Naruto's civilian cannon fodder starts with the three-body technique

Chapter 386 Recruiting Bandits
"Since he won't listen to reason and will have to suffer the consequences, then there's no need to be polite!"

Tsunade, with her fiery temper, slammed her hand on the table. "Just increase the pressure and tell him that the treaty terms will not be changed. Sign it or not, it's up to him! If he doesn't sign, we'll just keep occupying the Daimyo's residence and Sunagakure. Let's see who can afford to wait this long!"

Koharu Utatane, though inclined towards a political solution, was also infuriated by the Daimyo's unreasonable delays and agreed with Tsunade's opinion: "That's right! Sasuke, what do you think?"

Sasuke Unno knew the time was right. If they delayed any longer, Hiruzen Sarutobi and the representatives from the Land of Fire's daimyo would arrive soon. Compared to Koharu Utatane, who had changed quite a bit, these representatives would not only be no help, but would most likely be a hindrance.

More importantly, without the suppression of the Daming Prefecture, powerful figures rose up in the Wind Kingdom, and oases began to break away from the Daming Prefecture's control, becoming small vassal states. If things continued to develop in this way, the power structure of the Wind Kingdom would become a mere shell.

It is in Konoha's best interest for the Land of Wind to remain intact despite its decay.

Controlling the decadent Daming Prefecture and the numerous oases, which are like independent kingdoms of all sizes, is much easier.

Sasuke Unno knew perfectly well which was easier to control and which had stronger fighting power: the Qing Dynasty or the warlord-controlled Republic of China. Naturally, he knew how to maximize his interests.

So, Umino Sasuke nodded and said calmly, "Since the Daimyo has not yet come to terms with reality, we might as well help him to do so."

I suggest that, in the name of the Konoha Western Front Army Supreme Command, an ultimatum be issued to the Temple of the Wind and all the oases, large and small, in the Land of Wind.

The contents include: First, a formal notification that the Daimyo of the Land of Wind has accepted Konoha's 'protection', and that the new treaty is an inevitable trend.

Second, all forces are ordered to submit to the Daimyo and accept the new treaty framework within seven days. Those who fail to do so within the deadline will be considered traitors, and Konoha will reserve all rights to take further measures.

Third, a special warning is issued to certain armed groups that have taken advantage of the chaos to loot and disrupt order: immediately cease all illegal activities, or face extermination by the Konoha Ninja Army.

These words sounded grand and dignified, demonstrating Konoha's strong confidence and dominance while also labeling other forces within the Land of Wind as "non-cooperative," and subtly threatening the "thriving" Free Sand Bandits. In reality, they were reminding the Free Sand Bandits to consolidate their territory.

More importantly, once this ultimatum is issued, it will put all the pressure on the Daimyo of the Land of Wind. If he refuses to sign and Konoha does take further measures, or if the Land of Wind experiences a greater conflict due to his non-cooperation, then all the responsibility and consequences will fall on him, the Daimyo.

This is undoubtedly putting him in a very difficult position.

Koharu and Tsunade's eyes lit up; they both thought it was a great idea.

"That's the plan!" Xiaochun, who was turning the dorm, immediately decided. "I'll go draft an ultimatum right now and see how long he can keep up this act!"

Sure enough, when this strongly worded ultimatum, laced with murderous intent, was presented to the Stand of the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, and he was told that it was about to be sent throughout the country, the Stand's expression finally changed completely.

Under Umino Sasuke's subtle prompting, he knew that the act had been performed enough, and dragging it out any longer would be counterproductive.

So, after symbolically "arguing" a few more trivial details of the terms, the stand-in for the daimyo of the Land of Wind finally sighed, as if he had used up all his strength, and with trembling hands, signed his name on the humiliating armistice treaty and stamped it with the jade daimyo seal.

A ceasefire and peace treaty was formally concluded.

The western front ended with an unprecedented and glorious total victory for Konoha.

When the news reached Konoha, the entire village rejoiced.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's reputation rose considerably, and Sasuke Umino's name once again resounded throughout the ninja world. The title of "Konoha's Demigod" became more and more deeply rooted in people's hearts, and his reputation reached an unprecedented height.

However, before the ink on the ceasefire agreement was even dry, the land of the Wind Kingdom, which had just been ravaged by war, did not see the expected peace, but instead fell into deeper chaos.

Although Konoha had achieved an unprecedented military victory, how to digest this rotten fruit had become a troublesome problem.

