Chapter 4 Chapter Four Sakai Port Heroines

Tokugawa Ieyasu followed Toyotomi Hideyoshi and withdrew from Nagoya to Kyoto.On October 14th of the second year of Wenlu, Ieyasu left the capital and withdrew to Edo.Hideyoshi didn't want him to stay in Edo for a long time, so he found many reasons, such as building Fushimi, making peace with Daming, and going to Yoshino Mountain with Hideto for hunting in the next spring, etc., and urged him to return as soon as possible.So, at the end of December, Ieyasu returned to the capital again. From then on, Ieyasu suddenly felt that Hideyoshi was showing his old age.In the past, Hideyoshi always put all the burdens on his shoulders, was busy all day long, and never had a moment of leisure, but recently, he was often at a loss and in a trance in front of Ieyasu.For example, he often called Ieyasu in a hurry, but nothing happened at all; but once Ieyasu, Lijia and others were no longer around him, he would feel lost again.Some things that are private are often made public, which makes people feel stupid.

Hideyoshi finally gave her daughter to Shi, and the turmoil calmed down temporarily, but Hideyoshi was always troubled by Chacha's stubbornness and Hideji's suspicion.The trip to Mount Yoshino is actually an opportunity to promote harmony between father and son.It is said that after enjoying the flowers in Mount Yoshino, Hideyoshi and his son will immediately go to the nearby Mount Koya to pay homage, and go to Qingyan Temple built for Hideyoshi’s mother Taimasa together, so that the unworthy nephew can feel the inseparable bond between flesh and blood. Family, I am afraid there will never be a more suitable place and opportunity.In order to shorten the distance between Xiuci and Ashi, Hideyoshi took great pains: in Yoshino, he donated a bridge in the name of Ashi, and asked Chacha to send things to Xiuci from time to time.

But in Ieyasu's eyes, these are just because Hideyoshi's body is old and his energy has declined.The passage of time is really ruthless!In Ieyasu's view, Hideyoshi should deal with more important things, and there are more important things waiting for him to think about, and that is the Korean War.Hideyoshi should study the specific steps of negotiating with the Ming Dynasty with the remaining North Korean generals.On the North Korean side, Kato Kiyomasa, Konishi Governor and his father Xiaonishi Ruan and others have been trying to negotiate with the Ming Emperor, but every time the report sent to Hideyoshi, the real situation is greatly distorted.

Time flies, and in a blink of an eye, it is February 20th of the third year of Wenlu, which is the season of cherry blossoms.Just after noon, the Tokugawa House in Uchino welcomed three guests. They were Kino from Sakai Port, his father Naya Shoan, and Chaya Shiro Jiro who brought them here.After Jiakang welcomed the three of them into the living room, he retreated from the waiter, and then asked Mushi humorously: "We finally met. I thought you were a woman who didn't keep her word." Mushi didn't answer, just smiled lightly. "Those days were really hard for you. I also suffered a lot when you were not around."

As soon as Ieyasu finished speaking, the tea house said seriously: "According to Ms. Mushi, Mr. Jiaoan also felt the same way. In the Korean War, Mr. Jiaoan went all out at all costs and suffered a lot." "It's really embarrassing, sir. Anyway, who else can travel freely to and from North Korea, except the people of Sakai Port?" Ieyasu turned his bloated body and said to Jiaoan. "Everything is for the sake of the country of Japan." Jiaoan bowed lightly and said, "Master Da Nayan, I would like to talk about the future situation. I foolishly think that this peace negotiation will definitely fail."

"You see it that way too?" "That's right. Moreover, the North Koreans continue to use tricks to drive a wedge between Kato, Xiaonishi and others." "Divorce?" "You must know, my lord, that the only one who sincerely wants to fight to the end with Taige in this battle is Kato, the master planner...I'm not saying that too much?" "rational." "Xiaoxi and the others are tactful, trying to please both sides, and cheating. It can't be all his fault. Of course, Xiaoxi's knowledge is wider than Taige..." Jiaoan deliberately paused for a while, he wanted to read from Ieyasu's expression Ieyasu was neither surprised nor laughed.Jiaoan liked to provoke, so he said again: "Master Da Nayan, the times are different."

