Village Council to Resist the Enemy

"Everyone! Where have you all gone?" a villager shouted.

"Everyone! Come out quickly!" The embarrassed guide ran out and shouted loudly to the surrounding houses.

All around were guys who had pried open their windows with wooden boards, only to quickly close them again when they sensed the gazes from outside.

"Hahaha." Tawara Toda laughed at the villagers' reaction.

"How rude! Are they trying to back out? This is at a critical moment when bandits could come at any time!" Yukino said angrily. She had come as a righteous person to help the villagers, but she was not welcomed here. Instead, she was treated like a ghost entering the village and avoided.

Houzoin Inshun clasped his hands together and said, "The Buddha once said that all beings are ignorant, and we should not show favoritism because of whether someone is intelligent or dull. As long as one is wholeheartedly devoted to goodness, all beings can become Buddhas."

"Well, the villagers in the mountains have never seen the world before, it's quite comical that they would act like this. But it seems we can't entirely blame them this time," said Sasaki Kojiro, holding his long sword.

"Ah, it's probably Nobunaga's doing," Shirou nodded and said.

"What on earth is going on?" The leading male villager pounded on the wooden window under the thatched hut and shouted to the villagers inside.

But the people inside just pressed their hands against the wooden board and refused to say anything.

"There's nothing we can do about it. For the first few days after we left the village, everything was fine. But later, people who went up the mountain to chop wood heard rumors circulating that the bandits were going to change their leader."

This time, a seemingly very powerful figure has arrived, now calling himself the 'Mountain Bandit King,' and rumored to be as powerful as a demon king.

The man who returned to the village first frowned and said, "We were stopped by bandits on our way back today."

"Mountain bandits? And a ninja, right? Those were chased away by the samurai. Let's see what you've done!" the man said angrily.

"Ninjas?! We just encountered two bandits. They said the bandit king sent them to deliver a message: 'If our village agrees to give them 80% of the harvested grain each time, we'll spare our village.'"

The villager turned his head away and said, "There are more rumors circulating today. Since the samurai came, he drinks every day and wants women. Families in the village with young daughters are warned to be careful, or they'll be finished if they're discovered. If they resist, they'll definitely be killed. So now everyone is hiding at home and dares not come out."

"Fool! Are you going to pay tribute to the bandits every year? Do you want to become their ally? When the government sends troops to suppress them, are you going to run away to the deep mountains with them?!" the leader roared.

"But if we do it this way, we won't need to hire samurai, we won't have to worry about our unmarried daughters, and we won't have to worry about going to war. Everyone can at least get through six months in peace," the villager said, frowning.

"Who can guarantee they're trustworthy! What if they change their minds after we let them in! Are women more important, or the lives of the entire village?!" The leader of the group angrily grabbed his collar and roared.

"There's nothing we can do about it. Everyone got scared when they heard this and didn't dare to go out," a villager who returned to the village first said bitterly.

"That's enough!" The leader shook off his companions, ran back, bowed to Shirou and the others, and pleaded, "Sir Samurai, please come with us to the village chief's place first."

"The village chief? Where is he?" Shirou asked.

"He is the oldest and most knowledgeable elder in the village. He has difficulty walking, so please come this way with us," the villager said, bowing.

"I understand." Shirou nodded to his companion. Of the group, only one black figure surveyed the surroundings of the village before quietly running off to the other side.

Led by the villagers, Shirou and the others crossed the small bridge and arrived at a waterwheel house with a creaking sound. They used the waterwheel to draw water, allowing the mountain spring water to flow continuously into the village's canals.

Upon entering the room, they found a family of four living there. The kind-looking husband and the woman holding the baby greeted them and invited them inside. Sitting in the room was a weathered old man with gray hair, who was looking around with one eye open.

The old man nodded to the visitors and said, "Please sit down, everyone. Thank you for coming all this way."

"Haha, old man, may I ask your age?" Shirou and his companions found a place to sit down and asked with a smile. In such chaotic times, the average lifespan is probably less than thirty, so it is a rare treat to meet such an elder.

"Haha, I'm almost 70, an age where I'm not worth dying for. I heard that bandits are coming, so I told the young men in the village that when I was young, I had seen the village attacked by bandits several times. Every time, the village was engulfed in flames and the scene was horrific, but only once."

