Tokugawa Mitsukuni was no longer in the mood to stay in Nanjing to arrange Wei Zaode's visit to Japan, because Japan's peaceful and prosperous era was coming to an end, and he had to go back and report quickly!

Now there are bad guys in the west of Japan. Zhu Cixiang, the hero of Ming Dynasty and ZTE, turns out to be a sinister and cunning bad guy who plots to overthrow Japan's peaceful and prosperous age.

And there is a madman in the east of Japan! The Catholic empire of Spain is completely crazy and is actually planning a large-scale raid on the core areas of the Ming Empire!

Didn't they see the huge fortresses on both sides of Wusongkou in Shanghai? Didn't they see the Jiangyin and Jingjiang fortresses on the edge of the Yangtze River?

As an envoy visiting China, Tokugawa Mitsukuni was invited to visit Wusongkou in Shanghai and the fortresses along the Huangpu River, and was deeply impressed!

Since the cost of building bastions with sandbags is relatively low (not entirely with sandbags, but it can still greatly reduce the cost), the Navy Department of the Ming Dynasty built a large number of bastions and fortresses near important seaports and seaports. Shanghai, as the Ming Dynasty

The most important city and trade center of Haikou is protected by a large group of coastal defense fortresses and land fortresses!

Among them, the Shanghai Coastal Defense Fortress Group is mainly located along the Yangtze River on both sides of Wusongkou. It is not one fortress, nor a group of fortresses, but two groups of fortresses! One group on the east bank of Wusongkou, and another group on the west bank of Wusongkou! The two fortress groups are not only firmly stuck

It not only secured the entrance of Wusong River, but also secured two large river banks where it was easier to land and build docks.

Although Shanghai is a coastal city, it is actually very difficult to land on the coastline of Shanghai because most of it is mudflat and the water is too shallow. The difference between the coastline at low tide and high tide is ten to twenty miles. Moreover, there is nothing ready-made near Shanghai's coastline.

There are only some small fishing ports in the area. What's worse is that there are no official roads in that area. At the same time, the water network is crisscrossed, and transportation mainly relies on inland water transport. And these water networks are connected to the Huangpu River in the upper reaches of the Wusong River.

The Ming Dynasty army stationed in Shanghai built a Jiangpu Fort on the west bank of the Huangpu River, and a Pudong Fort on the east bank of the intersection of the Huangpu River and Wusong River. The two forts firmly blocked the route from the southeast of Shanghai.

The beach enters the waterway in urban Shanghai. Even if a brave enemy forces a landing from the beach, it will be blocked by the water network and these two bastions. It is almost impossible to quickly occupy urban Shanghai.

task.

Moreover, the urban area of ​​Shanghai is not without city wall protection. The Pudong area of ​​Shanghai has the 20-mile-long Baoshan Wall (Baoshan was located in Pudong during the Ming Dynasty), which protects the Pudong area and the Baoshan fortress complex on the east bank of Wusongkou.

On the back, there is an artificially excavated canal outside the Baoshan Wall that serves as a moat. The Puxi area of ​​Shanghai is protected by a Wusong Wall. The Wusong Wall is even longer, extending from the Wusong Bastion Group at the Yangtze River Estuary to Jiangpu Fort, in a semi-circular shape.

It is circular in shape, nearly fifty miles in length, and there is also a canal on the outside that serves as a moat.

Although the height of Shanghai's two long walls is limited, there is no prismatic gun platform protection, and there are many city gates. However, it has a sloping anti-gun wall and is thick enough to withstand heavy artillery. As long as the Shanghai government can attack the enemy,

Before the big army raids, the workers in the city form a militia and cooperate with a small number of regular troops to set up defenses on the city wall, so that the city can be defended.

There are now 200,000 to 300,000 manual workshop workers in Shanghai, as well as three large arsenals, namely Shanghai Shenyang Iron & Steel Co., Ltd., Shanghai Bogarao, and Shanghai Steel Union, as well as the Shanghai Naval Academy. Not only do they have a large number of workers who are easy to organize, but they are also familiar with guns and artillery.

personnel, and also has a large inventory of guns and production capabilities.

Unless the troops attacking Shanghai succeed in a very short time, they will never be able to conquer the city!

In the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, in addition to the "Shanghai Fortress", the Ming Dynasty also owned the Jiangyin and Jingjiang fortresses. This was a river defense fortress group used to prevent enemies from moving up the river and threatening Nanjing. The lower reaches of the Yangtze River in this era were very wide, and the Jingjiang River Center Island

Together with Jiangyin on the south bank of the Yangtze River, they form a narrow area, so it was naturally chosen by the Navy of the Ming Dynasty and became the gateway for defense along the river. A series of bastions formed an impenetrable defense that was almost impossible to destroy with naval guns.

It can only be won by logging in and attacking!

But in this era, the time it takes to attack the fortresses is measured in months. Taking down the Jiangyin and Jingjiang fortresses is probably measured in years. And how long did the Ming Dynasty's general mobilization take?

"The defense of the river mouth of the Ming Dynasty can be said to be impregnable! Therefore, I think the Spanish's idea of ​​raiding the southeastern seaport of the Ming Dynasty is completely crazy! It is impossible to succeed!"

Tokugawa Mitsukuni, who had rushed back to Edo after a long journey, was currently in Edo Castle reporting the gains and insights of his trip to China to Lao Naka, Masaki Hoshina, who was assisting the government, and others.

This time he reaped the bitter fruit, met bad guys and madmen, and saw a Ming Dynasty Jiangnan that was already in the primary stage of capitalism.

"So, do you think the shogunate should reject the Spanish and side with the Ming Dynasty?"

The senior middle school student who asked the question was Tadaki Sakai. In recent years, because Matsudaira Nobutsuna was old and frail, unable to cope with increasingly difficult internal and external situations, Sakai Tadakiyoshi, who was still young and strong, gradually became the most vocal senior middle school student.

"This" Tokugawa Mitsukuni frowned, but he didn't know what to do.

"Lieutenant General (Mitsukuni's official title is Lieutenant General Ukonoe Gon)," said the senior writer on the side, Matsudaira Nobutsuna, "You are the heir to the Mito family, what else can't you say that is inconvenient to say?"

Masayuki Hoshina said: "Yes, just say it! You can say anything!"

"Hai!" Tokugawa Mitsukuni nodded, "Then I know everything! I thought that if the Ming Dynasty defeated Spain in the Pacific, Japan would be in danger of overthrowing!

Because there is no way for Japan to join the vassal system led by the Ming Dynasty. The Tokugawa family can become the vassal of the Great Tomorrow, but it is impossible for His Majesty the Emperor to serve the Great Tomorrow!"

"Lieutenant General, how could you say such a thing!" Masayuki Hoshina's expression changed drastically, and he immediately began to scold him. Because he already understood what Mitsukuni was saying? Tokugawa Mitsukuni was talking about deposing the Empress and letting Tokugawa

Possibility of Shogun being promoted to King of Japan!

Tokugawa Mitsukuni sighed: "What the official said is just the truth!"

Hoshina Masayuki angrily said: "As a minister, can you say such things?"

Tokugawa Mitsukuni shook his head: "Then, can we return the great power and turn Japan into a country of emperors like the Ming Dynasty?"

"Lieutenant General! What are you talking about!"

"Lieutenant General"

"Lieutenant General, are you crazy?"

"Lieutenant General!"

All the senior middlemen were shocked by Tokugawa Mitsukuni's words, and they all started shouting without caring about etiquette.

Tokugawa Mitsukuni snorted: "Can't you say anything? I just told the truth! These are the two roads before Japan now!

Either become a rebellious minister and traitor, and with the support of the Ming Dynasty, eliminate all the disobedient daimyo, and then let Gong Fang become the king, and then make Japan a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty.

Either we all become loyal ministers together, and the shogunate takes the lead in returning the great power, changing the vassals into counties, establishing an empire, and then forming an alliance with the Westerners to fight against the Ming Dynasty!

There is no other way!"

Is Tokugawa Mitsukuni crazy?

The Mito Domain is about to change its heir.

What to do! The smartest person in the Tokugawa family is also crazy!

So, is there any other way?

When the senior middle school students heard what Tokugawa Mitsukuni said, their first reaction was that this smart man was crazy! But then they thought about it, and there seemed to be no third way!

So everyone fell silent.

Tokugawa Mitsukuni continued: "Now is no longer the time to live behind closed doors! Japan must be founded as a country, and if it is to be founded, it will face two major problems. One is the relationship with China! The other is competition with other countries!

Because it is impossible for His Majesty the Emperor to submit to the Celestial Empire, then Japan will not only not be able to receive the protection of the Celestial Empire, but will also be hostile and subverted by the Celestial Empire! If the Emperor cannot be abolished and the emperor can be transformed into a king, then Japan must unite the power of all the vassals to become one country.
Chapter completed!