The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 306: Shogunate Nightmare
While Liu Zhaosun was delivering an impassioned war speech to his soldiers on the Kyushu coastline, the Kaiyuan army's biggest target to be conquered - Edo Castle, thousands of miles away - was still calm and peaceful.

People used to refer to this most populous city in the world (at least until the end of the 17th century) as the City at the General's Feet.

It can be seen that the Shogun's feet are very big.

People of all kinds gather in this city.

The huge group of warriors brought about by the system of attending court and confessing;
merchants from Omi, Ise, Kyoto, and Osaka;

It was extremely prosperous, like paradise during the day and like the willow alleys and prostitutes in the Dragon Palace at night.

Of course, there are also those Edo children who spend money like water. They believe in the principle of "money is not kept overnight, it is spent once it is gone."

The story of Edo begins on August 1590, .

Tokugawa Ieyasu led his army to leave the five territories and move to Kanto. From then on, with Edo as the center, he began his legendary journey of competing for the world. It should be noted that the so-called world in Japan is roughly equal to the size of a province of the Ming Dynasty.

I will not go into details here about Tokugawa Ieyasu's deeds in unifying Japan.

Later, a wild song (note 1) went like this:
"Oda pounded the rice, Hashiba kneaded the dough, the world was caked, and Tokugawa opened his mouth to eat it."

This song compares the process of unifying the world by Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi (Hashiba) Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu to making rice cakes.

As we all know, Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi made great contributions in the process of unifying Japan, but the fruits of their labor were reaped by Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Of course, the facts may not be as the song sings. The process of Tokugawa clan's conquest of the world was not as simple as swallowing the cakes made by others in one gulp.

At least six years after Tokugawa Ieyasu's sudden death, his successor, the second Shogun Tokugawa Hidetada, began to suffer from nightmares.

It can be seen that this cake is not so easy to eat.

Under the dim night, Edo Castle with a population of one million gradually fell asleep.

Honmaru Palace.

The Shogun fell into a nightmare again.

At the foot of the towering Mount Fuji, the armor engraved with the Tokugawa family crest of the trefoil was shattered into pieces, like withered cherry blossoms.

The bodies of the samurai were spread all the way from Satsuma Domain to Edo Castle, and arrived at the feet of Tokugawa Hidetada.

Tokugawa Hidetada was barefoot and with his hair loose, waving his fingers like dead branches and shouting wildly. Rumbling cannon sounds came from all around the sky, and white smoke and red flames burned through the sky.

Blood washed the coast like waves, and the place where the sea and the sky met was red, and it was impossible to tell whether it was human blood or smoke.

Hidetada looked back and saw that the Nikko Mountain where Ieyasu was buried collapsed with a loud bang and exploded silently. The huge coffin was dragged out by the barbarian soldiers, and his father's rotten body was exposed...
"what!"

Tokugawa Hidetada woke up from a nightmare, his topknot soaked with sweat.

The Shogun looked at the flickering candlelight in the distance with great fear in his eyes.

"What did you see in your dream?"

Asai E, the shogun's wife, asked calmly while wiping the sweat off her husband's face.

Hidetada looked at the woman's pale face, black makeup and teeth. This enchanting woman with a childlike face was also one of the sources of his fear.

"Hell, what you see is hell."

In April 1605 (the tenth year of Keicho), Tokugawa Ieyasu handed over the throne of Shogun to his son Hidetada, thereby announcing to the world that the Tokugawa family's power would be hereditary.

After passing the throne to his son, Ieyasu did not really retreat behind the scenes, but continued to control the overall situation of the world in a capacity similar to that of a regent.

It was not until half a year later that the old shogun suddenly had stomach problems.

His stomach was swollen like a drum, he couldn't eat, and he became increasingly exhausted. The medical clinic was unable to save him, so he soon passed away.

Rumor has it that Chaya Jiro, a wealthy merchant family in Kyoto, often presented sea bream tempura to Lord Ieyasu.

Tempura is a common people's food.

With the noble body of Tokugawa Ieyasu, his noble stomach was unable to digest the cheap food, which led to indigestion of the spleen and stomach, and he died.

Of course, only his son Hidetada knew the reason for Tokugawa Ieyasu's sudden death.

"I dreamed that the western barbarians came from Kyushu to Kaga, to Kyoto, and to Edo. I dreamed of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. I dreamed that the family crest of the Tokugawa family turned into ashes." Tokugawa Hidetada grabbed his woman's hand in fear, as if grabbing a life-saving straw.

