The Red Mansions

Satsuma Domain, Shimadzu Family

Shimazu Mitsuji stood up, greeted Emperor Goko with a respectful expression, and saluted, "I have met Your Majesty."

No matter what, since the banner of "respecting the king and rejecting the barbarians" is to be displayed, the etiquette should at least be in place.

Emperor Gomitsu had a calm look on his young and handsome face. He looked at Shimazu Mitsuhisa, pondered for a moment, and asked: "The Governor of the Shimazu family does not need to be polite. What are you doing here, the fourth son of the Tokugawa family?"

The Tokugawa shogunate had controlled Japan's national government for a long time and oppressed the royal family. Emperor Gomitsu didn't have much affection for the shogunate.

Tokugawa Tsunashige stepped forward quickly and saluted: "Your Majesty, the Han troops have landed in Japan. The Han people and the Manchu Qing are feuding. Your Majesty, you can borrow the Han troops to expel the Jurchen Tatars."

Emperor Goguang was surprised and asked: "Where are the Han soldiers and horses now?"

Tokugawa Tsunashige said: "Since landing at Nagato, An Yun and Zhou Feng have been captured. Now we should capture Danba. In the blink of an eye, we can sweep across Japan and defeat the Jurchen Tatars."

A look of thought appeared on the young and fair face of Emperor Hou Guangming, and he said in a deep voice: "What conditions does Duke Wei have?"

Although the emperor is too young, he has learned from his experience over the years and knows that there is no free lunch in the world.

Shimazu Mitsuhisa said: "The Duke of Wei said he would station troops in Edo and asked the emperor to station himself in Edo."

Emperor Gomitsu frowned and said, "Why are we stationing troops in Edo?"

In fact, this is still a simple cannibalization strategy that Jia Heng can think of currently, and it is also inspired by the US military stationed in Japan after World War II.

"This is the condition for sending troops." Shimazu Mitsuhisa sneered and said warmly: "I'm afraid they are also ambitious and annex our country's territory."

Emperor Gomitsu frowned and turned to look at Tokugawa Tsunashige with questioning eyes.

At this moment, Tokugawa Tsunazhong opened his mouth and said: "At the beginning, Korea was a vassal state of the Chinese Dynasty. After hundreds of years, it has been able to maintain the wealth of the royal family. It can be seen that as long as it surrenders to China and accepts canonization, China will not swallow it up at all. Act of."

"But now we are stationing troops in Edo. There is an old saying in China, how can we allow others to sleep soundly beside the couch?" Shimazu Mitsuhisa said with an indifferent expression.

Emperor Gomitsu sighed and asked, "Can Lord Shimazu, with the strength of the Satsuma and Choshu feudal lords, defeat the Jurchen Tatars?"

These are the powerful vassals of the overthrow movement.

But in the face of the Jurchen Eight Banners cavalry, which said "the Jurchens are less than ten thousand and are invincible", they could not defeat them at all. They could only wait a few hundred years to bully the corrupt Qing Dynasty.

After Shimazu Mitsuji heard this, he remained silent for a while. Apparently, he also learned about the combat power of the Jurchen Eight Banners from some battles in the Choshu Domain.

Who can resist such an army of troops?

Seeing this, Emperor Hou Guangming didn't know the details, and said: "If this is the case, then send someone to contact Duke Wei of the Han court and say that Japan is willing to send troops to unite with the Han Dynasty to attack the Jurchen Tatars."

Shimazu Mitsuhisa was silent for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "I sincerely comply with the Emperor's decree."

Afterwards, Tokugawa Tsusushige left the Shimazu family to rest, intending to inform the accompanying Han envoy guards.

Shimazu Mitsuhisa summoned his retainers and samurai to prepare for the war with all his strength. At the same time, he sent someone to notify the feudal lord in Choshu Domain, who was also the governor of the Mori family, to make an appointment to send troops.

As for Emperor Gōko, he returned to his harem to find his sister, Emperor Meisho.

At this moment, next to the small table by the window, Emperor Meisho was dressed in a cherry red dress, kneeling and sitting behind the small table. He was holding a book in his hand. When he lowered his eyes, he read the words on the book and read. Gotta relish it.

