Chapter 1657: Brothers

Though he often styled himself a scion of a warrior house and the direct grandson of the Divine Lord, Tokugawa Tadanaga was, after all, a man who had lived in wealth and comfort since childhood, and still so young — he was certainly unwilling to die so ignominiously, leaving behind nothing but a heap of ridicule.

His previous repeated attempts at suicide had come from utter despair at the situation, but the moment he glimpsed hope, he found he could not bear to part with life after all.

Yet this sudden good news did not completely overwhelm his reason; the last shred of sober judgment told him that things would not be so easy.

"Escape... we are surrounded on all sides right now, how could we possibly escape?" He shook his head gently, though at least he had, for the moment, set aside his death wish. "Right now even all contact with the outside world has been cut off from us — how could they possibly let us out?"

"My lord, since we were able to bribe the guards and get definite news from their mouths, then naturally we can bribe them again to slacken their watch and give us an opening to escape." Seeing his master's despondency, Inaba Masatoshi hurried to bolster his spirits. "Right now the Great Han's military edge is so fierce, the entire shogunate is overwhelmed and stretched to the breaking point — who would still have attention to spare for us? And besides... with the shogunate's situation so dire, who here would still be willing to sell their life with single-minded devotion for Tokugawa Iemitsu?"

Having served at Tokugawa Tadanaga's side since childhood, Inaba Masatoshi shared a very deep bond with him; moreover, after years of contending against Tokugawa Iemitsu's supporters, he had long been marked as Tadanaga's die-hard partisan and was bitterly resented by those people.

Inaba Masatoshi knew that his own fortunes and future were entirely tied to Tokugawa Tadanaga alone, so when Tadanaga was defeated and finally exiled by his elder brother to Takasaki Castle, he too had once despaired, believing his future was utterly ruined and that his lord could not even preserve his own life.

Thus, when this opportunity presented itself, he was nearly as excited as Tokugawa Tadanaga, terrified that his lord might once again hesitate and shrink back, letting the chance slip away.

"This... what do you mean?" Tokugawa Tadanaga was somewhat startled.

"My lord, ever since Tokugawa Iemitsu succeeded to the shogun's great office, he has acted perversely and tyrannically, long since drawing resentment and discontent from high and low alike. Now that the Great Han army has crossed the sea to attack, at bottom it is also the result of his misrule... How could such an incompetent and cruel man possibly win everyone's loyal devotion?" Inaba Masatoshi continued his persuasion. "That you have fallen to your present plight, the people below are very sympathetic. Everyone says the Lord Shogun has the nature of a wolf, that he will not even spare his own blood brother, the Lord Great Counselor..."

"Right, absolutely right! He does have the nature of a wolf!" Though he knew full well that Inaba Masatoshi must have embellished these words, Tokugawa Tadanaga could not help loudly agreeing. "It is precisely because of his perverse tyranny that he has provoked the wrath of heaven and the resentment of men... That the shogunate has fallen to such straits today, that Japan has suffered such a great calamity — it is all because of him!"

"Therefore, my lord, you should all the more preserve your useful person, and not submit to such a man, granting him his wish." Inaba Masatoshi spoke through gritted teeth. "With the realm ruined to this extent, it needs the Lord Great Counselor to sustain it all the more!"

"Sustain... the realm?" Tokugawa Tadanaga was momentarily dazed and did not react.

"Yes, sustain the realm!" Inaba Masatoshi emphasized his tone. "My lord, consider this: the realm is now in uproar, the shogunate in turmoil. Since all of this is Tokugawa Iemitsu's crime, is he still fit to occupy the shogun's great office? He ought to abdicate to apologize to the realm! He ought to cut open his belly to apologize to the Divine Lord! And you, my lord, are the late shogun's legitimate son — if Iemitsu abdicates, should this great office of shogun not pass to you? And with your surpassing wisdom, who else could sustain and restore the realm?"

"This..." Tokugawa Tadanaga was almost stunned. He had absolutely not expected that Inaba Masatoshi had secretly been harboring such a scheme.

It sounded beautiful enough on the surface, but how could the actual situation be so simple?

Tokugawa Iemitsu had been shogun for over ten years; his foundations were long since solid, his trusted men everywhere. Even with a war against the Great Han to fight, his position was by no means easily shaken.

