Chapter 1689: No Road Left to Walk

1689. Chapter 1689: No Road Left to Walk

"My lord! Why must you speak such ill-omened words!" Hearing Tokugawa Iemitsu say such a thing, Kasuga no Tsubone was so shocked her face went pale. "Though the times are hard, my lord, you still have so many loyal people wholeheartedly aiding you, so many great armies protecting you, and the Divine Lord watching over you from the heavens. Surely you can turn misfortune into fortune and drive back the Han invaders!"

Though she spoke with the utmost earnestness, Tokugawa Iemitsu was not much stirred by her words. He merely sighed softly. A man in his lofty position naturally knew that the blessings of gods and buddhas counted for nothing. The only things that truly spoke in this world were swords and guns, and right now the shogunate was utterly helpless with swords and guns, completely at a loss against the Han invaders.

What was even more terrifying was that the shogunate's authority was in fact built upon the military intimidation of the various domains. Once that military intimidation was lost, and the support of the imperial court's righteous mandate was lost as well, the shogunate's position would be shaken to its core — and that shaking had already begun.

After the Han invaders declared war on the shogunate, the shogunate had never been able to gain any advantage on the battlefield. It had repeatedly lost troops and territory, its reputation and prestige had been utterly spent, and everywhere people were raising the banner of rebellion. It was plain to see that the shogunate was about to become utterly isolated.

Now even the Kanto region itself faced the terrifying prospect of a Han landing. It could be said that the most dangerous moment had arrived. The fear was that the Han invaders would advance directly on Edo and turn this flourishing city into broken walls and rubble.

His wet nurse had just spoken so lightly of fleeing, but now enemies hemmed them in on all sides. Even if he wanted to retreat, there was nowhere left to retreat to. In Edo he was still the shogun. If he fell into someone else's hands, he feared he would not even be able to remain a prisoner.

These matters he had no wish to explain to Kasuga no Tsubone. He only felt utterly drained, his head throbbing with constant pain, unwilling to think about anything at all.

"I am already much better. You may withdraw for now," he said, waving his hand lightly to indicate that Kasuga no Tsubone could leave now. "Pack your belongings. Leave Edo in the next couple of days and go somewhere else to rest and recuperate."

"No, my lord, I absolutely cannot leave you." The moment she heard the shogun was sending her away, Kasuga no Tsubone immediately stopped in her tracks and looked at Tokugawa Iemitsu with frantic urgency. "Please allow me to stay and continue to care for the shogun!"

"Edo is to be placed under martial law now to guard against the Han invaders. The womenfolk were to be evacuated in any case. It is only natural that you leave with them. Staying here serves no purpose anyway." Tokugawa Iemitsu shook his head, then said in a feeble tone, "I must now face the enemy. I have no need of anyone's care."

"My lord, I too am a daughter of a warrior house, and the lord I serve is you. If you cannot leave, how could I possibly leave?" Kasuga no Tsubone could not hold back her tears. "As a retainer of the shogun and the chief steward of the Great Interior, I must share life and death with you, my lord, and face the Han invaders together with you. I beg the shogun to grant me this!"

With that, she directly knelt to the ground, pressing her forehead to the floor.

Tokugawa Iemitsu had originally wanted to say something more, but seeing Kasuga no Tsubone's utterly resolute attitude, he swallowed his words back down.

So be it. Let us face the Han invaders together.

That very night, the shogunate, having received word of the Han landing, finally regained some composure after its initial shock and began to respond with all its might to the sudden turn of events. Shogunate messengers set out from Edo in all directions, preparing to mobilize shogunate armies from various regions to return and relieve Edo.

And unlike Edo, which had not slept a wink all night, Yokosuka was exceptionally calm that day. After occupying Yokosuka, Zhao Song, the commander-in-chief of the Great Han expeditionary force against Japan, began assigning different tasks to his subordinates. One part of the force was responsible for local security, while another part was dispatched to expand the occupied zone and incidentally keep watch on the movements of the shogunate army.

And once all these deployments began to proceed methodically, Zhao Song and his staff officers found themselves at leisure instead. Zhao Song went to bed early that very night.

