Chapter 33 Chapter Thirty-Third

On July 22, the 20th year of Tianzheng, Toyotomi Hideyoshi set foot on the journey to Beijing while thinking about the war situation in Korea. The most filial Hideyoshi, as soon as he received the news that the Taisho Institute was seriously ill, he immediately set off from Nagoya and returned to Beijing. When he arrived in Osaka on the 29th, he did not know that his mother had passed away.Because he was concentrating on the war, he was not told the truth, so he lost the chance to see his mother for the last time. The Korean War can be roughly divided into four periods: from landing to attacking the capital; the generals and governors of the eight provinces; the war between Japan and the Ming Dynasty; the withdrawal of troops and negotiations.

Hideyoshi's idea at the beginning was that King Li would lead the way and conquer the Ming Dynasty in one fell swoop.He is very disappointed that this goal has not been achieved now.When he sent Ishida, Masuda, and Otani to the capital of North Korea in early June, he had clearly foreseen the failure.Li Wang, who was supposed to be an ally, fell to the enemy's side. Not only did he resist with all his strength, he also defeated the navy three times and urged the Ming army to send troops.Therefore, Hideyoshi ordered the generals to govern the people of the Eight Ways, hoping to force North Korea to surrender through negotiation and force...

During this period, the imperial court also came to prevent Hideyoshi from crossing the sea, and Dazhengsuo fell ill... For Hideyoshi, this is indeed a bad omen.Finally, he made up his mind to return to Beijing from Nagoya, but as soon as he arrived in Osaka, he learned that Taisho had passed away on the day he left Nagoya—the evening of July 22. Once fate plays tricks on people, it is hard to stop.Even heroes like Hideyoshi are no exception.Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who once claimed to be the "Son of the Sun", arrived at Osaka Castle. When Maeda Genichi reported the death of the Taisho Office to him, he was at a loss for a while, and forgot to use the tea served in front of him.

"On the morning of the 22nd, the wife of the Dazheng Office specially called the Beizheng Office and Mrs. Sanhao to her side, and lamented that your lord's expedition this time was a farewell forever." "..." "Your Excellency suffers from eye disease. When the expedition was delayed twice, the wife of the Dazheng Office decided that it was a farewell." "..." "But she said that if the lord can come back safely, she will have no regrets. Therefore, I hope that the lord will stop fighting and live a peaceful life. She has been telling the wife of the Beizheng Office like this, and then fell asleep."

"..." "The sound of steady snoring continued until Shen Shi, when Mrs. Tai's breathing suddenly became disordered, and she passed away soon... This is really rare." Hideyoshi's eyes were still dull.When he lost his relatives, he was always different, and He Song was like this when he died.He wept and moaned loudly, giving the impression that he was a child who had no scruples.At this time, he is no longer cautious, no longer has worries, he is the most wild person in the world.Therefore, everyone thought that when he learned of his mother's death this time, he would definitely show his madness, or run wildly in the hall while crying loudly.Of course, even when he's crying, he's still egotistical.But this time, no matter what Xuan Yifayin said, he didn't respond.

"Madam Tai also told Mrs. Beizhengsuo..." Since Hideyoshi did not respond, Hoyin was a little anxious, "Your Excellency may not stop fighting until he dies. At that time, Mrs. Beizhengsuo should discuss with Edo Dai Nayan about his ideas." Let you enjoy your old age in peace." "..." "Madam Tai regards Mr. Tokugawa as her son-in-law and trusts him from the bottom of her heart." Hearing this, Hideyoshi murmured: "Oh, she said she would entrust the rest of my life to Ieyasu?" "Yes. I hope you two live in harmony like brothers and spend the rest of the year in peace."

"Fayin, has Guan Bai been delivered to the Dazheng Office?" "This is……" "Was he there then?" "Yes, Guan Bai didn't expect Mrs. Tai to go hunting so soon... that day." "Hunting?" Hideyoshi's voice became sharper, "Huh? I went hunting, and it's too late to see my grandmother for the last time? How to deal with the funeral?" "Guan Bai said... to go to Liantai for cremation as soon as possible. But the wife of the Beizheng Office objected, she said to wait for the adults to return." "Have you followed the instructions of the Beizheng Office?"

"Yes Yes." "Poor mother...has a grandson, but the grandson goes hunting; has a son, but the son goes to fight the fight she least likes... Only the daughter-in-law is by her side, how lonely..." Hideyoshi's eyes dropped big and big tears.This is completely different from when Hesong died, it is a cry of deep impermanence. Xuanyi Hoyin looked at Hideyoshi with bated breath.Hideyoshi just wept this time, and compared to the exaggerated grief he felt when Tsurumatsu died, he seemed a completely different person. "Fayin, I am an unfilial son. Not only did I fail to be filial by my mother's side, but I also plunged into the battle that my mother hates."

