Chapter 109: The End of the Five Years of Chongzhen Japan, Kyoto, the Nijo Imperial Palace where the leader of the Overthrown Army and the self-proclaimed "Western Kingdom Detective" Lord Mouri Hideyuki of the Choshu Domain was stationed.
Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan located in the land of Kuzuno, a mountainous country, has developed into a large city with a radius of nearly 40 miles and a population of nearly 200,000 in the early Edo period.
It is only the largest city among the cities in this island country.
It is second only to Edo, but its cultural and historical sites and romantic attractions are a hundred times greater.
From the beginning of the city's construction in the ninth century AD, Kyoto's urban area has undergone strict planning: a Suzaku Street that runs from north to south and is 60 paces wide divides the urban area into two and leads directly to the main entrance square of the Emperor's Palace.
Checkerboard-shaped streets and alleys cut the city into neat lanes.
On both sides of the street, there are rows of willows and cherry blossoms, and among the lanes, the rows of houses make visitors intoxicated and forget to leave.
Unfortunately, as the political center of the country of Japan, Kyoto will inevitably be repeatedly devastated and destroyed by war whenever troubled times come.
But even if it is burned to ashes by fire, this ancient capital will soon be repaired again. , never losing the unique elegance of this ancient capital of the island country.
At this moment, this ancient city with a long history has once again begun the cycle of destruction and reconstruction.
Accompanied by the sound of horse hoofbeats, Hale, whose pseudonym is Okamoto Paul, led his horse out of the Nijo Imperial Palace, a castle that once belonged to the shogun and is now the frontline headquarters of the overthrown shogunate army.
At the same time, he looked at the surrounding Kyoto. street view.
What you see is a decadent scene that is dilapidated and desolate to the extreme.
Dirty streets filled with garbage, crumbling dilapidated wooden houses, unkempt and slovenly citizens, and empty markets that were so quiet that they were almost lifeless.
Before the Edo shogunate Tokugawa Iemitsu coerced the royal family and ministers to evacuate Kyoto, he used scorched-earth tactics and deliberately set fire to the city.
Although there was a heavy rain soon, which at least saved the ancient capital, it also burned about one tenth of the houses in the city.
And as the war brought about, business travel was cut off for nearly half a year, causing the city to lose all its vitality and all industries withered.
Therefore, even the well-preserved bustling streets and towns of the past are now filled with few pedestrians, no carriages and horses, almost all shops are closed, and the remaining residents cannot find a job, and all of them are sallow and thin.
In this depressing atmosphere, those "Kirikidan" fallen warriors with crosses hanging on their waists were quite eye-catching.
They carried swords on their waists, held women in their arms, and drunkenly swaggered through the market while carrying wine bottles, attracting everyone's attention and shuddering.
Although compared with the previous Onin Rebellion and the Warring States Troubles, the Choshu Maori family's force attack on Luo was not cruel, but the damage to various historical monuments in Kyoto was far greater than that of any prince in history.
In the cruel atmosphere of religious wars, these ancient temples with a long history, such as Jishoji Temple, Kiyomizudera Temple and Daigoji Temple, were all occupied by fanatical Christian Crusaders and turned into churches.
Riding horseback, we walked through ancient temples that were as messy as demolition sites.
We looked at the eye-catching cross that had just been erected on the top of the five-story wooden tower, and a seated statue of the Virgin Mary that was made out of a stone statue of Guanyin or Buddha. , Hale really felt like he couldn't laugh or cry.
What's even worse is that these fanatical Christians not only destroyed the Buddhist temple, but also drove out the monks and nuns with swords and guns, forcing them to trample over the Buddha's portrait as an insult to the Buddhist faith.
Faced with this In the great upheaval of the world, there are certainly many eminent monks and bhikkhunis who are smart but lack moral integrity.
They decisively took off their cassocks, discarded their Buddhist scriptures, put on robes and Bibles, and transformed themselves into devout servants of Christ Jesus.
