Chapter 149: Moral Collapse

Envoys of the Matsura Shogunate rode swift horses, holding orders stamped with the seals of the Emperor and Your Majesty, and were present in the streets and alleys of Wa. When the three words 'Procreation Order' came from the envoy's mouth, and then spread by word of mouth among the common folk, the whole of Wa seemed to have been struck by a massive stone, instantly stirring up a huge wave.

In a coastal fishing village, several fishermen were gathered around a boat that had just docked, mending their nets. Upon hearing the passing envoy read the order, their work stopped instantly. A dark-skinned middle-aged fisherman widened his eyes and asked in disbelief: 'What? A woman gets three years of rations just for giving birth to a child? And she also gets a plot of land?'

His voice trembled noticeably, and those around him echoed him, their faces full of doubt and shock. As everyone knew, in wartime rations and land were extremely precious; now simply having a child could earn them, which utterly surpassed their understanding.

In the bustling market, the news spread even faster. A few women gathered together, whispering. One woman in coarse cloth dress frowned, lowered her voice and said: 'You don't even need to know who the father is? Is… this still something a person would say?'

Her words were full of incredulity; the other women nodded repeatedly, their faces showing embarrassment. In their view, a woman giving birth must know the father—that was a matter of course—but now the order broke that tradition, making it impossible for them to accept.

'Are the officials of the shogunate crazy?!' a porter carrying a load, hearing the surrounding discussion, couldn't help but stop and shouted loudly.

His voice drew attention; everyone turned to him, eyes full of agreement. At first, everyone thought this was just a ridiculous rumor circulating after the war—after all, such an order was simply too unbelievable, and no one believed the shogunate would actually issue such a regulation.

Especially the traditional warriors and noble class who had survived the war, upon hearing the content of the Procreation Order, they snorted in contempt.

In a noble mansion in Kyoto, several nobles dressed in fine kimono were seated in the garden drinking tea. When the steward informed them of the Procreation Order, an elderly noble with a goat beard slammed his teacup to the ground, tea splashing everywhere, the cup shattering. His face turned livid with anger as he shouted: 'Absurd! Simply absurd to the extreme!'

Beside him, a young warrior gripped the hilt of his waist sword, eyes blazing with fury: 'The purity of lineage and family honor are more important than life! This order encouraging women to indulge in licentiousness and muddying the bloodline is nothing short of a desecration of our bushido spirit and a trampling of our family honor!'

In their view, the transmission of family bloodline is paramount, allowing no blemish whatsoever; the issuance of the Procreation Order was undoubtedly a devastating blow to the values they had upheld for years.

Another middle-aged noble shook his head, face full of disappointment and anger: 'The Matsura Shogunate is trying to destroy the very foundation of our Wa! Without pure bloodline, without family honor, what difference do we have from barbarians?'

They all declared they would never accept such an order, and some even proposed joining forces with other nobles and warriors to pressure the Matsura Shogunate into abolishing this absurd Procreation Order.

For a time, throughout Wa, both commoners and noble warriors alike discussed the Procreation Order; voices of doubt, anger, and confusion intertwined, permeating every corner of Wa.

Everyone awaited further explanation from the Matsura Shogunate, while also worrying about what changes this order would bring to Wa.

An elderly senior official from Kyoto, in his residence, was so angry he broke his walking stick: 'Matsura Takanobu, this country bumpkin warrior—what on earth does he want? He's trying to destroy the foundation of our Yamato people!'

However, when ships bearing the Wang Family banner and the Matsura family crest, loaded with grain and cloth, arrived at the ports of various places in Wa...

When teams composed of Wang Family staff and Matsura warriors, the 'Procreation Propaganda Teams,' went into every village ravaged by war, began on-site registration and distribution of supplies, everyone fell silent.

In a nation that had just endured a war that nearly destroyed the whole country, with corpses littering the fields and nine out of ten homes empty, morality, chastity, and the bonds of human relationships... these things, in the face of the desire to survive, appeared pale and powerless.

... On Honshu Island, on the ruins of a village burned to bare earth, a young woman named Aju clung to her daughter, reduced to skin and bone from hunger, sitting numbly beneath a collapsed eave.

Her husband, an ordinary farmer, had been conscripted by the Yellow Turban Army a few months earlier and never returned. Her in-laws had starved to death in the famine of the past few days.

Now, only she and her three-year-old daughter remain in the household. The last grain of rice was eaten yesterday. She has gone two days without eating anything, and her milk has long since dried up.

In her arms, her daughter lacked even the strength to cry, merely letting out weak whimpers like a kitten. Aju knew that if this continued, neither she nor her daughter would survive until tomorrow.

She had even made up her mind: once her daughter breathed her last, she would use the still-sturdy hemp rope from the beam to go below and chase after her husband and parents-in-law.

Just as she sank into utter despair, a team wearing uniform clothing entered this lifeless village. Leading them was a middle-aged man who looked kind, dressed in the attire of the Wang Family Civil Affairs Bureau.

Behind him followed several Matsura warriors armed with live ammunition, and a few laborers carrying large sacks. 'Villagers! Don't be afraid! We are sent by the Matsura Regent to save you all!'

That middle-aged man shouted loudly through a metal megaphone.

In the ruins, a few survivors, emaciated like Aju, crept out weakly, eyeing these uninvited guests with suspicion and wariness. They were already afraid.

Whether it was the Yellow Turban Army or the Loyalist Army, every time troops passed through, it was a disaster for them.

'Listen to me!' the middle-aged man cleared his throat and began to read the Procreation Order: '... By the command of Emperor Your Majesty and the Regent...'

To sympathize with the people and restore production, this order is specially issued. All Yamato women who give birth to a child may, with a birth certificate, receive three years of rations and two bolts of cloth; when the child comes of age, they may be allotted five mu of land...

When they heard the words 'grain' and 'cloth,' a glimmer of light finally appeared in the survivors' eyes.

'Sir... you mean... this is really true?' a somewhat bold elder asked, trembling.

'Of course it's true!' the middle-aged man patted the large sack behind him, saying, 'We've come this time to distribute the first batch of relief grain! As long as you're alive, each person can receive three days' rations!'

The crowd began to stir. 'But!' the middle-aged man's voice rose again, 'This is only relief grain. If you want to have food every day from now on, you must rely on yourselves!'

He pointed to the young women of childbearing age: 'Especially you! You are the hope of our Yamato people's future! Your wombs are our nation's most precious wealth!'

'Don't bother with those useless Confucian restraints! Survival is what matters most! For this country, bear more children! The more you bear, the more glorious you become! The rewards you receive will also be greater!' His words were simple and blunt, yet they sparked a glimmer of hope in the eyes of those who were about to starve to death.

Under the guidance of the propaganda team, these people queued to receive their rations; some even grabbed a handful of coarse rice before leaving the line and hastily shoved it into their mouths.

'Good! Good! It's true, it's all true!' masses of famine victims knelt on the ground, wailing loudly, uttering incoherent thanks.

Under the lure of grain and land, everyone threw aside propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame; after eating their fill, they began to seek targets without restraint.

Those who still retained a bit of shame would pull women to secluded spots, using buildings for cover, while others, upon seeing young women, would simply pounce on them.

Under these conditions, all the starving people wore tattered clothes, which also gave them the opportunity—with just a few tugs—to strip themselves and their partners naked, proceeding to engage in the most primal acts.

Some, because their behavior was too rough, had even their already ragged clothes torn to shreds, leaving them without clothing for a period afterward, which simply made things more convenient.

Men prowled the streets, eyes narrowed as they sought their next target; women, after accepting a man's gift, would return home to await signs of pregnancy, and some women, to increase their chances, would directly accept gifts from several men......

Wang Meng, upon receiving reports from the propaganda teams across the regions, felt deeply moved; he had not expected the plan to go so smoothly—the famine victims were no longer even human!

But this cannot continue; if it does, all of Japan will degenerate into uncivilized savages. He summoned a tailor, who, based on current Japanese kimono styles, redesigned it—raising the waist pillow, opening the garment's slit... to make it easier for men and women to engage in intercourse!

After a year passed like this, Japan's population showed explosive growth; newborns across the regions were too numerous to count precisely, and naming these infants became a problem, so they used the places still remembered by the mothers as surnames.

The young mother Aju, who had originally intended to follow her in-laws to death, also gave birth to a baby, but she only remembered that it was a dark, windy night on a small path when a man suddenly rushed out......

Thinking of this, she gave the child the surname 'Roadside' and named him 'One Strip'; although the Roadside One Strip had not received adequate nutrition in the womb, he grew up remarkably strong.