Chapter 1463: Always the Shimazu Clan

"So it turns out the Japanese emperor has married within only one family for generations?" The Chancellor caught on. "It's rather like the Yelü and Xiao clans of the Liao Kingdom — these foreign peoples do have strange customs. But as you also said, though these court nobles hate the shogunate, they are after all weak and isolated. While we could borrow their righteous cause, it won't be of much real use. The Japanese have sidelined the imperial court for centuries; they won't change back just because the court says a few words."

"The Chancellor is absolutely right. The Japanese fear force but not virtue, submitting only to arms and blades. Naturally they have little respect for their court now, and it's even less likely they'd rise against the shogunate merely at its call. Still, that righteous cause can be borrowed — but our real hopes cannot be placed on them." Zhou Pu nodded, agreeing with the Chancellor. "What will truly be useful are those domain lords who are not Tokugawa confidants."

"How so?"

"As I explained before, Japan was previously a patchwork of contending warlords, locked in chaos for over a hundred years. Although the Tokugawa clan expanded through force, established the shogunate, and seized supreme authority, the regional powers from that era were not all wiped out by the Tokugawa. They submitted only because they are now too weak compared to the Tokugawa and had no choice. The Tokugawa shogunate knows this, which is why for years they have been seeking to suppress these regional powers. The Tokugawa divided all of Japan into over two hundred domains, and the domain lords are sorted into three categories based on closeness and kinship. The first are the shinpan, who are also of the Tokugawa clan — these domains are fertile lands, used to settle Tokugawa branch families to protect the shogunate. The second are called fudai daimyo — close retainers who followed the Tokugawa in conquering the realm, granted hereditary fiefs in reward, such as the Sakai and Honda clans. The shogunate regards these lords as trusted allies, allowing them to hold important shogunate offices and help the Tokugawa maintain rule over Japan. The third are called tozama daimyo — these are outsiders, powerful clans who already held territory during the warring era. They are the least trusted by the shogunate, always viewed with suspicion and ostracized by the Tokugawa, suppressed at every turn. So the discontent of these outsider domain lords across the land toward the Tokugawa shogunate runs the deepest."

"This system rather resembles how the Sima clan ruled the realm back then — enfeoffing princes, enfeoffing meritorious officials too, while the frontiers were occupied by foreign tribes." After a moment's thought, the Chancellor grasped the young man's point. "When the Sima clan did that, it brought such great calamity upon the realm. Yet this Tokugawa clan has the audacity to do the same — truly unexpected."

"The Chancellor speaks truly. However, the great chaos of the Western Jin first arose from turmoil at the center — Emperor Hui was fatuous, Empress Jia meddled in governance, and she even arbitrarily killed the crown prince, causing alienation throughout the ranks and giving ambitious men everywhere the chance to rise amid the chaos. At present, the Tokugawa center is still fairly strong, and the shogunate's direct military forces can still suppress the periphery, so Japan remains stable for now." Since the question touched on Zhou Pu's area of greatest expertise, his answer flowed with ease, and this confident eloquence earned the Chancellor's considerable appreciation, convincing him that Zhou Pu truly had a firm grasp of the matter. "However, most of these outsider domain lords already held their territories during the previous warring era and have only temporarily submitted to the Tokugawa. They must certainly harbor resentment. Though they dare not show it now, given the chance, they will surely rekindle their old ambitions and rise with the tide..."

"So, as long as we provide the opportunity, they will stir into action and assist us together?" The Chancellor understood Zhou Pu's meaning. "Then which of these tozama daimyo should we seek to cooperate with? The operation must be kept secret — the more people involved, the greater the chance of a leak, which would alert the Tokugawa shogunate and put them on guard..."

"I have given this considerable thought and have reached some conclusions." Zhou Pu lowered his voice. "Since our nation is to land in Japan, support from the western regions such as Kyushu and Shikoku is especially critical. Moreover, the Tokugawa conquered the west from the Kanto region, so they left the most enemies in the west. Since our time is limited, we should seek them out in the western regions as much as possible. I have now made a preliminary selection of candidates — we can contact them first and have them assist our dynasty... Only with these powerful clans will the imperial army achieve twice the result with half the effort and force the shogunate to bow its head in one stroke."

Since only one brigade was being dispatched this time, defeating the shogunate's main army on its own might be feasible, but relying solely on itself, the shogunate could hide everywhere and avoid battle, and a single brigade could never cover all of Japan. Therefore, the best strategy was to use this brigade as a great hammer to smash the shogunate's military backbone, then let the disaffected domain lords everywhere rise with the tide, stirring chaos in all directions. Amid the predicament of flames raging everywhere, the shogunate could no longer hide — to preserve its rule and its very life, it would have to step forward and honestly accept the peace terms offered by the Great Han court. In the end, the Great Han's aim was subjugation, not annihilation.