Moreover, if something truly untoward happened to Tokugawa Iemitsu, the shogunate's succession would naturally pass to his full blood brother Tokugawa Tadanaga — but that was only in terms of clan law theory. Most of the shogunate's senior councilors were Iemitsu's trusted men; they would not care about clan law and would certainly install one of Iemitsu's sons from the Tokugawa house to inherit the family headship.

Still... things were not quite so dire either... After all, within the shogunate there were still some who were not entirely satisfied with Iemitsu.

"If it is the Great Elder, he should support me." After a moment of silence, Tokugawa Tadanaga suddenly said. "But the Great Elder alone, after all, cannot clap with one hand..."

That he spoke thus showed he was already considering this question.

"If the Great Elder cannot clap with one hand, we might as well seek out others... to see if they can give us support." Inaba Masatoshi's voice dropped even lower. "My lord, please make your decision as soon as possible!"

"Who else can we seek help from?" Tokugawa Tadanaga was first taken aback, but he quickly caught on, and then his eyes widened as he stared at the other man. "You mean... seek out the Great Han? Seek help from them?"

"If we are driven to a dead end, can we only resort to this method, can we not?" Inaba Masatoshi, however, did not waver, still looking steadily at Tokugawa Tadanaga. "Can my lord endure his present circumstances, endure the persecution that man inflicts upon you?"

"No... I cannot! I am a descendant of the Tokugawa house. With the Great Han now a mighty foe before us, how can I betray the Tokugawa and go groveling to the Great Han?" Tokugawa Tadanaga immediately rejected this proposal. "Besides, the Great Han also has the nature of a wolf — how could they be any better than Iemitsu?"

"My lord, this is not betrayal, but rescuing the shogunate, rescuing the Tokugawa house from fire and water. The present situation is the worst the Tokugawa have faced since the shogunate was founded... Not only is the Great Han army invading, but even the Imperial Court and the daimyo of the western provinces are in revolt. The Tokugawa realm is on the verge of collapse — as a descendant of the Divine Lord, can my lord bear to stand by and do nothing?" Inaba Masatoshi continued his remonstration.

"The Imperial Court... the Imperial Court has revolted too?" Tokugawa Tadanaga was greatly shocked once more.

"Yes, the Imperial Court has also turned coat..." Inaba Masatoshi nodded gently. "Just when the Great Han struck, a great event also occurred in Kyoto. His Cloistered Majesty, His Majesty the Emperor, and the Ministers of the Left and Right all vanished, seizing the chance to flee from Kyoto. And not long after, they went to the southern provinces, then issued an edict denouncing Tokugawa Iemitsu as an enemy of the court, and calling upon all the daimyo of the realm to rise up and overthrow Tokugawa Iemitsu!"

"There... there has been such a thing!" Tokugawa Tadanaga felt his mind descend into chaos once again. He had been in Takasaki Castle so long, cut off from the world, that he had developed a sense of detachment from outside affairs. He had not imagined that while he was still drifting in a daze, so many earth-shaking events had occurred in Japan in just two short months!

Since the Imperial Court was coordinating so closely with the Great Han, that meant they must have been colluding in secret beforehand. Though the Imperial Court itself had no money, grain, or resources, it still possessed the rallying power of righteous legitimacy. Ordinarily this rallying power was of little use, but at this critical juncture, once the Court issued its call, those domain lords who already harbored discontent against the shogunate would gain endorsement and encouragement — would they not grow even bolder?

Seen in this light, the shogunate's situation was indeed perilous in the extreme. If it could not swiftly defeat the Great Han, it would likely face an extremely dire predicament — and the shogunate could not even afford to repel the Great Han at too great a cost, for a gravely weakened shogunate would surely be unable to suppress the powerful clans and daimyo rising up on all sides, just like the situation the Kamakura Shogunate faced after repelling the Mongol invaders.

But with the Great Han's military edge so sharp and their preparations so thorough, could they really be repelled quickly and at little cost? Tokugawa Tadanaga himself did not quite believe it.

In that case, finding a way to persuade the Great Han to withdraw was the proper course — the Great Han must have some objective in attacking, and they might not necessarily wish to remain bogged down indefinitely in a stalemate with the shogunate. If some tacit understanding could be reached with them, paying a certain price to make them withdraw was not unimaginable.

