The next day, the soldiers under Ryou's command were ready to depart.
They split into two groups, preparing to board steam trains heading toward Odawara to the southwest of Yokosuka and Chiba to the northeast.
These two stations, along with seven surrounding stations, formed a coalition army totaling nine stations in response to the Shogun's call to attack Yokosuka.
Now that the coalition forces from both the north and south directions had been annihilated by him, these nine stations were almost deserted.
Soon, the news of the southern and northern coalition forces' defeat would spread, and various powers around these stations, including the Shogun himself, would come to take advantage of the situation.
Ryou's goal was to take control of everything in these nine stations before that happened.
Yes, everything. Besides various resources and food supplies, the population was also a resource that had to be seized—especially in the post-apocalyptic world, where the population was the most important resource.
The prisoners who were still undergoing religious indoctrination had already begun to accept the faith of Christianity gradually. Meanwhile, the private soldiers of the Yomogawa family had completely regarded Ryou as a true deity.
None of the 1,000 samurai and 2,500-foot soldiers of the Yomogawa family had a faith level below that of a devout believer.
Therefore, when Ryou, under the pretense of saving lost sheep, ordered them to plunder the enemy stations, not a single soldier objected. Instead, morale soared as if they were embarking on a holy war.
After all, there were nine stations, and even splitting into two teams, time was tight. To prevent nearby stations from launching a sneak attack, Ryou and Ais each led a team.
Ais was in charge of Odawara, while Ryou handled Chiba.
Soon, four steam trains set off one after another.
There were four because the Yomogawa family originally had one, another was captured from the Southern army, and Yokosuka, a large military port, had up to five steam trains due to the vast amount of daily material transportation.
If it hadn't been for the shortage of train drivers and crew, Ryou would have dispatched all the trains.
Establishing a technical school to train specialized talents like shipbuilding mechanics, sailors, and train mechanics was already on his agenda and would begin immediately after this raid.
Woo-woo!
With a long whistle, the steam trains loaded with soldiers slowly left the station, speeding towards Odawara and Chiba.
Sitting on the train, Ryou did not stay with the soldiers but was alone in a quiet, private carriage.
After all, his current identity was that of a deity descended to the human world, so maintaining an air of mystery was necessary. As his power and territory expanded, he would increasingly distance himself from ordinary people.
Of course, this didn't mean he would retreat into the background. On the contrary, he would occasionally display miracles that ordinary people could not achieve to ensure his presence and prevent power-hungry individuals from sidelining him.
These little details, Ryou naturally learned from the internet before his transmigration.
To be a leader, maintaining approachability was necessary, but to pose as an extraordinary deity, it was essential to preserve an appropriate level of mystery.
At this moment, he was sitting cross-legged in the carriage, with a long katana summoned and placed on his lap.
He was meditating, a method taught to him by Sasaki Kojiro.
Since his proficiency in cold weapons had advanced to the advanced level, and he had entered the dream trial again, Kojiro no longer killed him instantly with the Tsubame Gaeshi as he did the first time.
Instead, Kojiro actively taught him how to use the large katana.
In Kojiro's words, it was too boring for him to stay in this trial space, so he wanted to enhance Ryou's skills to find a worthy opponent for himself. After all, constantly killing someone in one move was dull.
What a stubborn tsundere.
Ryou had not noticed that Sasaki Kojiro had such a hidden personality.
Kojiro simply wanted to teach him as quickly as possible so that he could defeat him and release him from this place, yet he had to be all tsundere about it.
This meditation method was something Kojiro taught him.
Kojiro wasn't a good teacher. He either trained people through actual combat, by constantly cutting Ryou into pieces to improve his combat experience, or he'd give some vague advice, leaving him to figure it out himself.
According to Kojiro, his teacher taught him the same way. Apart from the basics, both the Ganryu style and the sword technique Tsubame Gaeshi, which had reached a magical level, were his creations.
Meditation was a method Kojiro often used.
Through meditation, one could deepen their understanding of swordsmanship and themselves.
Although there were no obvious improvements visible in the data, it greatly helped Ryou understand the way of the sword.
He knew that his talent was limited; without the system, he was just an ordinary otaku. Meditation allowed him to reflect on himself.
As for breaking new ground, he might as well rely on the system.
When Ryou slowly opened his eyes, Chiba Station was already not far away.
