He changed Tiwat

The notice was stamped with Ryunosuke-sensei's seal and dated August 31st.

Kurosawa's gaze lingered on the command, "Disciples under your tutelage are forbidden from serving the Kujō family," and remained fixed on it for a long time.

Even Ryunosuke-sensei thinks it's wrong to be loyal to the Heavenly Realm?

But when he was promoted to a higher position, his teacher had clearly encouraged him with great satisfaction.

Why did the teacher's attitude change so drastically?

...Who else can answer his questions?

Kurosawa turned around blankly.

Even during the day, the town was deserted. The once bustling commercial street was now deserted, with every household's doors and windows tightly shut. Those who did pass by hurried along, especially when they saw his armor as a magistrate of the Heavenly Realm, they avoided him like the plague.

Kurosawa passed by "Utopia-tei," which was closed for business.

Kurosawa walked past "Shimura-ya," which had closed down.

Kurosawa had passed by "Akisa Sento," and the curtains that always hung at the bathhouse to attract customers had been taken down.

Kurosawa finally stopped in front of the "Kokuraya" store.

In front of Inazuma's most famous clothing store, a notice was posted stating that due to the current situation, "Oguraya" has encountered difficulties in its business and is preparing to close for several months before reopening at a later date.

Below the notice were other messages, many of which extended goodwill to the shop owner, Ms. Ogura: "Ms. Ogura's father was once a relative of the Kujo family. If we old folks don't help each other, wouldn't that bring shame to the samurai name? Ms. Ogura, please don't worry. We will gather more old friends and colleagues to do our best to help you through this difficult time."

Miss Ogura's reply was quite unexpected: "I am deeply grateful for your kindness towards my late father, but please allow me to decline. This small difficulty is not worth your efforts, and I believe that my brother and I can overcome it on our own."

If it was just a "minor difficulty," how could it have escalated to the point of closing down? But since it was clearly a major crisis that meant closing down, why did Ms. Ogura resolutely refuse the help from the Kujo family's foster relatives?

Kurosawa noticed that the "Oguraya" store also closed on August 31st.

Kurosawa walked past Hanamizaka again. The once bustling Hanamizaka was now deserted, and even the "Tenmoku Blacksmith Shop" was closed.

"Tenmoku Blacksmith Shop" is the workshop of the Tenmoku family among the "Five Transmissions of Thunder and Lightning," and it is also the only remaining one among the "Five Transmissions of Thunder and Lightning" in Inazuma. In the past, no matter if it was windy, rainy, or thundering, the sound of forging would always resound in "Tenmoku Blacksmith Shop" like the morning bell and evening drum.

Unlike other schools of the "Five Transmissions of Thunder and Lightning," the Tenmoku family does not have a forging method that can be called a "secret." Tenmoku Fifteen, the head of the Tenmoku school, once said that the secret of the Tenmoku school is patience and the willpower to go all out.

Only with unwavering perseverance and determination can one inherit the name of Tianmu.

But even this "Tianmu Blacksmith Shop" has closed down.

A notice of closure was also posted on the door of "Tianmu Blacksmith Shop":

Due to the recent impact of the war, the supply of "Yugang" has been temporarily suspended.

We kindly ask our valued customers who require the repair or customization of "Tamagan" weapons to please be patient.

I, an old man from Tianmu, deeply regret this and hope that both new and old guests will understand.

The date on the signature is also August 31st.

To say that the supply of "Yugang" has stopped actually began half a month ago when the rebels occupied Tabusha.

However, the samurai of the shogunate still needed swords and armor made of "tamahagane", and the orders from the magistrate of the territories never stopped. Moreover, the magistrate of the territories should have a lot of "tamahagane" in stock, so it would not be exhausted in such a short time.

—What does this notice of business closure, which is half a month late, represent?

"Does this mean that Tenryo Magistrate has been abandoned by everyone?" Tenryo Magistrate and Riki, along with Kurosawa Kyonosuke, wore bitter smiles.

Ryunosuke's words, "The so-called 'Way of the Sword' is the art of protection, and should not exist as a weapon for killing brothers," flashed through his mind once again.

It was at this moment that Kurosawa suddenly remembered something from the past.

He slowly lowered his head, looking at the sword at his waist.

This sword was also forged by "Tianmu Forging House".

Although Kurosawa's father couldn't afford a good sword made with "tamahagane" (a type of steel), Tenmoku Ichigo gifted it to him for free. Kurosawa remembered his father telling him that this sword was a reward for "benevolence and righteousness."

"A righteous person will be treated with righteousness."

Conversely, those who are unrighteous and immoral do not deserve to receive righteousness and benevolence.

Therefore... the Heavenly Commander was abandoned.

As a result, he, a samurai serving under the Heavenly Commander, was also scorned.

"I see." Kurosawa felt that many things that had been bothering him before suddenly had an answer.

That day, Kurosawa returned to the castle town.

Instead of recruiting soldiers, he spent an entire day walking through every inch of his jurisdiction.

He met with many people, including those who cursed him over the "relief grain."

For example, Omori.

Ōmori was a samurai from the outskirts of the castle and originally a member of the shogunate's army. He had an elderly mother and a young sister at home. Because there was no one to take care of his family after he went to war, Ōmori complained in the army: "Is this war necessary? Is His Highness the Great Lord truly responsible for this war and for each of us?"

Unfortunately, his superior officer overheard this complaint, and Ōmori was stripped of his military rank and banished from the castle for "cowardice in the face of battle and questioning the Ōgosho Shogun," reduced to begging for food in the castle town.

His mother recently died, reportedly from starvation.

Another example is Yuya.

Yuya used to be a merchant engaged in overseas trade. His business was neither too big nor too small, and he owned his own cargo ship.

Because of the "lockdown order," his cargo ship was forcibly detained on an outlying island for several months, resulting in heavy losses. After making many efforts to secure a permit, his cargo was granted permission to leave port, but it was soon robbed by pirates, leaving him with nothing.

The surviving sailors told him that the pirates who plundered his cargo seemed to be in cahoots with the magistrate. Yuya filed a lawsuit against the magistrate, but was convicted of false accusation and his property was confiscated. After being imprisoned for half a year, Yuya was finally released and could only live on "relief food" from then on.

And there's Hirotaka Hisaki.

Hirotaka Hisaki is thirty-five years old and was once a samurai who served under General Kujo Sara. He was shot in the thigh by a stray arrow on the battlefield, which made it difficult for him to walk, and he was forced to retire.

He has a wife and two children to support, and currently lives in the most shabby shack in the castle town. He spends his days running around the castle looking for work, but the entire Inatsume Castle has not left this veteran a single job, and the wounded soldier's pension that should have been given to him has never been delivered.

His family of four relied entirely on "relief grain" for survival.

And... Shizuko Inaba.

Shizuko Inaba's husband was named Inaba Fujisaburo Kyuzo, a samurai who was the Tenryō magistrate. He was originally stationed at Fujitobuki Fortress, but the fortress fell a few months ago, and Inaba Fujisaburo Kyuzo was listed as missing by the shogunate.

Because her disappearance was not due to death in battle, Shizuko Inaba was not eligible for compensation. Moreover, she insists that her husband is still alive and has already sold off her assets and is posting missing person notices everywhere.

At night, she worked at the "Qiusha Qiantang" bathhouse, using her body to serve wealthy men in order to obtain the funds she needed to search for her husband.

Recently, "Qiusha Tang" closed down, and she lost her source of income...

On that day, Kyonosuke Kurosawa remembered many things he had forgotten.

In the early morning of September 3, Tenryo Magistrate Yoshinosuke Kurosawa, along with his four subordinates, Doshin and fifteen others, lit a bonfire at a refugee settlement on the outskirts of the castle.

Thousands of refugees from the town gathered around the bonfire.

Kurosawa stepped onto the makeshift stage. This was the first time he had used the "military strategy" passed down by his teacher Ryunosuke since graduating from the "Military Strategy Dojo".

“All of you gathered here today are poor people.”

"It's not just you; in fact, the entire nation of Inazuma is suffering terribly."

“I know that some of you were once samurai of the shogunate, fighting to the death on the front lines... but your sisters, wives and daughters have to sell their bodies to earn a living.”

“I know that some of you were farmers or merchants, but the rice you worked so hard to grow and the goods you worked so hard to transport, you couldn’t eat or take back.”

“I also know that some of you are looking for work, but no one is willing to hire you. You are constantly suffering from hunger and exhaustion.”

Thousands of eyes in the audience were filled with tears, and sobs could be heard everywhere.

"It is the Heavenly Leader who has deceived you, deceived us, and deceived everyone!"

"Your Highness, I would never want the people to suffer like this!"

"It is the privileged faction around His Highness the General, the Kujo family, the Tenryo magistrate, who are hiding the suffering of the people and the true state of the nation from His Highness the General!"

"In the name of His Highness the Great, I, Kyonosuke Kurosawa, wish to do my utmost for everyone and ensure that each of you attains 'benevolence and righteousness'!"

"I've gathered you all here tonight to tell you that I'm going to the Heavenly Territory to execute the traitors who have no conscience. Believe me... come with me!"

Kurosawa removed his helmet and raised it high with his sword, so that everyone could see the Heavenly Rank Envoy's crest on the helmet.

He shouted four words at the top of his lungs:

"May the traitor be punished by Heaven!"

After a moment of silence, a deafening roar erupted from the crowd, all voices converging into one phrase—

"May the traitor be punished by Heaven!"

Amidst the jubilant crowd, Kyonosuke Kurosawa strode forward at the very front, sword in hand.

At that moment, only one thought occupied his mind: "I don't know if we are crazy or foolish, we only know to keep rushing forward."

Chapter 184 The Divine Guardian Cypress Has Been Rejuvenated [4k]

A day at the Kamisato family begins very early.

Before dawn, Thomas and the other housekeepers would rise early to prepare breakfast for everyone in the Kamisato residence; the head housekeeper, Granny Furuta, would lead the servants, including Koharu, to sweep the courtyard and clean the corridors; Madarame Hyakubei would usually emerge from his room looking half-asleep, carrying documents, only to be mercilessly mocked by Hirota for having ink smeared on his face again; and old man Nakanishi might suddenly leap onto the roof beam and snatch away the truant raccoon dog...

The Kamisato siblings always got up earlier than the retainers in the mansion.

When Thomas and the others got up, Ayato and Ayaka had already finished their morning sword practice at the dojo and were chatting over tea.

For the past ten years, this has been how mornings have been at Kamisato Yashiki.

But the morning of September 3rd was a little special.

Thomas is still preparing breakfast for everyone in the kitchen, but his workload is much greater than before.

He was the only one left among the group of housekeepers who should have been busy in the kitchen, cooking for more than a dozen people all by himself. It was indeed not an easy task.

Granny Furuta, who usually leads a group of servants to sweep and clean the courtyard, is now only followed by Koharu.

A little over a year ago, Koharu was the daughter of a samurai from a wealthy family. However, her father was seriously wounded in the war against Umijima and died soon after. Upon receiving the devastating news, Koharu secretly ran to Tsumuga to see her father one last time, but unfortunately wandered into the battlefield and was shot by the shogunate army. Later, she was rescued by the "Little Dog/Merchant Guild" of Umijima.

She spent two months recuperating on Haiji Island. After recovering, she was unwilling to stay with the resistance, so "Little Dog/Merchant Association" arranged for someone to send her back to Narukami Island. When Koharu returned to the city, she discovered that she had been treated as a fugitive by the Tenryo Magistrate, and her house had been forcibly seized and sold to someone else by the Tenryo Magistrate... At that time, it was Granny Furuta who took in the helpless Koharu.

After the battle at Kannazuka, the head of the family, Ayato Kamisato, gave all the servants a holiday, saying that the "Radiant Splendor Festival" was approaching and that they should all go home to visit their families. Apart from Granny Furuta and Toma, who lived in the Kannazuka residence, only Koharu, a homeless orphan girl, remained as a servant.

While Thomas and the others were busy, Madarame and Hirota were training at the Kamisato family's dojo.

