Chapter 1686: Pressuring Nara

1686. Chapter 1686: Pressuring Nara

Like Tachibana Muneshige, when the other commanders learned that the Celestial Envoy had already arrived outside Nara with a large army, nearly all of them secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Lately, Ii Naotaka's massive forces had been pressing down on them so hard they could barely catch their breath, and they had been constantly hoping for reinforcements. Now that their wish had come true, they naturally felt a weight lifted from their shoulders.

After Zhou Pu learned of the situation on Tachibana Muneshige's side, he also intensified his urging of his own troops to march faster, lest the front line collapse.

News that the Great Han army was fully prepared and about to land on Honshu Island soon reached Zhou Pu as well, greatly heartening him. With the main force of the Great Han army landing on Honshu, their original plan of striking the shogunate heavily from two directions simultaneously was finally about to be realized — a blow the shogunate would find hard to withstand.

But he also knew that this was the most critical moment. As the saying goes, the last leg of a hundred-mile journey is the hardest; the closer to the end, the less one can afford any slip-up. Otherwise, all the painstakingly built achievements would go down the drain, or at least be greatly diminished. Although the overall situation was now settled and Great Han had already overwhelmed the shogunate, he had no desire to deduct points from himself when the imperial court handed out rewards based on merit.

The mobilization of the Great Han army toward Nara was on such a grand scale that it could not possibly be concealed from the enemy forces opposite them. Scouts sent by the shogunate army reported what they had seen to Ii Naotaka, who immediately called off his meticulously prepared offensive and pulled his troops back into camp. Tachibana Muneshige had assumed Ii Naotaka hastily ended the last general assault because of his inherently cautious nature, but in truth, it was also because he had gotten wind of the approaching reinforcements and made his decision accordingly.

Relying on the troop strength he possessed, Ii Naotaka dared to launch assault after assault against Tachibana Muneshige, but against the Great Han army he was not so bold as to seek a decisive battle — especially since he believed a large number of Great Han troops were among them.

After lesson upon lesson written in blood, the shogunate, from top to bottom, though still outwardly tough, inwardly deeply dreaded the devastating firepower and weaponry of the Great Han army, and no longer dared to face them head-on in a decisive battle. Especially in the current precarious situation, Ii Naotaka was even less willing to take risks.

Under the threat of the relentlessly closing-in army, Ii Naotaka shed his previous oppressive force, continuously pulling his troops back and retreating step by step. It seemed he intended to regroup and settle into a stalemate with the Han invaders.

After many days of fierce fighting, Ii Naotaka had already abandoned any thought of retaking the Kinki region and Kyoto. The heroic spirit to fight the Great Han army to the death in one vigorous surge and recapture the national capital was gone; instead, he turned to a war of attrition, hoping to make Great Han suffer unbearable losses.

After Ii Naotaka withdrew his troops, the battle beneath Nara Castle came to a temporary halt. The surviving officers and soldiers cleared the devastated, corpse-strewn battlefield while quietly awaiting the arrival of the Celestial Envoy.

Two days later, Zhou Pu arrived beneath Nara Castle.

Tachibana Muneshige and the other subordinate commanders all gathered around him. Aside from Tachibana Muneshige, these men were now all feeling a lingering fear in their hearts — they had all previously entertained the idea of retreating. Yet the Great Han envoy had reached Nara so quickly; had they actually retreated, this lord would surely have punished them for it.

After the entire island of Kyushu was occupied by the Shimazu clan, these daimyo were all desperately eager to obtain new territories on Honshu as compensation, and this in turn depended heavily on the Great Han envoy to bestow such rewards. Thus, these men were all terrified of Zhou Pu, and none dared to offend him in the slightest.

And so, Zhou Pu arrived at the magistrate's office within Nara Castle.

Amid utter silence, Zhou Pu, clad in his official robes, walked straight to the center of the main hall without glancing sideways. Behind him, the Ufu of the Japanese court, Nijo Yasumichi, followed closely step by step. The two men turned together to face the assembled daimyo and military commanders.

"Greetings, my lord!"

The daimyo and subordinate commanders on both sides knelt and sat within the office as if paying audience to the Shogun himself, heads bowed as they awaited judgment. Because of the victories Zhou Pu had achieved along this campaign, his standing among these men had risen higher and higher. When his face was stern, they were all terrified.

