Capturing City After City, Kasumi Town

Once he chose to abandon Tsukimiura, how would the subjects under his rule view him as a ruler? And how would the nobles of other nations gossip behind his back?

At the mere thought of the mocking smiles those people might wear, a surge of blood rushed to his head, and his hatred for Dongfang Mao deepened.

Yet, hatred could not be transformed into tangible power, and it was certainly impossible to curse Dongfang Mao to death from a thousand miles away.

The reality was right before his eyes; he had to make a decision.

"First, send an envoy to contact Dongfang Mao and ascertain his attitude."

The Daimyo stopped pacing and issued a stern order.

"If he is willing to be on good terms with me, then Tsukimiura is his to keep. But if he insists on being my enemy..."

A flash of ruthlessness crossed his eyes.

"Immediately send men to the Land of Fire to request reinforcements. Even if they are severely weakened and cannot dispatch ninjas, surely sending some regular troops shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Yes!"

Seeing that the Daimyo was finally no longer stubborn, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

They immediately went to arrange for an envoy to head to Tsukimiura.

However, seven days passed, and there was no news of the envoy.

Just as everyone was waiting in anxiety, a sudden piece of news arrived, plunging the entire great hall into deathly silence.

"My... My Lord Daimyo! It is bad... according to the latest intelligence, that Grand Governor Dongfang Mao has led his New Martial Army three hundred miles straight through the east. He has already taken the cities of Songfeng, Yingchuan, Sakurari, and Inari, and his massive army is now at the gates of Kasumi Town!"

At this moment, looking at the panicked messenger, the Daimyo's face turned deathly pale, and his body trembled.

"You... what kind of joke are you telling? Dong... Dongfang Mao has already fought his way to Kasumi Town? How could it be so fast!"

"My, My Lord Daimyo, please look clearly!"

Cold sweat beaded on the messenger's forehead, his voice trembling.

"According to the urgent report, Dongfang Mao did not carry any grain or supplies on this expedition. The entire army traveled light and moved with such god-like speed that they were unstoppable!"

The Daimyo slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

"Impossible! There is no such thing as an expedition without grain and supplies..."

His words came to an abrupt halt. He suddenly realized the truth, and his face turned ashen.

The granaries of the cities that had been conquered were likely providing supplies to the New Martial Army at this very moment!

Thinking of his own subjects being forced to feed the enemy army, and how these resources would instantly be turned into blades pointed at him, the Daimyo felt the world spinning. He stumbled and grabbed the desk to steady himself.

Seeing this, the ministers in the hall fell into chaos, and several high-ranking officials hurriedly stepped forward.

"My Lord Daimyo, we must stop Dongfang Mao as soon as possible! Kasumi Town is not far from Tsurumi Pass. If he gains control of Tsurumi Pass, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the faces of all the officials in the hall changed.

Everyone knew that Tsurumi Pass was the throat of the Land of Rice Fields. Once it fell, the enemy could drive straight in, and by then, even the Daimyo's residence would be in danger!

For a moment, the once-noisy hall fell into a deathly silence, where even the sound of breathing could be clearly heard.

These power-hungry nobles, who usually schemed against one another, now wore the same look of terror on their faces.

"Yes... we must stop him. We cannot let him take Tsurumi Pass..."

The Daimyo braced his hands on the desk to steady his swaying body, then suddenly looked up and shouted.

"Quick! Go to the Land of Fire and request the Konoha ninjas!"

Kasumi Town, as an important transportation hub connecting the east and the south, was once a place where merchants flowed in an endless stream and the markets were as prosperous as brocade.

But now, black smoke rose in curls within the city. The elite soldiers of the New Martial Army and the tens of thousands of troops from the New Auxiliary Army poured into the city like a tide, driving the terrified commoners out into the streets.

Anyone who dared to resist was met with a flash of cold light and blood splattered on the spot.

This important eastern stronghold of the Land of Rice Fields was now plunged into an unprecedented disaster of war.

Facing tens of thousands of New Auxiliary troops and thousands of elite, well-equipped New Martial soldiers, the city fell without any decent resistance.

Its former beauty and prosperity were reduced to nothing in a single day.

In front of the Magistrate Office, dozens of corpses in expensive clothing lay sprawled at the foot of the steps.

They had once been the most prominent nobles of this town.

Now, these headless bodies and the blood-stained ground wove together a horrifying scene.

In the square before the Magistrate Office, over a hundred four-wheeled carriages were lined up neatly, fully loaded with grain, salt, iron, cloth, weapons, and other supplies looted from Kasumi Town.

Having learned the lesson from Tsukimiura, Dongfang Mao had come to understand that no matter what he did after taking a city, the interior would remain in chaos, filled with condemnation and criticism against him.

Although his subsequent governance had been effective, it took too much time, and Dongfang Mao did not have the luxury of time to slowly sort things out.

Since that was the case, he might as well be even more ruthless and let the city fall into even greater chaos.

Therefore, he began to condone the looting by his soldiers upon entering the city, especially targeting the high-walled mansions.

However, to ensure that the situation did not spiral out of control, Dongfang Mao appointed separate military inspectors, ordering that they could only keep half a percent of what they seized, with the rest to be turned over to the public treasury; those who violated this would be executed without mercy.

In this way, not only would the ferocity of the New Martial Army be ignited and their morale boosted to ensure combat effectiveness for subsequent wars, but it would also serve as a powerful deterrent to the citizens within the city, ensuring their fear outweighed their hatred.

Of course, for the other group within the city—the merchants—Dongfang Mao continued the policy of appeasement he had used during his time in Tsukimiura.

He did not touch a single hair on the heads of the core merchants who served as the foundation of the city.

Especially those merchants from the Land of Fire.

Dongfang Mao gritted his teeth; offending the Land of Fire was one thing, but he truly could not afford to touch this group of merchants.

After all, his current territory was so barren it was practically smoking; he relied entirely on the trade routes of these Land of Fire caravans to maintain the most basic circulation of supplies.

If this economic lifeline were severed, he would truly be left with no tears to cry.

And when the city was thrown into complete chaos, Dongfang Mao stepped forward once again in the plaza to unify the distribution of daily necessities for the populace.

The wealth of Kasumi Town was no mere boast; Dongfang Mao took out 30 percent of what he had confiscated.

After an equal distribution, the living conditions of the original impoverished residents actually doubled.

Meanwhile, the formerly wealthy families saw their status plummet.

Having received Dongfang Mao's favor, the poor naturally had nothing bad to say about him.

As for the wealthy households, seeing the former wretches holding money that had once belonged to them while eating, drinking, and making merry, they naturally shifted their resentment from the Grand Governor's Mansion onto the original poor.

This caused the two sides to become antagonistic, and once the officials dispatched from Tsukimiura arrived, they began to settle the civil affairs.

Having endured the ravages of war and rediscovered the value of stability, the people naturally offered no further significant resistance to the Grand Governor's Mansion.

As for the die-hards, there was nothing left to say; let them go and serve their Land of Rice Fields with their lives.