Actually only one year.From the early summer of the tenth year of Tianzheng last year to this summer, Hideyoshi's steady progress has reached the point where even he himself is surprised. Conquer Zhizhi, kill Shibata, and even Takikawa and Sasa were conquered.Niwa Chohide has always placed his trust and assistance, and Maeda Toshiie has finally shown his righteousness and worked hard without changing the old friendship. Now Nobunaga's vassal states are almost all under Hideyoshi's will.No, even during Nobunaga's period, the enemy's foreign states and states, the relationship between each other was completely overturned in this year.

In the face of Nobunaga's hegemony, the stubborn Maori who has been fighting for many years has now sent a hostage to belong to the alliance; Otomo Yoshitomo of Kyushu also sent a congratulatory letter this time to conclude friendship; Willing to make peace.What's more, Echigo's Uesugi Jingkatsu also graciously sent envoys to congratulate and fulfill the covenant.The four winds all flowed towards Hideyoshi, happily blowing Hideyoshi's clothes. However, only one person is still the same as before - Tokai's Ieyasu Tokugawa. Exactly how Ieyasu viewed Hideyoshi's rise to prominence, this must be regarded as a major doubt.

Hideyoshi guessed what was going on in this person's mind, and Ieyasu must have looked at Hideyoshi with admiration. There had been no communication between the two for a long time, as if both had stopped their lame ways and entrusted the development of matters to a non-diplomatic space.But this is different from the previous inaction and inaction. Now it is in the early balance stage where Hideyoshi is constantly ascending to high positions with the facts of the moment, while he is silently consolidating his own camp. However, this silent continuation was soon influenced by Ieyasu in the form of diplomacy.

It happened on May 21, shortly after Hideyoshi returned from Kyoto.The number one general of the Tokugawa family, Ishikawa Hoki Sousuke, came to Yamazaki Hoji Castle to visit Hideyoshi with the intention of Ieyasu, presenting a tea set with the inscription "Hatsuka" and solemnly said: "My lord, the great victory of Yanagose can be said to be a great deal in the world. .My lord Jiakang is also overwhelmed with joy, and sent a special official to come to congratulate." Chuhua’s tea set has long been famous all over the world. Dongshan Yizheng was very happy when he got this Han and Tang Jianchong. He specially wrote a poem for this inscription, saying:

"Crimson dyed with flowers at the beginning, the color goes deep into my thoughts, which is unforgettable in my heart." Hideyoshi has suddenly become very interested in the tea ceremony recently, and this gift naturally made him very happy, but the fact that Ieyasu came here first to perform the ceremony, needless to say, made him extremely satisfied. Shuzheng originally planned to return to Hamamatsu on the same day, but Hideyoshi said: "Don't be so anxious, it's not too late to play for two or three days. I will say hello to His Highness Sanhe first." Then, he asked to stay: "Furthermore, we will return tomorrow. There is my celebration."

In order to reward Hideyoshi's achievements in Annei war since last year, the imperial court specially issued a decree to grant Hideyoshi the title of counselor from the four subordinates. This ceremony is to celebrate this event. Moreover, in order to share this honor with his retainers, Hideyoshi also awarded a wide range of rewards to thirty-six generals, including young men with seven guns, and others.In addition, the appointment of cutting-edge talents as city lords in more than 20 vassal countries, the five countries in Kinai as Panping, and the plan to build a new city in Osaka this May, and the expected move in within the year, etc. were also announced.

"I'm happier this way, anyway, stay and relax." After being told by Hideyoshi, Shuzheng also had no reason to resign.He thought that it was really inappropriate for an emissary who came to express his congratulations to refuse to participate in the celebration banquet. The banquet lasted for three days, and the soldiers and congratulators who received the gifts went to the city one after another, and there was a constant stream of traffic inside and outside the narrow gate of Baosi City. However, Ishikawa Shumasa did not ignore the auspicious atmosphere in Anyang City. "The era has finally come to this person's shoulders." Shuzheng had to have this feeling in his heart.So far, Shuzheng has firmly believed that only his lord is the one chosen by the times. However, living with Hideyoshi these few days, this state of mind has also undergone a huge change.

