The Daimyo of the Land of Fire, who governs such a vast country, surely understands the consequences of shutting down the Industrial and Civil Cooperative.
"Is it because a backup plan has been initiated? Either in the Land of Waves, or in..."
"The Land of Rain!"
Ichihime completed Hakushi's sentence with these three words, her face becoming serious.
Such reckless suppression of the Land of Demons' influence in the continent's central region can only mean that the Daimyo of the Land of Fire has a next move.
Though the Land of Waves and the Land of Rain are in different locations, their nature is essentially the same.
Both the Land of Fire and the Land of Demons have intervened.
One side is troubled, and inevitably the other side must also be significantly affected.
"According to reports from the Wandering Witch within the Land of Demons, there has been no noticeable activity from the Ninja Squad of the Daimyo's Mansion. Of course, this makes sense, since Danzo is orchestrating plans behind the scenes, adept at playing the game in the shadows. He definitely won't let us easily detect his moves. Just like when he and Orochimaru plotted against Hanzou of the Hidden Rain Village."
Hakushi leisurely sipped his tea.
"Don't you feel anxious knowing that the Land of Fire is about to initiate major actions, old man?"
Seeing Hakushi still leisurely sipping tea, Ichihime asked.
"I'm not the only one who's anxious. Don't forget, that country in the northeastern corner is also equally anxious."
Hakushi smiled.
Ichihime nodded, indeed, the Land of Demons isn't the only one targeting the Land of Fire. The Land of Lightning, located in the northeastern region of the Ninja Realm, is even more eager to suppress the Land of Fire than the Land of Demons is.
Among the traditional Five Great Nations, conflicts are extremely intense, even more so than the conflicts between the Land of Demons and the Land of Fire.
"Given these circumstances, I should return to the Land of Waves for a while. I'll handle this matter quickly."
Ichihime said.
"You can return, but there's no need for you to make an appearance right now. We can't keep helping them; they must rely on themselves. Otherwise, it becomes coddling! In the end, you'll only raise a group of useless people."
Hakushi stared directly into Ichihime's eyes.
Ichihime paused, then understood.
"Indeed, although it currently seems unfavorable for the Land of Demons, it's also an opportunity."
Using this incident of the Industrial and Civil Cooperative being shut down might stir up the public grievances of the people in the Land of Waves once again.
After all, there lies a very important seed buried there, with the sprouts already emerging from the soil. Now it only needs to break through the ground to blossom and bear fruit.
◎
"Those damn soldiers from the Daimyo's Mansion were really ruthless!"
Land of Waves, Tazuna's home.
Tazuna stood upright, sitting on the grass mat. The house only had a stove for warmth, with most of the room remaining cold.
He took off his clothes, revealing swelling on his side, clearly a result of being beaten.
His daughter Tsunami was applying medicinal wine to his wound with a cotton ball, causing Tazuna to sharply inhale.
"Tsunami, slow down, this old bone is about to fall apart."
"Why did Dad have to show off? You're not young anymore, yet you still act like a young person, causing trouble at the Daimyo's House. Isn't that asking for trouble?"
Tsunami glared at her father, blaming him for causing trouble in front of the Daimyo's House.
Is that a place for commoners?
Since ancient times, the people don't fight with trades, trades don't fight with authorities.
Even merchants can't defeat them, causing trouble at the Daimyo's doorstep is purely suicidal.
"I didn't want to... But the Daimyo went too far this time, not to mention the factory issue. Now they've shut down the Industrial and Civil Cooperative established by the Land of Demons, which is the bottom line for many workers' survival. With this bottom line gone, it's natural to go to the Daimyo's House and reason with those nobles."
Tazuna said with a bitter smile.
With the Industrial and Civil Cooperative, even though the factory construction stopped, life at home managed to remain barely livable.
There's no need for the strenuous work of going out to sea to fish, where meeting a bandit attack leaves no room for reasoning.
Oddly enough, in the past couple of months, there hasn't been any news of pirate attacks along the coast.
Nonetheless, fishing in the Land of Waves remains a dangerous undertaking.
Given a stable source of livelihood, who would wish to take on such dangerous tasks, from which stingy merchants offer very little in return?
Besides money, what they lack are essential living supplies.
Salt, spices, coarse rice, flour, and winter necessities like cotton clothes and heaters are required.
The Industrial and Civil Cooperative provides a means to exchange labor for these life essentials, ensuring they remain fed and warm.
That's precisely why, despite being established for only two months, the cooperative has garnered significant support.
Initially, only workers joined, but later many farmers participated as well.
Those are benefits the Daimyo's House cannot grant. As the saying goes, "Feed people and you'll silence them; extend a hand and it shortens;" naturally, they support the cooperative by reasoning with the Daimyo's House.
No matter how much they're oppressed, they must not be deprived of the right to survive.
If even that right is stripped away, then everyone must gather to confront the Daimyo and demand justice.
As lord, the Daimyo surely must speak reasonably.
If one person fails, a thousand people will eventually make a difference.
"Even if you're going to appeal, Dad, you shouldn't be the one in the forefront. We're not a match for those officials."
Tsunami whispered.