Chapter 15 Chapter Fifteen

Tokugawa Ieyasu realized that Toyotomi Hideyoshi was getting old. It was mid-April of the third year of Qingcho. After the Daigo Flower Viewing Party was over, Hideyoshi was full of energy for a while, "I will ask the Lord to come for a visit next spring no matter what. How should I design it at that time, you can help me think about it now, Neifu." I don't know if what Hideyoshi said is true or not, but in short, since then, he seems to often fall into fantasy.On April 12th, Hideyoshi suddenly proposed to go to Daigo.The Empress Dowager and Master Wood Food had assured him that the project would be completed according to his instructions before mid-May.If this is the case, Daigo will really become a scenic spot better than Yoshino, so Hideyoshi must be invited to visit in person.But now it is only mid-April, in order to avoid unnecessary troubles for others, Ieyasu dissuaded: "Your Excellency really wants to go, Ieyasu thinks it will not be too late to go after the completion of the project. In this way, your lord can not only hold the garden party in a beautiful way, but also have fun at the same time." Congratulations on the completion."

But as soon as the words fell, Hideyoshi immediately retorted: "Does the Neifu mean to delay my time to play?" "No, my lord has misunderstood. What Ieyasu means is that the project will be completed in a few days, and I hope that my lord will go after it is completed. I also said that in consideration of the difficulties of the monks and craftsmen of Sanbaoyuan." "But I can't wait!" Hideyoshi retorted sharply, uncharacteristically, "Time waits for no one. It's better to hit the sun than to choose the day. I can go again when the work is finished. I want to take Hideyoshi and the mummers with me." Go. If you don’t want to go to the inner government, forget it.”

"Don't dare. Since my lord insists on going, Ieyasu will have someone notify Sanbaoyuan immediately to make preparations." On that day, Hideyoshi played in Sanbaoyuan until the evening before returning home after enjoying himself.After he came back, he immediately called Jiakang over and said, "Neifu, I have made two agreements with Sanbaoyuan, please help me remember them well. The first is that I will go to watch the red leaves this autumn, so it should be more grand." .Secondly, I ask the Lord to visit Daigo in the next spring and hold the world's best flower viewing feast..."

"So, the celebration ceremony in the middle of next month has been cancelled?" "Yes, no more celebrations. Inner Palace, I always have a premonition that I may be bedridden by then." "What are you talking about! Your Excellency is looking very good recently." "No!" Hideyoshi retorted loudly, "I know my own body, so I discussed it with the inner government." "What does your lord want to discuss with Ieyasu?" "Once I am bedridden, you must try to keep Yukiko Konishi, Kato Kiyomasa, Shimadzu Matahiro and others in the station, and let Ukita, Kobayakawa, Yoshikawa, Hachisuka, Fujido, Wakisaka and others withdraw as soon as possible. I I'm tired of fighting, not because I'm sick. It seems that it's still fun. Do you understand what I mean, Neifu?"

Ieyasu couldn't help being startled, he suddenly noticed that Hideyoshi's expression darkened. In early March, when Hideyoshi ordered Ukita Hideka and others to set off, he also strictly ordered them not to leave Ulsan, Suncheon, Yangsan and other places.Within a month, he had completely changed his mind.Ieyasu couldn't help feeling a little flustered. It is by no means that Ieyasu disapproved of the withdrawal of troops.The re-levy this time was originally just to save face, and the local famine was severe, and the conditions were many times worse than expected.Ieyasu has been looking for an opportunity to persuade Hideyoshi to retreat, but he didn't expect these words to come out of Hideyoshi's mouth. Ieyasu was surprised and delighted for a while.In order to test people's true meaning, some people often say things that are not what they mean.Hideyoshi is not without such a habit.

