Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 479: Japan Leaked

By the end of July in the twenty-first year of Taichang, except for the places closest to Beijing, almost all the heads of government from all over the country had arrived in the capital.

Although the Emperor's birthday celebration was not a grand occasion, all the ministers still submitted congratulatory messages and the Emperor also gave a banquet.

Before the Wanshou Holy Day, there was a ceremony of surrendering prisoners.

In the dry season offensive that began in the autumn and winter of the 20th year of Taichang, the Toungoo Dynasty, which was besieged step by step by the Ming Dynasty, was finally destroyed in March of the 21st year of Taichang. Anabilun wanted to fight to the death, but was eventually captured and presented the Toungoo capital to Zhu Changhao. The victory report was sent to the capital in early May, and Anabilun was sent to the capital in shackles in mid-July, accompanied by the rulers of the Outer Yunnan vassal states such as Cheli and Babai Dadian.

Since Mang Shwe Ti founded Toungoo, it has fought several wars with the Ming Dynasty in the past hundred years. As far as Yunnan is concerned, Toungoo has indeed invaded the border and harmed the people.

Anabilon also tried to raise troops since the fifth year of his reign in Taichang, but was defeated by Liu Jing at that time, which gave Liu Jing an opportunity to be awarded the title of Marquis of Zhangyong. Finally, he was transferred to the Rear Army Commandery and was awarded the title of Duke of Fuguo for his outstanding contributions during the Northern Expedition.

This time Zhu Changhao sent the Prince of Myanmar to present captives to Beijing, which was to open a new chapter for the southwest. Before the extraordinary grand political meeting, the Ming Dynasty would formally appoint the other foreign vassal states other than Myanmar as the rulers, no longer the three envoys and six lieutenants in the past.

In the Fengtian Huangji Hall, Zhu Changluo was talking to another old minister.

"It's been a bumpy journey, and I'm grateful for your thoughtfulness." Zhu Changluo sighed as he looked at the white-haired Liu Jing in front of him, "You've suffered a lot between the white mountains and black waters."

Liu Jing burst into tears: "I am not suffering. If it were not for your majesty's kindness, I would not be where I am today."

The dignified Duke Fuguo, another duke of the Ming Dynasty who permanently rules a region.

Although the Jianzhou Jurchens were destroyed, the Ming Dynasty's actual management area could not reach further east, and its focus was also on the Songnen direction.

The area around Lake Khanka was the Bohai Jurchen Kingdom, where the remnants of the Jurchens were registered. Liu Jing had always been an independent entity, guarding the Changbai Military and Civilian Prefecture, the easternmost of the Liaodong Town of the Ming Dynasty.

Time has taken its toll, and although Liu Jing is only sixty-four years old now, he already looks very old.

In this life, without the Battle of Sarhu, he would have lived to this day.

This time he came to Beijing not to attend a major political meeting, but only to celebrate the emperor's birthday. He also planned to live in the capital permanently and let his son Liu Jun inherit his position as Duke of Fuguo in advance.

Meanwhile there was another idea.

Zhu Changluo was also very clear about this. After hearing what he said, he said, "Although I trust you as the Duke of Fuguo, your achievements were earned through hard work. Haidong Province was just established, the Bohai Jurchens were submissive, and the Changbai Military and Civilian Office had begun to show results. The Duke of Fuguo moved to Haidong and was able to take care of all of these. I believe your son has learned your skills over the years."

"This old minister bows to thank God for His grace! Your Majesty treats my family so well..." Liu Jing knelt down to express his gratitude, and kept wiping his tears with his sleeves, his words becoming unclear.

"Why are you being so effeminate, General Liu?"

"I haven't seen the emperor in more than ten years. Now, in the blink of an eye..."

Zhu Changluo was also very moved by what he said. He knew that he had let go of his worries and would just spend his old age in peace from now on.

At the same time, I can't help but feel that I have reached the age of forty.

Indeed, many years have passed in the blink of an eye.

