At this moment, Ayizan’s residence——
"I understand..." Ogata said solemnly, "That means it's safe along the way, and there won't be any ferocious beasts appearing, right?"
As soon as Ogata finished speaking, Ayizan immediately helped Ogata to do simultaneous interpretation for an older middle-aged man next to him.
After listening to Ayizan's translation, the middle-aged man nodded.
Ogata was silent, with his head lowered, looking at the map spread on the floor in front of him.
Ayizan, who was sitting opposite Ogata, glanced at Ogata cautiously, cleared his throat, and asked Ogata courageously:
"Mashima-san, what kind of map is this? What is the location marked on this map?"
The villagers of Qina Village have now officially become a member of the Red Moon Fortress, and even their clothes have been changed into the bright red clothes that are very characteristic of the Red Moon Fortress.
Although the villagers of Qina Village showed panic and anxiety after learning the bad news of "the Shogunate army's attack", the overall order was relatively stable and no malicious incidents occurred.
Just now, Ogata suddenly rushed into the residential area of ​​their Qina Village with a map in his pocket, and found Ayizan.
After entering Ayizan's home and finding Ayizan, Xu Fang rushed to Ayizan in one step, and then directly slapped the map in his hand in front of Ayizan and asked him: Do you know the area drawn on this map?
Although Ai Zan had no idea why Ogata suddenly asked him such a question, he still obediently picked up the map from Ogata, looked at it carefully, and shook his head.
However - although Ai Zan shook his head, he later added: Although he did not know the area drawn on this map, Xi Kaai might know.
Xikaai is a legendary hunter in their Qina village.
He did not have any superb hunting skills, but he was very fond of hunting in some very remote places.
He has traveled a lot and is knowledgeable. He might recognize the area depicted on this map.
Hearing Ayizan say this, Xu Fang immediately asked Ayizan to take him to find the middle-aged hunter named Xikaai.
Xikaai is a person who can't sit still. It took Ogata and Ayizan nearly half an hour to finally find Xikaai.
After finding Xikaai and inviting Xikaai to Ayizan's home, Xufang did again what he had just done to Ayizan - he slapped the map in his hand in front of Xikaai's eyes, and then asked Xikaai if he knew the area drawn on the map.
This time - Xikae's answer did not disappoint Ogata.
After looking at the map, Xikaai nodded, indicating that he had been to most of the areas on the map.
Then, Oofang started to ask a lot of questions in a row - he asked Xikae a lot of questions in one breath.
For example, are there any ferocious beasts around the specially marked location on the map, or are there any places worth noting...
The questioning finally ended just now.
Until now - after Ogata stopped asking questions and stared at the map in front of him in silence, Ayizan finally had the opportunity and finally mustered up the courage to ask Ogata the question he had wanted to ask for a long time.
There was a place clearly marked on the map - although Ai Zan had never been there, he had heard of it: he heard that it was a plain quite suitable for human habitation.
Almost every question Ogata asked just now was related to the place specially marked on the map.
Where exactly is that place? This question lingered in Ayizan's mind for a long time.
"…This is…a map given to me by a friend of mine," Ogata said. "The friend who gave me this map is now at the place marked on this map."
"And now I need the help of this friend."
After saying this, Ogata rolled up his map, stood up and walked out of the house.
"Mr. Majima!" Ai Zan asked anxiously, "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to find Chanup." Ogata replied without turning his head, "I have something to tell him."
…
…
Red Moon Fortress, Kunoa's clinic—
"Kunoya, hasn't Majima come back yet?" asked Atachi who was lying on the floor.
Kunoya, who happened to be sitting by the door, was filling her pipe with tobacco while glancing outside the clinic:
"Not yet. Haven't seen him come back yet."
Hearing Kunoya's answer, Ating frowned and muttered in a low voice: "Where on earth did he go..."
A-Machi still vividly remembered the strange behavior that Ogata had done just now. When Ogata was about to put the luggage on top of the big medicine cabinet according to Kunoya's suggestion, he suddenly froze.
Then he put down the large package in his hand which contained various gifts, and took out something from his luggage.
Before Atachi could see clearly what Ogata took out from the big package, Ogata rushed out of the clinic in one brisk step.