"So, your lord has already expected that he will be ill, so he wants to withdraw his troops?" Ieyasu wanted to divert the topic calmly, but Hideyoshi pulled him back again, "I told you clearly just now: I am tired of war. This kind of meaningless war is boring." "Oh." "I think you understand what I mean. Let everyone come to Daigo Mountain to enjoy the flowers. This is interesting. Therefore, I will retreat without losing the opportunity." "..." "Presumably you also know that Konishi is the perpetrator of this battle, Kiyomasa is the tough general, and Shimadzu is the rear guard. Once I am sick in bed, you say that you have received my order...you Understand?"

Ieyasu nodded vigorously.Unexpectedly, when Daigo was admiring the flowers, Hideyoshi had more profound thoughts in his heart.Hideyoshi didn't care about rebuilding his homeland after the earthquake, or negotiating with the Ming Dynasty. He never knew what failure was... The world seemed to understand it this way, but it wasn't all about Hideyoshi.Just as he said he was "tired of war", in order to withdraw from North Korea, he had already quietly played a hand of chess.In order to attract the attention of the world, he admired the flowers with great fanfare on the surface, but secretly he was desperately looking for a good opportunity to end the war... Ieyasu felt that the body of Toyotomi Hideyoshi in front of him was exhausted, leaving only endless loneliness in his heart.Is he about to fall like this?

"Do you understand, Neifu?" Seeing Ieyasu nodding, Hideyoshi's voice suddenly weakened, "Before then, I want to play with the young master once more. Hideyoshi is only six years old. When he grows up, he is afraid that nothing will happen to him." I remember... I want him to remember this. The heart of a parent is really strange." For a moment, Ieyasu felt a chill on his back.Hideyoshi was already wrestling with death, and the cruelty of the Korean battlefield had made him no longer care about vanity and stubbornness. Sure enough, on the fifth day of May, Hideyoshi was bedridden.On the Dragon Boat Festival, he wanted to celebrate with Xiu Lai.Hideyori probably heard about it from the maid too, and she has been playing with the small western boat in her arms since morning.This boat was given to him by Hideyoshi as a gift, together with the broadsword and short sword.Not long after Hideyoshi woke up, he felt pain from his right shoulder to his back, so the imperial physician came.His most trusted imperial physician Qu Naose Dosan passed away in the third year of Wenlu.Therefore, Daosan's adopted son Qu Naose Xuanshuo and the imperial physician Banjing Mingying came to feel the pulse.After feeling the pulse and discussing it, Xuanshuo decided to give Hideyoshi acupuncture and moxibustion immediately.After the treatment, the soreness was relieved, and the symptoms of vomiting followed one after another.After a while, Hideyoshi bent down and vomited profusely, and was sent back to the bedroom.

"Call the Neifu quickly. I have something to tell him." When Ieyasu arrived, Hideyoshi was already sweating and fell asleep. "How is your health?" Ieyasu asked in a low voice.Xuan Shuo, who was holding a string six feet away in front of the couch and carefully feeling his pulse, shook his head lightly: "I don't think about eating. My lord has been weak before..." Ieyasu gently shifted his gaze to Hideyoshi and closed his eyes.It's just fatigue. Once he vomits, it's hard to recover.When he was young, his diet was rough, and he overeat during the war, and now he suddenly eats delicacies from mountains and seas, and his stomach can't stand it.Since he vomited continuously, it meant that he had a chronic disease in his stomach. If this happened for a long time, it would be difficult for him to drink rice water, and his body would weaken day by day, which would lead to exhaustion of Qi and blood, and eventually the patient would die.

"The fifth day of May..." Ieyasu closed his eyes and muttered to himself.Sure enough, Hideyoshi could not wait until mid-May when Sanbaoin was completed.Not long ago, Sanboin also reported through Maeda Genichi that Hideyoshi was invited to attend the completion ceremony on the 14th of this month.In order to let his young son remember his father, Hideyoshi insisted on going to Daigo on April 12th, and he probably had a premonition at that time. "The Neifu is here...call the Zhibu here..." Hearing Hideyoshi's words suddenly, Ieyasu couldn't help being startled, opened his eyes, and asked in a heavy tone, "How do you feel, my lord?"

