The candlelight in the side hall of Daming Prefecture flickered, casting the Kageko of the thirteen noble leaders on the wall like a pack of ferocious beasts ready to pounce on their prey. Queen Tian Flying Swallow had just returned from the army, removing her heavy vermilion-patterned court hat to reveal fine beads of sweat on her forehead.
"Your Majesty, is it really necessary to go to such lengths? Even if all these nobles are killed, new nobles will emerge from the commoners in the future! They can't be killed off completely. As your vassal for generations, I will risk my life to advise you one last time. I am willing to go to the Noble Alliance to negotiate peace." Fujiwara Morikage, the head of the Fujiwara Clan, spoke first.
Tian Flying Swallow said, "The nobles of all the cities in the Land of Fire are sucking the blood of the common people. Our Daming Prefecture can't control any city except for collecting some taxes. This seriously affects the development of my Land of Fire. The nobles must either completely submit to me or their entire clan will be wiped out. Don't worry, sir, how could I possibly turn against them if I didn't have absolute confidence?"
Upon hearing the Queen's resolute words, the white-haired elder Fujiwara Morikage replied in a hoarse yet firm voice, "My Fujiwara clan has prepared three million koku of provisions, stored in a secret granary Kasai Castle; all one hundred thousand males aged sixteen and above in the clan are fully armored and ready for battle."
Tian Flying Swallow tapped her fingertips on the table, on which lay a map of the Land of Fire Land of Fire, densely dotted with red dots. "Lord Fujiwara, what I need is not 'sufficient preparation,' but 'giving it your all.'" She raised her eyes to the crowd, her gaze sharp as a knife. "The old noble alliance boasts eight million men, but I know that's only eighty percent of their strength. Once they go all out, they might be able to muster another four million samurai, while your three million shi of grain won't last more than three months. Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit."
Tachibana Clan clan head Sakyo Tachibana slammed his fist on the table and stood up. "Your Majesty, rest assured! The new wheat in the Tachibana Clan's fiefdom has just been harvested. Even if the clansmen eat wild vegetables, they will still gather enough rations for the army!" He unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a hideous scar on his left side. "Back when I was fighting alongside my lord and we were being hunted down, the arrow I took for him still leaves a scar! Now it's our turn to bleed again, and the Tachibana Clan will never back down! We will fight wherever you point."
Tian Flying Swallow looked at the old man speechlessly. Every time he had something to do, he would loosen his shirt to reveal that scar and say, "Okay, when the time comes, I'll leave the opportunity to take the hit to you."
"Don't just talk about supplies, what about the soldiers?" Tian Flying Swallow looked at the head of the Minamoto Clan clan, "How is your ' Red Loathing Cavalry ' being trained?"
Minamoto Clan's patriarch, Shisuke Minamoto, bowed and said, "The 30,000 cavalry have been trained; they are all heavy-armored warriors capable of charging into battle. Has Your Majesty forgotten? Jiro Minamoto, who served as your bodyguard back then, is now a cavalry commander. He said that if you give the order, even if it means flattening the Old Capital of Katsuragi, he will never turn back!"
The hall fell silent. Everyone remembered the turmoil five years ago when the old nobles forced the palace. Thirteen families each sent their eldest sons to the palace, ostensibly as guards, but in reality as collateral. Tian Flying Swallow had these thirteen youths undergo secret training. In the final exercise, when they were hunted down, they drank muddy water when they were starving and huddled together in hay to keep warm when they were freezing. The bonds forged on the brink of life and death were stronger than blood ties.
"They've all grown up." Tian Flying Swallow suddenly smiled, fine lines appearing at the corners of her eyes. "Are they still the same as before, always saying 'Never look back'?" She stood up and walked to the front of the crowd. "But this time I want to make it clear—following me this time might mean defeat. If we lose, not only you, but even our ancestral tablets won't be safe."
Taira Clan clan head, Saburo Taira, suddenly knelt down, his forehead striking the blue bricks. "Your Majesty! Ten years ago, when our family was on the verge of bankruptcy, it was you who allocated the Ten Family route to us; three years ago, when the old nobles wanted to seize our ancestral lands, it was you who included the Taira Clan graves in your domain. What you gave us was not a favor, but a way to survive! Now it is our turn to serve you!"
The crowd knelt down in unison, their voices so loud they seemed to shake the rafters. "We are willing to die for the King!"