"It's good to live in the capital. You can consult with the Privy Council and give some advice to the younger generation of martial artists." Zhu Changluo laughed again. "In a few days, when Burma presents its captives, you can come with me to watch the ceremony. You were in your prime at that time. If you hadn't had other considerations at the time, the credit for destroying the country would have been yours."

Liu Jing's excitement had passed, and he said quietly, "There is no place for an old minister in the Eastern Expedition."

Zhu Changluo laughed dumbly: "You are already this old, do you really want to fight all the battles?"

"Your Majesty cares about me. I am just happy to see the prey. I am already satisfied and have never asked for a fight."

The emperor and his ministers were chatting, but Chen Ju came hurriedly, his face full of joy: "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Victory from Japan, the northern army has invaded the Japanese capital. The usurper emperor has been captured, and they will dock in Quanzhou next month."

Zhu Changluo couldn't help but stand up: "What did you say? So fast?"

Chen Ju handed him the victory report and said, "Since Fubo Hou broke through the enemy's formation with a single ship in the Naruto Strait and the Oriental Fleet defeated the Japanese navy, the morale of the Japanese pirates has been greatly reduced. In addition, General Mao Huiyuan and other generals who returned to China fought hard against the Japanese vanguard and won a tragic victory. Xiliang Hou led a small army to capture the key point west of the Japanese capital. The Japanese vanguard retreated to the east of Osaka, which opened the door to their capital. Although the Japanese chieftain called it a decisive battle at Sekigahara, he has actually abandoned half of his city..."

As he spoke, Zhu Changluo was watching.

The Battle of Naruto was fought at the end of last year, and the victory news was received in Beijing in February.

Perhaps it was because Shen Yourong only led one ship, and the skilled generals and the most elite soldiers were like masters with peerless swords, and they achieved incredible results.

There is already an absolute gap in weapons and equipment, and the only thing they rely on is the advantage of fighting on their own land.

However, on the one hand, Mori Terumoto was on the front line and had to consider self-protection, and on the other hand, he had so many hatreds with the Tokugawa family. After his "return", his advantage in being familiar with the terrain in fighting on the home front was much reduced.

As for morale, it seemed that it was obviously crushed by the Battle of Naruto.

Tianle's report said: In order to prevent the central troops of the Ming army's northern route from landing in Nagato, Suo and other places in the western part of Honshu Island, Mori Terumoto, Fukushima Masanori and others made great efforts in the battle with the westernmost vanguard of the Japanese army, but in the end it was only a miserable victory.

But this situation shows that they were determined. On the one hand, they consumed a lot of their own military strength, and on the other hand, they used it to exchange for the people under their original domains not being plundered too much. This is how they managed to capture the place where the main force of the Ming army landed on Honshu Island and move closer to Harima and Osaka.

Not to mention Ma Chengxun's side. Because of the existence of the mountain range that divides Sanin and Sanyo, Ma Chengxun's troops were weaker in Iwami, where they first landed, and in Izumo, where they later attacked, and it was inconvenient to provide support.

After he fought several battles, he became more and more courageous. After taking Izumo, he did not continue to fight eastward along the coast, but instead raided Mimasaka. This place is a mountain basin, and it is really a key point from Harima to Izumo. After taking it, he could threaten Harima again, and he could also continue to divide his troops to attack other places along the northern coast.

After Tianle made a prompt decision and ordered the Mongolian vassal soldiers to land from Bizen and clear Bitchu and Bizen, the main force of the Ming army in the north began to be transported directly to the Hiroshima Plain by ship to assemble. In addition, after the Oriental Fleet controlled the Kii Channel, Shikoku Island became an isolated island and surrendered quickly. Shen Yourong was also unambiguous and directly ordered them to send troops to be "escorted" by the Oriental Fleet to prepare for landing on the Harima Plain.

The warships were lined up on the coast, and their artillery fire was enough to cover an area of ​​two or three miles.

