Rule the Ming Dynasty Alone

Just as Ming Dynasty was looking to the south of the Yangtze River, the top of Mount Fuji in Japan was steaming, and the volcano here seemed to erupt at any time.

Unlike China, which was in peacetime, Japan is now in the process of splitting. Especially this year is a year worthy of highlighting Japan's Warring States Period.

About twenty years ago, Japan staged a landmark event - the Yingren Rebellion.

There was a fight between Hosokawa Katsumoto, one of the three leaders of the Ashikaga Yoshimasa Shogunate, the eighth generation shogun, and Yamana Mochitoyo and other guardian daimyo. As the conflicts deepened, the Hosokawa clan, the Hatakeyama clan and the Shiba clan formed the Eastern Army to follow. War between the Western armies (Yamana clan, Ouchi clan, Hatakeyama clan, Shiba clan, etc.).

This war that lasted for ten years was too chaotic, so it was impossible to know which side won the victory, but it became the beginning of the Japanese Warring States Period.

Now in the later stages of the Onin Rebellion, the ninth shogun Ashikaga Yoshinaga has been pulled out of office.

Omi, located in the middle of Honshu Island, is a highly developed area in Japan's politics, economy and culture.

The reason is that Rokkaku Takayori, the head of the Rokkaku clan who serves as the guardian of Omi, has become increasingly hostile to the shogunate. Although he is obedient to the shogunate, the instructions issued by the shogunate are not fully implemented.

The shogunate asked Rokkaku Takayori to return the temple territory, but Rokkaku Takayori ignored it and went his own way, turning the imperial court and temple estates into private territories to strengthen his own power.

As Rokkaku Takayori's ambitions grew, he continued to encroach on the surrounding territory, eventually forcing the shogunate Ashikaga Yoshinaga to decide to personally conquer the daimyo.

In the second year of Hongji's reign, Shogun Ashikaga Yoshinaga indulged in drinking and debauchery in the military camp. In addition, he was not adapted to military life. He eventually fell ill and died in the military camp at the age of twenty-five.

Due to the sudden death of Ashikaga Yoshinaga, the morale of the Yoshinaga army was in chaos.

In order to end the war, the shogunate had no choice but to pardon Rokkaku Takayori, and Rokkaku Takayori promised to return part of the territory to reach peace with the shogunate.

In August of the fourth year of Koji, Ashikaga Yoshihide, the successor of Ashikaga Yoshinaga, wanted to avenge his previous humiliation. On the grounds that Rokkaku Takayori disobeyed the shogunate's order, he abolished Rokkaku Takayori's position as guardian of Omi and launched the second conquest.

The war between the shogun and the Sengoku daimyo started again, but no one thought that this war contained a clear coup, and the ninth shogun Ashikaga Yoshiki faced the disaster of a backyard fire.

Hino Tomiko, the mother of the previous shogun Ashikaga Yoshitaka, did not like the current shogun Ashikaga Yoshisai, and was quietly planning the replacement of the shogunate with Masamoto Hosokawa, one of the three commanders in charge of the shogunate.

Japan in February seems to be dark and turbulent.

Due to the chaotic period, the war burned almost every corner of Honshu Island.

The Ouchi clan was the most active member of the generals of the Western Army. The head of the family, Ouchi Masahiro, took advantage of the chaos and went east to join the war, responding to the shogun's call to conquer Rokkaku Yori.

Refers to Yueshan Mountain and Yamaguchi Castle.

This city evolved from a seaside fortress. After the Onin Rebellion, a large number of literati from the Tokyo area fled and it has become more prosperous. It is even called Xijing.

Everything in the mountains has revived, and crisp bird calls can be heard from time to time in the woods.

There are irregular walls in the city, and in the center of the city is a Japanese-style courtyard. This area has been governed by the Ouchi clan for generations.

The one left behind at Yamaguchi Castle is Ouchi Yoshihiro, the son of Masahiro Ouchi. Although he is only fifteen years old, he is currently the only successor to the Ouchi family.

Perhaps he was born in troubled times, and even though he was a fifteen-year-old boy, with the help of several retainers, he already looked somewhat mature like a family head.

Although Ouchi Hironofumi can occupy a place in the history of Warring States literature, Ouchi Yoshihiro, with his Tsukiyo hair, was a genuine martial artist.

But even he didn't expect that the first major event the Eastern Expedition Army, which had just sent away his father, would deal with was his sister's marriage.

"Young Master, please punish me!" Tao Qiandao, a retainer of the Ouchi clan, told the whole story of his trip to the Ming Dynasty, and immediately admitted his mistake.

