Chapter 1631: After the Rendezvous

After carefully verifying Zhou Pu's identity, He Gui and the other Great Han officers and soldiers immediately paid their respects to Zhou Pu, and their attitude shifted completely — although the Great Han army had always been outwardly cooperative but inwardly at odds with the Cabinet, that was, after all, a struggle at the upper levels; the rank-and-file officers and soldiers still held an instinctive awe toward officials of the imperial court.

Moreover, Zhou Pu had willingly taken great risks, venturing deep into Kyushu before the Great Han forces even arrived, making contact everywhere with domain lords and powerful clans harboring discontent against the shogunate — this courageous conduct had also earned him the esteem of the Great Han officers and soldiers, who had always worshipped heroes.

Because the Great Han officers and soldiers held him in such high regard, Zhou Pu was able to easily keep these soldiers in check.

By now, several hundred Great Han officers and soldiers had assembled at the border of Yanagawa Domain, already forming a formidable force. However, because they had spent the previous days relentlessly pursuing the routed troops of Fukuoka Domain and reinforcements sent by other domains, they had gotten little rest. At Zhou Pu's suggestion, they began to set up camp on the spot, rest and reorganize the troops, and prepare to wait for follow-up reinforcements.

According to the agreement Zhou Pu had previously reached with Tachibana Muneshige, the Great Han army could pass through the territory of Yanagawa Domain without restriction, but could not enter the domain castle (and indeed there was no need to), and the Great Han army was also to enforce military discipline and refrain from looting the common people within Yanagawa Domain.

When Zhou Pu relayed the demands of the Yanagawa Domain side, the Great Han officers present all agreed. Of course, this was not merely because the Great Han army was accustomed to a style of strict discipline that forbade the slightest offense against civilians, nor out of consideration that Yanagawa Domain was an ally; more importantly, they did not want scattered looting by soldiers to slow down the pace of the march.

As evening approached, Tachibana Muneshige led the main force of his domain's army, which had already been assembled, to the vicinity of the Great Han temporary encampment. Like the Shimazu clan, he was prepared to act as a collaborator with the Great Han army and assist them in sweeping through Kyushu.

Clearly, as long as Great Han could achieve victory in this war, they would thereafter occupy an extremely important position in Japan, so Tachibana Muneshige naturally wanted to show extra initiative in advance, making these Han people value him more highly.

As soon as he arrived, he brought several of his trusted aides into the Great Han army's camp. Taking this opportunity, he also carefully observed these Great Han officers and soldiers. Although these soldiers all looked utterly exhausted, their camp was meticulously arranged, without the slightest slackening despite the highly favorable situation. The Han sentries on watch also kept a constant, vigilant eye on him.

These Great Han officers and soldiers, though each differing in facial features, were all exceptionally robust in physique, clearly having received ample provisions in ordinary times. Moreover, in his eyes, these men were brimming with heroic spirit, their actions marked by strict obedience to orders and swift execution.

Such crack troops, combined with their uniform and orderly attire, made his heart palpitate with dread.

He had fought in wars for many years in the past, and had even clashed with the Ming dynasty's most elite frontier forces in Korea. Although the Great Han officers and soldiers ought to be somewhat stronger than the Ming frontier forces of that time, he had originally believed he could still imagine the formidable might of the Great Han army.

Yet now, having truly seen them in person, he realized: the imposing solemnity of their formations and the rigorous precision of their conduct far exceeded any army he had ever seen before. As a veteran general of many years, he knew in his heart that titles like "Unrivaled in the East" or "Unrivaled in the West" were all empty words before the battle line. No matter how brave and mighty a warrior, before the battle formation he was merely an inconspicuous little wave. What truly decided the outcome of a pitched battle was solely the quality of the officers and soldiers — and the quality of these men was clearly far more crack than he had anticipated.

No wonder they could effortlessly shatter the shogunate's battle lines into utter collapse.

After several days of chaos, the situation was now becoming clearer, as more and more information converged upon Yanagawa Domain. He knew that the domain troops of Fukuoka Domain had been thoroughly routed, an army of several thousand men sent fleeing in utter disarray, and then essentially annihilated over several days of pursuit by the Great Han army. The Nagasaki front had likewise collapsed at the first touch, and the city of Nagasaki was now about to fall into Great Han hands.

