Chapter 3626
Chapter 3626
Chapter 3626
When Tokugawa Ietsugu heard this, he narrowed his eyes and looked carefully at Amakusa Hayabusa's expression.
Compared to local forces in Kyushu that have openly rebelled and have definitely intervened in the chaos in Kyoto, Tokugawa Iematsu is actually more reluctant to see Hai Han intervene, which will undoubtedly make the situation more complicated.
Of course, Tokugawa Iematsu was well aware that Hai Han’s position in this civil war was not simple. It was no secret that the Kyushu feudal lords had been flirting and secretly cooperating with the Sasebo base for a long time. It was just that the shogunate needed to maintain superficial harmony with Hai Han and did not want to tear its face over such a matter.
According to Masatoshi Zengshan's report, during the Zhoushan Forum, Hai Han blatantly sold a large amount of military equipment to the Kyushu feudal lords.
It can be said that if it were not for the military assistance provided by Hai Han, the shogunate army would have probably already wiped out the Kyushu rebels, and new daimyo would have probably taken office to replace the five major families of Kyushu.
If the civil war had not been delayed in ending, so many refugees would not have fled to Kyoto for refuge, and there would not have been the subsequent bloodshed. But now, Hai Han officials are actually asking the shogunate to end the chaos in Kyoto as soon as possible. In Tokugawa Ietsuga's view, this is simply the thief crying "stop thief".
Of course, if he knew that the person opposite him was one of the direct instigators of the chaos in Kyoto, he probably would not have continued the conversation. It would have been considered a good temper if he did not immediately draw his sword and chop Amakusa Hayabusa.
Tokugawa Ietsugu suppressed his anger and shook his head, saying, "It is not the shogunate that is causing chaos in Kyoto. All the measures we have taken are to put an end to this chaos, but some people do not want Kyoto to settle down!"
"We must first catch all those troublemakers before we can restore stability to Kyoto. This is also the mission that the shogunate army is currently carrying out."
Amakusa Hayabusa said, "Lord Tokugawa, I must remind you that now, except for you and your close associates, and the shogunate troops under your command, everyone hopes that the shogunate will immediately stop its military operations in the Kyoto area."
"The emperor in the Imperial Garden, the abbots of the major temples, the chief priests of the various shrines, and the daimyo of the feudal states around Kyoto, all have the same attitude as me. Your Excellency, do you really not consider the situation of the shogunate?"
Tokugawa Ietsuga was very unhappy with the way Amakusa Hayabusa exerted pressure, but he was still afraid of Amakusa Hayabusa's identity and did not dare to turn against him on the spot. He could only firmly state that he had received a petition from the royal family, but that was not enough reason for the shogunate to stop the search operation.
"His Majesty the Emperor does not know much about the outside world. If everything is done according to his wishes, it will only cause the domestic situation to fall into greater chaos! As for the others, what qualifications do they have to point fingers at the shogunate?"
Tokugawa Ietsuga's reply was an implicit insult to Amakusa Hayabusa as well.
But Amakusa Hayabusa didn't care much about it. One of the purposes of his trip was to anger Tokugawa Ietsugu.
If Tokugawa Iematsu loses his ability to think calmly in his rage, it may lead to the shogunate being at a loss as to what to do and making more stupid moves when dealing with the current chaos in Kyoto, which is exactly what Hai Han needs to achieve.
Amakusa Hayabusa smiled and took the initiative to change the subject: "As far as I know, the shogunate army suffered a great defeat in Kyushu a few days ago, lost control of the Kanmon Strait, and 20,000 troops are trapped in northern Kyushu and cannot move. Lord Tokugawa, are you so relieved about the situation on the front line that you don't want to go back and take command in person?"
Tokugawa Ietsugu was once again hit on the heart by Amakusa Hayabusa, and his face could not help but become even uglier. The sudden defeat in the Kyushu battlefield was beyond his expectations, and what made him more uneasy than losing the Kanmon Strait was not the troops stationed in Kitakyushu who had their retreat route cut off, but the various rumors that would arise because he was not at the front line at this time.
With the existing naval armed forces of the shogunate army, Tokugawa Ietsugu believed that it would not be difficult to retake the Kanmon Strait, and there was no need to worry that the troops in Kitakyushu would be trapped and die on the other side of the strait.
However, those rumors that are unfavorable to the shogunate will inevitably spread, and since he cannot show up on the front line at this time, all clarifications will seem powerless, which will in turn affect the fighting will of the shogunate army.
Of course, no matter how difficult the situation was, they could not show cowardice in front of the Hai Han people. Tokugawa Ietsuga immediately stated that the shogunate army had only suffered a temporary defeat and would soon regroup and retake the strait, and the Kyushu rebels would not be able to change the situation of the war because of this occasional luck.
Amakusa Hayabusa just smiled and said nothing in the face of his boasting. According to the latest telegram received by the trading post, the Kyushu coalition forces had repelled two waves of hastily organized counterattacks by the shogunate army, and destroyed several cargo ships attempting to transport supplies to the Kitakyushu garrison.
According to the time calculation, the shogunate army stationed in Kitakyushu has been cut off from supplies for seven days. Although it is unclear how much food is left in the camp, as time goes by, these troops who cannot get supplies will definitely become more and more panicked.
The longer Tokugawa Iematsu stays in Kyoto, the more unfavorable the situation on the Kyushu front will become. But if he abandons Kyoto and rushes back to the front, the situation in Kyoto will continue to slide into the abyss of being out of control.
For Tokugawa Iematsu, no matter which side he chose, the situation on the other side would eventually deteriorate, thereby weakening the shogunate's war power and giving the Kyushu coalition a chance to counterattack.
Although Tokugawa Ietsugu refused to give in, Amakusa Hayabusa was basically certain from his words that the shogunate had no better solution to the current situation.
Tokugawa Ietsugu wanted to quickly resolve the chaos in Kyoto, but this would only lead to more bloodshed and wider public opinion against the shogunate.
Coming to Nijo Castle to make a request was just a formality, and Amakusa Hayabusa's real purpose was to understand the shogunate's plan. At this point, the effect has even exceeded Amakusa Hayabusa's original idea, so there is no need to waste saliva on the other party.
Amakusa Hayabusa immediately stood up and said goodbye. After he left, Tokugawa Ietsuga's anger subsided a little. He then began to think carefully about the conversation just now. He soon realized that the other party's real intention was not to make those requests, but to test his attitude.
He was not surprised that the other party was in Kyoto but was in control of the war situation in Kyushu, but Amakusa Hayabusa reminded him to return to the front line to supervise the battle. Was this out of good intentions or a strategy to lure the tiger away from the mountain?
Or maybe he had secretly rushed here from the front line because of the unstable situation in Kyoto, and this in itself was already a trick to lure the tiger away from the mountain?
Tokugawa Ietsugu was extremely confused at this time. He was not afraid of trouble, but at his age, it was really difficult for him to decide which one to save first.
He only hated that he couldn't be in two places at once. It would be great if he could take care of both the Kyushu front and Kyoto at the same time.
Hmm? Clone Technique? An idea suddenly popped up in Tokugawa Ietsuga's mind...