But there are also more stubborn people who refuse to obey and even secretly organize underground resistance organizations to carry out assassinations and sabotage.
Therefore, since the overthrow of the shogunate army occupied Kyoto, in the name of "capturing the remnants of the shogunate", from dozens to hundreds of prisoners were escorted to the Rokujo River in Kyoto and beheaded every day.
Various fresh and putrid human heads were hung everywhere on the streets and bridges of Kyoto.
Although the atmosphere in Kyoto is already so terrifying, it is far from the worst place.
After all, Kyoto is the capital of the emperor and the seat of the coalition headquarters.
No matter where the "rebellion martyrs" and "believers of the Lord" come from to join in the fun, We usually have to abide by some rules here, at least we won't kill people randomly in the streets.
After all, Christianity is a universal religion that encourages people to do good.
It is not a cult.
In the face of the current troubled times, church organizations not only adopt orphans to become monks and nuns, but also give food to the poor to seduce people.
Come and listen to missionaries' sermons.
Under the threat of force from the "Japanese Crusaders" and the eloquent words of missionaries, at least tens of thousands of people in Kyoto have converted to Christianity.
Outside the city, many rural areas have become so desolate that no trace of human life can be seen due to repeated attacks by the Crusaders and Buddhists.
Countless once-prosperous villages were massacred into ghost villages during the brutal religious wars, and stinking corpses could be seen everywhere in the fields.
Most of the remaining villages and towns have also degenerated into chaotic places without any law and order.
Anyone who leaves the city of Kyoto will step on pieces of broken armor and half-cut swords from time to time.
If you are unlucky, you will kick out a few rotten and smelly stumps in the grass.
Continue to expand the scope of observation to the periphery.
The area with a radius of 200 to 300 miles centered on the line from Kyoto to Osaka.
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The country's most densely populated, most economically developed, and most culturally prosperous places are now like locusts.
The crossing was horrific, and the war has not been extinguished to this day.
In most turbulent times, the people at the bottom are innocent and helpless.
The ambition and madness of those in power are the root causes of war, and the final results are often not as beautiful as originally expected.
It is the same for Buddhists and Christians.
Next, as the scale of the Overthrow War and the Religious War further expands, the entire Japanese archipelago may turn into a scorched earth of purgatory, and thousands of creatures will suffer the suffering of bloodshed and famine.
When the resistance of those princes and daimyo is hopeless, perhaps It is also possible to bow your head and surrender, and open the city without blood, thereby peacefully ending the war.
But it is difficult for those Buddhist temples and shrines to easily convert without resistance and hang up crosses and statues of the Virgin Mary.
While Hale was thinking about this with compassion, he looked at a "feeling" flipping back and forth in his hand.
This was what he had just received in Nijo Castle, and it was signed by Mouri Hidesunari, the lord of the Choshu domain.
The general content was to commend him for his achievements in the Kinki raids, to praise him and his men for killing monks, raping witches, burning temples and demolishing shrines, never showing mercy, and destroying various "pagan" statues without any psychological pressure.
He is really a good member of the Maori family. warrior of jesus christ Loyal believer: "Now there is an overseas martyr named Okayama who led his army to Luo to help out, promote the Holy Religion, and is unparalleled in loyalty and righteousness.
He can be called the pillar of the world and the pillar of the country."
The last thing is the drama: he was given a fiefdom near Kinki so that he could join the ranks.
The procession of princes and great names.
"Tsk-tsk, two hundred thousand stones from Yamato Castle, Yamato Country.
Our Maori-sama is really generous to me."
Yamato Country, also known as Washu, is roughly equivalent to modern Nara Prefecture.
It is a veritable "central place" in Japan.
To the northeast is the majestic Kasagi Mountains, and to the south are the overlapping mountains of the Yoshino and Kii Mountains.
In the Nara Basin, where agriculture is developed in the southwest, there are ancient Japanese capitals before Heian Kyo such as Asuka Kyo and Heijō Kyo.
