Ji Xiang watched this scene as a shadow god.
He did not know the character of the heirs to Joseon, nor did he care.
Whoever became the ruler of Joseon, as long as they did not involve Jingling Palace, anyone could.
Gwanghaegun was merely one of those who proactively sought favor. He was also well-informed, knowing that his father had visited the ancestral temple before his disappearance. Although he didn't know what had happened, he was certain it was related to his family's ancestral temple. Initially, he thought it was some strange technique laid out by Japanese Onmyoji within the ancestral temple.
When Ji Xiang met him, and he hoped to leverage Ji Xiang's support to stabilize his position as Crown Prince in exchange for Ming Dynasty recognition, the two parties hit it off immediately.
After hearing some secrets about Jingling Palace from Ji Xiang, the expression of this Crown Prince became quite remarkable.
A new emperor brings new officials. The previous emperor is not the current emperor. The vassal state has just experienced a great war. Even if it wants to reclaim its rights from the suzerain, it must wait for the right time. Rushing out so impetuously and being crushed to pieces, how can there be a future?
Ji Xiang left the place, unconcerned about the chaotic ascension drama that followed. The Blood Child also followed Ji Xiang by his side. As the shadow god dissipated, a cloud descended from the sky.
"Martial Uncle, there is news from the court. His Majesty and the Heavenly Master have issued an edict."
The young Heavenly Master couldn't sense Ji Xiang's presence before and was flying around in the sky. Now he could sense Ji Xiang's location.
"We cultivators are preparing to return to our country."
The young Heavenly Master's tone was strange: "However, those generals who were stationed here for farming are still stationed here. Regarding the arrangements after returning to the country, Martial Uncle... His Majesty and the Heavenly Master want to have a private talk with you."
"As for us, we are all staying in Shuntian, ready to be dispatched at any time."
The young Heavenly Master showed a look of exhaustion: "I almost died in the Joseon War. After returning to the country, it seems there are still great wars to fight."
"Grandfather really knows how to order people around."
Ji Xiang looked confused: "Could it be... the issue of the Tatar invasion?"
Originally, the Ming Dynasty's destiny was declining, and its national fortune was precarious, like Mount Tai collapsing and the sea drying up. It was not far from its demise. However, it had forcibly extended its life. Although the national fortune had recovered, the wars on all sides would not stop because of it.
The battles that should be fought would still be fought, and foreign enemies had various reasons.
It was heard that the northern Tatars had repeatedly harassed the nine frontier garrisons in recent years. Not long ago, they even rushed directly to the vicinity of the Great Wall, which was why Li Rusong, who was sent to conquer Joseon, was transferred to the north to fight the enemy, and the famous troublesome teammate General Yang Hao was sent here to replace Li Rusong's position.
"I don't know, perhaps. It is said that something big happened there."
The young Heavenly Master's cyan robe swayed. He turned left and right, looking around. He even used the technique of observing qi. Then he approached Ji Xiang. Ji Xiang leaned in, and the young Heavenly Master whispered, "Martial Uncle, please don't spread it around."
"Li Rusong is dead."
Ji Xiang's gaze was slightly solemn.
Calculating the time, it seemed to be around this time. He hadn't paid attention to this matter before. Ji Xiang only remembered that this person died in a battle with the Tatars. He remembered the specific date vaguely and didn't expect him to die so quickly.
"Although I haven't met him, I've heard of him. He's in his prime at fifty. Could he have been ambushed and killed by the Tatars?"
The young Heavenly Master nodded: "Originally, he was going to strike deep into Huanglong with three thousand light cavalry, but he encountered tens of thousands of Tatar troops. It is said that there were also formidable great cultivators participating. It was difficult to fight against many with just two fists, so he died like this, without even knowing who the opponent was."
"If you don't call him a hero, at least he was a famous general of his time. He died so easily."
Generals are bound to die in battle. Li Rusong was also one of the few famous generals who could shoulder important responsibilities during this period. Ji Xiang was quite emotional that he died in the hands of unknown scoundrels without even meeting them. The young Heavenly Master, however, became eloquent:
"I read the Romance of the Three Kingdoms in the folk when I had nothing to do. When Guan Yu and Zhang Fei died, it was like this. Those who killed them were originally unknown people, but they became famous because they killed them."
"It's a pity that the people who killed General Li are unknown. The other party did not seek fame, fearing being targeted by our great cultivators, so they were very cautious."
Ji Xiang: "I have no friendship with Li Rusong, nor have I met him. However, a great general has fallen, and the north is left unguarded. The Joseon war has only been over for two months. It is time to send people back to guard the northern territories."
