Daming talker

Chapter 740 Xiaoxi's Dream
Konishi Yukinaga's words can be regarded as a firm implementation of Lin Tianshuai's instructions, which is to show sincerity to others.

Lin Tianshuai repeated to the Japanese exactly what he said normally.

When casually chatting about people, Lin Tianshuai predicted that Tokugawa Ieyasu would become the shogun in the future, so he said it honestly.

It was this kind of frankness of Konishi Yukinaga that stunned everyone present.

Tokugawa Ieyasu usually had good relationships with various feudal lords, and would try his best to make friends with them unless he had no other choice.

But at this moment, Tokugawa Ieyasu was also driven by Konishi Yukinaga to want to kill someone. Not to silence him, but simply because he was so angry that he wanted to kill someone.

"What nonsense!" Tokugawa Ieyasu, who had been trying to be kind, was successfully angered and scolded: "How dare you follow the orders of the Ming invaders to come here to sow discord and fabricate such absurd remarks!"

Konishi Yukinaga defended himself by saying, "How can you say this is fabricated? This is a reasonable speculation, and it starts with the current Toyotomi family."

Tokugawa Ieyasu quickly shouted, "Shut up!"

How could he let Governor Konishi elaborate on this issue? In any case, he would be in trouble both inside and outside!

Except for Tokugawa's retainers, everyone present actually wanted to hear what Konishi Yukinaga had to say. After all, it is the nature of many men to like political gossip.

But most people only dare to listen silently but dare not speak up, for fear of bringing disaster upon themselves.

Who dares to speak out regarding the predictive gossip concerning Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the future fate of the people of the world?

Only Asano Nagamasa, the chief magistrate of the Toyotomi family, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's brother-in-law and absolute confidant, who came to supervise the army, had fewer concerns. After thinking about it, he looked at Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Then he forced himself to suppress his disgust for Konishi Yukinaga and urged, "Keep talking!"

No matter how Konishi Yukinaga analyzes the future situation, it is of certain value as an information reference.

Konishi Yukinaga solemnly said, "What I said was analyzed by the Great Ming Marshal Lin Jiuyuan Tailai. I am just repeating it to you."

Then he continued: "Because Taiko had no son, he appointed his nephew Hidetsugu as the head of the family and appointed Hidetsugu as the regent.

But I heard that Taiko's concubine, Lady Yodo, is pregnant and will definitely give birth this year."

Hearing this, many people were surprised as they did not know this information.

Konishi Yukinaga added: "If Lady Yodo gives birth to a daughter, it will not affect the future; but if it is a boy, there will be more variables in the future.

Tianshuai said that if Taiko had a biological son, he would definitely want to support his biological son to ascend to the throne and depose Hidetsugu who was previously appointed.

It can be imagined that in order to prevent future troubles, Hidetsugu would certainly lose his life.

But Taiko was already old and reportedly in poor health, and his biological son had just been born. It is also conceivable that Taiko probably could not wait until his biological son grew up.

At that time, it would be a situation of a young ruler and a suspicious country! The young ruler would definitely not be able to suppress the strong men inside and outside, and big problems would arise.

Therefore, Lin Tianshuai inferred that without the Taiko in charge, the Toyotomi family would face a split between the Owari arbitrary faction and the Omi civil faction, and would face oppression from the powerful daimyo Tokugawa family. "

Honda Tadakatsu asked unconvincedly, "Why are you only talking about the Tokugawa family? Isn't the Kaga Maeda family strong enough?"

Konishi Yukinaga explained, "I heard that Maeda Toshiie has been ill lately, and it's hard to say how long he will last.

If Maeda Toshiie were no longer alive, there would be no one among the daimyo who could control the Tokugawa family, whose land was several hundred thousand kilos.”

When everyone heard this, they all secretly glanced at Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Although this Grand Minister is already in his fifties, he still looks very strong, which is rare considering the current nutritional status and life expectancy in the country.

Konishi Yukinaga felt a little tired after talking, and finally said the conclusion, "In short, Lin Tianshuai's view is that the Owari arbitrary faction will probably join forces with the Kanto Tokugawa family to fight a decisive battle with the civil faction.