"Raise your heads." Zhou Pu's face remained stern, as if he were somewhat displeased. "You have all followed me on this long expedition, fighting bravely and loyally in battles great and small. That we have been able to fight our way here today is in no small part due to your efforts. I wish to thank you all here."

No one answered. Everyone listened silently with bowed heads to the Celestial Envoy's admonition.

"Not long ago, our army captured Kyoto — this is the greatest victory we have achieved since we launched this campaign!" When he reached this point, Zhou Pu deliberately raised his voice. "Now, Kyoto has been pacified. Your nation's imperial court will soon return to the capital and thereafter rightfully rule Japan. And all of you will also be rewarded according to your past merits. I have already written a merit roster, clearly listing the contributions each of you has made along this campaign. Rest assured, all of you — our Great Han always rewards merit without fail!"

At his words, these commanders could not help but grow somewhat eager. Was this not precisely the reward they had been hoping for by following Great Han? Everyone now knew that the imperial court had to obey Great Han's words, so as long as the Great Han envoy decided to reward them handsomely, the rewards would absolutely not be lacking.

Yet just as they were secretly rejoicing in their hearts, Zhou Pu abruptly changed his tone. "However, we do not only reward the meritorious without fail — we also punish the guilty without fail!"

The stern tone was like a basin of cold water poured over everyone's hearts, and each man hurriedly lowered his head again.

"Shimazu Michihisa!" Zhou Pu suddenly fixed his gaze on one man among them.

The loud shout startled Shimazu Michihisa, but he dared not fail to answer, so he had no choice but to raise his head and quietly respond, "Your subordinate is here…"

"Two days ago, you grew fearful of the enemy and actually spoke to the commanding general of retreating. Is this true?!" Zhou Pu immediately fixed him with a severe stare and demanded.

Shimazu Michihisa dared not meet his gaze and hurriedly lowered his eyes again. Sweat slowly began to seep from his forehead.

Throughout this campaign, because of the dominance and decisiveness Zhou Pu had displayed, coupled with repeated victories, he had grown deeply afraid of this Celestial Envoy and absolutely dared not show the same arrogance before him as he had before Tachibana Muneshige.

"My lord… this matter is actually… actually…"

"Is there such a matter or not!" Zhou Pu gave him no chance to catch his breath.

"There is." Seeing that he could not evade the questioning, Shimazu Michihisa had no choice but to admit it, but he immediately began to explain. "My lord, my unit had previously fought the enemy repeatedly and suffered tremendous losses. Later, my troops were utterly exhausted, and that was when the faint thought of retreat arose. It is not that we were afraid to fight — we were simply too worn out from fighting… I beg my lord to see this clearly!"

"I am aware that your unit fought bravely before, but was yours the only unit fighting bravely? Why did other units not shrink from battle, while yours was already thinking of retreating?" Zhou Pu still showed no intention of letting him off. "Furthermore, you also tried to coerce the commanding general and even declared you would act on your own. Is this true?"

"Your subordinate did not demand anything of the commanding general… it is only… only that our Shimazu clan had already made things clear to you, my lord, beforehand…" Shimazu Michihisa hurriedly defended himself.

"Even if there was a prior arrangement, you still cannot defy the commanding general!" Zhou Pu cut him off directly. "In an army, military discipline is paramount, and matters of advance and retreat are decisions only the commanding general can make. Do you intend to make the decisions in his place? Tachibana Muneshige is the commanding general I personally selected. As a subordinate commander, you should obey his orders, yet you sought to act on your own. Do you admit your guilt?"

"My lord…" Shimazu Michihisa still wanted to say something.

"Say no more!" Zhou Pu waved his hand directly, ordering his personal guards outside the room to enter and haul Shimazu Michihisa up from the floor. "I have said — our Great Han rewards merit and punishes guilt without fail. This time, you have violated the military regulation of showing disrespect to a superior officer. According to our Great Han military law, this would normally warrant immediate execution. However, considering that you have followed us northward all this way and rendered meritorious service in battle, today it shall be commuted to a beating with the rod. After the beating, you will be sent directly back to your home domain to reflect deeply on your errors!"

As soon as these words were spoken, not only did Shimazu Michihisa's face fill with terror, but the other commanders also turned pale, all shaken by the thunderous wrath of the Great Han envoy. Not a single man dared to speak up for Shimazu Michihisa; instead, each one was silent as a cicada in winter, and some were even secretly relieved that they had not voiced any thought of retreat to the commanding general.

Ignoring Shimazu Michihisa's unending pleas for mercy, Zhou Pu directly had his personal guards drag him outside for the rod beating. Soon, Shimazu Michihisa's agonized cries reached the room. Though it would not cost him his life, it would certainly leave him with broken bones and torn sinews.

"Have you all seen this? This is the fate of those who disobey military orders and show disrespect to their commanding officer." Zhou Pu looked at the pale-faced group and spoke calmly. "Henceforth, should anyone dare do the same, do not blame me for being merciless!"

His choice to severely punish Shimazu Michihisa was naturally not merely to vent Tachibana Muneshige's frustration. Recently, because his own troops had won battle after battle, Zhou Pu sensed that his subordinates were developing a tendency toward arrogance and insubordination. He had to suppress this arrogance — even if it meant beating the dog to scare the monkey, he needed to make these subordinate commanders know fear.

At the same time, the Shimazu clan's various prior actions had already angered him somewhat, especially their declaration that they would only fight as far as the Kinki region and would render no further help. Although, in order to buy the loyalty of talent, he had already granted the Shimazu clan enormous benefits, by now he no longer relied so heavily on their assistance. Thus, he intended to rap the Shimazu clan on the knuckles, to make them understand who was really calling the shots now, and also to lay the groundwork for continuing to control the Shimazu clan in the future.

Moreover, with a powerful enemy right before them, he absolutely could not tolerate any act of insubordination.

After Shimazu Michihisa was dragged away for severe punishment, the others all prostrated themselves on the ground, not daring to breathe loudly. Having achieved his goal of disciplining them, Zhou Pu no longer kept a stern face but relaxed slightly, then turned his head toward Nijo Yasumichi, who had remained silent all along, and made a gesture for him to speak.

Nijo Yasumichi swept his gaze over the group, his feelings somewhat complicated.

The awe-inspiring authority the Celestial Envoy had just displayed was exactly what he himself had been diligently striving for. He dreamed of restoring the imperial court's former prestige, commanding the entire realm, and making the daimyo submit in fear. Yet he also knew that what these men now feared and submitted to was Great Han, not himself — and even he himself could only treat Great Han with the utmost deference.

With this sense of helplessness, he cleared his throat and then looked at the daimyo prostrated on the ground.

"You have all fought bravely along this campaign, repeatedly defeating the enemy and assisting the imperial court in recovering the national capital. It can truly be said that you have rendered arduous and meritorious service. The imperial court is deeply grateful for the great deeds you have accomplished in restoring the nation and its altars, and has decided to reward you all with lands. It is hoped that you will continue to press forward with steadfast dedication, and that for generations to come, mindful of these granted domains, you will continue to serve the imperial court!"

Then, he had attendants present a sheet of paper to each of the commanders present.

After the Edo Shogunate was established, every domain lord had to receive a shogunate confirmation deed in order to continue holding their domain. Only with the shogunate's confirmation could these domains be considered legitimate and be passed down from generation to generation.

These confirmation deeds were certainly no longer applicable now. With the imperial court restored, only confirmation deeds issued in the name of the court could serve as legitimate domain recognition — this was also a way to expand the court's influence in a situation where it was powerless to constrain the daimyo of various regions.

Having fought this far, it was time to reward merit. Zhou Pu decided to fulfill some promises and give these men something to look forward to so they would keep fighting.

Under Nijo Yasumichi's watchful gaze, the confirmation deeds were presented one by one to specific individuals. Some cheered with joy, some seemed less than satisfied, and some wore expressions of calm indifference, as if they felt nothing at all — Tachibana Muneshige was one of these. Despite being granted vast territories in Ise Province, Owari Province, and Mino Province, making him the greatest beneficiary of this confirmation, with roughly over eight hundred thousand koku.

