At the same time, news of the defeat on the front lines reached the capital of the Land of Wind. The young Daimyo of the Land of Wind, upon hearing this news, felt as if struck by lightning. A dizzy spell came over him, and he swayed, almost falling to the ground.
Those standing by quickly stepped forward to support him. The Daimyo of the Land of Wind finally managed to steady himself and asked for the front-line report. With trembling hands, he took the report, took a deep breath, and opened it. The words on it seemed to sting his eyes.
For this operation, the Hidden Sand Village was very confident. To support them, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind had sent his own family's elite soldiers, but what he received was the news of their complete annihilation. The Hidden Sand Village's military strength was less than a fifth of its peak. Everything pointed to one thing: this was a crushing defeat!
Even as the ruler of a nation, he couldn't accept such a result. The Daimyo of the Land of Wind, losing his composure, threw the report to the ground and cursed loudly, completely devoid of aristocratic etiquette. Those nearby dared not provoke him at this moment and wisely retreated, allowing His Lordship to vent his anger.
"Damn Hidden Sand Village! Those scoundrels from Hidden Sand Village! They spoke so well initially, but now look at this!" The Daimyo of the Land of Wind was still furious. In his eyes, everything around him seemed to transform into the faces of those from Hidden Sand Village, which he picked up and smashed to the ground with force.
The current Daimyo of the Land of Wind was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, bristling with anger. He had every reason to be furious, as the consequences of this defeat were severe, leaving him terrified and with a headache about potential future scenarios.
It was well known that this young Daimyo of the Land of Wind had ascended to power through extraordinary means after the sudden death of the previous Daimyo. Many people below him were not entirely convinced, and his support for the Hidden Sand Village in waging war against other countries was not without the idea of diverting internal conflicts.
The Five Great Nations of the current ninja world were not centralized authoritarian systems but rather state systems based on feudalism. Although they all pledged loyalty to the Daimyo, local nobles held significant power and naturally wielded considerable authority. Furthermore, due to the unique geographical environment of the Land of Wind, the central government and local regions were severely fragmented, making it difficult for central decrees to be transmitted, thus strengthening the power of local nobles.
If this war had been won, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind could have used it to establish his prestige, and the nobles and commoners below would no longer have any complaints; even if it was lost, as long as it was within a reasonable range, it could weaken the power of local nobles and maintain a balance between the two sides. Although not as effective as the former, it could still stabilize his position.
However, since the war began, the Land of Wind's situation on the battlefield had not been good, constantly suffering losses, which accumulated a lot of resentment among the people below. If the war ended too early, he would face the resentment of the local nobles, which would be unfavorable, so he could only bite the bullet and continue fighting.
In the last operation, the Hidden Sand Village achieved a decent record, which made the Daimyo of the Land of Wind secretly breathe a sigh of relief. As long as there were victories, he could appease others after the war ended and also give an explanation to the war hawks—he had rallied many war hawks to initiate the war and had promised them many demands.
Because the upcoming battle was very important, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind did not hesitate to send out his family's private soldiers—in such a feudal state, the Daimyo himself was the largest local lord—he dispatched half of his elite samurai at once, hoping for a good outcome to uphold the Daimyo's authority.
However, the news the Daimyo of the Land of Wind had been waiting for so long was that his elite forces on the front lines were almost completely annihilated. How could anyone remain calm? More importantly, half of the elite soldiers from the Daimyo's own family were lost, which undoubtedly greatly shook the status and strength of the Daimyo's family.
After a long while, the Daimyo gradually calmed down. He knew that things had come to this point and could only accept his misfortune. Those who needed to be held accountable could wait; for now, he had to overcome this hurdle.
The war definitely couldn't continue. He just had to see if he could safely get through this period, and then he could plan for the future.
The Daimyo received the news immediately, and the nobles remaining in the capital also learned about it shortly after. Such a national affair could not be kept secret. The loss of each lord's private soldiers was real, and not to mention the lords' dissatisfaction, even the civil officials were resentful of the Daimyo's actions.
Soon, the court assembly began. The Daimyo of the Land of Wind calmly walked to his seat, looking at the civil and military officials below. Without even making eye contact, the Daimyo could feel a cold atmosphere condensing in the assembly. Although he was the monarch of the ministers and nobles, a monarch also had to protect the interests of the majority of them. If he failed to do so, facing the masses, the monarch's power would seem to diminish.
