Chapter 76

It has been two days since the last evaluation.

On the morning of May 16th, the sky was clear and the breeze gentle. Zhengliang rode a small pony and began his inspection tour of the newly occupied territory. With the implementation of the Lu family's laws, the territory gradually stabilized. The farmer-soldiers and scouts from other forces wandering in the wilderness of the territory either returned to their homes or were reported and captured by the residents due to the generous reward system. The recruitment of new ashigaru proceeded exceptionally smoothly. Lured by the generous salary, many people enthusiastically signed up. Within just two days, the 200 ashigaru positions were filled. They were now stationed at their respective defense points and had begun secret training.

Zhengliang also took this time to upgrade his skills. In the last battle against the bandits, Zhengliang gained 320 experience points. In this series of battles, he led from the front each time, earning another 1450 experience points, plus the 30 points he had left over, totaling 1800 experience points. Using these points, Zhengliang chose to learn a new skill, "Dragon Turn" (a third-tier bow skill, a sudden turn and powerful shot, but ineffective against close enemies. Requires 1600 experience points, strength attribute of 67 or higher, and a small amount of stamina to use). After upgrading his skills, Zhengliang spent another 200 experience points to increase his leadership attribute by 1 point (for attributes between 60 and 69, each point increase requires 200 experience points). Zhengliang's personal status is now as follows:

Name: Lu Zhengliang

Physical Attributes:

Leadership: 63 (63), system adjustment complete. Higher leadership makes it easier to command subordinates.

Strength: 76 (76), system adjustment complete. Strong strength is essential for self-preservation.

Administration: 66 (66), system adjustment complete. Administration is a boost to survival.

Wisdom: 83 (83), system adjustment complete. Superior wisdom allows for efficient problem-solving.

Charisma: 80 (80), system adjustment complete. Charisma makes it easier to be accepted and supported.

Skills:

Sword and Blade:

Rai Blade (first-tier sword skill, significantly increases defense. Proficiency: Intermediate. Requires a small amount of stamina to use)

Vajra Power (third-tier sword skill, concentrates strength in both arms, significantly increases attack power. Proficiency: Intermediate. Requires a small amount of stamina to use)

Rib Inch (third-tier sword skill, allows for a counterattack against close enemies. Proficiency: Beginner. Requires a small amount of stamina to use)

Continuous Slash (third-tier sword skill, a series of slashes, significantly increases attack power. Proficiency: Advanced. Requires a small amount of stamina to use)

Cut Down (fourth-tier sword skill, slightly more powerful than Continuous Slash. Proficiency: Advanced. Requires a moderate amount of stamina to use)

Spear:

Draw Down (second-tier spear skill, nullifies the opponent's attack. Proficiency: Beginner. Requires a small amount of stamina to use)

Firearm:

None

Bow:

Dragon Turn (third-tier bow skill, a sudden turn and powerful shot, but ineffective against close enemies. Proficiency: Beginner. Requires a small amount of stamina to use)

Ninjutsu:

Hidden Movement (third-tier ninjutsu skill, allows for stealth and concealment based on the environment. Proficiency: Unskilled. Requires a small amount of stamina to use)

Stamina: 80 (100). Abundant stamina is essential for handling all situations.

Physical Condition: Good. Note: Overusing skills can lead to fainting.

Reputation: 75 (100). Reputation reflects the degree of support and admiration.

Equipment:

Katana: Yoshikuni Ichimonji

Title: Swordsman

There is a risk that his current reputation could drop to the warning line of 70. The main reason for the low reputation is the order Zhengliang issued to forcibly relocate the residents of the former Fujiwara town to Yotaka village, which naturally caused dissatisfaction among the people, leading to a decline in overall loyalty in the territory. If someone with ill intentions were to spread rumors in the territory, it could lead to a peasant uprising. To address this, Zhengliang immediately mounted his small pony and began inspecting the territory, showing a people-friendly side to stabilize the situation.

As the territory stabilized, the remaining scouts from other forces who were hiding in the territory and had not managed to escape were left with three options: the first was to be discovered by the residents and become sacrifices for the generous reward system, and in fact, some residents had already spontaneously organized to search for suspicious individuals; the second was to attempt to break through the checkpoints, which was essentially a trap; the third was to enter the wild forests at the edge of the territory and find a way out. Due to the dense forests surrounding the territory, Zhengliang could not monitor all the borders. Therefore, most people chose the third option. A small number of them managed to survive the attacks from forest animals and the confusion of being lost, and eventually escaped the territory. As these few returned to their respective territories, the surrounding powerful families were shocked by the news.

