New Shun 1730

The entrance of Kochi Castle faces south, which is not within the range of the Dashun Army's artillery fire. Only a small team of soldiers are stationed outside for surveillance.

When the samurai holding the white flag appeared, the two sides could not communicate, but the samurai brought a letter full of Chinese characters, explaining the purpose of the visit.

The officer hurried to Liu Yu, handed the paper to him, and asked: "Sir, do you want to meet or not? Do you want to talk or not?"

At this time, the first round of artillery fire had ended, and the Japanese farmers behind had begun to run to the trench with stones and soil on their backs.

This is different from attacking a bastion, where a zigzag trench must be dug to avoid the bastion's artillery fire.

But there were no cannons at all in the northwest of Kochi Castle, and there were no low and difficult-to-aim-strike artillery platforms like bastions, and there were even stone walls.

These farmers did not need the cover of the zigzag trenches, and directly transported a large number of stones from the back.

Liu Yu did not read the letter immediately, but watched the farmers busy for a while, and then said calmly: "Meet, of course. However, while meeting and talking, the trenches here must be filled and the swamps must be paved. I want to hear what terms these Japanese want to negotiate."

"The farmers have people, the merchants have money, the scholars have culture, and they are still lacking the swords of the lower-level warriors. If they can surrender, select them, and say a few more words, it will be considered a success."

Waving his hand, he handed over the command of the battle to the staff.

He and Shi Shiyong took some guards and chose the meeting place near the siege position, and only asked the officers to escort the warriors over.

The four warriors were escorted to Liu Yu, and the sound of artillery sounded again.

The leading warrior said immediately: "We have come down the mountain to negotiate with your country. To show our sincerity, please stop the bombardment."

When Liu Yu heard this, he sneered: "What is your origin? What position do you hold now? I am the earl of the Celestial Empire. How can you not bow to me? People say that the Japanese are barbarians, ignorant of etiquette and manners. Don't they even know the hierarchy?"

The leader of the Japanese warriors did not refute that Japan was not a tributary state of Dashun, but also imitated Liu Yu's expression and sneered: "Since the Tang people know the hierarchy, why do they stand with the lowly farmers?"

"Mencius said: The people are the most important, the country is second, and the king is the least important. . Some people in your small country say that the Japanese have small etiquette but no great righteousness. This is true. "

Thinking that Japan should "take the dregs and discard the essence", he deliberately said Mencius' words again, and then pointed to the Japanese farmers who were filling the trenches in the distance, and said to the leading samurai: "Do you really want to debate with me? I have a lot of time."

The samurai looked in the direction of Liu Yu's finger and saw that the trenches had been filled for the most part. His face changed drastically, and he had to kneel down. Thinking that Liu Yu was a count of the Tang people, he was also a feudal lord. He knew that he could not delay on the issue of etiquette at this time, so he had to perform this great ceremony.

"Mr. Earl of the Tang people, we have also heard about your benevolent policy, but the head of the family has not yet returned from the audience. Although we cannot make decisions for the head of the family, we can also make suggestions when the head of the family returns. We all know your conditions, and we can agree to reduce the tribute of farmers in the future, set the highest loan interest, and all previous land mortgage documents will be invalid."

"Since you want to inquire about the invasion of Ryukyu by Satsuma Shimazu, you can turn the ship west, and Tosa can also send someone to lead the way; if you want to go to Edo, we can also send you off."

"Tosa really doesn't know about the affairs of Satsuma Shimazu and Ryukyu."

Liu Yu's face was slightly relieved, pretending to be very reasonable, and said: "If you really want to negotiate, You can give up Kochi Castle. Carry swords and go out from the south of the city, so that you are sincere. Otherwise, why should I believe you? "

"Although I am kind and righteous, I am not Song Xiang. Kochi Castle can be taken at any time. I don't want to see you, but I think there will be casualties in the battle, and I can't bear it."

"If not, I will continue to attack the city. During this period, I will not stop attacking the city. You can report back quickly and tell me so. "

"The Celestial Empire is a country of etiquette, and I also come for benevolence and righteousness. If you can talk, I will guarantee everyone's safety and will not hurt anyone. "

"If you hesitate, you might as well watch here and see how I capture Kochi Castle. "

Directly tell the Tosa samurai that his condition is that the city will give up resistance immediately, and he can guarantee safety. But whether he talks or not, he will not stop attacking the city.

The leading samurai saw that the farmers were still filling the soil, and he knew that he could not delay any longer, but he still needed a guarantee.

"Since you are from the great country of Tang, you must read the words of Taishigong. In the pre-Han Dynasty, General Li was the governor of Longxi. The Qiang once rebelled. General Li lured them to surrender. More than 800 people surrendered, but General Li lied and killed them on the same day. Wang Shuo said: There is no greater disaster than killing those who have surrendered. This is why General Li was not granted a title of nobility."

Liu Yu laughed and said casually: "A gentleman said: If the trust is not from the heart, the guarantee is useless. If there is a clear trust, the hair of streams, swamps, and ponds, the vegetables of apples, lilies, algae, baskets, pots, and pots, and the water of muddy rivers and streams can be offered to ghosts and gods, but can be shamed by kings and nobles. In this case, why do you have to tell him about General Li's luring and killing captives? Don't worry."

The Tosa samurai was relieved and turned to leave, but was stopped by Liu Yu again.

"Wait, there is one more thing. If you leave the city, you must surrender your weapons, including your saber. My subordinates will keep them for you. When the contract is concluded, our army will withdraw and the weapons will be returned."

"What? This is absolutely impossible!" The warrior objected subconsciously without even thinking about it. He thought that it was fine to leave the mountain, but he had to hand over his saber? How could this be possible?