His current residence was Sogen-ji, a temple of the Soto school of Buddhism and an ancient temple in the Yokosuka area. After the Great Han army landed at Yokosuka, the monks in this temple had all fled along with the common civilians. The few who remained were driven away by the Great Han army, and the temple was then requisitioned to serve as Zhao Song's temporary quarters.

While Tokugawa Iemitsu spent a night of frantic terror, Zhao Song passed it in ease. He did not wake until late the next morning.

By that time, Yan Guang and several other staff officers were already requesting an audience with him. After a simple wash, Zhao Song immediately received these staff officers.

"Did the shogunate make any unusual moves last night?" Zhao Song asked directly the moment they met.

"No unusual movements have been reported from the troops deployed in any direction. On the contrary, all has been calm," Yan Guang answered at once. "At least up to now, there has been no sign of the shogunate massing troops directly in front of our army in preparation for an attack."

"So that means the shogunate has already been scared out of its wits and has decided to let us land just like this, pretending not to see?" A flicker of disappointment and contempt flashed through Zhao Song's eyes. "I would have thought that after being bullied to this extent by us, that brat Tokugawa Iemitsu would not be able to endure it any longer."

"It seems they intend to hold fast at Edo and fight a war of attrition against us," Yan Guang said, quite gravely. "My lord, our landing has been extremely smooth. Within these two days we can transport all our troops ashore. The cannons and warhorses will be a little later, but they won't be delayed for too long."

"Very good. It seems Cai De has truly put his heart into this." Zhao Song nodded approvingly. "In that case, there is no need for us to keep huddling here waiting for others to come and strike us. Tokugawa Iemitsu doesn't dare to come and hit us, so we shall go to his door and seek him out!"

"My lord, we think the same," Yan Guang agreed with his view.

Then Yan Guang and the others spread the map of Japan they carried onto the table and began to replan the use of the troops for the next phase. Fortunately, before the landing, these staff officers had already prepared contingency plans for various situations, so even though circumstances had changed now, they did not feel at a loss.

"Our current location is here, at the southern end of the peninsula…" Yan Guang said as he pointed at the map with his finger, then gently slid it along. "So if we want to advance, there is really no other road to take at the start. We can only attack northward. However, once we fight our way out of the peninsula, there will be many more places to consider…"

He placed his hand at the northernmost tip of the peninsula, then let it rest on one of the cities there.

"This is Kamakura. Kamakura is a famous ancient city of Japan, and it was the seat of the shogunate when Minamoto no Yoritomo first established it. It can be said to be the spiritual holy land of the Kanto warriors, and even of the warriors of all Japan. Its significance is extraordinary. If we can swiftly seize Kamakura, it will certainly deal a heavy blow to the shogunate's prestige and further swell our own momentum… Additionally, Kamakura is situated to the west of the shogunate and is a strategic choke point. The shogunate is surely now in a frantic panic over our sudden landing, mobilizing troops from everywhere to rush to the relief of Edo. We can wait at our ease near Kamakura to destroy or rout those armies coming to the shogunate's aid, and then advance directly to attack Edo, leaving Tokugawa Iemitsu with no road of escape!"

As he explained, Zhao Song remained silent in thought, pondering the feasibility of Yan Guang's plan. Logically speaking, Yan Guang's plan was indeed the most appropriate. Edo was the shogunate's throat; the shogunate dared not fail to relieve it. To do so, it would naturally have to mobilize large numbers of troops, and the Great Han army could intercept these troops en route, weakening the shogunate's military strength while further isolating the shogunate.

"Attack what they must rescue, besiege a point to strike the reinforcements. Good… very good…" In the end, he nodded and approved Yan Guang's plan. "Then we shall first take Kamakura. Let Tokugawa Iemitsu rest easy for a few days, and then we shall advance with the entire army and strike directly at Edo."

Yan Guang was the chief staff officer and had also received Zhao Song's personal approval, so the strategy he proposed became the new operational plan for the Great Han army going forward. The other staff officers began planning the marching routes and the allocation of officers and soldiers according to Yan Guang's requirements, while Zhao Song and Yan Guang went together among the troops to visit and commend the soldiers who had landed, while also preparing to lead the great army to march out as soon as possible.