Under this situation, the so-called anti-barbarian army headquarters in Harima no longer dared to fight a decisive battle. It is not known whether it was an order from Tokugawa Hidetada to preserve their strength for a decisive battle, or whether they themselves had lost their morale and retreated directly to Sekigahara where Tokugawa Hidetada was and gathered their troops together.

Even cities like Osaka were handed over.

Zhu Changluo was somewhat puzzled: Although Osaka Castle was also built on the seaside, when Tokugawa Ieyasu wanted to wipe out the Toyota family, he was already the shogun. He had an absolute advantage in military strength, and the battle for Osaka Castle lasted a winter and a summer. Although the Ming army had artillery and was more powerful in attacking the city, what was the point of retreating without a fight?

Moreover, after Kyoto was abandoned, didn't the shogunate arrange for the imperial family to move east to continue to hold the title? They actually let the Mongols, who saw the benefits and rode first, capture the "usurper emperor" Gomizuo alive in Kyoto.

It was a bit too fast to retreat.

Not long after, Yuan Keli, Sun Chengzong and others came before the emperor.

"It just so happens that Duke Fuguo is here too. Can you all take a look at the situation? What is the situation of the war?"

Zhu Changluo was a little solemn. Logically speaking, if there was any inside story, Tianle would have explained it clearly. According to the previous strategy, it didn't need to be so fast. After taking Kyushu last year, they digested it first. The detachment led by Ma Chengxun first took Iwami Silver Mine and began to control a nearby source of income. In addition, they supervised the return of Mao Li Terumoto and others to consume the Japanese army first, and the Oriental Fleet ensured that the support from the shogunate by water was cut off - whether it was military support or logistical support.

The current progress is really too fast.

Yuan Keli, Sun Chengzong and others had already read the report. After thinking about it, Yuan Keli said, "I think this is not surprising."

"how to say?"

"The bravery of the Japanese pirates would have been enough to make the officers and soldiers change color during the Jiajing, Longqing and Wanli periods. However, things are different now. The Japanese soldiers are well-equipped and the generals are brave, while Japan is unified in name only, but it still has serious internal troubles. In addition, after three years of preparations for war, they collapsed at the first touch, and the local people turned against them. I think their military morale has collapsed. It's not that they don't want to fight, but they can't fight."

Sun Chengzong also thought so: "The navy is vulnerable. In the land battle, Xiliang Hou can be unstoppable with a small army, isolated and without support. When the main army gathers and fights head-on, how can they win? They might as well retreat hundreds of miles and give up half of the territory. In this case, Old Master Tian is probably in trouble now. The Mongolian cavalry is plundering non-stop, and if the main army wants to go east, the corrupt land of the capital of Japan must be unstable."

Zhu Changluo understood what he meant, but said, "At that time, only Prince Yuanshun led his troops to plunder. They were not good at attacking cities, so why did they abandon Osaka, the gateway to the capital? Although Tokugawa Ieyasu forced Toyotomi Hideyori to demolish three outer walls, they had been preparing for war for several years. It would not be so easy for the Mongolian soldiers to take them down."

"Your Majesty," Liu Jing said, "I think that the Japanese chieftain has bad intentions."

"You said."

Liu Jing looked very old just now, but now he was beaming with joy, as if he was excited when talking about war: "How much wealth is hidden in the capital of Japan and the famous cities? At that time, the army had not yet arrived, and only the cavalry went ahead. I think that Old Master Tian is probably having a headache right now, and my Ming soldiers may soon quarrel with the Mongols."

"You mean..." Zhu Changluo understood, "merit, wealth?"

"That's right." Liu Jing gritted his teeth. "Even I am angry just thinking about it. Such a great achievement was taken by the servants. Since the Japanese soldiers retreated on their own, how could they leave behind much treasure? But at that time, only Prince Yuan Shun led his troops to plunder in front. Although they had to ship the captives back by sea, it is hard to say whether they hid some of them for future transportation."