There was a village that hired samurai and survived. So this time, in order for the villagers to survive, I've sent them to hire samurai."

"You've done a wonderful job! I never expected to be able to invite such outstanding warriors. I've never seen such magnanimous warriors in my life, and so many of them are so exceptional. To be able to fight alongside you would be a truly rewarding experience, even in death," the old man praised.

Chapter 225 Village Anti-Japanese Conference

"No... old man."

Upon hearing the old man's praise, Shirou wanted to explain the situation. Although he wanted to help the villagers, things couldn't be done this way. If the villagers refused to be rescued, he would be helpless even if he had a solution.

The old man raised a hand, interrupting Shirou, and smiled, his wrinkled face breaking into a hoarse voice as he said:

"But this time, you've really made a fool of yourselves. It's truly laughable. Even as an old man from the same village, I feel ashamed. You've clearly fought for a sliver of hope, and now you're going to give it up..."

"But, you know, farmers are inherently timid creatures. They fear war, they fear disaster, they depend on the weather for their livelihood. When the sky is clear, they fear drought; when the sky is overcast, they fear floods."

Wild animals from the mountains come to steal livestock; if they are wolves or bears, they will even eat people. Wild boars will destroy crops, and the government and mountain bandits are even more ruthless than these beasts.

"The slightest breeze or rustling of the grass—it seems there's nothing we're not afraid of. Why are we all so worried?"

"Farmers only want a stable life, but out of fear, they often choose to back down and endure. They want a stable life, but they are always being visited by certain people and disasters; this is the fate of farmers."

"Until the very last moment of survival, farmers will endure anything and tolerate everything they encounter. That's what farmers are all about."

"But when the day comes that we can no longer survive, it will be too late to resist! So please, please save us." The gaunt old man with white hair raised his trembling hands, sat there, bowed deeply, and pleaded.

Shirou saw the old man and said, "Grandpa, please raise your head. I understand what you're saying. Now we need to find a way to persuade everyone in the village to follow our arrangements. If we can't work together, we can't do anything."

Clang! Clang! Clang! At that moment, the warning bell in the center of the village rang.

"What! Alarm! Is this a bandit attack?!" The leading villager stood up and exclaimed.

"It's too fast! The rice hasn't even been harvested yet!" a villager said bitterly.

"Go!" Shirou and the others stood up, put their weapons in their hands, and rushed out.

By this time, the village was in complete chaos. The frightened crowd surged out like a herd of wild animals fleeing across the grasslands. Farm women, farmers, and middle-aged women carrying children pushed and shoved each other.

Everyone ran towards the century-old tree in the center of the village. Next to the tree was a high platform made of yellow mud and stones, on which a wooden frame was erected and a bronze bell hung, so that it could be used to notify and remind everyone in case of emergencies such as fire or earthquake.

When faced with troublesome situations, people often choose to escape. The more unacceptable something is, the more they want to avoid it, even going so far as to numb and deceive themselves.

Only when people are forced into a corner and have no choice but to face reality will they confront their inner thoughts and express their true feelings.

Mountain bandits are the most terrifying beings to the mountain people. They are seen by parents as monsters to scare disobedient children, the embodiment of evil spirits in the mountains, and the most terrifying apex predator in this ecosystem. They can easily wipe out a village.

Whether it's their subconscious genetic makeup or the experience passed down from their ancestors, they should all know that the words of such a desperate person are unlikely to be kept.

"Samurai-sama!"

"Help!"

"Please save us!" the terrified farmers cried out as they knelt down.

"Silence!! Who saw the bandits? Which direction were they from? How many riders did they have? Tell me now!" Shirou shouted.

The farmers who were kneeling on the ground raised their heads and looked at their fellow villagers on the left and right, all with bewildered expressions.

"Hahaha, you villagers are so stupid! There were no bandits at all; I rang the bell. Now it seems like quite a fun toy. After just a few rings, all the farmers who were hiding from us and too afraid to come out all came running over. It's really interesting." The girl's laughter came from above.

While everyone was stunned, a girl with black hair and red eyes jumped from the tree onto the platform.

