bookbashuk Chapter 350 The Land of Fire is declared destroyed!
Chapter 350 The Land of Fire is declared destroyed!
A few days later in Yan City, the morning light, carrying the slight coolness of early autumn, shone on the mottled city gate.
Outside the city gate, hundreds of grain trucks were neatly lined up on the official road, forming a long silver dragon.
The carriage was piled high with bulging grain sacks, with patterns and words printed on them such as "Uchiha Clan Emblem"... "Land of Water Grain Station"... "Land of Fire Love Aid Grain"... etc.
Beside the wheels, several soldiers from the Water Kingdom were carefully checking the seals on the food sacks to ensure that the food would not leak during distribution.
Inside the city gate, the second prince of the Land of Fire, Yuan Shiqiang, was dressed in a plain-colored court robe. Although the fabric was exquisite, it could not hide his cramped figure.
The jade pendant that he used to wear, bestowed by the previous daimyo of the Land of Fire, now lay quietly in his sleeve.
He repeatedly stroked the flame pattern on the jade pendant with his fingers; the cool material couldn't suppress the damp heat in his palm.
The officials from Yan City behind him all had their heads down. Some secretly tugged at the wrinkled corners of their clothes, while others clenched the rolled-up documents in their hands. An awkward and uneasy atmosphere filled the air.
Suddenly, an official in the crowd exclaimed in a low voice, "They're here! They're here! Everyone, watch your manners!"
Yuan Shiqiang looked up sharply, following the official's gaze.
On the distant official road, a group of figures were slowly approaching.
The leader, Uchiha Sanfeng, was dressed in a dark brocade robe, accompanied by Namikaze Minato, Nara Shikaku, and others.
Without a grand procession or numerous attendants, it possessed an aura of composure and dignity.
When they reached the city gate, Yuan Shiqiang's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, and his legs felt weak.
He quickly lowered his head first, and the officials behind him followed suit, bowing in greeting.
"Greetings... Lord Mitsumine."
Yuan Shiqiang kept his head bowed low, his gaze fixed on the toes of his boots on the ground, not daring to look away even slightly.
He dared not look up, afraid of seeing the mockery in the other person's eyes, and even more afraid of remembering how he had turned a blind eye to the suffering of the people for the sake of "princely dignity".
"Second Prince, there's no need for such formalities."
Uchiha Mitsunori's voice was gentle, without any sense of condescension or oppression.
He stepped forward and gently supported Yuan Shiqiang's arm: "Don't be nervous. We're related, you could say."
Yuan Shiqiang was startled, as if he had been frozen in place.
As he slowly raised his head, he met the eyes of Uchiha Mitsunori.
Those eyes were deep and peaceful, without a trace of blame, only a faint smile.
"Lord Mitsumine... I..."
Yuan Shiqiang opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say, as if a thousand words were stuck in his throat...
Seeing his predicament, Uchiha Mitsunori smiled and interrupted, "When your father was alive, he once spoke with me. He said that you only know how to fight for power and profit, but you don't know how to manage a country or care for the people. He also said that if you were in trouble in the future, he hoped that I could spare your lives out of kinship and let you live a stable and prosperous life."
"Father......"
Upon hearing Uchiha Sanfeng mention the name of the Land of Fire, the floodgates in Yuan Shiqiang's heart were instantly opened.
Tears welled up unexpectedly, and he hurriedly wiped them away with the corner of his sleeve. "I... I've failed my father's trust... and even more so, I've failed the people of the Land of Fire... All these years, I've only cared about fighting my brothers for the throne, neglecting even the people's hunger..."
Seeing Yuan Shiqiang's remorseful expression, Uchiha Sanfeng did not mention his past mistakes again.
He raised his hand and, with an invisible force, lifted Yuan Shiqiang and the officials behind him.
As the group slowly flew into the air, gasps of surprise came from the civilians below.
At this moment, the streets of Yancheng were already crowded with people, dressed in tattered clothes, their eyes filled with anticipation and unease.
Then, a majestic voice quickly spread to every corner of the city.
"People of Flame City, I am Uchiha Mitsumine, the daimyo of the Land of Water. In the past few years, the Land of Fire has been plagued by war. You have been starving, living in dilapidated houses, and even your children have not had enough to eat... But from today onwards, the people of Flame City are the people of the Land of Water. I will never let you suffer like this again, and I will never let you go hungry again."
"In the name of the Daemon of the Land of Water, I make three promises to everyone: First, starting today, everyone can go to the grain station at the city gate to receive three months' worth of grain for free, ensuring that everyone has enough to eat; second, all areas of the Land of Fire will be exempt from agricultural and commercial taxes for the next year, so that everyone can farm with peace of mind and do business with confidence; third, I will establish a large hospital in Flame City to provide free medical care for everyone for a year, so that everyone, whether old or young, can receive medical treatment."
