Chapter 1650: Devising Strategies Behind the Scenes

Although, as the head of the Nijō family—one of the regent families serving the public—Nijō Yasumichi did not wish to see yet another outsider family added to the regent houses originally monopolized by the Fujiwara clan, he also knew that these were extraordinary times, and extraordinary measures were required.

The Grand Minister of State was the apex of the Japanese court's statutory official system; since the Heian period, the court often left the post vacant, with the Minister of the Left holding primacy in ordinary times. Looking back, even Tokugawa Ieyasu had only received the Grand Minister of State office a year before his death.

Now, Mōri Hidenari, the head of the Mōri family and lord of the Chōshū domain, was not yet forty years old. A promise to bestow the Grand Minister of State title at such an age was an indescribable honor, one that even stirred a measure of envy in Nijō Yasumichi's own heart.

However, just as his predecessors had been able to acknowledge that Toyotomi Hideyoshi—the Great Taikō—and make him Grand Minister of State and head of the nobility in return for the gold and silver tributes he offered, so too could he now set aside all displeasure and acknowledge a Great Taikō Mōri as Grand Minister of State.

The Mōri family was a powerful domain. Though greatly weakened by the Tokugawa compared to past eras, it still possessed considerable strength, enough to serve as an outside backer for the court and to bolster the court's prestige. That it had been harshly treated by the Tokugawa was also a good thing, for it meant they harbored resentment and would be more easily drawn to the side opposing the shogunate.

Now that the Great Han had invaded, the Mōri family's resolve was surely wavering; they wanted to defect to the Great Han, but feared they would not receive good treatment and also dreaded earning infamy before all under Heaven. And now, he and his party could give them precisely the pretext they needed to rise up with just cause.

This was a matter of mutual benefit, and the Mōri family, adept at calculating gains and losses, would surely see the necessity in it.

To prevent the Mōri family from defecting directly to the Great Han before his message arrived, Nijō Yasumichi hastened his journey. With only a handful of attendants, disregarding the toil and risks of the road, he crossed the already chaotic southern territories, traveling day and night for several days until he entered the Mōri family's domain.

Meanwhile, the Retired Emperor, Ichijō Kanetō, and the others followed the Minister of the Left's plan, traveling west to evade the waves of refugees along the way, taking temporary refuge in the mountains of Iwami Province. It seemed they would have to endure hardship for some time yet.

Upon entering the Mōri family's domain, Nijō Yasumichi immediately found it under martial law. Although other domains had also mobilized their samurai as if facing a great enemy, the atmosphere in the Mōri domain was especially tense. Along the northern border, fully armed domain troops patrolled everywhere, cutting off contact with the northern domains and also blocking the escape routes for refugees fleeing north from within the domain.

Seeing this scene, Nijō Yasumichi grew even more convinced of Ichijō Kanetō's earlier judgment—if they harbored no ulterior motives, why would the Mōri family need to deploy so many domain troops on their northern border when the Great Han, a formidable enemy to the south, was already at their doorstep? Even to block refugees, such measures were unnecessary.

As soon as Nijō Yasumichi's party set foot in the Chōshū domain, they were quickly discovered by the domain troops patrolling and searching everywhere. But by now, Nijō Yasumichi had no need to hide himself any longer. Instead of fleeing as before, he stood openly before these men and declared his identity.

His action, unsurprisingly, caused a stir among the domain troops. They immediately detained him and then escorted him to the domain capital of Chōshū.

When Mōri Hidenari received the report from his subordinates that the court's Minister of the Right had personally come to his domain, he was as shaken as everyone else.

He knew that the Retired Emperor, the Emperor, and the court had fled Kyoto; he simply had not expected them to come knocking on his door so quickly.

He was still relatively young, and because of his power struggle with his uncle Mōri Hidemoto, he lacked much experience in governing the domain. Thus, when faced with major events, his heart could not help but waver. Ever since the Great Han landed and invaded Kyushu, he found himself suddenly thrust into the teeth of the storm, like a tiny boat amid towering waves, drifting unsteadily in the turbulent currents of the times—one misstep, he feared, and he would capsize.

