The drizzle wet the sky, making it look hazy like a landscape painting. Emperor Go-Mizunoo sighed deeply, looking at the beautiful scenery and the picturesque landscape. He didn't know how long the beauty before his eyes could be preserved. Speaking of Emperor Go-Mizunoo, he was also a very learned man. Although he had been a puppet of others for the first half of his life, he never gave up his ideal of promoting the royal family. When the Tokugawa family was destroyed, Emperor Go-Mizunoo once thought that he could revive the royal family on his own.
But everything was about to be in vain in the blink of an eye. Tang Qi's army was trapped in Kokura Castle. Others might not know what was going on, but Emperor Go-Mizunoo knew very well in his heart that the history of Japan was probably about to end. Go-Mizunoo was not a man of great talent and strategy, but at least he understood some things. In a small place like Kokura Castle, if it was not for the purpose of strengthening Japan, Tang Qi would not have known where the army of more than 100,000 was.
The world is developing too fast. Hou Shuiwei felt a little sad. He thought about the past. Japan had never been attacked by outsiders because of its large navy. The Yuan people were so powerful back then, but they could not cross the sea. However, as the ships became bigger and bigger and various navigation technologies became more and more perfect, it is now very easy to travel from Ming Dynasty to Japan. This also means that the sea can no longer be a natural barrier.
If it was just an army of a few hundred thousand, Hou Shuiwei would not be so worried, but this army of a few hundred thousand was an extremely powerful army equipped with muskets. Although Hou Shuiwei lived deep in the palace, he knew some news. This army equipped with muskets was much more powerful than the Yuan Dynasty. Even if Japan was not divided into pieces now, it would be difficult for Japan to contend with this army of a few hundred thousand. Now there are more than a dozen foreign countries, and they will be destroyed quickly if they act independently.
Emperor Go-Mizunoo sighed slowly, and found that he actually had a feeling of being an old emperor of Japan. He had never felt that he was an emperor before, but now he knew that no matter how hard he tried, there were many things he could not do. Just like he was a puppet before, and now he knew that other people's armies were coming to invade.
"Father, why are you here alone? Look, the rain has wet your clothes." The speaker was the Japanese empress Okiko. Emperor Go-Mizunoo had several daughters, but only Okiko became the emperor and was still by his side.
Although Prince Meisho had been the emperor for ten years, the little power the royal family had was in the hands of Emperor Go-Mizunoo, the retired emperor. Especially after the Tokugawa family was destroyed, as the niece of Tokugawa Iemitsu, she lost external support and had even less power. The reason why Go-Mizunoo did not abolish her throne was that she felt it would be somewhat disgraceful for her to become the emperor again.
Hou Shuiwei turned around blankly. He had been staring blankly at this place for a long time. The maids dared not disturb him, and he himself forgot that he had been standing there for too long. Seeing his daughter Xingzi looking at him with concern, Hou Shuiwei felt warm in his heart, but suddenly his heart became even sadder.
Xingzi was still young and knew the intention of the hundreds of thousands of troops in Kokura Castle, but she didn't know the fate she would face. Mizuo reached out and touched Xingzi's smooth and beautiful face, and couldn't help thinking that if she were to be exiled, this beautiful daughter of the emperor would be held in the arms of an unknown man and played with by him, and she would have a good appearance, which might give her a chance to escape with her life. It was hard to tell whether it would be a blessing or a curse for her.
The rain in Heian-kyo was something that neither Hou Shuiwei nor I felt was more beautiful. Standing on a high building, Hou Shuiwei had never felt that the mountains in the distance and the city nearby were so nostalgic. Although Tang Shuiwei was looking at the rain, his mood was much better than Hou Shuiwei's. As a conqueror, seeing that everything he wanted to do was successful, his mood was naturally very good. Although it was raining outside, it did not affect Tang Shuiwei's good mood at all.
Others who want to build something big are always busy and overwhelmed. Tang Qi, however, never has much to do. He's not particularly fond of power, so he delegates many tasks to his subordinates. While he has few exceptionally talented individuals, he employs a number of back-end mechanisms to ensure smooth and steady progress. Important departments are delegated to his closest associates, and power is dispersed widely. Tang Qi clings tightly to his military power, unfazed by the prospect of rebellion. He remembers the words of the man with the gun, so he doesn't have to worry about anything else.
The plan for attacking Japan had already been laid out for Tang Lu by the General Staff. With a military far superior to the troops, there wasn't much to worry about once the war began. Although Tang Lu personally went to Japan to command the attack, it wasn't much for him. Instead, Chen Yuxian, Dayu'er, Liu Rushi, and Hai Lanzhu had more to do than Tang Lu.
Because Tang Li had nothing to do, he sometimes felt bored. This era wasn't like the past, with all its entertainment. The operas and dances of this era held no appeal in Tang Li's eyes. Although he was surrounded by many stunning beauties, all of whom were proficient in the dances of this era, Tang Li would only have them dance to his tunes when entertaining guests. Normally, he wouldn't even glance at them. This behavior earned him a reputation for thriftiness and self-discipline, but no one knew that Tang Li simply disliked the dances of this era.
