Genshin Impact: A Red Teyvat Life Starting from Zero

The village chief's words were firm, but his tone was full of hesitation.

“Village chief, this is our ancestral land of Feimu Village. If there were any other way, I wouldn’t want to leave. But if we don’t leave now, Feimu Village will have no future!” A member of the underground group from Feimu Village persuaded.

“Yes, Grandpa Village Chief, if all the people of Feimu Village are gone, what use is Feimu Village’s land? Isn’t it just leaving it for someone else’s dowry?” The younger brother of the group member also tried to persuade him.

"If you save the land but lose the people, you lose both; if you save the people but lose the land, you save both, village chief. Let's go!"

"Comrades Jiang Ming and Xin Hai have clearly given instructions that, as the closest settlement of the shogunate people to Haiji Island, if you are willing to relocate, we will allocate a newly developed urban area on Haiji Island as the new Hiki Village for you to live in." The propaganda officer explained the current policies of Haiji Island to the village chief.

He then handed another letter to the village chief.

"This is a joint letter written by the villagers of Hisaki Village who have already gone to Umijima Island. You might recognize some of the names on it. Why don't you take a look?"

The village chief hesitated for a moment before taking it and quickly flipping through the names and contents.

Indeed, it was someone he knew, and it was a tone he was familiar with.

They... are all doing so well now?

They're eating white rice at every meal?

The village chief looked dazed for a moment.

Seeing this, the people around started a new round of persuasion.

"Alright, alright, let this old woman think about it in peace."

The village chief waved his hand, signaling them to stop for the time being.

The crowd watched the village chief intently, waiting for him to make his decision.

Should we move, or not?

After a long time, the village chief was still hesitant.

"Okay, I'll call everyone together again and ask you all if you want to go."

Although everyone was somewhat disappointed that the village chief hadn't agreed immediately, they were already quite pleased with what he had done for now.

------

"You're here! It seems like you've figured things out?"

After Kujo Takayuki replied to the letter that day, Kujo Masahiro also showed it to the wounded frontline general.

The other party did not respond.

In the past few days, the injury has improved, and the other person has started to get out of bed and move around.

He happened to come looking for me today.

"I wouldn't say I've figured it out yet, I just want to see if my brothers, who were sacrificed as 'part of the plan,' were truly worth dying for."

Kujo Masahito nodded silently.

He also agreed with the other party's approach of actually visiting and obtaining information.

The two are now strolling slowly toward Hishimura.

"Ok?"

They sensed that something was wrong.

Why is Hikimura so desolate today?

You can't see a single person?

It shouldn’t be!

Normally, Hikimura should be farming at this time.

What about people?

They searched the entire village of Feimu, but finally found only a thin old man dressed in tattered clothes, smoking a pipe, in front of a small house.

"Sir, what happened here?"

The thin old man glanced at the two of them but didn't say anything more.

Kujo Masahito and the frontline general exchanged glances.

"Grandpa, is there something embarrassing you about?"

The old man continued to puff on his pipe, remaining silent.

This left the two of them somewhat puzzled, so they could only ask repeatedly, probe indirectly, and eventually resort to a combination of words and gestures.

"Alright, I can hear you. I just couldn't be bothered with you. Now that everyone's gone, the land is all yours. Are you satisfied now?"

The old man suddenly uttered these words.

Upon hearing this, the two became even more puzzled.

"When did we ever occupy your land? Old man, please don't wrong an innocent person."

"You're the kind of good people I'm talking about?"

The old man suddenly launched into a tirade against them.

It was only through the old man's vehement outburst that the two finally understood what had happened.

Someone, under the banner of the Shogunate army, seized the land of the people of Hisaki Village!

The villagers of Hiki Village, who have lost their land, are finding it difficult to even survive.

Recently, the morale of the shogunate army has been greatly affected, military discipline is poor, and there are frequent incidents of bullying men and women. Just a few days ago, the village chief of Hiki Village led everyone in a discussion and decided to move to Kaigi Island to establish a new Hiki Village.

