Vol 2 Chapter 2375: Yamata no Orochi's betrayal

Chapter 2375 Yamata no Orochi’s betrayal

Chapter 2371: Yamata no Orochi’s betrayal

The whole process of Uesugi Kenshin's surrender to Qin was naturally not as peaceful as it seemed. First, she had to know the attitude of the other Uesugi family members.

After a series of trials, Uesugi Kenshin discovered that under Zhou Yu's gentle strategy, the Uesugi family did not resist surrendering to Qin, and there were only a few people including her in the true fighting faction.

That's right, Uesugi Kenshin was actually a die-hard fighter. If she hadn't been extremely determined to resist Qin, the Uesugi family's resistance would not have been so strong anyway.

However, Uesugi Kenshin, who was sent to fight to the death, had the idea of ​​​​surrender because he and she understood the essence of this battle.

 This is a war with no hope in sight. The sacrifices and contributions made by both sides are completely out of proportion. Even if the fight continues, it will be nothing more than sacrifices in vain.

 Uesugi Kenshin didn’t want her new citizens to continue making such meaningless sacrifices, so her mind changed.

 But when she discovered that some people in the Uesugi family had realized this even earlier than she did, Uesugi Kenshin was actually a little confused in her heart, but of course she was more moved.

The retainers knew that there was no way to return if they resisted, but they still refused to leave her and were willing to follow her all the way to the dark side. Uesugi Kenshin couldn't let them go to a dead end.

 Negotiations between the two countries are imperative.

Although Uesugi Kenshin has the intention to surrender, he also knows that he must not kneel down easily, otherwise it will only make people look down upon, and he will not get any respect after surrendering. Only if her back is strong enough, can she win more for the soldiers and civilians of the Uesugi family. Many benefits.

Therefore, Uesugi Kenshin still maintained the hawkish approach on the surface, but let the doves go to the Qin camp to show that she was unwilling to surrender. However, many people in the Uesugi family wanted to surrender, so she was coerced by the courtiers and was forced to initiate negotiations. .

 So, if they want the Uesugi family to surrender in Kaicheng, the Qin army also needs to show sincerity.

Uesugi Kenshin dared to conclude that Zhou Yu must be eager for her to surrender. After all, there are still 30,000 defenders in Toyama City, and the Uesugi family also has many troops in other places.

For the Qin army, accepting the surrender of the Uesugi family not only minimized casualties, but also received an army that was good at fighting. It was obviously a matter of great benefit and no harm.

As expected by Uesugi Kenshin, both Zhou Yu and Guo Jia were overjoyed when they learned that the Uesugi family took the initiative to send envoys to negotiate.

Although they are sure that they can capture Toyama Castle and even destroy the Uesugi family, the losses they have incurred are too great, so it is best if they can win without a fight.

Even if Uesugi Kenshin is still reluctant to surrender, since he has sent envoys to negotiate, this is a good sign in Zhou Yu's eyes. If it goes well, he may be able to conquer the Uesugi family.

Of course, even if Zhou Yu could agree to all the conditions proposed by Kenshin Uesugi, it would be impossible for Zhou Yu to agree to them all.

This is not that Zhou Yu is stingy, but that the beginning cannot be messed up. What if other forces in the Japanese country follow Uesugi Kenshin's example and refuse to surrender unless they agree?

 So it definitely requires some negotiation.

 After receiving the envoys from the Uesugi family, Zhou Yu also immediately sent envoys into the city to tell Uesugi Kenshin all the conditions he agreed to and those he disagreed with.

Zhou Yu sent envoys into the city, which was not only an expression of sincerity, but also a test of Uesugi Kenshin's attitude to see if she was really reluctant or pretending to be reluctant.

If he is really unwilling, then Zhou Yu should hold back during negotiations, otherwise once he is completely angered and unwilling to surrender at all, it will really be self-defeating.

If he pretends to be reluctant, it means that Uesugi Kenshin is just using this as a basis to gain more benefits for the Uesugi family's soldiers and civilians. Then Zhou Yu will be more confident, and there is no need to promise him so many privileges.

 Uesugi Kenshin also guessed Zhou Yu’s intention, so the next meeting between her and Master Qin will be related to the future of the entire Uesugi family, and it is time to test her acting skills.

Uesugi Kenshin lurks next to Zhou Yu and has been a maid for more than a year. Her acting skills are naturally superb.

When facing the Qin envoy, she vividly performed the image of a monarch who would rather be broken than ruined, but was forced to negotiate under the coercion of his courtiers.

 In any case, the Qin envoy did not see any flaws and reported the truth to Zhou Yu.

 After Zhou Yu and Guo Jia learned this, they were more inclined to relax the conditions. They would first surrender the Uesugi family to the city and then pull them onto Da Qin's chariot.

But one of the conditions for Uesugi Kenshin's surrender was that after the Uesugi family surrendered, the Qin army would be ruled by Qin law. In other words, they would become subjects of the Qin Dynasty and have the same legal treatment as all Han people.

 Zhou Yu and Guo Jia cannot decide on this condition. After all, Da Qin has not even revoked the order to massacre the Japanese.

Even if after the Qin Dynasty, in order to rule the Japanese country, they would assimilate all the Japanese people into Han people and give them the same legal status as the Han people, but now Zhou Yu and Guo Jia really cannot make this decision.

 The two sides launched fierce negotiations around this issue, but Uesugi Kenshin refused to let go. Only on this point did she decide not to give in.

 The occupied Kyushu Island and the western region, under the rule of the Central Plains Allied Forces, seem to be the same as before, but in fact there is no guarantee.

Once the Qin army has needs, whether it is food, wealth, or men and women, they must serve the Qin army. This is actually no different from slaves.

If Uesugi Kenshin surrenders in this way, then she will be the sinner who drags the entire country into the pit of fire, so she must fight for her post-surrender status no matter what.

Uesugi Kenshin's determination forced Zhou Yu to retreat. Although he could not take the initiative for the time being, he could do his best to help the Uesugi family win.

 In short, let the Uesugi family surrender first before talking about anything else.

 Finally, after three days of negotiations, Uesugi Kenshin formally signed a letter of surrender and opened the city to surrender to the Qin army led by Zhou Yu.

 At the surrender ceremony, Zhou Yu couldn't help but feel ecstatic when he received the letter of surrender from Uesugi Kenshin, as well as the Uesugi family's seal and household registration list.

 The most difficult opponent he has encountered since coming to Japan is Uesugi Kenshin, and now this opponent has finally surrendered.

 The surrender of the Uesugi family was completely different from that of the Otomo Mori family.

 The surrender of the Otomo and Mori families was because they were completely forced into a desperate situation and had to surrender, which was of limited help to the Qin army.

But with Uesugi Kenshin's surrender, the remaining twenty or so cities of the Uesugi family will also give up resistance and surrender in Kaicheng.

Not only could the Qin army gain a large amount of territory without spending a single soldier, but they would also receive an additional 50,000 to 60,000 Qin allies out of thin air to assist them. The situation in the Japanese country was excellent.

“General Uesugi, Zhou admires you very much for your actions of putting aside your family’s personal interests and fighting for the interests of the people.” Zhou Yu said with admiration.

 He and Uesugi Kenshin are old rivals, and they both know each other very well.

This time Uesugi Kenshin was willing to sacrifice the interests of the Uesugi family to fight for the interests of the people. This made Zhou Yu completely change his impression of him, and his respect and favorability in his heart also increased a lot.

“I promise that Zhou will definitely comply with your conditions, but Zhou really can’t make the final decision on the status of the people, but he will definitely do his best to help you fight for it.” Zhou Yu said with a serious face.

 Uesugi Kenshin nodded: "With your words, I can rest assured. I believe that His Majesty the Emperor of the Qin Dynasty will accept the ordinary people of the Uesugi family after learning about the Uesugi family's sacrifice."

 Uesugi Kenshin knew her own disadvantages. She could not help all the Japanese people to gain the same status as the Han people, but at least the people of the Uesugi family would not become slaves.

Zhou Yu's eyes were full of surprise, and he asked again: "General Uesugi, aren't you afraid that Zhou will only agree to you verbally, but will not actually do anything?" Uesugi Kenshin shook his head: "You are Zhou Yu. , A humble gentleman, once a word is spoken, it is difficult for a horse to follow, so how can it be untrue?"

The surprise in Zhou Yu's eyes was even worse. He didn't understand where Uesugi Kenshin's trust came from. He seemed to know him very well, but apart from war, there should be no other interactions between him and him. .

With this thought, Zhou Yu began to look at Uesugi Kenshin. When he looked closely, he actually gave him a feeling of extremely special attributes. The more he looked at him, the more familiar he looked. However, he couldn't remember who it was. It was really strange.

“General Uesugi, have we met in other places besides the battlefield?” Zhou Yu asked seriously.

Uesugi Ken couldn't help but tremble in his heart. After hesitating for a while, he said with a bitter look on his face: "You still found me."

With that said, Uesugi Kenshin took off his helmet and let down his tied hair. After the three thousand worries fell, his whole temperament immediately changed, revealing an extremely feminine and beautiful face.

Zhou Yu was startled when he saw this at first, but when he saw his face clearly, his eyes widened and he was completely stunned. He was so shocked that he couldn't even speak.

"This, no, how could it be, is it you? Shang Shanshan?"

 “Yes, Shang Shanshan is Uesugi Kenshin.”

 Uesugi Kenshin said, his voice becoming more delicate and no longer as neutral as before.

  (⊙ω⊙`)!

