At this moment, Toyotomi Hideyoshi was still the de facto supreme ruler of Japan. There was no doubt about this, even if he was about to fall, even if he was about to die.
When Tokugawa Ieyasu received the news that Toyotomi Hideyoshi was protected by Honda Tadakatsu, he was ecstatic, but it only lasted for a short time, and then he began to feel a little uneasy. When he heard that Toyotomi Hideyoshi wanted to see him, he was a little worried, a little guilty, and a little afraid to face the person he had betrayed.
"You must see Hideyoshi, my Lord. This is a symbol, a symbol that you have taken over the supreme ruling power of Japan from his hands, a symbol that you are not afraid of him, a symbol that you can wield the supreme power of the whole of Japan."
Kuroda Rusui warned Tokugawa Ieyasu in this way.
After figuring this out, Tokugawa Ieyasu finally made up his mind. He took a step forward and slowly walked to the house where Toyotomi Hideyoshi was. Honda Tadakatsu stepped forward and saluted: "My Lord, Taikaku wants to see you, he is inside."
Tokugawa Ieyasu nodded, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open. At a glance, he saw Toyotomi Hideyoshi sitting in the middle of the room like an old monk in meditation.
"Taikaku."
Tokugawa Ieyasu stopped three steps in front of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and knelt down. He still greeted Toyotomi Hideyoshi with the same etiquette as when he met Toyotomi Hideyoshi. However, in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's current situation, it was somewhat ironic.
"Jiyasu, you're here?"
"Yes, Taikaku, I'm here."
"You're still willing to see me? I thought you would directly send someone to cut off my head and never come to see me again. That would make me feel a little regretful. "
Toyotomi Hideyoshi opened his eyes, his face filled with deep exhaustion.
"This was suggested by Mr. Wei Guan. If I don't come face to face and take Tai Ge's life, I won't be qualified to replace Tai Ge as the person in power in Japan, so I'm here."
Tokugawa Ieyasu placed his sword in front of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Toyotomi Hideyoshi looked at Tokugawa Ieyasu and smiled.
"So that's how it is. So it was Officer Wei who was plotting for you. No wonder I knew nothing about it. No wonder I failed so miserably. So it was Officer Wei. Officer Wei, he … he hates me, right? In other words, ChangZheng died in North Korea? "
Tokugawa Ieyasu nodded.
"According to reliable sources, Kuroda Nagamasa died in the battle to defend Han City. He was beheaded by Ming Country's General Wu Weizhong. His death was very tragic. Kuroda Nagamasa's troops also suffered heavy losses. The Kuroda family's generals who followed him to North Korea all died. Not a single one of them survived. Taige really made Mr. Wei sad. This war should not have happened."
Toyotomi Hideyoshi's mind was clearer than ever.
"Jiakang, all of you think that I'm crazy and delirious. Actually, some of your guesses are correct. At that time, my brain was indeed not working well. However, you must know that if I didn't start this war, you would be the one to start it. You must know that I didn't start this war just for myself.
"Jiakang, let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart. I admit that I am of low birth and am looked down upon by many people. Back then, when I requested to be the Conquering Barbarians Great General, I was rejected and could only get the position of Guan Bai. I was ridiculed by many people. This has always been a sore point of mine. My crusade against the Ming Kingdom is indeed because I want to obtain great military exploits to prove myself. But more importantly, do you think that these famous people in the chaotic times of the Eastern and Western Kingdoms will enjoy peace in peace?
They grew up in troubled times, achieved in troubled times, and liked troubled times the most. I was afraid of them, but I couldn't destroy them. I did unify Japan, but more people disobeyed me on the surface but opposed me in secret. Their existence is an important stumbling block for me to establish a stable rule. So even if I'm very sad, I have to find a way to get rid of them.
As long as they exist, Japan will not truly be at peace. Instead of letting them continue to threaten the peace that I've obtained with great difficulty, it's better to let them go out and set their sights on North Korea and Ming Country. They can vent their energy and reduce the burden on the country. They can also get merits and seize land. Isn't that killing three birds with one stone? "
As Toyotomi Hideyoshi thought of Tokugawa Ieyasu, he spread out his hands and said that Tokugawa Ieyasu was very surprised.
"It's just that I didn't expect that the fighting power of the Ming Country's army would be so strong. I remember that when we were still at war, I heard from many merchants that the exiled warriors of the daimyo who were defeated by us all went overseas, especially to the Ming Country. In Zhejiang, Fujian, and other places of the Ming Country, they beat the Ming Country's official army very badly and earned a lot of money and slaves. At that time, I was thinking that since the Ming Country was so easy to defeat, even some exiled warriors could defeat their regular army, what if our regular army went there?"
Tokugawa Ieyasu hurriedly interrupted, "But that was decades ago, and those exiled warriors were finally wiped out by the Ming Country's army, right?"
"Yes, I was thinking that it was so difficult to deal with some roving bandits, and it took decades to deal with them. If they were to face our regular army, how long would it take for them to deal with our regular army? At least it would be enough for us to take down Korea, right? "
Hideyoshi had a vexed look on his face. "But who knew that the Ming Kingdom's reaction would be so fast this time? They sent their troops to Korea and defeated our troops. I didn't expect that we would lose so quickly and so badly. So many elites, 150,000 elites, were defeated by the Ming Kingdom's army just like that. Don't you think it's inconceivable? Jiyasu, can you understand? "
Naturally, Tokugawa Ieyasu also couldn't understand. He had never fought with the Ming Army head-on, so he wasn't very clear about the fighting power of the Ming Army. However, he had fought with the Western Army more than once and understood the fighting power of the Western Army. Since the Western Army had been defeated so miserably, what benefits could his Eastern Army gain? With so many cannons in the hands of the Ming Army, they could give them a good meal. The enemy that Toyotomi Hideyoshi couldn't defeat, could he, Tokugawa Ieyasu, defeat?
"It can only show that the Ming Country is too powerful, and it's not something that we can defeat at the moment. Taiko, you are a little too hasty, and you have chosen the wrong target. The Ming Country is so big, and we are so small. How can we be compared with the Ming Country? If you want to choose, you should choose a small country that is relatively far from the Ming Country. That way, it will be safer. You shouldn't choose the Ming Country, which is difficult to defeat. "
Toyotomi Hideyoshi nodded bitterly and sighed, "Now that I think about it, it is indeed so, but how could I be sure at that time? Jiyasu, there are many things that you can't see through from your position. Once you can't see through it, and the people under you don't tell you, they hide it from you. My present is your future! "
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