Maeda Toshiie made a decision that was in line with the interests of the Toyotomi clan.
For Toyotomi Hidetsugu, this wasn't the decision he wanted the most, but it was the decision that was in line with his interests the most. He believed that Maeda Toshiie wouldn't hurt him, so he accepted Maeda Toshiie's suggestion and did things according to his method.
Ishida Mitsunari didn't feel good about it.
For him, it would be a group attack, but for Maeda Toshiie, it would be an immediate victory.
The difference in treatment was too great.
But he also knew that this was the most incomparable aspect between Maeda Toshiie and him. Prestige and qualifications, as well as origin.
Maeda Toshiie was from the Oda Clan, and he had been a fierce warrior since Oda Nobunaga's era. He had many military achievements, and during Toyotomi Hideyoshi's era, he was also the strongest daimyo that Toyotomi Hideyoshi trusted the most. From a simple warrior to an outstanding daimyo who was skilled in both literature and martial arts, Maeda Toshiie had always been learning and growing.
Even now, although Maeda Toshiie had moved from the martial faction to the moderate faction, and he had reconciled with the Konoe faction, Ishida Mitsunari, and used Ishida Mitsunari's power to suppress the rebellion of the generals, his prestige was still there, and the generals of the Oda Clan respected him.
So Ishida Mitsunari sighed deeply.
He was also deeply worried.
The Toyotomi clan was generally in the pro-war position, while the sensitive moderate faction was relatively weak. Now that Maeda Toshiie was on the moderate faction's side, he could still make a difference, but Maeda Toshiie's health wasn't good.
If he died one day, would Ishida Mitsunari be able to withstand the enormous pressure?
No, Ishida Mitsunari did not have the support of Owari. Toyotomi Hidetsugu's trust in him was far less than his trust in Maeda Toshiie. If Toyotomi Hidetsugu fully supported the pro-war faction, Ishida Mitsunari would be powerless to stop the pro-war tide.
Even if Maeda Toshiie gave everyone a warning today, it was hard to say whether it would be effective when the time came.
Therefore, on the way back to Maeda Toshiie's residence, Ishida Mitsunari told Maeda Toshiie all his worries.
Maeda Toshiie sighed deeply.
"Ishida-kun, I can feel my life slipping away. I can feel my energy and stamina weakening. I've been sick for a long time. I've seen famous doctors, eaten expensive medicine, and eaten many nourishing ingredients, but I still haven't gotten better.
I don't know how to tell you, but I've never told anyone else. I have a premonition that I won't be able to live for long. Maybe in another month, maybe two months, or half a year, I'll die. "
Maeda Toshiie's words scared Ishida Mitsunari quite a bit.
"Please don't say such things! You're in charge of the current situation. Without you, I really don't know what His Highness will do. "
How could Maeda Toshiie not know Toyotomi Hidetsugu's pro-war stance and the weakness of the moderate faction in Toyotomi's power?
"This is why Xiao Ruxun is so scary. I always feel that although he's been away for seven years, he's constantly affecting us. Xiuji is talented and capable, and he can inherit the foundation of Xian Tai Pavilion. However, it's also an indisputable fact that Xiuji is impulsive. Perhaps I can still advise him, but if I die, Ishida-kun, you …"
"I can't do it."
Ishida Michinari smiled bitterly and said, "It's not like you don't know the situation today. I was almost attacked by a group of people, and they didn't care about my opinion at all. I couldn't stop Your Highness from doing anything, so if you weren't here, I couldn't imagine what would happen."
"In the end, it's not about whether I'm alive or dead."
Maeda Toshiie shook his head. "It's about what Xiao Ruxun wants to do. If he really mobilized his troops because of the country's internal strife and hoped that we would fight, it's a good thing. It means that he's beginning to be unable to support the internal strife in Qin. But if it's fake, it's terrible. It means that Qin has sorted out the internal strife and is preparing to expand."