"Your Highness, the front-line battle has suffered a crushing defeat. Do you have anything to say?" At this moment, a minister stepped forward and addressed the Daimyo of the Land of Wind. His tone could already be described as very impolite. Although his wording was still respectful, he directly asked the Daimyo if he had anything to say.
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind instinctively wanted to get angry, but he realized he had no grounds for anger. He had single-handedly started the war, yet it had caused heavy losses for the local nobles, who hadn't even recovered their capital. Even his own family had lost half its troops, and his siblings had begun to question him.
And while the minister's words were impolite, they also represented a tendency: that the noble ministers in the court were already very dissatisfied with him. Otherwise, this minister would have no reason to say such a thing in front of everyone, as the monarch's face still needed to be preserved. The indifferent expressions of the others further indicated the problem.
"I am also deeply saddened that the front-line battle has reached this point. The soldiers fought bravely, yet it has come to this. It's all my fault for listening to the Hidden Sand Village's instigation back then…" The Daimyo of the Land of Wind said, trying his best to shift the blame to the Hidden Sand Village. Ninja villages, although a national military force, were not part of the national system and already had many conflicts with the national nobility, making them the most suitable scapegoat.
Moreover, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind felt that the Hidden Sand Village was indeed responsible for this matter. If they hadn't been so useless, how could things have come to this? How could he have been openly asked by a minister, "Do you have anything to say?" It was all their fault!
Now, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind felt that his old father probably had the same thoughts, which was why he didn't support the Hidden Sand Village, because his father had long seen that the Hidden Sand Village was not up to the task!
"Your Highness, after you ascended to the throne, the first thing you did was express your support for the Hidden Sand Village and summon them to the capital," another minister said faintly. "To say that the Hidden Sand Village instigated you seems a bit unreasonable, doesn't it? Or are you implying that you had private contact with the Hidden Sand Village?"
"What do you mean?" The Daimyo of the Land of Wind, both shocked and angry, slammed his chair and stood up, glaring at the minister who spoke.
"I don't mean anything. I just hope Your Highness can reflect on why things have come to this." The other party appeared polite, but his tone remained impolite.
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind looked at the assembled civil and military officials, feeling as if he had instantly become a lone man. He laughed in exasperation and said, "I'd like to hear what you all think."
"Since Your Highness asks, we will speak frankly," someone replied, and then a series of words were thrown at the Daimyo of the Land of Wind, leaving him stunned.
In summary, it was that His Highness the Daimyo had arbitrarily initiated the war, damaged relations with the Land of Fire, and shaken the foundation of the nation. Thousands of words, but they all conveyed one meaning: it was the Daimyo's fault.
Even if a few people tried to speak fairly on behalf of the Daimyo, they were refuted. The atmosphere of the entire court assembly had shifted to holding the Daimyo accountable. Although the nobles and ministers pledged loyalty to the Daimyo, it didn't mean that everything the Daimyo did was correct. In this war, the interests of the general public had been harmed, and someone had to be responsible. Simply throwing the blame on the Hidden Sand Village wouldn't work. What could they get from the Hidden Sand Village? If compensation was to be received, it could only come from the Daimyo. Therefore, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind's attempt to shift blame was unfeasible from the start.
The Daimyo of the Land of Wind saw the court assembly verbally attacking him, yet he couldn't utter a single word. Was he to punish all these people? That would only cause further domestic instability, and perhaps even rebellion could occur. Would his position still be stable?
"That's enough for today!" The Daimyo of the Land of Wind realized he couldn't do anything at the moment, so he quickly ended the meeting. As for what to do next, he would think about it later.
Moreover, the Daimyo had a very bad premonition in his heart, as if someone was pushing things behind the scenes. The previous minister's mention of his private collusion with the Hidden Sand Village made him wary.
It was worth noting that there was a rumor circulating in the country that he had conspired to murder his own father and then ascended to the position of Daimyo. Connecting this with the collusion with the ninja village and the fact that the previous Daimyo did not support the Hidden Sand Village during his lifetime, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind suddenly felt a chill down his spine.