"What do you mean sir?" "The era of Taige will never return. From now on, it will be your world, Da Nayan." "Mr. Nawu, don't say such things casually." "Will it cause trouble for Dai Nayan-sama?" "That's not the case. It doesn't matter if I cause trouble, but if the peace talks fail, the Taige may send troops again. At this critical moment, we should work together to minimize the trauma of the war. Therefore, any disputes that may arise People of insight will not speak out casually." Jiaoan laughed, and Ieyasu's reaction made him very satisfied, "Excuse me for taking the liberty, but I want to say a few more words."

"I'm all ears." "According to reliable sources, Kato and Xiaonishi will have conflicts in the local area soon. It would be great if Taige recalled Xiaonishi because of this, but if Kato is recalled, it means that Taige no longer has the courage to deal with this kind of crisis." Shoan stopped arrogantly, waiting for Ieyasu's reaction. Ieyasu was taken aback.He wasn't shocked by Jiaoan's affirmative tone, but was shocked by his attitude, but only for a moment.He quickly regained his composure, and said coldly, "You said the negotiations would break down?"

"yes." "Why?" "Because neither side has truthfully reported the truth." "In this way, the person negotiating does not have the ability to negotiate a peace at all." "My lord knows." "Xiaoxi was in charge of the military affairs in Tianjin, so Master Taige left him in North Korea, and the matter of sending Xiaoxi's father, Ru'an, to Beijing was also settled. Do you think that even Ru'an can't complete the task?" "That's right." Jiaoan replied very simply, "Of the seven conditions Mr. Taiko handed over to the Ming envoy at Nagoya, the last four are related to North Korea, which is another matter, but the first two are too reluctant. .”

"The first one is to marry Princess Daming as my imperial concubine." "Exactly. This is actually asking for hostages from the defeated side. But would the Emperor Ming consider himself defeated? How could he hand over the princess to us?" "It makes sense. The people below may just find a woman to act as a princess." "If Taige knew that there was a fake, would he still be able to welcome him into the palace with a smile? So this will not work at all." Ieyasu nodded with a wry smile.Hideyoshi also thought he had defeated the opponent, but once he knew the truth, how could he not be furious?

"The second is to resume trade between the two countries and increase official ship exchanges." "Exactly. The situation of the two countries is very different, and I am afraid that this is also the main reason for the breakdown of the negotiations." "The situation is different?" "Yes, the Ming Dynasty has always closed the country. Taige's so-called freedom refers to doing transactions through the Zhuyin Ship authorized by the Emperor of Ming Dynasty." "However, how could this be the main reason for the breakdown of the negotiations?" "Master Da Nayan, the Ming Dynasty has an order, and the country to be traded must be a subordinate country of the Ming Dynasty, otherwise it will not be allowed." "Oh? Then the trade we did with Daming in the past..." "Both the Ashikaga and Ouchi clans have made courtesies to Daming. Therefore, if trade is to be resumed, Daming will definitely regard Japan as a vassal state and send envoys first." Ieyasu was stunned for a moment.He hadn't really known anything about these things before.He murmured: "Xiaoxi Shejin already knew about this?" Jiaoan rolled her eyes and nodded, "A person who is only interested in profit will not care about face." Ieyasu knew in his heart that his face must be very ugly.If what Jiaoan said is true, wouldn't Hideyoshi's plan become a funny one-man show?The opponent is the Ming Dynasty, and the emperor is particularly conceited. If he wants to do business with the Ming Dynasty, he must be willing to become a subject.It is naturally impossible to want to trade on an equal footing, so one has to either bow to the other party or rely on force to force him to submit.Taige just wanted to achieve the Japanese goal by force, but failed.Naturally, the request for trade contacts had to be given up. "Master Da Nayan," Jiaoan continued with an arrogant sneer on his face, "It is absolutely impossible to conquer Daming. Therefore, we either take the initiative to beg for mercy and ask for the restoration of official trade, or let all our efforts go in vain." "Well." "If you don't believe me, sir, just take a look and see what kind of tricks Ruan can play in Beijing." "Is there no hope left?" "The other side will definitely only agree to send envoys, and will not agree to any other requests." "..." "At that time, it is estimated that the envoy will come with an imperial edict, and make Taiko the king of Japan. This is what the Ashikaga family did. Of course, if Taiko accepts, the trade will resume, but at the same time Taiko will become a slave of the Ming Dynasty. .These will be recorded in the annals of Ming Dynasty." "The Taige will not agree to such a condition." "Of course he won't agree. Didn't the Taige say it a long time ago, if it doesn't work, he will use the sword again." Ieyasu couldn't help crying secretly.Chaya Shirojiro remained motionless as if frozen, almost forgetting to breathe.Mushi's gaze pierced Ieyasu like a needle.The suffocating silence lasted for a long time before Ieyasu regained his composure a little bit, "You merchants are really scary. Have you already planned to fan the flames of Taige first, and if it goes well, go to conquer Daming? Usher in envoys and resume trade?" "This... this, my lord misunderstood." Jiaoan was a little panicked, and hurriedly said, "Everyone in Hong Kong hates war." "Don't talk about it. Xiaonishi, Zongyizhi, and the merchants in Sakai Port must all have the same idea: It doesn't matter if Japan is a vassal state of Ming Dynasty, as long as it is profitable. Out of such selfishness, you destroyed the Taige .” "How can you say that, my lord?" There were blue veins on Jiaoan's forehead, "Your lord was thinking too hard, please listen carefully before you speak carefully. If your lord blames the current difficult situation on the merchants of Sakai Port, then we will never be able to return." It's time to turn around. It's a long story." Jiaoan wanted to stir up Ieyasu, but he became excited first, his eyes lit up, and his words became sharper: "The merchants in Sakai and Hong Kong approached the Taiko, not from ambition, but intolerable for the ignorance of generals.” "Oh?" "For a long time, the generals of the world were murdered by Ashikaga who didn't understand the righteousness, and became barbaric murderers who didn't even know the true connotation of 'wu'." "meet." "The so-called 'martial arts' is by no means holding high weapons to hack and kill. A warrior is to stop fighting, but to quell wars and usher in peace..." "That's right, the word 'Wu' does have this meaning." "They don't understand the general trend of the world, they just blindly imitate bandits and bandits, and they don't hesitate to burn, kill and loot for an inch of land. This kind of melee has been going on for a hundred years. In order to save them from ignorance and bring even a glimmer of light to the world, Sakai Port Merchants are stepping up." "You're not unreasonable." "Understanding this, it is not difficult to understand what happened afterwards. The merchants in Sakai Port worked together to assist the Taige, and they wanted to return the