Before leaving the clinic, he did not forget to say: "I'll be away for a while and will be back soon."
And until now, Ogata has not come back...
"Maybe your husband is going out for fun somewhere?" Kunoya said half-jokingly.
"He doesn't know anyone here..." A-Ting said, "Where can he go? The only place he can go is probably where Ayizan and the others are..."
"I saw that he left in a hurry. He must have done something urgent." Kunoya shrugged. "Well, don't worry about your husband for now. It's time to change your medicine."
As Kunoya spoke, she picked up the linen beside her and slowly walked towards Atachi who was lying on the floor.
Looking at Kunoya walking slowly, A-Ming said softly:
"Cunoya, you are so calm... I heard that it's a mess outside, but you still look calm..."
Kunoa smiled:
"Didn't I say that? I've seen a lot of people go through a lot of ups and downs."
"I'm used to all kinds of storms now. Anyway, you have to eat whether you're in a hurry or not, so you might as well stay calm."
Just as Kunoya was about to help Ating up and reapply medicine to his wound, a loud shout suddenly came from outside the clinic.
"Ms. Chronoa! Miss Chronoa!"
Hearing this urgent shout, Kunoya raised his eyebrows, put down the sackcloth in his hand, and slowly walked out of the clinic.
A young man, sweating profusely, was standing outside the clinic's door.
After meeting Kunoya, the young man said directly: "Ms. Kunoya, Mr. Chanup is calling everyone to gather at the Gray Land!"
"Gather everyone?" Kunoya looked surprised. "What are you going to do?"
"I don't know either..." The young man scratched his hair awkwardly. "Anyway, that's what Mr. Chanup ordered us to do. He requires everyone to gather at the Gray Land immediately."
"...I understand." Kunoya nodded.
"I'm leaving now!" the young man said, "There are still many people waiting for me to notify them."
After watching the young man leave, Kunoya returned to the clinic holding his pipe.
As soon as he returned to the clinic, Obe asked Kunoya:
"What's wrong? What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Kunoya shrugged with a smile, "It seems like something interesting is about to happen."
…
…
Although the residents of Red Moon Fortress all live in this advanced fortress, they still lead their traditional fishing and hunting life. To put it bluntly - they are just a larger settlement in a more special area.
There are always occasions in daily life when we need to announce something to everyone, such as calling on everyone to clear the thick snow after a snowstorm.
In the north-central part of the Red Moon Fortress, there is a fairly spacious open space. The residents of the Red Moon Fortress usually call this area the "old place."
Although this place is not very spacious, it is more than enough to accommodate more than a thousand people.
When the senior officials headed by Chanup want to announce something to everyone, they will gather everyone here.
At this moment, most of the residents of Red Leaf Fortress have gathered at the "old place" - they all gathered here after hearing Chanup's call.
There are now about 800 residents gathered in the "old place", and this number is still increasing.
The place was crowded and bustling.
Everyone in the "old place" had a different expression.
Some looked uneasy.
Some looked sad.
Some gnashed their teeth.
Some have expressionless faces...
Upanu folded his arms across his chest and closed his eyes.
Behind him are his tribesmen from Kapasi village.
Even with his eyes closed, Upanu could feel that the tribesmen standing behind him were looking at him with strange eyes... no, it should be said that they were staring at him.
Upanu knew exactly why his people looked at him like that.
But Upanu had no intention of avoiding the strange looks from his tribesmen.
Just stood there silently and endured it silently.
Finally, a sturdy young man who was standing not far behind Upanu, as if he could no longer bear it, strode to Upanu and shouted loudly:
"Village Chief, why did you say that in public today?"
"We in Kapashi Village have a deep blood feud with Kazuto! How can we just bow down to Kazuto like this?"
"Village Chief! Have you forgotten how many people in our village were killed by the people?"
Upanu opened his eyes and looked at the young tribesman standing in front of him.
The 'words spoken in public today' by the young tribesman were naturally referring to the "speech encouraging surrender" directed and performed by Upanu himself, which was forcibly interrupted by Retannoe and others who suddenly arrived.