The civil faction can only be forced to win over Western forces, but these Western forces may not put in any effort.

The final outcome was probably that the Kanto Tokugawa family and the Owari arbitrary faction formed the Eastern Army and won a great victory!

The head of the Tokugawa family, who is in good health and has good relationships with people, will replace the Toyotomi family, whose lord is young, and become the ruler of the world!"

As everyone listened to Konishi Yukinaga's vision for the future, they were all silent and did not dare to express any opinions.

Every prophecy made by Konishi Yukinaga seems to be vivid in my mind. After thinking about it, I feel that it is indeed possible that it will happen. It is really terrifying when you think about it.

Tokugawa Ieyasu looked extremely unhappy. Finally, he could no longer bear it. He pointed at Konishi Yukinaga and said to Asano Nagamasa, "He is slandering me! He is slandering me!"

To be honest, Tokugawa Dainagon may not have had a clear idea of ​​becoming a ruler at that time.

Taiko was not dead yet, and the Toyotomi family had an adult heir. What could Tokugawa Ieyasu use to seize the world?
Just like when Emperor Ming of Wei, Cao Rui, was alive, the Sima family certainly would not have the intention of usurping the throne, but they could not help but give it a try when they encountered an orphan and a widow.

Honda Tadakatsu, a retainer of the Tokugawa family, drew his sword and pleaded with Asano Nagamasa, "Konishi Yukinaga is deliberately spreading lies to confuse the morale of our army. Please execute him!"

Asano Nagamasa, who had calmed down, said unhappily, "Back off!"

Just now I was about to chop Konishi Yukinaga off, but was stopped by you Tokugawa emperor and his ministers who were watching the fun.

Now that Konishi Yukinaga's nonsense has been attributed to you, you finally feel the pain?
As an absolutely loyal retainer of the Toyotomi family, Asano Nagamasa felt that Konishi Yukinaga was talking nonsense and instinctively did not want to believe it.

How could the Toyotomi family, which is at its peak and has so many talented civil and military men, fall so easily?

However, these predictions of Konishi Yukinaga are still of certain significance as "warnings" and can provide a reference for the Toyotomi family's future decision-making.

Tokugawa Ieyasu was not in a position to speak, for fear of being accused of "silencing" him, but Honda Tadakatsu still wanted to say something.

Asano Nagamasa then said, "Konishi Yukinaga came here as an envoy of the Ming army. Don't you even know the rule that when two armies are at war, envoys should not be killed?"

After regaining his sanity, Asano Nagamasa finally realized that Konishi Yukinaga's words were actually quite true.

Asano Yukinaga, the legitimate heir of Shimayama Castle who is trapped in Shimayama Castle, may really need Konishi Yukinaga to save his life. At the very least, Konishi Yukinaga is a way to save him.

The commander, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was splashed with dirty water out of nowhere, shut himself up and said nothing. Asano Nagamasa had no choice but to ask Konishi Yukinaga, "The Ming army asked you to come here. Do you have anything else to say?"

Konishi Yukinaga replied, "The commander-in-chief has sent me here to greet you and to challenge you to a duel. He invites you to line up and fight at a designated time and place."

The commander of our army was Tokugawa Ieyasu, and Asano Nagamasa was not in a position to answer on his behalf.

Then I heard Tokugawa Ieyasu say: "Our army has come from a long distance, and the soldiers are tired. We need to rest in the camp for the time being."

This means not accepting the challenge and declining it politely.

Konishi Yukinaga frowned and said, "When Sima Yi of the Three Kingdoms faced repeated challenges from Zhuge Liang, he resolutely avoided fighting. Does the Grand Councilor want to follow Sima's example?"

Another pun! It is clearly a metaphor for Tokugawa Ieyasu using the story of the Sima family in the Three Kingdoms. All the non-Tokugawa samurai present were worried about Konishi Yukinaga. Konishi-kun, are you really not afraid that the Tokugawa family will kill you on the spot at all costs?
Tokugawa Ieyasu was unmoved by Konishi Yukinaga's challenge and responded, "As a commander, I cannot joke about victory or defeat, and I cannot rush into battle at an inappropriate time."

