Fortunately, after Kojiro sent his guards to take inventory of the weapons and confirmed they had brought siege ladders and other equipment, he finally breathed a slow sigh of relief.
He could not be bothered to keep arguing with someone who was just as foolish as he was. He immediately gave the order: they would attack the city at dawn the next day.
At dawn, beneath the faint morning light, the soldiers in the Rice Field Army's camp had already finished breakfast. They donned their armor and lined up several rows of siege ladders in front of the camp.
Though the equipment looked rather old and worn.
With the Rice Field Army's attack imminent, the New Martial Army was making tense preparations atop the southern wall of Tsukimiura.
Defensive equipment was carried up to the ramparts without pause.
Half an hour later, drums sounded through the Rice Field Army's camp. The troops began assembling, while support soldiers carrying siege ladders split into ten groups and charged forward.
Behind them, the Rice Field Army soldiers followed close, holding up their shields.
As they entered the range of the cannons on the city wall, the guns fired first. Their blasts boomed like thunder, and after a single volley, the ground below was filled with cries of agony.
"What is that thing? Are there ninjas on the walls?!"
Seeing dozens of Rice Field Army soldiers ahead blown to pieces, the troops behind them looked terrified and hesitated to advance.
"Bastards! Charge! Anyone who hesitates will be executed!"
Fortunately, after his initial shock, the Land of Rice Fields' military overseer quickly recovered. He drew his sword and cut down two soldiers who had started retreating, then roared as he raised his blade.
Faced with this, the soldiers had no choice. They gritted their teeth, raised their shields, and charged toward the wall.
But another round of cannon fire greeted them. The cannonballs tore through their shields as easily as paper, leaving them no protection at all.
The volley blasted through the Rice Field Army's formation. Shattered corpses and severed limbs flew everywhere, while the mingled smells of gunpowder and blood filled the air, making anyone nearby feel sick.
If not for the vicious overseers behind them, the soldiers would have thrown down their weapons and fled at once.
Fortunately, after paying a terrible price, several groups of Rice Field Army soldiers finally crossed the cannon fire's kill zone and reached the dead ground beneath the wall.
But they were now within bowshot.
Without hesitation, Dongfang Mao roared, "Loose!"
A dense rain of arrows immediately poured down from the wall.
After several volleys, the support troops and armored soldiers below had suffered heavy casualties. But even though they were terrified, they had no way back now. They gritted their teeth and barely managed to prop the eight remaining siege ladders against the wall.
Seeing this, the defenders hurried to bring up logs and boiling liquid to repel the attackers.
But before they could pour anything down, a farcical scene unfolded.
The Rice Field Army soldiers had only just begun climbing when five of the ladders suddenly snapped, having rotted from years of disrepair.
The soldiers on them plunged to the ground with heavy thuds. Their screams cut off, and then all was silent.
The other three ladders were also swaying dangerously, creaking as though they could collapse at any moment.
This ridiculous sight made the defenders on the wall burst into laughter. Even Dongfang Mao was left dumbfounded.
He was starting to wonder whether the Land of Rice Fields' army had come to put down a rebellion—or simply to make him laugh.
This farce dealt the Rice Field Army's morale a final blow, and chaos erupted beneath the city gates.
Back in the Rice Field Army's camp, Kojiro's face turned completely green. He could no longer hold back and shouted at the deputy general beside him.
"Why did the ladders turn out like this? How could you fail to inspect such vital siege equipment beforehand?!"
The deputy general looked just as bewildered. The ladders had been gathering dust in the warehouse for who knew how many years. They were probably older than his great-grandmother. Wasn't it only natural that they'd fall apart when suddenly put to use?
And as for inspecting them—when had the general ever ordered that?
The deputy general cursed inwardly, but dared not show it. He could only urge him cautiously, "General, what's done is done. We should withdraw for now! The things those people in Tsukimiura have made are practically as powerful as ninjutsu. If we let them keep firing, our men will be wiped out. If we fail to put down the rebellion and lose so many troops, how will we explain it to the Daimyo?"
Kojiro's heart lurched at those words. He looked toward the battlefield, where the Rice Field Army had already fallen into disarray and cries of pain rang out everywhere.
Cold sweat instantly soaked his back. He swung his arm and shouted hoarsely, "Quick! Call the troops back!"
When the soldiers on the front lines received the order to withdraw, they erupted in frantic relief and raced toward the rear.
The scene grew even more chaotic. The military overseers tried to restore order, but they were powerless to do so.
During the disorderly retreat, more Rice Field Army soldiers were trampled to death.
Inside the command tent, a group of generals gathered, covered in dust and grime. Kojiro, seated above them, looked blacker than the bottom of a pot.
"Stop standing there and think of something! How are we going to take Tsukimiura? If this rebellion suppression fails, I'll bear the main responsibility, but you won't get off lightly either!"
Kojiro's roar plunged the room into silence once again.
This time, though, they were not all pretending to be helpless. Their brows were furrowed as they considered their options.
Kojiro was right. If anything went wrong this time, the Daimyo would never forgive them.
After a long while, someone finally stood up.
"General, there's nothing we can do about that device the rebels made. It looks like a ninjutsu launcher. A direct assault on Tsukimiura probably isn't realistic..."
"Obviously."
Kojiro was already furious. He snatched up a wine cup and was about to hurl it.
The man's expression changed, and he hurriedly added, "But aren't ten members of the Daimyo's household traveling with us? We can have them sneak into Tsukimiura and assassinate the rebel leader, Dongfang Mao.
"Once their leader is dead, the city will fall into turmoil. We can use the opportunity to go to the gates and persuade them to surrender."
Kojiro's eyes lit up. He slowly lowered the wine cup and, after a moment's thought, said, "Good. Do that. Inform those ten household shinobi at once."
While the Rice Field Army's camp discussed countermeasures, the generals of Tsukimiura gathered in the front hall of the Governor's Mansion.
"Everyone saw how the Rice Field Army performed today. Their morale was already rotten, and after that crushing defeat, they're probably in disarray. I want to raid their camp tonight. What do you all think?"
The men in the room exchanged glances. Then Yasuke stepped forward.
"Governor, I volunteer!"
Seeing this, Kyuzo also stepped forward, unwilling to be outdone.
"Me too!"
Before you continue