The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 315 Nicholas
As the Ming barbarians continued to invade eastward, the people of Edo City were in panic and rumors were spreading.

Some townspeople who were dissatisfied with the shogunate's rule took the opportunity to compose a mad song about the horrific events that occurred on Kyushu Island, which was sung in red-light districts throughout Edo Castle.

In those comical stage plays, the general is portrayed as a foolish, incompetent clown who is controlled by women.

The daimyo of the various feudal domains in Kyushu, who were superficially allied with the shogunate but actually alienated from it, were like pebbles on the beach, which quickly collapsed when hit by the waves of barbarians.

The townspeople obviously underestimated the shogunate's determination to control public opinion and underestimated the bloody methods of the shogun's wife Ae.

Under the evidence provided by the brothel owner, the testimony provided by the wild singer and the cruel torture that cannot be described in words.

All those involved in the rumors were forced to confess and admit that their various absurd behaviors were instructed by missionaries.

In mid-November, more than 300 Edo townspeople were beheaded in public for colluding with heresy and attempting rebellion.

What is terrifying is that the whereabouts of all the young female prisoners are unknown.

Rumor has it that on the night of the execution, several girls were handed over to monks, loaded into a carriage, and sped towards Kaga in the night.

·······
Bloody and cruel incidents like this were just a small part of the shogunate's reign of terror.

As early as 1617, the shogunate urged the Hizen daimyo Omura to search for missionaries. In April of that year, four missionaries were arrested and executed.

Missionaries were arrested one after another in Nagasaki, Echizen and other places.

Starting from the fifth year of Genwa, the shogunate's ban on religion began to affect the general public.

In the same year, fifty-two Catholics were burned at the stake in Kyoto.

Just before Ping Liaohou led the eastern expedition to rescue the Japanese people, the Genwa Great Martyrdom Incident (Note 1) that shocked the world occurred in Hirado.

After Tokugawa Hidetada came to power, he immediately launched a bloody suppression of Catholicism.

In addition to promoting the completion of the policy of isolation, this move was also instigated by monks.

In the year Tokugawa Ieyasu was poisoned, the number of Catholics in Japan exceeded 500,000.

Five hundred thousand is by no means a small number relative to a population of 30 million.

As Catholic influence continued to expand in Japan, local monks felt seriously threatened.

The radical elements among the monks advocated a tough policy towards Catholicism. Master Huiran of Wushuhuoshan was a representative of these radical monks.

This 400-year-old monk even came to Edo in person to declare to the world the determination of upright people to be irreconcilable with Catholicism.

In the winter of the eighth year of Genwa (1622), the Japanese Catholics, who were persecuted by the Tokugawa shogunate and had nowhere else to go, finally erupted completely.

Taking advantage of the opportunity when Tokugawa Hidetada was expelling foreign invaders and the shogunate army was transferred to Sekigahara, the believers in Yao, Kamimakicho and other places east of Osaka took the lead in rebellion.

They killed the deputy official (Note 2), took the villagers hostage, collected weapons such as muskets and bows and arrows, turned west, and marched towards Osaka Castle in a mighty force.

For a moment, Osaka Castle was shaken.

December 2nd, the day after the Catholic rebels attacked Osaka Castle.

Matsudaira Tadaaki, the mayor of Osaka Castle, reported this to the shogunate at the Osaka Metsuke, which was originally established by Tokugawa Hidetada to monitor his brother Tokugawa Shinichi, who was about to be exiled (Note 3), and at the same time requested assistance from the neighboring Kumamoto Domain and the Omura Domain.

The Kumamoto and Omura clans reported to their respective lords who were currently in Edo, and replied to Matsudaira Tadaaki:

According to the Laws for the Samurai Houses (hereinafter referred to as the Laws) (Note 4), sending troops outside the territory without the shogunate's instructions was prohibited.

If the daimyo sent troops to rescue now, he would most likely be ordered to commit seppuku by the shogun.

Simply put, we cannot send troops to aid Osaka.

Matsudaira Tadaaki had no choice but to ask for help directly from the Tokugawa shogunate.

On the eighth day of December, Edo Castle, Honmaru Palace.

After hearing the report from Omotsuke, Tokugawa Hidetada flew into a rage and said:

"What bastards! Every day when we ask the various feudal domains to come to Edo for sankin-kokan, each one arrives later than the last! When we ask them to build fortifications, they all use the excuse of lack of money and food, completely disregarding the Law. Now that we want to send troops to rescue, each one of them uses the Law as a shield!"

"This is really unreasonable!"