He compares everything with his own country, compares the ordinary things under Tokugawa's command with the ordinary things under Hashiba's command, and deeply introspects, and then draws conclusions in his heart. Still only local.Comparing Hideyoshi and Ieyasu, he also feels that even though Ieyasu is his own master, he is still not as popular as Chikuzen Mamoru's natural grandeur and impeccable casualness.The people of the world will come after him, and the current situation will gradually create a new era for this person. Those who are good at insight see this point, but even those who are not discerning cannot deny that the alliance with Hideyoshi as the leader is like Xiaoyun covering the whole prefecture of Japan. Compared with its solid backbone, Ieyasu of Hamamatsu is only It's just a local force limited to the East China Sea.

"Thanks to the kind hospitality, several days have passed without knowing it, and I think it's time to say goodbye tomorrow." "Are you going back? Let's go to Kyoto together tomorrow, and I will also go to the capital." After responding to Suzheng's resignation in this way, Midnight Hideyoshi chatted happily with him. The next day, Hideyoshi and Ishikawa Shuzheng, who returned home, went to Kyoto together. On the way, Hideyoshi turned from his horseback and called out to Shuzheng who was also riding a horse behind the queue: "Boqi (Shuzheng), Hoki".

As the envoy of the Tokugawa family, although Shuzai received gifts from the guests in the city, he was still an accompanying minister in the procession, naturally following Hideyoshi.But Hideyoshi called frequently, so he had to leave his entourage, and came to Hideyoshi by himself, asking: "What's the matter?" Hideyoshi said slowly: "Boqi, if you agreed to go together, how can you count as traveling together after such a long distance? The road to Kyoto is very boring, let's go while chatting." Although Shuzheng felt terrified, he still replied, "Obey."Along the way, he kept pace with Hideyoshi and chatted with him.

