Chapter 1643: No Plan Left to Try

Just as the Japanese imperial court was racking its brains over how to deal with Great Han, the Tokugawa shogunate far away in Edo was also agonizing over the same problem.

However, unlike the court, which was buzzing with excitement, they were instead shrouded in a pall of gloom and despair.

Rain was clearly about to fall.

Clouds black as thick ink blotted out the sky, letting the sunlight reach the ground only feebly, bringing little brightness. Though it was clearly midday, it looked as if night was already about to descend.

Beneath these dense black clouds, the once-bustling city of Edo seemed utterly desolate, even bleak. The oppressive feeling before a downpour had wiped the smiles from every face, leaving only an indescribable vexation.

Of course, this vexation did not stem solely from the impending torrential rain; what was even harder to bear was the news that Great Han had invaded Kyushu.

This news had reached Edo a few days earlier, causing an extreme uproar at the time, followed by widespread anxiety.

Great Han's troops are elite and its generals many, and the weapons they use are incomparably advanced. This time they have surely come fully prepared. How exactly should the shogunate respond next?

These questions lingered in everyone's mind.

Edo Castle was the home castle painstakingly maintained by the Tokugawa shogunate. Within it lay the shogun's residence, the shogunate's army, and even the families of the shogunate's people. If Great Han attacked, the shogunate would join battle — and how many lives would this sudden war claim?

Burdened with worry for themselves and their loved ones, people whispered to one another. Great Han's military exploits in striking out in all directions and attacking everywhere in recent years were brought up again and again, and each mention deepened this anxiety a little more.

And all these questions, all this anxiety, converged upon the center of Edo Castle — the inner citadel where the shogun resided — and then transformed into an inescapable quagmire that seemed to trap everyone present.

In the outer hall of the inner citadel, the shogunate's senior councilors had gathered to deliberate, as they always did when major events arose. Yet the atmosphere today was exceptionally strange. Every face was as gloomy as the clouds overhead, and not a single person spoke. The mood was heavy and suffocating, making everyone feel even more scorched amid the summer heat.

The shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, knelt at the innermost part of the outer hall as usual, silently watching the senior councilors below, as if waiting for them to present him with a plan. Yet every time his gaze swept over a councilor, that councilor merely displayed a terrified look of being unable to bear the burden, not daring to meet his eyes or utter a word.

This eerie silence made everyone deeply uncomfortable, and the fury and resentment in Tokugawa Iemitsu's heart gradually reached a boiling point.

"Normally, you all hold forth eloquently here, as if all the world's great affairs lie within your grasp. How is it that today, every one of you has become a mute clay doll?!" After an unknown length of time, he could finally endure it no longer and spoke. "Have you all been scared out of your wits? Did none of you have the slightest foresight beforehand?"

As he spoke, his gaze grew increasingly severe. The senior councilors, familiar with the shogun's temperament, knew full well just how enraged he now was, and how terrifying it would be if he vented that rage — if no one said something soon, someone's life would likely be forfeit.

Ii Naotaka, the Great Elder who had remained silent all along, instantly became the covert focus of attention. He furrowed his brow with slight unease.

As Great Elder, he was the highest authority in the shogunate's entire power structure apart from the shogun himself, possessing lofty prestige and influence. At a moment like this, it was indeed fitting for him to make a statement and unite the shogunate from top to bottom to overcome this greatest crisis in decades.

Yet he was reluctant to speak.

This war had truly caught him completely off guard, and it was something he had absolutely not wished to see.

From the very beginning, he had been unwilling to let relations between the shogunate and Great Han develop problems, and had therefore consistently taken a moderate stance on trade issues between the two nations. But things had gone contrary to his wishes, and in the end, what had originally been a trade dispute had escalated to this point, turning into towering, crashing waves.

In his view, even if Great Han was extremely dissatisfied, they would not mobilize troops on a large scale over a trade issue. Even if they wanted to go to war, they would not act so quickly. There would be lengthy trade negotiations between the two nations, and as long as the shogunate made some concessions, everything would return to normal.