Meanwhile, in a side room of the Hokage's residence, Kagami Uchiha was looking at the news from his spies, his brow furrowed. "Out of 163 noble families, only thirteen are willing to send troops. This situation is too dangerous." He looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi, " Hiruzen, why are these thirteen families so loyal to the Daimyo? Even if they've been lords and subjects for generations, they shouldn't risk their entire clan's lives. Noble families value their family's legacy above all else!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi added a piece of ember to the charcoal stove, Mars crackling. "You only care about the way of the ninja, you don't quite understand the intricacies of this," he said slowly. "The relationship between these thirteen families and the Daimyo's domain is forged in blood."
"Blood?" Kagami Uchiha asked doubtfully. "I know they've sent their eldest sons as hostages before, but which clan in the Shinobi World hasn't sent hostages?"
"It's different." Hiruzen Sarutobi his head. "When the First daimyo rose to power during the Warring States period, the Fujiwara and Tachibana Clan risked their lives to fight alongside them; throughout the daimyo's campaigns, the thirteen families were always at the forefront, with more 'deaths in battle' than 'births' recorded in their family genealogies. The daimyo's family owes them more than a few words of 'immense gratitude.'" He paused. "Furthermore, Queen Tian Flying Swallow was able to ascend to the throne only with their full support. The eldest sons of the thirteen families sent her to train her subordinates for five years, and even had seals engraved on their bodies to show their loyalty. That kind of bond, where one can entrust their life to another, is something you and I, as ninjas, cannot understand."
Kagami Uchiha was still puzzled. "But could friendship alone make them empty their coffers? The head of the Taira Clan just ordered that even the dowries of their married daughters be taken back to exchange for military rations. That's insane!"
"Crazy?" Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed. "That's called shrewdness. Have you forgotten the economic crisis and financial collapse in the Land of Fire ten years ago? Many nobles went bankrupt back then, and these thirteen families only survived because Queen Tian Flying Swallow used the Ten Family Route to bring them in to trade."
He picked up the spy report, pointing to the accounts. "Others are salaried officials, these are shareholders with shares. If the Queen falls, they'll go from 'owners' back to 'employees.' If you were in their shoes, wouldn't you fight tooth and nail?"
Kagami Uchiha suddenly recalled the " Katsuragi Nobility Conference " a few years ago, where the old Noble Alliance publicly removed the thirteen families from the "family genealogy," calling them "lackeys of the commoners," and even threatening to reclaim their ancestral lands. At that time, Queen Tian Flying Swallow issued an edict overnight, incorporating all the ancestral graves and temples of the thirteen families into the royal domain, and anyone who dared to disturb a single inch of soil would be treated as a rebel.
"I see," Kagami Uchiha murmured, "They had no way out long ago."
"That's right." Hiruzen Sarutobi gazed at the Hokage Rock outside the window. "The old nobles have blocked their escape route; the Queen is their only way out. This isn't loyalty to the monarch; it's clearly preserving their capital."
As night fell, grain carts from Daming Prefecture began to leave the city gates. The banners of the thirteen families still fluttered in the wind.
Standing atop the city wall, Tian Flying Swallow watched the grain carts bearing her family crest disappear into the night. Suddenly, she said to the maid behind her, "You see, they always say they'll fight to the death for me, but in reality, they're fighting for their own survival."
The maid asked, puzzled, "But they clearly..."
"You're being completely open and honest, aren't you?" Tian Flying Swallow interrupted her, "But you must remember, the strongest alliance in this world is never based on gratitude, but on self-interest; the deepest friendship is never based on loyalty, but on shared goals."
The sound of horses' hooves approached from afar; messengers from the thirteen families arrived with a conscription list. Tian Flying Swallow took the list, next to which was written, "Willing to fight to the death for the King."
She suddenly recalled the scene in the main hall this morning: the hesitant eyes of those opportunistic nobles, the empty flags left by those who were absent. But now, holding the roster in her hand, the warmth from her palm made her smile.
"So what if I've lost my wings?" she murmured to herself. "As long as these thirteen bones remain, the Land of Fire will not collapse."
The night wind swept across the city walls, billowing her cloak like a phoenix about to take flight. From the distant military camp came resounding shouts—the sons of the thirteen families were training. This war, a battle where everything was at stake, had only just begun, but the outcome would undoubtedly belong to Daming Prefecture.