"No. The wife of the Dazheng Office doesn't think you are unfilial, she is just worried about you." "Perhaps children will only trouble their parents." Hideyoshi looked weak and suddenly became a sad old man. Fayin was also very sad, and really wanted to escape from here. He turned his head away and said, "Mrs. Tai...has been telling Mrs. Beizhengsuo to pay attention and take good care of your body." "She pays more attention to my body than I do myself." "They've been getting along very well." "Ah! Because I'm not by her side, she clings to Ningning tightly. One must hold on to something in order to support one's life... This is something I have only recently realized deeply."

"My lord, don't say that. Your lord has to think about what to do when you return to the capital?" "Oh! Taiko is too sad to arrange his mother's funeral - if people in the world say that, it would be a big joke!" Hideyoshi stared blankly at the void again. It was around midnight when Hideyoshi passed out.After waking up, he ordered a funeral for Dazheng to be held on the sixth day of August at Dade Temple, and cremated in Liantai on the seventh day.After giving the order, before he had time to eat, he groaned lowly while leaning on the support table, and passed out again.

There was a moment of chaos in the city.Some people think that Taige is sick because of his weakness.There were even rumors that after the funeral of Dazhengsuo, Taige's funeral had to be considered. Taige's thoughts were blurred, Xuan Yifayin thought so.Half an hour later, Hideyoshi woke up; the next day, he was back to normal. He asked people to prepare the boats to go to sea, and said that in memory of Ding's mother, he would go to Koyasan to build Qingyan Temple; in addition, after returning to the capital, he would announce the building of Fushimi City.After speaking, he set off for the capital. It goes without saying that Qingyan Temple was built, but building a castle in Fushimi is amazing.But Xuanyi thought that Hideyoshi was too strong, so he felt helpless.Even a hero like Hideyoshi cannot escape his fate.After the death of Dazhengsuo, he ordered to build Qingyan Temple and build a city in Fushimi, as if possessed by a demon.The Korean War failed to allow him to fulfill his wish, but he repeatedly forced it. From now on, Hideyoshi must have been thinking about peace talks with North Korea and the Ming Dynasty in private.In order to negotiate a peace, it is not possible to conduct negotiations in Juledi, which has been promised to Hideji, but there must be a place where the envoys of the other party can be received. This is why he wants to build a castle in Fushimi.The real reason is still out of face. Hideyoshi expropriated 24 husbands for every 10,000 shi from the daimyo who did not participate in the military expedition to Korea, and a total of 35,000 people were recruited, and began to build a castle in Fushimi.This caused headaches for all the big names, and at the same time as the military expenditure increased, they had to bear the cost of building the city. In the eyes of interested people, this matter was absurd. On the North Korean side, the conflict with the Ming army gradually escalated.At the end of August, Ming envoy Shen Weijing and Konishi Xingchang began to negotiate a truce in Pyongyang; while the imperial court sent Kikutei Haruki as imperial envoy to dissuade Hideyoshi from going to Nagoya.But Hideyoshi reluctantly went to Nagoya again in October, because there was news that the army generals Li Rusong, Li Rubai, Zhang Shijue, Yang Yuan and others had set off from Shanhaiguan for North Korea.This made Hideyoshi unable to stay in the capital any longer. At the time of internal and external troubles, another major event happened.When Hideyoshi went to Nagoya again and thought hard about how to turn the tide of the battle, news came that Chacha, who had been sent back to Yodo Castle, was pregnant.This news was informed by a letter from the Beizheng Office, and Hideyoshi couldn't help being at a loss. The unfavorable battle situation, the death of my mother, the building of Fushimi Castle... things that seemed to destroy my old age happened one after another. At this very tense moment, what a surprise. "Unbelievable! Is this another trick of fate?" Maybe this is a lie that Chacha didn't want to come to Nagoya because she couldn't bear the life in the battle?Or, Tsurumatsu, whom Hideyoshi has been obsessed with until now, has been reincarnated? "She's fooling me." Hideyoshi threw the letter to Oda Yule, and said in a daze, "No matter how effective the tiger liver is, I can't have any more children... Youle, Chacha, she is pregnant with my child again? How could such a ridiculous thing happen? If this is the case, what will Hideji do...you bastard!" Youle looked at Hideyoshi's distressed look with cold eyes.Of course it is impossible for Chacha to lie.After all, she was just a woman. After Tsurumatsu Maru died, she seemed to have changed into a very virtuous person.The arrogant, arrogant, willful Chacha has changed. Now she is gentle and