Chapter 225: The Village Enemy Resistance Meeting
"No... Elder."
Hearing the elder's praise, Shirou wanted to explain the current situation. Although he was willing to help the villagers, the current situation was not feasible. If the villagers refused to be saved, there was nothing he could do, even if he had a method.
The elder raised one hand, interrupting Shirou's words. His face, full of wrinkles, smiled, and he said in a husky voice:
"But this time you truly have seen something embarrassing. It's ridiculous; this old man, as a fellow villager, feels ashamed. They clearly fought for a chance at survival, but now they want to give it up themselves...
But alas, farmers are inherently timid beings. They fear war, they fear disaster, and they depend on the heavens for food. When the sky is clear, they fear drought; when the sky is cloudy, they fear floods.
Then there are wild beasts from the mountain that steal livestock. If it's a wolf or a bear, they will also eat people. Wild boars destroy crops, and the government officials and bandits are even more merciless than these beasts.
At every rustle of the grass, there seems to be nothing they don't fear, which is why they constantly worry.
Farmers only want to live a stable life. Because of fear, they often choose to retreat and endure. They desire stability, but are always sought out by some people and disasters—this is the fate of the farmer.
Until the moment they can no longer live, no matter what they encounter, they will yield. They can endure anything—this is the farmer.
But alas, when the day comes that they can no longer live, trying to resist will be too late! So please, we beg you to save us." The gray-haired, thin elder raised his trembling hands, sat there, lowered his head, and bowed deeply in plea.
Shirou looked at the elder and said, "Elder, please lift your head. I understand everything you've said. Now, we must first find a way to persuade all the villagers to follow our instructions. If we cannot be united, we can't do anything."
Clang! Clang! Clang!!! Just then, the warning bell in the center of the village was rung.
"What! The alarm! Are the bandits attacking?!" the leading villager stood up and exclaimed.
"It's too fast! The rice hasn't even been harvested yet!" a villager nearby said bitterly.
"Quickly!" Shirou and the others immediately stood up, held their weapons, and rushed out.
The village was already in chaos. The startled crowd poured out like a fleeing herd of beasts on the plains—farmwomen, farmers, middle-aged women holding babies—shoving one another.
Everyone was running towards the village center, where a hundred-year-old tree stood. Next to the tree was a raised platform made of yellow mud and stones, with a wooden frame holding a bronze bell. It was used to notify and warn everyone in case of emergencies like fire or earthquake.
When faced with trouble, people often choose to evade it. The harder something is to accept, the more they want to escape it, even going so far as to numb and deceive themselves.
Only when they are pushed into a corner, when they must face reality, will people confront their true feelings and express their honest thoughts.
Bandits, the most terrifying existence for mountain people, the monsters used by parents to scare disobedient children, the incarnation of mountain demons, and the apex predator in this ecosystem, capable of easily annihilating a village.
Whether by the subconscious in their genes or the experience passed down by their ancestors, they should clearly know that the words of desperate outlaws cannot be trusted.
"Samurai-sama!"
"Help us!"
"Please save us!" The panicked farmers knelt down, wailing and begging.
"Silence!! Who saw the bandits? In which direction? How many riders? Speak quickly!" Shirou shouted loudly.
The kneeling farmers looked up at their fellow villagers to the left and right, all showing confused expressions.
"Gwahahaha, you villagers are so stupid! There are no bandits at all! I rang the bell. It seems like quite an interesting toy. Just ringing it a few times makes all the farmers who were hiding from us and afraid to meet us come running out. It's truly fascinating." A girl's laughter came from above.
While everyone was stunned, a black-haired, red-eyed girl leaped from the big tree onto the platform.
"You were all hiding in your houses before, didn't you think you were safe there? Why did you all run out now?" Nobu drew her katana and pointed it at the villagers below.
"..." The villagers below all lowered their heads, unsure how to respond.
"Was it... you who did this?" The aged village elder walked towards them, leaning on his cane, and the villagers parted to make a path.
"What's wrong, old man! Do you have any complaints about what I did?" Nobu jumped down, her crimson eyes staring directly at the hunched, stiff-legged elder, and asked with a smile.
"No! This is good!" The aged village elder nodded and agreed.
"Is that so? You, the Village Elder, are sensible!" Nobu agreed with a laugh, then looked up at her companions on the high platform and asked boastfully, "How is it? Shirou, Souji, didn't I do a good job!"