"Is there even a need to ask?" Hideyoshi seemed a little annoyed, "Anyone will meet this threshold. I'm tired, and my autumn is here." "It's overwork, it's nothing serious, my lord just needs to rest in peace and recuperate." "Neifu, have you ordered North Korea's withdrawal of troops for me?" "Under it. My lord forgot, I asked my lord to put a seal on the document." "I remembered, I remembered. Hehe...I am more and more forgetting things now. Oh, what did I want to tell you just now?" Hideyoshi asked with a forced smile. "My lord asked Ieyasu to call Shaosuke Jibu, he must be rushing here." "I remembered. I have something to tell you, let Zhibu be a witness." At this moment, the little man Sancheng walked in with his waist bowed, "Thirty percent was ordered to come to see your lord." "Jibu, come here quickly." "yes." "I called you here today to testify for my agreement with the Inner Palace. You must remember it well." "As ordered." "Neifu, marrying Ah Jiangyu to Xiuzhong, I also feel embarrassed for you." "What are you talking about? The two of you are happy now." "Yes. Lieutenant General is really likable, he is like Asahi Ji's own son." "Thank you, my lord, for your kindness." "I've been thinking about it all the time, and I always want to find a good family for him." "..." "A Jiang and gave birth to a child as soon as they married. At the beginning, I regretted not having a boy. What's the name of the child?" "My name is Aqian." "Oh, Chihime, Chihime...I didn't realize it was God's will until later. If it's a boy, even if he is the son of Tokugawa, he is useless to my family." Having said that, Hideyoshi forced a smile again, " Am I right, Neifu? I want to give your family’s Qianji to Xiulai as his wife. Qianji will definitely produce a fair lady who will satisfy Xiulai. Whether it’s A Jiangyu or the lieutenant general, they all have good looks Very good. Parents love each other, and the daughter they gave birth to will be a stunning beauty... Would you like it, Neifu? You are my sister-in-law, and Xiu Lai's biological mother and Qian Ji's biological mother are sisters. Si Shi Xiu Lai's child is My grandson is also the great-grandson of the Inner Palace. In this way, Toyotomi Tokugawa is like a family, and they cannot be separated..." Hearing this, Ieyasu couldn't help raising his head and observed Hideyoshi carefully, only to see that Hideyoshi's face was covered with sweat. People's attachments are really terrible. At this time, Hideyoshi's body must be tormented by the pain.His face was ashen, and every word he said seemed to be in pain.Even so, he tried to smile and tried to tell his dreams. Ieyasu had expected what happened between Asahi Hime and him, Xiuzhong and Ajiang.Weixiu Lai and Chihime, but Ieyasu never thought about it.Hideyori is six years old, but Chihime is still a newborn baby... "Neifu, do you have no objection to this marriage?" Hideyoshi thought that Ieyasu would be overjoyed by such a beautiful event, so he grinned. "The Daigo flower viewing has also come true. This is probably Hideyoshi's last wish. In case something happens to me, I need you to do the government affairs temporarily. Did you hear that, Jibu?" Although Sancheng's expression was a little stiff, he was not particularly surprised, "I obey." "The Neifu is younger than me. With the help of the Neifu and the lieutenant general, Hideyori will grow up without knowing it. What, is there a better idea than this?" Ieyasu couldn't help becoming irritable.For Hideyoshi, this is a dream, but for Ieyasu, it is simply an unreasonable request.Since Hideyoshi knew clearly that his death was approaching, Ieyasu felt that it was really inappropriate for him to raise this matter.When Hideyoshi forced Asahihime to Ieyasu, there was indeed a reason for it. If Ieyasu was not allowed to enter Beijing, Nobunaga's long-cherished wish-the great cause of unifying the world would not be realized.Therefore, Ieyasu had to agree to Hideyoshi, and the world also saw it.Xiuzhong and Ajiang's marriage is exactly the same.Hideyoshi saw that the young Hideyoshi was serious, so he married the poor Ajiang to Hideyoshi so