The big characters "Three Kingdoms" can be vaguely seen on the cover, which is clearly the Three Kingdoms version written by Jia Heng.

Emperor Mingzheng's delicate and beautiful brows were sometimes frowned and sometimes condensed, as if he was thinking about something.

At this moment, there was a familiar sound of footsteps outside. Immediately, Emperor Goguang Ming entered the chamber and met Emperor Mingzheng's clear and intelligent eyes. His voice was a little softer unconsciously, and he said: "Sister, Han Ting's Duke Wei has promised to send troops to help us expel the elite Jurchen Eight Banners."

Under the curved eyebrows of Emperor Mingzheng, his quiet and delicate eyes were as clear as water, and he said softly: "Duke Wei? But the author of this book? Duke Jia Heng of Wei."

As he spoke, he raised the book in his hand, and there was a quiet aura in his originally quiet eyebrows.

Emperor Goguangmei nodded and said, "Sister, are you the author of this book?"

Jia Heng's Three Kingdoms has now become popular throughout the Japanese kingdom. From high-ranking officials to common warriors, everyone is obsessed with the book.

Emperor Meisheng didn't pay attention to this book before. It was also because he was on the move during this period and received some reports about the landfall of Duke Jia Heng with his troops and the recovery of many cities one after another, so he asked the female officer to find the translation and carry out the work on a regular basis. read.

Emperor Meisho smiled and praised: "This book is very interesting. It could not have been written by someone with a big mind and great courage."

Emperor Hou Guangming said: "It's rare for my sister to praise such a person. I heard that he is a strange man. He is talented in literature and martial arts. He is good at conquering and fighting. I don't know how he was born. Isn't he handsome and beautiful?"

Emperor Mingzheng was stunned for a moment and said: "Those who have always been heroes are not necessarily handsome in appearance. For example, Cao Cao in the Three Kingdoms seems to be short in stature, but he has the ambition of heaven and earth and the opportunity of the universe. He is a true hero."

Emperor Goguang Ming suddenly felt something in his heart and said with a smile: "Sister, if this hero can marry my sister, what would I think of it?"

In fact, he also had some ideas when he came back, using the self-respect of the Han Dynasty to suppress the vassals and form a containment pattern.

Now that the Tokugawa shogunate has fallen, although the Satsuma and Choshu vassals respect the emperor, they may not take the imperial family seriously. If they can marry with the Han court, they may be able to suppress domestic vassals.

Emperor Mingzheng said calmly: "I am the emperor, above all living beings, how can I marry at will?"

The beauty talked about her marriage without any shyness. For the beauty, getting married because of an alliance of interests was a normal thing.

Emperor Gomitsu said: "Sister, the Choshu and Satsuma clans also have their own agenda. Once Edo is recaptured, what will happen may happen."

Emperor Meisho said softly: "Now that Japan is in danger, my brother is worried?"

"I want to restore the glory of the Yamato clan?" Emperor Gokoumika said in a deep voice with firm eyes.

Under the curved eyebrows of Emperor Meisho, his clear eyes seemed to be condensed, and he said: "In this case, let's wait until we get to Edo to discuss this idea."

Emperor Gomitsu said: "The Han people will probably not withdraw easily this time, but this is just a good way to suppress the vassals."

Emperor Mingzheng nodded and said nothing else.

……

……

Edo Castle, the shogunate's residence

In the hall, Azig and Obai had just finished lunch and were sitting together to discuss matters. In the past few days, the vanguard troops of the Jiangnan Navy and the Denglai Navy had arrived at Edo City and were initially fighting with Azig's men. Elite soldiers and horses were handed over.

Both sides fought bloody battles, with neither victory nor defeat.

Azig said: "According to the scouts' inspection, at a rough look, the Han soldiers and horses should be about 100,000, and they carried a lot of firecrackers. It was really difficult to deal with them. In the battle of Danbo, they used cannons and muskets to attack the city, and they could attack the city any time they wanted. Even if he is not afraid of death, he cannot resist it at all."

Under Ao Bai's thick eyebrows, his tiger eyes were piercing, with a flash of wisdom, and he said: "This time it is the Han navy, not the most elite cavalry of the Beijing camp, and it is not without the strength to fight. "

Azig shook his head and said: "Don't have too many extravagant hopes. If it really doesn't work, we should withdraw our troops."