The young Heavenly Master nodded, then suddenly changed to a happy expression, even a bit gloatingly:
"Martial Uncle, there is another big event! Our锦衣卫 (Imperial Guard) spies in Japan have sent news that there seems to be another war happening there, and it is very fierce now!"
Originally, Hideyoshi in this world had not died but was made into an artificial heavenly god. Ieyasu, Terumoto, and Nagamasa were one traitor and two rebels, and they could jump to rebel and depose the emperor at any time. The Battle of Sekigahara, which broke out after Japan's defeat and return, was now out of the question.
However, new wars still broke out.
"Oh, what's going on?"
Ji Xiang was very curious.
The young Heavenly Master then narrated the cause and effect of this new war.
The reason for this was the "War of Purification" caused by the rebellion of people like "Kobayakawa Hideaki" and "Shimazu Yoshihiro."
"The specific situation is unclear. The锦衣卫 (Imperial Guard) spies found it difficult to obtain more precise intelligence. We only know that Ieyasu and others were ordered by Toyotomi Hideyoshi to purge the family forces of those who rebelled in the Joseon War. Those families were unwilling to sit idly by and started fighting with Hideyoshi."
The intelligence known by the young Heavenly Master was also limited, but the general information, as well as the movements and reactions of various forces, were very clear.
...
At this time in Japan.
Due to the sudden betrayal of many Japanese generals on the Joseon battlefield, their clan forces in their homeland were all implicated. Hideyoshi ordered Ieyasu and the other two to purge these traitors. Ieyasu and others, while leading large armies to conquer, secretly provided immense assistance to these families and forces. Not only did they send people to secretly tip them off, but they also provided them with time to gather troops and retreat.
As for Xu Fu, he did not interfere in this matter, leaving Hideyoshi to handle it entirely. After all, for the lord of a divine kingdom, betrayers indeed deserved to be purged.
Hideyoshi was also worried that the population would decrease with each killing, so his order to Ieyasu was to capture as many as possible alive, preferably to make them surrender in an organized manner.
Ieyasu replied that he had received the order, and then suffered repeated defeats, which were deliberately staged into a stalemate.
The supreme commander of the Eastern Army was still Ieyasu, but the supreme commander of the rebel army was the Kobayakawa family. Upon receiving the news of "Hideaki's" rebellion, the head of the Kobayakawa family, Takakage, who was on the verge of death, secretly sought people everywhere for a miraculous medicine to prolong his life. After taking the life-prolonging medicine, he sat in the position of the supreme commander of the rebel army, dragging his nearly buried body.
However, the objective of the rebel army was not to defeat Ieyasu's army, but to escape across the sea.
"There is nothing left in Japan to be nostalgic about. If we stay here any longer, let alone land and houses, even our lives and souls cannot be preserved. While Emperor Jinmu is not paying attention to our little skirmish, we will secretly contact the Ming Dynasty and escape to the Ming Dynasty through Joseon or Ryukyu."
"Only in this way can the torch of our family be preserved. We must remember to take revenge on Hideyoshi in the future."
The Kobayakawa family and the Kikkawa family were actually branch families of the Mori family. However, as branch families, they could sit as one of the Five Elders and be on par with the head of the Mori clan, Terumoto Mori. Takakage was naturally an extraordinary figure. Facing his plan to escape to the Ming Dynasty, the head of the Kikkawa family was confused and complained:
"If it weren't for Hideaki's rebellion as the commander of the western route army of the Joseon expeditionary force, we wouldn't have ended up like this! We just finished a war with the Ming Dynasty, and now we are fleeing. If the Ming Dynasty doesn't accept us, where will we go?"
Kobayakawa Takakage responded in a weak voice: "It's fine. Even if the Ming Dynasty doesn't accept us, we can go south to the South Seas and head to the Ming Dynasty's Old Port Pacification Commission in Luzon. The Ming Dynasty has banned maritime trade for many years, and its control over the Old Port Pacification Commission is very weak. We will just say that we are overseas merchants fleeing from Japan, and no one there will be suspicious. There are always refugees escaping to Luzon every year, from the East and the West, those red-haired Franks and Dutch are everywhere."
"With our strength, we can live well in Luzon. However, if we can enter the Ming Dynasty, we will have the opportunity to counterattack Honshu with the help of the Ming Dynasty in the future. Once the future reckoning is successful, our family can continue for several hundred years."
