New Shun 1730

After asking for some more details, Li Han asked Mantou to return to the ship first. Since he was the commander at the front, he had to make his own decision on this matter.

The idea was to cooperate with the imperial court's general strategy. Of course, there are certain risks. If the court changes its strategy again, such as killing the warriors, occupying the magpie's nest, etc., then it will not be considered a good thing for him to do so.

After thinking about it, I decided to take a little risk, so I made the decision.

He asked the interpreter to write a letter, and asked someone to deliver the letter to the mountain, so that people from the Choshu clan could negotiate.

Their safety can be guaranteed, but I can only say, it is unlucky to kill prisoners. If it resists stubbornly, no scrap of armor will remain.

"Killing prisoners is ominous" carries a very heavy weight, especially when spoken by a prince. These four words are enough to shake the Changshu clan's mind.

Another one is that the Choshu clan retreated to the hills, which was a dead end.

Is it because the general's brain is not working well and he didn't choose to break out and run away? Or is it because the general himself intends to negotiate? This is also debatable.

He sent a few warriors to deliver the letter up the hill.

The warriors did not glare at the messenger, but did not dare to look directly at him. Each of them was still immersed in the sound of cannons and battles before, and was frightened.

After Maori Munuhiro read the letter, he breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that there was indeed a glimmer of hope in it.

Maybe after surrendering, even if they were not killed, they would still be taken as prisoners and sent back to Dashun.

It's also possible that the other side doesn't want to take them as prisoners at all, but may ask for some gold and silver.

In any case, there is still a glimmer of hope, which is better than breaking out and running away with a few cronies before. If he had broken out and escaped with a few close friends before, his chance of survival would have been lost.

Whether there is a glimmer of hope depends on Dashun's attitude, but at least there is hope.

He called a group of trusted retainers and warriors to his side, and sighed: "The people of the Tang Dynasty are powerful and have sharp weapons, so they are really difficult to defeat. I really can't bear to see all the kings die like this. The prince of the Tang Dynasty personally said not to kill, so he should keep his word. ”

"I really can't bear that all of you will die here. You must surrender, and I must die to serve the country!"

Having said that, we must choose the wrong person and make a death gesture.

The cumbersome process of seppuku finally exerted its due effect at this time.

It was not in line with the daimyo's style and customs to cut himself with a sword before others could react; this kind of delaying ceremony, which required a long ceremony, certainly gave the retainers enough time to persuade him.

The trusted retainers were moved by Mouri Munuhiro and fell to their knees on the ground, crying: "The feudal lord must not commit suicide. In the past..."

After quoting scriptures from King Wen who ate his son's flesh to Gou Jian who tasted feces, Mao Li Zongguang let out a long sigh, abandoned his sword in the tunnel and said: "Even so, King Wen still has Xiqi, and Gou Jian still has Yue Di." . If the Tang Dynasty retreats in the future, what will they do?"

The person who asked was not only asking himself, but also asking his retainers and warriors. Even if Dashun does not take any land from Choshu Domain, what if the shogunate takes back the land of Choshu Domain?

Either they were brought under direct jurisdiction, or they were redistributed to some close vassals and daimyons. These samurai retainers who followed him were bound to be discriminated against. Just like the old ministers of Tosa who have long been members of the Ga family, this is what the retainers are most afraid of.

If you transfer the title to someone else, they will have their own trusted retainers. The feudal system was a system of personal dependence. Retainers were dependent on the feudal lord. The strength of the feudal lord depended on the retainers and samurai. In turn, the strength of the feudal lord was fed back to the retainers and samurai.

After saying that, Mao Li Zongguang said: "The only plan now is for me to personally join the Tang army. If I put myself in danger, I might be able to convince the Tang people to exchange for the immortality of Changzhou. Even if I am captured and humiliated, why should I regret it?"

"grown ups……"

The confidants and retainers cried together, but they were not as persuasive as they had been when they advised him not to commit suicide. This time they just cried bitterly.

