In the history of Japan, there was also a period known as the "Sengoku", there was a long period of war, although the scale of their battles in our view, is really small, almost can only be called village fights, but there are still many well-known figures emerging during this period.
Among them, the three most well-known people, known as the "Sengoku Sanjie", were Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu, who stirred up trouble and left behind many stories and legends. But few people know that Toyotomi Hideyoshi once promised to be buried in Ningbo after his death.
Why did Toyotomi Hideyoshi think this way? What kind of person is he?
Born into poverty but finally sitting in the supreme position, this person is not simple
Unlike the other two masters, Toyotomi Hideyoshi came from a very humble background, the son of a poor peasant, and it can be said that the family could not provide him with any help. Even, because of his malnutrition from childhood, Hideyoshi was short in stature and was nicknamed a "monkey" by others.
It was in this environment that Toyotomi Hideyoshi showed outstanding talent after defecting to Oda Nobunaga, and gradually received attention, and after Oda Nobunaga died due to the "Honnōji Change", he succeeded in unifying Japan after a struggle to inherit the legacy of the other side.
After the completion of unification, Toyotomi Hideyoshi had greater ambitions.
In recent history, we are often surprised not to understand why a small Japan had the audacity and ability to invade China, but if we pay attention to the words of its rulers, we will understand that Japan has coveted a rich China for a long time.
Such was the case with Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who soon felt dissatisfied after unifying Japan and set his sights on neighboring countries and even all of Asia. Through trade with the Ming Dynasty at that time, he soon realized the prosperity and prosperity of the opposite country, so he made a plan: first occupy Korea, then use it as a springboard, conquer China, and finally seize the rule of India.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi's plan was still quite strict, and according to his idea, after the occupation of China, he would move the emperor from Kyoto in Japan to Beijing, leaving his nephew and adopted son Toyotomi Hideji in charge of Japan's domestic affairs, while he himself sat in Ningbo and commanded the battle against India.
What is so special about Ningbo that it was targeted by Toyotomi Hideyoshi?
In modern times, Ningbo, surrounded by its neighbors, may not seem very remarkable, but in the sixteenth century, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi lived, its prosperity was particularly remarkable.
All this happened because of the closed policy implemented by the Ming Dynasty. At that time, the Ming Dynasty was under the sea ban, although there were many excellent ports, but most of them were closed, leaving only a few, And Ningbo was one of them.
Because of this special, Chinese and foreign goods are traded here, which makes Ningbo begin to develop rapidly, coupled with its location in the Jiangnan region, it can be very convenient to obtain the money and resources of Jiangnan, making its status more important.
But can these factors satisfy Toyotomi Hideyoshi? In fact, this is a misunderstanding caused by ignorance. Why did Japan dare to propose a plan to occupy China and India with its national strength at that time? This is because Toyotomi Hideyoshi has no clear understanding of the size of the land area of the two countries.
Again, this is why he chose Ningbo, in Hideyoshi's eyes, only Beijing and Ningbo can be called big cities; except for these two cities, he knows very little about the rest of China.
Today, it is easy for us to realize the absurdity of his plan, and to direct the battle with India in Ningbo is really a good dream.
Good dreams are easy to wake up, but they have brought disaster to the Toyotomi family
Toyotomi Hideyoshi was not a dreamer, he had the power to put his plans into practice. In 1592, he led 140,000 men on a campaign against Korea. At first, because these people had been in the battlefield for a long time, coupled with their intentions and intentions, the North Korean side had almost no resistance, and even WangJinghanCheng was easily occupied.
Just when Toyotomi Hideyoshi was satisfied, the king of Joseon sent a message to the Ming government for help and support. The Daming who received the news did not live up to the expectations of his own country, and sent a large army of more than 40,000 people to help across borders, so that Toyotomi Hideyoshi's offensive was blocked, and finally he could only choose peace talks.
This time, not only did not achieve the victory that Hideyoshi wanted, but because of the perennial war, the strength in Hideyoshi's hands suffered great losses, which indirectly led to the expansion of Tokugawa Ieyasu's power, laying the groundwork for Hideyoshi's death a few years later, Tokugawa Ieyasu launched a rebellion, and finally eliminated the Toyotomi family and established the Tokugawa shogunate.
Looking back on this history now, we will naturally feel ridiculous about Toyotomi Hideyoshi's crazy behavior, but combined with Japan's aggression hundreds of years later, it will feel creepy. Although it is a time of peace, but the wolf is on the side, no matter when, we can not let down our vigilance.
Reference: "Warring States Figures 700 Jie"