He paused for a moment, then his voice became even more forceful: "If any other country invades, the ninjas of the Land of Water will protect you! Furthermore, I will help you rebuild your homes, so that everyone can have a peaceful and happy life!"
A brief silence fell over the ground as the people looked at each other in disbelief.
A few seconds later, someone shouted "Long live the daimyo of the Three Peaks!" and then cheers surged up like a tidal wave.
"Long live the daimyo of Mitsumine... Long live the daimyo of Mitsumine... Long live the daimyo of Mitsumine..."
The sound was initially sparse, but it quickly grew louder and louder, eventually turning into a deafening roar!
It was as if they wanted to release all the suffering and oppression they had endured over the years!
Yuan Shiqiang stood behind Uchiha Sanfeng, looking at the cheering people below, and those who were crying tears of joy after receiving their food bags. He felt a mix of emotions.
He suddenly realized how ridiculous the "daimyo position" he had pursued with all his might was.
He once thought that the power of the daimyo was supreme, but he forgot what his father said before his death: "The people are the foundation of a country!"
The common people never wanted the title of "Land of Fire," nor the prestige of being a "prince." All they wanted was a home where they could have enough to eat and live in peace... and he never provided any of that.
In the following days, the cities of Maple City, Spring City, and Bird City in the Land of Fire successively completed the handover with the Land of Water.
When the flag of the Land of Fire was lowered in the last city, the deep blue flag of the Land of Water slowly rose.
The Land of Fire, which had existed for nearly a thousand years, was officially declared extinct.
The fall of a great nation is a major event, so related information quickly spread throughout the ninja world.
The Tsuchikage's office in Iwagakure, Land of Earth.
After listening to the intelligence he had gathered, Onoki's expression turned somewhat grim.
"The Land of Water transported a total of 1000 million tons of grain to the Land of Fire. Twenty-four large hospitals were built in various parts of the Land of Fire. The people cheered 'Long live the daimyo of the Three Peaks' along the streets. More than 98% of the former retainers of the Land of Fire were willing to submit to the Land of Water..."
The ANBU ninja swallowed hard and carefully read the intelligence report in his hand: "Civilians from neighboring countries are flocking to the Land of Fire's territory with their families, hoping to become new civilians of the Land of Water. Currently, more than one million people have poured in..."
"Enough! Show me the intelligence; you don't need to read it aloud!"
The operatives held the intelligence with both hands, gently placed it on the table, and then quickly returned to their original positions.
Onoki grabbed the intelligence report, the yellowed paper crumpled under his grip.
He squinted, scanning the contents of the document at a glance, his gaze growing sharper and his breathing becoming heavier.
"No wonder the Land of Fire only has 60 million people left, yet he transported 10 million tons of grain. That's enough to feed over 70 million people for a year! He anticipated that civilians from other countries would flock to him! 10 million tons of grain is worth over 200 billion ryo! Do the Uchiha Three Peaks have so much money they don't know what to do with it?!"
He paced back and forth in the Tsuchikage's office, his eyes filled with rage and bewilderment.
"I knew the Land of Water was wealthy, but I never imagined it would be this wealthy... Even with a bumper harvest, there couldn't possibly be this much surplus food..."
He stopped in his tracks, hands behind his back: "Could it be... that the Land of Water... has some other force supporting it...?"
The more Onoki thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. His raised eyebrows furrowed into a deep frown.
He raised his hand and pinched his brow hard, trying to relieve the throbbing pain or suppress the raging anger in his heart.
But the thought of his plan completely falling apart made him curse, "Damn it! I originally wanted the Land of Water to take over a burden... a mess... I never expected them to offer so much food... to win people's hearts and make the common people grateful to them!"
"Now, the Land of Water has not only survived, but its prestige has also increased, and its influence has expanded... Uchiha Mitsurugi, you are truly a formidable opponent..."
Seeing Onoki's fury, the Iwagakure ninjas all lowered their heads like quails, and no one dared to speak.
Onoki took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and turned to walk to the window.
Outside the window, the distant mountains were shrouded in a hazy mist, and the bare branches swayed in the wind, appearing particularly desolate.
"I never imagined that my carefully planned 'using someone else to do my dirty work' would ultimately become the opportunity for the Land of Water to win over the hearts and minds of its people... The situation is about to turn sour..."
"Now the plan has failed. The Land of Water hasn't been dragged down; in fact, it's become stronger... Will the Daimyo think I misjudged the situation? Will he think I hindered the Land of Earth's development? Perhaps... he'll be dissatisfied with me and punish me?"
A series of questions swirled in his mind, making his already tense nerves even more fragile.
He raised his hand to wipe his forehead and discovered that a fine layer of cold sweat had appeared there without him noticing...