Because he had never imagined beforehand that Great Han would actually launch a direct, large-scale invasion, he was now just as bewildered and at a loss as everyone else, unable to produce any good ideas.

But the shogun was now waiting for a suggestion, and as Great Elder, there was no way he could avoid it.

"The Divine Lord and the previous shoguns, over many years, trusted and promoted us, earnestly instructed us, and had us assist the shogun..." After a long silence, he finally spoke. "Yet all these years, we have failed to live up to this profound grace, achieving not an inch of merit. And now such a great calamity has occurred, causing our nation and the shogunate to suffer enormous losses. As ministers charged with assisting, we all bear grave responsibility... We are truly ashamed before the shogun, ashamed before the Divine Lord. I beg that once all matters are settled, the shogun punish us!"

Upon hearing his words, the atmosphere in the entire outer hall grew even more oppressive. In particular, the two Senior Councilors, Sakai Tadakatsu and Sakai Tadayo, turned even more grim-faced, for they could all tell that rather than asking for punishment for himself, he was accusing people like them of bringing disaster upon the shogunate's realm and calling for them to be disciplined.

The few of them were all hardliners against Great Han, and now that they had stirred up such a massive calamity, they would indeed find it hard to escape censure from above and below; it only remained to be seen how they would be dealt with after the war.

"Of course, this is a moment of crisis. We cannot afford internal strife. Now, everyone must unite to overcome this difficulty." After rapping these hardliners on the knuckles with a few words, Ii Naotaka steered the topic back, for now was not the time to assign blame. "As everyone knows, Great Han's army is extremely formidable and their weapons are very advanced. Therefore, they are a powerful enemy to us and absolutely cannot be taken lightly."

"Then what do you think the shogunate should do now?" Tokugawa Iemitsu fixed his eyes on the Great Elder and asked directly.

The fine beads of sweat on Ii Naotaka's face grew more numerous, for he knew that what he was about to say would certainly not please the shogun.

"Judging from the information currently available, Great Han's military momentum is fierce and terrifying. Although Naitō Shigeshige has resisted fiercely in Kyushu, he still finds it difficult to withstand the enemy's spearhead. The fall of Kyushu... is probably inevitable..." His words grew more labored with each sentence, and his breathing was very heavy.

Just two days earlier, the newly appointed Nagasaki Magistrate, Soga Koyū, had fled back to Edo. He had escaped on the orders of Senior Councilor Naitō Shigeshige after engaging Great Han in battle, for the purpose of reporting on the current situation of the fighting against the Han invaders. From his account, the shogunate's senior councilors had learned that Great Han had clashed several times with the shogunate forces and domain armies in Kyushu and had won easily each time, and they were forced to confront the cruel fact that the island of Kyushu might soon fall completely into the hands of the Han invaders.

Although the news coming out afterward was still vague, given the speed of the Great Han army's advance, most of Kyushu had likely already fallen, and the Senior Councilor was probably doomed — judging from the resolve he had previously shown, he would die for the shogunate once the situation became hopeless.

Although Kyushu did not have much territory directly administered by the shogunate, for it to fall so quickly while in their hands — they truly did not know how they could face the Divine Lord's spirit in heaven.

What was even more terrifying was that Great Han's military spearhead was not aimed solely at Kyushu. They would surely advance further. Where next? Kyoto? Or Edo? No one knew for certain. The only thing they could be sure of was that a calamity the shogunate had never encountered since its founding had now descended upon their heads.

Sure enough, upon hearing the assessment that Kyushu would likely fall entirely into enemy hands, Tokugawa Iemitsu's face suddenly twitched, and then his fists clenched, as if he were about to devour someone at any moment.

"Kyushu has fallen, and it is difficult for us to send a large army to its rescue now. Therefore, it will likely remain in the hands of the Han invaders for a very long time to come." Although he knew the shogun was already enraged to the extreme, as Great Elder, Ii Naotaka could not afford to hold back under the present circumstances.

