Yama Rising

The future King Yanluo clenched his buttcheeks tightly in fear, to the great amusement of a certain wicked Judge. Moments later, she rolled her eyes, “Not really.”

Unfortunately, no applause was forthcoming at all.

The atmosphere soon grew awkward.

Clap clap clap… Su Dongxue winked and immediately began to clap, rousing nothing more than sparse applause from the audience. However, Qin Ye promptly raised both of his hands to silence the crowd, “I know that everyone must be confused by the sudden turn of events. But, here’s the thing - because of the collapse of the old Hell, all of the famous generals across the history of Cathay have already been whisked off into paradise by Lord Ksitigarbha. Moreover, Hell presently only receives Yin spirits located within the City of Salvation. In other words, we simply don’t have access to any battle-hardened generals at this point in time.”

Silence.

Hell… isn’t the only underworld around?

“Will they… invade us?” One of the citizens standing at the front blurted out in disbelief. Having experienced peace and prosperity in Cathay over the last few decades, the present news came as a rude awakening to them.

Qin Ye built on what Oda Nobunaga had said, “Therefore, it is imperative that we increase our strength so that outsiders don’t covet our lands with great avarice! None can be trusted. We have no choice but to view all outsiders with great vigilance! After all, we’re the only ones who can protect our own lands!”

Silence.

There was a thunderous clamor. Arthis glanced at Qin Ye discreetly - As expected… those who’ve lived through war and strife have a great fire in their bellies. Qin Ye’s methods may be unorthodox, he can’t do any wrong when it comes to these things.

Qin Ye knew that he had made the problem patently clear to everyone. That said, he knew that this was still insufficient.

“Silence.” He suppressed the stirring emotions in his heart and continued, “It’s only going to be a matter of time before Hell squares off against other underworlds, factions and Yin spirits in wars, battles and skirmishes. Our army isn’t going to be one for mere show of power and deterrence. Sacrifice is inevitable. And it is precisely because of that that I give you my word to honour those who are willing to step up! Firstly, on the day that Hell’s First Battalion is inaugurated, I’ll also commission the construction of a monument right in front of Hell’s Gate where the names of all Yin soldiers who have perished in the line of duty shall be recorded. This is an everlasting honour and glory that shall belong to you and you alone! No matter how large Hell gets in future, the Martyr’s Monument shall always remain right in front of Hell’s Gate!”

The mortal realm had failed to place sufficient emphasis on the establishment of ideological norms during the nascent period of Cathay’s reformation. Unfortunately, it was already too late by the time they realized their mistake. Hell was modelling its government after Cathay reformative efforts, yet… they didn’t have to take the exact same path.

“Secondly, all soldiers shall be given first dibs on Qin Gardens Phase One. And if they perish in the line of duty, their property shall be held in abeyance for the benefits of their next-of-kin. Finally, the army shall be given priority over all entertainment and recreational facilities and amenities!”

Everyone was ostensibly surprised. Seconds later, countless hands shot up into the air, “I’d like to sign up!” “My life for Aiu--... Hell!!” “Applying to join Hell’s First Battalion!” “Is there an age limit to this?” “Do we need to have any prior experience in the army?”

As far as the citizens were concerned, they had been idling about for almost a year, and the carrot of entertainment and recreational amenities were no different from a godsend to them.

“Silence!” Qin Ye’s voice thundered, “All applicants are to approach Su Dongxue’s team of Death Inquisitors in two weeks to submit their applications. Now, we move on to the third order of business.”

He cleared his throat, “I think everyone deserves to know and be constantly updated of the things we’ve done, and the things that we’re doing. Furthermore, there’s still the matter of the imperial court meeting that will be taking place at the end of the year. If we can successfully negotiate a deal with the other feudal officials, then that might lead to the bilateral opening of borders and the issuance of visas for foreign journalism. That way, you can all learn a little bit more about the world that we live in, what the other underworlds look like, why we have to establish Hell’s First Battalion, and the kinds of threats we’re truly facing.”

“Finally, I’ll be setting up ten Community Suggestion Boxes.” He pressed on despite the hoarseness of voice, “All who have good suggestions may post them into these chests. We’ll collect them every Mondays and I’ll personally vet through all of them. However, please note that only suggestions should be posted - not complaints! All offenders will be punished severely.”

With that, the citizens dispersed.

Was there anything to be afraid of when everything was starting on a clean slate?

“I’d like everyone to take some time to digest the announcements I’ve made earlier.” Huang Liangchuan, Gu Qing and the Yin Construction division heads remained behind. Qin Ye rubbed his temples softly, “We’ll hold an inaugural meeting to discuss the five-year plan of Hell moving forward. All relevant personnel must be present.”

Qin Ye sighed, led the crowd back to the annex hall, and slumped back into the chair as he gazed vacantly at the ceiling, “I’m aware of that as well. But the first priority right now is to give Su Dongxue some time to organize the government. Besides…”

None of the ones present were daft, and they immediately understood that there was more to the meeting. Hu Feng probed further, “Is… there something of particular importance to discuss?”

Without missing a beat, he added, “No! The truth of the matter is that even I’m not aware of the exact number of feudal officials who will be visiting Hell at the end of this year. These visitors are in a way considered ‘our own’, and we naturally won’t be able to conceal the truth about Hell from them. But… if Hell doesn’t get its act sorted out soon enough, they would most certainly see us as no more than a delectable piece of meat. When that time comes… ‘our own’ might well become blades pointed straight at our hearts.”

“And it’s precisely because of the pressure that ‘our own’ has placed on us that Mr Nobunaga and I have returned to the old Hell to retrieve some items.” Qin Ye waved his hand, and a large pile of Qiankun Pouches appeared on the table, “These pouches contain some of the most important parts of the old Hell’s legacy. You can delegate your regular work to others, but sorting out Hell’s legacy is something you absolutely have to do personally! We cannot afford to get third parties involved!”

“After all…” Qin Ye’s voice deepened, “It’s no more than six months until the end of the year…”

After all, power and authority flows from the barrel of a gun.

“With this.” Qin Ye picked up a Qiankun Pouch and opened it eagerly. Truth be told, this was something he had already wanted to do back in the old Hell.

It was a map of the East Continent, with various colours and markings decorating the entire map. Oda Nobunaga’s eyes gleamed brightly, and then he promptly turned around and bellowed, “Murai-kun, immediately stand guard outside the door. Nobody is to come in. Kill all who refuse to comply!”

Murai Sadakatsu left, and everyone else began to study the map. One by one, their eyes widened with great disbelief at the familiar names that were marked on the map!

These were none other than the names of the feudal officials!