Chiba wasn't far from Yokosuka, and at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour, it was only a half-day journey by steam train.
They had left in the morning, and by sunset, they were already approaching Chiba.
Half an hour later, Ryou was already standing on the platform at Chiba Station.
As he had anticipated, there were fewer than fifty troops left in Chiba, most of whom were unmotivated bureaucrats, and they were easily defeated by his soldiers.
Next came the looting.
A large amount of supplies was loaded onto the trains and sent back to Yokosuka.
During this period, no incidents of civilian harassment occurred.
A military force with strong faith has discipline and combat effectiveness that are several times that of ordinary armies.
Ryou's troops were slowly moving in this direction, especially in terms of discipline.
Under his strict orders, no soldier dared to disobey.
Despite this, the citizens of Chiba still looked at him and his soldiers with fear, suspicion, and vigilance.
It took two days to transport all the supplies, and next was the people.
This required some coercive measures.
For skilled artisans, especially those in industry, Ryou issued a strict order for their forced abduction, even offering bounties. Residents in Chiba could earn a reward for reporting them.
As a result, many craftsmen were forcibly taken away with their families and put on trains.
Next were children and teenagers, representing the next generation of power and being more moldable.
Ryou didn't want to use force, especially on talented people from various fields.
Using force would make it harder for these people to integrate into his power base.
But time didn't allow him to use gentle methods.
As for the elderly, Ryou took a completely voluntary approach: those willing to accept protection were welcome.
Those who refused and insisted on staying to feed the Kabane were left alone. He had no intention of acting like some overly compassionate anime protagonist.
Finally, the family of Chiba Station's lord, Kimura, must be mentioned.
This guy had many wives and concubines—eight official wives, over 20 concubines, plus the maidservants they brought with them, and his daughters, making over a hundred female dependents.
Ryou initially planned to distribute these women as wives to his samurai and foot soldiers based on their military merits.
The Yomogawa family's private soldiers were his most loyal supporters, and their offspring, growing up under their influence, would also become his most devoted followers.
However, Shinjirou suggested that since their Lord was now revered as a god in the world, it was no longer appropriate to have servants attend to his daily needs. Instead, it would be better to employ these noble ladies who were well-educated and still virgins.
Considering that the Christian faith requires both priests and nuns and using these pure noblewomen as attendants adds a certain level of sophistication, Ryou readily agrees with Shinjirou's suggestion.
Of course, this decision wasn't because he had any plans to openly build a harem. After all, no matter how exceptional these noblewomen were, they couldn't compare to his contracted heroic spirits and ship girls.
As for the male members of the Kimura family, Ryou could only say sorry. It's a good habit to leave no loose ends.
Population relocation is a complex and massive undertaking. After three days of work, they were only halfway done. While he was overseeing operations at the train station, he heard a commotion.
"What are you going to do to my sister?"
A boy with grass-green hair was blocking the way of a foot soldier, with a young girl with a Hime-style haircut hiding behind him.
Ryou suddenly felt a sense of familiarity. He quickly realized that this boy was none other than Ikoma, the original protagonist. So, this kid is from Chiba Station.
He only glanced at them before losing interest. They were no longer on the same level. Even if this kid grew up in ten years, he would only fall further behind.
"Fool! Boys and girls have to be separated. You're a boy, so do you want to mix in with the girls?" the foot soldier angrily shouted.
"But my sister is only five years old. She can't be without my care," Ikoma retorted.
"Huh? People in the same carriage will take care of her. Stop dawdling and get over here!"
Although Ryou had only glanced in their direction, the foot soldier felt immense pressure. His influence had been growing daily. Ordinary foot soldiers couldn't even speak clearly in his presence, and even regular samurai avoided looking directly at him. Only his close retainers could manage slightly better.
The foot soldier, fearing he would draw his attention, quickly grabbed Ikoma by the wrist and pulled him away while another foot soldier led his sister to a different carriage.
Although Ikoma would later become a powerful Kabaneri with explosive combat abilities, he was currently just a seven-year-old boy with no strength to resist an adult. Thus, the siblings were forcibly separated.
"Hatsune! Wait for me! I'll come to find you!"
Ikoma shouted as he turned his head to look back at his sister.
"Brother!"
His sister called back, doing the same.