"What is this? Is General Tachibana dissatisfied with today's gracious reward?" Zhou Pu walked up to him and then faced him with a rare smile. "In my view, the rewards this time are already more than generous."

"My lord has shown me such profound favor — how could I dare be dissatisfied!" Tachibana Muneshige immediately prostrated himself on the ground before him. "It is only that with a great enemy before us, this is truly no time for celebration. Once the shogunate has been crushed, I shall then offer thanks to you, my lord, on behalf of my entire clan!"

"Although the shogunate has not yet been crushed, since such great merit has already been achieved, a little advance celebration does no harm." Zhou Pu's smile grew even more cheerful.

He was indeed very pleased by Tachibana Muneshige's astute tact.

Ise, Owari, and Mino happened to be the gateway regions bordering the Kanto. By enfeoffing Tachibana Muneshige there, the imperial court, while granting him vast and fertile territories, was in fact making him a buffer zone sandwiched between Kanto and the Kinai region, squeezed from both sides. This was, in truth, the court's selfish design — to use him after the war to block the pressure from the Tokugawa clan in Kanto.

Under such circumstances, he would especially need outside assistance — particularly from Great Han. It was precisely because he understood this that Tachibana Muneshige showed not the slightest sign of gratitude toward the imperial court, instead only offering thanks to Zhou Pu. He understood that being able to receive such vast territories was entirely thanks to Zhou Pu's patronage, and that if he and his clansmen wished to continue securely holding this domain lord position, they would still need to rely on this Great Han envoy's help.

In this way, Zhou Pu gained an assistant to help him dominate Japan after the war. The two men thus reached a tacit understanding without a word spoken — although Tachibana Muneshige was already in his twilight years, as long as his clansmen continued as domain lords, they would become loyal running dogs of Great Han.

After these rewards were announced, the tense atmosphere in the hall finally relaxed. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief; the sense of security and joy at receiving their territories dispelled the earlier gloom.

"These letters of confirmation are all in gratitude for your past meritorious service — this is a reward for your deeds. But the shogunate has not yet been completely crushed, so I must ask you all to continue your efforts." After rousing his subordinate commanders, Zhou Pu went on to spur them further. "As long as you can continue to achieve battlefield merits, your territories can be further enlarged. You will never be treated shabbily! Advance with me — we must annihilate the shogunate's great army and capture Ii Naotaka alive!"

"Capture Ii Naotaka alive!" The others shouted along with him, their eyes all seeming to shine with light, their fighting spirit blazing high. Everyone was waiting to achieve further great merits and win more territory for themselves.

Yet for all his impassioned rhetoric, Zhou Pu knew in his heart that he actually had no certainty of annihilating the great army under Ii Naotaka's command. He spoke this way only to rouse these commanders, who had already grown somewhat slack, and then use them to continue stalling Ii Naotaka. In any case, as far as he was concerned, it was enough as long as he could keep Ii Naotaka pinned down and create room for the main Han army to maneuver.

And the way Zhou Pu treated the imperial court as though it did not exist, directly handing out offices and making promises, made Nijo Yasumichi feel even more bitter inside. This Han envoy had now cast aside his former deference and was ordering the court about, acting every inch the overlord, and all the while he was deliberately or inadvertently eroding the court's authority. Yet however discontented he felt inside, he could only endure in silence.

He also knew that things could only be done step by step. The court now held vast swaths of land in the Kinai region that the Han army had helped them occupy, and could already command great quantities of supplies and money. Compared to before, the difference was like heaven and earth. He had already rendered great service to the court.

He still remembered what he had discussed before with the Left Minister Ichijo Kaneteru. Though they must endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens before the Han, the rise and fall of dynasties was a common matter in this world. As long as they could endure, a day would naturally come when they would no longer need to. Perhaps that day would be long in coming — perhaps even his generation or the next would not live to see it — but as long as later generations persevered, the day would eventually come when they would rise again.

After reorganizing his subordinates' forces and tightening his control over them, Zhou Pu rested for a few days, then led his great army out of Nara, pursuing in the direction Ii Naotaka had retreated, intent on keeping that great army tied down around him.

And on the very day he marched out of the city to meet the enemy, the main force of the Han army, personally led by Zhao Song, also arrived by sea off the coast of the Kanto region.