In the eyes of the people along the way, it seems that Hideyoshi is sending a number to Kyoto.But Hideyoshi has always looked like he doesn't mind, and from time to time he talks sporadically about his ambition to build the city of Osaka. "It's too inconvenient to travel to and from Kyoto here. It's a pity that the time wasted... So I want to move to Osaka Castle within this year, and use it as the capital that closely connects Nanika and Kyoto to handle various things. " "Osaka is indeed a good place. I heard that Lord Nobunaga wanted to go to Osaka when he was alive." "At that time, the Temple of the Temple was still strong, so I had to choose Azuchi, but the original intention might be Osaka." "Nowadays, when we hear about the local construction, all the states and countries are willing to accept the order, move stone and wood, and compete to run for the fortification... It can be said that it all depends on your mighty virtue, my lord." "No, everything depends on timing. It's just that the time is finally ripe for the land of Langhua today." Before I knew it, I had arrived in the city of Kyoto.Shuzheng was about to bid farewell, but Hideyoshi tried to persuade him to stay: "It's hot weather, it's not a wise choice to go by land. Let's take a boat along the lake from Otsu. While preparing for the boat trip, let's go to Xuanyi's house to eat some bento. Come on Get up." Xuanyi should refer to Banmensai Maeda Xuanyi who recently took office as the governor of Kyoto.Without waiting for a reply, Hideyoshi dragged him to Xuanyi's mansion together. Xuan Yi cleaned up the front of the house, probably because he had been notified in advance.Xuan's attitude of welcoming Shuzheng was also extremely solemn.On the contrary, Hideyoshi still had a relaxed attitude and said: "Don't be so restrained, don't be restrained." After lunch at the tea pavilion, no, the topic of Osaka did not stop even during the meal and tea. "Xuan Yi, bring a picture, draw it." "Construction drawings?" "Yes. There should be a copy here." "Yes, there are." After a while, Xuan Yi took the big picture and unfolded it on the spot.Showing this kind of thing to foreign envoys so rashly, both the people who saw it and the people who saw it thought about Hideyoshi's intentions, and they all looked terrified. Hideyoshi is open-minded. Facing his open-minded discussion, Shuzheng just feels that being a Tokugawa retainer and how important the Tokugawa family is to him is almost forgotten. "Come on, have a look." Hideyoshi said, "I heard that you are also proficient in building castles. If you have any suggestions, you may as well just tell them." He intended to ask for positive judgments. The original picture is the size of a tea room.As Hideyoshi said, Shuzai did have some accomplishments in fortification and civil engineering, and he himself was very interested in it, so regardless of Hideyoshi's reason for showing himself such secrets that would never be shown to envoys from other countries No matter what the intention is, Shuzheng still leaned out of his body and looked at the drawing raptly, "Then I won't be polite." "..." Although Shuzheng also expected that the scale of what Hideyoshi was going to do would never be small, but when he saw the specific details, he was completely overwhelmed by the grand conception and far-reaching intentions, and he mumbled "Oh..." from time to time. It's all taken away by the drawing. He recalled the Fangpachi-cho city wall back then when Honganji Temple was the center, but now on this design drawing, it is just a small base point of the city.In addition, the surrounding rivers, mountains and seas are also included in the design drawing. Considering the scenic spots, the difficulty of attacking and defending, the advantages and disadvantages of business operations, and the convenience of soldiers and horses entering and exiting, as well as traffic and boats, except for the main city, Shanzato Maru, Ninomaru, and Sanzhi In addition to Maru and others, another perimeter was built around Mizuhori Terrace and the entire Qulun. This perimeter actually stretches for more than six miles. As the structural center, the castle tower will be built with dozens of towers at the highest point in the city, and it will be designed as a stacked five-layer structure. "Hmm...so that's the case." Shuzheng murmured deeply, he could only click his tongue in amazement. However, what he stared at at the beginning was only a part of the city. Looking at the Wuji Avenue and municipal traffic surrounding the city, he couldn't help but be impressed by his foresight again. It is close to the imperial city of Kyoto, occupying Fushimi and Toba Fortresses, and the water of the Yinyodo River surrounds the moats of the city. , Hanoi's mountains serve as a natural barrier to provide defense for the Nara streets. The two roads of Sanyin and Sanyo connect the land and sea roads of Shikoku-Kyushu here, becoming a checkpoint extending in all directions. It can be said that it is the number one city in the world. I don't know how many times Antu has been for a long time, and I can't find any shortcomings at all. "How, this design?" Hideyoshi asked. "It's really seamless." Shuzheng replied.Besides, he really had nothing to say. At this time, Xuan Yi's retainers came to suggest that he change seats.Shu Zheng looked a little stiff because he looked at the design drawing too intently. "Okay." Hideyoshi also changed his mind and stood up first.The emerald curtains hanging in the Songyun Pavilion in the hall are slapping the water. "It really surprised me," Shuzheng said after walking there. "What?" Hideyoshi looked as if he had forgotten. "Your grand plan as seen in the blueprint for building