infatuated, frequently doing things for her deceased parents.She stubbornly believed that it was the spirit of the dead that made Hesong die young.Now she is just an ordinary side room.If Chacha like this said she was pregnant again, she would not be lying. "Youle, why don't you talk? At my age, it's impossible to have children anymore." "Your Excellency, you mean that you don't remember sleeping with her?" "That's not..." "Then, it should be. Mrs. Yodo will never conceive alone." "Youle, do you really want to congratulate me?" "Isn't it a gratifying thing?" "Ah! Ever since my younger brother Xiuchang passed away, I haven't had a single good thing." "Luck and misfortune share the same path, and fortune and misfortune depend on each other." "No, no. After Danagyan Hidecho left, Hesong followed... Then, my mother left again. How dare I accept your sudden congratulations to me?" Hideyoshi whispered, "But, it will be Miss. , or the son?" "Not born yet, I don't know." "So I said, this is not necessarily a happy thing. The child may have some ups and downs, so we must not get carried away." "So, let's ignore this for now?" "No. I'll write to the Beizheng Office myself!" "That's good." "I want to tell her, don't be happy first. When you get carried away, if there is another blow, you will not be able to bear it." Youle wanted to laugh, but couldn't.It seems that Hideyoshi's self-confidence has collapsed, and he is afraid that the child will be like Tsurumatsumaru again.Youle sent the inkstone to Hideyoshi, and Youle looked at him calmly.Steam rose from Hideyoshi's forehead, and it was obvious that he was thrilled by the news. "How should I write it? If it's a boy, what's his name?" "It's up to adults to decide." Hideyoshi bit the tip of his pen and suddenly laughed.He seemed to have forgotten that there was joy beside him, he ignored the ink stains on the corners of his lips, and as usual used his own bold and unrestrained brushwork to write quickly, writing in one go. "If it's a boy... let's call him 'Shi'. Hesong is called 'Qi', so we can't grow up..." "Master Ashi?" "Young Master Ashi...you can't add the word 'A', and 'Young Master' is redundant. I don't know if he can be raised. Maybe he came to this world just to make me sad." "No, I came here to please my lord." "Well, even if it is, you can't add 'ah' or 'gongzi', just call it 'shi' and call him 'shi'. If you can't live, it's better not to be born." Hideyoshi wrote vigorously, and he revealed in his words that this child may be unlucky.The old father was clearly ecstatic in his heart, but he wanted to suppress it!You Le felt that it was very sad.It wasn't just Chacha who changed, Hideyoshi also gradually became sad because of the successive deaths of his relatives.When and where did the unrestrained Hideyoshi in the past get his confidence? "I've finished writing, you are happy." Hideyoshi said, "Of course, because of the busy military affairs, I can't go to see him or hug him. This news confuses me. Toyotomi's family already has an heir named Hideji, and this child is here. I was born after giving up Guan Bai's position, which is really troublesome." "My lord, the child hasn't been born yet, I don't know if it's the young master or the young lady!" "That's right, that's why I'm angry. Even if the son is not happy, just call him 'Shi', and don't add titles like 'Gongzi'. I wrote it very clearly here." "There is something in the mind of Mr. Le Buming." "Oh?" "Yes, don't call your son 'gongzi'..." "I give an order to the Beizheng Office: never add 'ah' and 'gongzi'." "The adults have changed!" "I haven't changed, I just changed my mind." "But, Youle thought he was the reincarnation of He Song." "Hmph, what is He Song's reincarnation! You Le, how can a person like you believe such nonsense?" You Le smiled, "You Le believes that it is your devotion to the gods and Buddhas that brought back the young master who was once lost..." After hearing these words, Hideyoshi slapped his knees and laughed.He was quite happy with Youle's words, squinting his eyes and kept laughing, "Youle, your words are really clever to cater to you! Haha. My belief in gods and Buddhas will bring back Hesong, who was once summoned. , What kind of nonsense is this. Hahaha. If the baby is a girl, it means that the mother has returned? Funny, hey, it makes people laugh..." You Le quickly regained his composure, "It's not funny, my lord. Whether there is a soul after death depends entirely on the heart in life." "Okay, don't talk about it. Okay, no matter whether the baby is a boy or a girl, I won't let him use the word 'A' and the name 'Gongzi'. That's it." Hideyoshi said, suddenly lost in thought, but His mood has improved.Successive misfortunes and unfavorable battle situations have greatly shaken Hideyoshi's self-confidence. There is no doubt that he is struggling with the shaken confidence. Since then, whenever North Korea sent military information, Hideyoshi's opinion was different from usual.Mrs. Dian's pregnancy may have overcome his wavering.He wants to believe that the night is over and the