“Report! The clan elder Chiguang has fallen!”
“Report! The family’s shrine maiden was slain by the samurai of Oni Ichiro!”
“Report! The enemy has breached the first floor of the keep!”
…
One message after another arrived, bringing only despair.
“Has our clan’s ambition come to an end here?”
At this moment, Yamada Toramori’s face, illuminated by firelight, remained oddly calm.
“Lord, have you already accepted this fate?”
Several other senior ministers wept as they spoke.
“I really wish to visit Aoshima Mountain again during the cherry blossom season and taste those cherry blossom sweets—they truly are the finest delicacies under heaven…”
Yamada Toramori walked into the inner chamber, and shortly afterward, the sound of ritual disembowelment echoed out.
A warrior must value life lightly and face death without fear; to accept death calmly after defeat—that was Yamada Toramori’s conviction!
Puchi!
Outside, the samurai desperately defending the chamber, buying time for his lord, was slain, and his severed head rolled into the room.
Matsushita Ken’ichi licked the blood from his blade, grinned maliciously, and stormed in, flashing his sword and cutting down two elderly ministers who cried out and rushed at him.
“Ahh… Are you Lord Matsushita Ken’ichi? I am Naito Takamasa; we once met… Ah…”
Naito Takamasa’s eyes flickered with a glimmer of hope, but immediately, staring at the blade suddenly thrust into his abdomen, his face twisted with resentment as he slowly collapsed.
“I don’t want to die… I’ve just become a samurai…”
He murmured thus before sinking into complete darkness.
“No one related to the Yamada family shall be seen alive by the master ever again!”
Matsushita Ken’ichi grinned cruelly: “Kill them! Kill them all! Leave no survivors!”
Although according to the unwritten rules of this Fusou world, even if a daimyo is defeated, as long as the leader performs seppuku to atone, his descendants might still retain their family name, survive by pledging loyalty to the enemy, and even possibly be granted a fief to continue the samurai honor.
However, in Wu Ming’s opinion, this approach was far too inefficient.
The widespread sympathy among the common people for displaced samurai and nobles was the greatest source of instability!
Many instances of “below overthrowing above” were precisely caused by such half-hearted policies.
Of course, the most important reason was that Wu Ming knew his own foundation was too weak to compare with the Yamada clan, which had ruled the Inaba District for decades and had been established for centuries!
If he left any bloodline survivors, they might rely on that connection to regain the support of local clans and oppose him again.
Compared to that, complete annihilation was simply more straightforward and decisive.
After all, public sentiment is the most opportunistic—once the Yamada clan was utterly destroyed, and after he displayed his power as a deterrent and simultaneously offered merciful policies, how many people would still remember the Yamada clan after several years?
“This is Yamada Toramori? Such a cowardly samurai, how could he be worthy of being my lord’s enemy?”
After entering the inner chamber, Matsushita Ken’ichi saw the corpse of Yamada Toramori, who had committed seppuku.
He was slumped sideways, his face twisted in pain, clearly having failed to complete the proper seppuku ritual as a samurai, not even able to close his legs properly.
“Not a true samurai!”
After exiting, Matsushita Ken’ichi soon heard numerous sounds of battle, screams, pleas for mercy, and even women’s voices.
It was only natural since the keep was the daimyo’s residence.
However, as the defeated side, Wu Ming had issued orders for execution, so their fate was self-evident. Even before death, they would suffer the most tragic of fates.
Matsushita Ken’ichi was very familiar with the nature of the Oni-gumi samurai—they would certainly “use” their victims thoroughly before killing them.
“This… is absolutely inhuman, like evil spirits!”
Oni Ichigo no Yoschika could hardly bear it. He could mercilessly cut down enemy samurai and ashigaru, but this dark side of the battlefield still made him feel nauseated and disgusted.
After wiping the blood from his sword, he quickly strode out of the keep.
At this time, one could see the strict discipline of Oni Ichigo’s forces—even while the Oni-gumi were engaged in slaughter, the lower-ranking ashigaru maintained orderly operations, extinguishing fires and collecting spoils of war.
“Yoshika-kun, you did well. Take a look at this…”
Outside, Yamashiro Shikanosuke handed several letters to Oni Ichigo no Yoshika.
“What is this…?”
Oni Ichigo no Yoshika read a few lines and was completely shocked.
“The Yamada clan had already conspired with the Iu clan to completely destroy our Oni clan! They had secretly dispatched autumn general Inoue no Sukemasa with three thousand ashigaru… as well as the shrine priests and sword-fighting ninja…”
Yamashiro Shikanosuke smiled: “Fortunately, our clan has been blessed with good fortune, and our lord discovered the Yamada clan’s movements in advance, thus striking first!”
“This is the age of warring states… I carry the bloodline of the Susanoo clan and must inherit the will of my ancestors to become the ruler of all under heaven and bring peace to this chaotic era!”
Oni Ichigo no Yoshika gripped the letter tightly, and an indistinct thought surfaced, deeply rooting itself in his heart.
…
On the day of the military parade, the weather was bright and sunny.
On the high platform, Wu Ming, dressed in samurai armor, gazed solemnly downward.
This was the traditional daimyo ashigaru army he had summoned. With his status of five thousand koku, he could just about maintain five hundred soldiers.
