Chapter 139

(ps: Does anyone support the struggling author's short story? Give a 1 so the author can get a sense, the short story data still hasn't come out!! Wu Dalong's East Crossing: From Buying Pancakes to Founding a Nation)

The peasant uprising in Chōshū domain was like a stone tossed onto a calm lake surface; although it seemed insignificant, it triggered a chain reaction.

The ripples stirred by that stone spread like a plague, the affected area growing larger and the number of people involved increasing.

Originally peaceful Chōshū domain fell into chaos because of this uprising.

The peasants' discontent erupted like a volcanic eruption; they flooded the streets, protesting injustice and oppression. Some of the rioting peasants carried farm tools, others were bare-handed, but they all shared the same anger and determination, demanding a change in the status quo.

As time passed, the uprising's scale kept expanding, affecting not only other regions within Chōshū domain but also neighboring domains, which began to feel the storm's power.

Peasants from all over responded in droves, joining the uprising and forming a formidable force.

At first, the Mōri clan didn't take this uprising seriously. In his view, what could a bunch of mud-legged peasants with hoes and sickles stir up? He casually sent out three hundred ashigaru to suppress it.

However, when he learned the final outcome, his shock was beyond words.

Originally, this should have been a one-sided battle: three hundred trained ashigaru facing thousands of unarmed peasants—clearly a lopsided match.

But who could have imagined that these peasants weren't intimidated by the ashigaru's presence; they stood tightly united, forming a strong force.

They launched a fierce assault using the most primitive method—human wave tactics.

Although the ashigaru fought desperately, against such a multitude of enemies their strength appeared minuscule.

In the end, those three hundred ashigaru were completely submerged by the thousands of peasants, disappearing in the sea of people.

Those peasants seemed mad. They feared no death; as those in front fell, those behind immediately stepped forward. They repeatedly shouted that chilling slogan: 'What noble lords and generals, are they born of a different stock?'

Three hundred ashigaru, the entire force wiped out.

This news completely ignited the entire Chōshū domain.

More and more peasants joined the uprising's ranks. They stormed village after village, looting the granaries of nobles and temples. The force grew like a snowball, getting larger and larger.

What frightened the Mōri clan even more was that this peasant army was actually well organized. Behind them seemed to be a group versed in battle formations and strategy directing them. They knew how to set ambushes, how to feint east while striking west, and even how to use captured supplies to recruit destitute ronin who had nowhere else to turn.

Wang Tianhai stood on a small hill, coldly gazing at the captured city below.

Inside the city, flames shot to the sky, the cries of battle and wails unceasing.

A subordinate came running up, excited, to report: 'Lord Wang! We succeeded! We've taken the Mōri clan's main castle! That old coot Mōri Hiroyoshi committed seppuku in the inner citadel!'

'I see.' Wang Tianhai's reaction was indifferent.

A tiny Chōshū domain meant nothing to him. His goal was to plunge the whole world into war.

'My lord, what should we do next? Should we… establish our own foundation right here?' the subordinate asked excitedly. In his view, they now had troops, grain, and territory—enough to declare themselves kings.

'Idiot!' Wang Tianhai kicked him to the ground, 'Our mission is to serve our lord and sweep away all the trash of Japan! Not to sit here as a mountain bandit king!'

He gazed eastward—toward Kyoto.

'Pass my order! Allocate half the grain to relieve the disaster victims. Then, from the captured warriors and able-bodied peasants, pick the elite to expand our forces!'

'Our target is not this little Chōshū castle! It's Kyoto! It's the whole world!'

'What noble lords and generals, are they born of a different stock?' This slogan, with the success of the Chōshū uprising, spread like a plague across the entire western region.

Izumo, Iwami, Aki… these once peaceful domains are now being swept over by one peasant revolt after another.

Although these uprisings occurred in different places, they show an astonishingly similar pattern.

In Izumo, peasants long suffered under harsh taxes and corvée, their lives extremely difficult.

Finally unable to endure, they took up arms, flooded the streets, demanding tax relief and better living conditions.

The situation in Iwami was no different; peasants felt angry at the exploitation by landlords and officials, they united, formed a rebel army, and engaged in fierce struggle against the oppressors.

In Aki, the same story unfolded. Peasants' discontent erupted like a volcano; they shouted slogans, stormed the government offices, demanding fairness and justice.

These peasant uprisings spread like wildfire. The rulers of the domains were terrified, never imagining that their usually meek peasants would dare to resist so bravely.

Behind these uprisings lurked agents of the Wang Family's 'Education Bureau'.

They were like professors in the dark, infusing these originally scattered peasants with soul and providing tactics.

They not only taught peasants how to cleverly use terrain in combat, but also instructed them on how to make some simple yet highly effective weapons.

'What if we have no Iron Control? Don't worry! We can harden wood by fire, and the weapons made this way can just as easily stab enemies to death!'

'Those samurai armor look formidable, right? But we have a way to deal with them! We can use lassos to pull them off their horses. Once they lose the protection of their mounts and are stripped naked, they're no different from ordinary folk!'

'They're few, we're many! Fill the gaps with our lives! Pave the way with corpses! As long as our families can get a full meal, what does death matter?'

Under this near‑mad propaganda and agitation, the entire western region fell into a sea of blood and fire.

Traditional noble daimyō were horrified to discover that the warrior class they prided themselves on, before these death‑defying 'ikki' (peasant rebel armies), proved utterly feeble.

Their rule was like a castle that seemed impregnable, but in fact its foundations had begun to crack, and these cracks kept widening, gradually undermining the castle's stability.

Meanwhile, in regions that had not yet seen large‑scale uprisings, Tian Wenjing's economic warfare also achieved brilliant results.

Under the manipulation of the Wang Family's vast wealth, countless grain stores were hoarded or shipped overseas. Market rice prices fluctuated daily.

Many petty lords, seeking self‑preservation, began blockading their territories, banning grain outflow. This only worsened the conflicts between regions.

To seize grain and living space, daimyō began fighting each other.

The whole of Japan was like a giant powder keg; a few sparks tossed in by the Wang Family set it off completely.

……

Kyoto, the imperial palace.

The young emperor, trembling in the inner palace, could hear the rebels' shouts beyond the palace walls drawing ever closer.

At court, the officials' faces were ashen.

'What are we to do? The western rebellion has already merged into one! The Mōri of Chōshū, the Takeda of Aki… they've all been exterminated!'

'Those lowborn folk have gone mad! Shouting "What noble lords and generals, are they born of a different stock?" is sheer treason!'

'What about the shogunate? The shōgun? Are his troops all dead? Why not go crush the rebellion?'

An old minister, trembling, stepped forward with a mournful face and said: 'Your Majesty… the shogunate… the shogunate itself is in chaos. The Ashikaga shōgun's several sons, fighting over the succession, have already begun to clash…'

At court, a deathly silence.

Everyone despaired.

The system of rule they prided themselves on, which was built upon bloodline and identity, was shattered beyond repair in the face of the simple, crude slogan "Do nobles and officers have any special birth?".

When the lower-class masses no longer believed in the Mandate of Heaven, no longer feared the noble lineage, this state was not far from fragmentation and collapse.

At that moment, a relatively young official suddenly thought of something, and his eyes lit up.

"Your Majesty! We might still have a way!"

"What way? Speak quickly!"

"Nine Provinces! The Matsura Family of the Nine Provinces!" the official exclaimed excitedly, "I heard that after the Matsura Family unified the Nine Provinces, they worked diligently, had strong troops and sturdy horses, and the people lived in peace and prosperity! Moreover, they have always been very respectful toward the Court, paying tribute on time every year!"

"Behind the Matsura Family stands the Wang Family's support! Their troops are equipped with Weapon that can cut Iron Control like mud, their combat power far surpassing that of those rebels!"

"Why don't we issue an edict requesting the Matsura Family of the Nine Provinces to send troops to support the throne and quell the chaos under heaven?"

"Exactly! Songpu Longxin of the Nine Provinces! I heard he is a remarkable hero!"

"Quick! Quickly draft the edict! As long as he can suppress the rebellion, we can agree to any condition! We can even grant him the title of Regent!"

They did not know that the Songpu Longxin they had high hopes for was at this very moment, in the lord's manor of Guard East City, listening to Wang Meng's lecture like a respectful student.

And that phrase which made them change color upon hearing it—"Do nobles and officers have any special birth?"—was precisely being broadcast from Guard East City.