"However, the situation is not beyond saving for us. Great Han has sent its army on a distant expedition. Maintaining a large force surely consumes countless resources, coin, and grain. Great Han is, after all, a newly established dynasty; they certainly cannot bear such consumption over the long term. As long as we continue to hold out and drag things out, the day will eventually come when Great Han cannot bear the cost and withdraws on its own."

Although they clearly knew the Great Elder was trying to boost morale, the shogun and the others still could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"In this great war, Great Han possesses the advantage of superior arms and armor, but we have the advantages of timing and terrain. As long as we unite, we need not fear the Han invaders." Ii Naotaka continued. "For us, the most crucial thing is to defend Honshu and not give Great Han the opportunity to sustain their war through war. We must force them to keep pouring in resources and consuming them until they can bear it no longer."

"Are you saying we should sit back and watch Kyushu fall, and then just stay here unmoving?" Tokugawa Iemitsu's brow furrowed again.

"Shogun, your servant also wishes we could immediately expel the Han invaders and recover all of Japan's territory... But with the Han invaders' military momentum so overwhelming now, how many troops would we need to send? One hundred thousand? Two hundred thousand? Leaving aside whether such a large army could expel the Han invaders, even if it could, how long could we supply them by straining the entire nation's resources? If we fight like that, our terrain advantage would be completely lost, and it would become a mutual drain on national strength and finances between the two nations. That would be an extremely unwise course of action for us." Ii Naotaka directly answered the shogun's inquiry, a rare occurrence.

"Furthermore, Kyushu is an island, and Great Han's gunboats roam the seas at will — something the shogunate's naval power truly cannot match. How then could we supply an army sent to subdue Kyushu? In your servant's humble view, we should focus on firmly defending Honshu. As long as Honshu is held, Kyushu will naturally return to the shogunate's hands."

Tokugawa Iemitsu fell silent. His expression was utterly impassive, and no one could tell what he was thinking.

"Your servant supports the Great Elder's proposal!" Just at that moment, Doi Toshikatsu, the Chief Senior Councilor, suddenly spoke up. "The Great Elder's suggestion is the most prudent and the most advantageous course for us!"

His voice was loud, and departing from his usual low-key manner, he had rarely expressed his stance so clearly. For a moment, the entire assembly was stunned.

"Since ancient times, whenever the Central Plains dynasties gained a temporary respite, they would seek ways to attack their neighbors and expand their territory. The Han invaders are merely imitating those previous dynasties, just as the Sui and Tang campaigned against Goguryeo." Doi Toshikatsu ignored the glances cast his way from the side and looked up at the shogun. "But whether it was Emperor Yang of Sui or Emperor Taizong of Tang, although both campaigned against Goguryeo several times, neither ultimately conquered it. Was it because Sui and Tang's arms and armor were inferior? Or was their national power not flourishing? Or did they fail to seize Goguryeo's territory? No, none of these. Each time, their military might was awe-inspiring, and they seized vast swathes of Goguryeo's land, yet in the end, they were forced to withdraw..."

Doi Toshikatsu spoke with fervor and assurance, as if he had become a different person. "This was precisely because the Goguryeo people executed the correct strategy. They did not quibble over the gain or loss of a single city or patch of land. When it was time to retreat and evade, they retreated and evaded, letting distance become Sui and Tang's greatest enemy. Every few steps the army advanced, the difficulty of supply increased severalfold. In the end, they exhausted themselves, ultimately draining their national strength, and the great army had no choice but to withdraw..."

As Doi Toshikatsu explained, not only did Ii Naotaka nod slightly, but the others also exchanged glances, feeling that he made a great deal of sense.

"Therefore, Shogun, for the sake of final victory, temporarily abandoning Kyushu is feasible, and it is what we should do." Doi Toshikatsu raised his head and looked at Tokugawa Iemitsu. "I beseech you, my lord, for the sake of the Tokugawa realm, to make a clear and prudent judgment!"

Under everyone's gaze, Tokugawa Iemitsu's tightly furrowed brow finally relaxed slightly. Clearly, he was not enraged by such a proposal.

"Since the situation is thus, then we have no choice but to do so," he said in a low voice.

As if unwilling to accept it, he added another sentence. "But Honshu we must firmly defend. We cannot allow the Han invaders to advance further and seize more of our territory."