"...I just did what I thought was right." Upanu said as he slowly closed his eyes. "For me, nothing is more important than keeping you alive and the continuation of the race. It doesn't matter if you call me a coward, a servile, or shameless person. Call me whatever you want."
The young tribesman had a complicated expression at Upanu's attitude of allowing him to be beaten and scolded.
Gritting his teeth and stamping his feet in hatred, the young tribesman quickly walked away from Upanu as if he never wanted to see Upanu again.
…
…
Retanoë arrived at the "old place" long ago.
Since a while ago, he has been looking for Chanup everywhere - but to no avail.
"Where is Chanup now?" Retannoy muttered unhappily, "Why hasn't he come until now..."
…
…
Retanoë, who had already arrived at the "old place", was looking for Chanup everywhere. At that time, Chanup was in his home, taking care of his bow.
Chanup placed his bow on his knees and wiped the bow carefully with a clean cloth.
Otunpuyi has not returned home until now.
Worried about Otunpuyi who had not returned home for some unknown reason, Aisuma left home half an hour ago to look for his brother.
So now, there are only two people in Chanup's house - Chanup himself and the god of soup who is sitting in front of Chanup.
"... Chanup, are you sure you want to do this?" Tang Shen cast an extremely complicated look at Chanup who was wiping his bow in front of him with a calm face, "If you do this... you will really die..."
"It's not too late now... You can still choose an option that has a high probability of survival..."
Before Tang Shen finished speaking, Chanup interrupted him with a smile:
"If I could die because of this, it would be a worthy death."
After saying that, Chanup put the bow that he had just wiped behind his back.
"It's almost time. I'm leaving now."
After leaving these words in a calm tone, he walked out of the house.
Only Tang Shen was left sitting there with a complicated expression...
…
…
As Chanup walked out of his house, he saw a familiar figure walking towards him quickly.
Chanup: "Mr. Majima?"
The figure walking quickly towards Chanup was none other than Ogata.
Just now, after leaving Ayizan's house, Ogata went straight to Chanup's house.
Before arriving at Chanup's house, Ogata suddenly received the news that "Chanoup is now gathering everyone at the 'old place'."
Although Ogata didn't know what the news was, he continued to run straight to Chanup's house.
As soon as I arrived at the door of my house, I ran into Chanup who happened to be going out at that moment.
"Mr. Chanup." Ogata stopped in front of Chanup, "I have something to tell you, is it convenient for you now?"
"Now?" Chanup raised his eyebrows, then shook his head with a wry smile, "It's not very convenient now."
"Now...I have to go and say something to everyone in He Yezhe."
"Come back to see me after I finish speaking."
"Mashima-san, would you like to come over and listen? What I have to say to everyone won't be too long."
…
…
Red Moon Fortress, the old place——
Chepke, the chief of China Village and one of Ogata's acquaintances, has been frowning ever since he learned the news of the "invasion of the shogunate army."
The villagers of Qina Village, who have become a part of the Red Moon Fortress, naturally could not miss this sudden call issued by Chanup.
At this time, most of the villagers in other villages had sad expressions on their faces.
To be honest - Chepke felt like crying now.
He doesn't understand.
I don’t understand why my village is so unlucky.
First, there was the sudden "disappearance incident" a few years ago, and many villagers have not returned until now.
Then, a while ago, they were attacked by Cossacks, and again suffered countless casualties.
After finally getting Chanup's consent, I was able to move into the Red Moon Fortress. I thought I could live a peaceful life, but... the shogunate army came...
The hardships one after another made the villagers of Qina Village wonder whether they were cursed...
After learning that the shogunate army had arrived, Chepke discussed with the villagers what to do - but after discussing for a long time, nothing came of it.
Now, Chepke can only hope that Canup and his men can lead them through this difficult time safely...
"village head."
At this time, a middle-aged man standing next to Chepke suddenly poked Chepke's side with his elbow, lowered his voice, and whispered in a voice that only he and Chepke could hear:
"I just...thought about it seriously."
"If we really have no other choice... let's surrender. Although the people won't treat us very kindly after we surrender, at least we can still live..."
Chepke did not respond to the middle-aged man's words. He looked at the middle-aged man meaningfully, then looked away without saying a word.