Early the very next morning, the Great Han army, having completed its rest and reorganization, marched out on schedule. The vast and mighty army, like a fierce tiger loosed from its cage, began to press deep into the shogunate's heartland. Though countless dangers lay before them, they were utterly fearless, thinking only of achieving great deeds and crushing the enemy.

And just as the Great Han army was marching out, the shogunate's messenger finally reached the Iga region and found the great army personally led by the shogunate's Great Elder Ii Naotaka. He then relayed both the dire straits the shogunate now faced and Tokugawa Iemitsu's orders to Ii Naotaka.

When he heard that the Great Han army had actually landed in the very heart of the Kanto region and was now practically at Edo's doorstep, Ii Naotaka was so stunned that he was nearly beside himself, speechless for a long while.

"I… I have failed the shogun, failed the Divine Lord!" In the end, he could only heave a long sigh, filled with remorse and agony, his face ashen as death itself.

Because of his earlier counsel, Tokugawa Iemitsu had entrusted a great number of elite troops to him and sent him to the Kinai region to engage the Han invaders. Now, as a result, he had taken this great army to fight the Han invaders but had failed to recover much territory, while instead leaving the Kanto region exposed. The Han invaders had now landed directly in Kanto, and he felt that he was indeed guilty.

"My lord… now is not the time to speak of this!" As if sensing his current pain and guilt, the messenger consoled him while also urging him on. "Edo is now in dire peril. I beg you, my lord, to send troops at once to relieve Edo. Right now, preserving Edo is the most important thing. All other matters can be set aside for the moment…"

Yet Ii Naotaka's face remained ashen as death.

It was no longer a question of setting things aside. The problem now was that, with the two armies locked in a standoff, even if he wanted to withdraw back to Kanto to relieve Edo, there was no way he could do so immediately. If he truly retreated recklessly without a care, his entire army would certainly be annihilated under the enemy's pursuit.

Moreover, even if he could return to the rescue, he did not know whether Edo could be saved. At the very least, the Kinai region and the western provinces could certainly never return to the shogunate's rule now… The shogunate was already in its twilight.

As a senior minister of the shogunate, he had assisted the Tokugawa clan in ruling Japan from the very founding of the shogunate. He had served three generations of shoguns and had helped them strengthen their control over the various daimyo and the imperial court through every means, and he had watched as the shogunate gradually grew into the colossal entity that dominated Japan.

Yet just when the shogunate was at its zenith, it had suddenly been struck a devastating blow. To watch the shogunate now teetering on the brink of ruin — this agony was truly unbearable.

He was utterly lost, not knowing how to face the Divine Lord and the previous shoguns, and even less knowing what he could possibly do in such a perilous situation to save the shogunate.

"My lord!" Seeing the Great Elder so deeply unsettled, the messenger could not help but urge him again. "Please make a swift decision!"

"Yes… a swift decision must be made." He nodded.

Under the current circumstances, it was impossible for the entire army to escape. He could only leave a portion of the troops behind as a rearguard to delay the enemy's pursuit and bring the main force back to Kanto to defend Edo.

But the troops left behind would surely suffer a catastrophic collapse in morale. How long could they possibly hold off the enemy? Ii Naotaka truly had no confidence, but now he could only try.

That very morning, he immediately summoned all the generals under his command and informed them of the situation now facing the Kanto region.

When they heard that the Han invaders had actually landed directly in Kanto and were threatening Edo, these generals, just like Ii Naotaka, fell into shock and panic. They were all hereditary hatamoto of the shogunate, and many of their families lived near Edo. For Edo to suffer the flames of war meant nothing less than that their families were now in danger.

Almost everyone immediately cried out with one voice to return and relieve Edo.

They had originally marched all the way from Kanto with high spirits, mustering all their resolve to fight a decisive battle against the Han invaders and recapture Kyoto for the shogunate. But after so many days of fighting, the shogunate army had made scant progress. Their patience and morale had been worn away, and their original fervor would never return. Now, hearing the news that Edo was threatened, naturally every man thought only of retreating.