In ancient times, Japan was named after Yamato, so just from the name, you can tell that this is the birthplace of Japanese civilization and the location of the ancestral tombs of the Imperial family.
The total stone height in the country is 450,000 stone, with Koriyama Castle as its administrative center.
From a geographical point of view, Yamato is located behind Kyoto.
Most of the rest of the Kinai area is plain.
Only Yamato has many mountains and is close to Kyoto.
It can advance, attack, retreat and defend.
It has an innate strategic geographical advantage.
In the old days of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the weak Southern Dynasty was located on Mount Yoshino in the Yamato Kingdom.
With its geographical location and the long history of the royal family in the Yamato Kingdom, it was able to confront the Northern Dynasty with many soldiers and generals for a long time.
At first glance, the Maori family seemed to be generous this time, granting Hale a large piece of Feng Shui land that was rich in products and strategically located.
But the problem is that because of its long history, Yamato is also one of the places with the most powerful Buddhism and the deepest foundation in Japan.
Nara, the ancient capital located in the Kingdom of Yamato, is famous for its numerous temples.
These temples own large tracts of land, support a huge group of monks and soldiers, control an astonishing amount of wealth, and monopolize the right to speak religiously throughout Japan.
They can be called a country within a country.
And these temples have often stood for nearly a thousand years, and their influence has been felt throughout the country.
Not to mention the emperor, even heroes like Tokugawa Ieyasu and Oda Nobunaga were difficult to control.
Instead, they had to be restrained everywhere.
For the overthrown crusaders under the banner of jihad, these Buddhist temples are the most stubborn enemies of faith, and they are also the backbone of the current resistance movements in various parts of the country.
Although in retaliation, the overthrown army had just captured Nara not long ago, killing and looting wantonly, beheading monks and nuns, and burning several ancient temples with the longest history to the ground.
However, instead of being suppressed, the domestic resistance movement in Yamato has become more and more intense.
In the fields, in the mountains, in cities and towns, and on the streets, die-hard Buddhists and monks are waging guerrilla warfare everywhere.
Therefore, this time, the Maori family is not so much a generous and generous reward, but a hot potato thrown to Hale to pacify.
Anyway, as a group of Catholics like Hale, even if they want to collaborate with the enemy, it is impossible. possible In fact, in addition to Hale's "Philippine Overseas Japanese Crusade", there are several other smaller but extremely fanatical Christian armed groups that have also obtained fiefdoms in Yamato.
The intention of killing people with a knife is really Don't be too obvious In addition, the Maori family is clearly aware of Hale's overseas background and connections with the Spanish, but they deliberately arranged an inland territory for him that is not close to the sea.
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It seems that there are also restrictions on them, "overseas expatriates". and the intention to be wary.
As for waiting until the situation stabilizes, such as transferring seals and changing territories, the Tokugawa family will do it, but it makes no sense that the Maori family doesn't understand.
However, for Hale, a professional revolutionary, all the above calculations were trivial matters.
"Humph, no matter what, the fiefdom of 200,000 koku has been obtained.
Even if there are monks who are causing trouble, who is a true revolutionary?
He will never be afraid of powerful enemies.
Let me leave this birthplace of the Yamato nation.
Let’s get started and bring new hope to Japan.”
At the same time, inside the Nijo Imperial Palace "Packing, banging, banging" In the white sand paved floor, rockery creek, and elegantly laid out courtyard, with the gurgling clear spring flowing, the small bamboo waterwheel makes a pleasant sound, and the gentle breeze blows quietly, bringing bursts of plum blossom fragrance.
Although it is already the coldest winter, today is a sunny day, so it is not too cold.
The afternoon sun floods the stone pavement in the courtyard, and the tall walls effectively block the hustle and bustle of the street market not far away.