In the council hall of Miyajima Castle, the Saichi family, all the important ministers were gathered.

"Is there no movement from the Kusako family? Kusako Daido is not someone who likes to take a loss," Saichi Masafumi asked.

"My lord, there is still no sign of any movement," a short man immediately replied.

"Whatever happens, do not let your guard down. He is like a shark lurking in the water, ready to strike at any moment," Saichi Masafumi said solemnly.

"Yes, my lord," the short man bowed and accepted the order.

"My lord, I have just received an interesting piece of news," an old man with white eyebrows bowed and said.

"Oh? A piece of news that can catch Shinsuke's attention must be quite promising," Saichi Masafumi looked at the old man and said.

"Yes, my lord. According to information from the Wada family's spy, the nearby Tawara, Fujihei, and Kogi families have been destroyed by a suddenly emerging powerful figure," the old man with white eyebrows said.

"Wow," the council hall instantly buzzed with the shock of the news among the ministers.

"Ha ha ha, this is an opportunity for our family. I look forward to the surprises this small powerful figure will bring," Saichi Masafumi laughed heartily, instantly forming a bold plan in his mind.

...

In Kurasan Castle, the Chokura family's council hall.

An old man with white hair stood by the railing, looking towards the direction of Fujihei Lake. This was Chokura Yoshitada, the head of the Chokura family. He laughed loudly, "Ha ha ha, old man Kogi, you are finally dead. Unfortunately, I cannot personally cut off your head to avenge my son." Chokura Yoshitada paused and then suddenly shouted to the page outside the door, "Quick, gather the ministers for a meeting."

"Yes, my lord," the page accepted the order and left.

...

At the same time, in the Taku family. A one-armed middle-aged man looked out at the Yuragawa River and muttered to himself, "It seems the time has come for a change in the power dynamics of Higashimatsuura."

...

In Furai Castle, the Choury family was now in a solemn atmosphere.

"I never expected this, I never expected this," Choury Masahide kept shaking his head in amazement.

"My lord, while the enemy is still not firmly established, our family should immediately launch an attack and assault the heavily guarded border. If we can defeat them, the territory they have worked hard to capture will be ours," a minister suggested.

"It's too late, too late," the speaker was the family's important minister, Kido Shigeta. "Based on the information, we can deduce that the enemy finished the battle four days ago. This means that in these four days, they have already prepared to deal with the surrounding powerful families." The ability to destroy three small powerful figures in just one day made Kido Shigeta deeply uneasy.

"What should we do? If we miss this opportunity, our family will face the enemy's attack. The enemy has already deployed a large force at the border," someone immediately said.

"My lord, according to the reports from the scouts, the enemy has indeed deployed a large force in the direction of Fujihei Castle, but in the direction of Tawara Castle, there are only a dozen farmer-soldiers guarding. Why don't we capture it?" another minister suggested.

"No, what if the enemy takes advantage of our attack on Tawara Castle to directly attack our border and advance towards our castle?" someone immediately objected.

For a moment, the ministers argued incessantly about whether to attack or defend.

"Enough," Choury Masahide shouted, stopping the ministers' arguments. "There is an ancient saying in Ming, 'strike first to gain the upper hand.' I have decided to leave 100 farmer-soldiers to continue facing the enemy at the border to mislead them, and the rest will follow me to attack Tawara Castle."

"My lord..." Kido Shigeta immediately prepared to advise.

"Enough, immediately prepare the provisions. We must reach Tawara Castle by the day after tomorrow to catch the enemy off guard," Choury Masahide waved to stop Kido Shigeta's advice. "Shigeta, after the troops set out, Furai Castle will depend on you. Everyone, go and prepare. I must be able to set out on time tomorrow morning."

"Yes, my lord," the ministers accepted the order.

(PS: The new book has entered its fifth week, already A-signed, and has been updated with over 200,000 words, with no plans to stop. At least 1.5 million words. It has been running for two weeks, made it to the Sanjiang Potential List in the third week, the New Book Recommendation List in the fourth week, and the Historical Category Strong Recommendation List this week. Next week, it will be on the Historical Category New Book Selection List. Dear readers, after finishing, don't leave in a hurry. Even if you don't have votes, add it to your bookshelf. I humbly request your support. My goal is to write at least 1.5 million words, even if it means a spectacular failure. I enjoy writing and embracing solitude.)