"The shogun's words are most apt." Doi Toshikatsu lowered his head again, as if returning to his usual state. "To prevent Great Han from sustaining their war through war, the fertile lands of Kansai must absolutely not fall into their hands. Otherwise, the shogunate will face an extremely dire situation."

What he had just done was not a gamble. He had seen that Tokugawa Iemitsu had, in fact, already acquiesced to the Great Elder's proposal and wanted to abandon Kyushu, but was merely unable to let go of his pride. So he had stepped forward to give the shogun a way to save face, making this a consensus decision among the senior councilors that the shogun had only reluctantly accepted.

After the two core figures, Ii Naotaka and Doi Toshikatsu, had spoken, the atmosphere in the outer hall finally became less oppressive. The tension that had gripped everyone's nerves also finally eased somewhat.

After all, the Great Elder, with his immense prestige, and the Chief Senior Councilor had pointed everyone toward a path to victory, allowing them at least a glimmer of hope amid the widespread terror.

"In that case, we must assemble a great army and steadily defend Honshu," Senior Councilor Sakai Tadayo finally dared to speak now. "As long as we secure the Kyoto-Edo line and hold these two fundamental strongholds, using the terrain to resist the Han invaders, they will ultimately be unable to bear the enormous consumption and losses and will be forced to withdraw. At the same time, we must have the daimyo in Kyushu who remain loyal to the shogunate fortify their defenses and clear the countryside, destroying local production so that the Han invaders cannot easily exploit Kyushu's resources."

"But... I fear some domain lords may refuse to obey..." Ii Naotaka said, his expression heavy with concern.

With those words, he dragged the main hall back into a stifling gloom.

Indeed — according to the news Soga Koyū brought back, the shogunate army and the pro-shogunate domain forces collapsed so easily because the Shimazu clan of Satsuma Domain suddenly rose in arms and stabbed everyone in the back, causing the situation to crumble beyond all remedy.

If the Shimazu clan could turn traitor, could other houses not do the same? That question pressed down on every man's heart.

They knew that many domain lords in Kyushu and even the western provinces were old enemies of the shogunate, their lands repeatedly transferred and reduced by the shogunate over the years. Whether the great cause of the nation could dissolve the hatred in their hearts — no one could say for certain.

"Shimazu... Shimazu..." Tokugawa Iemitsu's face was deathly pale. He snatched up a fan from the side table beside him and smashed it down on the table with a thunderous crack. "Grandfather should have slaughtered those traitors back then! Every last one! It is because we were too merciful that they dare rise in revolt... Send my order — execute Shimazu Mitsuhisa by public punishment, as a warning to all!"

Shimazu Mitsuhisa was the eldest son of Shimazu Tadatsune. He had been kept in Edo Castle by the shogunate all along and had once enjoyed Tokugawa Iemitsu's favor. But after word arrived that the Shimazu clan had joined the Han bandits in rebellion, he was seized and imprisoned by the shogunate. Now Tokugawa Iemitsu intended to kill him, to show the realm the fate of traitors.

Ii Naotaka wanted to dissuade him, to keep Shimazu Mitsuhisa alive as a bargaining chip against the Shimazu clan — after all, since Shimazu Tadatsune had dared to take up arms, he surely had already set aside this son's life; killing him would serve no purpose. But seeing Tokugawa Iemitsu in such a towering rage, he dared not say another word.

Killing the son of such a traitor was not wrong, in any case. At the very least, it would let everyone vent their fury.

"Ah..." He suddenly let out a long sigh. "Before, we intended to have all the daimyo leave hostages in Edo. I never imagined that before we could put it into effect, something like this would happen. It makes me regret not pushing it through sooner. If we truly had so many hostages, perhaps the domain lords everywhere would have had more cause for hesitation."

Then he gave a bitter laugh. "It is too late to speak of that now. Let us say no more. Shogun, your servant humbly suggests that we immediately proclaim the Cloistered Emperor and the Emperor to have been seized by traitors, and install a regent prince in their place, to steady the hearts of the realm!"