Maori Zongguang lamented several times, asked everyone, and went down the mountain with only a few personal attendants.

Some words were really not convenient for more people to know, so he could only choose to go down the mountain to talk about it himself.

If the negotiation can be concluded, the samurai retainers will be grateful for his kindness in the future, and even if he abdicates the throne and lives in seclusion, Mouri will still be unable to speak, unless he is dead.

Or... doesn't Dashun need a dog?

Is the shogunate the only one to whom one can be loyal?

If Dashun demands tribute from Japan, can he leapfrog his loyalty?

Under the feudal system, ordinary people generally would not leapfrog their superiors to rebel. For example, one country would rarely interact with its surroundings; conversely, it seemed that they generally could not leapfrog their superiors and pledge allegiance.

Dashun, will the shogunate be retained?

Or will Japan be broken up into many vassal states, each with their own allegiance, and a hundred countries will share the same dynasty?

If this is the case, it seems possible that Dashun will retain the southwestern vassals. Not only will the southwestern vassals be allowed to exist, but they may even be allowed to become independent!

With the protection of the big tree of Dashun, it can be controlled by the shogunate.

When it comes to paying homage, who is not a gin?

If you go to the shogunate, you have to be controlled by the shogunate in the number of retainers; if you go to Dashun, you can see how the small lives of Korea and Ryukyu are. Not only is Dashun not controlled, but on the contrary, you will make a lot of money every time you pay tribute.

The only way to protect Changzhou and the Maori clan is to make friends with Dashun and talk about the interests, hoping that Dashun can keep the Changzhou clan.

The shogunate could not defeat Dashun. If the Choshu clan really chose to surrender to Dashun, what could the shogunate do? Even if there are some warriors who do not understand current affairs and really want to serve the country, they can be wiped out by Dashun's troops.

But the starting point for speaking out about this matter must be for the sake of the samurai. Only in this way can the samurai remain loyal.

In the eyes of the samurai on the mountain, Munehiro Mouri is a warrior who endures humiliation and bear heavy burdens, and is like the wind rustling and the water cold.

In the eyes of the Dashun soldiers who formed a siege at the foot of the mountain, Munehiro Mouri was a loser who was dejected and panicked like a bereaved dog.

Li Han made up his mind and called for a promotion.

Soldiers stood on both sides. After Mouri Munehiro was escorted in, the honor guards shouted threats in unison, but Munehiro Mouri stood still.

Li Huan wanted to give someone a warning first and asked the interpreter to pass the message: "Who are you? What is your current position?"

Munehiro Mouri stood there and said: "I am the lord of the Choshu Domain of Japan, and I serve as the chief chef of the five great chefs."

"Why don't you, a mere five-level official, meet the prince of the Celestial Dynasty and worship him?"

"The two countries are at war. I am a Japanese official, not a great official. How can I meet the prince of the Tang Dynasty with the courtesy of the Tang Dynasty?"

Li Han smiled and said: "Since you are the Maori clan, do you know what happened a hundred years ago? During the Wanli period of the former Ming Dynasty, Emperor Shenzong of the former Ming Dynasty canonized Toyotomi Hideyoshi as the king of Japan. I heard Ying Sabo say that the Maori clan was the Maori clan of the past. As one of the five great elders, how can a human being forget his ancestors?"

"In the last years of the Ming Dynasty, all the princes and princes were carnivores and dandies, relying on their confidants; the eunuchs knew the dogs and dolphins, and borrowed their eyes and ears. There were many prisoners in the prison, and the scholars had no intention of repaying the gifts; the levies were heavy, and the people had the hatred of perishing together. Haotian is so poor in benevolence that he causes the people to suffer from disasters. The haggard figure and the pain of the disease are felt all over the world. I am suffering from poverty. It is self-evident to fight for hundreds of battles, large and small, to drive out the Tartars, restore China, and achieve justice for the country. "

"This dynasty has conquered the world through Zhu Ming's unworthy descendants, inherited the vassals of the world, and changed the flag and name within the kingdom. Although the Toyotomi line has been extinct, the Mori clan used to be his vassal and still exists today. That's the case. , What’s wrong with kneeling down to worship this prince?”