Konishi Yukinaga also said, "Fukushima Masanori, Hachisuka Iemasa, Asano Yukinaga and other close ministers of the Taikoku are still waiting for rescue at Shimayama Castle, but the Grand Councilor is completely ignoring them?"

Tokugawa Ieyasu still replied: "To save people, we must also judge the situation and not act blindly."

Having said all this, he still failed to persuade Tokugawa Ieyasu to go to war, and Konishi Yukinaga could only sigh inwardly.

It seems that the task of luring Tokugawa into battle may not be accomplished. No wonder Tianshuai directly used the old turtle to refer to Tokugawa Ieyasu.

The purpose of today's trip is at most to confirm who the main generals are and to sow the seeds of suspicion.

I don’t know if Tianshuai will be satisfied with the completion of this task?
Konishi Yukinaga stood up and said goodbye: "Since the Grand Councilor is as unmoved as a mountain, I will reply to the Heavenly Marshal in this way."

At this time, the Japanese army leader, Satsuma Domain Lord Shimazu Yoshihiro, who had been silent, spoke up to persuade him to stay:

"Konishi Settsu-no-kami! Since you have already returned to your country's military camp, you can stay here. Why do you have to go to the Ming camp and be a prisoner?"

Konishi Yukinaga replied, "Ming Guo Lin Tianshuai has trusted me and appointed me, how can I be disloyal?"

The non-Tokugawa samurai present couldn't help but laugh in their hearts. This Konishi Yukinaga was not stupid.

They have already slandered Tokugawa Ieyasu for rebelling and usurping the throne in the future. If you still dare to stay in the camp dominated by the Tokugawa army, aren't you afraid of being killed by the Tokugawa family?

Konishi Yukinaga waved his sleeves and left, without taking away any clouds, but leaving an extremely strange atmosphere in the Japanese camp on the south bank.

When holding a military meeting with others, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who was sitting in the main seat, felt extremely uncomfortable.

When feudal lords such as Asano Nagamasa, Shimazu Yoshihiro, and Tachibana Muneshige looked at Tokugawa Ieyasu, they also felt a little uncomfortable and awkward.

Whenever people see Tokugawa Ieyasu, they can't help but wonder, if the old and poorly aged Taiko and Maeda Toshiie passed away, would the status of the world really fall into the hands of Tokugawa Ieyasu?
Konishi Yukinaga returned to the Ming Dynasty camp and reported to Lin Tianshuai, "I saw in the camp on the other side that the commander was indeed Tokugawa Dainagon himself, and the supervisor was Asano Nagamasa.

The main force was the Tokugawa army, and many of the Tokugawa family's brave generals were recruited; those who joined the combined forces included Shimazu Yoshihiro from the Satsuma domain and Tachibana Muneshige from the Yanagawa domain. "

Lin Tianshuai asked, "It seems that the old turtle refused to fight?"

Konishi Yukinaga: "No matter how I provoked him or threw mud at him, even when I predicted that Tokugawa would become the shogun in the future, Tokugawa Ieyasu still refused to fight."

Lin Tianshuai sighed, "As expected of an old turtle, he is immune to provocation."

Then he asked, "Let's not talk about the other side for now. What do you think of your future, Mr. Konishi?
What you said today will make you hated by Tokugawa and suspected by Toyotomi. It may even be seen as a curse on the Toyotomi family. I am afraid it will be difficult for you to return to your country in the future."

Konishi Yukinaga was secretly delighted. This was the first time that Tianshuai took the initiative to ask about his future and destiny. This showed that his performance had initially won Tianshuai's trust!

In Tian Shuai's eyes, his performance today was like leaving no way out and being fully loyal, which was equivalent to a eunuch having to cut off his offspring before he could enter the palace!
Konishi Yukinaga replied, "In the future, I only hope to obtain a territory on the southern coast of Korea, and then have a thousand Ming soldiers stationed to protect it.

Then I am willing to partner with Tianshuai, using the port of our territory as a transit point to transport Ming Dynasty goods to Japan to earn silver.

