Upon receiving the imperial edict and reading its contents, Tokugawa Kosuke froze on the spot, his face visibly turning extremely grim.

"General, what's wrong?"

The elder of the family, Matsudaira Yoshiaki, quickly asked.

"Take a look."

Tokugawa Kosuke shook his head helplessly and handed the imperial edict to everyone.

Matsudaira Yoshinaga took it and was instantly stunned.

"Ha! The Great Gan Kingdom is truly arrogant! They want all the feudal lords of our Eastern Japan to surrender their cities and apologize. They really think that the Eastern Japan has no one to rely on!"

"Your Excellency General, the demands of the Great Gan Kingdom are excessive. This matter cannot be left unresolved!"

The chief retainer, Matsudaira Yoshinaga, looked at Tokugawa Kosuke and said, "We should immediately summon our vassals, assemble a large army, and prepare to fight against the massive army in order to protect the safety of our Japan and the Shogun's residence!"

"Yes! My elders are right!"

"We should assemble our army immediately!"

...

The retainers echoed their sentiments.

However, not all of the retainers wanted to go to war with the Great Gan Kingdom.

The daimyo Tokugawa Yoshimune, a relative of the shogun, frowned and said, "Shogun, we cannot act rashly in this matter. We must consider it carefully!"

"In these past few years, the Great Gan Kingdom has risen from a mere vassal king in Dongning to conquer the Central Plains and establish its rule. Afterwards, it pacified Silla, conquered the entire territory of the Great Gan Kingdom, quelled the bandits on the northern grasslands, launched a western expedition against the Samanid Khanate, and pacified the Tibetan Plateau. Such achievements should not be underestimated!"

"Moreover, we have witnessed firsthand the formidable power of China's new weapons and equipment over the past few years!"

"If we really go to war with the Great Gan Kingdom, our chances of survival are slim!"

"Your Excellency General, this matter should be discussed at length!"

The daimyo Tokugawa Yoshimune, a member of the royal family, spoke earnestly.