Osaka." "Oh, what about the residence in Osaka? I don't know if that kind of design is good." "When it is completed, it will definitely become a great city in the world." "That's my plan too." "When do you expect it to be finished?" "I want to move within the year." "What, within the year?" "Just a rough idea." "Even so, such a grand project will take ten years." "Hahaha, the world has changed in ten years. Hideyoshi is also old... I have ordered that all the details of the city, including the scheduling and decoration, be completed within three years." "Even construction supervision is not an easy task. Besides, there is a huge demand for stone and timber." "The timber is harvested by twenty-eight dependent countries and transported by land and sea." "How much manpower is needed?" "I don't know about this. It will cost tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands... Fengxing said that it takes about 60,000 people a day for three months just to dig internal and external trenches." "This..." Shuzheng was silent.And thinking of the huge difference between Okazaki Castle and Hamamatsu Castle in his own country, he felt depressed again. Can such a huge amount of stones be collected to Osaka, which has no stones?So where does the huge expenditure come from in this trouble-prone Warring States?Questions such as these are too numerous to list, and Hideyoshi's atmosphere also makes people suspect that maybe it is just arrogance.At this time, Hideyoshi seemed to suddenly remember something urgent, and called Yubi Omura Yuki in front of Shuzheng, and said, "Write down what I said one by one." Then he began to dictate the article, as if the construction of Osaka Castle was only dealt with in his free time It is a small matter, now let Youbi record the article is the most important thing for me, even forgetting the existence of Shuzheng, he considers the paragraphs of the article, and asks Youbi to record a paragraph after thinking deeply. "..." Hideyoshi was close at hand, even if Susho didn't want to listen to his dictation, it would still reach his ears, and what he said seemed to be an important reply to the Maori clan Takakage Kobayakawa.This once again made Shuzheng overwhelmed and confused. "Your Excellency seems to be busy with official duties, I'd better retire for the time being." "It's okay, it'll be over immediately." Hideyoshi didn't mind at all, and continued to dictate one by one. The so-called reply letter was aimed at Takakage Kobayakawa's document to congratulate this great victory.Based on the current battle situation of Yananose, Hideyoshi urged decisively, and hoped that the Mori family would clearly state their future support and banner this time - although it was a private letter, the content was extremely important. Hideyoshi said beside, and Yubi wrote. Watching the nib of Yubi work, Hideyoshi continued to dictate.Ishikawa Shu was silently staying aside, his eyes wandering among the bamboo bushes in front of the court. "Giving Shibata a chance to breathe is really troublesome. For the rule of Japan, even if the entire army is wiped out, it cannot be destroyed by the unpreparedness of the Chikuqian defense. I made up my mind to take the city directly at midnight on the 24th, and advance at a quarter of noon to defeat the enemy. All perish." This was referring to the situation when Kitanosho was captured—the rule of Japan—and at this time, Hideyoshi's eyes were shining as brightly as at that time. As soon as the content changed, the article began to cut into the plans of the Maori family. "It's not necessary for the number of people to be scattered and distributed. We should go beyond your country, agree on the border, and meet each other openly. I hope you can distinguish right from wrong. If Hideyoshi is angered, you should be enlightened." "..." So bold.Shuzheng couldn't help taking a peek at Hideyoshi.However, Hideyoshi seemed to be talking and laughing cross-legged with Takakage in front of him, letting him write such explicit words casually.Whether it is better to say that he is better than no one else or innocent, it is impossible to judge for Shuzheng. "The administration of the Hojo Clan in the Eastern Country, and Keikatsu Uesugi in the Northern Country have already stated that they will entrust their awareness to Chikuzen Mamoru. If Lord Mori Umatou can also show his awareness to Hideyoshi, the rule of Japan will depend on the situation since Yoritomo, and it will all depend on your understanding. If adults have different opinions, they can report it frankly before seven months. The Great Bodhisattva Hachiman sincerely sees that if this is the case, the only way for the two parties to regain their glory is to remember." "..." Although Suzheng's eyes were staring at the breeze and thin bamboo, his ears felt hot from being confused by Hideyoshi's deep voice, and his heart trembled uncontrollably like a bamboo leaf in the wind. Come to think of it, for this person, building the city of Osaka may indeed be a trivial matter.Facing Mao Li, he also bluntly stated that if there is any objection, it is convenient to report it before July, and the two sides will resolve it immediately.The number is now beyond admiration, and even feels a burst of fatigue. "Your ship is ready." Just at this time, the officers and men in charge came to report, and Hideyoshi just finished sorting out the documents. Greetings and farewell. Hideyoshi presented a sword worn at his waist to Shu Zhengdao: "Although it is a bit old, it is said to be a good sword. Let's keep it as a souvenir." The number is accepted. When they came outside the door, Hideyoshi's entourage had prepared horses and waited for them to send Shuzheng to the Otsu ship.