From now on, I will be content with this. It doesn’t matter if I don’t return to my country, since I don’t have a son anyway.”

At this time, the Ming Dynasty court prohibited domestic trade with Japan, otherwise the person would be charged with colluding with Japan.

Therefore, to transport goods to Japan, either smuggling was done directly or through transit trade by middlemen. Konishi Yukinaga's idea was to engage in transit trade in Korea.

This is a very promising career, not to mention with Tianshuai's protection, it is definitely a sure win with huge profits.

He also requested that the Ming Dynasty soldiers be stationed there for a long time, which was definitely in line with Marshal Tian's thoughts.

Lin Tianshuai said thoughtfully: "Xiao Xi, you have a good business vision. It is indeed a very good idea to establish a territory in North Korea to engage in transit trade, but I want to ask you a few questions."

Then he asked, "What is the benefit of farming?"

Konishi Yukinaga replied, "Just to fill my stomach."

Lin Tianshuai asked again: "How much profit can be made from the trade of silk products between the two countries?"

Konishi Yukinaga replied, "Ten times."

Lin Tianshuai asked again: "How much profit can you get from establishing the leader of a country?"

Konishi Yukinaga replied, "Countless."

Lin Tianshuai said with a smile: "Nowadays, we work hard in the fields, but we can't even get warm clothes or extra food. We are just being exploited by others when we go back and forth between the two countries. Only by establishing a country and a king can we pass down our kindness to the world. You can do it."

Konishi Yukinaga was bewildered. Although he had gained Tianshuai's initial trust, was this trust too much?

I just want to do some big business and live the rest of my life happily under the protection of heavenly soldiers.

After coming to his senses, Konishi Yukinaga said in a mysterious way, "I'd like to hear more about it."

Lin Tianshuai said: "I have an idea, but it is just an idea at the moment.

If you can capture Fukushima Masanori, Hachisuka Iemasa, and the Asano father and son from Shimayama Castle alive, can you use them to exchange with Toyotomi Hideyoshi for a chance to return to your country and continue to be a daimyo?"

Konishi Yukinaga thought for a moment and said, "It should be possible, right? After all, these people are the direct descendants of the Toyotomi family, and they are all related to Taiko. Taiko can't just watch them all die."

Lin Tailai added: "You and Kato Kiyomasa were jointly granted the Higo Province on Kyushu Island, but now Kato Kiyomasa is dead.

You can add another condition, which will allow you to occupy Higo Province alone and become a daimyo with a fief of 500,000 koku.

Moreover, Kyushu Island is the most convenient for trade. From now on, North Korea’s transit trade will go directly to your country of Higo!”

Konishi Yukinaga's heart was shaken after hearing this. If there really was a territory of 500,000 koku plus an extremely lucrative "trade franchise", how powerful would that be?
As long as the military strength is in place, they might be able to compete with the Tokugawa family with more than 2 million koku.

Lin Tianshuai's voice became more and more devilish, and he said vaguely: "And you don't have to waste money to raise too many samurai and foot soldiers. My Ming Dynasty soldiers can be stationed in Higo Province for a long time to escort you and ensure your safety.

Five thousand naval troops, five thousand cavalry, five thousand infantry, and two hundred heavy artillery pieces. Generally, it is enough, and only three hundred thousand taels of silver are needed to be spent a year."

"Let's do it!" said Konishi Yukinaga loudly. He felt that he had a dream in his life again.

It was just like the feeling when he was just a small vendor and was asked if he wanted to be a samurai after saving Ukita Hideie's father.

Lin Tianshuai said in surprise: "I haven't finished painting this pie yet. Normally, you should win over the hearts of the various princes. When the situation changes, you can send troops from Kyushu Island to the east, and you may be able to go to Luoyang and become the ruler of the country!"

"Done!" Konishi Yukinaga felt he had no other choice but to give an answer.

Anyway, I don’t have a son, so I might as well try to become famous and then try to have a son while I’m still young!
If we lose, then we'll be dead and there's nothing to regret!
(End of this chapter)