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CA : 93 WAR!
🕑 Added 2025-01-10 16:00:02 +0000 UTCThe news of the Shogun's death, as well as the heavy casualties among the ministers, spread across all of Hinomoto in less than a day. The Hayajiro system that the Shogun had established was suddenly thrown into question.
Who would inherit the Shogun's position? Would the current system remain intact, or would it change? All the lords turned their eyes toward Kongoukaku. Meanwhile, inside Kongoukaku, a power struggle had begun.
The Shogun's death was too sudden, with no prior warning. He wasn't that old and could have ruled for many more years, so there had been no decision on his successor. Now, all his sons had claims to the inheritance, leading to chaos.
The second son immediately deployed his troops from Hokkaido, heading toward Kongoukaku, while within Kongoukaku, the third son hadn't yet taken the throne. And just as Altair had predicted, several of the Shogun's daughters, ambitious at heart, began making their moves behind the scenes.
In short, both Kongoukaku and the regions north of it became lively, with all of Hinomoto watching the chaos unfold at Kongoukaku.
Of course, some ambitious individuals were thinking about how they might take advantage of the situation at Kongoukaku, wondering if they could achieve something similar to what Kenshou hoped Altair would do... develop the local region and ultimately dominate Hinomoto.
But before they could figure out what to do, Aragane Station had already made its first move.
Altair spent two days traveling from Kongoukaku back to Aragane Station. Upon his return, he immediately instructed Kenshou to gather all the samurai. Aside from the essential guards for the city walls, all other samurai were ordered to assemble outside the lord's manor.
"Everyone, I have an important announcement for you today!"
At the entrance of the lord's manor, Altair leaned back on the chair his subordinates had brought for him, holding a cup of tea in his right hand and sipping leisurely. In front of him, Kenshou spoke loudly to the gathered samurai. Because there were so many people present, Altair had specially made a loudspeaker for Kenshou to use.
"Yesterday, I received news... the Shogun of Kongoukaku has died! He was killed by divine punishment!"
"What? The Shogun is dead?!"
"Divine punishment? What divine punishment?"
"How could this happen?!"
The samurai were shocked upon hearing the news. Though they had never met the Shogun, his position was still highly revered among the samurai, as he was at the very pinnacle of the nobility.
"I understand that you are all surprised, but there's no need to be. The Shogun's death has nothing to do with us!"
"You might find my words strange, but don't worry. I'll explain why."
Kenshou's face was filled with a smile. Having decided to support Altair's ambition to dominate Hinomoto, he was now full of confidence.
"Who helped Aragane Station survive its crisis of destruction?"
"It was Altair-sama!"
"Who developed the antidote to fight the Kabane?"
"It was Altair-sama!"
"And who led us to drive away the Kabane, whom we once feared?"
"It was Altair-sama!"
"Exactly! Everything we have today at Aragane Station is thanks to Altair-sama!"
Kenshou raised his right hand, clenching it into a fist as he addressed the samurai below.
"It was the appearance of Altair-sama that gave us the peaceful life we now enjoy. It was the appearance of Altair-sama that gave us a bright future. Everything is thanks to Altair-sama!"
At this point, Kenshou's demeanor resembled that of a fervent religious preacher, making even Altair, who was supposed to speak next, feel a little uneasy.
"Yes, our Aragane Station has now become the envy of all other strongholds in Hinomoto, and it's all because of Altair-sama! It has nothing to do with the Shogun hiding in Kongoukaku!"
Finally, Kenshou revealed his true intention.
"Everyone, do you agree with what I'm saying?!"
"Yes!"
"That's right!"
"Kenshou-sama is right!"
Several of the samurai, already briefed by Kenshou beforehand, immediately shouted in agreement. Given that Kenshou's words were mostly true, his speech quickly resonated with the samurai, who began chanting in unison.
"Yes, Kenshou-sama is right! The Shogun hiding in Kongoukaku is useless!"
"That's right! That Shogun in Kongoukaku is of no use to Aragane Station. He can't help us at all!"
Kenshou raised both hands high.
"So, the Shogun's death has nothing to do with us. Whether he's dead or alive makes no difference to us... it doesn't affect us in the slightest!"
"Because we don't rely on the Shogun... we rely on Altair-sama!"
"Exactly!!"
"Good, as long as you all understand that."
Kenshou was very satisfied with the effect of his speech.
"That was the first piece of news. Now, I'll give you the second piece of news!"
Kenshou turned to face Altair, who was sitting in his chair. The excitement on his face was so evident that even Altair found it a bit unsettling.
"Altair-sama, please inform them."
"Mm."
Altair nodded and stood up from the chair, stepping forward to face the hundreds of samurai below.
"Hello, my dear dogs."
It was the same greeting as always, but after so much time, the samurai of Aragane Station had grown used to Altair's peculiar personality. Not only did he seem to appear out of nowhere, but he also often said strange things. Still, they respected him as their new lord. After all, Altair had developed the antidote and enchanted samurai swords.
"Kenshou just told you about the Shogun's death. Now, I'm going to tell you something else."
Everyone was focused on Altair, eagerly awaiting the next piece of news.
"From today onward, Aragane Station will enter a state of war readiness. All samurai will enter training mode. From now on, your tasks won't just involve capturing Kabane. You will also begin learning how to fight other people... siege warfare, all kinds of battles... you will train for everything!"
"Altair-sama, does this mean...?"
Some of the more perceptive samurai had already guessed Altair's intention.
"That's right!"
Altair, just like Kenshou earlier, raised his right hand and clenched it into a fist.
"From now on, Kongoukaku is no longer a threat. Aragane Station will dominate all of Hinomoto!"
The samurai were shocked, but after a brief moment of astonishment, they erupted into cheers.
"OOOOHHHH!!!!!"
