Ming Dynasty: My Father Zhang Juzheng

Three days later.

There was a rush of people in the meeting hall of the Otomo family.

The Ming army generals and Otomo family retainers stood respectfully and looked at Zhang Yunxiu sitting in the main seat and the pretty lady beside her.

Although Chiyoko Otomo was just a woman and still young.

But with the support of the old family head and Otomo Yoshitsugu, these retainers naturally did not dare to say much.

After all, this is someone else's family matter.

Besides, after seeing the terrifying combat power and sharp firearms of the Ming army, even if they were unworthy family heads, they had already treated the Ming army as their masters.

Smiling, Zhang Yunxiu took Chiyoko's hand, stood up, and said to everyone, "Chiyoko is now my wife, and the head of your Otomo family. I think the cooperation between Daming and the Otomo family should be deepened."

When these words were spoken, all the retainers of the Otomo family, including Otomo Yoshitsugu, pricked up their ears.

Zhang Yunxiu smiled calmly and said, "Since our two families have become one, the people of Daming and Jiuzhou are naturally one.

All children in your clan who are over five years old can be taken to Daming by me, and I will personally send people to teach them. When they reach adulthood, they will return to serve the Otomo family."

"This..." Everyone thought it was good news, but when they heard it was a plan to wipe out the entire family, their faces immediately turned ugly.

Five-year-old children were taken to the Ming Dynasty, where they learned Chinese and were exposed to Ming culture and etiquette. When they grow up, will they still remember their motherland and be close to their family?

"Don't worry, everyone. In addition to this, I will also send people to transport cannons and muskets, as a gift to the Otomo family." Zhang Yunxiu looked around with a burning gaze, and said with both kindness and force.

"At the same time, the Otomo family's territory will also be expanded."

Anyway, now that things have come to this, if you don’t agree, think about the consequences.

Upon hearing this, the Otomo family's retainers looked at each other in confusion, their gazes moving back and forth between Otomo Chiyoko and Otomo Yoshitsugu.

Otomo Yoshitsugu struggled, his expression kept changing, and finally he gritted his teeth, as if he had made up his mind: "As long as you treat Chiyoko well, we are willing."

"Brother." Chiyoko's eyes were slightly red, and a trace of sadness appeared on her fair face.

Patting Chiyoko on the shoulder, Zhang Yunxiu straightened his clothes and solemnly assured Otomo Yoshitsugu with a serious face: "Brother, don't worry, I will take Chiyoko back to Ming Dynasty. If she misses home, I can send someone to send her back."

"If you miss her, you can go to Daming to see her."

"What about the muskets and guns?"

Otomo Yoshitsugu suddenly asked.

Zhang Yunxiu was stunned and looked at Otomo Yoshiharu with a strange expression.

How come he acted like a kind brother one second and started thinking about his guns the next?

Not only Zhang Yunxiu, but also Han San and other Ming army generals smiled.

Being stared at by such eyes, Otomo Yoshitsugu was thick-skinned and said directly: "To be honest, my Otomo family's military equipment is outdated. So, I would like to ask you to give us a thousand of your bird guns and ten cannons for use as military equipment."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yunxiu was delighted.

A thousand muskets and ten cannons, this is no different from sending away beggars.

Any defective products can be squeezed out from the existing equipment of the Ming army. Of course, these defective products are only relative to the Ming army, and they are also good products on the market.

Otomo Yoshitsugu and his retainers were puzzled by his joy and hesitated, thinking: Aren't a thousand muskets and ten cannons a bit too much? Will he refuse to agree?
It's no wonder they thought so. The Otomo family only had 500 muskets in total, and it had been a long time.

Just when they were doubting themselves, Zhang Yunxiu spoke up: "Starting from next year, I will give you a thousand bird guns and ten cannons every year, and you can also ask the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty to confer a title on the Otomo family."

"Gudong!" Otomo Yoshi's heart skipped a beat, and his sallow face turned red with excitement.

The retainers of the Otomo family also widened their eyes, their faces full of disbelief.

"Thank you, Brother Yunxiu." Chiyoko Otomo's beautiful eyes sparkled, her eye circles were slightly red, and her fair face was filled with happiness.

She is delicate and weak, yet has a hint of feminine charm, which makes her look particularly attractive.

She naturally knew that Zhang Yunxiu did all this for her.

Nodding and smiling at Chiyoko Otomo, Zhang Yunxiu continued to talk about his blueprint: "In the future, the Otomo family's territory will not be limited to Kyushu, Kansai, or even the entire island of Japan."

"I can assure you that within ten years at most, you will be able to expand your influence to the entire Kansai region."

If someone else said this, the Otomo family would have sneered. But the man who said this had just defeated Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and his army was so strong that they could not afford to question him.

At this moment, the slight resentment in Otomo Yoshitsugu's heart completely disappeared.