At this thought, he secretly rejoiced at his own good fortune, having finally leapt from the shogunate — that ship clearly about to sink — before everything became irretrievable.

He knew very well what the shogunate's army was like now, and he believed that against such a sharp edge of Great Han arms, the shogunate forces had absolutely no chance of winning; even whether they could hold their old bastion in Kanto was in question.

If the shogunate could be completely wiped out by Great Han, that would be best for him. Even if the shogunate barely managed to hold Kanto, at least his own side still possessed the great moral authority of the imperial court, and he could still serve as the lord of a major domain, securing wealth and rank for the Tachibana clan.

With these unspoken thoughts, he made his way deep into the temporary encampment and once again met Zhou Pu.

Compared to half a day ago, this Great Han envoy now appeared even more radiant with delight, clearly deeply pleased by how smoothly the Great Han advance was proceeding. And Tachibana Muneshige, now devoid of the arrogance he had displayed earlier within the domain castle, was instead utterly deferential. He bowed, then knelt upon the ground.

"Tachibana Muneshige, Lord of Yanagawa Domain, pays homage to the Heavenly Envoy."

Faced with this old man's obeisance, Zhou Pu did not decline it — not out of arrogance, but because he was now within the Great Han military camp, representing the majesty of the Great Han imperial court and the Great Han Son of Heaven.

He also needed to use this method to establish Great Han's absolute authority over these domain lords.

"Lord of the Domain, please rise." Only after Tachibana Muneshige had completed his obeisance did Zhou Pu gesture for him to stand, a faint smile appearing on his face. "You have been put to trouble today, Lord of the Domain. In the future, I ask you to continue your diligent efforts and contribute your strength to the great cause of restoring your nation's imperial court."

Zhou Pu had already arranged with him that, starting today, Tachibana Muneshige would openly stand on the side of the Great Han army under the banner of "Restoring the Imperial Court, Punishing the Treacherous Tokugawa," and then send out proclamations in all directions, urging others to cooperate with the Great Han army as well. Although the domain lords of various regions did not take the imperial court seriously, the banner of the court could still allow them to defect to Great Han with fewer scruples.

And to reward Tachibana Muneshige's surrender, and also because Tachibana Muneshige was originally a famous general, Zhou Pu generously bestowed upon him the title of "Vice Commander of the Restoration Army" — of course, in order to continue making use of the banner of the Japanese imperial court, Zhou Pu intended to grant the title of Supreme Commander to a member of the imperial family or the Fujiwara regent house.

This title of Vice Commander, though it could not be turned into money or troops, was something Tachibana Muneshige regarded as extremely important, because he knew that this status would be of immense help to his future relationship with Great Han.

"The Lord of the Domain enjoys great renown throughout Japan. As long as you issue a proclamation, quite a few people should rise up in response," Zhou Pu said with a smile. "Having your assistance will save us a great deal of trouble."

"A trifling bit of fame is of little real use; it's good enough if people will even listen," Tachibana Muneshige replied, half in jest and half in earnest. "To truly achieve results, we must still rely on the military might of Great Han and the banner of the imperial court... May I ask the Heavenly Envoy, has our nation's imperial court now left Kyoto? Has it come under the control of Great Han?"

This question put Zhou Pu in a somewhat difficult position.

According to his prior arrangements with the Japanese imperial court, before the Great Han army advanced, Zhou Pu would send a message to Kyoto. Once they received his message, his several collaborators in Kyoto — the Minister of the Left Ichijō Kanetō, the Minister of the Right Nijō Yasumichi, and others — would immediately spring into action, taking the cloistered emperor and the emperor of Japan away from Kyoto, finding a way to come to Kyushu and place themselves under the protection of the Great Han army.

Yet now, many days had passed, and not a single piece of news had reached Kyushu from Kyoto, much less any sign of the Japanese imperial family and court nobles coming to Kyushu. Although the extreme chaos in Kyushu was partly to blame, it at least indicated that things in Kyoto were not proceeding entirely smoothly.

This situation could not help but cause some worry.

He had previously instructed the people in Kyoto to do everything possible to come to Kyushu, and if that truly proved impossible, to hide in the mountains and forests. It now seemed that the people in Kyoto had resorted to the second method. But they were the imperial court, the critically important figurehead; the shogunate would surely keep a very tight watch on them. Never mind whether they could escape — even if they could, the shogunate would certainly mobilize and search frantically.