"Yes, you were a great help, Nobu!" Shirou said approvingly.
"Well, although I don't want to admit it, this time we really benefited from your unconventional chaos, Nobu," Souji said.
"Hehe, that's only natural. Who do you think I am?" The black-haired girl crossed her arms and smiled proudly.
"With this, everything is back on track," Shirou said.
"Indeed. Next up is the formal planning and deployment, and then training the militia," Tawara Touta nodded with a smile.
"I'll leave the strategy and deployment to you. If it's about training the militia for combat, I can still be of some assistance," said Hōzōin Inshun, a martial arts master who had served as an instructor at a temple.
"The same goes for me. If there are people who need to be cut down, I can certainly take on some of the burden," Kojiro said, holding his sword.
"That's enough. Everyone has their roles. Also, starting tonight, we'll set up guard posts at the well, and we'll need people to patrol the village in shifts," Shirou nodded and said.
"Well! Given that there's a ninja involved, it would be terrible if we were poisoned," Tawara Touta said with a chuckle.
"Ninja! Poison!" The villagers' faces turned pale with fright.
"Hey! The people attacking the village are bandits, aren't they? Why is there a ninja here? You must have met the Bandit King's subordinates on your way back, did you leak the news that we hired samurai?" The villagers looked at one another, asking with mutual suspicion.
"We don't know either! We truly didn't leak anything! Even when we met the bandits on the way back, we didn't say anything! And everyone knows that only bandits were here before!" The two villagers who had returned first knelt down and protested miserably.
"I am certain they are not lying. Exposure was only a matter of time. There is only one thing everyone needs to understand: this enemy is very difficult to deal with, so we must be united as one to defeat the bandits.
Since we are here, we promise you all now that we will lead you to defeat the bandits, even if it costs us our lives. All right, you can stand up now." Shirou persuaded them.
"Yes, thank you." The two farmers gratefully stood up.
"Everyone! In short, starting today, everyone will use only one well. As for the stream flowing down from the mountain, don't use it anymore," Shirou ordered loudly.
"Yes...!" The villagers knew this was a matter of life and death and didn't dare to object, bowing in agreement.
"But what's the deal with this 'Bandit King'?" Souji asked.
The aged village elder said, "At first, they were just ordinary bandits, but after those four left, strange news began to spread yesterday. The bandits seemed to have been subdued by a mysterious person called the 'Bandit King.'
That Bandit King claims to be a Demon King who slays gods and destroys Buddhas. No one has seen his true face, but the rumor says he has hundreds of matchlock guns in his possession. That ninja must be the Demon King's subordinate!"
"If the bandits have matchlock guns, there's absolutely no way we can defeat them on our own," the villagers lamented dejectedly.
"Samurai-sama! Please, you must help us!" the villagers pleaded.
"Bandit King. That's a naming sense with flavor. A bandit plus a King... it feels like the momentum is completely different. The sole position all bandits strive for," Nobu said, resting her chin on her hand.
"That Bandit King, whoever he is, must be..." Shirou and Souji fixed their gaze on the black-haired girl behind them.
"Hmm?" The black-haired girl next to them looked blankly, not understanding why they were looking at her.
After that, everyone dispersed and went back to their respective homes. The leading farmer who had hired the samurai took Shirou and the others to a prepared wooden house to settle down. The lower floor was for the men to rest, and the second floor, reached by a ladder, was for the women.
Shirou and Tawara Touta took out the paper they had prepared. Young Yukino held the ink and brush, and they drew a few lines at every point they passed. After walking around the village perimeter, they had drawn a simple map of the entire village.
"Yes, if it were me, I would definitely choose to use a gun squad for suppression and then charge with cavalry," Nobu said, pointing to the fields below. Although hard to imagine, she was indeed the most experienced military strategist here.
However, since the enemy's leader was the same person, it was inevitable that their respective strategies would be seen through.
"So! I'll only offer some suggestions, but the specifics are up to you," Nobu continued, crossing her arms.
"Yes, but I suggest making full use of the terrain here. To fight these bandits, we must use all kinds of methods to defend ourselves. On this side are the fields. After the grain is harvested, flood the fields with water; horses won't dare to enter the water then."
"Then, on the edge of the fields, one samurai should lead the villagers to set up defenses using sharpened bamboo spears," Nobu spoke enthusiastically.