that she would have a good home.In the generation of Hideyori and Chihime, the situation is completely different.If you think about it from the bad side, there may be another explanation for Asahi Ji and A Jiangyu's marriage.Was Hideyoshi afraid of Ieyasu from the very beginning, so he outrageously forced his younger sister, Ieyasu, and Hideyori's aunt to Hidechu?Now, he is shamelessly begging again to marry Xiuzhong's daughter to Xiulai?He wanted to please Ieyasu again and again through marriage... The more Ieyasu thought about it, the more he felt that Hideyoshi must be a fool, so he didn't agree easily. "Of course there will be no objections from the inner court. Once this marriage is consummated, Toyotomi Tokugawa will be connected by blood, and they will be closer together. Call the young master and Mrs. Nishimaru here." Jiakang hurriedly said: "Regarding this matter, please give Jiakang some time to think about it." "Why, you don't want to?" "This matter is also a big event for adults." "You didn't agree, but also because of me?" "My lord's kindness, Ieyasu is really honored. But once it arouses resentment from the world's famous names, it will also deviate from Ieyasu's original intention." "What do you mean? Who will they hate?" "It's Ieyasu." "Why...why?" "Ieyasu wants to marry his granddaughter to the young master as the main wife. This is obviously a conspiracy. If the daimyos speculate like this, it may cause trouble for Ieyasu to assist the young master. In addition..." Ieyasu wanted to say that if Hideyoshi asked, he would It will make people mistakenly think that he is deliberately flattering himself.But before he could say it, Hideyoshi smiled awkwardly and said: "Hehe, the inner government is worrying too much. I understand what you mean. So, I want to call the young master and his mother quickly. It's not just me. Even the young lord's mother and the young lord want to marry Chihime... In this way, the daimyos will have no reason to speculate. This is Hideyoshi's request. Jibu, send them here quickly." Hideyoshi's words left Ieyasu at a loss, so he had no choice but to keep his mouth shut. After Sancheng left, Hideyoshi grabbed Ieyasu's hand on the pillow, and said with a tired face, "Please, Neifu. I will entrust you with everything from now on..." Ieyasu approached Hideyoshi and gently wiped the sweat off his forehead.Hideyoshi is exhausted and on the verge of death—he is no longer the Hashiba Hideyoshi he used to be! "If anyone can beat Hideyoshi, just come and take the world!" The Hashiba Hideyoshi and Toyotomi Hideyoshi who used to speak so boldly are no longer there.The old man who was sick in bed had to turn to Ieyasu for help to maintain the stability of the world, and was worried about Hideyori's future. "This is Hideyoshi's request", what a sad confession!For Hideyoshi's future, Hideyoshi racked his brains.He knew that from now on, the leader in the world must be Jiakang.Therefore, he delusionally tried to seek the safety of the Toyotomi family by marrying Tokugawa.Since when did Hideyoshi pursue the future of the Toyotomi family instead of the world? Not long after, Maeda Toshiie walked in with Mrs. Nishimaru, Mitsunari, and Yule, leading Hideyori by the hand.Hideyoshi wanted to force a happy face, but sweat was dripping on his forehead. This might be the last struggle of the hero Toyotomi Hideyoshi.Ieyasu couldn't bear to see him, turned his head away, and a series of questions came to his mind: What is a human being?In the face of aging, is it so easy to change people's ambitions?For the peace of the world, and to realize Nobunaga's long-cherished wish to unify Japan, Hideyoshi never backed down.For this reason, he even handed over his mother as a hostage.On several occasions, he even risked his life.But Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who used to be all-powerful, has changed from his previous heroism, and is completely captured by delusion.It is understandable for ordinary people to let the young Hideyori inherit the Toyotomi clan, but it is a bit sad for a hero who saves the world and saves the people.About this matter, Hideyoshi