And this was precisely the situation Ii Naotaka feared most. After much deliberation, he finally selected a few generals who were most loyal to the shogunate and instructed them to take their respective units and serve as the rearguard, covering the great army's withdrawal. These few generals, with tears in their eyes, all agreed.

Although the army's high command had finally reached a unified decision, an army of tens of thousands was spread out far and wide. Advancing, retreating, and redeploying could not be resolved all at once. Over the next few days, Ii Naotaka personally directed the movement and preparation of the troops, all the while paying extreme attention to secrecy, hoping to deceive the enemy forces opposite him and allow himself to retreat with as little trouble as possible.

Yet even with all his caution, the unusual activity on the opposite side did not escape Zhou Pu's eyes.

Because he had known beforehand of the Great Han army's plan, and knew that when Edo was threatened, they would surely request Ii Naotaka to return and support it, he paid very close attention to the movements of Ii Naotaka's army. When the opposite side began to redeploy, he too concentrated the troops under his command and began preparing to launch an attack on the shogunate army.

As soon as the shogunate army began its retreat, he would attack. He did not seek to annihilate Ii Naotaka's army, but only to firmly tie them down, so that this great shogunate army could not return to the relief of Kanto and affect the war effort on Zhao Song's side.

At the same time, in order to further delay and divide his opponent, he had also prepared a strategy to attack their hearts and minds.

These past few days have been like years to Ii Naotaka. Ever since receiving the shogun's orders that day, Edo has been sending daily dispatches urging him to lead his army back as quickly as possible — their urgency growing fiercer by the day. And throughout these days, all he has received is bad news. After landing at Yokosuka, the Han bandits rested briefly before resuming their offensive, then pushed northward straight out of the peninsula and captured Kamakura.

Kamakura is the ancient seat of the warrior houses, a place of profound significance. Its fall into the hands of the Han bandits truly pains Ii Naotaka's heart. What's more, he has heard that it fell with shocking ease — though the area had a considerable garrison, they were routed outright by the Han bandits and had no choice but to flee Kamakura.

And even setting aside Kamakura's historical significance, its fall has made communication between the Kanto and Kinai regions extremely difficult, adding further peril to his return march. The Great Han army's intent is also abundantly clear: they mean to destroy a portion of the shogunate forces returning to Edo there first, then strike directly at Edo itself. Yet even knowing their plan, Ii Naotaka now has no other path to take.

Under this searing pressure, he has barely slept or rested these days. His whole being seems to have aged over a decade, and even his voice has grown hoarse. Still, through his efforts, the shogunate army's redeployment is at last nearing completion. Tomorrow, he will be able to lead the bulk of his subordinates out of the Iga region and turn toward Edo.

But on this very day, the enemy army sent over an envoy, demanding an audience with Ii Naotaka. The shogunate had previously dispatched envoys several times seeking peace talks with the Han bandits, but to no avail. This is the first time Great Han has taken the initiative to send an envoy to him.

Startled, Ii Naotaka immediately summoned the Great Han envoy. Though he knew full well the other side could not possibly offer favorable terms, a faint hope still lingered in his heart — that at the final moment, there might yet be a turn of fortune.

However, despite Ii Naotaka's sincerity, this Great Han envoy was quite arrogant. Upon arriving before Ii Naotaka, he did not perform a grand salute, merely cupping his hands in a brief bow. According to his words, the shogun and shogunate ministers had already been stripped of all court offices by the Japanese imperial court — they were no longer officials, and thus this was the only proper way to treat them. Though enraged, Ii Naotaka ultimately swallowed his anger.

"I wonder what matter brings you here to see me now?" he asked coldly.

"Sir has been laboring day and night of late — could it be you are preparing to withdraw?" The envoy met him tit for tat, looking directly at Ii Naotaka without the slightest awareness that his own life rested in another's hands. "If that is indeed the case, then I shall speak plainly: our Celestial Court's envoys have already readied the great army. The moment you, sir, lead your great army in retreat, our forces will strike out in full and pursue you every step of the way. I urge you, sir, to think thrice before acting — do not make a decision you will regret for the rest of your life!"