Ishida Mitsunari held his breath.
Maeda Toshiie's face was full of worry.
"Looking at the history of the dynasties of China, since the Qin and Han Dynasties, as long as China was unified, it would inevitably embark on the road of expansion. When China was divided, it could only preserve the core Han territory. But once China was unified, the Western Region, Liaodong, Lingnan, Southwest, and the grassland would all be the places where the Chinese Dynasty would deploy its troops.
At the beginning of the establishment of the Daming Dynasty, the emperor of the Daming Dynasty had also expanded the territory of the Daming Dynasty to a very large extent. Later, the Daming Dynasty declined and the territory gradually shrank. But those places were still ruled by the Daming Dynasty.
Xiao Ruxun was born as a general. He loved war and martial arts. As long as the internal conflicts of the State of Qin were resolved and the internal strife was resolved, expansion was inevitable. Even if the internal strife was not settled, he would still send troops to Liaodong to destroy the barbarians.
"Then, he would send troops everywhere to destroy the foreigners who occupied the former territories of the Daming Dynasty, recapture those territories, and expand the territory of the Qin Dynasty. This is what the Chinese Emperor would do, and Xiao Ruxun would be no exception."
Ishida Mitsunari hurriedly said, "But Japan has never been a territory or vassal state of China. Why would Xiao Ruxun send troops to Japan and even want to destroy Japan?"
"Because the war launched by the First Cabinet showed China the fighting power of Japan after the unification and made China aware of the threat of Japan. If Xiao Ruxun wants to expand, he will not let go of Japan, which he had personally attacked."
Maeda Toshiie said very firmly, "It can be said that as long as there is a chance, Xiao Ruxun will not give up attacking Japan. It's just a matter of time. Although I don't think Xiao Ruxun will send troops to attack Japan now, I won't find it hard to accept if he does.
"Just like in the past, the First Cabinet didn't think that Xiao Ruxun would lead troops across the sea to attack. The First Cabinet thought that the Ming Emperor would definitely stop Xiao Ruxun, but Xiao Ruxun still came. He came once, and it's hard to say if he will come again. If he comes again, I won't be surprised."
Ishida Mitsunari swallowed and asked with some difficulty, "Do you mean that there will be a war between the Qin Dynasty and Japan sooner or later?"
Maeda Toshiie took a deep breath.
"Yes, I think so. As long as Xiao Ruxun is still the Emperor, he will definitely come again. He will not be satisfied with the current situation. In the whole land of China, no one knows Japan better than him, and he happens to be the Emperor of Daqin."
Maeda Toshiie looked up at the sky with a worried expression.
"This enemy is really terrible, too terrible."
"So, what way do you have to fight against Xiao Ruxun? Since you think that Xiao Ruxun will come back sooner or later, you must have a way to fight against him, right? "
Ishida Mitsunari looked at Maeda Toshiie with expectation.
But Maeda Toshiie disappointed him.
"Ishida-kun, I can predict the development of things, but how to solve such a big problem? Do you think I can do it easily? If I were ten years younger, I could make a plan and lead all the forces of Country R to fight against him. But now, my energy and my body are not enough for me to make another plan. "
Maeda Toshiie shook his head weakly, "Ishida-kun, I don't have the energy. I can even feel that I won't be able to see that time."
Ishida Mitsunari looked at Maeda Toshiie in despair, who kept shaking his head.
"But who else can fight against Xiao Ruxun except you?"
"Even if it's me, it's hard to say that I can fight against Xiao Ruxun. If Lord Nobunaga and the Xian Tai Pavilion come back to life, and the heroes of the Warring States Period come back to life, and gather together, I think there's still hope, we still have a chance to win, but now …"
Maeda Toshiie said with a wry smile, "I only have a broken and old body left. The First Pavilion and the generals under his command are all dead and injured. Our strength is greatly weakened, and there is no navy to fight against Qin's navy. We can't even defend. How can we fight against him?"
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