Asai E of the Imperial Palace sat silently behind the screen, and a high monk was sitting on the tatami in front of the screen.

The great monk kneeling in the main hall would occasionally look up and steal a glance at the monk.

The candlelight illuminated the wrinkles on the old monk's face. It was impossible to tell his age from his appearance and voice, but he had white hair and a youthful face, and he looked energetic. His beard, more than a foot long, made him look like a god enshrined in a shrine.

"General, Christians around Osaka have joined the rebels, and their number has now reached 40,000. Lord Matsudaira recommends suppressing them with lightning speed, otherwise it will spread to the various domains in Kanto and become difficult to control..."

Before the Ōmezuki could finish, Tokugawa Hidetada stepped forward, grabbed his collar, and said angrily:

"I sent you to Osaka for surveillance, and this is how you're supposed to monitor us? And you still have the nerve to come back and ask for help! The Kanto and Kansai domains strictly followed the shogunate's orders, expelling the Christians and eliminating the red-haired barbarians as written in the red seal letter. You and that bastard Matsumoto were having fun in Osaka, taking your time. Christians from all over Japan fled to Osaka, causing a disaster. You really should commit seppuku!"

The Omegatsu who was sent to Osaka was Tokugawa Hidetada's confidant. Seeing the general's anger, he said in panic:
"General, Master Matsumoto is your nephew..."

"Asshole! I can even exile my brother, let alone my nephew!"

Matsumoto Tadaaki, the governor of Osaka Castle, was Ieyasu's grandson and the nephew of the Shogun.

Tokugawa Hidetada was panting, beads of sweat oozing from his forehead, and he was unconscious.

Madam A Jiang hurriedly came out from behind the screen and wiped the general with a fine silk cloth.

Hidetada kept cursing, cursing his father for making a ridiculous decision to send his grandson to guard Osaka.

He decided to exile his nephew to a remote area, such as Ryukyu.

Damufu was terrified and knelt on the ground, not daring to look up.

Finally, Ajiang conveyed the order on behalf of the Shogun as usual.

"Order Lord Matsumoto to hold Osaka firmly, and tell the surrounding feudal domains to act as they see fit. Those who quell the rebellion will be rewarded. Order the family elders to mobilize heavy reinforcements and kill all the Catholics!"

Omotsuke looked hesitantly at Asai E, the most powerful woman in the world, then looked at Tokugawa Hidetada who was in a trance beside him, and said cautiously:
"May I ask, what will the decisive battle at Sekigahara be like?"

A Jiang blurted out:

"Barbarians are not to be feared; to resist foreign aggression one must first pacify the country."

"But the barbarians won't wait..."

At this time, the monk sitting next to Asai Jiang suddenly looked up and looked directly at Omotsuke.

Damufu felt dizzy and dazzled, as if guided by a god. His whole body was trembling. He did not dare to ask any more questions and quickly took the order and left.

The maid helped the Shogun to sleep, and A Jiang thanked the monk:
"Master Huiran, thank you so much for what you did just now."

The monk put his hands together and looked kind.

"All things are impermanent, born and destroyed! When birth and death cease, nirvana is bliss. Amitabha! After I return to Kaga to take care of my personal affairs, I will go to Osaka Castle to pray for the souls of those rebellious and treacherous believers in Jesus!"

Ah Jiang clasped his hands together, bowed and thanked again:
"Thank you so much for clearing the general's nightmares these days and for giving me such a generous gift yesterday."

The generous gift refers to the "Cloud of Fire".

Fire Cloud has the power to rejuvenate. Made from premium volcanic mud from Hakusan Mountain and Kyushu cherry blossoms, it's infused with the souls of infants, resulting in extraordinary effects.

For the past ten years, A Jiang has been asking people to collect this item from the unknown volcano.

Relying on the Cloud of Fire to maintain her ageless appearance, she was able to seduce the shogunate and control Tokugawa Hidetada's mind.

"Master, why don't you stay a few more days? The cherry blossoms in Ueno are about to bloom, and the young girls will come here for an outing... The last time you were in Edo was fifty years ago."

Huiran was like a wooden sculpture, sitting motionless on the tatami for a long time.

There were no samurai guarding the main hall, but the Shogun's personal guards were standing outside the entrance.

A Jiang said a lot of things, and then looked at the monk carefully.

After a long time, Huiran finally slowly opened her eyes.

He moved his vine-like arms, and his tortoise-like body made an unsettling crackling sound, as if all the bones in his body were breaking.

When he slowly raised his head, A Jiang saw that the monk's snow-white hair and beard were like fallen leaves.