Fortunately, the Mōri family had deep foundations. A large number of hereditary vassals and military commanders had remained since the era of Mōri Terumoto. They were experienced and still fairly united, so by pooling their wisdom and efforts, they could at last formulate a strategy, allowing Mōri Hidenari to feel somewhat at ease.

These vassals were not only experienced in governance but also shared another common trait—their hearts were filled with resentment toward the shogunate. This resentment stemmed not only from the generational hatred between the Mōri and Tokugawa families but also from their own interests.

In the glorious era when the Mōri family held a domain of 1.2 million koku, most of these vassals enjoyed generous treatment, and some even had their own fiefs. In the fallen era when the shogunate reduced them to a mere 370,000 koku, the domain's financial straits forced their stipends to be slashed by more than half, and their lives became unbearably harsh.

As for the lower-ranking samurai in the domain, driven by the need to survive, many had even degenerated into half-soldier, half-farmer armed peasants. The domain's military strength could no longer compare to what it had been during the Warring States period.

Faced with this reality, they were naturally all seething with indignation against the shogunate. In ordinary times, with no opportunity, this resentment could be buried deep in their hearts. But today, with the Great Han invading and the realm seemingly on the verge of chaos, most began to stir with ideas.

On the very first day the Great Han invaded, the Mōri family received the news and began mobilizing the domain's troops while waiting and observing the situation, assessing how events would unfold.

To their surprise, the Great Han's campaign in Kyushu proceeded far more smoothly than they had imagined. In just a few short days, they crushed the shogunate's military forces on Kyushu, and within a dozen or so days, they swept across the entire island. Even more surprising to them was how quickly the island's domain lords surrendered to the Great Han—especially the Shimazu family, who seemed to have reached a tacit understanding with them even before the Great Han invaded.

The rapid development of the situation left Mōri Hidenari and his vassals both terrified and delighted. Terrified that the Great Han might also see them as enemies and that they could not withstand the Great Han army's assault; delighted that the Great Han seemed to be targeting only the shogunate, and that as long as their domain cooperated with the Great Han, they could escape disaster and, in passing, vent their spleen against the shogunate.

No one in the domain wanted to fight a desperate, life-or-death battle against the Great Han to preserve the Tokugawa realm. The consensus was that even if the Great Han refused a peace settlement with their domain, they would absolutely not take any action that meant mutual destruction—at worst, they would flee north.

After several days of emergency meetings, Mōri Hidenari and his vassals made a series of decisions. They ordered a senior vassal, Mōri Motonobu, to go to Kyushu, establish contact with the Great Han through him, and ascertain the Great Han's attitude toward the Mōri family. At the same time, they ordered a full martial law within the domain, temporarily forbidding anyone from fleeing north, so they could observe the situation and make a final choice as soon as possible.

Mōri Motonobu did not disappoint. He quickly made contact with the Great Han army and met with their envoys. The news he brought back was most heartening: as long as the Mōri family cooperated with the Great Han and submitted to the Great Han Son of Heaven, then after the war, the Great Han was willing to confirm the Mōri family's domain from decades past—that is, to restore the 1.2 million koku territory.

This news, it must be said, made Mōri Hidenari and the domain's senior vassals all cheer and leap for joy. They immediately abandoned the plan to flee north and prepared to defect to the Great Han as soon as possible. After all, according to the intelligence Mōri Motonobu provided, the Shimazu and Tachibana families had already surrendered to the Great Han and accepted deployment by the Great Han army. Even if they had to bear infamy, they would not be the only family to do so.

However, to avoid arousing the suspicion and wariness of neighboring pro-shogunate domains, the Mōri family kept this decision circulating only within the highest decision-making echelon of the clan. The domain began urgently deploying troops, but kept it secret. They planned to raise the banner of rebellion only after all preparations were complete.

At the same time, Mōri Hidenari began ordering a purge within the domain of his uncle Mōri Hidemoto's confidants. After the Tokugawa shogunate was established, Mōri Hidemoto had abandoned his previous stance and defected to the shogunate. Now he was greatly favored by Tokugawa Iemitsu, and for years he had used this favor to try to interfere in domain governance, much to the displeasure of the domain lord Mōri Hidenari. Hidenari seized this opportunity to purge the domain and establish his own absolute authority.