"Didn't you all think you were safe hiding inside the houses? Why are you all running out again?" Nobu drew his sword and pointed it at the villagers underground.

"..." The villagers on the ground all lowered their heads, unsure of how to answer.

"Did you... do this?" At this moment, the elderly village chief, leaning on his cane, walked over, and the villagers quickly made way for him.

"What's wrong, old man! Is there something you're unhappy with about what I did?" Nobu jumped down, his crimson eyes staring directly at the hunchbacked, unsteady old man, and asked with a smile.

"No! This is fine!" The elderly village chief nodded in agreement.

"Is that so? Village Chief, you're quite the reasonable one!" Nobu replied with a smile, then looked at his companions on the platform and asked boastfully, "How was it? Shirou, Soji, I did a good job, didn't I!"

"Yes, you've been a great help, nobu!" Shirou said approvingly.

"Well, I hate to admit it, but this time I really did get help from Nobu's unconventional and reckless methods," Soji said.

"Hehe, that's only natural. Who do you think I am?" The black-haired girl said smugly, arms crossed.

"That way, everything is back on track," Shirou said.

"Yes, next is the formal planning and deployment, and then the training of the militia." Tawara Toda nodded with a smile.

"I'll leave the troop deployment to you. But if it's about training the militia for combat, I can be of some help," said Houzoin Inshun, a martial arts lineage holder who had served as a temple instructor.

"I feel the same way. If it comes to killing people, I can certainly share some of the burden," Kojiro said, holding his sword.

"That's enough. Everyone should do their job. Also, starting tonight, we'll set up a guard post at the well, and we'll also need to send people to patrol the village in shifts," Shirou said, nodding.

"Well! After all, there are ninjas here. If they get poisoned, it'll be terrible," said Tawara Toda with a smile.

"Ninja! Poison!" The villagers were terrified.

"Hey! Weren't the ones who attacked the village thieves? Why are there ninjas here? Did you run into the bandit king's men on your way back? Did you tell everyone about us hiring samurai?" The villagers looked around at each other suspiciously and asked.

"We don't know either! We really didn't leak anything. Even if we encountered bandits on our way back, we didn't say anything! And everyone knows that only bandits came here before!" The two villagers who returned first knelt down and said pitifully.

"I'm sure they weren't lying. It was only a matter of time before they were exposed. There's only one thing we all need to understand: this enemy is very troublesome, so we must work together as one to defeat the bandits."

"Now that we've come this far, we'll fight to the death to lead you to victory against the bandits. I've made that promise to you all. Alright, don't kneel down anymore," Shirou advised.

"Yes, thank you." The two farmers stood up gratefully.

"Everyone! From today onwards, everyone will use the same well. As for the stream flowing down from the mountain, we should stop using it," Shirou ordered loudly.

"Yes...!" Knowing that this was a matter of life and death, the villagers dared not object and bowed in agreement.

"But what's the deal with that bandit king?" Soji asked.

The elderly village chief said, "Indeed, they were just ordinary bandits at first, but after the four of them left, strange news started coming in yesterday. It seems that those bandits were subdued by a mysterious person called the 'Bandit King'."

That bandit king claims to be a demon king who slays gods and destroys Buddhas. No one has ever seen his true face, but legend has it that he possesses hundreds of muskets. That ninja must be one of the demon king's men!

"If the bandits have muskets, we definitely can't beat them on our own," the villager lamented dejectedly.

"Sir Samurai! Please help us!" the villagers pleaded.

"Mountain Bandit King, that's quite a tasteful name. Adding 'King' to 'mountain bandit'... it just gives it a completely different feel. It's the only position that all mountain bandits strive for, isn't it?" Nobu said, resting his chin on his hand.

"Thinking about that bandit king, he's really..." Shirou and Soji locked their gazes on the black-haired girl behind them.

"Huh?" The girl with long black hair next to them looked blank, not understanding why they were looking at her.

After that, everyone dispersed and went home. The farmer who had invited the samurai led Shirou and the others to a prepared wooden house to settle down. The lower floor was for the men to rest, while the upper floor, which could be climbed up by ladder, was for the women.

Shirou and Tawara Toda took out the prepared paper, and Yukino held the ink and brush. They drew a few strokes at each place they walked, and after walking around the perimeter of the village, they drew a simple map of the entire village.

"Yes, if it were me, I would definitely choose to have the musketeers suppress the enemy and then let the cavalry charge." Nobu said, pointing to the fields below. Although it was hard to imagine, she was indeed the strongest and most experienced military expert here.

However, since the opposing leader is the same person, their strategies are easily seen through, which is unavoidable.

"So! I can only offer some suggestions; how to implement them is up to you," Nobu said, crossing his arms.

"Yes, but I believe we must make full use of this terrain to fight these bandits. We need to use all sorts of methods to protect ourselves. This side is farmland. After the harvest, we can flood the fields here, and the horses won't dare to go into the water."

"Then, a warrior will lead the villagers to set up defenses above the field using sharpened bamboo spears," Nobu explained fluently.

"..." and several minutes of silence followed.

"Hey? What's wrong? Why do you all have such strange expressions?" Nobu asked, looking at the odd crowd.

"No, I just think that Nobu is indeed Oda Nobunaga, a very talented military strategist," Shirou said.

Nobu grinned smugly and said, "What? Shirou! You've finally been captivated by my handsome appearance and good looks? You were too shy last time, weren't you? Alright, then I'll make an exception and take you as my retainer. Hmm, I need to choose a nickname for you first. Monkey, fox, viper... eagle! Yes! You'll be my eagle!"

"No, forget it, let's just be friends." Shirou waved his hand, decisively refusing.

Although historically, Oda Nobunaga was a fool in Owari, rising from humble beginnings, he was a ruthless character who, like Cao Cao who held the emperor hostage to command the feudal lords, installed the last Shogun to command the daimyo, and brought the two-hundred-year-long Warring States period to an end.

Because he initiated various reforms that damaged the interests of the old forces, he was betrayed by his close retainers, who set fire to Honnō-ji. However, no one ever saw his body, which added another layer of legend to his story.

However, in his memory, that was also a samurai with a topknot and a small mustache, Oda-Nobunaga. As for the guda-guda nobu, forget it. Since he rejected the Demon Nobunaga, it was naturally impossible for him to be with nobu.

Most importantly, those who walk different paths cannot make plans together. As friends or temporary partners, they are fine, but when it comes to realizing their life ideals, they are two completely different types of people.

"Hey! Don't be so quick to refuse! How about I bestow my surname upon you too? Like how the Monkey was later given the surname Sanada Yukimura, right?" Nobu urged anxiously.

"..." Shirou looked at Nobu with some hesitation. Speaking of this, Sanada Yukimura was almost as important as Zhao Zilong in the hearts of the Japanese people.

This was a life of undefeated victories. In his final battle, he fought valiantly and, despite being outnumbered, forced Tokugawa Ieyasu to flee.

The reason was that the head of household, Toyotomi Hideyori, was not a qualified leader. He blindly obeyed his mother, Chacha, and was not properly trained from a young age. He never agreed to Sanada's request to personally lead the troops and boost morale.

Because of his cowardice and retreat, he hid in the warehouse with his mother, Chacha. In the end, after the defeat, he committed seppuku to avoid humiliation, never having been on the battlefield in his life.

Sanada Yukimura, a true hero, fought to the very end, leading his entire Sanada army to annihilation. He can be considered a warrior who died with honor.

In Wa Province, there is a saying, "Sanada's spear, Musashi's sword," which means he was one of the top military commanders.

"But, let's just forget about it! Let's just be friends." Shirou said, bowing.

"Hey! Why!? This is the second time, and this time he said it twice!" Nobu collapsed to the ground, utterly devastated, and said sorrowfully, "Is it really because I've lost half my strength? Is that why my charisma has diminished so much? Has all my domineering aura been stolen by that bastard Nobu?"

"Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter! Nobu is completely unpopular!" Soji was standing to the side, also lay on the ground, pounding the ground and laughing non-stop.

"Soji! You bastard! You're just a comedic character who coughs up blood at crucial moments!" Nobu lunged at Soji and started wrestling with him.

"Oh dear, they're all beauties, why is it such a pity?" the blue-clad swordsman beside him said with great regret.