"Ah!" Even such a cruel woman felt frightened when she saw the horrific scene before her.

Imagining Huiran flirting with a young girl, the most powerful woman in the Great Inner Palace actually began to fear this immortal old monster.

"I didn't know a group of uninvited guests came to the volcano. They burned down the temple and took away the souls, hoping to end my long practice. I have to go back and save them."

~~~~~~
On November 1622, 11 (the 12th day of the th month of the first year of the Tianqi reign), a report was secretly sent from Osaka, Japan, to the Roman Catholic Church. The content of the report was:
Father Cristoforo Ferreira, who was sent to Japan by the Portuguese Jesuits, was subjected to the torture of "anahashi" (Note 5) in Edo and renounced his faith.

This priest preached in Japan for twenty years and held the highest position of director of the Far East District.

The total number of believers under his leadership in Japan, the Philippines, Ming Dynasty, Annan and other places reached 3.6 million, equivalent to half of the Christians in Europe, and this number is still growing.

Father Ferreira had profound theological attainments and had demonstrated an unshakable faith in the Lord over the past twenty years. Despite the Tokugawa shogunate's ban on Christianity, he continued to preach in Kanto.

Therefore, his rebellion was a huge destruction to the church's work in the East.

So much so that two years later, when the Pope received this letter, he completely disbelieved it and thought it was a fabrication by pagans.

Half a month after this letter was sent, the situation in Osaka deteriorated sharply.

With the help of the Lord's miracles, five young priests miraculously broke through the siege of the shogunate army outside the city and escaped from Yao Castle, which was defended by Catholics.

They galloped day and night, and after a week of arduous journey, they finally arrived at Sekigahara Castle in Mino Province, at the foot of the shogunate, in early December.

The five missionaries traveled thousands of miles deep into the core area of the shogunate's rule, of course not to assassinate the culprit who persecuted them - the Shogun - but to seek rescue.

West of Sekigahara, the missionaries were attacked by a group of ninjas dressed as farmers, and only two survived.

On December 12, the two surviving priests arrived at their destination.

Their names were Francis Carpe and Hieronymus St. Matthew.

~~~~~~~~
Sekigahara.

Ping Liaohou’s central army tent.

All the generals and officers from Kaiyuan were present.

Liu Zhaosun looked at the ragged missionary standing in front of him. After listening to Zheng Yi'guan's translation, he waved his hand and asked the guards to take the two out.

"Eat some food, the guards will escort you back. Ping Liaohou is busy with military affairs and can't take care of your affairs. Please don't bother him anymore."

Zheng Zhilong, who was proficient in multiple languages, acted as an interpreter for Ping Liaohou and informed the two young priests of the Kaiyuan Army commander's decision.

After hearing this, the last glimmer of hope in Francis' eyes instantly vanished. With his hunched body and haggard face, he broke free from the guards' pull, fell to his knees with a plop, looked up at Ping Liaohou, and pleaded again:
"Your Excellency, there are still 5,000 believers around Osaka. They are all upright and kind gentlemen and ladies. Now, they are being slaughtered every moment by the Tokugawa shogunate. In the name of God, I beg you to send troops to save them!"

He Anti also knelt down and used the highest etiquette of the Ming Dynasty that they knew to plead with the legitimate Shogun in front of him, asking Ping Liaohou to save his brothers and sisters.

Liu Zhaosun waved his hand impatiently.

Pei Dahu shouted loudly, and four guards came forward and immediately grabbed the missionary and dragged him out.

The two priests wailed in agony.

Liu Zhaosun shook his head and raised his hand slightly. The guards immediately stopped. Qiao Yiqi, Sun Chuanting and others around him did not speak, but just looked at their commander.

Liu Zhaosun said to the two kneeling Portuguese in an unquestionable tone:

"I have no acquaintance with these believers, and they are not citizens of the Ming Empire. Furthermore, Osaka Castle is high and deep, and is even more fortified than Edo. I will never send my soldiers to Osaka and risk their lives saving a bunch of unrelated people."

Sen Ti said angrily:

"Did you hear me? Get out of here! I'll give you food and send someone to escort you out of Guanyuan. Ping Liaohou has done all he can for you! Don't push your luck!"

After saying that, he walked up to Liu Zhaosun with a smile.

Francis didn't give up. He took two steps forward, pulled Liu Zhao's thigh, and begged:

"On my way here, I heard that you are very lenient towards your enemies, let alone towards God's people. Don't you want to be Caesar? Your territory is not limited to Ming, but the entire world."

Pei Dahu grabbed the missionary and punched him. The young priest immediately covered his stomach and stopped talking.

Ping Liaohou closed his eyes, and his face showed no change of expression. After a long while, he finally spoke.

"Being lenient towards the enemy was only in the past. To me, whether it's 500 believers, 5,000, or 50,000, it's just a number. I'm not a saint, nor do I want to be one. I'm sorry, but I can't interfere in your affairs."

Liu Zhaosun leaned over to look at the missionary who was in despair and added:

"My soldiers have traveled thousands of miles to conquer Japan and punish the culprits, not to serve as tools for your bishop."

Pei Dahu ordered the guards to come forward, and the guards immediately dragged the missionary out of the camp.

The priest dug his fingers into the ground, his nails cracked and blood seeped out.

Seeing this, Qiao Yiqi sighed silently, Sun Chuanting's face was gloomy, only Yuan Chonghuan and Ping Liaohou were calm.

Liu Zhaosun looked around and signaled his subordinates to return to their seats. They continued to discuss the details of the Battle of Sekigahara.

There were howling sounds coming from outside the tent, which were extremely sad.

"What else is he saying?"

Zheng Yiguan quickly translated:
"Bishop Ferreira has rebelled. Rescue Osaka. Three million believers are at your disposal. You...will serve as bishop of Ming, Annan, Korea, the Philippines, Japan..."

"Let him in!"

Liu Zhaosun looked at Francis, who was covered in wounds, and asked again:
"Can I be the Pope?"

The missionary was dying:
"He is the parish priest. Father Heanti and I are the highest priests in the Far East. If the Pope is not here, theoretically, we have the right to vote..."

Liu Zhaosun was severely shocked.

He looked at Zheng Yi Guan, who translated the missionary's words again and whispered:

"General Liu, you only need to be baptized. You don't need to follow the teachings of the Red Barbarians. I have already converted to Christianity."

"Oh, and what is your Christian name?"

Zheng Zhilong blurted out:

"Nicholas Gaspard."

Liu Zhao seemed to have opened the door to a new world.

He began to pace back and forth in the tent.

In the late Ming Dynasty, it was not uncommon to believe in Catholicism.

Not to mention high-ranking officials like Xu Guangqi and Wang Zheng, even the Southern Ming Emperor Zhu Youjian was baptized. When he was chased to Myanmar by Wu Sangui, he did not forget to write a letter to the Pope for help.

He asked the Pope to lead the Crusade to China to help him expel the Tartars and restore China. If he could mobilize three million believers, it would be...

Ping Liaohou thought for a long time and finally made up his mind.

He helped Francis up and said solemnly:
"I am willing to send troops, but there are three conditions. First, I will not obey the orders of the Pope of Rome. Second, no one else is allowed to interfere in the affairs of the Far East Church. Third, the church doctrine needs to be fine-tuned according to actual conditions."

Francis gritted his teeth and nodded, but his companion next to him seemed to have some objections.

Ping Liaohou, however, was nonchalant and said enthusiastically:
"Then, before officially dispatching troops, I need a religious name to call upon my followers.

Liu Zhaosun thought for a while and gave himself a Latin name.

"Nicholas Zhao Si."

"No, it's Nicholas Ares."

Note:
1. The Genwa Martyrdom Incident: In August of the eighth year of the Genwa era, 55 Catholics were burned and beheaded at the stake in Nishizaka, Nagasaki, on the orders of the shogunate. This incident catalyzed the brutal suppression of Catholicism by various feudal domains and incited a wave of martyrdom fervor in the greater Manila region, leading to a surge in incidents of missionaries risking their lives to infiltrate Japan.

2. Deputy official: Similar to the county magistrate in ancient China, he was both a civil official and a judge, assisting the shogunate in collecting taxes, arresting thieves, and conducting interrogations in rural areas.

3. Kaiyi: The Tokugawa shogunate imposed severe punishments on daimyo and samurai who violated the law and the principles of Bushido. This included confiscation of property and territory, the exclusion of family members from inheriting the domain, and the confinement of female relatives. Kaiyi was one of the shogunate's effective ways to control daimyo.

4. "Laws for the Samurai": A series of laws enacted by the Tokugawa clan to constrain the power of the daimyo and maintain their rule. Enacted in July 1615 and gradually refined, these laws included restrictions on castle repairs, prohibitions on new castle construction, prohibitions on cliques, and methods for reporting to the emperor.

5. Hole hanging: A Japanese torture method in which the victim’s limbs are tied and hung over a hole, with holes punched in his ears, and blood slowly flows out.

(End of this chapter)