As for the other five hundred regular troops, those were drawn from his reserves, even including resources plundered by ninja forces, and he could not sustain them for long. This was precisely why he needed to launch an immediate attack to capture the entire Inaba District and even the Izumo Province!
Nevertheless, even these second-tier peasant ashigaru wore bright armor and marched in neat, orderly formations past the platform.
“With such ashigaru, even among the daimyos, we would be considered first-rate…”
Indeed, many of the watching clan lords were intimidated, their faces showing expressions of fear.
“House Nesom, and House Komadori… I’m very glad that you two clans could come!”
Wu Ming looked down at the two clan lords below, a slight smile appearing on his face.
“Not at all!”
The two clan lords hurriedly stepped forward, kneeling to apologize: “We have always been vassals of the Oni clan; how could we dare to be disrespectful?”
The changes in Numata Castle last night had indeed shaken the local clans, causing widespread fear.
Just like these two clan lords, not only had they come personally, but they had also brought all their ashigaru, clearly demonstrating their loyalty.
“However… the Ko-jima clan has not come?”
A cold glint flashed in Wu Ming’s eyes as he looked down at the more than one thousand strong daimyo army: “My lords, are you willing to follow my orders?”
“Hai!”
Instantly, all the clan lords bowed deeply.
“Excellent. Then let us all head to Numata Castle together!”
A slight smile appeared on Wu Ming’s face. This was essentially a triumphant procession, which would surely intimidate the entire Inaba District.
“Hai!”
The various clan lords broke into cold sweat, realizing that the vague rumors they had heard were likely true.
…
Inside the keep of Numata Castle, the stench of blood had not yet fully dissipated.
After leading a thousand ashigaru and entering Numata Castle in a grand display, it signified that the Oni clan had completely replaced the Yamada clan as the new rulers of Inaba District.
And when the clan lords saw the heads of the entire Yamada family, their faces turned deathly pale; several even fainted during the head inspection ceremony.
Immediately afterward, they hurriedly expressed their submission to the Oni clan.
“Has the Kurosawa clan and the Ko-jima clan arrived?”
A cold gleam flashed in Wu Ming’s eyes: “As for the Kurosawa clan, if they provide four hundred ashigaru to join my army, their previous offenses will be forgiven; otherwise, they will be exterminated with iron and blood!”
“And as for the Ko-jima clan? Order their lord to perform seppuku to atone. Then let Ko-jima Masataka inherit the family headship, serve as a hostage to our clan, and contribute all their ashigaru forces; otherwise, they will also be immediately destroyed!”
“Hai!”
With a wave of his hand, he determined the destinies of the two great clans under his command.
Takeshige Shigesuke grew increasingly convinced of his lord’s unparalleled magnanimity and respectfully relayed the orders.
After Tachishige Mosuke left, a hint of joy also appeared on Wu Ming’s face.
The Yamada clan was wiped out overnight, and all the powerful families in the entire domain submitted. This immediately signified that the Oni family had replaced the Yamada clan, becoming the new daimyo of Iishi District.
Moreover, a yield of nearly twenty thousand koku signifies a far greater ruling power than that of the Yamada family.
Boom!
At this moment, the destiny energy above trembled, and the martial family’s destiny instantly absorbed the surging red and white energies from the entire county like rivers flowing into the sea, growing even more robust and infused with a golden hue at its core.
“This is the transfer of legitimacy… From today onward, I am the new ruler of Fanshi County!”
At this thought, Wu Ming walked out again.
“My lord! The remnants of the Yamada clan in Numata Castle have not yet been completely eradicated. Please take the samurai with you!”
Once outside, several warriors immediately followed along.
Although Wu Ming’s own martial prowess was sufficient to suppress any threat, this was the law. Over a dozen guards from the Ghost Unit were meticulously arranged for his travels. Even if the lord were an ordinary person, as long as they didn’t court death, even a third-tier powerhouse would find it difficult to carry out an assassination.
“Hmm… let’s go check out the shrine…”
Wu Ming was not one to stand on ceremony either. He immediately ordered several warriors to clear the way, with seven more guards surrounding him as they arrived outside the shrine of Numata Castle.
“When I came here years ago, all I saw were cherry blossoms falling, so beautiful beyond words. Now everything has changed except the people, yet the cherry trees remain as lovely as ever…”
Wu Ming gazed at the cherry blossom grove, let out a sigh, and then walked into the shrine.
Compared to before, the shrine is now in complete disarray with no worshippers in sight. The surrounding buildings faintly bear traces of violent clashes, with bloodstains still uncleaned.
“My lord, as per your command, we subdued this shrine, demanding they surrender the hidden traitors of the Yamada family. They resisted, so we exterminated everyone within…”
Beside him, a warrior whispered.
The ones who took action were undoubtedly the Oni group. The other foot soldiers wouldn’t have had the audacity, nor the capability, to do such a thing.
“Hmm!”
Wu Ming neither agreed nor disagreed. He arrived at the main hall, activated his Heavenly Eye, and saw that the incense and spiritual energy of the shrine had mostly dissipated. The original golden-red hue had faded, leaving only faint traces of crimson energy. Moreover, the surroundings were enveloped in ominous black hues of calamity. At this sight, he simply smiled.
What remains when the altars of divine beings are destroyed?
Previously, a single ghost in a group, wielding the power of the living world, could sweep through everything—that alone speaks volumes.
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