Koharu Utatane stood atop the watchtower of the Daimyo's residence, gazing at the distant, faintly visible smoke of war. Her brow was furrowed. The latest intelligence was arriving like snowflakes, but none of it was good news. For example, a certain oasis had declared autonomy and refused to pay taxes to the Daimyo's residence; a certain mine had been attacked by "rebels," resulting in casualties among the Konoha garrison; and some chieftains of major oases had even openly claimed to possess the "bloodline of the Wind God," intending to vie for the position of Daimyo.

"It's rotten, completely rotten!" Koharu Utatane muttered to herself, her voice filled with exhaustion and anxiety. "If this continues, what we'll have isn't a vassal state, but a wasteland and a quagmire. Forget about transferring troops to the Takigawa front; even our four thousand ninja soldiers will probably be tied down and killed here!"

Tsunade, standing to the side, also looked grave. Although she wasn't good at political maneuvering, she understood the seriousness of the problem: "Old woman, what do you think? Should we release some of the ordinary Sand Ninja? Let them assist the Daimyo in maintaining order. After all, they are more familiar with the situation here and have a certain deterrent effect."

The moment the suggestion was uttered, Koharu Utatane immediately shook her head in rejection: "No, absolutely not! The risk is too great. How can we distinguish which Sand Ninja are truly loyal and which harbor malicious intentions? What if they turn their guns on us as soon as we release them, join those separatist forces, or even turn against us? Wouldn't that be adding fuel to the fire? What we lack right now is time and reliable troops. We can't afford to take this risk!"

Tsunade scratched her hair in frustration: "Then what do you suggest we do? Are we just going to stand by and watch the warlords of the Land of Wind divide the country into warlords, creating chaos and harming the civilians? In that case, we might not get anything and would have to keep adding people and resources to the country?"

Koharu sighed, her gaze involuntarily drifting to Sasuke Umino, who had been standing silently to the side. This young man had created miracles time and time again; perhaps he had a solution this time as well.

"Sasuke," Koharu Utatane asked with a hint of anticipation, "what's your take on the current situation? The various factions in the Land of Wind are deeply entrenched and in complete chaos. How can we break this deadlock?"

Upon hearing this, Sasuke Umino slowly turned around, his face still calm and composed.

He had long anticipated that the Land of Wind would fall into such a corrupt state, and to some extent, this was the result of his secret efforts. A Land of Wind that was corrupt but not collapsed, with internal checks and balances, was in his best long-term interest. "Elder Koharu," Umino Sasuke said, his voice steady and powerful, "The forces in the Land of Wind may seem complex, but they are not monolithic. The key lies in dividing, winning over, and balancing."

"Oh? Tell me more!" Xiaochun's eyes lit up, and she immediately perked up.

Sasuke Umino analyzed clearly: "Currently, the power of the Land of Wind can be mainly divided into four parts."

Firstly, there are the chiefs and powerful figures of the various oases. They are the strongest and most dispersed, each ruling their own territory. They are the main source of the current chaos and the party directly competing with us for interests.

Secondly, there is the Temple of Wind. They not only retain considerable military strength, but also control the religious interpretation of the Land of Wind, wielding enormous influence among the people. Moreover, they are relatively united internally and have concentrated power, making them a key target for our vigilance and crackdown.

Thirdly, there are the free sand bandits, who represent the resistance forces at the bottom of society. Although they are poorly equipped and poorly trained, they are numerous and have a certain base among the civilians, and their destructive power should not be underestimated.

Fourthly, there are the remnants of the Daimyo's Mansion and Sunagakure. Theoretically, they should be the strongest, but now Sunagakure has been crippled and controlled by us, and the Daimyo's authority has been swept away. Their strength depends entirely on whether we loosen our grip or tighten our control.

This clear and insightful analysis prompted Koharu Utatane to nod repeatedly in admiration, while Tsunade listened thoughtfully.

"How exactly do I do it?" Xiaochun, who was switching dorms, asked eagerly.

“It’s very simple.” Sasuke Umino’s lips curled into a smile. “Let them check and balance each other, fight among themselves, win over the weak and strike down the strong. We’ll just be the referees.”

The powerful clans in the major oases are the most influential and are encroaching on our interests, especially those in remote mineral deposits, which must be severely cracked down on.

Free sand bandits and oasis lords are natural enemies. Their targets are often these noble lords. We can secretly support them, or even guide them to attack those disobedient oases.

The Sand Village must be continuously suppressed; they must not be given a chance to breathe. As for the Temple of the Wind…

Sasuke Unno paused for a moment, then said, "Their military, political and religious system is deeply entrenched and quite troublesome. We can either slowly erode their power, or we need to find an opportunity to use swift and decisive measures to cripple and weaken them directly."