Zhou Yu suddenly felt as if he was struck by lightning. He took a few steps back and held on to the table behind him, looking as if he was frightened.

 “Wait, let me slow down, let me slow down.”

 The iron-clad facts were before his eyes, but Zhou Yu still looked unbelievable.

“Uesugi Kenshin is actually a woman? And he is the same person as Shang Shanshan? How is this possible?”

“Uesugi Kenshin is originally a woman. Many people in the Uesugi family know that when I was trapped, in order to escape, I pretended to be a Chinese girl Shang Shanshan, but I didn’t expect to become your maid.”

“So you just stayed with me, pretending to be a maid, but actually doing it to get information?”

As he spoke, Zhou Yu showed a look of surprise and said with a wry smile: "In that case, the reason why Japan was able to know in advance that the Central Plains Allied Forces were conquering Japan was because of the information you sent?"

 “That’s right.” Uesugi Kenshin nodded.

Things have developed to this point, and she has even surrendered to Qin. There is no need to hide the secrets she has done before from Zhou Yu. It is better to be generous and speak out proactively to gain his trust and understanding.

˜щ(゜ロ゜щ)

 Zhou Yu no longer knew what to say and was in a state of confusion.

 The amount of information revealed in just a few sentences was too great, and he had to slow down.

 First of all, Uesugi Kenshin was originally a woman. She disguised herself as Shang Shanshan, lurked beside him, and stayed with him day and night for more than a year.

At this thought, Zhou Yu felt a cold sweat break out on his back, and at the same time, a greater doubt arose in his heart, that is, why didn't Uesugi Kenshin kill him?

At that time, he and Uesugi Kenshin had a hostile relationship. If the other party wanted to murder him, there would be many opportunities.

 Zhou Yu did not ask Uesugi Kenshin again, because they were meaningless. After all, he was still alive and well, and Uesugi Kenshin also became his colleagues, but the look in his eyes when he looked at Uesugi Kenshin became complicated.

"Master Zhou, I also have a question. I hope you can answer me truthfully." Uesugi Kenshin said seriously.

 Zhou Yu nodded and said, "Just ask."

“If the Uesugi family’s resistance was not so strong, would you still agree to those conditions?”

Zhou Yu didn’t even think about it and said, “Absolutely not.”

 “Sure enough.”

Uesugi Kenshin smiled bitterly, but he was still relieved.

Facing a behemoth like Da Qin, weakness is the original sin, and the Uesugi family is the weaker side, so her decision was not wrong, at least it saved all the Uesugi family's soldiers and civilians.

“You may be unhappy now, but in a few decades, when this country is completely assimilated by the Qin Dynasty, you will definitely be happy for your decision today, and the descendants of the Japanese will also be grateful to you.”

Zhou Yu said with confidence, and he would only say this to Sugi Kenshin, because she is a daimyo who truly considers the common people at the bottom.

“When they were Japanese, they were not as good as dogs. Only when they become Han people can they live like humans.”

Hearing Zhou Yu's words, Uesugi Kenshin subconsciously wanted to refute, but he was speechless, because what Zhou Yu said was the truth.

 Uesugi Kenshin's voluntary surrender allowed Zhou Yu to complete the battle plan ahead of schedule, and his next goal was the Kai Gold Mine in Kai Country, but before that, he had to integrate the resources of the Uesugi family.

The Uesugi family owns the five lands of Echigo, Echichu, Echizen, Noto, and Northern Shinano.

Zhou Yu only captured Echigo and Vietnam and China, and more than 20 cities in the other three countries surrendered without fighting. The grain, wealth, and surrendered troops in these cities all needed to be accepted by the Qin army one by one.

After statistics, the total population of the forty-three cities in the Five Kingdoms of Uesugi before the war was 530,000, but now there are still just over 400,000 left.

Nearly 130,000 soldiers and civilians of the Uesugi family lost their lives in this battle.

 This was also the battle with the least killing but the greatest losses since the Qin army landed in Japan.

Since then, the territory controlled by the Qin army in the Japanese country has reached as many as eleven countries.

 Among them: the population of the three countries of Kyushu Island is 350,000, the population of the six countries of western Honshu is 250,000, and the population of the five countries of Uesugi is 400,000.

 There were nearly one million Japanese under the rule of the Qin Dynasty.

The Uesugi family surrendered a total of 66,000 troops. Zhou Yu organized them into random groups for training, and set up 22 battalions with 3,000 men each to control the 66,000 Qin allies.

As for the leader of each battalion, the Han general and the surrendered general will be divided in half, in order to win the trust of the surrendered general and increase the wariness and identification of the surrendered army.

While Zhou Yu was sharpening his sword, the battle situation in the Kinki Plain also took an astonishing turn.

The most surprising thing is that Yamata no Orochi, who had made great achievements in the war against the three kingdoms of Wei, Song and Wu, actually betrayed Oda Nobunaga.

 (End of this chapter)