…
…
"There are so many people..." Ogata looked around, "All the residents of Red Moon Fortress are really gathered here now..."
Chanup is busy now, and Ogata can't force him to stop what he is doing immediately.
Therefore, Ogata could only wait quietly for Chanup to finish his own business, and then slowly talk to Chanup about things.
Ogata was quite curious about Chanup's sudden move to summon all the residents of Heyezhe.
Instead of waiting idly, it would be better to listen to what Chanup wanted to say to everyone in Heyezhe - so Ogata accepted Chanup's invitation and came to this "old place".
After arriving at the "old place" which was already crowded with people, Ogata, who had a Japanese face and was wearing a kimono, immediately attracted a lot of attention.
After all, Ogata had been in the Red Moon Fortress for quite some time, so some people recognized him, glanced at him, and then looked away.
However, some people who didn't know Ogata cast malicious and ill-intentioned glances at him...
Ignoring all these looks, Ogata was thinking about where he should stand.
"Hey, isn't this the young man?"
"Cunoya?"
Ogata turned his head and looked at Kunoya, who was walking towards him slowly with a pipe in her mouth.
"Are you here to join in the fun?" Kunoya asked after walking up to Ogata.
"I guess so. How is A-Machi now?"
"I just changed her medication. She should be resting quietly in the clinic now."
After saying that, Kunoya glanced at a little boy who was being held in the arms of his mother not far away, then extinguished the cigarette in his hand.
"There are so many people..." Kunoya sighed, "The last time I gathered everyone like this... I can't even remember when it was."
“…Everyone is feeling very uneasy,” Ogata added softly.
Ogata had noticed just now - he had discovered that the atmosphere in the air was not positive.
If you listen carefully, you will hear many statements like this:
"What should we do next..."
"Now we can only surrender..."
"The Japanese outside the city seem to want our fortress and our land... Why did we suddenly suffer such an unexpected disaster..."
"It is said that there are tens of thousands of Japanese outside the city... We can't possibly defeat them..."
…
Similar remarks keep appearing everywhere among the crowd.
Although Ogata didn't quite understand the Ainu language, he could roughly guess what they were saying from their tone.
The effect of Upanu's "surrender speech" today has actually exceeded Upanu's own expectations.
Among those who listened to Upanu's "surrender speech", word spread quickly, and Upanu's idea of ​​"Long live surrender" spread unknowingly.
"Haha." Kunoya shrugged with a smile, "Everyone is just frightened by the sudden appearance of a strong enemy."
"The residents of Heyezhe are mainly divided into two groups - the people of the four tribes who united together 10 years ago due to the worsening climate and went south to find a new home. And the people who moved in for various reasons after Heyezhe was established, such as the Qina Village you are very familiar with."
“The former account for the vast majority.”
"Although I didn't experience the southward migration 10 years ago, I have heard that it was very heroic."
“It took countless sacrifices of blood and tears to finally find this habitable land and build a new home on it.”
Kunoya stamped the ground beneath her feet.
"My dear boy, our deep feelings for this new home that we have built with great difficulty are far beyond your imagination."
“If they were asked to give up the land under their feet to others, few would agree.”
"Everyone is just a little scared and confused now."
"Now... all we need is someone who can dispel their confusion and ignite their fighting spirit."
Kunoya gave Ogata a meaningful smile.
"I just don't know if there is anyone who can dispel everyone's confusion and ignite everyone's fighting spirit."
"Look! Chanup is coming! (Ainu language)"
At this moment, a loud shout was heard from somewhere not far from Ogata and Kunoa.
This shout immediately caused a chain reaction, and everyone turned their attention to the east side of the "old place", to a high platform built of wood and mud on the east side of the "old place".
On the high platform stood the tall figure of Chanup.
…
…
"Everyone, please be quiet!" Chanup shouted loudly.
After Chanup's shout, the noise slowly died down.
The open space where more than a thousand people were standing soon became silent.
Everyone focused their eyes on the middle-aged man standing on the podium, on this leader whom they had always trusted.
The platform under Chanup's feet is about 5 meters high. It was specially built to facilitate senior officials like Chanup to give speeches at the "old place".