Upon hearing that they were going to attack the Wind Temple directly, Koharu Utatane immediately shook her head: "No way! The Wind Temple is easy to defend but difficult to attack. The monks are not weak in combat, and it is a religious group. Once we get into a stalemate, it will be a long and drawn-out battle. We can't afford to waste time. Let's focus on political negotiations and divide and conquer."

She then changed the subject, praising Umino Sasuke's plan to utilize the Free Sand Bandits: "However, using the Free Sand Bandits to fight among the oasis strongmen is a brilliant idea. We have limited forces and cannot directly control all the oases, but we can make them wear each other down and profit from it, as long as we maintain a good balance. But how exactly do we do that? I doubt those sand bandits will obediently listen to us, will they?"

Sasuke Umino already had a plan: "It's simple, let the daimyo step in and 'recruit' them."

"Recruit them to the government?" Koharu and Tsunade were both stunned.

“That’s right,” Umino Sasuke explained. “By issuing a pardon and amnesty decree in the name of the Daimyo’s government, granting official positions and titles to the bandit leaders, recognizing their ‘legitimacy,’ and turning them from ‘bandits’ into ‘officials,’ the prospect of these bandits rising to the top in one step to become noble officials is an irresistible temptation, and they will inevitably accept it.”

Upon hearing this, Koharu Utatane's eyes flashed with a sharp light, but then doubts arose: "The plan is good, but will the daimyo agree? To recruit bandits and grant them official positions breaks with aristocratic tradition, and those nobles will definitely strongly oppose it."

Umino Sasuke smiled confidently: "Elder Koharu, don't forget, this Daimyo of the Land of Wind is a diligent and reform-minded monarch. Now that the various oasis nobles have declared independence and are effectively controlling the Daimyo's government, Sunagakure can't be relied upon either. If he wants to regain power, he must have a force that is completely loyal to him. And these 'free sand bandits' who are rejected by the noble class and yearn for upward mobility are his ideal choice. I believe that this 'clever' Daimyo knows how to choose."

Koharu Utatane pondered Sasuke Umino's words carefully, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt that it made sense. Yes, for a daimyo who was now all alone, what better sword was there than a "government-run bandit" who could fight and take the blame?
"Alright! I'll go talk to the daimyo right now!" Koharu Utatane made up her mind and immediately got up and headed to the daimyo's palace.

To her utter surprise, the negotiation process went much more smoothly than she had imagined.

When she subtly suggested that they try to "recruit" some of the bandits to stabilize the region and counterbalance the rebellious oasis lords, the "Daimyo of the Wind Kingdom" suddenly slapped his thigh, his face showing an expression of "sudden realization" and "extreme appreciation."

"Brilliant! Elder Xiaochun, this plan is brilliant! A wise and experienced strategist, truly a wise and experienced strategist!"

The lord stood up excitedly, pacing back and forth. "How could I not have thought of this brilliant idea? Those oasis nobles are useless in this time of national crisis, and now they're taking advantage of the chaos to loot—their intentions are despicable! We can use these peasant bandits to deal with them. This will not only quell the rebellion but also weaken those powerful nobles, and train a new army for our Wind Kingdom! Killing three birds with one stone! Excellent!"

He was even more enthusiastic than Xiaochun, who was turning over to the dormitory, as if he had come up with the idea himself.

Xiaochun, who was switching dorms, was a little stunned by this sudden enthusiasm. All the persuasive, persuasive, and even threatening arguments she had prepared were completely useless.

She could only force a smile and agree: "Your Excellency is wise. In that case, shall we immediately sign the amnesty and surrender order? In particular, it would be best to grant higher official positions to powerful leaders such as Sha Chongba, An Lujing, and Xin Xie, to show our sincerity and make it easier for them to manage their subordinates."

"No problem! Absolutely no problem!" The daimyo's double waved his hand generously. "Bring me pen and ink! I will personally draft the edict. The official titles... well, I will appoint Sha Chongba as 'General Who Pacifies the Sands,' An Lujing as 'Commander Who Pacifies the Desert,' and Xin Xie as 'Colonel Who Pacifies the Bandits.' They shall immediately lead their troops to surrender and assist me in quelling the rebellion and eliminating the disloyal!"

Seeing the daimyo so "understanding" and "cooperating actively," Koharu Utatane, while delighted, couldn't help but have a strange feeling: Was this daimyo going a little too far in cooperating? It was as if she had been waiting for this step all along?
But she quickly put that doubt behind her, since the outcome was good.

She immediately accepted the imperial edict stamped with the official seal and solemnly said, "Your Excellency, rest assured, I will personally go to offer amnesty and ensure that the situation is stabilized as soon as possible!"

"Alright! Alright! I'll leave everything to Elder Xiaochun!" the dignified stand-in earnestly instructed.

(End of this chapter)