general to his original colors, and they spared no effort for this." "Oh?" "In order to accumulate wealth for Taige, we developed mines and taught Taige to open up trade routes; in order to let Taige know the way of elegance, we recommended Qian Lixiu; we also offered advice and suggestions, let Taige measure the land of the world, and issued sword hunting orders... ...Finally, the world is at peace. But just when he thought it was time to breathe a sigh of relief, Taige decided to send troops to North Korea." Jiaoan became more and more impassioned, and seemed to have committed the old problem of "the world is nothing but mediocrity", and even Jiakang and others People don't pay attention to it, "Even if we don't talk about comprehensive trade, we should send some ships to trade with Ming and North Korea in order to make the sea united and prosperous. In this way, even if we don't take the initiative, People will also come to your door..." As he talked, Jiaoan was even a little complacent: "Of course, when it comes to Taige, the merchants in Sakai Port also have miscalculations... We are too impatient to let Taige, an eagle, know how big the world is. Although this eagle The eagle is unparalleled in the world, but it has forgotten that its own strength is limited after all, and it does not have the power to fight the sky. In addition, it has caught too many birds in the past, so that it gets carried away, thinks it is king, and even challenges the eagle... It is not that the merchants in Sakai Port have made such mistakes. However, it would be a big mistake to blame everything on Sakai Port. The root of the problem is that the generals are ignorant and have forgotten the true connotation of the word "武". , all of them became bandits and thieves.” Ieyasu quietly closed his eyes.If he hadn't met Tianhai before, he might have kicked Jiao'an out in a fit of anger.Although he tried to control his emotions again and again, he couldn't help but get angry.He had long heard of this man's arrogance and disrespect from Chaya Shiro Jiro, and it was said that even Nobunaga had looked at him differently since he was a boy.This man is indeed a rare impertinence, but his words always hit the point.The tea house also said that when Tianhai was young, he often went to Jiao'an's house to rest. "So, Taige's eagle was pecked by a vulture?" "Exactly. I can predict that the wounded eagle will pounce on that vulture again." Ieyasu nodded slowly, "Let me remember your words and see if it can be fulfilled. Is there no way to deal with it?" "Does your lord think that we will be helpless and just sit and wait for death?" "Hehe," Ieyasu smiled softly, "Don't worry. There are many extraordinary young eagles around Taige." "Master Nayan..." "Let's have a drink first. How about it, tea house?" Ieyasu wanted to change the subject, but Jiaoan seemed unwilling to let it go: "My lord, please speak frankly, don't hide." "What do you mean?" "Is there really someone around Taige who can enter the eyes of Da Nayan?" "If I say yes, so what?" "Even if the Taige fails, we will not stop there, and will spare no effort to assist the other eagle." "Oh?" "Can my lord make it clear?" Ieyasu took a quick look at the tea house, and said seriously, "How about Son of Water?" Jiaoan shook her head, "Not as good as his father. This person is the most troublesome." "Where's Hosokawa Yoichiro?" "Fifty steps laugh at a hundred steps." "How about Maeda Toshiie's son Toshicho?" "Thinking is far-reaching, but not open enough." "Date Masamune?" "Too gloomy!" "And what about Ishida Osamu?" "Master Nayan, you seem to have missed someone." "It won't be Ukita, and it certainly won't be Masuda or Mori?" "It's Your Excellency." "Ieyasu still has merit?" Ieyasu muttered lightly, looking at the teahouse and then at Mushi. Mushi chuckled, and Jiaoan fixed his eyes on Ieyasu, "I think Master Tokugawa is an eagle abandoned by the current situation." "Ieyasu is not an eagle." "That's wrong. Are you a kite? No, you are my court's vulture... Layman Rikyu once told this old man before his death." "Laymen sometimes go astray." "Honami Koetsu also said that the only one who can clean up Taiko's mess is Dai Nagen. Right, Mushi?" "yes." "Before sewing clothes, you must first thread the thread through the needle hole. It is also the young man who advised me to meet Da Nagon." "Is it Guangyue?" "There is one more person. It is the monk Suifeng who once took care of me with all my heart, that is, the monk Tianhai who currently lives in Musashi Kawagoe." "Hmm." Ieyasu couldn't help feeling dizzy for a while, and immediately remembered Tianhai's eloquent talk in Edo.According to him, Ieyasu is the future man of the world. "Forget it, it doesn't matter if you don't talk about it. The tea house, please prepare wine and meals." "Of course." After the teahouse Shirojiro left, Ieyasu said, "Just now, Mr. Cai mentioned that the Emperor of Ming Dynasty will make Taiko the king of Japan..." "That's right. Otherwise, the Ming Dynasty will never trade with us." "Threading a needle means..." "If the needle is not