Suzuki Makoto's plan to establish authority proved as effective as he had predicted. When the team returned to the first camp by the Great Lake, the terrified defenders saw their boss's head and heard the Strategist shouting at the top of his lungs. They immediately turned on the leader's confidants—who, just moments before, were claiming the retreaters were deserters and hanging them up—killed them, and opened the gates to surrender.
Aside from one camp that steadfastly refused to surrender—and was subsequently wiped out by Suzuki Makoto—the other camps surrendered with crisp efficiency.
A day later, Suzuki Makoto gathered everyone by the lakeside and initiated a formal public trial.
The first to be judged was the Strategist, who wore a look of utter disbelief.
He never imagined that Suzuki Makoto would push him—the most useful tool—onto the judgment stand. Facing gazes that seemed ready to devour his flesh and sleep on his hide, the man's legs trembled violently, and he instinctively wanted to flee.
But with Suzuki Makoto present, escape was impossible. Makoto simply struck twice, severing the nodes of Reishi circulation within the man's body. He collapsed to the ground like a pile of mud, indistinguishable from an ordinary human without spiritual power.
Two slaves selected from his own camp stepped forward. One pinned him down while the other raised a machete high. Although the executioner had been tormented by illness and years of starvation to the point where his hands shook while holding the blade, when he swung it down, he severed the neck with clean, decisive force.
Then came the others. Even those Makoto had previously regarded favorably—those who had followed him—were beheaded without mercy if they were found guilty of crimes.
This public trial lasted two full days. The slaves, who had previously toiled like beasts of burden, drank lake water when thirsty and took turns napping when exhausted. They were terrified that if they slept through the judgment of the bastards from their own camps, those wretches might escape the death penalty.
Of course, some resisted. But before Suzuki Makoto, all resistance was futile. It only meant suffering a few extra cuts and screaming a bit longer before their inevitable execution.
In this manner, every faction surrounding the Great Lake was completely dismantled by Suzuki Makoto. The liberated slaves and ordinary residents became the masters of the lake. Suzuki Makoto's five rules were firmly engraved on every street, and the yellow General of Heaven Banner fluttered high in the wind.
With the conclusion of this battle, the name of the "Yellow Turbans" began to spread rapidly like a virus. It permeated not only the Zaraki District but also began to reach the inner districts.
Some scoffed, while others showed joy. Yet, regardless of their hopes or doubts, Suzuki Makoto had already begun his advance toward the inner ring.
There were no larger powers left within the Zaraki District; intelligence gathered at Great Lake Town confirmed this. Thus, Suzuki Makoto efficiently cleared out another batch of medium-sized factions and began organizing the first true military force within the Yellow Turban Army.
The backbone naturally consisted of the thirty individuals who had followed him. In addition to them, there were over forty others led by Eiju. These were men whose crimes were minor and did not warrant death. Consequently, Suzuki Makoto left half of them in Great Lake Town to lead the militia, while the rest were inserted into his own ranks as officers, raising an army of six hundred.
"Your objective is to propagate the Yellow Turban ideology throughout the Zaraki District and guide all refugees to settle in nearby villages and towns. Simultaneously, you are to ban all slave trading and trafficking. Show no mercy to those camps. Use my methods, my way."
"Yes!"
Ken solemnly accepted the command, then asked with curiosity.
"And what will you be doing, sir?"
"Continuing inward."
"Eh? You're leaving the Zaraki District?"
Everyone was startled. They had assumed Suzuki Makoto would stay to establish a new ruling system, but instead, he intended to press forward.
"The reason the Zaraki District has always been this way is, ultimately, due to the extreme scarcity of resources. Although I have reclaimed the water sources from the power-holders and returned them to the common people, this water is insufficient. If the Yellow Turbans remain solely in the Zaraki District, the water will soon become scarce again as the population rises, and the region will fall back into this cycle."
Suzuki Makoto was well aware that while the villains of the Zaraki District were detestable, the environment forced them into this state where everyone became a villain. After traversing so many camps and water sources over these past few days, he had confirmed this issue.
Under the current distribution of people and water resources, the Yellow Turban Army could barely function within the Zaraki District. However, this was only because the captured camps possessed water reserves far exceeding their own populations. If the refugees of the Zaraki District, along with the ceaselessly emerging reincarnated souls, were all brought under management, this fragile balance of supply and demand would quickly shatter.
The only solution was to continue expanding toward the inner ring.
Suzuki Makoto's previous venture deep into District 75 had been to investigate issues related to water resources. As expected, the total water volume in District 75 was actually sufficient to meet local needs. The reason the Zaraki District was in such a dire state was partly because the upstream water was tightly controlled, and partly because the Zaraki District was simply too vast. As the outermost layer of the Rukongai, the Zaraki District only shared a border with District 79; it had no outer boundary.
Therefore, if even just the outermost five to ten districts were consolidated into a single entity, everyone's water consumption needs could be met.
This was Suzuki Makoto's concept: to completely merge District 71 through District 80. This would ensure the integrity of water sources and abolish the barriers between each district, allowing the Yellow Turban Army's system to operate sustainably.
Suzuki Makoto had never been a man consumed by a lust for power; he preferred a simple life. Establishing the Yellow Turban Army was not an attempt to incite a war for the transfer of power within the Soul Society. He simply wanted to fight for a chance at survival for the ordinary people of the Zaraki District.
Thus, he had no intention of integrating the population and training an army all the way to the Seireitei to seize that damn throne. After all, this was merely an otherworld, and Suzuki Makoto would eventually leave. He had slaughtered for so long to ensure that those without water could finally have a drink, not to leave everyone with nothing to drink.
So, his reasoning was this: since the Shinigami didn't care about the districts beyond District 40 anyway, his consolidation of the areas beyond District 70 shouldn't trigger an excessive reaction. As long as he could enable these people to live good lives, it was better to cause as little commotion as possible.
However, if those nobles in the Seireitei refused to accept this courtesy and acted shamelessly... then that would be a different story entirely.
____
New Story: Stardew Valley: What Do You Mean They All Became My Servants
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