Zhou Pu had met these Kyoto court nobles and imperial family members before, and to be honest, he had a good impression of them. However, that good impression stemmed solely from their conversation and culture, which resonated somewhat with him as a former scholar. As for their abilities, Zhou Pu privately held them in very low regard. Could they really evade the shogunate's search? Zhou Pu could only feel deeply troubled.

If they truly had no way to escape the shogunate's search, then the signboard of the imperial court would be greatly tarnished.

Still, there was nothing to be done about it; he could only pray that these court nobles had a bit of luck. Besides, Great Han currently held a court noble envoy who had come bearing a personal letter from the cloistered emperor. When the time came, simply having him come to Japan would serve as a remedial measure.

Zhou Pu kept all these matters in his mind and had no intention of explaining them clearly to Tachibana Muneshige. He merely glossed over it vaguely. "Your nation's imperial court has not yet arrived in Kyushu; they have only temporarily fled into the mountains and forests. After all, the mountain passes are distant, and the shogunate's search is urgent, so it is difficult for them to come for the time being."

However, while he chose to be vague, Tachibana Muneshige regarded this matter as extremely important.

"My lord, in order to diminish the resistance of other domain lords and to undermine the morale and will of the shogunate's side, the imperial court is of paramount importance to us. We cannot afford to treat it lightly."

"Then what does the Lord of the Domain suggest?" Zhou Pu asked in return.

"In my humble opinion, we should first take advantage of the current chaotic situation, raise our banner, swiftly retake Kyushu, and then, after a brief period of consolidation, immediately march north!" Tachibana Muneshige was very composed; he had clearly thought this through beforehand. "Although this may seem hasty, it is the best choice for us. The Great Han troops are incomparably crack; the various domains, caught off guard, will find it difficult to resist. Once we set foot on Honshu, the entire realm will be shaken even more, and then more people will waver and come over to our side."

After carefully glancing at Zhou Pu to confirm he showed no sign of objection, Tachibana Muneshige continued, "Moreover, I have campaigned in the western provinces for many years and am thoroughly familiar with the mountains and rivers and the geography of the region. The terrain and strategic points will pose no obstacle to us whatsoever; we can strike straight for Kyoto in one bold move. As long as we occupy Kyoto, the moral authority of the imperial court will naturally be in our hands..."

He paused briefly, as if finding the next words somewhat difficult. "At that time, even if both the cloistered emperor and the emperor have fallen into the shogunate's hands, we can declare that they are being held under duress, and then find a few surviving members of the imperial family and court nobles in Kyoto to serve as regents, raising anew the great banner of the imperial court."

Clearly, he also harbored considerable doubts about whether the imperial court could evade the shogunate's pursuit, so he thought it best to simply disregard everything and strike Kyoto as quickly as possible, bringing the court into their own hands sooner. As for what harm this might bring to the cloistered emperor and the emperor, he could not concern himself with that, nor had he any interest in doing so.

"The Lord of the Domain's words are very reasonable; in fact, I was just thinking the same," Zhou Pu could not help but praise, seeing that the other party was proposing something largely consistent with his own previous ideas. "I also feel that after we take Kyushu, we should advance directly on Kyoto before the shogunate's main army has fully assembled, keeping the initiative firmly in our hands."

Then, his smile deepened. "When the time comes, I must ask the Lord of the Domain to continue assisting me. I shall serve as the first Grand Ambassador of Great Han, touring your nation's Kyoto on behalf of the Son of Heaven."

At this moment, he found Tachibana Muneshige very agreeable, feeling that he was even more useful than Shimazu Tadatsune — what Shimazu Tadatsune wanted was the island of Kyushu; once Kyushu fell into his hands, he would grow indolent, and had previously hinted that he did not wish to interfere too much in the war on Honshu. Tachibana Muneshige, however, was different. His future fief could only be on Honshu, so he was very enthusiastic and wanted to strike over there as quickly as possible, which also happened to align perfectly with Zhou Pu's needs.

This Tachibana clan will be of great use in the future, Zhou Pu thought to himself.

"I am duty-bound!" As if sensing Zhou Pu's thoughts, Tachibana Muneshige raised his head and puffed out his chest, every inch the great commander.

Just as they were still in discussion, a sudden clamor arose from outside the camp. Both men, very alertly, halted their talks and looked toward the direction of the sound.