Seeing that the audience below the stage was finally quiet, Chanup took a deep breath and then continued to shout:
"Everyone, I believe you already know everything, right?"
"It's right outside! Right outside this tall city wall! Thousands of people are waiting covetously!"
In order to ensure that the more than a thousand people below the stage could hear his words clearly, Chanup shouted every word with all his might.
"They came very suddenly."
"They came to plunder, they came to seize our land, they came to take our homes."
"According to the intelligence we have so far, the people currently gathered outside the city are only a small part of the army they have mobilized."
"In order to plunder our homeland, the Japanese have mobilized a total of 10,000 troops. The Japanese who are now gathered outside the wall are just their vanguard."
As soon as Chanup said this, there was an uproar below the stage.
Almost everyone looked at each other in horror.
"Huh?"
"T-Ten thousand people?!"
"The people outside the city are just the vanguard?"
…
Chanup's words were like a huge rock thrown into a pond, causing a splash and ripples - the crowd, which had originally been quiet, became noisy again.
"What is Chanup doing?" A middle-aged man standing next to Retannoe, who was also a member of the "war faction" like Retannoe, asked Retannoe urgently, "Isn't his behavior making everyone more scared?"
Retannoy ignored the middle-aged man beside him. He crossed his arms and continued to look at Chanup with his sharp eyes.
Chanup glanced at the people below the stage and took a deep breath again:
"I guess you're all scared, right?"
Chanup's voice rose above the noise of the crowd.
Everyone who was attracted by Chanup's loud voice stopped shouting consciously and focused their attention on Chanup again.
"Everyone must be very scared."
Chanup did not use a question as he did before, but an affirmative sentence.
"I don't know what to do now."
"I don't know whether I should rise up and resist, or choose to succumb to the tyranny of the Japanese and surrender the city."
Chanup paused again.
After scanning the crowd below the stage again, he said:
“Now…I want to tell you two stories.”
“The first story is a story that I have experienced.”
Chanup's sudden expression of wanting to tell a story naturally aroused everyone's doubts.
But just as the crowd below the stage began to get noisy again out of doubt, Chanup began to tell his story in his loud voice:
"Since I don't know when, all kinds of rumors about me have been spreading everywhere."
Chanup's tone was somewhat self-deprecating.
"The most widely circulated rumor that everyone has heard the most is probably the story that when I was young, I hired a killer to kill all the able-bodied men in a hostile village, right?"
"Nine out of ten of these rumors that are floating around about me are completely false."
"But now I want to tell you a story about myself that has not been widely circulated, but it is a true story that happened to me."
"I've been to 'Waren Land' before. When I was young."
As soon as Chanup said this, there was an uproar again.
Many of Çanup's old acquaintances, including Retannoe, now looked at Çanup in surprise on the podium.
“That was when I was 16.”
Chanup continued.
"With the help of my friends, I left my tribe and went to the Matsumae domain of Wajin. I lived in the Matsumae domain of Wajin for half a year."
"In that short six months, I saw all kinds of new and strange things that I had never seen in the past 16 years."
“I got to see the farming life of the Japanese people.”
"I saw the advanced craftsmanship of the people."
"I have witnessed the powerful force of Kazuto."
"At the same time - I also saw the lives of those 'naturalized Ainu'."
"I think everyone is familiar with the term 'naturalized Ezo', right? It is the name given to our compatriots who were forced to live in 'Japanese land' for various reasons ."
"During the six months I lived in Matsumae, I met a 'naturalized Ezo'."
"She is a strong girl. She is the descendant of the 'naturalized Ezo' who have lived in 'Wajindi' for many generations."
"His great-grandfather was once a member of a tribe that resisted the oppression of the Heren and fought against them. In the end, he was defeated by them."
"After they were defeated by the Wajin, the Wajin moved all the remaining members of their tribe to the Matsumae domain in order to make it easier for them to be managed. They were forced to become 'naturalized Ezo'."
"As for these naturalized Ainu, you should have heard more or less about how they are treated by the Japanese, right?"
"They were forced to become 'naturalized Ainu'. They could only wear Japanese clothes and had to abandon their original names and take on new Japanese names."