Originally, he wanted to take the opportunity to trip up the fool of the Ouchi family. Although the weak-minded boy of the Otomo family was indeed deceived, he did not expect the boomerang to fall on the Ouchi family.

Although the relationship between the Ming Emperor and the Ouchi family was completely severed, it still gave them a difficult problem.

Now they are required to marry their eldest daughter to the Ming Dynasty. If their eldest daughter chooses to refuse, the relationship between the two parties will drop from the honeymoon period to the freezing point.

If the Ming Dynasty in the past was indeed not afraid of offending, the Ming Dynasty is no longer what it used to be. It not only established the East China Sea Governor's Palace facing Japan, but also possessed absolute maritime strength.

"Tao Qian said, how could you do such a thing?"

"Actually, it's right to do this kind of thing, but...but how can the Ming Emperor see through it?"

"The Emperor of Ming Dynasty has appointed our eldest lady, what should we do about this matter?"

…

Several retainers learned the whole story, but they didn't know how to blame Tao Qiandao. He was really smart but was mistaken. Now the problem has come to them.

"I...I commit seppuku to apologize!" Tao Qiandao knew that he had indeed caused the trouble, and was ready to die to apologize.

I don’t know if Tao Qiandao was sincere or fake, but he was still stopped by other retainers, who did not even think that this matter was Tao Qiandao’s fault.

"You don't need to argue! Emperor Ming wants to marry my sister, don't even think about it!" Ouchi Yoshihiro said clearly and authentically when facing the quarreling retainers.

As soon as these words came out, all the retainers immediately became quiet.

Although the incident was indeed caused by their instigation, and they just wanted to send their most beautiful young lady in Japan to the Ming Emperor to consolidate the harem, it was a result they could not accept no matter what.

Now that the young head of the family, Ouchi Yoshihiro, has made his position clear, they immediately expressed their support.

this……

When Tao Qiandao saw the angry retainers, his eyes flashed with deep worry.

His ancestors moved to Japan. Although it has been several generations since then, he still has most of the Chinese blood flowing in his body, so he has a deeper understanding of China.

This time he witnessed the prosperity of the Ming capital and saw the incredible Mingyuan Tower in Tianjin, so he knew the serious consequences of rejecting the Ming Emperor.

Tao Qiandao didn't want to see the Ouchi family suffer a catastrophe, but he bit the bullet and said: "Young master, the Ming Emperor is warlike. If our Ouchi family refuses, I'm afraid we will have to face the huge ships and cannons of the East China Sea Governor's Mansion!"

"Big ships and powerful guns? What are those things?"

"It doesn't matter what he is, if he dares to come, he will kill their shit!"

"Da Ming only talks nonsense, I dare to risk my life that he will not come!"

…

Faced with Tao Qiandao's concerns, several retainers present did not take Daming seriously at all, with a deep disdain on their faces and tone.

Due to Ouchi Yoshihiro's stance, several retainers did not intend to compromise with Ming Dynasty, and a decision was made immediately.

"Where is the head of the Ouchi family?"

This time, the person who came to announce the acceptance of the eldest daughter of the imperial concubine as the imperial concubine was Xie Qian, a scholar at the Hanlin Academy. However, he did not expect that he would run into a wall, even though he wanted to negotiate with the imperial concubine.

The retainer next to him knew what Xie Qian was planning and said with great disdain: "Our master has already told us before leaving that all affairs will be decided by the young master!"

The corners of Ouchi Yoshihiro's mouth rose slightly. Although he didn't know his father's true attitude, even if he was the head of the family now, it was naturally impossible for him to marry his sister to the Ming Dynasty.

What's more, he heard that the Ming Emperor was very lustful. Not only did he like old women who were more than twenty years older than him, but he also killed beautiful palace maids on the spot when he saw them.

"The Ming Dynasty has treated your great friends very well over the years, giving you the greatest discounts on trade and providing you with advanced weapons. However, your family master has always claimed that he would like to be a vassal of the Ming Dynasty. Now His Majesty wants to accept your eldest daughter as a concubine to deepen the relationship between the two parties. , is this all about disobeying the order?" Xie Qian immediately asked loudly like a qualified diplomat.

this……

Several retainers present suddenly realized that their words and deeds seemed to be inconsistent, especially that their master really yearned for the Ming Dynasty.

Ouchi Yoshihiro was unmoved and immediately snorted: "Whatever you say, it is absolutely impossible for my sister to marry the Ming Dynasty, let alone your Ming Dynasty emperor!"

