In September 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu, who led the Eastern Army, and Ishida Sansei, who led the Western Army, fought fiercely in Sekigahara for supremacy over the world after the death of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. At this time when the daimyōs of the country were gathering in Sekigahara, in a corner of Kyushu, there was another warrior who had been coveting the world. This person is 55-year-old Kuroda Rumizu.
1. When he was young, he was named The Officers and Soldier Guards, and helped Hideyoshi unify the world, but he retired because he was jealous of Hideyoshi
Toyoshi's name was Kuroda Officers and Soldiers, and he was a famous staff officer and military division who made great contributions to Hideyoshi's rule over the world, and was also the most intelligent figure in the Sengoku period.
What made him famous was his actions after the change of Honnō-ji Temple. When hideyoshi's officers and soldiers, who were following Hideyoshi, received the news that Oda Nobunaga had died in rebellion, he immediately reminded hideyoshi, who was crying bitterly, to prepare to take over the world, and he quickly signed a peace treaty with Maori, who was still fighting Hideyoshi, so that Hideyoshi's army, which was still in Takamatsu Castle, returned to Kyoto in only seven days and defeated Mitsuhide. In this way, the court guards pushed Hideyoshi to the forefront of the struggle for world domination. The officers and soldiers who can always grasp the situation and perform power and strategizing are like shadows following Hideyoshi, who has successfully dominated the country. But the relationship between the two finally cracked.
Because the officers and soldiers were very talented, Hideyoshi began to be jealous of this person, so the officers and soldiers left Hideyoshi and went to Toyomain Province. He changed his name to Rushui, showing that he had no ambitions to seize the world, and began a life of seclusion.
He then joined Hideyoshi again, helping Hideyoshi persuade his last enemy, Hojo, to contribute to his unification of the world. After this, Hideyoshi did not give Rumi any rewards, and Rumi still returned to Toyomae Kingdom to live in seclusion. In the 11th year of seclusion, as the decisive battle of Sekigahara approached, the ambition buried in the heart was finally revealed.
Kuroda is like water
Second, Hideyoshi is dead, and Rumi secretly makes plans to seize the world
On August 18, 1598, Hideyoshi left this world, and the situation began to be turbulent again. Tokugawa Ieyasu plotted to expand his power, forming a sharp conflict with Ishida Mitsunari, who had stopped him. At this time, the water suddenly moved. He quietly prepared clipper ships at the ports of Settsu, Bungo, and Zhoufeng, so that kyoto's intelligence could reach Toyomae within three days.
He gathers intelligence in preparation for his plan to seize the world. Rumizu has a huge plan to unify the world after Hideyoshi's death. The strategy was this: due to the opposition between Ieyasu and Sansei, the great names of Kyushu would send troops to respond, so that Kyushu would be useless. Taking advantage of this good opportunity to pacify Kyushu is the first stage. He then led the expanded army to the Chinese region (the Kansai region of Japan), and continued to grow in the process, which was the second stage. The final duel with the winner of the East and West, as predicted by the water, the opponent Ieyasu, should be overwhelmed by the battle. At this time, there is no damage, such as the water army can easily defeat it, thus achieving the final victory. But the premise for the success of this strategy is that Ieyasu and Sansei will start a protracted war.
Schematic of the battle situation
In June 1600, the decisive battle between Tokugawa Ieyasu and Ishida Mitsunari was a foregone conclusion. Rushui understands that his strategy is over for Ieyasu to know, so he asks his son Nagamasa to join the Eastern Army, and does not tell Nagamasa his true intentions. Nagamasa's joining the Eastern Army was just a move taken by Rushui in order not to make Ieyasu suspicious. However, this was also accompanied by considerable sacrifices, and Chang Zheng led 5,400 troops to reduce the strength that Rushui could mobilize to half. For this reason, rushui also left a hand. As water is always saved, a lot of money has been saved. He used all the money to hire peasants as soldiers, and a total of nine thousand watery armies were born.
On July 19, 1600, the Western Army led by Sansei attacked Fushimi Castle in Gyeonggayasu, and taking this as an opportunity, the Eastern and Western armies began to prepare for a decisive battle. News of the western army's uprising also spread from the clipper ship to Rushui in Toyozen.
In this way, on September 9, Rumizu finally put the plan into action, and he led his troops from Toyozen Nakatsu, first towards the neighboring country Toyono. Four days after the expedition, Rumizu confronted Bungo Ōtomo Yoshitomo's forces at Ishigaki Hara and successfully forced him back into Tateshi Castle. Rumizu, on the condition of ensuring his life, surrendered Ōtomo Yoshinori, and also took his troops for his own use. Rushui avoided a strong attack, because in the final analysis, his ultimate goal was to duel with Ieyasu, so he needed to try to avoid the depletion of troops.