Just at this moment, a decree from the shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, also arrived. In the decree, Tokugawa Iemitsu expressed gratitude for the Mōri family's years of hard toil guarding the provinces of Nagato and Suō, and in this time of great calamity, he hoped the Mōri family would fight bravely to resist the Han invaders. He also stated that the shogunate's great army was already assembling and would soon gather in full force to march south, assist the Mōri family in defending their territory, and recapture Kyushu.

At the same time, he indicated that as long as the Mōri family mustered the valor of old and fiercely resisted the Han invaders, then to reward the Mōri family, the shogunate would, after the war, return all the lands that had been confiscated in the reduction years ago—in other words, essentially the same terms as the Great Han.

The decree was written in a most mighty and heroic tone, as if the shogunate's great army could assemble in an instant and grind the Great Han forces to dust, requiring only that the Mōri family summon the courage to resist desperately for a time to receive the shogunate's lavish reward.

Yet, however stirring the words, Mōri Hidenari and his senior vassals did not believe them at all. One could even say they regarded them with cold sneers. They knew Tokugawa Iemitsu's character and the shogunate's way of doing things. Given their usual arrogance and imperiousness, how could they suddenly become so generous unless they were in an extremely dire, even life-or-death, predicament?

To Mōri Hidenari and the others, the shogunate offering such terms only proved they were at a loss, that at least for now they had no way to respond, and were merely trying to trick the Mōri family into throwing their lives away to buy them time.

Moreover, this promise to restore the former domain was highly suspect. The shogunate had always been extremely stingy on territorial matters, constantly seeking ways to reduce the domains' lands. How could they suddenly become so generous as to restore the Mōri family's domain? One must realize this was no small amount.

Furthermore, if they truly did this, what of the Ikeda family, bound to the shogunate by multiple marriage ties and known as the "Shogun of the Western Provinces"? Would the shogunate truly be willing to make the Ikeda family give up all their clan territory for the Mōri family's benefit? At the very least, Mōri Hidenari and his domain vassals did not believe so.

They judged this to be merely a stalling tactic by the shogunate, deceiving them into a death match with the Great Han. Once they had exhausted their own strength, and if the shogunate truly drove out the Great Han after the war, whether they would then honor their promise was, they feared, all too obvious. They would probably seize the chance to wipe out the Mōri family entirely.

Thus, they immediately set aside the shogunate's decree, and instead, their resolve to betray the shogunate grew firmer. However, after deliberation, they felt the shogunate's overture could also serve as a bargaining chip, allowing them to try to haggle with the Great Han and seek a higher price.

Just as their plans were settled, an envoy from the court arrived. For the Mōri family, this was nothing short of another piece of good news, because in Mōri Hidenari's view, this could allow them to further elevate their own worth in dealings with the Great Han and seek even more benefits from them.

With this mindset, he ordered Nijō Yasumichi to be brought into the domain capital while simultaneously deliberating the matter with his senior vassals. They quickly reached a consensus: continue to observe the court's movements, see what price the court could offer, and then use that to demand a price from the Great Han.

The court was now isolated and without support, but with both the Retired Emperor and the Emperor in hand, as well as the Minister of the Left and Minister of the Right, the court fully possessed the great moral authority of legitimacy—a tool that could well be exploited.

Under the domain lord's orders, the next day, Nijō Yasumichi was promptly invited into the council hall within the domain capital.

Although the Mōri family held little genuine respect for the imperial house and the court, they maintained the necessary outward deference. As soon as Nijō Yasumichi entered the hall, Mōri Hidenari and his vassals seated this Minister of the Right in the place of honor, while they themselves took the lower seats.

After all, in theory, Mōri Hidenari, whose official rank was Junior Captain of the Right Inner Palace Guards, was also an official within the court and, moreover, nominally a subordinate under the Minister of the Right. Outward respect had to be shown.