Hirota was practicing his "Kitain-ryu" spear technique, wielding the cross-shaped spear with great skill; Madarame picked up his katana, which he rarely touched, and practiced swinging it in the air against the wall—the two of them were forcing themselves to calm down in this way, after all, today they were going to accompany the head of the family to do something important... and it might very well be the last thing they did in their lives.

Early Pomelo didn't slack off today.

Not only did it not slack off, it was also incredibly diligent, unlike Zaoyou at all.

The petite raccoon dog had been going in and out of the roof beams of the Kamisato family's house since last night, working alongside the other "Final Squad" ninjas to deliver the latest information to the head of the family.

Meanwhile, the lights in Ayato Kamisato's study were on all night last night.

There's a consensus among the members of the Kamisato family: the dirtiest and messiest place in the entire household is Lord Ayato's desk.

Yes, thanks to the combined efforts of housekeepers like Granny Furuta and domestic staff like Thomas, the Kamisato residence was clean and tidy inside and out—except for Ayato Kamisato's desk.

Ayato Kamisato is used to thinking quietly by himself. No one will approach his study when he is working. Only when he finishes working and leaves his study will the servants have the opportunity to help their master tidy his desk.

That desk was always a mess after each use.

Books are laid out or upside down on the table, documents of different sizes are piled up haphazardly, used inkstones and ink stains are never put away, and chess pieces or playing cards are occasionally scattered under the table... Oh, and sometimes there are even snacks and milk tea.

No matter how clean you clean it, Ayato Kamisato will mess it up again next time, and his desk has become a hygiene dead spot in Kamisato's mansion.

To remind Ayato to keep things tidy, the servants would leave notes after tidying the study, noting things the master should pay attention to, such as: "Master, the servants have brought some fresh flowers again. I've tidied up a corner of the desk to place the vase. Please be careful not to knock it over again."

For example: "Master, there's something none of the servants dare to tell you, so let me, this old woman, say it. If you want anything to eat, just give it to the housekeeper. Please don't use the ingredients in the kitchen without permission..."

Ayato's desk was as messy as ever today, with overturned books, used inkstones, and all sorts of intelligence documents on it. However, the chess pieces that usually appeared under the desk were on the table today, occupying the most prominent position on the desk.

On his desk was a map of Narukami Island, and the chess pieces were arranged in different places on the map according to their categories. If you looked closely, you could see that the chess pieces were labeled with names, and each piece represented one person or a group of people.

The head of the "final chapter," Nakanishi, sat cross-legged at Ayato's table, his eyes also fixed on the chess pieces.

The two of them played chess at this table last time, and the chessboard and pieces came from "Liyue Millennium," invented by Ningguang, the Tianquan star of Liyue. This time, however, Ayato's "chessboard" and "chess pieces" were all handmade by him.

"The 'Konda Ikki' has been launched, and the rebels are expected to arrive at Inazuma Castle this morning," Nakanishi said.

Ayato smiled and nodded, moving the chess piece on the map marked "Konta": "Both the sons of the Shibato family and the Imaya family have joined the resistance. Takatsukasa Asahide has long harbored resentment towards Konta Village and will not let this opportunity pass. In addition, we have helped the resistance fighters enter the village and harbored traitors, which is an added crime. Konta Densuke will have no choice but to rebel."

"The 'Myokyo Shisui-ryu' main family member Tsuchimon, who broke into the castle tower the night before, has been imprisoned in the Tenryo Magistrate's Shikichi Prison—the same Shikichi where the little girl Yoomiya caused such a ruckus last time. We've already provided the map to Nakanishi, the 'Myokyo Shisui-ryu's' instructor. They plan to break out of the prison during the chaos, and the little girl Yoomiya will help them," Nakanishi added.

“Very good.” Ayato maintained his smile and moved the chess piece on the map that was marked “Mirror of Still Water”.

Nakanishi paused for a moment, then looked at another spot on the map: "Kyonosuke of the Kurosawa family recently gathered thousands of refugees in the castle town, declaring that he would 'punish the traitors of the country.' He should be heading towards the Tenryo Magistrate's Office now... Stopping the distribution of 'relief grain' has indeed been effective..."

Ayato's smile slowly faded, but he still firmly picked up the chess piece marked "Kurosawa" with his hand.