On September 15, the battle to decide the world began. The 74,000 Eastern Army led by Ieyasu and the 82,000 Western Army led by Sansei were placed in Sekigahara, mino Province, and began a confrontation of equal strength. On the other hand, Rumizu, who had surrendered to Ōtomo Yoshitomo, captured Anki Castle of the Kumagaya clan only four days later, and then went north to attack The Tora Castle of the Akimi clan. Rushui, who was marching like a bamboo, soon received a report on the situation of the Battle of Sekigahara. I was stunned to see the battle situation report.
Third, because of the efforts of Changzheng, the Battle of Sekigahara ended in only half a day, and Rushui lost the opportunity to seize the world
The Battle of Sekigahara began at 8 a.m., and the eastern and western armies advanced and retreated, and the battle situation was glued. But it was noon. Hideaki Kohayakawa, a military general on the Western side, led an army of more than 15,000 people and suddenly began to attack friendly forces, which caused great confusion in the Western Army, and the situation was tilted in favor of the Eastern Army. The battle that was predicted to be a long-term war that decided the ownership of the world ended in Ieyasu's victory in only half a day.
Ru shui tried to keep Ieyasu's army fighting for as long as possible, but the increasingly tired abacus failed. The war report also recorded a news that surprised Rushui even more, and it turned out that the person who had contributed to the end of the Battle of Sekigahara so early was Actually Rushui's son, Nagamasa. Ordered by Ieyasu, Nagamasa successfully negotiated with Hideaki Hayakawa, who held the key to victory or defeat, and asked him to turn against him. Chang Zheng exerted the talents he learned from his father, but destroyed his father's grand plan. Ru Shui said angrily: "Chang Zheng this bastard thing, what good is it to let Ieyasu win so quickly, I really don't want to." At this point, Rushui could only pretend to be Ieyasu's friendly army while accumulating troops to continue north and directly confront Ieyasu. Like an arrow, the water quickly captured Kokura, Kurume, and Yanagawa and marched to Minamata.
In late October, the Western Army in Kyushu left only the Shimazu clan, and the snowball-like water force had reached 30,000 people, and as long as the Shimazu clan was eliminated, Kyushu could be pacified. However, on November 12, 1600, Ieyasu wrote a letter to Rusui, asking rusui to immediately stop marching to Shimazu. Ieyasu sensed that the march was not simple and might have other intentions, so he gave this order. The pacification of Kyushu had not yet been achieved, and the conquest of China (The Kansai region of Japan) and Shikoku took more time, and Rumi realized that his plan to seize the world was too late anyway. The world was at peace, and he had no choice. Rushui finally collected his troops and embarked on the way home. His strategy of seizing the world ended in an unfinished way.
Kuroda Nagamasa
Nagamasa came to greet Rusui, who had returned from the battle, and reported to him his performance in the Battle of Sekigahara, saying to Rusui, "Ieyasu seized my hand and praised my merits." Ru Shui asked, "Which hand is Ieyasu holding?" Chang Zheng replied: "It is the right hand." So RuShui said, "What was your left hand doing then?" Why not kill Ieyasu with your left hand? Chang Zheng, who knew his father's intentions, was speechless.
After the Battle of Sekigahara, Kuroda Wakamizu was summoned by Tokugawa Ieyasu, who wanted to confirm Rumizu's true thoughts, saying, "Whatever territory you want, I will agree." Ru Shui did not show the slightest expression of disappointment, and said: "I, an elderly person, do not want any fame and fortune." Although he wanted to level the Kuroda family, Ieyasu could not pursue such an answer further. In the Battle of Sekigahara, the Kuroda family was awarded 520,000 stones to Chikuzen. Rushui built a mansion in a corner of Fukuoka Castle, and since then entered a truly reclusive life, never setting foot on the battlefield for the rest of his life.
Tokugawa Ieyasu
Four years after the Battle of Sekigahara, on March 20, 1604, Rumizu died at the age of 59. Before dying, such as water left for his son Changzheng, he said: If you think too much about it in battle, you will miss the opportunity, even if one foot of grass shoes and one foot of slippers are not matched, you must make a decision immediately, which is the most important thing.
Conclusion:
If water absolutely has the ability to seize the world, all he lacks is luck. If he told his son Changzheng of his plan, Changzheng would not help Ieyasu, and perhaps Rushui would be able to successfully realize the plan. However, in the eyes of RuShui at that time, it was very unsafe to tell Chang Zheng about the plan.
If Rushui had told Nagamasa, who was going out as the Eastern Army, nagamasa would have acted for this purpose, and he would have to explain it to his close courtiers and retainers, and he did not know who was among the heavy ministers and Ieyasu Uchiharu. The Warring States Period was one such era. In order to keep important secrets, neither children nor parents, nor those who have followed them for many years, cannot be easily trusted. Rushui's caution is necessary, but it also indirectly makes him lose his time.
References: "Kuroda Family Tree", "Jiayang Junjian"