Because he bore a heavy responsibility, Nijō Yasumichi did not engage in the usual roundabout speech of the court nobles. Instead, he laid everything out plainly for Mōri Hidenari and his men: the court's current predicament, His Majesty the Retired Emperor's determination to overthrow the shogunate, the tacit understanding between the court and the Great Han, and the court's plan to rely on the Chōshū domain as an outside backer.

Though mentally prepared, Mōri Hidenari and his vassals were still shocked as they heard Nijō Yasumichi recount one matter after another. To restore their power, the Retired Emperor and the Ministers of the Left and Right had actually sent men to borrow troops from the Great Han—this was something unprecedented in all of Japan's history.

However, the Mōri family were no paragons of virtue themselves; they too planned to cooperate with the Great Han. So they had no desire to morally condemn the court. Besides, if the court openly declared its cooperation with the Great Han, it could even shoulder the infamy of defecting to the Great Han before all under Heaven on their behalf.

Next, Nijō Yasumichi laid out the price the court intended to offer the Mōri family: as long as the Mōri family supported the court and contributed their strength, then after the war, the court would confirm the Mōri family's former domain, affirm their right to rule over the western provinces, and was also willing to appoint the head of the Mōri family as Grand Minister of State.

The first conditions were not surprising, as both the Great Han and the shogunate had already offered the Mōri family such a price. The last one, however, filled Mōri Hidenari and his men with delighted surprise.

Grand Minister of State was an honorary title. With the court monopolized by the various branch families descended from the Fujiwara, it would not confer any direct influence over court governance. Yet, it was, after all, the highest official rank within the court. The Mōri family could use it to exert significant influence, and combined with their inherent domain, it would make the Mōri family one of the most powerful daimyō in Japan after the war.

At the same time, it was a declaration.

Starting from Mōri Motonari, generations of the Mōri family had fought with desperate effort, building a foundation in the chaos of war and expanding it step by step, until they finally became a colossal force capable of contending for the realm. Yet, after reaching their peak, the Mōri family's fortunes had fallen into stagnation. Time and again, they were thwarted by powerful men in the east, until at last they had to swallow the bitter fruit and submit to these men, watching helplessly as Toyotomi Hideyoshi became the Great Taikō, watching helplessly as Tokugawa Ieyasu became the shogun.

If they seized this opportunity to become the court's Grand Minister of State, it would undoubtedly declare that in the decades-long, unyielding struggle against the three generations of rulers of the realm—Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu—the Mōri family had achieved the final victory and become the ultimate winner. And Mōri Hidenari would become one of the most revered ancestors in the Mōri family's history.

For this, what did even cooperating with the Great Han matter?

After sending Nijō Yasumichi off to rest, Mōri Hidenari and his vassal elders immediately resumed their secret deliberations and quickly reached a consensus, deciding to accept the court's terms. They were going to cooperate with the Great Han anyway; gaining the additional title of Grand Minister of State would be a delight, would it not? Moreover, they could borrow the court's prestige to add luster to their own family.

Thus, the Mōri family promptly agreed to Nijō Yasumichi's terms, helped the court raise its banner, and simultaneously assisted the court in spreading everywhere the imperial edict declaring the shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, an enemy of the court and calling upon all the great daimyō of the realm to jointly punish him.

However, even at this moment, the Mōri family still did not directly raise their own banner and break with the shogunate. It was not that they still wished to waver, but rather that they wanted to exploit the situation of being courted by both the shogunate and the court to go and seek even more favorable terms from the Great Han.

Thus, the Mōri family's envoy soon returned to Kyushu and relayed this entire series of messages to the Great Han, especially the news about the court.

After the burly Han General Zhao Song in Nagasaki received this news, he immediately notified Zhou Pu, and Zhou Pu at once rushed back from Shimabara to Nagasaki Castle to confer with Zhao Song.

The two of them quickly saw through the Mori clan's inner calculations.

"They're not just hedging their bets — they're a crafty rabbit with three burrows…" Zhou Pu sneered.

"Indeed. Even at this stage they're still thinking of bargaining with us. Truly cunning and deceitful." Zhao Song's face was cold as well. "This trend must absolutely not be allowed to grow."

"Now that Kyushu is pacified, the time has come to deal with them." Zhou Pu was still smiling. "Commander Zhao, leave this to me."