Looking at the document in his hand and listening to his subordinate's report, Toyotomi Hidetsugu's mind went blank. He couldn't believe his eyes and ears.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi was dead.
Tokugawa Ieyasu had done it. Tokugawa Ieyasu had rebelled. Taking advantage of the fact that Toyotomi Hideyoshi had recruited 100,000 soldiers to enter Nagoya Castle to help defend against the Ming Army, he had called on the daimyo of the Eastern Country to launch a mutiny. They had defeated Toyotomi Hideyoshi, killed him, and cut off his head. They had pacified Nagoya Castle in one fell swoop.
The Toyotomi clan's regime had suffered an unimaginable blow.
At the moment, no one in Kyoto knew about this news. Other than Toyotomi Hidetsugu, only one person knew about it. That was Maeda Toshiie, who had been driven back to Kyoto with Toyotomi Hidetsugu. This news had been sent back by Maeda Toshiie's henchman in Nagoya, who had risked his life to bring it back. On the night of the uprising, this henchman had risked his life to escape from Nagoya Castle. He had rushed to Tokugawa Ieyasu and told this earth-shattering news to Toyotomi Hidetsugu and Maeda Toshiie.
One could imagine how Toyotomi Hidetsugu and Maeda Toshiie felt when they heard the news.
After that, Toyotomi Hidetsugu had fallen into a panic. He was better at governing the existing territory, doing civil affairs, and developing the economy and culture. He was a builder, not a pioneer and destroyer.
Since he became Guan Bai, he had put in a lot of effort for the economy, people's livelihood, and cultural work. This was the main reason why the Toyotomi clan's ministers supported Toyotomi Hidetsugu.
However, Toyotomi Hidetsugu's cultivation was too shallow. Not to mention that he was no match for people like Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he was no match for people like Tokugawa Ieyasu. Tokugawa Ieyasu was a great man who had fought with Oda Nobunaga and escaped unscathed. How could Toyotomi Hidetsugu compete with Tokugawa Ieyasu?
Not to mention that Toyotomi Hideyoshi had never relaxed his military power. When he went to Nagoya, he brought almost all the troops with him. When Toyotomi Hidetsugu went to Nagoya, he brought more than half of the troops with him. As a result, Toyotomi Hidetsugu had less than 10,000 men under his command.
Tokugawa Ieyasu had 100,000 eastern troops. How could the remaining forces of the Toyotomi clan be a match for Tokugawa Ieyasu?
Maeda Toshiie was the only person Toyotomi Hidetsugu could rely on at the moment.
In terms of character, he was upright and loyal. There was no doubt that he was loyal to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. In terms of strength, if the Tokugawa clan was the strongest among the daimyo under Toyotomi's regime, then Maeda would be the strongest. He was the only one who could use his family's power to compete with Tokugawa Ieyasu. With such a person standing in the Toyotomi clan's regime, there was no doubt that he would be a great help.
After walking out of the initial panic, Toyotomi Hidetsugu sorted out his thoughts and knew what he should do at this moment.
"What should we do now?"
Toyotomi Hidetsugu decided to ask Maeda Toshiie for help.
Maeda Toshiie looked at the immature Toyotomi Hidetsugu and thought of his friendship with Toyotomi Hideyoshi in the past. In the end, he decided to stand on the Toyotomi clan's side and help Toyotomi clan get through this difficult time. There was no doubt that the Tokugawa clan was stronger. However, as for Tokugawa Ieyasu, Maeda Toshiie did not like him, nor did he appreciate him, let alone obey him. The Tokugawa clan had one million stones, but so did the Maeda clan. There was not much difference in strength between the two sides. The warrior's heart in Maeda Toshiie's bones was not afraid.
More importantly, Tokugawa Ieyasu's army was strong and well-trained. The profit distribution had been completed. Maeda Toshiie's participation at this time would definitely not benefit him. However, if he stood on Toyotomi Hidetsugu's side and helped Toyotomi Hidetsugu, then the already weak Toyotomi clan could only rely on him. If he succeeded, he would receive unexpected rewards.
Without a doubt, Toyotomi Hidetsugu was not as strong as Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He was more gentle, more inclined towards the administration of culture than martial arts. It was easier for him to not pay attention to military affairs, and he believed in the military talent he chose, which was Maeda Toshiie himself. If he stood on Toyotomi Hidetsugu's side and did his best to assist him, not only would his position be unprecedentedly elevated and consolidated, he would also receive a good reputation as "the pillar of the Toyotomi clan."
To sum up, whether it was for public or private reasons, Maeda Toshiie did not think that he should surrender and abandon the Toyotomi clan without a fight.
"Hidetsugu, listen carefully. Tokugawa Ieyasu has more than 100,000 soldiers in his hands, and we only have about 30,000 soldiers in our hands. The most important thing now is to recruit soldiers, and then send people to guard the Edo area. Don't let Tokugawa Ieyasu's nest make any strange movements.
Maeda Toshiie analyzed that this rebellion was definitely not planned by Tokugawa Ieyasu. It was an unexpected incident. Therefore, all the Tokugawa clan's forces must be concentrated in the Nagoya area. There should be no one in Edo. So, Hidetsugu, I suggest that you send a capable general and give him 10,000 elite soldiers. Ask him to attack Edo no matter what and capture Tokugawa Ieyasu's family as a threat. "
Toyotomi Hidetsugu nodded repeatedly.
"Then, immediately send out the recruitment order. Whether it's compulsory recruitment or free recruitment, expand the army to at least 50,000 soldiers in a short period of time. I know you have a lot of money in your hands, but you don't dare to expand the army. Now is the time to expand the army. Immediately send out the recruitment order. Race against time. Tokugawa Ieyasu won't give us much time to recruit and train soldiers. You have to make use of the time to recruit and train soldiers. Let the elite veterans train the new soldiers together. Strive to train the new soldiers before Tokugawa Ieyasu attacks!"
"Alright! I'll give the order immediately! "
Toyotomi Hidetsugu no longer had any scruples. Since Toyotomi Hideyoshi was already dead, no matter what, he would become the governor of the Toyotomi clan. In that case, fighting for the Toyotomi clan would be his duty.
After the recruitment order was issued, the entire Kyoto was in an uproar. The surrounding vassal states that did not receive any news were indeed shocked. They went around asking for news, but Toyotomi Hidetsugu blocked the news very tightly. These people could not find any news. They could only follow Toyotomi Hidetsugu's recruitment order gloomily. They thought that the war at the frontline was not going well, and Toyotomi Hidetsugu needed a large number of cannon fodder to die!
Of course, this was more or less the case. In a short period of time, there was no hope of training any elite soldiers. They could only be used as cannon fodder to buy time for the real elite soldiers.
Another person who was also fighting for time was Tokugawa Ieyasu. He personally led the army to rush all the way. When he saw a city, he avoided it. When he saw a village, he attacked it. When he saw an army, he directly defeated it. The news of the coup d 'état spread throughout the Kyushu region. Some people who were not brave directly surrendered to Tokugawa Ieyasu. However, there were still some people who could not stand Tokugawa Ieyasu's betrayal and challenged Tokugawa Ieyasu. Without exception, these people were cleaned up by Tokugawa Ieyasu.
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