"If they speak the Ainu language, they will be looked at strangely by others. They have no choice but to learn the Japanese language and speak the Japanese language."
"I have seen many 'naturalized Ainu' who have lived in 'Wajin Land' for several generations. They have Ainu faces, but they can no longer speak our Ainu language."
Ogata had been listening quietly to Chanup's speech.
After hearing what Chanup had just said, memories of the past slowly emerged in Ogata's mind.
He recalled the scenes related to this group of "naturalized Ezo" that he had witnessed when he and Atachi were still in Matsumae Domain.
At this time, Chanup's tone slowly became heavy.
"But no matter how they dress up as Japanese, they can't change their Ainu faces."
"They have Ainu faces, but they are discriminated against in the 'Japanese land'."
"Even if they wore Japanese clothes and took Japanese names, the Japanese people just regarded them as monkeys who could wear clothes."
“Would anyone hire an ape that can wear clothes?”
"The friend I know is extremely lucky. She met a kind-hearted Japanese who was willing to hire her as an apprentice in his clinic."
"But even so, few people look up to her."
"When they see her Ainu face, they turn away, unwilling to let this monkey in clothes treat them."
"This is the treatment that the 'naturalized Ainu' people suffered in the Japanese land."
"I was forced to abandon everything I had and dress up as Kazuto according to Kazuto's orders."
"Little by little, generation after generation, we slowly become Japanese."
"And now—I'm going to start telling another story."
“A story that many of those present should be familiar with.”
“A story from 10 years ago.”
"Ten years ago, a sudden cold wave hit the north."
Chanup had just said one sentence when many people below the stage, including Retannoe, changed their expressions.
"Many people present here should have a deep impression of this cold front."
"Since this fierce cold wave hit, the climate has been directly changed by it. Our original home has become extremely cold and uninhabitable, and a large number of animals have been frozen to death."
"In order to survive, our four tribes had to unite and move south together to find a new home."
“It was a tough journey.”
“We’ve had snowstorms that turned the whole world white.”
“We were in danger of running out of food.”
"We were robbed by the settlements we passed along the way."
“There were several times when we almost fell on the road to finding a new home.”
“But we survived.”
"In the face of these dangers, we all survived one by one!"
"Some people say: The reason we were able to survive was because of my command, my management, and my encouragement to everyone after everyone was in desperate situations."
“Some people also say that we were able to survive because of luck.”
“But none of that is actually true.”
"The reason we were able to survive is not because of me, nor because of luck, but because countless people sacrificed their blood and lives for our survival."
"Faced with the snowstorm, we huddled together, using each other's body heat to endure the severe cold. Countless people voluntarily sat at the outermost edge, exposing their backs naked to the wind and snow."
"Faced with the danger of food depletion, countless people took up bows and arrows and went deep into the unfamiliar dense forest to hunt for food."
"Faced with passing tribes that took advantage of the situation and looted them, countless people rose up in resistance."
"The success of our migration to the south, our Heyezhe, and our lives are built on the blood and lives of these compatriots who are willing to sacrifice."
At this moment, the silence under the platform was broken again.
But this time, what broke the silence was no longer the terrified shouting, but the low sobbing.
The vast majority of the residents of Red Moon Fortress are from the four tribes that decided to migrate south 10 years ago.
That migration to the south happened only 10 years ago.
Many people's relatives and friends died in this heroic migration to the south.
Chanup's words evoked sad memories for these people. They were so sad that tears flowed from their eyes like a river bursting its dam.
Those who had not experienced the migration to the south 10 years ago, such as Ogata, were looking at the people around them who were sobbing with surprise.
Chanup's speech was not over yet.
His voice suddenly became higher.
"But! Now! This new home that we built with countless sacrifices is now surrounded by jackals!"
"You all should be familiar with the history of the Ainu people without me having to explain it in detail."
"The Japanese have been plundering our land for thousands of years."
"Thousands of years ago, the Ainu people lived in the eastern and northern parts of the entire island of Honshu."
"But with repeated invasions and plunders by Japanese people, our living area has been compressed again and again."
"To this day, we have abandoned the entire island of Honshu, and our residence has been compressed onto this island."