Liu Yu took out the spring-wheel blunderbuss rewarded by the emperor from his waist and said with a smile: "I want to kill you, and it doesn't matter whether you bring a sword or not. I asked you to hand over your sword for a reason. I heard that Erbang has "Knife" According to the Hunting Order, the peasants must bow to the warriors when they see them. Now that I have guaranteed the contract of benevolence and righteousness, when the peasants come to interview you, will you bow to them or not?"

This seems to make sense, but the warrior said: "The sword is the life and honor of the warrior, and should not be taken lightly."

Liu Yu didn't say anything when he heard this. He turned his head and looked at the farmer who was already filling in the swamp.

The Japanese warrior also followed his gaze, knowing that time was running out. He was about to say something, but was interrupted by Liu Yu after just one word.

"In the turbulent times of the Spring and Autumn Period, Wei Yigong was in trouble and his country was destroyed. The Zhai people chased and killed Wei Yigong. His body was mutilated, but his liver was intact. The loyal minister Hongyan found Wei Yigong's liver, committed suicide by caesarean section, took out his own liver, and used His body was used as a coffin, and his liver was buried in it. This was the beginning of seppuku."

"I have also heard that there is a ritual of disembowelment in your country to prove one's loyalty. It depends on how you view this matter. If you think this is a matter of benevolence and justice and that the lord is not being humiliated, you can leave the city and surrender temporarily; if you feel that this is a humiliation after all, Then have a disembowelment to prove your loyalty."

"Go ahead, let's just say that. If you feel it is for the sake of benevolence and righteousness, leave the city. If you feel it is humiliation, have a caesarean section, which can be regarded as giving them some dignity. Otherwise, have you forgotten the death situation in the Battle of Urado Castle? ?Although I am kind and righteous, the sailors I have accepted are few of them."

After saying this, Liu Yu turned around and ignored these people.

The leader of the samurai felt cold in his heart when he thought of the cruelty and brutality of those Tang sailors who killed people after the Battle of Urado Castle, as well as their extreme disrespect for the corpses.

Knowing that this matter could not be delayed any longer, he gritted his teeth and ran towards the city in a hurry, just wanting to pass the news back.

Is this a ploy? Or benevolence and righteousness? Or humiliation? Everyone may have different ideas, but at least one thing is certain. If a decision is not made early, all that will be left is the humiliation of defeat.

Going out of the city now can be said to be out of wisdom or benevolence. But if these Tang people were to attack Kochi City, it would only be considered humiliation.

When he ran back to Kochi Castle and explained Liu Yu's conditions, the feudal lord's retainers who stayed behind immediately had differences.

Some people think that this is a clever trick. Only by defrauding these Tang people can they save the family's inheritance. This is bearing the burden of humiliation.

Some people also think that taking off the sword is really a shame and this is unacceptable in any case.

The gunfire continued, and it was too late to argue.

There is no courage to go out of the city to fight in the field. Those who think it is humiliating can only die.

More than thirty people who thought it was a humiliation were gathered together, and the person who was wrong was quickly found.

The sound of gunfire continues, and there is no time for too many forms to be performed, but the basic process still needs to be completed.

The assistant holding the knife was not holding a knife, but a fan.

Some people are not afraid of death, and some are not afraid of pain, but there are always more people who are not afraid of death than those who are afraid of pain. They are all mortal bodies, who is not afraid of pain?

It is so painful to commit seppuku, and ordinary samurai would not choose to commit seppuku, it would just be a formality.

Or use a wooden knife or a fan to scratch your stomach a little, and seize the opportunity to chop off the head of the wrong person.

Otherwise, it would really hurt to commit seppuku, and it would take a lot of courage.

Obviously, some of the warriors of Tosa Domain really dared to die, but none of them dared to commit seppuku with a sword.

They haven't fought in many years. The Battle of Urado Castle a few days ago may have been the first time these samurai saw blood in their lives. At that time, many of them had weak legs and committed seppuku.

These people thought it was humiliating, so they gestured with their fans, and the people behind them raised their swords and chopped off their heads, which was regarded as complete seppuku.

Before all the more than thirty people had been cut off, two mortar shells exploded not far away from them. The inmates hurriedly chopped off the heads without waiting for the remaining people to gesture with fans.

Afterwards, the remaining warriors who were still able to move came to the city gate, abided by the agreement, and waited for the Dashun Army to arrive before taking off their sabers one by one.

They didn't have much anxiety and uneasiness. They felt that Liu Yu was a gentleman and would definitely keep his word and would not harm them or lure him to death.

Soon, these people were escorted to the vicinity of the siege position. The farmers who had finished their work looked at the arrogant samurai men without their swords and cheered thunderously.

Liu Yu quietly whispered in Shi Shiyong's ear: "Brother Shi, you lead a group of soldiers and many farmers to occupy the city of Kochi first. Seal the grain, rice, gold and silver, and do not move lightly. Ask the farmers to remove the injured people on the mountain." Everyone was brought down."

Seeing that Liu Yu seemed to really want to talk, Shi Shiyong asked curiously: "Do you really think of yourself as a benevolent and righteous gentleman? How come you have lied so much and you have believed it? Is it possible that you really want to waste words with them?" "

Liu Yu laughed and said: "What do I have to say? I am only a guarantee. Just go, those wealthy merchants are also on the mountain. It would be best if the gold and silver are on the mountain. If not, they are hidden in the cellar." "I still have to teach these farmers some skills."

Shi Shiyong was startled, wondering what kind of ability he had?

"I, the Ruhou who founded the country of Dashun, the Prince of Wuwei, and the general who controlled the power of hundreds of officials under Emperor Taizu, my ability in the capital back then."