"Young Master, not to mention that you are disrespectful to His Majesty now, if you disobey His Majesty, you will have to bear the consequences!" Xie Qian narrowed his eyes and gave a serious warning.

After all, Ouchi Yoshihiro is a stubborn young man, and he immediately provoked: "Haha... let's see what you, Ming, can do to our Ouchi family?"

The current Ouchi family can be said to be in its heyday, and its power is no longer limited to the western part of Honshu Island. In addition to expanding eastward to Iwami Country, it also occupies the northern part of Kyushu Island.

As the shogunate was provoked by Rokkaku Takayori, as the most powerful daimyo in the west, the status of their Ouchi clan increased.

"You will know soon, farewell!" Seeing that there was no room for maneuver, Xie Qian turned around and left.

In the original plan, they actually wanted to follow the successful example of Bei Concubine Iksi and firmly restrict Bei Yuan through Princess Bei Yuan.

If they can bring the eldest daughter of Ouchi back to the palace, then the Ouchi family will be restricted by their Ming Dynasty to a certain extent, and at least the development of the Iwami Silver Mine will go more smoothly.

It's just that things eventually developed in the worst direction, but they also made a second plan, and now the Ouchi family no longer drinks fine wine for toasting.

"Ouch...it hurts!"

Ouchi Yoshihiro's ears were suddenly pinched, and he immediately begged for mercy.

But the perpetrator was a sixteen or seventeen-year-old Japanese girl. She had a delicate oval face, two long legs and a tall frame that were extremely rare in this era. Her beautiful eyes were like a pool of water.

This person is none other than Ouchi Saeiko, the eldest daughter of Ouchi Yoshihiro. The fact that Yamaguchi Castle has become the Western Capital is also due to her contribution.

Thanks to the word-of-mouth spread of countless literati, she has become the most famous beauty in Japan even though she has never set foot in the Tokyo area.

Ouchi Saeiko's voice was very gentle, but at this moment she took on the airs of a sister and scolded: "Ryuudomaru, are you going to sneak outside to play again?"

"Sister, I... I want to patrol the city defense!" Ouchi Yoshihiro protected his ears, but quickly made an excuse for himself in his mind.

Ouchi Saeiko knew that this younger brother was very playful, so she immediately exposed the lie and said: "You lied! Normally, your father refuses to go even if he asks you to go. How can you be so active now that your father is not here? And there is no war, so why patrol the city defense!"

"Ouch... it hurts, it hurts. I just refused to accept you as a concubine in the Ming Palace. Now our Ouchi family has fallen out with the Ming Dynasty, so I thought of patrolling the city defense. If you don't believe me, ask the retainers!" Ouchi Yixing endured it! Pain, he immediately found a reasonable excuse.

Ouchi Saeiko was stunned for a moment, then she let go of Ouchi Yoshihiro's ear and said, "What on earth is going on? Why does the Ming Emperor want to accept me as his concubine?"

Things suddenly develop in a bizarre direction. The lives of two people who originally lived in different worlds seem to have undergone subtle changes, and the two people are intersecting.

Just as the war in Omi Country in the center of Honshu Island is about to break out, the sea area to the west of Honshu Island is no longer peaceful.

A fleet flying the flag of the Ming Dynasty suddenly sailed into the Guanshan Strait, which is the sea area between Honshu Island and Kyushu Island. It is also the most important link between Honshu Island and Kyushu Island.

Since the Ouchi clan took control of the northern part of Kyushu Island, they have transported goods or information through the Kanzan Strait. It is also the sea they must pass through to mobilize troops to support Kyushu Island.

"Why did the Ming Dynasty's East China Sea Fleet come to us?"

Because the head of the family was in charge of the Eastern Expedition, the Ouchi family was transporting food from Kyushu Island. When they saw the sudden appearance of the fleet, they suddenly seemed very puzzled.

"Sink them all!"

Xu Shiying, the governor of the East China Sea, personally led the fleet and gave the order very coldly.

Boom!

As flames erupted from the muzzle, lead bullets weighing as much as fifteen kilograms rose high into the air, and then landed heavily on the grain ship in front.

Although Japan has shipbuilding technology, its technology lags far behind that of the Ming Dynasty. Even for their warships, the hulls are made of wooden boards and have no keels.

boom! boom! boom!

Rows of lead bullets flew over the grain ship and fell like raindrops.

Some of the shells directly hit the people on the boat, causing blood to spatter, some of the shells shattered the hull of the boat, and some of the shells missed and splashed more than ten meters of water on the sea surface.

Just two rounds later, the rows of grain-carrying ships that had just been lined up had disappeared on the sea. The grain on the ships sank to the bottom of the sea to feed the fish, but many people were holding on to scattered wooden boards to survive.

Xie Qian was not in a hurry to go back and resume his life this time. He stood on the deck and watched all this with cold eyes. At this moment, he really felt how wise the emperor's strategy of strengthening the army was.

"Head to the dock!"

Xu Shiying looked coldly at the people holding on to the planks for survival. She did not intend to beat up the drowned dogs, but instead focused on the simple dock built by the Ouchi family.

boom! boom! boom!

There was another round of shelling, and the people who were busy at the dock just now were already running away. As for the dock used to park sea ships, it disappeared.

Yes, you read that right, it has disappeared.

Unlike the indestructible docks built by the Ming Dynasty, Japan's docks were mainly made of wooden structures. The part that extended to the sea was sunk into the sea, and only some wood was still floating on the sea.

Not only did the Ouchi family lose a large amount of military supplies, but they were also cut off from the pass by the fleet. All this seemed to happen in an instant.

At this point, the strength of the Ming Dynasty on the sea has been officially revealed to the world, and now the Ming fleet is a veritable overlord of the East China Sea.

Yamaguchi Castle, the Ouchi family residence.

“We can’t transport food from Kyushu!”

"Several docks were destroyed by the cannonballs of the Ming fleet!"

"The Ming fleet seems to be looking for our warships now, and now we can only hide!"

…

Facing the invincible East China Sea Fleet, several retainers were no longer as arrogant as they were a few days ago, but they reported intelligence reports as if they were mourning for their heirs.

In fact, it wasn't that they didn't know that the Ming Dynasty's warships were very powerful, and it wasn't that they really couldn't accept the defeat, but it seemed like they were completely defeated overnight, which made them feel frightened.

"Oh no!"

"What's up?"

"Our ship heading to Shenzhi Island for trade has been detained!"

…

Just as they were discussing the response plan, another piece of bad news suddenly came. Their Ouchi clan's external trading merchant ship had been detained.

"Damn it!"

Although this incident was expected, it was inevitable that he was lucky. Now that he learned that the ship carrying important cargo had been detained, he immediately cursed bitterly.

But who can be blamed for this?

If they hadn't encouraged Dayou's family to touch the tiger's butt and disobey the Ming Emperor's will, how could they have been targeted so crazily by the East China Sea Fleet.

Tao Qiandao has always been a peace advocate and said cautiously: "If we lose contact with the northern part of Kyushu Island for too long, something may happen!"

The territory of the Western Kingdom of Honshu Island will still be under the control of the shogunate, but Kyushu Island is basically out of the control of the shogunate. Now who has more power and who has more territory.

The Ouchi family occupies the territory in the northern part of Kyushu Island. After so many years of operation, it has developed the territory there into the granary of the Ouchi family.

It's just that now is an era where strength is respected. Not only does the Ouchi family face the eyeing gaze of the Otomo family, but the local forces in Kyushu are ready to make a comeback at any time.

At this moment, they had begun to realize the serious consequences of offending Ming, and the mentality of several retainers also inadvertently produced subtle changes.

"I will never allow my sister to marry into the Ming Dynasty!" Ouchi Yoshihiro seemed to see that the retainer had retreated, but he firmly said his attitude.

Ouchi clan's retainer Masayaro Kurada was an adviser, but he suddenly had an idea and said: "The Ming Dynasty is not without its weaknesses! I heard that their domestic silver is equivalent to gold. This is also why the Tokai Governor's Office wants to buy the Iwami Silver Mine. Now we will take it back immediately We can use this as a bargaining chip to force them to return our merchant ships and evacuate the East China Sea Fleet!"

"Okay, let's take back the Iwami Silver Mine immediately and not allow them to mine silver mines in Iwami Country!" Ouchi Yoshihiro's eyes suddenly lit up, and he pretended to have made a decision.

Seven days later, Ouchi Yoshihiro personally led 10,000 elite troops to the Iwami Kingdom and attacked the Iwami Silver Mine with lightning speed.

But when they crossed the mountains and reached the Iwami Silver Mine, they couldn't help but be dumbfounded.

Although the people of the Ming Dynasty had started building roads and built many houses on the silver mines, not a single person was seen. The silver mine, which I had always thought was a treasure to the people of Ming Dynasty, actually gave up right away.

As for this silver mine, it is simply useless to the Ouchi family.

Not to mention that the cost of mining is too high, copper coins and gold are currently circulating in Japan. If you want to use them to buy Ming products, you have to repair the relationship with them to be feasible. (End of chapter)