himself was probably tired of thinking about it.He is nothing more than a busybody, not even as good as those martyred foreign believers... Ieyasu thought: All this is because Hideyoshi is old?But new doubts followed one after another: If so, what is aging?What is the true face attached to the old body?What made Hideyoshi return to an ordinary person?If you can't figure out these things, there will be no way to talk about eternal peace in the world. "You came just in time, young master." Hideyoshi wanted to get up and give Hideyori a hug.But he was too tired to realize even this little wish. "I can't get up. The imperial doctor won't let me get up. Xiu Lai, Cha Cha, you all come and sit down." "Father, are you feeling better?" Hideyori greeted after being reminded by Maeda Toshiie.One word made Hideyoshi burst into tears: "I wanted to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival with everyone, but now I can't. But today I still prepared a good gift, and the tea is good too." After a pause, Hideyoshi said with difficulty Smiling, "Jibu, Youle, listen to it too... I have taken advantage of this auspicious day to choose the young master's bride. Guess who it is?" "Ashi's bride?" "Yes. Chacha must be very happy too. She is...A Jiang Yusheng's Qianji. In this way, our family and Tokugawa will become more intimate." Ieyasu hurriedly glanced at Mrs. Nishimaru. What he was most worried about was Mrs. Nishimaru at this time. Mrs. Nishimaru let out an "ah" and looked at Sancheng. "Ada's Qianji?" She was not so much astonished as she was filled with joy, "This is really great news. Ashi, hurry up and salute Father." Ieyasu instinctively felt that Chacha knew this beforehand, otherwise, she would not have reacted immediately.Sancheng also knew, not only that, but even Oda Yule and Maeda Toshiie seemed to know in advance—all of them must have discussed it. "Thank you, Father Daisuke." Hideyori said to Hideyoshi innocently.As soon as Xiu Lai had finished speaking, Chacha laughed, "It would be great if Miss Adasheng could grow up with Ah Shi...My lord, if possible, I really want to bring them together as soon as possible." "Isn't it too early? Let's celebrate the engagement today. There is Le Zhai, prepare a banquet." Hideyoshi insisted. At this time, Ieyasu had nothing to say.When everyone laughed, he laughed along with him, and when others asked questions, he also answered, but he was already absent-minded, thinking about another matter.Sancheng and Chacha must have agreed to this marriage in advance, Hideyoshi doesn't need to consider their opinions at all. The Taige was sick, and he withdrew his troops from North Korea... In this way, there will inevitably be great commotion in the country.Konishi Governor, Ishida Mitsunari and others can only secretly play tricks to negotiate peace, and they will never be able to convince the generals who only know how to fight.Therefore, the military commanders will definitely return to the country with extreme dissatisfaction, and then strongly condemn Sancheng and others. In this way, the foundation of the Toyotomi family is bound to be shaken.In this situation, the marriage will play a key role.In fact, Sancheng and Mrs. Nishimaru have already planned it out. By doing this, they can not only prevent Ieyasu from standing on the side of the generals, but also get Chihime by Hideyori's side as a hostage as soon as possible. But that is not what Ieyasu is worried about now.Civil strife is about to start, and troops will be withdrawn from North Korea. Can the world maintain stability at this time?Hideyoshi has been unable to cope with the chaos, and has completely given up trying.The former Hideyoshi who was wholeheartedly "for the world" has changed. He only focuses on the future of Hideyori and Toyotomi. What made Toyotomi Hideyoshi so vulnerable?If this question cannot be resolved, it will not be long before this old age and stubbornness will take Ieyasu captive.If he is not for the world, but only for the Tokugawa clan, not only will the eternal peace come to naught, but even the whole world may return to the chaotic times of the past...