Looking at the map of Japan, you will find that the Kanmon Strait is a wonderful place. It has Honshu Island on one side and Kyushu Island on the other. The narrowest point of the strait is only more than 200 feet, and it seems that you can cross it in one step, but it is indeed
It is a natural chasm that separates the two most important islands in Japan.
This also resulted in the always distant relationship between Kyushu Island and Honshu Island. The people of Kyushu always lacked recognition of the Kanto court on the island. When the world was in peace, they were independent. When the world was in chaos, they took the lead in independence, which caused great headaches for the shoguns of all generations.
How to conquer Kyushu is a task that any shogunate must face.
Today, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the third-generation general of the Muromachi shogunate, personally leads the island. The 100,000 allied troops and 3,000 warships from the four countries have been stationed at the northern end of the strait for half a month.
They even arrived earlier than the Ming army, but blocked by this narrow strait, they never set foot on the land of Kyushu.
This is not surprising. The Northern and Southern Dynasties have been fighting fiercely for decades, and the two sides are in a state of hostility. Even if foreign enemies are present, it is not easy for the Southern Dynasty to open its arms and welcome the Northern Dynasty army to their last territory.
Moreover, Moji Castle of Zhengsai Prefecture on the other side of the strait is in a dangerous position. It is the key to the Western Kingdom and guards the passage to Kyushu. The daimyo Moji Okayori who guarded Moji Castle refused to let him pass, and the army of the Tokugawa army could not cross the sea with confidence.
Therefore, the Shogunate army has been waiting for the release of Nanchao for the past half month.
Of course, this is only a public explanation for middle- and lower-level officers and soldiers. As for whether the resourceful general has his own plans, the people below have no idea.
Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was on Shimonoseki Castle at this time, looking at Moji Castle across the strait.
He is only twenty-three or four years old, but he has been in charge of the Northern Dynasty for twelve years.
When he was eleven years old, his father, the second-generation shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori, passed away, leaving him with a precarious and crisis-ridden regime. Everyone believed that the Northern Dynasty was about to fall into chaos again.
However, after Ashikaga Yoshimitsu took office, he immediately showed maturity and wisdom that belied his age. He moved to Muromachi, Kyoto, and was officially called the Muromachi shogunate. He used his outstanding leadership and governance skills to reintegrate the shogunate and reorganize the chaotic shogunate.
Order was restored and powerful combat effectiveness was revealed.
Then, he began to personally lead his army to conquer the east and west. Over the years, he had brought down the guardian daimyo of Honshu and Shikoku who belonged to the Southern Dynasty or were rebellious. Even Emperor Changqing of the Southern Dynasty was forced to do so.
Don’t hunt west of Kyushu Island.
Right now, the only thing standing in the way of his unification of Japan is the Kyushu Island in front of him.
To be more precise, it is actually the Kanmon Strait.
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was fully confident that as long as he allowed his army to cross the strait, drive away the invading Ming army, and create a reputation for saving Kyushu, the Southern Dynasty's power would quickly disappear in Northern Kyushu like boiling soup and pouring snow.
If the three people wanted to cause trouble again, he wouldn't mind taking the opportunity to bring peace to these disobedient Kyushu local tyrants.
In short, as long as we can cross the sea and defeat the Ming army, Kyushu will definitely return to the rule of the shogunate, and Japan will end the troubled times of the Southern and Northern Dynasties and return to unification.
And he, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the great general who conquered the barbarians, will also become the most powerful shogun in history with his unparalleled achievements. By then, it is not an extravagant hope to depose the emperor and establish himself as king.
This is the ambition of the third generation of generals.
But he still looked as calm as water and as motionless as a mountain. The people below couldn't tell that their general already wanted to go to heaven...
The retainers are all anxious, wondering when the Southern Dynasty will ask for help. A hundred thousand troops have gathered here, and eating horses and chewing people every day is a huge expense. If it goes on for a long time, they themselves will be unable to bear it.
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu didn't take it seriously. He smiled and comforted the worried commander Shiba Yishang and said: "We still have food and grass for half a month. There is no need to be so worried about writing, right?"
"It's only half a month, General..." General Sibo said speechlessly: "Ordinarily we should withdraw our troops now."
"It's not necessary," Ashikaga Yoshimitsu said with a smile: "When we get to Kyushu, Zhengxifu and the three people will naturally provide us with food and grass. Even if we don't fight them for the time being, we will still be poor."
"General, it's true..." General Si Boyi wanted to say that he was a rogue, but that would be too unreasonable. He had to smile bitterly and said: "But His Highness Huailiang has not made any move yet. Doesn't it mean that we are no longer needed?"
"That's too bad." Ashikaga Yoshimitsu raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: "But Zhengxi Mansion and the three people are separated from each other. I don't believe they can do it."
"The general is always so confident." Shiba Yishang smiled bitterly again, and there was nothing he could do about it. Who said that for more than ten years, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu has always been lucky and never failed?
While the two of them were talking, a young man came in quickly and handed over a letter: "General Qi, a letter has been sent by ship from Mensicheng across the street."
General Shiba Yi took it, looked at the cover and said happily: "It's Nijo Kagerai!"
"Oh?!" Ashikaga Yoshimitsu finally couldn't pretend anymore. He grabbed the letter with his hands, tore it open and took out the letter paper. It turned out that it was indeed in the name of the Southern Dynasty, asking him to send troops to reinforce Kyushu!
"Hahaha, let me tell you!" Ashikaga Yoshimitsu thrust the letter back into General Shiba's hands and said happily: "Hurry up and give the order, and the army will cross the sea immediately!"
"General." General Sibo quickly read the letter, frowned and reminded him: "This letter only asks us to send troops for reinforcements, and does not make any promises. Should we put forward conditions? At this time, they will agree to anything.
of."
"It's not necessary." Ashikaga Yoshimitsu shook his head decisively and said: "As long as our army sets foot on Kyushu, life and death will be determined by my heart. What other conditions need to be mentioned? There is no need to gain a reputation of taking advantage of others' danger."
"Follow your orders." General Si Bo Yi thought that this was also the case, so he followed the orders and nervously organized the army to cross the sea.
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu continued to stand on the Shimonoseki Castle Tower, looking at the Kyushu Island opposite, and began to think about how to deal with the Ming army.
All his ambitions were based on repelling the Ming army. If he could not defeat the Ming army, everything would be in vain.
According to the latest intelligence, the Ming army attacking this time has more than 200 warships and only 30,000 troops. It has already broken through the sacred wall that protects the country, and is besieging Shuicheng while plundering Dazaifu.
Although the intelligence source did not know the losses of the Ming army, they must have suffered a lot of casualties through continuous offensive battles.
Moreover, before the Ming army captured Shuicheng, they began to rush to loot the Dazaifu, which shows that their military discipline was very lax. At this time, everyone in the Ming army had gained a lot, and they must be greedy for life and afraid of death. They want to return to their country alive to enjoy it, and their combat effectiveness must be affected.
As the saying goes that a strong crossbow cannot penetrate Lu Guan, there should be nothing to worry about. I am afraid that once they hear that their 100,000 troops are coming for reinforcements, they will probably retreat without a fight.
So if you are lucky, you may be able to complete the rescue without spending a single soldier. Even if you are unlucky, a hundred thousand troops will definitely be able to push the Ming army back into the sea!
Ashikaga Yoshimitsu made this judgment based on his own knowledge.
