitable. As Ming Dynasty copper coins continued to pour into the Japanese market, in just half a year, Huang Dashuai and Changzhou Fan each obtained a net profit of one million taels of silver from this transaction—— "There are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests." This wise saying once again showed its correctness. The large amount of profits made the originally half-hearted Maori family become dead-set. In addition, in order to cultivate "his own people" in Japan, Huang Dashuai also signed a secret treaty with the Choshu Domain. The treaty stipulated that any personnel changes related to Huangshi within the Choshu Domain should seek Huangshi's consent in advance. This ensured that Morushi Nobuyoshi could remain at the top of the Choshu Domain.
From then on, as the agent of the "Mei Kingdom" in Japan, Mori Sui Shinyoshi, who was just an ashigaru-gumi leader a year ago, has since become a well-known Choshu feudal clan. He also controls the Maori family with the help of counterfeit money trade. Fully 70% of finances Income, and was fully responsible for the trade with the Ming Dynasty, and his prestige soon grew... Next, in order to build momentum for the boss Ji Su of Shouxin, when training the new army of Changzhou, Marshal Huangshi spared no effort to spend a lot of money to defend the new army. Sui Xinji did it Several sets of full-body wax figures were put up all over the dormitories of Japanese officers and soldiers, and the portraits of Mr. Suisuyoshi were plastered all over the dormitories of Japanese officers and soldiers, so that whether they were eating or training, they could see the solemn posture and profound gaze of Mr. Suisuyoshi, and he repeatedly taught them: " ...From the Onin Rebellion to the present, Japan is undergoing major changes that have not been seen in three thousand years. For the sake of the Emperor and the Choshu Domain, every ambitious Japanese should learn from Mr. Su's vision and mind!"
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In addition, Huang Shi also bet on his reputation and spoke extremely highly of Morisui Nobuyoshi, a young Japanese talent: "... Lord Morisui is the greatest politician, military strategist and diplomat in Japan in the past three thousand years. , such a figure is rare even in China. He is a living national hero of Japan’s Yamato nation! It is a great honor for me, Huang Shi, to work with Mr. Morisui, who is far-sighted and has a great personality.”
Under such influence, most of the officers and soldiers of the Changzhou New Army became fanatical admirers of Shou Sui Xinji after returning home. Once they talked to others about the past events they had experienced in the Ming Dynasty, they would often sigh with emotion. : " ...Although the Han people are proud and arrogant, they all respect Master Shou Sui from the bottom of their hearts. Every time they talk about him, they will respectfully call him "Master Shou Sui" or "Shou Sui Su Lao"! ”
In the spring of the third year of Kanei, the Choshu clan defeated the shogunate army and killed the Tokugawa family naked and fled. As a famous diplomat, military strategist, reformer and pioneer who led the trend of the times, Mamoru Nobuyoshi had already He became a star idol figure all over Japan, and was hailed as a top legendary wise man who surpassed the "famous Warring States strategists" Takenaka Hanbei and Kuroda Kanbei in the past. Even the shogunate lamented why he could not get such a wise minister!
Although a few months later, with the death of Emperor Tianqi of the Ming Dynasty, Huangshi lost power in Fujian for a time, and the support it provided to its Japanese allies was not as strong as before. But at this time, Morisui Shinkichi had already become a full-fledged figure in the Choshu domain, and his reputation was so high that no one dared to suppress him casually. In addition, he himself had always been cautious, so Morisui Shinkichi only slightly gave up part of his authority within the domain, and then I got through that difficult time successfully.
Next, with the rise of the Senate of Lingao Travelers in Hainan Island, Shou Sui Xinji's power was once again consolidated - as a smart man, Shou Sui Xinji has always been clearly aware of the source of his power. Always insisting on a tough stance against the shogunate and the alliance with the "Ming Kingdom" (actually against Marshal Huangshi and the "Australian" traveler group on Hainan Island), Da He vigorously promoted the comprehensive friendly cooperation between the Choshu Domain and General Huangshi. Whether it was dumping industrial products to Japan, exporting copper and silver, jointly conquering the Satsuma Domain, etc., they have always cooperated well. "The shady story has always been perfectly hidden under the grand blueprint of helping the Maori family collapse in the Eastern Expedition and competing with the Tokugawa clan for the world...
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In short, according to Mori Sui Nobuyoshi's calculations, the chaos of the troubled times has already begun, and the grand war between the Mori family and the Tokugawa family for hegemony in Japan will probably take one to two generations to fight, and there may be some time during this period. Other heroes will emerge, and the Maori family will need to deal with them carefully... Therefore, in his own life, the Choshu clan will definitely be inseparable from the support of Ming's foreign aid, and his position as "old man" can be safe and secure.