threaded, the spirits of the generals will not calm down after the war; if the thread is not drawn, Japan will return to troubled times." "I suddenly wanted to ask: Mr. Jiaoan, why did you bring your daughter here?" Ieyasu suddenly changed the topic. Jiao'an smiled, and he seemed to be about to mention this matter. "This is entirely out of my daughter's wish. She has long admired Dana Yan." "Father..." Mu Shi twisted his body vigorously, but his expression did not change. "Oh?" "She can't forget the care she received at Nagoya. Shoan spoils children too much. It's shameful to raise such a man and woman. It's a shame to put such a worthless daughter with adults. It's unreasonable. In short, if your lord can take her in, it will be a thread between your lord and the merchants in Sakai Port, so I brought her here." Speaking of her daughter, Jiaoan's words became extremely humble. . Ieyasu glanced at Mu Shi quickly.Mu Shi has been watching him quietly.She is like a samurai.Although she admired her in her heart, there was no frivolity in her eyes, but full of fortitude, and she could even cut off the man's evil thoughts neatly.Ryupo Shimadzu had this kind of look, so did Heihachiro Tadakatsu Honda, and Honda Sazaemon often had this kind of look in his eyes.Why is such a girl willing to serve me?Jiakang thought about it, nodded solemnly to Jiao'an, and said: "I have something to ask your daughter, may I?" "Your Excellency, please feel free to ask. Our father and daughter have always talked about everything, and this child has long been used to it." "Your name is Mushi?" "My lord, when you were in Nagoya, you regarded me as your concubine, and even your retainer." Mu solid replied without blinking. "Hehehe, such a powerful concubine will never show love to me. I remember you hated me quite a bit, right?" "Yes, I still don't like you." "Oh, it's really different from what Jiaoan said." "Please let me be the envoy between you, Lord Taige, and the Ming Kingdom..." "Is it an envoy for negotiations, or an envoy for intercession?" "The matchmaker's mouth has never been reliable." "Haha, it seems you are still the same. I remember." "What does your lord remember?" "A strange story between you and me when we were in Nagoya. However, you were trembling back then, and you were much cuter than you are now. The way you look today is a bit disgusting." "Hateful?" "Your father and the tea house are here today, so you don't have to be afraid, right? Therefore, you can speak freely. Such a woman is the most detestable." While talking, Chaya Shirojiro came back.Ieyasu turned to him: "What the hell is going on?" "What do you mean, my lord?" "Mushi said that she wanted to replace the Sakai Port businessman and come to monitor me. What's going on here?" Chaya Shirojiro hurriedly looked at Shoan.Jiaoan couldn't hold back anymore, but he still squinted his eyes and smiled.In his view, the unrestrained dialogue between the two is precisely because they are connected with each other. "This...it depends on the mood of the adults..." "Then I'm sorry. How can I feel at ease with a woman who doesn't like me at all? Hey! She still wants to teach me everywhere, making me breathless." Mushi didn't look at his father and the tea house at all, and leaned forward slightly, with a teasing smile in his clear eyes.Ieyasu is still serious.Mu Shi's eyes blinked and shone brightly, "Little girl is determined to talk to you for the future of Japan." "I'm afraid you have no intentions?" "I've thought about it over and over again. Soon, something will happen to my lord." "What will happen to me...?" "In the future, whether it is the generals of the world or the merchants in Sakai Port, they will definitely be dissatisfied with you." "Oh, so you're not the only one who doesn't like me." "Yes. Once the peace talks with the Ming Dynasty fail, the Taige will go out immediately." "It's not impossible." "At that time, Da Nayan must not oppose the Taige face to face." Although these words were as easy as singing, Ieyasu was still taken aback: She seems to have seen everything through?This is what Ieyasu is currently considering: Once Hideyoshi sends troops for the second time, can he stop it?I'm afraid I can't, so I have to obey Hideyoshi's decision, but I must seize the opportunity at any time to persuade Hideyoshi to withdraw his troops. "If your Excellency does not object, the Taige will definitely announce the cross-sea conquest." "Why do you make such a judgment?" "The Taige must not let Guan Baixiu cross the sea to fight." "Why not?" "Once he crosses the sea, I don't know what will happen to that Guan Bai." "It makes sense." "Taige is well aware of this, so he will never send Guan Bai out to fight and make his family's scandals public." "Sure enough, I have knowledge." "Therefore, the Taiko will call Lord Nayan and Lord Maeda, and announce in person that they will cross the sea to conquer. Of course, this is nothing more than a test." Ieyasu was taken aback again, and he did have a premonition. "When the time comes, will Mr. Da Nayan remain silent, or take the initiative to ask