Chen Lin was testing Kuroda Rusui's bottom line, and Kuroda Rusui's side was also testing Chen Lin's bottom line. Both sides were testing each other, and gradually, they removed their veils and drew their swords to fight. Their respective intentions were laid bare in front of each other.
"Now we can basically confirm that what the Ming Kingdom wants is nothing more than the Ishijian Silver Mountain and silver. They don't have much need for the rest of the land. Sending the hostage to North Korea is nothing more than giving face to North Korea, it is not the Ming Kingdom's original intention. The compensation to North Korea is probably also because of this, so on this point, we can reject it.
The Ming Kingdom has been eyeing the Ishijian Silver Mountain and the compensation, it can be said that they are short-sighted. We need to clarify our position, the Ishijian Silver Mountain is one of our country's lifelines, handing it over is no different than cutting off our own lifeline, it is impossible. If the compensation of two million silver is not enough, then add another five hundred thousand, increasing to 2.5 million silver. At the same time, we refuse to cede the Ishijian Silver Mountain and the Fei Kingdom.
There is also the matter of removing the Emperor's title, this point must be made clear, the loser is Toyotomi Hideyoshi, not Japan. Japan is controlled by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi is the main culprit, so Japan is also a victim. This was not the original intention, Japan did not do anything wrong, and we have not lost the war. By eliminating Toyotomi Hideyoshi, it is also considered as an alliance with the Daming Kingdom, why does the Daming Kingdom want to force our country to surrender? Daming Celestial Kingdom, to humiliate a small country like this, I am afraid that it will lose the dignity of a great country. "
Kuroda Rusui explained in detail, watching as the envoy finished writing the refutation, Kuroda Rusui took it and looked at it, then passed it to Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Tokugawa Ieyasu looked around and nodded.
"I still feel that agreeing to the third, fourth, and fifth conditions is too easy for the Ming Kingdom. The one who committed the crime is Toyotomi Hideyoshi, not us. On the contrary, we have to help the Ming Kingdom eliminate Toyotomi Hideyoshi, what crime is there? Two and a half million taels of silver is not a small amount. Toyotomi Hideyoshi is a militaristic man, and his own treasury is about to be emptied. Do we have to pay for it? "
Kuroda Rusui had regained his composure. He explained calmly, "The most important thing now is to clear up the relationship with the Ming Kingdom as soon as possible and establish an alliance. Then, we will get rid of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and free up our hands to deal with Toyotomi Hidetsugu and Maeda Toshiie. This is the most important thing. Everything else can be put on the back burner. Unless it concerns the country's system and survival, everything else can be ignored. Money is even less important."
Tokugawa Ieyasu put down the refutation and shook his head slightly, "You don't know the price of rice and fuel unless you are in charge. Our Tokugawa clan may look like a big family, but every blade of grass and every tree is money. It is a bit difficult to take out two and a half million taels of silver to give to the Ming Kingdom in one go. Speaking of which, the Ming Kingdom has no reason to ask us for so many conditions. Do they think I, Tokugawa Ieyasu, am a stray dog?"
"Then what you mean is that we should drag this out until Toyotomi Hideyoshi reacts and summon Toyotomi Hidetsugu and Maeda Toshiie to eliminate us. Then, we will lead all of Japan's forces to fight to the death with the Ming Kingdom? Your Excellency, I have to say that the Ming Army, which can annihilate the Western Army with one hundred and fifty thousand elites, definitely has the ability to wipe out all of Japan. We cannot further provoke the Ming Kingdom. "
Kuroda Rusui looked at Tokugawa Ieyasu helplessly, hoping that he could make some concessions. There were some conditions that he would never agree to. Those were conditions that countries on the brink of extinction would only accept when they were struggling on their deathbed. Normal countries would never agree to them.
The Ming Kingdom did this, and the so-called conditions were nothing more than silver. Silver.
"You mean, we have to give up part of the share of Shikami Silver to satisfy the Ming Kingdom?"
Tokugawa Ieyasu looked at Kuroda Rusui and asked the question in his heart.
"Yes, we have to give up at least thirty percent of the share. This is a test. I don't know what the Ming Kingdom will ask for, but what they want is nothing more than gold and silver."
Tokugawa Ieyasu looked at the map of Nihon in his house and touched every inch of the land on it. After a long time, he slowly said, "I'll leave everything to you, military guard."
"I will not make things difficult for you, Your Excellency."
Kuroda Rusui looked at Tokugawa Ieyasu with admiration, then turned and left.
His rebuttal was quickly sent to Chen Lin. Chen Lin looked at the rebuttal and indeed did not know how to respond. What they said was very true, and she could not find any place to refute. Chen Lin did not meet with Kuroda Rusui's messenger. Instead, she asked one of them to stay and wait for news. The other one went back to tell them to wait for news. Chen Lin sent a speedboat to bring the rebuttal back to Korea and hand it over to Xiao Ruxun to make a decision.
Four days had passed since the war started on the 20th of the first month. The supply line of the forty thousand Japanese pirates in Pusan had been cut off. Their resistance became weak and powerless. In the face of the increasingly sharp cannons of the Ming Army, it was difficult for them to defend. In the beginning, there were people who opened the city gates and charged. Later, they just closed their gates and did not come out. They endured the bombardment and did not fight.
Such a cowardly tactic made the frontline commanders Wu Weizhong and Li Rusong feel helpless. Xiao Ruxun personally went to the frontline several times to observe the battle. However, the Ming Army could not take down a mere Wo City and the exhausted Japanese pirates. Instead, they lost nearly a thousand soldiers.
In other words, the Ming Army had trapped the Japanese troops, but they still could not break through Wo City. This made Xiao Ruxun very angry. If they had the Hongyi cannons at this time, they would have been able to give the Japanese pirates a heavy blow. However, the Ming Army, which lacked heavy cannons, could not do anything to Wo City at this moment.
Xiao Ruxun had written seven or eight letters to the Yukita Xiu family to persuade them to surrender, but all of them were like stones sinking into the sea. It seemed that the Yukita Xiu family was unwilling to surrender. There seemed to be no progress in the negotiations with the mainland of Japan. The head of Toyotomi Hideyoshi had not been sent over. The Yukita Xiu family still had a glimmer of hope in his heart.
He refused to surrender. The rest of the Japanese pirates in Wo City also refused to surrender. Using the sturdiness of Wo City and the advantage of the terrain, crisscrossing trenches blocked the footsteps of the Ming Army. The city built on the mountain was much higher than the ladder of the Ming Army. Basically, anyone who climbed up died. When they wanted to fill the trenches, the Japanese pirates blocked them with iron cannons. The cannons could cover for a while, but not forever. The strong attacks of the Ming Army were always repelled.
Even if they used the shield formation to cover the infantry to fill the trenches, the efficiency was too low, and the speed was too slow. After four days, only less than a quarter of the trenches were filled, which was very frustrating.
"The sturdiness of Wo City is beyond our imagination. I can't believe that our army has the upper hand, but we can't do anything to these forts. Those damn trenches can't be filled no matter how hard we try. It really pisses me off!"
Every day, Yuan Huang would twirl the prayer beads in his hand, using it to offset the anger in his heart. But the anger in Xiao Ruxun's heart had no way of diminishing. Her anger increased day by day, almost to the point where she was on the verge of giving the order to attack with poison gas, and slaughter every last one of the hundred thousand Wokou pirates.
Yuan Huang could see that the hostility in Xiao Ruxun's heart was increasing day by day. He constantly persuaded and enlightened Xiao Ruxun, at least he did not let Xiao Ruxun take the first step to become Bai Qi.
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