When Ao Bai heard this, he was silent for a moment, and there was a hint of worry in his aggressive and flashing tiger eyes.

Azig sighed and said: "The Eight Banners elites we hold in our hands are half of our Qing Dynasty. If there is even the slightest mistake, the consequences will be disastrous."

Shengjing City and the Jurchens still have about 50,000 to 60,000 troops and horses at the moment. It can be said that if the troops and horses led by Azig and Aobai are lost in the Japanese country, it will really be a disaster for the Jurchens.

Obei said: "Your Majesty, are you planning to withdraw your troops now?"

Azig pondered for a moment and said: "Get ready to withdraw. If we lose our troops here, our Qing Dynasty will be finished."

This hot-tempered British prince, at this moment, showed a calmness that is difficult for ordinary people to achieve.

Obai's eyes were fierce and he said: "If we can defeat the Han army and capture the Han Dynasty Duke Wei, it will be possible for me to eliminate powerful enemies and enter the Central Plains after the Qing Dynasty."

Azig said: "You can give it a try, but you can't force it."

Just as the two were planning a strategy to defend the city, fifteen miles away from Edo Castle——

At this moment, Jiangnan Navy and Denglai Navy were setting up camp. The tents were like white waves blooming in the sea, and they were like dandelions.

Inside the Chinese military camp, a group of generals were sitting on chairs, all looking calmly at the tall and tall young man in a python suit.

Jia Heng pondered for a moment and said: "Edo City is much stronger than the Daimyo City of the Japanese vassal. The Hongyi cannon bombing this time, combined with gunpowder to blow up the city wall, and then sending troops and horses to attack the city in a large scale, can reduce casualties and at the same time concentrate on Riding around to prevent the Jurchens from leaving the city to meet the enemy."

At this moment, more than 40,000 Jurchen soldiers and horses are all in Edo City, relying on the fortified city to defend the city. The casualties are estimated to be quite large. If the Jurchens take advantage of the fatigue of the Han army division veterans and take the opportunity to break out of the city, Jiangnan Navy and The Denglai Navy may not be able to stop it.

Jurchens are best at doing this kind of thing of finding a way out of desperate situations and turning defeat into victory.

At that time, once it was defeated, it would really be a defeat for the Japanese country.

Therefore, the emphasis on using troops this time is to be steady, to attack steadily and slowly to strangle the Jurchen Tatars.

At this moment, a bodyguard wearing a flying fish suit and an embroidered spring sword hanging from his waist came quickly and said with cupped hands: "Captain, the Jurchens have prepared a large number of sea ships in the sea southeast of Edo City. The cavalry troops were guarding the surroundings, alerting the enemy, and seemed to be trying to escape."

Jia Heng's cold eyes flashed, and he said thoughtfully: "Sea ship?"

Wei Wang Chen Ran said in surprise: "Zi Yu, what is this?"

Jia Heng sneered and said firmly: "Ajige and Aobai are worried that the Jurchen family will be ruined here, so they plan to escape."

There is no doubt that what Azig and Obai are holding at this moment is less than half of the Eight Banners elites of the Jurchens. If they are all lost here, then the Jurchens are really about to die.

The King of Wei was startled and asked: "How does Ziyu plan to deal with it?" Jia Heng's eyes were bright and his tone was extremely determined, and he said: "Send troops to hijack the ships, at least we can't let the Tatars escape calmly."

King Wei nodded.

Jia Heng gave a deep drink and called out: "Jia Fang, where is Cen Hu?"

"The end will be here." At this time, the two people came out of the train, clasped their fists and said in response.

Jia Heng ordered: "You two will lead a guard of 10,000 troops and go to Edo Bay to plunder ships. We cannot allow the Jurchens to escape easily."

Even if we keep all the Eight Banners elites who invaded Japan this time, we only need to keep half.

Jia Fang looked solemn and said yes.

Jia Heng said, then looked at Wei Che, Shui Yu, Ye Kai, the son of Annan Hou Ye Zhen, and others, with solemn expressions, and said: "The remaining generals, mobilize heavy artillery, attack from the south city, and we must capture Edo City."

"Yes."

All the generals responded in unison, and their morale was like a rainbow.

After all the generals had finished their errands, they left.

King Chen Ran of Wei asked: "Zi Yu, why don't you wait for reinforcements from the Satsuma clan of Japan?"

In the past few days, as he learned more about the Japanese country, King Chen Ran of Wei knew that the Japanese country was ruled by an emperor with an arch, and there were many vassals, similar to the state of the emperor of Zhou and the princes of the Spring and Autumn Period.

Jia Heng said: "We take Edo Castle first, and then we will have more initiative when facing the Japanese state. If we wait for the Japanese vassals of Satsuma and Changshu to come over and want to completely dominate the Japanese government affairs, It’s not easy.”

After he really takes charge of the government affairs of the Japanese country, he will gradually level the vassals in the Japanese country, then abolish the vassals and establish counties, and bring the Japanese country into the hands of the Han Dynasty.

With Dengrai Navy and Jiangnan Navy stationed in Japan, and with sea ships patrolling the entire East China Sea, the attack on North Korea and Japan was completed.

At this moment, it was already the end of winter in the seventeenth year of Chongping. It was approaching the twelfth lunar month, and the cold wind was howling, already biting the bones.

King Wei Chen Ran pondered for a moment and nodded.

As Jia Heng issued the order, the troops of the Jiangnan Navy and the Denglai Navy began to mobilize quickly to besiege Edo City.

"Rumble..."

The sound of cannons rumbled, and the red barbarian cannons, transported by mules and horses, rumbled towards the city wall, but the smoke was filled and the firelight flickered.

The cannonballs landed on the city wall, causing smoke and dust to fly up. Large gaps were blown out of the crenellations of the city wall, and many of the elite soldiers of the Women's Realm were blown up with their heads bruised and bleeding, and they screamed repeatedly.

Then, with a whooshing sound, in addition to the bows and arrows, there were also black thunderbolts thrown to the top of Edo Castle, which exploded into pieces. Many Japanese soldiers fell to the side while screaming.

This is a battlefield of weapons crushing, hot weapons absolutely crushing cold weapons.

Although the Jurchens also unloaded more than a dozen cannons from the warships and frequently fired back with cannons, they were clearly unable to cope with the Han court's heavy artillery cluster.

Tong Tu Lai led a group of elite soldiers and hid behind a three-story turret, looking down at the Han army holding weapons and attacking the city wall.

"Don't panic, hold your heads and get down! We won't shoot off the cannons in a while." Tong Tulai shouted loudly with a dark face.

Some elite Jurchen soldiers did as they were told and lay prone on the ground.

Sure enough, because the person is lying on the ground, the impact range of the shrapnel is smaller, and it is easier to protect the torso from injury.

After a while, the rumbling sound of the cannon was heard to be much lower.

After all, the Hongyi cannons had limited shells. After bombing for a while, the Han army's Jiangnan Navy and Denglai Navy also began to attack.

In order to prevent accidents, Jia Heng personally led thousands of troops to guard the formation, just to prevent a sudden counterattack from the Jurchens.

Jurchens are brave and strong, and can definitely do this kind of thing.

In fact, during the offensive and defensive battles between the two sides, Jia Heng was not worried about the low combat effectiveness of the naval soldiers and their inability to be used. After all, their combat effectiveness was honed after the Tuduo and Haoge bandits invaded the south of the Yangtze River.

It's just that the Jurchen elite Eight Banners soldiers are clearly one step ahead. They are fighting the enemy at this moment, and they don't see the embarrassment they had just been suppressed by the Hongyi cannon. They are as fierce and powerful as before.

Jia Heng held a monocular telescope and looked at the soldiers on top of the city, frowning secretly.

This can be said to be the brave cavalry of the Qing Dynasty who entered the customs. It is indeed not that easy to deal with.

In the previous battle of Danbo, on one hand, the troops were ten times stronger than the enemy, and on the other hand, they relied on the strength of firearms, so they were able to achieve a complete victory.

Jia Heng turned to look at King Chen Ran of Wei on the side and said, "Your Highness, when will the latest batch of bullets that King Chu is escorting be delivered?"

During this period, more than 100,000 troops went on an expedition against Japan until the twelfth lunar month. In addition to the consumption of food and clothing, they also consumed countless weapons, crossbows, bullets, and armor. Naturally, these did not fall from the sky.

After the King of Chu received the errand, he brought a group of craftsmen to Jeolla Province in North Korea. They supervised the manufacture of ordnance on the spot in Jeolla Province and transported it to the army by ship.

It can be regarded as effectively guaranteeing the frontline operations of the army.

Compared with King Wei supervising the army on the front line, King Chu's contribution was actually more practical.

Of course, the king of Wei sent Wangfu Chief Shi to facilitate the surrender of the Korean king. After returning to Beijing, he also made a great contribution.

Under his sword-shaped brows, King Wei Chen Ran showed a look of thoughtfulness in his clear eyes, and said loudly: "Ziyu, I will send someone to ask later."

Jia Heng nodded and said: "The people in Edo City are the brave and elite Jurchens. The so-called lion fights the rabbit with all its strength. Since our army has sharp firearms, we should use firearms to win. We should use our own strengths to attack the enemy." short."

Hey, I also took the time to give King Wei a heads up, as a way of repaying Tian Niuer for her kindness in having children.

While Jia Heng was chatting with King Chen Ran of Wei, it was already noon. Jia Heng ordered his soldiers to withdraw their troops with gold.

"Dangdang..."

The large number of soldiers immediately retreated like a tide, leaving only hundreds of corpses under Edo City. However, the Jurchens, as the defenders of the city, suffered unexpectedly heavy casualties, with over a thousand casualties.

The day's siege battle gradually came to an end, and Jia Heng also adjusted his army strategy with his generals.

……

……

Edo, in the residence of the Tokugawa shogunate——

Azige and Aobai were sipping tea around a small table. The tea was steaming on the coffee table. They sat looking at each other with a solemn expression on their faces.

The number of casualties on this day was clearly unacceptable.

More than a thousand people were injured every day, which looked inconspicuous. When the siege lasted for a month, the number would be 30,000.

Azig pondered for a moment and said: "The Han people's firearms are really powerful. If this continues, the casualties will be too great and we won't be able to hold on for long."

Oboi said: "Didn't Tong Tulai mention just now that letting the soldiers lie down on the ground while waiting for the artillery bombardment can reduce the casualties of the soldiers?"

Azig said: "I have given instructions and asked the troops to act according to their words. However, if this continues, we must leave the place of right and wrong as soon as possible."

At this moment, a Jurchen Eight Banner and the Red Flag from the primary school strode into the hall and said: "Your Majesty, Baha Dutong said that the Han army sent troops to Edo Bay to rob ships and cut us off. Army retreat."

Azige and Obai looked at each other and saw shock on each other's faces.

Obai frowned, with a worried look on his face, and said: "The Han people have noticed it and need to send more troops to drive them away."

Azig shook his head and said: "No matter what, Edo City cannot be defended like this. Even if it is defended, the casualties will be too high."

Ao Bai's voice was loud and he said angrily: "Your Majesty, how about I mobilize those who dare to die to go out and fight the Han people?"

Azig thought for a while and said: "During the daytime artillery battle, I found that they lined up their artillery guns in the southwest. Destroy their artillery guns. As long as they are hijacked and burned, the pressure on the city can be relieved."

Because during the siege, an artillery position was formed in order to intensively utilize Hongyi's artillery and form a heavy artillery cluster.

Ao Bai's majestic face showed a heroic look and said: "Your Majesty, I will personally lead the troops to attack the Han army's artillery array."

Azige said: "You are the commander-in-chief, please don't do anything without permission."

Going out to kill the artillery and gun array is a big risk, and it can even be said that there is no return.

At this time, Tong Tulai below said: "Your Majesty, the general is willing to hijack the Han army's artillery and muskets."

Azige and Obai both looked at Tong Tulai, but heard Tong Tulai loudly say: "Your Majesty, in Danbo City, the last general should have died. This time he will die for my Qing Dynasty."

Seeing this, Azig said: "Good man, come and get some wine!"

At this time, the Jurchen Primary School brought a large bowl of wine, and Azig took the bowl and gave it to Tong Tulai Zhuangxing.

……

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