morning is coming again... But, sometimes this becomes the reason for shaking. It was December 18 of that year, changed to Yuan, and named Wenlu.There were only twelve days in the first year of Wenlu, and then entered the second year of Wenlu.At the same time that Yuan was changed, Hideyoshi also said that he would cross the sea to fight a decisive battle with Li Rusong, the Ming general who had crossed the Yalu River and came to North Korea. "Well... I'm going to have a child again, how can I grow old like this? I want to stand in front of the battle and kick the Ming army away." After that, he really sent Kuroda Nagamasa a letter saying that he would cross the sea to fight in March. However, since the first month of the second year of Wenlu, everything has happened frequently. On the fifth day of the first lunar month, Emperor Masamune Masamune passed away. On the same day, Ming general Li Rusong cooperated with the North Korean army to attack Pyongyang... The two news arrived at Nagoya almost at the same time. In Pyongyang, Konishi Xingchang frequently planned peace negotiations.The governor believes that if he loses to the Ming army, not only will Hideyoshi lose face, but the generals will also fall into an unpredictable abyss of hard fighting. "After all, if I don't go, what's the use of the priests?" Hideyoshi sometimes uttered big words, and sometimes held tea parties in a show of power, but his temples turned white quickly, and his aging was very obvious. Xiaonishi Xingchang was besieged in Pyongyang on the eighth day of the first month of the second year of Wenlu, and was defeated by Li Rusong who burned Mudantai.At the same time, Qian Shizhen, a pioneer of the Ming Dynasty, and others crossed the south of the Datong River.Ishida Mitsunari, Masuda Nagamori, etc. who stayed behind in North Korea's capital also had a conflict with the generals Kuroda, Kato, and Kobayakawa at this time, but in order to restore the decline, they had to temporarily retreat to Beijing on the 21st of the first month. In any war, there will always be situations where the generals disagree.However, in this war, Konishi, Ishida, Masuda, etc. were quite aware of the unfavorable situation from the very beginning, but none of them dared to speak out to Hideyoshi.The generals Kato, Kobayakawa, Tachibana, Yoshikawa, and Kuroda didn't know what happened behind it, and they were full of fighting spirit at the beginning.The two parties are at odds, one side is anxious to negotiate peace as soon as possible, while the other side moves forward bravely with the mentality of a warrior. A meeting was held in the capital on the 21st of the first lunar month. Although many people were reluctant, they had to admit the truth. On the twenty-sixth day of the first month, Kobayakawa Takakage, Tachibana Muneshige, Yoshikawa Hiroka, Ukita Hideke, Kuroda Nagamasa and others were defeated by Li Rusong's counterattack in Pyokjekan and fled to Pyongyang.On the 29th of the same month, Kato Kiyomasa, who arrived in the capital with Naoshima Naoshige, was again broken by Li Rusong on the 16th of February.Governor Konishi, Kuroda Nagamasa, Ishida Mitsunari and others rebuilt the lineup to attack Xingju Mountain City... It took nearly a month for these battle reports to reach Hideyoshi.Since then, reports of defeat have been frequent.Hideyoshi's regret probably started at this time.Sometimes, the infantry and civilians who fled from the battle arrived in the country before the news of the defeat.The food shortage is very serious, and the ability to transport food and fodder determines the fate of the army, which can no longer be solved by rhetoric alone.Hideyoshi couldn't help feeling quite anxious. Hideyoshi ordered Mori Terumoto to collect military rations in Busan in early March and distribute them to the entire army.The generals in the court wrote a letter on March 16 saying that there was a shortage of husbands, and asked Hideyoshi to postpone crossing the sea.Hideyoshi banned the order to punish deserters on the third day of April; on April 12th, he ordered the original military ships used for crossing the sea to be changed to grain ships to deliver grain and grass to the army in North Korea, and announced the suspension of crossing the sea; Asano Nagamasa of Busanpu escorted the rations and quickly repatriated them. Even the capital, which was captured in one go during the landing, had to be abandoned.During the retreat, it is necessary to come up with the conditions for a peace negotiation. Ming envoy Shen Weijing, who had met President Xiaoxi before, and the President met again in Longshan on April 12 to discuss peace negotiations.At this time, Hideyoshi was fully aware of the disadvantages of the war situation, but he was unwilling to admit it.The glory of the first half of his life is undergoing rapid and strange changes. On the eighth day of May, Ishida Mitsunari, Masuda Nagamori, Otani Yoshitsugu, Konishi Yukyo, etc., in order to discuss the terms of the peace talks, kept people and the Ming envoy Shen Weijing in Busan, and returned to Nagoya.