After Ōnoki returned to his country, he immediately flew to the Royal Palace of the Land of Earth.
Seeing Ōnoki enter, the Daimyo put down his pendant, his brows slightly furrowed. "Ōnoki, what is the rush?"
Ōnoki did not sit down, walking straight to the sandbox. "I just returned from the Land of Water and found that the current Land of Water is many times stronger and wealthier than the Land of Fire at its peak. If the Land of Water and the Land of Akatsuki continue to grow stronger, our Land of Earth will be swallowed up sooner or later."
The Daimyo of the Land of Earth stroked his jade pendant with his finger, his eyes flickering. "Ōnoki, what are your thoughts?"
Ōnoki stood in front of the sandbox, his finger tapping on the territory of the Land of Fire. "The expansion speed of the Land of Akatsuki is getting faster and faster, and the Land of Water has Shun presiding over it, making its strength increasingly formidable. Instead of sitting by and watching them become dominant, we might as well fan the flames."
The Daimyo said, "You mean, let the Land of Fire cede territory to the Land of Water? But Second Prince Tsuyoshi of the Land of Fire was put in power by us three years ago. If we ask him to surrender the city now, will he agree?"
Ōnoki snorted coldly, "He doesn't have the power to decide. Either he complies, or we find a new spokesperson."
He bent down, took out a scroll of intel, and spread it before the Daimyo.
On it was the Land of Water's "National Welfare List," densely written across three pages, detailing everything from tax reductions for common people to pensions for ninjas.
"The Land of Water has many welfare programs. To manage such a large territory as the Land of Fire, they would have to invest massive resources in water conservancy, disaster relief, and supporting officials. In the long run, even the wealthiest foundation would be dragged down."
He leaned close to the Daimyo, his voice extremely low, almost whispering into his ear, "More importantly, once the Land of Fire surrenders its cities, the border between the Land of Water and the Land of Akatsuki will be directly connected. We only need to sow a little discord in the middle, and we can make them fight. Once they are both heavily wounded, we can then send troops and reap the benefits."
The Daimyo of the Land of Earth casually stroked his chin. "Good, then let's proceed with your plan."
—
At the same time, in the royal palaces of the Land of Wind and the Land of Lightning, almost similar conversations were taking place.
Soon, envoys from the three great nations entered the cities of the Land of Fire.
Suddenly, the palace door was pushed open.
Damuta, the envoy from the Land of Earth, wearing a dark ceremonial robe, holding a gilded state letter in both hands, strode in. He was followed by several elite ninjas, and the guards in the hall couldn't stop them.
"Your Highness, Second Prince, no need to tidy up."
Damuta's eyes were cold, his gaze sweeping over the portraits of previous Daimyo hanging on the wall, then settling on Second Prince Yuanichi Tsuyoshi.
Tsuyoshi spun around abruptly, his jade pendant hitting the corner of the table with a crisp "clang."
"Sir Damuta! You barged in without announcement, and dare to be so rude to me?"
Damuta ignored his anger and raised his hand, presenting the state letter to him.
"Your Highness, Second Prince, this is the decision of the Daimyo of the Land of Earth. Please, within three days, completely cede Flame City and its surrounding cities to Shun-sama, the Daimyo of the Land of Water."
"What did you say? Cede the city?" Tsuyoshi's voice suddenly rose.
He snatched the state letter, his fingers trembling as he opened it. Upon seeing the words "cede the city," he violently threw the state letter to the ground.
He picked up the celadon teacup nearby and smashed it onto the ground, tea splashing onto his robe.
"This is preposterous! You want me to cede the city? Sir Damuta, do you know this is an act of treason and betrayal of the country!"
Damuta sneered, took a step forward, his tone carrying naked threat. "Treason? Your Highness, you need to face reality. According to our intel, the Land of Akatsuki is expanding rapidly. With the forces you command, you won't last a day."
"Instead of having the city fall and your people perish, earning the infamous title of a traitor to your country, it's better to voluntarily surrender the city and gain the protection of the Land of Water. Then you and your family can still retain your wealth and status. This is the dignity our Daimyo is offering you."
Tsuyoshi's eyes were red with anxiety, his hands tightly clenched into fists. "I refuse! I am a Prince of the Land of Fire. Even if I die in battle, I will defend the cities of the Land of Fire!"
Seeing the other party's stubbornness, Damuta's eyes suddenly turned cold. "Refuse? That's not up to you."
He pulled a withdrawal order from his sleeve and slapped it on the table. The paper spread open, bearing the red seal of the Land of Earth.
"To tell you the truth, this is a joint decision of the three great nations. At noon today, all forces stationed in the Land of Fire will withdraw to their respective countries."
"At that time, the Land of Akatsuki will be at your city gates. You will be isolated and helpless. Not only will your city be lost, but even the lives of your family will be in peril. Daimyo-sama said this is the last bit of dignity left for you."
These words were like a heavy hammer, striking Tsuyoshi's heart.
He staggered back two steps, his back hitting a palace pillar, the cold wooden touch sending a shiver down his spine.
He slowly sank to the ground, all his strength seemingly drained in an instant, his eyes shifting from anger to despair.
"You... you had already decided to abandon the Land of Fire, hadn't you?"
Damuta's lips curved into a mocking smile. "Your Highness, it's not too late for you to understand now. Be sensible, surrender the city obediently, and there might still be a glimmer of hope."
Tsuyoshi buried his face in his hands, closing his eyes in pain, the mountains and rivers of the Land of Fire, the joyful laughter of its people, constantly flashing through his mind.
"No, I can't just give up like this!"
He suddenly snapped his head up as if electrified. In his previously dull eyes, a spark of fighting spirit was rekindled.
Just at this moment, a rush of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall, as if something urgent was happening.
Immediately after, some panicked soldiers rushed into the hall, their gasps sounding particularly abrupt in the silent hall.
"Your... Your Highness! It's bad! The ninjas stationed by the Land of Earth have started withdrawing from the city!"
The soldier's voice trembled with fear as he spoke.
Upon hearing this, Tsuyoshi's face instantly turned ashen. He braced himself and abruptly stood up from the ground.
His gaze was like fire, looking directly at Damuta, and he asked through gritted teeth, "I ask you one last time, is there really no room for maneuver?"
Facing Tsuyoshi's questioning, Damuta merely shook his head coldly, his gaze indifferent and resolute.
Seeing this, Tsuyoshi felt a surge of despair well up in his heart.
He could no longer suppress the anger within him and suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, which splattered on the ground.
"I... I will surrender to the Land of Water, please let your troops stay a few more days."
Tsuyoshi's voice was filled with helplessness and pleading, and his body swayed, on the verge of collapsing from extreme weakness.
At the same time, Third Prince Takashi and Fourth Prince Rito also received the same ultimatum.
The cold threats from the envoy of the Land of Wind and the forceful pressure from the envoy of the Land of Lightning completely broke the three Princes, who were already acting independently.
After observing the plight of his three elder brothers, Fifth Prince Ko pondered deeply.