Now that the Land of Rice Fields had become the butt of such a huge joke, it naturally drew widespread attention. A military mobilization on this scale was impossible to conceal.
Most people secretly laughed at the Daimyo of the Land of Rice Fields.
They could already picture the Daimyo flying into a rage and frantically rushing to mobilize his troops.
No matter what, the Land of Rice Fields had lost all face this time, becoming a laughingstock for people to gossip about over their tea.
But this farce would surely be over soon. The Land of Rice Fields' army was about to set out, and Dongfang Mao—the reckless man who dared to defy the nation and insult the Daimyo's authority—was bound to meet his end.
In everyone's eyes, there was no chance that the Land of Rice Fields' campaign to suppress the rebellion could fail.
Meanwhile, the news also reached Tsukimiura, whose gates were gradually being opened to merchants.
The entire city was thrown into an uproar.
The residents who had claimed their new identity tokens and begun accepting the Governor's Mansion's rule couldn't help showing their worry.
They had only just managed to settle into a stable life. Were they about to be plunged into turmoil again?
Meanwhile, a group of die-hard holdouts who had always refused to compromise watched passersby's worried faces through their windows, sneering to themselves.
"You traitors who turned your backs on the Daimyo! Just wait until the Land of Rice Fields' army crushes that damned rebel. You'll get what's coming to you!"
Over the past few days, Tsukimiura's residents had split into two clearly defined camps. Those who had claimed their new identity tokens were gradually returning to the streets and resuming their normal lives.
To their delight, they discovered that under Dongfang Mao's new policies, their lives might not have changed beyond recognition, but the pressure they faced had certainly eased considerably. Before long, knowing smiles began to appear on their faces.
In stark contrast were the die-hard holdouts, hiding away in their homes.
Every day, they watched the "new citizens" on the streets living in harmony, their hearts filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment.
The only thing keeping them going was their conviction that the Land of Rice Fields would surely put down the rebellion.
Now, the moment they had awaited for so long had finally arrived. Almost all the holdouts stayed home, so excited that tears streamed down their faces. Some had even begun planning to recommend that the army deal with the "new citizens" who had sided with the Governor's Mansion after crushing the rebels.
Only then could they vent the resentment and humiliation they had been building up all this time.
"Grand Governor, the Ministry of Finance has completed its initial tally."
At that moment, Luzhen stood respectfully in the Governor's Mansion's study, reporting to Dongfang Mao.
"The Governor's Mansion currently governs twenty-five villages, with a population of around thirty-four thousand. There are more than sixty-eight thousand mu of arable land."
Dongfang Mao gave a slight nod. Under ordinary circumstances, each person needed at least three or four mu of land to make a living.
Now, with drought ravaging the region, less than seventy thousand mu of arable land remained. Most of it had previously been tightly controlled by the manor heads in various areas. No wonder Tsukimiura was full of displaced people.
"We must keep up our close surveillance. We can't let things get any worse..."
He suddenly paused, as if remembering something, then gave an order.
"Go to the Imperial Prison in a while. The Night Patrol Bureau has nearly finished breaking in those two Hidden Mist defectors. We can take them out first and have them use Water Release to ease the drought."
Luzhen was delighted. With two Water Release ninja, they could surely improve the drought in the countryside—and help the Grand Governor win another wave of public support.
But concern soon clouded his face.
"Grand Governor, those two Hidden Mist Ninja are powerful. Only you can keep them under control. What if they suddenly turn on us when we take them out to the countryside?"
Dongfang Mao chuckled, his confidence unshaken, and explained.
"Don't worry. The Night Patrol Bureau has plenty of ways to handle them, and their legs have already been crippled. I'll also send twenty New Martial Army soldiers along. Even if something goes wrong, they'll just be sitting ducks. The New Martial Army will execute them on the spot."
Seeing that Dongfang Mao had made such thorough preparations, Luzhen put his mind at ease, bowed, and left.
Not long after Luzhen departed, Inumaru, the Night Patrol Bureau's chief, hurried in.
Dongfang Mao immediately straightened his expression.
"Tell me, how are things in the city?"
Inumaru replied respectfully.
"The news has already spread. People in the city are indeed unsettled, but no one has dared to make a move yet."
Dongfang Mao nodded.
"You and Mataichi need to work closely together during this period. Step up patrols around the city, and suppress any trouble the moment you spot it!"
"Understood!"
"By the way, how are the villagers outside the city reacting?"
At the question, a smile appeared on Inumaru's face. He immediately told Dongfang Mao what was happening in the villages.
As Dongfang Mao listened, his expression turned strange.
He had assumed that even if the villagers weren't as fiercely opposed as the people in the city, they would at least feel afraid when they heard the Land of Rice Fields was coming to attack.
But he hadn't expected the villagers not only to feel no fear, but to eagerly sign up for the army, wanting to defend him, their Grand Governor, against the Land of Rice Fields' invasion.
In truth, it didn't matter to these villagers who ruled them.
But Dongfang Mao had distributed relief grain, changed the tax system and lowered taxes, appointed Village Supervisors, selected village chiefs, and maintained order in the villages, among other measures.
For the first time, they had felt that simply staying alive didn't have to be so hard.
Yet they had enjoyed this life for only a short while before learning that the Land of Rice Fields wanted to invade again, destroy the compassionate Governor Dongfang, and bring back the loathsome manor heads to exploit and oppress them all over again.
In an instant, the anger in every village exploded like a powder keg.
They could have silently endured the darkness—but only if they had never seen the light.
Through the spread of information, they also learned that Dongfang Mao, like them, had once been a farmer oppressed by the manor heads, and had eventually become a displaced person.
In the end, unable to endure it any longer, he had chosen to rise up.
That made them all the more able to empathize with Dongfang Mao's resistance against the Land of Rice Fields.
In no time, the villages around Tsukimiura were ablaze with indignation. Countless people rushed to the recruiting stations at their village entrances, eager to enlist and resolute in their determination to protect Grand Governor Dongfang—a man who, like them, came from a farming family and cared for his people!
There were even many strong, sturdy women, as well as elderly men with white hair and bent backs, who came carrying hoes.
Hearing this, Dongfang Mao was at a loss for words, yet he also felt a little comforted.
He took the military register from Inumaru and scanned the densely packed names. His pupils suddenly contracted.
"More than two thousand?!"
The figure truly shocked him.
After all, in Tsukimiura, with its population of sixty thousand, they had managed to recruit only eight hundred new soldiers despite all their efforts since taking the city.
Yet these villages, newly settled only days ago, had seen more than two thousand people eagerly enlist?
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