This point was clear not only to the Emperor and the Chancellor but also to Zhou Pu, which was why he had poured his efforts into this from the very start.

"Which candidate? Tell me." The Chancellor's interest was visibly piqued.

"The candidate I have selected is Shimazu Iehisa, lord of the Satsuma Domain on Kyushu. His original name was Shimazu Tadatsune — he is the son of the former powerful daimyo Shimazu Yoshihiro. Before the Tokugawa established the shogunate, Shimazu Yoshihiro wielded immense power and even contended for dominion over Japan with men like Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. It was only later that the Tokugawa overwhelmed him by force, and he was compelled to submit to the Tokugawa shogunate. Even the name Shimazu Iehisa was bestowed by Tokugawa Ieyasu. This Shimazu Tadatsune possessed martial prowess from a young age and even followed his father on the campaign against Korea and at the Battle of Sekigahara. He harbors resentment toward the shogunate for suppressing his clan, and if we give him the chance, he will surely rise against the shogunate. Moreover, the Shimazu clan once ran rampant across Kyushu — though their strength is now constrained, they must be intimately familiar with every aspect of Kyushu. If we can secure their assistance, the imperial army's crossing to seize Kyushu will be far easier. As long as our nation can seize the initiative and occupy Kyushu first, our forces will be able to advance or retreat at will."

"Occupy Kyushu first..." The Chancellor pulled over a map and pondered for a moment. "Your idea has merit. But is the Shimazu clan truly reliable?"

"Nothing in this world is ever completely certain, but I believe the Shimazu clan can be won over." Zhou Pu raised his head and looked the Chancellor straight in the eye, fully displaying his confidence. "I am willing to go myself and personally persuade the Shimazu clan to cooperate with our dynasty's plan... In any case, the court is only beginning preparations now and will not truly act until next summer. These six months give me time to conduct thorough negotiations."

Hearing that this young man was willing to venture into danger himself, the Chancellor studied him with some surprise. Before him, the man stood with head high and chest out, brimming with confidence, clearly filled with the desire to seize this chance to advance himself.

Good — ambition is a good thing. With ambition, one will handle assignments seriously.

"You are the one specifically responsible for dealings with Japan. Even without you saying so, I would have sent you first to assess the situation." The Chancellor's face still wore a smile. "However, your silver tongue alone will hardly convince the Shimazu clan to agree to cooperate, will it? Tell me, what price do you intend for us to offer the Shimazu? If we have to help them replace the Tokugawa, then the capital we'd be sinking this time would be far too great..."

"Though the Shimazu clan once harbored ambitions to dominate Japan, after years of suppression by the Tokugawa, their appetite should no longer be so large. If we wish to buy their services, we need only promise... promise to let them hold Kyushu in perpetuity — that should suffice." Zhou Pu spoke cautiously. "Kyushu was their original power base, and restoring that base is what Shimazu Tadatsune yearns for day and night. If we cast out this bait, I doubt they would refuse."

"Enfeoff all of Kyushu to them?" The Chancellor furrowed his brow slightly, clearly hesitating.

"Chancellor, I too feel this condition is exceedingly generous, but extraordinary deeds require extraordinary measures. The Shimazu clan is the horse bone — once we throw out favorable terms, the other domain lords who harbor resentment toward the Tokugawa will surely flock to us and come under our command to be used by us." Seeing the Chancellor hesitate, Zhou Pu hastened to press his case. "Kyushu is not our nation's territory — we would be generous at another's expense. What harm is there in granting it to them?"

"That is not what worries me." To Zhou Pu's surprise, the Chancellor was not swayed by these words. Instead, he raised his gaze to look at him and shook his head. "You are right — Japan is not our territory now, so no matter how much we give, it is generosity at another's expense. However... as I told you all before, we are not waging this war for war's sake, but to compel them to agree to our terms. Military force is merely the means. If we stir up every region, and they all rise against the shogunate, and the shogunate teeters and finally crashes down... then at that point, with them locked in daily chaos and slaughter, who will carry out our will? And who will safely deliver the gold, silver, and copper to us?"

The Chancellor's counter-question left Zhou Pu momentarily speechless.

True enough — if things really went according to his plan and all the daimyo discontented with the shogunate were stirred to rise, the shogunate would certainly teeter. At that point, who would bow and carry out the will of the Great Han court?

"The Chancellor sees a thousand miles ahead — I was foolish."

"No, you are not foolish. The idea you proposed is very good — I am only cautioning you against overexerting yourself." The Chancellor waved his hand gently, his face still smiling. "Your overall direction is correct. Since we are to deal with the shogunate, we should contact the forces within Japan that are discontented with it. This Shimazu clan you proposed — having heard it, I do think it's a good choice and worth drawing in. Let's do this: the condition of permanently garrisoning Kyushu can be granted, but this condition must be for the Shimazu clan alone. We cannot offer such generous terms to the other daimyo, lest the shogunate truly collapse under the strain. Do you understand?"

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