And Tokugawa Iemitsu, as the sinner who provoked the enmity between the two nations, was in no way suited to carry out such a strategy.

If Tokugawa Iemitsu cannot do it... should it not be done by me instead?

Yes, I am saving the shogunate, saving the Tokugawa house's patrimony and realm. Tokugawa Tadanaga suddenly felt enlightened.

He had originally wanted to use the chaos to flee Takasaki Castle and preserve his life, only held back by fear of bearing a bad name. Now that he had found such a reasonable pretext for himself, he instead felt eager to escape as quickly as possible.

"Yes, with the Imperial Court turned coat and the daimyo of the western provinces in revolt — is this situation not entirely the result of Iemitsu's perverse tyranny? If not for his violent and arbitrary conduct, how could the Tokugawa realm have decayed to such a state?" Inaba Masatoshi also perceived his lord's wavering and decided to give one final push. "And my lord must consider this: given Iemitsu's hatred for you, if we remain here now, the moment he has a chance to free his hands, he will certainly not let you live... He might even... even, to nip future trouble in the bud, directly take ruthless measures against you..."

Yes, that was indeed very likely. Tokugawa Tadanaga felt a chill in his heart.

He had always known his elder brother's character. Since his brother had pushed him to this point, he was determined to hound him to death. What he himself could think of now, his brother could certainly think of too — it was entirely possible that, to eliminate a future threat, his brother would no longer care about any bad name and would directly send men posthaste to execute him.

"My lord, do you see clearly now? Heaven has taken pity on you and provided a path... you truly cannot refuse to take it!" Inaba Masatoshi suddenly pressed his head to the floor once more, imploring his master. "If you hesitate any longer now, I fear there will never be another chance — you will regret it too late!"

To remain here was to await death passively, certain doom — perhaps even a forced death very soon. To escape from here, even if he could not succeed to the shogun's great office, would at least preserve his life. If he had to choose, there was probably no other path to take.

Had the situation not been utterly hopeless, how could he ever be willing to sit still and await death, pleasing Tokugawa Iemitsu with his own demise?

"Yes, you are right." After a long silence, he suddenly sighed, then abruptly reached out his hand and once again took hold of the sword on the low table — but this time the blade was not pointed at himself, but toward the empty air, as if toward that man within Edo Castle.

"I cannot sit still and await death! I will save the realm, save the Tokugawa house!"

The man at whom he brandished his blade naturally had no idea, at this moment, what resolve his younger brother had formed, nor did he have the leisure to concern himself with that person.

All his energy now was devoted to coping with the complex and extremely dire situation brought about by the Great Han invasion.

As the shogun, the intelligence he could obtain was naturally far more detailed and accurate than that of others, and thus he could see all the more clearly how ruinous the present circumstances were.

The entire island of Kyushu had fallen; a great number of domain lords had surrendered to the Great Han; the Imperial Court had turned coat, colluding with the Great Han to issue an edict denouncing him as an enemy of the court; the Mori clan had turned coat and welcomed the Great Han army's landing on Honshu — this unending stream of terrible news battered his nerves and made his already irascible temperament even more prone to fury.

Recently, those serving at his side had suffered bitterly; the slightest carelessness could bring punishment for the most trivial matters — it was misery beyond words.

Yet rage aside, he now understood that his first and only priority was to find a way to repel the Han invaders and preserve the Tokugawa realm. Otherwise, he would be the Tokugawa house's greatest sinner, and would likely have no face to meet his father and grandfather in the underworld.

Just as Tokugawa Tadanaga and Inaba Masatoshi were holding their secret conference, he too had summoned his chief Elder, Doi Toshikatsu, before him to discuss the current situation and countermeasures.

Because Doi Toshikatsu was not particularly deeply entangled with the old factions within the shogunate, he enjoyed the shogun's deep trust and heavy reliance, often receiving private summons. These private meetings were far less constrained than public high-level conferences and allowed for much freer speech.

"The Mori clan has now rejected all our previous overtures and inducements and chosen to turn coat along with the Imperial Court, dealing us a heavy blow. Even more worrying is that the other daimyo of the western provinces are now stirring restlessly; at the very least, they are unwilling to resist the Great Han with all their might, clearly harboring a wait-and-see attitude, straddling the fence." In the relatively cramped room within the inner citadel, Doi Toshikatsu reported to the shogun in a low voice.