"After all, he is a child of the Otomo family. If he can unify the entire island of Japan, our Otomo family will definitely be more prosperous than it is now." Otomo Yoshitsugu sighed secretly in his heart, his eyes shining with expectation and desire.

Zhang Yunxiu also noticed his brother-in-law's mood change at the first moment, and smiled, and the matter was settled.

Autumn is approaching and the scorching heat is dissipating.

The once prosperous Osaka Castle is now desolate and tense, with various forces ready to make a move.

Perhaps it was spread by someone with ulterior motives, but before Konishi Yukinaga returned to his army, the news of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's defeat was everywhere in Osaka Castle.

Suddenly, there was panic in the city, and all kinds of news were spreading everywhere.

At this moment, in the meeting hall of the Toyotomi family, a young man with a ferocious look on his face was kneeling in the main seat with a black samurai sword on his waist.

The young man was called Toyotomi Hidetsugu, and he was the adopted son of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

Because he followed Toyotomi Hideyoshi in his early years and made many military achievements, and because Toyotomi Hideyoshi's first two sons died early, Toyotomi Hidetsugu became Toyotomi Hideyoshi's right-hand man.

Toyotomi Hidetsugu was cruel and bloodthirsty by nature. Anyone who offended him would suffer a miserable end.

Therefore, he got the reputation of "Kanpaku of Killing".

At this moment, around Toyotomi Hidetsugu, everyone in the Toyotomi family lowered their heads, their bodies trembling slightly, not daring to make a sound.

"Baka!" Toyotomi Hidetoshi slammed the table and drew his samurai sword, pointing at everyone and yelling, "The head of the family has not yet been defeated, and you are so dejected. Have you secretly joined forces with that bastard Tokugawa Ieyasu?!"

Hearing this, everyone buried their heads deeper and squeezed their buttocks together, afraid of making any noise.

Toyotomi Hidetsugu was furious and kicked over a retainer who was approaching him. He had a ferocious face and waved a steel knife in his hand.

He cursed and all kinds of angry words came out of his mouth.

Seeing how rude he was, the retainers clenched their teeth and their eyes became so cold that tears formed in their eyes.

It’s a pity that Toyotomi Hideyoshi is no longer around, and this man holds all the power. They dare not speak out and can only endure it silently.

What was originally a meeting turned into a venting meeting for Toyotomi Hidetsugu. He was seen yelling and shouting like an orangutan, wildly and wantonly beating his retainers. Because he used too much force, his clothes were messy and his face looked crazy.

"You... you are a bunch of parasites who only know how to consume food. When father comes back, I will kill you all. Hahaha, I will kill all of you guys."

"Mr. Toyotomi, you can't do this to us." A young man could no longer bear it, stood up, pointed at Toyotomi Hidetsugu and loudly refuted him.

Toyotomi Hidetsugu paused and turned to look at the owner of the voice.

He held the sword with both hands, and with a "whoosh" sound, he pressed the sword hard on the young man's shoulder, and roared viciously: "Ishida Mitsunari, my father left me to guard Osaka Castle when he went to war. How dare you disrespect me?"

"I dare not." Even though the steel knife was placed at his neck, Ishida Mitsunari remained fearless and neither humble nor arrogant.

The two of them stared at each other in front of the crowd, neither of them giving in. Suddenly, Toyotomi Hidetsugu laughed out loud and put away his sword: "Hahaha, interesting, interesting. I'll let you, a little mouse, go for once."

Sitting back in his original position, Toyotomi Hidetsugu turned his eyes and swept across the retainers present.

Wherever his eyes passed, the retainers ignored the pain in their bodies and sat back in their seats.

"From now on, close Osaka Castle tightly. No one is allowed to take people out of the city without permission until my father comes back. Otherwise, they will be treated as traitors." Toyotomi Hidetsugu roared in a hoarse voice.

"Understand?!"

"Hey!"

the other side.

Tokugawa Ieyasu, dressed in home clothes, was playing Go with a scholar. The two sat in a pavilion in the garden, with green grass on both sides and a gentle breeze.

The autumn afternoon is neither too cold nor too hot, which makes people feel extremely comfortable.

Tokugawa Ieyasu picked up a black flag and without thinking, dropped it on a corner of the chessboard with a "bang".

Suddenly, the man opposite laughed bitterly, raised his head and said, "Head of the family, I lost."

"Fujiwara-kun, your mind is confused, so you will naturally lose." Tokugawa Ieyasu smiled, stood up and admired the surrounding scenery.

The garden was full of lush vegetation, the sun was slightly warm, and the brilliant chrysanthemums reflected brilliant colors in the sun. A gust of wind blew by, and the chrysanthemums swayed slightly, and the tempting fragrance came to my face.

Taking a deep breath of the flower fragrance, Tokugawa Ieyasu turned around and looked at Fujiwara following closely behind him, and said with emotion: "I didn't expect that Toyotomi Hideyoshi could be defeated so easily and so quickly."

"It's been less than half a year, and his coalition forces have been completely defeated."