On the other hand, after Shou Sui Xinji secured his position as a family leader, he had no more ulterior motives. First of all, no matter how outstanding his reputation was, Shou Sui Xinji was an airborne "outsider" in Changzhou. ”, Changzhou Although the feudal lords admired and respected him very much, they treated him as a guest. If he wanted to be the lord, it would be another matter. Secondly, with Japan's tradition of paying attention to blood and family background, it was the inferior who had no status to conquer the superior. His reputation will be ruined. Finally, as an "intellectual" who is proficient in literature and history, he also knows what happened to Wang Mang after he usurped the Han Dynasty. Therefore, Morisuke Nobuyoshi believed that after the Mori family won the world, if he could obtain the former leadership position of the Hosokawa family, he would be satisfied.
However, just as Shou Sui Xinji was sipping the wine in the cup and thinking about the glorious life in the future, his train of thought was interrupted by a sudden shout - he looked back with some displeasure, only to see a seemingly The half-awake and half-drunk foreign samurai leaned against the glass window facing the sea at some point, pointed at the Seto Inland Sea outside, and shouted inarticulately, "...Ship! Ship! Come and see! There is one!" The ship is coming!”
When everyone in the room heard this, they were slightly stunned at first, and then burst into laughter, "...Hahahahaha! On this Seto Inland Sea, there are no ships coming and going on any day? What is there to make a fuss about? Are you Shinano or are you? The mountain monkeys of Kai have never seen a boat in their lives”
But the warrior who shouted was still arguing incoherently, "...No, this ship is so big! Really! It's very, very big..."
"...A very big ship? Is it a Dutch merchant ship coming to do business? Or is General Huangshi's fleet coming again?"
A Choshu feudal lord curled his lips in disapproval, got rid of the entanglement of several geishas, and walked over to take a look. He was immediately stunned, "...Eh? There does seem to be something wrong with these ships... Lord Morisui." ! Does General Huangshi have such a ship? ”
But at this time, Morisui Shinji did not return, because he had also noticed the strange shape of the hazy boat shadows on the sea level. Regardless of the cold wind outside, he stood up suddenly, pushed open the glass window, and then took out something from his arms. A telescope, leaning against the falling snowflakes, looking outside.
The scene displayed in the eyepiece immediately made him take a breath of cold air - among the turbid black waves of the Seto Inland Sea, three majestic blue-gray ships were plowing through the vast tracts of waves like fierce horses. Its size makes the Japanese merchant ships along the way look like sampans compared to it. Moreover, although these three giant ships have neither sails nor oars when viewed from a distance, they are still able to speed towards the west. They are even faster than the dragon boats of the Ming Dynasty... It seems that they want to pass through the Shimonoseki Strait (Closed Gate). The old name of the Strait), leaving the narrow Seto Inland Sea and sailing into the vast ocean outside the Strait.
Morisuke Shinji squinted his eyes and scanned these strangely shaped giant ships repeatedly, but he was still unable to find any clear traces that could prove their identity. He only saw a golden floating side on the top of the mast of one of the giant ships. Red flag with sickle and hammer pattern!
"...What country's flag is this? Portugal? Spain? Netherlands? Their flags don't seem to be like this! This is obviously not the military flag of Marshal Huangshi, or the morning star flag of the Senate... It's more likely not Japan. The emblem of the Wu family..."
Looking at this extremely unfamiliar flag, Shou Sui Xinji felt that his mind was filled with questions, "... Damn it, where did these big ships come from?"
At the same time, more and more Japanese people on the shore gradually began to notice the strange things at sea, and then they ran to each other, shouted, danced and conveyed the news, and even lit beacon fires, which eventually caused the whole town of Shimonoseki to It was all chaos - whether they were citizens, fishermen, farmers, business travelers, or warriors, they were all shocked to the point of being almost insane. Some people rushed to the pier, some climbed up the trees, some jumped onto the roof, and some were riding small boats on the beach, all staring in amazement at the huge group of people that appeared in the Shimonoseki Strait. Strange ship...
And those large ships seemed to be aware of the commotion on the shore, so when they passed through the narrowest part of the strait, they all made sharp and loud noises:
"...Dudu——"
Startled by the sudden loud whistle, Shou Sui Xinji suddenly dropped the telescope in his hand and fell into the snow downstairs.
Looking up again, he found that the giant ships had passed through the Shimonoseki Strait and were gradually moving away. Mamoru Nobuyoshi had no choice but to shake his head, and first ordered the butler, who was pale with shock, to go downstairs and pick up his telescope. When he came back, he found a chair and sat down at random. For a moment, he felt that his mind was a mess, and all kinds of messy thoughts seemed to be pouring in. Morisui Shinji couldn't help but feel a splitting headache.
Taking a deep breath of the cold air pouring in from the window, Mamosu Shinji rubbed his temples with throbbing veins. For some reason, he had a vague premonition - his life future, which had been basically clear, seemed to be different. A layer of fog of uncertainty has once again been cast... However, just when the Japanese archipelago was shocked by the "big iron ship" and "devil army" from Vladivostok, it was incomprehensible and astonished. The "Australian" traveler base located in Lingao County, Hainan Island, is still ignorant of the arrogant behavior of these "compatriots" in Japan.