The lord of the Choshu domain, Mouri Hideka, who had just finished a collective summons and awards, and sent his ministers out, was enjoying a rare leisure time, holding a cup of tea in his hand, sitting on the floor of the corridor facing the courtyard, and With a thoughtful expression: "Is this the so-called people of the world?
It seems a little unreal."
Mourixiu muttered to himself in a daze, thinking about the past.
Did Ashikaga Yoshiteru, Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, these famous figures in Japanese history, also sit in this place?
, ambitiously directing the country and imagining the world Alas, time goes by and the country changes color.
Now it seems that it is my Maori family’s turn to take the lead.
However, why is there not much high-spirited pride in my heart, but instead it is full of worries and melancholy?
He was thinking this, and at the same time he turned to look at the treasure on the floor of the house, which he had just ordered people to move out and play with.
The largest fragrant wood in Japan, "the best fragrant tree in the world" Lan Shetan.
This thing is a national treasure of Japan and has an ancient history of nearly a thousand years.
In the past, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu and Oda Nobunaga, the two overlords of the world, only cut off a small piece of a few inches for their own use or to reward heroes, which was considered a very honorable thing.
But now, the entire "Lan Sheba" was placed in front of Maori Xiujiu, letting him do whatever he wanted.
This is of course not because his reputation is greater than that of Oda Nobunaga and Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, but because the Choshu New Army under his command just this month invaded Nara Todaiji Temple where "Ransho" is stored, and also Most of the temple was burned down by fire, and the remaining Buddhist temples that were lucky enough to escape the disaster are being converted into churches.
The precious "Lan Shetreat" naturally became a trophy and was presented to him.
In addition, none of the other temples in Nara, the "Southern Capital", could escape the fate of being destroyed.
This ancient capital of Japan and a famous Buddhist city, in the hands of Japanese Christians who were bent on counterattack, was equivalent to being massacred and bloodbathed.
As for Mount Hiei, another Buddhist holy site closer to Kyoto, it was burned to death by the "Japanese Crusaders" as early as October.
The religious status of these two holy places in Japan's Buddhist world, the "Southern Capital Beiling", is probably similar to that of Lhasa and Shigatse in Tibetan areas.
Thinking of this, Mourixiu couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Even the notorious "Demon King of the Sixth Heaven" Oda Nobunaga only burned the temple on Mount Hiei and caused an uproar in the world.
Now that it was his turn, he not only burned down the "Nantu Beiling" together, but also converted all the ancient temples in Kyoto into churches.
The people in the Kinki area must definitely regard themselves as a scourge.
Alas, when I was in the Choshu Domain, I had been thinking about Kamiro all the time.
Now that I have actually sat in the "City of the Shogun" called Nijo Imperial Palace in Kyoto, I realize that I have actually stepped into a big fire pit, every day.
We have been suppressing rebellions everywhere all night, and there is never a moment of peace.
The excitement and joy of riding into the capital disappeared within three months.
The current situation in Kinki is simply a mess.
Yes, the shogunate army and the troops of the shogunate clans were still so rotten and incompetent.
They were defeated thousands of miles away in several encounters.
They were no match for the overthrown army on the frontal battlefield.
All major cities quickly changed hands.
But then, under the instigation of Buddhist temples everywhere, the villagers who were supposed to keep their peace and sit back and watch the replacement of the city lord and the country lord, actually rebelled in groups, or at least maintained an uncooperative attitude, which made the overthrowing army aware of the situation.
Not as good as.
Although relying on the powerful combat power of the new army, monasteries were burned and destroyed, and rebellions everywhere rose and fell.
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But after all, it turned Kinki into a big quagmire, forcing Mourihide to disperse a large number of troops to various places to carry out public security operations, and he was unable to continue the Eastern Expedition in a short period of time.
While he was in a dilemma in Kyoto, fighting endlessly with Kinai Buddhist temples and believers, Tokugawa Iemitsu was still building troops and accumulating strength in his hometown in Edo, Kanto, contacting various Kanto vassals, and preparing to make a comeback at any time as the overlord of Japan.