As Tang Qi was lounging alone in a leather chair, admiring the drizzle outside the balcony, Xiangjun led a group over. Xiangjun and Dong Xiaowan had recently become Tang Qi's secretaries. In everyone's eyes, Xiangjun and Dong Xiaowan would one day become Tang Qi's princesses. The two women themselves believed this as well. So, wherever Tang Qi went, they would follow him, unknowingly acting as his receptionist.
As for Er, she had been Tang Li's favorite since she was little. Everyone in the Tang family treated Er as the family's little princess. Er had always loved being around Tang Li, and now that she was older, she didn't like leaving his side. Having raised Er from childhood, Tang Li naturally had no regard for doting on her. He never cared about what Er wanted to do.
The person that Xiangjun brought with him was Shimazu Tadatsune, the lord of Satsuma.
After being defeated by Tang Qi, Shimazu Tadatsune accepted Tang Qi's concession treaty. After that, relying on the background of Kokura Castle, the country was prosperous. Although the territory did not expand much, its strength was already the strongest among the Japanese tribes. Shimazu Tadatsune was naturally very uneasy about Tang Qi's sudden defeat of an army of more than 100,000 in Kokura Castle.
"Your Highness, Mr. Shimazu Tadatsune is here." Seeing that Tang Qi was looking at the rain in the sky and didn't seem to notice that she brought someone with her, Xiangjun couldn't help but remind her in a low voice. Although it was okay to neglect this Japanese lord, it was not a good idea to have her accompany him.
Although Tang Qi did not dote on Xiangjun as much as he did on Dong Xiaowan, it was still a good thing. After all, Xiangjun was also a charming and intelligent girl. Together with Dong Xiaowan, she was raised by Tang Qi since childhood. Tang Qi was naturally more tolerant towards them, which made Xiangjun not afraid of Tang Qi. Of course, Xiangjun did not dare to become arrogant because of her doting. Xiangjun was smart and knew very well when she could act coquettishly and when she should be obedient.
"Yes, I understand. You can get off first." Tang Qi turned around and glanced at Xiangjun and Shimazu Tadatsune. Xiangjun waved her hand, indicating that she should get off first. After Xiangjun left, Tang Qi said to Shimazu Tadatsune, "Mr. Shimazu, it's been a long time since we last met. It's really nice to see you. What brings you here? What can I do for you?"
"Yes, Prince Tang. In the past few years, I have been looking forward to seeing you again. This time, I heard that you were coming, so I came to visit you very presumptuously. I hope you can forgive me for disturbing you." Shimazu Tadatsune could speak Chinese well. In recent years, he had come into contact with many Ming Dynasty merchants from Japan, and his Chinese was very fluent. If he shaved his mustache, for a moment, it would be hard to tell that he was a Japanese.
"Haha, Mr. Shimazu, we are old friends, there is no need to be so polite. Come on, let Mr. Shimazu sit down." Tang Qi smiled and ordered his men to bring a chair for Shimazu Tadatsune. Shimazu Tadatsune saw that Tang Qi was so polite to him, and after breathing a sigh of relief, he was very grateful and bowed to Tang Qi before sitting down.
"Your Highness, I know what you are doing in Japan this time. If there is any place where I can help, please let Your Highness know." Although Shimazu Tadatsune was the lord of the Satsuma clan, he did not dare to claim his title in front of Tang Qi. Seeing that Tang Qi seemed to be in a good mood, he boldly asked about Tang Qi's purpose of coming to Japan this time. At the same time, he did not forget to express his loyalty to Tang Qi. Others did not know how powerful Tang Qi was, but Shimazu Tadatsune knew it very well.
As early as when Tang Qi began to rise on the sea, Shimazu Tadatsune already knew that Tang Qi's army was powerful. Over the years, Tang Qi has become dozens of times stronger than it was back then. Those Japanese who served as Tang Qi's auxiliary soldiers, their relatives and friends, every time they returned to Japan to visit relatives, not only widely publicized the beautiful life in Nanyang in Japan, but also boasted about Tang Qi's army as extremely powerful. For this reason, Shimazu Tadatsune even went to Nanyang in person to see it, and got a good understanding of Tang Qi's forces. Although his knowledge was not comprehensive, based on what he already knew, Shimazu Tadatsune knew very well how powerful Tang Qi was.
Facing such a powerful Tang Qi, Shimazu Tadatsune could not muster the slightest spirit of resistance. This man, as cunning as an old fox, was not the kind of person who was willing to kill easily. So, relying on his good relations with the concession of Kokura Castle, Shimazu Tadatsune was the first to run to Tang Qi to express his loyalty.
"Mr. Shimazu, I still value your friendship. To be honest, I came here this time to rescue the people here. As you can see, Mr. Shimazu, this place has been in constant war for so many years, making life miserable for the people here. I really can't stand it, so I am determined to eliminate the war here." Tang Yu glanced at Shimazu Tadatsune, who had a humble expression on his face, and said righteously with a stern face.
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