Ryou, hearing these cries that seemed like a heartbreaking farewell, was left with a black line across his face. They were only going to be separated temporarily, not even in the same carriage. Was that necessary? He couldn't believe that the kid was such a siscon. Wait, was that why Ikoma, in the original story, ignored all the beautiful women and was only focused on Mumei?
Ryou couldn't help but mentally rant about it.
What he didn't realize was that, at that moment, a thought was taking root and growing in little Ikoma's heart.
"I must become someone powerful so that I will never be separated from Hatsune again!"
For Ryou, this was just a minor episode. After a week of hard work, Chiba Station was mostly emptied.
To his surprise, Chiba Station had not only a well-equipped port but also complete industrial facilities, including a steel plant and an oil refinery.
Unfortunately, domestic resources, like iron ore and oil, were extremely scarce. Developing industry would require imports, so he needed to find another way.
Regretfully, he ordered the steel plant and refinery to be sealed up, only taking the finished oil and steel products.
The looting of Chiba yielded countless resources, including food, oil, steel, and a population of 30,000—a huge haul. The gold and jewels seized from the Kimura family were also in astonishing quantities.
This Kimura lord had perfectly demonstrated what it means to excel at hoarding wealth, be mediocre at management, and utterly fail at strategy.
But, unfortunately, in the apocalypse, gold and jewels are among the least valuable things.
However, not all news was good.
The news of the northern and southern allied armies' defeat had spread, and the nearby stations were eyeing the situation greedily. For the time being, they were deterred by the reputation of the Yomogawa family, but greed for wealth is powerful, and this uneasy peace wouldn't last long. Soon, they would move against the stations that Ryou had weakened.
Sure enough, after they finished looting the second station, the other stations finally acted. Several stations formed a new allied force, breaking into the station farthest from the Yomogawa army and looting it thoroughly.
Touching my belongings, it seems there's no shortage of people seeking death anywhere.
Upon receiving the news, a cold smile appeared on Ryou's face. He immediately ordered his troops to stay behind and continue looting the third station, while he, in full view of everyone, flew into the sky and rushed toward the fourth station.
When the Yomogawa forces arrived at the fourth station after finishing looting the third, they were stunned by the scene before them.
A towering mound of severed heads stood in the center of the station, with thousands of heads piled high.
Ryou stood atop the grisly monument, not a drop of blood on him, with six wings of light slowly spreading behind him.
Holy and ruthless.
Such a terrifying scene was the work of a single person—no, this could no longer be considered the work of a human. It was the power of a demon god.
The image of the Archangel Michael, who executes divine punishment, completely replaced the image of Yomogawa's staunch lord in the minds of the Yomogawa soldiers.
After this incident, the nearby stations were completely terrified. They could only watch helplessly as Ryou looted the fourth station, taking everything, including the population.
On the other side, Ais, who had headed toward Odawara, encountered a similar situation.
Upon receiving the news, she immediately used wind magic to fly ahead to the last station. However, Ais chose a gentler approach.
She simply destroyed their steam train.
Faced with an extraordinary being like Ais, the enemy forces' morale completely collapsed, and they fled in panic.
They should consider themselves lucky. If the Kabane had already spread from Kyushu to Honshu, they would have been devoured by the Kabane as soon as they escaped.
After dealing with the meddling enemies, Ryou decided not to pursue further battles.
Not wanting to provoke a strong backlash from the other stations was one reason.
Another was that the resources they had looted would take a lot of time to process.
With the impending Kabane invasion, he didn't have the luxury of time to waste on these fools.
Building a wall and sealing off Yokosuka, then focusing on farming—these were the right moves.
After returning to Yokosuka with a large population and resources, Ryou once again entered a busy phase.
The first and foremost issue was resettling the population from the nine stations.
Housing was relatively easy to address. He had anticipated this, so he had halted the construction of the city walls and focused all efforts on building houses.
To save time, all the structures were uniform two-story wooden buildings, with an average area of 10 square meters per person.
While the housing problem was easy to solve, the newcomers were anxious and wary after being forcibly relocated to Yokosuka. Prolonged anxiety could easily lead to mass unrest.
Fortunately, the Christian faith was an expert at calming the masses.
First, Ryou descended like a god of slaughter, killing countless enemies. Then, the saintly woman, as loving as an angel, showed tender concern for the people's suffering, leading the priests of the seminary to preach the Christian doctrine and spread positive messages.
One played the role of the bad cop, the other the good cop.
With these dual strategies, the newly arrived population soon settled down.