Belonging, I'm afraid it's hard to say.
However, at this point, the Overthrow Army and the monks of the Buddhist temple had already formed a bloody feud, and the Maori family had no possibility of changing their ways, so they had to go all the way.
At present, the entire Western Kingdom's Overthrow Alliance, except for the toughness of the Choshu Domain, Outside of the military, to a large extent they are united by Christian faith.
Those fanatical Christian missionaries were of great help in mobilizing the masses and boosting morale.
If the Mori family has completely defeated the Tokugawa family and won the world, then in order to stabilize people's hearts, he may be able to restrain the missionaries and try to reconcile with the Buddhist temples.
But the outcome is still uncertain.
The Tokugawa family only lost one game first and withdrew to Edo, still having the power to make a comeback.
Under such circumstances, hastily implementing a policy of religious tolerance would be tantamount to suicide.
Not only would it be difficult to win the understanding and support of the Buddhist community, but it would also damage the morale of one's own troops, and would even be looked down upon by those in the local area who were intimidated by one's own military power.
As an act of weakness, it pushed them further to the side of the Tokugawa family.
Rather than hanging on to the titles of Buddha's Enemy and Demon King and dying in the scorn of the people of old Japan, it is better to wear the crown of "Holy Warrior" and enjoy the reputation of a saint in a new Japan that worships Christianity.
Although Mouri Hide has only converted to Christianity so far, it is nothing For four or five years, his belief in Christianity was far from pious, but reality forced him to become a fanatical believer and use the most brutal means to destroy all "enemies of Christ."
Even if the whole of Kinki is reduced to ashes, the Mori family will have no choice but to bite the bullet and carry out the religious war to the end.
One step back will lead to an abyss.
Fortunately, although the war situation in Kinki is so corrupt, the morale and combat effectiveness of the overthrown army can still be maintained by relying on the huge aid continuously provided by the "Chinese Alliance".
The large iron ships of food, ordnance, gunpowder, cloth, herbal medicine and those from overseas. , traveling to and from various ports in the Seto Inland Sea and the Sea of Japan, transporting almost everything needed to sustain the war for the overthrown army.
They even personally went on stage from time to time to bombard the castles of hostile vassal states near the sea, and sent the Japanese samurai regiments they recruited to land to assist in the battle, which provided huge help to the Maori family.
For example, while "Chōshu Sukuro" followed Shinyoshi and commanded 30,000 rebel troops to besiege Osaka, those "overseasers" also ordered the ronin they recruited to send troops to cooperate, and landed to attack the Tokugawa Kii clan in the south of Osaka.
It took three days to break through the fortified Wakayama Castle and cut off the main foreign aid for the Osaka Castle shogunate army.
Then it took less than a month to wipe out the 550,000 koku Tokugawa clan.
Without this powerful cooperative action, the battle in Osaka, which has already been full of twists and turns, would have turned into a turbulent one.
As a price for obtaining all these strategic materials and military assistance, the Maori family does not need to spend too much real money.
They only need to provide some antique calligraphy and paintings, rare books and ancient books that cannot be eaten or worn.
Those arty things in Kyoto There are many in the minister's house, and there are also many hidden in various shrines and Buddhist temples.
The Maori family only needs to instruct the soldiers to collect them when they attack the temples.
Then there is a large amount of human trafficking.
It is said that men are used for mining and women are used as rewards for breeding.
This is not a problem.
Japanese samurai have had a tradition of "random hunting" and "human hunting" since ancient times, which is roughly similar to the tradition of pulling Zhuangding.
In the current increasingly cruel religious wars, a large number of monks and Buddhist warriors are captured every day.
For the Overthrow Army, these guys are the most stubborn stones.
They can neither be collected nor put to any use.
They should all be killed in the first place.
Nowadays, the merchants who can sell it to the "Ausong" large iron ship are already using it as waste.