for help?" "It...it depends on the situation at the time." Ieyasu gently stroked his chin, trying to hide his embarrassment.Although these words may have been heard from Jiao An, Mu Shi is still a woman with a quick mind. Soon, the maid brought the meal.The tea house took the jug from the hand of the maid, and after signaling them to back down with a wink, poured the wine for Ieyasu first.From time to time, the sound of white-cheeked birds came from the courtyard.Mu Shi no longer stared at Jiakang, and seemed to be talking to himself: "At that time, Da Nayan would definitely not directly refuse to cross the sea. But there is a woman in the world who dares to resist Taige." Ieyasu was shocked, this fruit was not an ordinary woman, if she was born a man, her stamina would definitely not be inferior to that of Ishida Osamu.In order to hide his astonishment, Jiakang deliberately said: "What are you looking at? Are there rare birds flying into the courtyard?" "No, she flew in front of you a long time ago." Mu Shi giggled, "That rare bird is the little girl." "Can you really convince Lord Taige?" "Yes. I will persuade those who can persuade the Taige." "Can you convince the Taige?" "Yes. She is the Beizheng Office." Mu Shi was very meaningful, with a hint of girlish naughtiness, "Little girl has already thought about it, there is no other way." "Are you confident?" "Yes. There is no other person who can take the Taige's expedition to Korea, except Da Nayan. But if you really go, it will bring even greater losses to the world. Therefore, to subtly persuade the Taige to retreat, For the best policy..." "Wait, Mushi." "What's wrong?" "So I must ask you to help me?" "That's why the little girl decided to come here." Ieyasu blushed.Although he tried to pretend to be calm again and again, he couldn't help getting excited, "How can you get close to the Beizheng Office?" "Yes. If you don't get close to the Beizheng Office, you can't act." "That's right. So what will you say when you see the Beizheng Office? I want to hear it before making a decision." "Hehe." Mu Shi smiled, it was a smug smile, a triumphant smile, "I will tell her the truth that only I know." "The truth that only you know?" "Yes. Guan Bai's retainers lent money to those daimyos who were struggling with military expenses, so as to win people's hearts." "Guan Bai borrowed money?" "Even Master Da Nayan didn't know... Guan Bai had no money to borrow, so he asked the merchants in Sakai Port to do business with Luzon." "Is this... serious?" "Those merchant ships are now returning to Japan laden with wealth." "The owner of the ship is..." "The Nawu clan, nicknamed Lu Song Zuoemon." Mu Shi let out a series of clear laughter. Ieyasu suddenly fell into a fog, he couldn't figure out what Mushi was talking about.But one thing is very clear, that is, in order to expand his power, Minister Hidetsu is lending money to the daimyos.To raise this money, they are agitating ships to trade overseas. Ieyasu should have thought that such a thing would happen, but he hadn't noticed it before. Ieyasu was deeply ashamed of his negligence, and his face felt hot.Among Xiuci's close ministers, there are no wise men with extraordinary strategies. What they can do for the lord is to use money to buy people's hearts.Even so, Ieyasu still has a lot of emotion: the way to raise money in the past was nothing more than mining mines, or exchanging rice grains into coins, but now it is through trading to make profits... However, the secret of this is taken lightly by a young commoner woman Tap to break. "Mushi, please be more careful. So what is the connection between Luzon's boat to assist Zaemon and my crossing the sea?" "The wife of the Beizheng Office will not be ignorant. Since Guan Bai's retainers are doing such things, Taige can't do without Lord Nayan." "Of course." "At that time, I will suggest to the Beizheng Office that as a member of the world, not only can you fight against the outside world, but you must also know how to restrain the big names..." Ieyasu quietly looked at Jiaoan.Jiaoan gently put down his wine glass and looked at Ieyasu. "It seems that I have to accept Mushi." "Does your lord like it?" "No, not to be my woman, but to be my housekeeper." "That was her own wish." "However, I can't bring it back to Edo." With that, Ieyasu turned to the tea house Shiro Jiro, "Let her go to the Jingzhong House as the chief manager." "Very good. I also think Miss Mu Shi is indeed a rare and strange woman." The tea house said. "Mu Shi, you have heard it all, what do you think?" "my pleasure." "Then it's settled. But when you come to my house, you must not go your own way, otherwise, people will think you are arrogant, or that you don't look like a woman, and I'm afraid it will be bad for you." "Little girl, keep it in mind." "Also, Ieyasu has some deficiencies, so please don't pay too much attention to them." As he spoke, Ieyasu reached out for the wine glass, and Mu Shi hurriedly took the jug and poured it for him.Jiaoan chuckled—if he could serve Ieyasu, Mu Shi would forget it, but he had a wish...