Asai E was ten years younger than Tokugawa Hidetada. Her first marriage partner was her cousin Issei George, and her second marriage partner was Toyotomi Hidekatsu, the nephew of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

The third time, Ajiang finally became the wife of the second shogun, Tokugawa Hidetada.

The people of Edo praised her for being as gentle as a willow tree.

Although Hidetada had cheated on her husband twice and even brought his illegitimate son into the Honmaru Palace to show off, she was like a willow tree swaying in the wind, always able to accept it and overcome hardness with gentleness.

Of course, these are just the beautiful images that the most powerful woman in the Great Inner Palace (Note 2) presents to outsiders.

As for her true appearance, only the Shogun himself knows.

At this moment, A Jiang stared at Tokugawa Hidetada and said word by word to this husband who shared the same bed with her but had different dreams:

"Nagamatsumaru (Hidetada's nickname), you poisoned your father, exiled your brothers, defiled the O-oku, and slaughtered Christians. Your crimes are monstrous, yet you never knew fear! Could a hero who experienced the Battle of Sekigahara and the Siege of Osaka be frightened by a dead person in his dream?"

The Shogun remained indifferent and murmured:

"The barbarians from the west came and killed everyone. Even my father's body was left exposed in the wilderness."

Ah Jiang didn't show any sympathy when he heard this, but laughed wildly:
"This is God's punishment on the Tokugawa clan. When Ieyasu was attacking Kyoto and attacking Odani Castle, you killed my father and brother, abducted me to Edo, and I became your wife."

"The barbarians of the West are sent by the gods to punish you!"

Tokugawa Hidetada recovered from the nightmare and suddenly lifted the pillow. Ajiang took the lead and grasped the short knife under the pillow in his palm.

Hidetada quickly turned over and took the long sword from the knife rack.

The sharp blade was pressed against his throat.

"My husband only has nightmares occasionally, but I have been trapped in nightmares for sixteen years. Therefore, my husband must learn to endure."

The Shogun was not lacking in courage. He had followed his father to conquer the world, and because of several mistakes, he was almost killed by his father, Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Looking at the sharp blade penetrating his skin and the blood slowly oozing out, Tokugawa Ieyasu's legs went limp and he couldn't make a sound.

Ajiang, with her graceful figure and charming appearance, lifted the hem of her kimono and controlled the frightened Shogun under her. Her figure on the entrance swayed with the candlelight.

In this two-person game, the charming woman from Odani City often has the upper hand.

·······
Tokugawa was sweating profusely. Once again, he was conquered by this charming woman.

"Shimazu has sent samurai to Edo again, asking for help. The barbarians are overwhelmingly strong. Madam, what should we do?"

"Let the Western Army consume its resources. Once both sides are defeated, the shogunate can then enter Kyushu and truly control the Kansai region. My husband, you must make those Satsuma monkeys understand who is the true master of this world."

"What if the barbarians win?"

A Jiang held the general's flushed face in his hands and felt sweat dripping from his delicate hands.

My husband is too weak.

"They can't win. Hattori Gen'emon (Hattori Hanzo's grandson) reports that the barbarians are following the exact same route as the Mongols did. If they dare to take another step east, their fate will be the same as Kublai Khan's eastern expedition: annihilation."

"Will the British join the war? And the Dutch? I heard the barbarian ships are very powerful and they defeated the armies of the Kyushu feudal states."

"That depends on what conditions my husband offers the red-haired barbarians. They only want money."

"I, I will allow their trade in Japan to resume."

"That's good. My husband will decisively execute those who oppose the founding of the country!"

A Jiang put her kimono back on, resumed her gentle willow-like posture, and looked at her husband on the tatami with infinite tenderness.

"I wonder if the old monk on the volcano is still in Edo Castle. He can eliminate nightmares, but he needs the contribution of a few more girls."

Note:
1. Kyoka, a short song with a humorous and comedic purpose, originated from the opera songs in the Manyoshu and the comedy songs in the Kokin Wakashu. It was popular during the Tenmei period in the middle of the Edo period.

2. Ooku: During the Edo period, the residence of the Tokugawa Shogun's biological mother, children, principal wife (Godaisho), concubines, and female officials (called "oku-onochu"). It also refers to the shogun's harem, where the maids and concubines lived.

(End of this chapter)