Though his words were extremely grave, Doi Toshikatsu's expression was quite calm, as if this were entirely expected.

Tokugawa Iemitsu, however, could not be so calm. He clenched his fists tightly, his fury evidently surging up once more.

"These traitors..."

Ever since he had assumed the shogun's great office, his conduct had been extremely drastic and his treatment of the domain lords across the land very harsh. This was not merely a matter of his personal character, but also a strategy to further consolidate Tokugawa supremacy and weaken the strength of these outer domains, so that these lords could no longer threaten the shogunate's rule.

Without interference from outside factors, his actions could be considered perfectly appropriate — in just a few years he would have been able to establish the shogunate's legal framework over the outer domains and compel every outer-domain daimyo to send hostages to Edo, securing the shogunate's absolute dominance over the imperial court and the outer domains.

But once the Great Han attacked, those earlier harsh measures became the very reason each domain turned away from the shogunate. They had already built up resentment against the shogunate over these years, and now that an opportunity presented itself, they would naturally do everything they could to throw off the shogunate's rule — or at the very least, they would not sincerely fight to defend it.

The western provinces have already collapsed. Although the Ikeda family is quite powerful and relatively loyal to the shogunate, they cannot hold out alone. If the Great Han army simply advances, reaching the walls of Kyoto may not even be difficult.

And if it comes to that — can Kyoto be held?

In front of outsiders, both men put on a show of absolute confidence, striking the pose that they would resist to the death in Kyoto and drive the Han invaders off Honshu. But they both knew this was nothing more than a propaganda tactic — given how badly the situation had deteriorated, it could not be taken seriously.

"How stands Kyoto's defense now?" After a moment of silence, Tokugawa Iemitsu suppressed the fury in his heart and asked the other man as calmly as he could.

"A large force has already assembled in the Kinai region, numbering over thirty thousand men, with more on the way. With the assistance of the Kyoto Deputy, their deployment has gone fairly smoothly," Doi Toshikatsu answered at once. "Furthermore, thanks to the earlier scorched-earth decree, they have already requisitioned a large quantity of grain in the Kinai, which will greatly ease the supply burden on the Kanto."

This piece of news, which could at least be counted as somewhat good, finally set Tokugawa Iemitsu a little more at ease. During the previous shogunate council, at Doi Toshikatsu's insistence, he had issued the scorched-earth decree as shogun, ordering every domain and locality along the route from the Kanto to Kyoto to hand over all their grain stores to the army as military provisions, in order to relieve the supply pressure on the Kanto.

The order had been carried out. Though it would make the regions along the route seethe with resentment against the shogunate, though it would cover them in infamy, it was at least immensely advantageous to the shogunate. At this point, Tokugawa Iemitsu could no longer afford to care whether the common folk lived or died.

"You have worked hard. I ask you to continue your efforts," he said, offering someone else a rare word of praise. "Rest assured — no matter how others regard you, I will never treat you shabbily."

"To devote oneself utterly to the affairs of the realm is no more than a subject's duty." Doi Toshikatsu bowed to him once more, then continued his warning. "My lord, the outer domains everywhere are stirring restlessly. We must remain vigilant."

"I have already charged Yagyu and Mizuno with handling it," Tokugawa Iemitsu answered at once.

Yagyu Munenori and Mizuno Morinobu were the shogunate's Chief Inspectors, bearing constant responsibility for surveilling the daimyo of every domain. Because the shogunate's special envoy Yagyu Gensai had previously bungled his duties and caused a major disaster, Yagyu Munenori had come under heavy attack, so he was now effectively working to redeem himself.

"Lord Shogun, war is not judged by the gain or loss of a single city or patch of ground, but only by the final outcome. The shogunate must not rashly commit to a decisive battle against the Great Han," Doi Toshikatsu, his mind fixed on this concern, once again cautioned the other man. "Even if we are to place a wager, we cannot stake it on Kyoto — we must stake it in the Kanto, in Edo. Furthermore... we could first send envoys to negotiate peace with the Great Han, and see what terms they would require to withdraw their troops..."