Chapter 49

On the afternoon of April 25th, in the ninth year of the Tenshō era, the sun was setting, and a gentle evening breeze blew softly.

In the open space in front of the gate of the mountain bandits' stronghold, over 150 men, women, and children knelt in a disorganized manner. Most of them had their heads lowered, their bodies trembling slightly. An hour earlier, through the account of the bandits who had surrendered, they learned about everything that had happened in the stronghold. Although they were repeatedly assured that the new lord would not harm them, they were still extremely anxious, and some even believed that the new lord was actually the new leader of the bandits.

Masahiro was well aware of their thoughts. If he allowed these thoughts to fester, it could lead to them trying to escape. If they escaped, it would reveal the bandits' downfall, which would inevitably invite attacks from the powerful local lords and other bandits who had long coveted the territory. Masahiro couldn't possibly assign a large number of people to guard them, so he personally came to inspect these new subjects, hoping to quickly stabilize their minds and ensure the peace of the territory.

Standing on a temporary platform, Masahiro slowly scanned the crowd below, then said, "Everyone, from today on, there are no more bandits in Takahashi. No matter what you have done in the past, it will not be held against you. Now, you will become my subjects. I, Masahiro Rō, your new lord, will ensure that you can live in peace. But..." Masahiro looked sternly at the crowd, who had been stirred by his words, and continued, "Anyone who attempts to flee the territory or does not follow the arrangements will face this fate." He pointed to the right, where several wooden poles displayed the heads of Itakawa Tarō and his son, as well as Ōishi Noji and his son.

"Ahh!" The crowd let out a collective gasp, clearly terrified by the gruesome sight of the heads. Masahiro did not continue to observe the crowd's reaction but slowly descended from the platform and gave a nod to Kizaburō, who had been waiting anxiously below. Kizaburō immediately bowed and then hurried up the platform, looking around anxiously, hoping to find something. However, most people had their heads lowered, making it difficult to identify them.

In fact, over an hour earlier, with Masahiro's permission, Kizaburō had already searched the stronghold for his sister, whom he had saved from being kidnapped two years ago, but found nothing.

"Sister, are you here?" Desperate, Kizaburō shouted to the crowd, "Sister, it's Kizaburō, from Komura village. Waaah, are you here... Lord has come to save you." He shouted several times, but no one responded. Kizaburō felt a sense of despair and, kneeling on the platform, looked up at the sky and began to wail. For a child who had lost his father at 13 and had been taking care of his bedridden mother and young sister, the hope of finding his kidnapped sister now seemed to be shattered. His piercing wails echoed in the silent open space, making the atmosphere even more sorrowful.

In this situation, how could anyone bear it?

"Ah!" Masahiro sighed silently. He had not held much hope from the beginning but did not want to crush the hopes of this resilient child. Therefore, after learning that Kizaburō's search had been fruitless, he still arranged for him to search again during this gathering.

"Ah!" Just as Masahiro was about to turn and leave, a sudden, tender cry of a baby broke the silence. Clearly moved by Kizaburō's wails, the baby also began to cry. Masahiro looked in the direction of the cry and saw a disheveled, ragged woman standing up, holding a crying baby wrapped in a tattered cloth. She pushed through the crowd, her steps faltering, and approached the platform, her pale lips trembling with excitement, 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