However, they quickly realized that the clamor was one of cheers, not shouts of encountering the enemy, and so they regained their composure.

Then, they learned that it was Bi Su, the regiment commander of these Great Han troops, who had arrived.

Under the twilight firmament, amid the rising and falling cheers of the soldiers, Bi Su, accompanied by several of his staff officers, entered the temporary encampment.

At this moment, he was beaming with delight, savoring the joy brought by victory. Through his own forceful insistence, his regiment had broken free of the constraints of their original orders and launched an assault on the shogunate army, then smashed through the enemy lines with overwhelming, devastating momentum, sending the entire enemy force into a rout. Yet he was not content with this, and ordered his officers and soldiers to continue the pursuit.

In this utterly one-sided pursuit battle, his subordinates did not disappoint his expectations, essentially annihilating the enemy with irresistible force and seizing vast swaths of territory in Kyushu. This was, without a doubt, a colossal and glorious victory.

This victory could both boost his subordinates' morale, making them support him even more, and also let the higher-ups see his ability, earning him greater appreciation.

Today, he had received a handwritten order from Marshal Zhao, transmitted from the open sea off Nagasaki. Although the letter contained quite a few words of reprimand, criticizing him for acting rashly on his own, the undertone of praise between the lines was also something he could read very clearly.

As long as he continued to accumulate military merit like this, upon returning he would probably be promoted rapidly... perhaps he might even be granted a noble title.

And all of this was what he had pursued through half a lifetime of military service. Now, those pursuits no longer seemed far from his grasp.

Without waiting for further orders to come down, he took the regiment's main-force units and began advancing along the route his vanguard had pursued, ready to further exploit the victory and crush all resistance forces in northern Kyushu.

When he arrived here, he finally received word that the Son of Heaven's envoy had already reached the army. Not daring to be remiss, he brought several of his staff advisors and orderlies and rode hard toward this place at full gallop.

Soon, he arrived at this temporary encampment.

"Bi Su, Regiment Commander of the First Regiment of the Great Han Expeditionary Force, pays his respects to Lord Zhou." The moment they met, he saluted Zhou Pu.

Compared to the deference of the common soldiers and junior officers, his manner was considerably more reserved, yet he still showed the man due respect — although the senior officers of Great Han generally did not think much of the cabinet's men, this Lord Zhou Pu was an envoy personally appointed by the Son of Heaven, and Bi Su had no wish to be denounced before His Majesty.

"Regiment Commander Bi, I have long heard of your name!" Zhou Pu returned the salute. "Your honored regiment recently shattered the enemy forces and struck such terror into them that their souls flew and their gall bled — truly admirable!"

"Fighting and killing for the nation is simply the duty of us soldiers; I dare not claim credit." Bi Su demurred modestly. "Moreover, we are but military roughnecks — on the battlefield we cannot afford to waver, and we strike down however many foes we meet. But now… here in Kyushu, we must rely on your lordship's ample guidance, lest we spoil the court's grand strategy."

He also knew that Great Han's strategy for the expedition against Japan was to use military force as a supplement to achieve political objectives, doing everything possible to set Japanese against Japanese rather than emphasizing slaughter alone. So now that the first phase had successfully achieved its aims, they truly did need a specialist to advise on the next steps.

"I was dispatched by the Son of Heaven precisely for this. Regiment Commander Bi, please set your mind at ease — I already have a settled plan in this matter." Zhou Pu accepted the responsibility without a trace of modesty, then gestured toward Tachibana Muneshige beside him. "Come, let me first introduce you. This is Tachibana Muneshige, the domain lord of Yanagawa Domain. He has now pledged allegiance to our nation…"

Then he lowered his voice. "He commands considerable prestige among the military commanders and domain lords within Japan. Gaining his assistance has spared our forces a great deal of trouble. Earlier, our troops had already reached the gates of his domain; it was fortunate that I restrained them, or it would have brought trouble."

"Oh?" Bi Su was briefly taken aback, then immediately turned and saluted Tachibana Muneshige. "I have met the domain lord! If my subordinates gave offense before, I beg your forgiveness!"

Although, as a consistently proud officer of Great Han, Bi Su inwardly looked down on those who surrendered and pledged allegiance to him, now — since the man was useful — Bi Su could certainly produce a show of surface courtesy.