Yuan Keli and Sun Chengzong laughed together and said, "Duke Fuguo, that's a good idea."

Zhu Changluo sighed, "Is this a strategy of saving people but losing territory, and by the way, letting the enemy fall into chaos over the spoils? Since you are laughing, does that mean there is no need to worry about this matter?"

"The situation is already established. This is just a small trick, not worth mentioning. With Master Tian here, there is no need to worry."

"I don't understand." Zhu Changluo was very curious. "The shogunate is always the shogunate. They don't even care about the royal family. What is their right to defend the land in the future?"

Sun Chengzong thought for a moment and said, "I'm afraid that the Tokugawa clan has already made up their mind to surrender and is ready to divide the mountains and rule them."

"How to say?"

"If you can't win, you can only surrender." Sun Chengzong said calmly, "If you say you don't have the will to fight, that's impossible. But the army has lost its morale, and now it's just pretending to fight in Sekigahara. The retreat of the Harima army means that it can no longer and dares not to fight head-on. When the usurper is still alive, he must always obey orders to defend the land. When he is gone, he can be a minister of the Ming Dynasty. And the army is still there, if the Ming Dynasty wants to stop while it is ahead, maybe it can allow him to get only half of it. For him, anyway, in the past, only the direct territories under his rule could be considered his territory. If he can take advantage of this opportunity to get half of it, he can change the old system and be ordered to be king. As for justice..."

Sun Chengzong laughed, "I heard that the royal family is like beggars, and can only rely on the shogunate for food. What righteousness do they know? The current situation is not caused by war. With the shogunate's skills, our Ming army is so powerful. If they can keep half of it, and the Mongols are looting in front, the shogunate may make their subjects in Kanto breathe a sigh of relief. Besides, if they support another person, it will be more reliable. If it doesn't work out, it will just be the old story of a miserable soldier sleeping on straw and tasting gall."

Yuan Keli also said: "The Japanese pirates have harmed the people of the Ming Dynasty for more than 200 years. Now that the Japanese soldiers have arrived, they will capture the usurper alive. If the Ming Dynasty escorts them along the way and comforts the people of various provinces, it can be regarded as revenge for many new and old hatreds. If the Ming Dynasty still wants to attack, although their morale is low, they still have many soldiers, so it can also be used as a last-ditch battle."

After hearing what they said, Zhu Changluo felt much clearer.

So he laughed: "Then his plan will fail. It is true that there has never been an intruder from outside, so it is easy for them to relax on the island. They have never encountered such a situation before. In any case, they can digest the results of the war now. If they still think that the Ming Dynasty's expedition to the east is just to subdue them, then they are wrong. The imperial decree to send soldiers to the east is just like the Ming Dynasty's capital in the past. Edo is the main contributor, and the shogunate is the chieftain of Japan."

"good!"

"As for the royal family." Zhu Changluo sneered, "I want them all. I will send them to the coastal provinces to comfort the spirits of the heroes who died in the Japanese pirates. If Tokugawa Hidetada thinks that there are too many descendants of this so-called eternal dynasty, he can just support a new person and wipe them all out!"

"Your Majesty, the troops under Prince Yuanshun..."

Zhu Changluo nodded and said, "We have gained a lot this time. Let them return with their gains first, and let the tribes in the northern border know that I am trustworthy. Since the shogunate has handed over half of Japan, the Ming Dynasty will advance step by step. Next, we must digest the results of the war. They did not lose too many troops, but it is certainly more difficult to continue to support so many troops with half of their output. In the Korean War, they fought when they wanted to, and retreated when they wanted to. Now that they have no way to surrender, I want to see what they will do."

Such an outcome was certainly due to the reasons they mentioned, but in Zhu Changluo's view, it was normal.

He kept shouting about bushido and all that, but he was always protected by nature and had never been hurt.

But once the Ming Dynasty had passed this natural barrier and entered with might and strength, it was like a proud girl having everything taken off...

It was easy to surrender.

(End of this chapter)