"..." A few minutes of silence fell over the surroundings.
"Naww? What is it? Why do you all have strange expressions?" Nobu asked, looking at the puzzled crowd.
"No, we just think that Nobu is truly Oda Nobunaga, a very talented military strategist," Shirou said.
Nobu beamed proudly and said, "What? Shirou! Are you finally mesmerized by my heroic figure and beauty? Were you just too shy last time? Fine, I'll make an exception and take you on as a retainer. Yes, I must first choose a nickname for you. Monkey, Fox, Viper... Hawk! Yes! You shall be my Hawk!"
"No, I think I'll pass. Let's just remain friends," Shirou waved his hand and resolutely refused.
Although historically, Oda Nobunaga rose from obscurity as the "Fool of Owari" and, like Cao Cao controlling the emperor to command the lords, installed the last Ashikaga Shogun to command the daimyō, a ruthless figure who brought the two-hundred-year-long Warring States period to an end.
Because he initiated various reforms that harmed the interests of the old powers, he was betrayed by a close retainer who set fire to Honnō-ji. Since his body was never found, it added another layer of legend to his story.
But in Shirou's impression, that was the Oda Nobunaga with a samurai topknot and a small mustache (hachimonji style). He wouldn't want to get involved with the Guda Guda Nobu. Since he refused Demon King Nobunaga, he naturally couldn't be with Nobu.
Most importantly, they were fundamentally different people with different paths. Being friends and temporary partners was fine, but when it came to fulfilling life goals, they belonged to completely different categories.
"Eh! Don't be so quick to refuse! How about I bestow my family name on you! Like how the Monkey was later bestowed a name by Sanada Yukimura's family, I think," Nobu desperately tried to persuade him.
"..." Shirou looked at Nobu with some conflict.
He was a warrior who was victorious in a hundred battles throughout his life. In his final battle, he fought valiantly and, despite being greatly outnumbered, briefly forced Tokugawa Ieyasu to flee.
It was only because his lord, Toyotomi Hideyori, was truly not a capable leader, constantly obeying his mother Chacha and not being well-trained since childhood. He never agreed to Sanada's request to personally take the field and boost morale.
Due to cowardice and retreat, he hid in a warehouse with his mother Chacha, and in the end, faced defeat and committed seppuku to avoid being captured, never having set foot on a battlefield once in his life.
Sanada Yukimura, as a true hero, fought to the very end, and though the Sanada army was wiped out, he was a brave warrior who died honorably.
In Japan, there is a saying, "Sanada's spear, Musashi's sword," cementing his status as one of the best military commanders.
"But, I'll still pass! Let's just be friends," Shirou bowed.
"Eh! Eh! Why?! This is the second time, and you said it twice this time!" Nobu slumped to the ground, utterly defeated, and said sorrowfully, "Is it because I've lost half my power now? So my personal charm has been greatly reduced? Has my kingly aura been stolen by the bad Nobu?"
"Hahaha, that's hilarious! Nobu is completely unpopular!" Souji, lying on the ground next to her, pounded the earth with laughter.
"Souji! You bastard! You're just a comical character who coughs up blood at crucial moments!" Nobu lunged at Souji, and they started wrestling.
"Oh dear, oh dear. They are both beauties, so why are they so regrettable?" the blue-clad swordsman said with deep regret.
"Hahaha! Such energetic girls are great, they make the meal taste better," Tawara Touta roared with laughter.
Hello everyone! I'm VarieTL
Thank you as always for your support!
I wanted to announce that I posted a new Fanfiction!
Saving the World with Crossovers, starting with replacing Natsuki subaru with Hikigaya Hachiman
Kawata Osamu transmigrated and became a God.
Wonderful start, right? Unfortunately, this world is destined to be destroyed by the Abyss...
The only thing he can do is try to merge many worlds together thanks to the "Children of the World."
If he can show everyone their adventures and evoke enough emotion, the worlds will merge! Kawata Osamu decided to start by replacing Natsuki Subaru with Hikigaya Hachiman!
2nd Arc: Ayanokouji Kiyotaka in Redo of Healer
3rd Arc: Shirogane Miyuki in Inuyasha
4th Arc: Kousaka Kyousuke in Overlord
I have already posted 264 Chapters of this Fanfiction!
Mostly because it's really really good, so I wanted to continue working on it XD
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting