Sense of Crisis

After another round of pleasant conversation, the remaining goods were successfully handed over, and Dongfang Mao kept his word by sending men to escort the merchants from the Land of Fire out of the city.

Once they had departed, Dongfang Mao's expression darkened.

He had occupied Tsukimiura for some time now, and he feared that the outside world had already sensed that something was amiss.

Once these people returned, the news would likely spread completely.

He could not speak for other nations, but his name, Dongfang Mao, would certainly shake the entire Land of Rice Fields.

When that time came, he would have to face the wrath of the Land of Rice Fields head-on.

Although the Land of Rice Fields was small, sparsely populated, and lacked its own independent system of ninja, making its strength weak.

That was only in comparison to other nations.

Dongfang Mao felt somewhat uncertain in his own heart.

Even though his Grand Governor's Mansion currently housed one of the "Sannin," Tsunade.

Setting aside whether Tsunade would be recognized if she took action, thereby drawing the attention of the Land of Fire and Konoha.

Her hemophobia alone meant that she would be nothing more than a decorative ornament when facing a battlefield of blood and gore.

At most, she could step in to save his life when he was on the verge of defeat.

Therefore, Dongfang Mao had to find a way to deal with this crisis on his own.

Fortunately, the Land of Rice Fields had no ninja villages and no large-scale ninja armies.

From the Daimyo Mansion receiving the news to issuing orders, mobilizing grain, assembling soldiers, and marching to Tsukimiura, a certain amount of time would be required.

Dongfang Mao still had a relatively generous amount of time to prepare.

With this in mind, Dongfang Mao hurried toward the south of the city without a moment's delay.

He sought out Yoshikawa, the arms dealer from the Land of Iron who remained stranded there due to the lockdown of Tsukimiura.

"Mao-kun, you truly surprise me!"

At this moment, Yoshikawa looked at Dongfang Mao, who had come knocking, with a bitter smile.

He had never imagined that the youth who had claimed to be purchasing supplies for his elders a few months ago was actually the mastermind behind the fall of Tsukimiura!

"Haha, you flatter me, Mr. Yoshikawa. It was thanks to the large inventory you had on hand back then; otherwise, I don't think taking Tsukimiura would have been so easy."

Dongfang Mao responded with a cheerful laugh.

When Yoshikawa heard Dongfang Mao attributing part of the credit to him, the corners of his mouth could not help but twitch.

"Mr. Yoshikawa, what do you think of my proposal?"

Dongfang Mao did not have much leisure to banter; after a brief joke, he cut straight to the point.

"Of course, there is no problem. We can provide all the weapons and equipment you require."

Upon hearing this, Yoshikawa agreed without a second thought.

What was his status? An arms dealer!

What did he desire most? War!

Moreover, as a merchant who had traveled between the two nations for years, he had a clear understanding of the military strength of the Land of Rice Fields.

To put it bluntly, it was truly unsightly.

As for the New Martial Army under Dongfang Mao, he had observed them from afar; they were strictly disciplined and full of vigor—a truly elite force.

Therefore, although the disparity in size between Dongfang Mao and the Land of Rice Fields looked vast, it was not certain that he would be crushed by the Land of Rice Fields' army in one fell swoop.

Once the two forces went to war, or even fell into a stalemate, he would be able to play both sides, earning a fortune by selling arms to both parties.

Naturally, he had no reason to refuse such a deal.

Of course, he would not take the initiative to mention the military situation of the Land of Rice Fields to Dongfang Mao.

As a merchant, he was eager for Dongfang Mao to feel the crisis, so that he would spare no cost to expand his armaments and purchase more weapons from him.

However, when his gaze swept over the end of Dongfang Mao's list, his fingertips paused.

Beyond the need for a large quantity of weapons and armor, the list also required massive amounts of copper, iron, sulfur, saltpeter, charcoal, and a great number of craftsmen.

Yoshikawa could not help but frown. The demand for copper and iron naturally meant that Dongfang Mao intended to forge his own weapons.

That was fine; his Land of Iron also exported large quantities of iron and copper ore.

The craftsmen were also no problem, as the national situation made being a craftsman almost a national profession in the Land of Iron, accounting for 20% of the entire population.

However, since the annual trade volume of the Land of Iron was limited, it was impossible to guarantee orders and income for everyone.

Therefore, he only needed to select some craftsmen from within the country who were not involved in the core technologies of the Land of Iron and bring them to Dongfang Mao.

As for the last three items, they left him somewhat confused.

The Land of Iron was home to many volcanoes and underground caverns, so it was indeed rich in sulfur and saltpeter.

Once these minerals were extracted, they were mostly processed into preservatives, pesticides, and other practical supplies, so Dongfang Mao's procurement of these raw materials was within reason.

However, the sheer volume requested by the other party was so excessive that it left him puzzled, and he couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

"Mao-kun, the demand for these three items really surprises me. If it's convenient, could you tell me what they are for?"

"Haha, they are just for some daily reserves."

Dongfang Mao laughed it off, brushing the question aside.

He wanted these things, naturally, because he intended to research gunpowder.

It was strange to think that this world was extremely advanced in terms of technology, with both light and heavy industries nearing the level of the modern era.

Some nations had even managed to tinker with trains.

Yet, these technologies had not been widely promoted or applied, causing some regions of the world to appear prosperous while the overall society remained dominated by agriculture.

The same was true for weaponry; surprisingly, most were still in the era of cold steel.

He didn't know if the higher-ups of this world placed too much faith in the power of ninjas, or if it was the result of deliberate suppression by someone.

However, Dongfang Mao had no such concerns. He hadn't had the conditions before, but now he was determined to figure out how to make firearms.

Of course, even though the various advanced technologies here were sufficient to manufacture sophisticated guns, Dongfang Mao did not know the specific manufacturing methods for those weapons. He figured he could only start by tinkering with the most primitive muskets and cannons.

As for the rest, he feared he would have to let the Ministry of Works slowly accumulate experience and research it over time.

After reaching a pleasant agreement with Yoshikawa, Dongfang Mao returned to the Governor's Mansion.

Now that the affairs within the city were largely handled, the rest could not be rushed and would simply have to wait for time to take its course.

Thus, Dongfang Mao shifted his focus to the outskirts of the city.

First was the group of border garrison troops from the Land of Rice Fields behind Tsukimiura that he hadn't had time to deal with yet.

With the threat of the Land of Rice Fields imminent, how could Dongfang Mao tolerate such an armed force at his back? Without hesitation, he immediately issued an order.

He commanded Yasuke to lead the 2nd Battalion to the border and purge those garrison troops.

Fortunately, although they were border troops, the Land of Rice Fields was soft and had little defense against the Land of Fire, nor was there any need for it.

Therefore, the strength of this border force was not particularly high, and Yasuke took them down without much effort, suffering zero casualties.

As for the border troops of the Land of Rice Fields, those who resisted stubbornly were naturally buried alive on the spot.

Most of the soldiers who surrendered were thrown into the Labor Camp that Dongfang Mao had just set up.

After all, the Imperial Prison was already so crowded it could barely hold anyone else, and Dongfang Mao could not afford to spend money to feed these people for nothing.

Coincidentally, due to years of corruption, the city walls and defensive facilities of Tsukimiura were in need of repair.

Furthermore, while the area around Tsukimiura was dry, the fields could not be completely abandoned.

Dongfang Mao threw all these criminals and surrendered soldiers into labor and land reclamation.

Only after observing them for a period of time and seeing excellent performance would Dongfang Mao consider releasing them and incorporating them into the New Martial Army.