Fujiwara had also been troubled by this matter. Seeing that Tokugawa Ieyasu was interested in discussing it, he carefully said, "Head of the family, is there any trick here? Is this Toyotomi Hideyoshi trying to show weakness to the enemy?"

"Showing weakness?"

Tokugawa Ieyasu was stunned at first, and then he shook his head repeatedly, his face filled with fear. "Konishi Yukinaga's army has already retreated, and many defeated soldiers have also collapsed under the city walls. You know, the emotions of these low-level soldiers cannot be concealed."

His men captured several people and when asked, they all had deep memories of the brutal battle that night.

Everyone screamed "Ahhh" as if they had seen ghosts.

Tokugawa Ieyasu understood that this mental disorder was caused by extreme stimulation.

"Head of the family, since the Toyotomi family has been defeated, why don't my army go straight to Oita Castle? As long as we annex Osaka Castle in one fell swoop, you will be the greatest daimyo in Kanto and Kansai regions." When Fujiwara said this, his eyes lit up and a blush appeared on his fair cheeks.

"There's no rush. Let's first see what the governor of the Ming Dynasty does." Tokugawa Ieyasu interrupted with a wave of his hand.

There was a hint of worry in his eyes.

Toyotomi Hideyoshi was no match for the Ming fleet, so could he defeat the Ming fleet on his own?
The answer is of course no.

That's why he endured it and waited to see what the Ming Dynasty's attitude was.

At this moment, someone suddenly walked in quickly, holding a letter in his hand. "Head of the family, this is a letter sent to you by the governor of the Ming Dynasty."

Tokugawa Ieyasu hurriedly snatched it away and, under Fujiwara's gaze, quickly scanned the contents of the letter.

After reading it, he slapped his forehead and shouted, "It's over! It's all over! Toyotomi Hideyoshi, that idiot, was captured by the Ming army. Now the last hope of the Toyotomi family is shattered."

"Head of the family, what should we do then?" Fujiwara asked carefully.

"What else can we do? We need to reorganize our troops and be prepared for surprise attacks from the Toyotomi family and the Ming army at any time." Tokugawa Ieyasu gritted his teeth, and for the first time, his calm face showed panic, but he quickly suppressed it. "Forget it, let's send someone to contact the Toyotomi family first and inform them of the interests involved..."

"You must tell them that if they don't want to be swallowed up by the Ming army, they should not believe in the Ming army's conspiracy and tricks."

"Hey!"

Ten days later.

In the living room of the Tokugawa family, Tokugawa Ieyasu was kneeling on the ground, glancing at the letter that had just been delivered, his cheeks so gloomy that they were about to drip with water.

The content of the letter was very simple, asking him to give up part of the territory in Kanto to accommodate the Toyotomi family.

Seeing such blatant rape, Tokugawa Ieyasu felt his blood boiling and his chest filled with anger.

"Baka, Baka! The idiots of the Toyotomi family actually believed the lies of the Ming army so easily. This is the Ming army's strategy of driving away the wolf and swallowing the tiger! Do they think that if they give up Kansai, the Ming army will let them go? How stupid!" The fierce general tore the letter in his hand to pieces. Tokugawa Ieyasu was furious and could no longer maintain his former elegant demeanor.

Fujiwara on the side also understood the head of the family's feelings, and lowered his head and remained silent.

After venting his emotions like crazy for a long time, Tokugawa Ieyasu's ferocious face, breathing heavily, shouted: "Pass the order down, let the retainers guard the city. If the Toyotomi family members violate the border, there will be no mercy!"

"Actually, there is another way." Fujiwara thought of something and reminded in a low voice.

After glaring at Fujiwara, Tokugawa Ieyasu sat back in his original seat and raised his hand to signal him to continue.

Fujiwara smiled awkwardly, thinking that this method was a bit undignified, so he stammered, "Toyotomi Hidetsugu said that the Ming army kidnapped his father and asked for five million taels of silver."

"So much?" Tokugawa Ieyasu was surprised, but when he thought of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's worth, he felt relieved and asked again, "Five million silver is indeed a lot, but what does it have to do with the other method?"

Fujiwara looked at Tokugawa Ieyasu's anxious expression, swallowed his saliva, and then said carefully: "The Toyotomi family means that our two families will each pay half of the money, and they can temporarily not use force."

"They lost the war, and I still have to pay money to redeem Toyotomi Hideyoshi for them?" Tokugawa Ieyasu looked stunned.

"It's not to redeem him, it's to pay the Ming army's military expenses."

Fujiwara's face turned red and he wished he could just hide his head in his crotch.

"Compensation. Compensation for military expenses?"

When Tokugawa Ieyasu heard this reason, he almost turned his back in anger.

So he didn't move a single soldier, but now he has to compensate the Ming army for its military expenses?

"Tell the Toyotomi family that I will pay a maximum of 1.5 million." (End of this chapter)