Not only can they exchange for supplies, but they can also reduce their burden.
Most of these monks and warriors who are better at fighting are in good health, so going to the mines is a good place to end up.
After the overthrow of the war was launched, the direct troops of the Choshu Domain Mori family alone sold about 60,000 people to the Chinese Alliance.
Coupled with the human beings sold by other allies and the self-capture of Japanese mercenaries from the "Chinese Alliance" in Kii Domain and other places, it is estimated that at least 100,000 people were trafficked out.
For this reason, the Maori family alone received more than two million koku of rice and various miscellaneous grains, which effectively supported the huge expenses of this war.
Without this strong support, the Christian rebel army, which was almost completely isolated by the entire traditional Japanese society, would have been stranded in the face of the current chaotic situation in the Kinki War Zone that was on the verge of madness, and might even have begun to fall apart.
Therefore, when the "Chinese Alliance"'s commercial attaché in Japan, Taira Akiumori, suddenly came to the Nijo Imperial Palace to bid farewell to him, saying that he was about to return home with their Japanese mercenaries, and asked the Maori family to send someone to take over the Kii clan, The first thing Mao Lixiu felt was not the joy of acquiring a new territory and leaving outsiders, but a certain fear of being abandoned.
Could it be that the golden thigh he was holding now suddenly no longer wanted him?
Hey, he has slowly adapted to the status of this kind of leg pendant.
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How can you just leave?
"I don't know why your Excellency left so hastily," Maori Xiu asked cautiously, "but our domain has been neglectful in some way recently."
"Haha, don't worry, Maori-sama.
Our country has always spared no effort in showing sincerity to your lord.
You should have seen it these days."
Ping Qiu Sheng said with a smile, "To be honest, our army is about to launch an attack on the Ming Dynasty mainland, so there are no more extra troops to use on the Japanese archipelago.
Don't worry, although reinforcements cannot be sent out, it will be very important to your army."
The supply of ordnance materials is still guaranteed.”
Faced with such an explanation, Mourixiu could only sigh, and also wished His Excellency Ping Qiucheng a smooth journey and a long military career.
But when he turned around, he still couldn't help but feel that his most guilty supporter had suddenly left.
Could he not feel uneasy in his heart?
"Almighty Lord, you are my strength and you are my salvation.
Please hear my prayer, Amen."
While praying, he made the sign of the cross devoutly, praying to the Almighty Lord to grant him more victories, praying for the evil pagans to fall into the abyss as soon as possible without redemption, and praying for God to come to this troubled Japanese country and protect him.
This loyal warrior pushed the power of the Maori family to the top At the end of December of the fifth year of Chongzhen, the Ming Empire, Beizhili, Tianjin, Dagukou "Woo" Accompanied by a long whistle, the last 10,000-ton steel giant on the dock slowly left the empty port and sailed through the cold sea covered with ice floes.
The originally bustling market on the shore had now become empty, with no one visible, like a ghost town.
As the Bohai Sea gradually freezes after the onset of winter, merchant ships that once visited Dagukou have to leave one after another.
The abnormal prosperity of the Dagukou Private Port Market due to the large-scale smuggling trade in the past few months has disappeared in the blink of an eye like an epiphyllum that blooms and then falls.
Seeing this fleeting, whirling trade stronghold, Chen Xin, the former commander-in-chief of Dengzhou Town in the Ming Dynasty, couldn't help but be filled with emotion.
But what he is more concerned about right now is what kind of follow-up military plan the organization will have after the Dagukou transaction.
"Comrade Xiao Wang, General Huangshi has gone to Guangdong now and is responsible for commanding the Lingnan strategy.
I wonder what your next plans are."
"The organization asked me to go to Nanjing."
Wang Qiu replied, "The Jiangnan strategy is about to be launched, and the inspection team in Nanjing must be withdrawn.
What do these old and shameless guys call themselves?
A university professor actually spent public funds to drink flower wine on the Qinhuai River” oshow7: