Chapter 26 Chapter Twenty-Six

Unhappy things in life are often eighty-nine.Sometimes, things in the world often surprise people.Zhi grew up feeling ridiculous about Mrs. Dian's idea of ​​sending an envoy, but after the quarrel, his mind changed completely.He also felt that it was undoubtedly of great significance to inquire about Jiayasu's mind again.Not knowing why Qianji committed suicide was the main reason that prompted him to think so, but this also shows how he has no opinion. In this way, the matter of Osaka sending an envoy to Shunfu was immediately settled, and the candidate was also confirmed. However, just sending an envoy from Mrs. Yodo is not enough to make people feel at ease. A strong person should be sent as an envoy to Hideyori. If someone does not reply properly, they can criticize them openly on the spot, and even tear up the peace treaty with Qudong. .Of course, these are just the tough words of Goto Matabei Kiji and Chosogabe Morikin. Sanada Yukimura and Kimura Shigenari didn't say much.

The incident of Chihime's attempted suicide was tightly sealed, and even Hideyori didn't know about it. On the issue of sending envoys, Mrs. Yodo's thinking is very different from that of Chishang.Mrs. Dian thought that if she took the initiative to ask, Ieyasu would definitely not refuse.Zhichang didn't think so, he thought that going there would bring disaster to Mrs. Dian. In the end, Aoki Kazuo was chosen as Hideyoshi's emissary. "Rumors about the influx of the Kwantung army frequently spread around the Jingban area. May I ask the Imperial Palace, how can we appease the hearts of the people?" The governor repeatedly told Aoki Kazuchi to ask Ieyasu in this way, and see how Ieyasu answered, so as to know his thoughts.

Mrs. Dian's envoys did not hear the ronin's proposals, so they, like Mrs. Dian, enjoyed the journey of spring with naive expectations.On the previous mission, the old women received preferential treatment from Ieyasu, and this time Mrs. Dian's sister, the hero of Yihe Chang Gaoyuan, accompanied them, so they firmly believed that Ieyasu would treat them kindly. Kazushige Aoki set off from Osaka by boat on the fifth day of March with ten pieces of brocade brocade woven with gold thread and ten sets of gilded scaffolding.On the sixth day of March, Mrs. Dian's envoy also set off by land in a sedan chair.In the front is Changgaoyuan, followed by Erwei Bureau, Dazang Bureau, and Zheng Rong Ni, all of whom are full of joy.Seeing this queue, the people of Osaka were very puzzled: "Even the women travel so leisurely, it seems that they won't fight wars."

Aoki Kazuo arrived on the 12th of March, and Chang Gaoyuan and his party arrived in Junfu on the 14th.As usual, they first entered Juzi's Deyuan Temple, and then sent someone to report to Ieyasu.Ieyasu didn't want to meet them separately, so he decided to welcome them into Junfu City together on March 15th.Last time, Ieyasu deliberately separated Katagiri Kamoto from the old women, but it didn't seem to have the slightest effect.Ieyasu only treats women as irresponsible visitors, and treats them generously; he regards Chienze as the elder in charge of the city, but this approach causes misunderstandings in Osaka and leads to disputes.

On the second day after Chang Gaoyuan and others arrived, they were interviewed, and they were in a good mood.But Kazushige Aoki, who arrived a few days earlier and had to wait until the 15th, was restless and even suspected that the purpose of the visit had been leaked to Junfu by the Secretary, and Junfu was discussing countermeasures. This suspicion is not entirely unfounded.At this time, secret envoys shuttled back and forth between Kyoto, Junfu, and Edo, which was quite lively.In fact, following Aoki Kazujue, the deputy Itakura Katsushige had indeed just sent a secret report to Ieyasu.

For no other reason, when the ronin was summoned in Osaka, Katsushige and Fushimi Jodai Matsudaira Sadakatsu secretly sent Takeda's former minister Keiken Kobata inside the ronin to send back a message: "Osaka castle is out of control." As a military strategist of the Koshu style, Kageken Kobata seemed to be treated more favorably than Yukimura Sanada, who had lost his fighting spirit recently, and was grandly invited into the castle. The news of Jing Xian finally reached Ieyasu, almost at the same time as Aoki Kazushige arrived at Tokuganji Temple, the news listed more things that worried Ieyasu, the main points are as follows:

1. Osaka transported a large amount of leftover materials for rebuilding the Great Buddha Hall back to Osaka Castle; 2. Osaka is rushing to use these timbers to build the walls and fences of the outer city; 3. Purchasing and hoarding grain from Osaka to Kinki; 4. The scale of the ronin summoned in Osaka exceeded last year, and the ronin who left the city temporarily returned to the city one after another... Based on these, the one who came to the conclusion that "war is inevitable" was none other than Koban Jingxian, the military adviser in Osaka Castle.In this way, Ieyasu never dared to take it lightly.Even without these, General Xiuzhong's determination to abandon Qianji has already made Ieyasu miserable.Therefore, when he received the Osaka envoy on the 15th, Ieyasu had only one thing on his mind: quickly transfer Hideyori.

With an elusive expression on his face, Ieyasu sat there intently until Aoki Kazushige finished reading the gift list. His expression was deep, and he was a little dazed, it was hard to tell whether it was worry or unhappiness.However, after listening to the gift list, Ieyasu asked in a low voice to take a look at the gift. After looking at the gilded scaffolding, Ieyasu looked at the women and said as if talking to a child: "I really want to take this scaffolding and go hunting in the fields." Hearing this, Aoki Kazuchi suddenly felt his heart soften: the Great Imperial Palace is really old.He found that Mr. Ieyasu's hair was almost gone, his eyebrows were so thin that they seemed to have nothing, and he looked like a round, fat child, wrapped in a white silk cotton jacket, sitting there limply.

"The weather is getting warmer soon..." As soon as Aoki Kazushige opened his mouth, Ieyasu put his hands behind his ears and asked incoherently, "Are the flowers on the road blooming well?" "Exactly." "Youfu and Young Madam are also alright?" "Yes. In a good mood." Ieyasu nodded vigorously, and turned his gaze to the old women, "Is Madam all right?" Aoki thought, with Ieyasu's state, he might not be able to go to war.Honda Masanori, who is always bright-eyed, did not appear by Ieyasu's side today. There was only a tea bureau to greet the old women, as well as some counselors and maids.Ieyasu really feels like a hermit.In fact, compared to Aoki Kazushige, Chang Gaoyuan and others felt this way more strongly.

"I'm very relieved to see my face." After saying this old-fashioned sentence, Chang Gaoyuan seemed to feel a little hypocritical, so he hurriedly looked at the Dazang Bureau. "Oh, good time everyone, you are in better health than anything else. Do you have any special message from Madam?" "Yes. Madam said that last winter was extremely cold. Let me greet you first, and then deliver a message." "Oh, what message did she have?" At this time, the High Court should have been nervous, but she felt a sense of dismay, and disappointment flashed through her heart: the real power has completely transferred to Edo, can Ieyasu still be relied on?

"Actually...Your Excellency also knows that due to the military chaos last year, the farmlands in Duojin and Hanoi were barren, and there was almost no annual income. Therefore, the city could not even support the soldiers. Therefore, Madam told me to come to the Imperial Palace to see Let's see if we can help..." Although Ieyasu was still putting his hands behind his ears and pretending to be listening, his face didn't change after listening.When Chang Gaoyuan saw it, he had to raise his voice and repeat. To Ieyasu, this request was an unpleasant cleverness.Before the arrival of the envoy, Itakura Katsushige had already sent news, one of which said that Osaka frequently purchased military rations in the Kinki area.If this is the case, it can only be said that it is too shallow a trick to come to ask Junfu to give some food. The Chang Gao Court raised its voice and repeated word by word: "Because of the military chaos, the fields in Setjin and Hanoi are barren..." Hearing her repeat, Ieyasu quickly shifted his gaze to Kazushige Aoki.After Chang Gaoyuan finished speaking, he said to Aoki Kazuo: "Is this a request from the Youfu, or is it Madam's intention?" Yi Chong was in a terrible state of embarrassment.For this matter, he was really unprepared, "This...Youfu didn't specially..." "Oh? Oh?" ​​Ieyasu nodded expressionlessly, glanced at the women, and said, "I want to go to Nagoya soon." "What did your lord say?" "I'm going to Nagoya recently." "Nagoya?" "Yes. I want to marry Yizhi a daughter-in-law while I can still move. I'm going to attend his big ceremony." As he spoke, Jia Kangyi said to Cha Aju who was serving him, "What's the name of that daughter-in-law? I I couldn't remember it for a while. She is..." "It's the daughter of Yukinaga Asano, her name is Haruhime." "That's right, it's Ah Chun! Haha, spring is here. As soon as spring comes, the weather gets warmer. I remember that at first, but in the end I couldn't figure out whether it was Ah Hua or Ah Mei. How old is the bride?" "I heard that she is thirteen years old." "Yoshinao is sixteen. That's right, it's three years away..." After finishing speaking, Ieyasu talked about the confused words of Hiraiwa Kikichi, who had been the elder of Yoshinao's family, when he was dying.Qinji said, Yizhi is not smart, if he wants to marry a wife, he should marry an honest one... The Dazang Bureau was even more anxious than the Chang Gao Court, and she was always thinking about Mrs. Dian's orders. "Your Honor." "Oh, what's the matter?" "The Chang Gao Court just asked your lord for assistance. I don't know what your lord thinks?" "Oh, haven't I answered yet?" "Yes... I haven't heard the answer from the adults yet." "I was so confused that I thought I had answered. I will go to Nagoya in the near future, which is a good opportunity. You also rushed to Nagoya first to help guide the wedding. Women in Kanto are not familiar with etiquette. If you are here, I will be worried It's settled." The old women couldn't help but looked at each other.Ieyasu's words also made Aoki's whole body stiff - what was Ogosho thinking? Chang Gaoyuan leaned forward and replied: "My lord, just rest assured, we are happy to help." She accepted it with a smile. "By the way, Nagoya, the daughter-in-law is a girl from the Asano family, maybe she is very familiar, what do you think, Dazang?" "Yes." The Dazang Bureau said anxiously, "Please rest assured about this matter, Mrs. Dian's request, and I hope you can find some solutions." Only then did Ieyasu smile, "That's it. I'll go to Kyoto after the wedding to check the situation in Settsu and Hanoi. How can I let people go hungry? Okay, okay, see you in Nagoya." The old women looked at each other again.Ieyasu seemed to have absolutely no intention of refusing.Not only was there no hostility, but they showed a friendly look, and asked them to help with the wedding, and promised that no one would go hungry. "Shouldn't that be enough?" Ieyasu said, "Okay, tea, let's stop talking with the guests here. It's good to entertain them, and don't forget to prepare some seasonal local products." "Yes. Please take care of me." The four old women knelt down gratefully. Aoki Kazushige was also busy imitating them and prostrating to the ground.At this moment, Jiakang suddenly said: "The envoy of the Youfu, please wait a moment." Watching the old women leave, Aoki Kazushige looked at Ieyasu, and for a moment, a chill came down his back.Ieyasu no longer has the childlike eyes just now, he has become an eagle with sharp eyes, ready to soar into the sky. "One weight." "grown ups." "The women's business is over. Now, let's talk about the men's business." "yes." "No matter what, I always like to drive women to do it. This is a bad habit of Osaka. I used the same method before, and I specially interviewed them separately. Originally, I thought, if people say that I bully women, it would be shameful. , but it’s always like this, but it’s not good. That’s why I’m teaching you how to treat women today. You’re a man, and you’re an envoy from the Right House. At this critical moment, you don’t just come to greet me. The secret order, or what decision did the minister make? The wind in Kanto is very strong, you think it through before you speak." After speaking, Ieyasu lay down on the table and closed his mouth tightly. Aoki Kazuchi hastily corrected his sitting posture——The Imperial Palace is really a difficult old man, he was still sleepy just now, but he turned into a bird of prey in the blink of an eye. "Thank you for your enlightenment." Yizhong's fighting spirit was boosted, and he said a little dissatisfied, "The next time I come, I am not sent by Youfu." "So, you are the envoy of the minister?" "Exactly. Now, there are frequent rumors in the Jingban area that the Kwantung army is about to fight over." "So what?" "This...that's why Ono Xiu-sama ordered me to meet with him in person, report the shaking of the people's hearts, and then ask: How can we eliminate this uneasiness?" "Is there no way for the governor to appease the people?" "Yes. No matter how hard Osaka is, Kanto does not abide by the agreement. It just actively fills up the city and keeps doing rude things. If things go on like this, the people will naturally be difficult to appease. Lord Ohno asked him to come down to ask him. Is there any good remedy?" Kazushige Aoki asked proudly. In fact, the original words of Zhichang were not so passionate, but just asked Aoki to inquire about Ieyasu's thoughts in a low-key manner. Aoki obviously deviated from Zhichang's original intention. Jiakang suddenly lowered his voice: "Yizhong, well said!" "Oh?" "I fully understand. Then, I'll——answer you. Listen, Mr. Xiu seems to have mistakenly thought that the matter of filling the castle was not Tokugawa Ieyasu's intention. In fact, that is exactly what I meant. You first put this Keep it in mind." "Oh?" "I always hope that the Toyotomi family will survive forever. But to realize the wish, Osaka Castle itself has become the biggest obstacle, because the world thinks it is impenetrable." "..." "Man dies with wealth, and birds die with food. A woman who is obsessed with clothes will betray her principles for the sake of clothes. But if the Toyotomi family wants to survive forever, they must not be obsessed with Osaka Castle." "..." "In addition, you just said that the people's hearts are shaken and cannot be appeased. The people's uneasiness is definitely not caused by the burying of the trenches. There are other people who are dissatisfied and noisy about this. Kanto sees that the chaos will resume, how can we sit idly by ? The source of the turmoil is not in Edo, but in Osaka. Do you understand?" After speaking, Ieyasu stared closely at Kazue. Aoki Kazuichi couldn't calm down, his once pale cheeks became hot.Everyone in the world says that Jiakang's city mansion is like a sea, and now it seems that it is true.Once Aoki had such a mood, what Ieyasu said would be unreasonable.Aoki even thought that, from Edo’s point of view, the Toyotomi clan was no longer qualified to live in the impenetrable Osaka Castle. It is a mockery of Mrs. Dian.Daban Castle is said to be the clothes of Mrs. Yodo, and there are many criticisms in the world.Since the peace talks last winter, Hideyori has become timid and conservative, but Mrs. Yodo has meddled in everything. "So, the Great Imperial Palace has long wanted to fill up all the cities? Once people riot, they will be used as swordsmen? Is this the original intention of your lord?" Ieyasu was taken aback, but at the same time deeply angry and disappointed. "Yizhong, you are truly a fearless person!" "Yes. Since I stepped out of Osaka, I have put life and death aside." "This is not a matter of life and death. If you want to appease the people, there are ways..." "Looking at it from below, it will completely flatten the city of Osaka!" Jiakang became angry: "It is not a means to flatten the city! Alas! The city is gone, the city wall is gone, so the war will be gone, so the people don't have to panic." Speaking of this, he smiled wryly , and could only smile wryly, "However, it is not Ieyasu's original intention to flatten the Toyotomi clan and the city together. What I mean is that it is better to flatten the city than to destroy the Toyotomi clan. Have you thought about this?" "I never thought about it!" Yizhong replied decisively.He thought, now that things are up to now, no matter what, I can't easily compromise - I also have self-esteem, since I have risked my life, what is there to be afraid of? The meaning of hatchback is getting farther and farther away. Yi Chong widened his eyes angrily, "My lord's words, I will turn them around and repair my lord. Not only the general city, my lord is afraid that I want to level the city from the very beginning!" When Yizhong calmed down, he found that Ieyasu had regained his lost old face, and he no longer listened to his words.After a while, Ieyasu said to the maid at the side in awe: "Tell Nagai Naokatsu to entertain the envoy from Osaka, and then send him back." At this moment, Yizhong actually had the feeling of a complete victory, so he held his head high and held his chest high. Ieyasu sent Aoki Kazuchi away, and even felt it was a pity to give back a dagger—such a Osaka!So ignorant of the times!War is inevitable.With a heavy feeling in his heart, he didn't even bother to speak. Not long after Ichiege Aoki retreated, Katsushige Itakura sent an urgent report again, saying that the rumors in Kyoto had spread everywhere.What makes it worse!Previously, it was only said that the Kanto army might make a comeback, but this time it was completely reversed, saying that the Osaka army was about to invade Kyoto and start killing.Sheng Zhong tried his best to refute the rumors in order to calm people's hearts.However, the rumors became more and more fierce, and the terrified people fled to the Kurama and Atago Mountains one after another. As a precaution, there were an endless stream of people who deposited their property in the imperial palace or the mansion of the minister. Ieyasu felt that the news about Shengzhong must be somewhat exaggerated.But it can also be seen that Itakura Katsushige and General Hidetada had the same idea, and they always wanted to persuade Dong Ieyasu to agree to send troops. But on the second day, Itakura Shigemasa, the son of Shengshige, rushed over on a galloping horse in a panic. At this time, the old women in Osaka had already left for Nagoya contentedly, and Aoki Kazushige had also left Tokuganji. "My lord, if the decision is delayed, the consequences will be disastrous." Shigemasa Itakura said anxiously when he saw Ieyasu, "Leaving aside the decision to attack Osaka, the matter of defending the capital cannot be delayed for a moment. Please arrange it quickly. My father suggested Ordinary generals are afraid that they will not be able to suppress the bullets, so I hope that Lord Honda will lead a strong army and go to Beijing to guard immediately." Iekang reprimanded sharply: "Hurry up! I know the situation of the war better than anyone else. If necessary, Honda, Sakai, Fujido and Jingyi, I will send them out without hesitation. But there must be a basis for things, how can the shogunate recruit unknown teachers? Why do you have to send Honda?" Chongchang blushed, "My lord, please forgive me. An insider reported that Osaka not only wanted to attack Nijo Castle and Fushimi Castle, burn down the streets of Kyoto, but also wanted to surround the imperial palace and coerce the emperor to order the princes..." "Will the royal family be involved in the war?" Ieyasu was so surprised that he couldn't breathe. He thought of Kazuju Aoki who was still here just now and proudly declared that he would risk his life.Has it really come to this point? Ieyasu sighed again and again and was speechless for a long time. Another day later, Doi Toshikatsu also came from Edo with a changed expression. Two or three days later, Ieyasu decided to raise troops again.