Chapter 964 Afterglow of the Empire (20)

In order to show sincerity and use military exploits to save the lives of the whole family, the battle in Suncheon became more and more fierce.

Earlier, the navy took their lives to attack the city.

Now, it's the turn of the West Route Army.

But the other two roads are a different scene. Magui just lies on his stomach wherever he falls. Tens of thousands of troops are facing Ulsan, occasionally launching several attacks, determined to keep the lineage troops——

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the Japanese army is extremely passive. Even if they have an advantage in military strength, they are still unwilling to take the initiative to attack and try to realize their wild vision of swallowing the peninsula.

According to reliable sources, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's life is not long, and all the big names under his command have no intention of fighting.

And so it is.

Luck is the old monkey's hope of prolonging his life. As a result, the coalition forces organized several counterattacks and took back the land they finally conquered...

Under Hideyoshi's suggestion, Kobayakawa Hideaki, Ukita Hideka, Mori Hidemoto and other daimyos crossed the sea and returned to the country in advance, because their strength was well preserved, and they were either relatives of the Toyotomi family or the elite of the Western Kingdom, so they naturally supported Hideyori.

However, the forces remaining on the peninsula are still considerable, and the Kyushu region has lost its patriarch, or the various legions whose combat effectiveness has been greatly reduced.

With the assistance of the Kwantung Allied Forces, they will use Suncheon in the east, Goseong and Sacheon in the middle, and Ulsan and Seosangpo in the west as three support points, with their backs against the sea, covering the southern sea areas of Jeolla and Gyeongsang-do. , to create conditions for the first few big names to cross the sea.

Frankly speaking, the Kyushu soldiers were the absolute main force of the two invasions of the Japanese army, and most of the battles were undertaken by them. As a result...

The head of the family died in battle and suffered heavy losses. Hideyoshi was not rewarded for his early return to the country. Instead, he started monitoring the movement of the coalition forces so as not to interfere with the dirty work of the large troops crossing the sea.

In this regard, the big names in the Kanto are also quite critical. They were at the forefront in this coalition counterattack.

As the leading elder brother, Tokugawa Ieyasu didn't say anything, at least until Hideyoshi dies and the families return to their homeland, this old fox from the same era as Oda Nobunaga doesn't intend to make any troubles.

Moreover, he also noticed the deep meaning of this move——

Monkey still has a little luck, hoping to keep a foothold on the peninsula so that future generations can plan aggression.

It's a pity that Toyotomi Hideyoshi himself didn't make it through after all, and he never waited for this day to come.

On the second day after the West Route Army stormed Suncheon, the overlord who nominally unified Japan ended his life in the city of Sacheon.

Before dying, Hideyoshi expressed his support to the five elders, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Maeda Toshiie, Mori Terumoto, Ukita Hideka, and Uesugi Kagekatsu, and hoped that they could assist Toyotomi Hideyoshi and continue the inheritance of the Toyotomi family. go down.

"Until Hideo comes of age, I ask all of you to help him, and that is my only request."

"I repeat, I ask the five of you to take care of Xiu Lai. The relevant details have been informed to the other five people (Wu Fengxing, who is second only to the five elders). I don't want to die, but this is my destination."

After the five elders expressed their loyalty one after another, Hideyoshi gradually stopped breathing. With the last of his strength, he recalled his magnificent life and his son's bright future, and said intermittently:

"Falling with the dew, fading with the dew, this is my body..."

"The past in Osaka is like a dream within a dream."

The son of a farmer from the village of Owari Kunaka became the master of Japan. Such an amazing class transition is rare, but everything is gone, like dewdrops in the first rays of sunshine.

The culprit who started the war and all the massacres just died before the end of the war, without seeing the final outcome——

For him, it is undoubtedly a good thing.

In fact, no matter how lofty Hideyoshi's status is in the eyes of the Japanese, no matter how later generations render and beautify it through film and television, literature, and video games.

For the descendants of the Ming Dynasty and the people of the Li Dynasty, the monkey is an out-and-out invader, and his hands are stained with the blood of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians of the Ming Dynasty and the Dynasty.

Frankly speaking, the culprit did not get the punishment he deserved, and died on the bed like this, which really made the actor sigh.

The war of aggression against Korea that took place in the sixteenth century AD was the first time that the Japanese launched a major aggression against neighboring countries in a real sense with the goal of destroying the country.

Its influence is not limited to contemporary times. Hundreds of years later, Hideyoshi's spiritual followers set foot on the peninsula again, creating bloody incidents for the notorious "Common Prosperity Sphere".

Aggression is the gene engraved in the bones of this nation.

On the same day, the five elders collectively issued an order: withdraw troops as soon as possible.

In order to achieve this goal, they had to try to negotiate with Daming to buy time for subsequent bigger and bigger moves.

"Finally, I can leave this land of right and wrong and drink a sip of the water from my hometown."

Tokugawa Ieyasu was relieved.

Whether Hideyoshi was alive or after death, he was the person who worried the most, because the monkey knew the nature of these people too well. He once vowed to be loyal to the heir of his master Oda Nobunaga, but in the end he took the power into his own hands.

Among the five elders, how many people are not people who only care about their personal interests and don't care about their vows?

Time will tell.

However, right now is definitely not the best time for internal fighting. Toyotomi's direct lineage has not participated in any bloody battles since the beginning of the war, and they still retain their combat effectiveness as an organization.

The mess was thrown to the Tokugawa family.

But he didn't find it troublesome, because the Kyushu Legion was very worth wooing.

From now on, Tokugawa Ieyasu will issue government orders in the name of Taiko, because after Hideyoshi's death, the five elders agreed that the funeral should be kept secret.

This is a very common thing.

Monkey has been monopolizing power during his lifetime. After his death, a power vacuum period will be formed, and he will be over-interpreted by the generals and warriors below, causing mass panic.

Therefore, before the transfer of power is completed and the cake is distributed, it is necessary to keep it secret.

In addition, this invasion failed very badly, and many legions suffered heavy losses. If the news of Hideyoshi's death and the order to withdraw troops were announced at the same time, many frontline generals would seriously doubt the five elders, and did not truthfully express Taiko's will——

Too much blood was shed, in order to make up for the loss, and out of the so-called glory, he ignored the order and chose to continue fighting.

In this case, concealing the news of Hideyoshi's death can avoid such troubles.

The following finishing work can be roughly divided into two stages:

A deal that saves face.

After the Imjin Japanese Invasion ended, the Japanese side proposed an agreement that could not be agreed, and this time, they decided to back down voluntarily, not asking for princesses from the Ming Dynasty, trading rights, and not ceding the southern part of the peninsula.

The five elders are willing to give up all strongholds, as long as Li Chao handed over a prince as a hostage.

Even Tokugawa Ieyasu felt that if Li Chaoren refused this, as long as he sent some rice, honey, and local specialties such as tiger skin, the agreement could be signed.

...