The island that Chanup was referring to was naturally Ezo.
"Now the Japanese are going to invade our homes again, just like they did to our ancestors!"
"If we surrender or lose the war, this new home that we have built with countless sacrifices will be destroyed."
"Some people said: Why don't we surrender? As long as we surrender, we can save our lives and our tribe can continue."
As soon as Chanup finished speaking, many people who happened to be standing next to Upanu turned their heads and cast strange looks at Upanu.
Upanu ignored the strange looks from these people, with a gloomy face, staring at Chanup on the podium.
"Indeed, if we bow down to the Japanese, we can indeed save our lives and we can indeed allow our race to continue."
"But if you do this, you will ultimately receive the most humiliating death."
"What is the most humiliating death for a tribe? Is it the murder of all its members?"
"No! The most humiliating death is not when all the tribe members are killed. That is only the death of the body. The most humiliating death is the extinction of the soul!"
"If we open the city and surrender obediently, will the people keep their promise and not harm any of us?"
"Let's assume that they will keep their promise! If we surrender, they won't hurt any of us. But after we open the city and surrender, we will definitely not be allowed to live here anymore. We will definitely be forced to move to 'Wa Ren Di'."
"We will be forced to become what I just called 'naturalized Ezo'."
"We will no longer be able to wear our Ainu clothes."
"We will be forced to abandon our current name and take a Japanese name."
"We will no longer be able to play the mukuri freely, and we will no longer be able to hold the 'Bear Spirit Festival'!"
"It will probably only take two generations for us to be tamed like dogs and become Japanese. Our descendants will no longer be Ainu people, but will become Japanese people."
"When that happens, will the souls of our descendants go to the shrines of the Japanese or to the afterlife of the Ainu?"
"Such a humiliating death - I can't stand it!"
At this point, Chanup's every word was shouted out, and his face was now flushed with emotion.
Below the stage, the crowd, which had just become noisy due to the sobbing sounds, now became silent again.
Everyone was looking at Chanup.
Looking at the tall figure on the platform.
"I cannot stand such a humiliating death! I want to defend my homeland, I want to defend the home of my soul!"
"We are not without a chance of winning the war against the Japanese outside the city!"
"Our chance of victory is to defend this fortress to the death. Hold out until our supplies are cut off!"
"This is a protracted war. Although there is a chance of winning, the chances of winning are slim!"
"But even if the odds are slim, I will hold on to my bow and fight for this glimmer of hope!!"
"Anyone who stands on this earth will eventually die!"
"It is better to die defending my homeland and the place where my soul belongs than to die in humiliation under the domestication of humans!"
"To die to protect our homeland, to protect the soul's home, such a death is so glorious!"
Chanup opened his arms as if to embrace the sky.
"We can't die being domesticated by humans!"
"If you want to die, die here!!"
"Come on! Which warrior is willing to share the glory with me?! Which warrior dares to fight for that glimmer of hope with me?!"
"I will never surrender to Kazuto!!"
Just as Chanup finished speaking, a one-armed young man with slightly red eyes, who was standing in the area where the villagers of Kapasi village gathered under the platform, shouted at the top of his voice.
Next to him was a woman holding a little girl. She tugged at the sleeve of the one-armed young man with a somewhat anxious look on her face, but the one-armed young man remained unmoved.
"This is our new home that we built with so much effort! We can't just give it away to Kazuto like that!"
"I'm not doing any 'naturalization of Ezo'!!"
…
Such roars started from a few isolated ones, and gradually became large-scale and became a climate.
Originally, it was the people who were inclined to "fight" who were shouting at the beginning.
But gradually, this energy gradually spread.
More and more people began to roar together.
The shouts of the crowd gathered together, forming a wave of sound that seemed to lift up the entire sky.
Upanu looked palely at the tribesmen behind him who were roaring and responding to Chanup.
Ogata looked around, his face full of unconcealed surprise.
Kunoya, who was standing next to Ogata, looked at Chanup on the platform with a meaningful look, and put the muzzle of the unlit cigarette into her mouth.
"Look, young man!" Kunoya said to Ogata beside her with a smile, "Am I right? Everyone's feelings for the homeland under their feet are much deeper than you think!"