"Going to Luzon is just leaving things to fate. Although it is nominally the Old Port Pacification Commission there, it is actually the territory of the Franks. Although it is very prosperous due to the presence of various people, that land is also very chaotic."
Both paths have their pros and cons, but in short, the sea is vast. As long as they can leave the scope of the divine kingdom, they don't have to worry about Xu Fu's revenge. Hideyoshi also couldn't let Ieyasu lead so many fleets to capture them. Of course, since the number of rebels was not small, tens of thousands of troops would require many large ships to carry them away.
So the head of the Kikkawa family inquired about this matter.
"This has also been arranged."
"There is a priest who is willing to provide us with escape ships."
Kobayakawa Takakage's pale face also showed a bit of radiance: "When I learned of Hideaki's rebellion, I realized that something big was about to happen. Fortunately, that immortal from the Ming Dynasty came here and caused a commotion, which made Hideyoshi and others temporarily forget about our current situation. Coupled with the fact that I and Mori's adopted son, Hidemitsu, were still fighting in Joseon and had not betrayed them, they had not yet thought of dealing with us. It was only after the war that the reckoning began."
"In the eleventh year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, a group of priests came here to preach. Later, when Hideyoshi sent people to capture and kill the missionaries, a leader named Father Francisco de Valles escaped, and it is unknown where he was hiding. But according to him, he was protected by a secret Catholic method to hide here and did not leave. He is also not an ordinary person."
"Hideyoshi captured the Christian priests with the intention of obtaining the secret Catholic arts they possessed. Originally, these priests were unwilling to hand them over, so Hideyoshi captured them with military force."
"Many of the wishes and demons of the Shinto, as well as the current Shinto arts, were cultivated by referencing the secret Catholic arts at that time."
"All laws return to one, complementing each other. After those priests were thoroughly studied, they had no further use and were naturally executed."
"The remaining priests were no longer pursued. To ease relations with foreign countries, they stopped pursuing these people. Many of Father Valles's colleagues were captured and killed. He harbored deep hatred for Hideyoshi, which was one of the roots of trouble that Hideyoshi sowed for himself."
The head of the Kikkawa family showed joy: "This is excellent!"
Takakage continued: "This priest is willing to take us to Shuntian. It is said that he has a colleague who has become a high official in the Ming Dynasty, named Matteo Ricci. He can introduce us."
Everything was arranged. Ieyasu was also shirking his responsibilities in attacking, and Mori and Kuroda were even more uncooperative. The situation was constantly evolving in unknown directions amidst a strange atmosphere, and Hideyoshi was furious about this.
"Ieyasu, listen to me! I will give you ten days to prepare. Within this month, I want you to launch a decisive battle against the rebel army, especially the Kobayakawa family! And defeat them all! If you cannot do it, I will kill you and hang your corpse on the city walls of the Royal Palace in Kyoto!"
Ieyasu did not meet Hideyoshi but learned this news from a messenger from the shrine who came here.
Mori and Kuroda, after learning of this, secretly discussed among themselves and believed that Hideyoshi must have had something important to do and could not get away. He had previously said he wanted to conquer Ryukyu, but now he was being held back by the rebels.
"I remember Hideyoshi said he wanted to seize the destiny of Ryukyu, and he must be doing something great related to the ascension of the divine kingdom. Now that he cannot deal with the rebels, he must be repairing the national destiny of the divine kingdom."
"However, if we anger him, he might personally take action, and that is a consequence we do not wish to see."
Terumoto Mori did not want to see his own brothers killed by Hideyoshi, so he could no longer slack off. Taking the initiative to attack was also a way to help them survive. At worst, they could let them go halfway through the battle.
Ieyasu also thought the same way.
"Their preparations should be almost complete. I have also used up all my excuses for various illnesses. Taking advantage of this opportunity, I can communicate with the Ming Dynasty."
Beside Ieyasu, a priest dressed in Western attire was constantly nodding as he listened to Ieyasu's inquiries, indicating that everything had been arranged properly.
"Father Francis, it's all thanks to you. If one day I can become Kanpaku and rule the world, and when Emperor Jinmu dies, I will surely open the doors wide for Christianity. I swear this, and there is no lie."
"I trust the morals of Mr. Tokugawa."
Father Francis convinced Tokugawa Ieyasu of his seafaring skills, ensuring that even sea monsters couldn't get the Kobayakawa family into the sea.
"Then when will the decisive battle begin? If we want Hideyoshi to see clearly and stabilize his restless and fierce heart, we must attack as soon as possible and not let them escape."
"In two days! I will lead a large army across the sea, enter Shikoku and Kyushu, and launch a decisive battle."