"I'm old and don't want to leave anymore. I'm thinking of returning to my roots. I'm not afraid to die here. You two, listen up, do whatever you want with me."

The old man took the last drag of his cigarette, then stiffened his neck and offered it for execution.

Seeing this scene, Kujo Masahito felt an indescribable sadness in his heart.

He looked at his companion, whose expression was also quite complicated.

In the end, he did nothing, bowed in thanks, left the Mora he was carrying, and then turned and left.

The two, who had arrived in a cheerful mood, now found the atmosphere quite somber.

"Is this how we achieve eternity?" the wounded frontline general asked slowly. "If that's truly the case, I think it would be better to do nothing at all. Right now, even sending a pig or a dog up there would be better than what we're doing now!"

Although this was tantamount to pointing fingers at Kujo Masahito's father and cursing Inazuma's Tenryō, who was worse than a pig or a dog, still...

He recalled the words of the lean old man.

He couldn't find the words to refute.

His conscience wouldn't allow him to argue.

He thought of the man who had seized the land under the pretext of needing it for garrison troops; he seemed to be some kind of officer. He vented his anger on this man.

"Check it for me!"

Chapter 116 A Deception That Tried to Cover Up the Truth, But Fate Was Unkind

With the eldest son of the powerful magistrate of the shogunate, Kujo Masahiro personally giving the order, the internal structure of the shogunate army began to operate at an unprecedented speed in recent years.

It wasn't long before the culprit behind the "Hikimura land occupation incident" was identified.

The order was given by a quartermaster at the front lines of the Shogunate army.

However, when Kujo Masahito interrogated him, he received an unexpected answer.

"What are you trying to say? Didn't you order the land to be occupied?"

Kujo Masahito stared at the quartermaster who was bound hand and foot in front of him.

"It was my order to occupy it, but I had no choice."

"Forced to do something?" Kujo Masahito sneered. "What do you mean by 'forced to do something'? I'd like to see how you're forced to do something that compels the villagers of Hisaki Village to their deaths."

"The army has set out to quell the rebellion, but we can't get enough food at all! The brothers can't train, patrol, and fight the enemy on an empty stomach. No one can stand it, and I can't bear it either. That's why I had people occupy the land of Feimu Village. It just so happened to be harvest season, so the brothers were finally able to have a full meal. As for those people in Feimu Village... I'm sorry to them, but I can't care about that anymore."

The quartermaster's words made Kujo Masahito's eyes widen, his face filled with shock.

"What did you say? How could there not even be enough food for the Shogunate army? I specifically ordered a thorough inventory of supplies before I came. How could there not be enough? Whose pockets did it go into?"

"I don't know, but it's definitely not in our pockets. Actually, Lord Kujo, it's always been like this. I don't know when it started, but the brothers always doubled their reports to get the exact amount of food. It's just that a while ago, when the turmoil on Umijima Island first started, you firmly told us not to overreport when you came over, and that's why..."

The quartermaster stopped talking before he could finish.

Kujo Masahito sat in the main seat, panting heavily.

It's not that anyone in the military embezzled; it's that the full amount was never actually paid out!

Those insects!

So, his feelings became his fault?

Kujo Masahito was completely taken aback when he thought of this.

He forbade false reporting, which led to food shortages. Because of the food shortages, the quartermasters seized land and looted grain, which led to the subsequent developments.

How did his honest and pragmatic approach become a mistake?

"See? Just like I said, even putting a pig or a dog up there would be better than it is now! Yeah, you're no exception."

The frontline general standing nearby made a timely sarcastic remark.

"..."

Kujo Masahiro remained silent. He waved his hand and said, "Men, take him to the jail first, and we'll try him another day."

So what are your thoughts now?

"Investigate! Investigate to the end!" Kujo Masahito's voice was filled with suppressed anger.

"Come on, if they really investigate, your father and his colleagues might all end up in jail. With your small frame, who knows who will be investigating whom? Oh, I almost forgot, you're the eldest son of the Kujo family, so you'll definitely be fine. At most, you'll just get a few scoldings."

Kujo Masahito began to frown and looked at him suspiciously.