This kind of verbal dispute actually achieves nothing.

In fact, Li Han didn't care much about this matter, he was just trying to induce Mao Zongguang to think of other possibilities.

Sure enough, Munehiro Maori was keenly aware of the hidden meaning in these words.

According to Li Han, since Toyotomi Hideyoshi accepted the canonization of the Ming Dynasty, the Toyotomi clan died out during the Battle of Osaka, and the Tokugawa clan did not declare their vassalage, so the title of king was lost.

But Mouri was a minister of Toyotomi Hideyoshi back then, and he was also an old and important minister. Now he bows down and bows down... If it makes sense, it makes a little bit of sense; if it doesn't make sense, it's really unreasonable.

It's just that Li Han's words are like saying something to death.

Kneel down now. If the Tokugawa family refuses to accept the peace terms of paying tribute to Dashun, it will be equivalent to the Mori family questioning and objecting to the Tokugawa family's "incorrect access to the throne" in public. The Japanese king Shoshuo was recognized by the former Ming Dynasty. The Chen clan.

In this way, Dashun did not recognize the Tokugawa Shogunate. There is something in the words, which seems to mean that Dashun intends to abolish the Tokugawa Shogunate?

But it is also possible that it is to force the Tokugawa shogunate to pay tribute and become a vassal?

Ambiguous and unclear, the meaning of the words can make Maori Zonghiro have many guesses, but he cannot be sure.

He did not kneel down immediately, but said: "The Toyotomi clan has been extinct. Now the shogunate is the Tokugawa clan, and the emperor is still here. Since I have not proclaimed myself a vassal, I cannot meet him with the courtesy of the Tang Dynasty."

"How can a defeated general say he is brave? Only soldiers can be killed, but not humiliated. Even if the emperor is not a minister and the general does not surrender, even though I am defeated, I must not lose my integrity."

Li Huan secretly smiled and thought, "If you don't lose your integrity, then what are you doing here?"

"Didn't you come down from the mountain to surrender? You still feel unconvinced and are ready to fight another day and come to give our army a challenge? If you want to fight again, I can let you go back and we will have a decisive battle tomorrow. How about that?"

With unabashed humiliation and pride, Munehiro Maori was speechless. After a while, he said: "China's military fortune is prosperous and it is really invincible. I came down the mountain this time, knowing that I was invincible. I just hope that the general can forgive my thousands of subordinates." If only one side of the net could be opened, I would be a prisoner."

"Otherwise, I can only die here and let the warriors on the mountain fight to the end... No matter how fierce your country's troops are, hundreds of people will be killed. There is hatred in the families of the Changzhou warriors. If they seize the land and the people are not loyal, what's the matter? How long can it last?”

He was about to say something that sounded very upright, and then after pretending to be tough for a while, he brought the topic to the test of whether Dashun wanted to take in a dog.

But he didn't want Li Han to say directly: "No problem. I have even captured the Japanese king, and there is no point in taking prisoners like you and having to eat. I thought that if you didn't surrender, I would kill them all and leave no armor behind." It not only saves logistics, but also spreads benevolent policies to save the Japanese people."

"But since you are willing to surrender, and God is kind to you, I am not willing to kill more people. Of course I can let you go. But..."

Such a happy agreement made Munehiro Maori a little overwhelmed.

The word "but" that followed made Maori Zonghiro feel relaxed immediately.

If we talk about direct release, that is impossible. Since a but is mentioned, a condition must be mentioned.

Now Hagi Castle has been lost, and all the warriors of Choshu Domain have been wiped out. The only conditions Dashun can offer are gold, silver and rice.

As long as the samurai are still there, as long as the vassal land can be regained, it is nothing more than squeezing more from the common people. Farmers are like sesame seeds, the more they are squeezed, the more oil they produce.