"Gentlemen, President Mitsui wants to buy us with money! You must know, President Mitsui's efforts to win people over are always backed by solid cash!"
Upon hearing Ozawa's words, the hundred or so soldiers under his command were naturally somewhat excited.
They were not like the Self-Defense Forces, who were official soldiers with established ranks.
They were merely private soldiers of the Shinto priest, sworn to serve the priest and their faith above all else.
Since they were serving for the priest and their faith, their military pay was meager, and they were all impoverished for the sake of their beliefs.
In this day and age, these private soldiers of the Shinto priests were not foolish.
If they had the opportunity to engage in a lucrative business, they would be too lazy to serve the priest!
And now, with the priest's fate unknown and President Mitsui offering to buy them with money, this was an opportunity they had been waiting for!
For this reason, as soon as Ozawa finished speaking, a considerable number of the soldiers let out joyful murmurs.
However, among these soldiers, there were some who were so devoted to the Heavenly Path Sect of Sakura Country that they were almost fanatical.
At this moment, they did not want to tarnish their faith, nor did they want to provoke their companions, so they spoke timidly.
"Wouldn't this be a bit wrong? The priest's whereabouts are currently unknown..."
Before the believer of the Heavenly Path Sect could finish speaking, the ordinary soldiers around him, who had long suffered under the priest's bullying, became displeased. They started to grumble and curse.
"Following Miyamoto, that capricious devil, we were starving! You know, everyone working under President Mitsui is rolling in wealth!"
"Exactly! Exactly! Can loyalty put food on the table? We are also human, and we need to fill our stomachs first..."
"..."
When words turned harsh, arguments were inevitable.
Although the believers were fewer in number, this matter involved the priest whom they believed in and worshipped.
Therefore, they were also displeased and began to retort softly with dissatisfaction.
As a result, the seemingly orderly formation immediately devolved into chaos.
Ozawa felt a headache coming on. He rubbed his temples and quickly raised his voice to scold his undisciplined subordinates.
"Quiet down! All of you, quiet down! Look at yourselves now, you have no discipline. How can President Mitsui possibly appreciate us..."
Ozawa looked helpless and began to lecture his soldiers.
However, the situation was chaotic, and everyone was arguing amongst themselves, with no one willing to listen to him.
Ozawa realized this and decided to stop talking, abandoning the effort.
He only cared about getting his share of the money smoothly later.
Thus, his voice gradually faded.
He himself, with a hint of impatience on his face, turned his gaze towards the armored vehicles, wanting to see if Kenji Mitsui had arrived yet.
However, as he looked, he did not see Kenji Mitsui. Instead, he saw something that made his heart pound!
"Alright! Stop talking, something seems to be not quite right!"
Ozawa, without even having time to retract his gaze, yelled at his subordinates.
When Ozawa spoke, the few soldiers closest to him instinctively turned their heads.
They asked Ozawa what was wrong and followed his gaze.
"What's wrong?"
They were just ordinary soldiers, and they were the poorly trained private soldiers of the Shinto priest.
Therefore, they could not perceive the danger that Ozawa, who had served in the Self-Defense Forces, could sense.
Seeing that his subordinates had not realized the danger, Ozawa pointed directly at the armored vehicles and said urgently,
"Look over there, aren't the cannon barrels of those armored vehicles aiming at us!"
As Ozawa had said!
Captain Geta, upon his return, did not go to see Kenji Mitsui at all. Instead, he had a brief conversation with his subordinates and decided to eliminate Ozawa and his men in the simplest and most direct way possible!
That was to use artillery!
For a mere handful of people like Ozawa and his men, it would only take a few shells to blow them all to smithereens!
"That can't be right. No matter how bad it is, we are still Priest Miyamoto's men. Would Mitsui dare to touch us?"
"I see, I see. That's right. Perhaps they are just calibrating the barrels, Captain Ozawa, you might be overthinking things..."
"..."
Apart from Ozawa, none of the hundred men took it seriously.
"It... it's possible, perhaps." Ozawa had only felt a sense of unease. Now, with his subordinates saying this, he began to waver.
His mood was complex, and he felt a little nervous. His urge to smoke, naturally, resurfaced.
So, he lowered his head and lit a cigarette.
However, when he finished lighting his cigarette and looked up, he immediately let out a roar of curses!
"How could this happen... Baka yarō! This infuriates me! It's truly despicable! That damned Kenji Mitsui, he's setting a trap for us! Run..."
This was because the Self-Defense Forces had already opened fire!
BOOM!
BANG!
RUMBLE—
Ozawa did not manage to finish his cigarette. His furious curses were cut short by the booming explosions of the artillery shells.
It was no more than three or five shells. These hundred or so men were blown into pieces before they even had a chance to escape or beg for mercy!
The door of an armored vehicle opened.
Geta, with a cigarette in his mouth and a cold smile on his lips, stepped out of the armored vehicle.
"Captain! The mission is complete! No survivors were left!" The soldier responsible for firing the cannons saw Geta and hurried to salute him, reporting the situation.
"Good, well done, hah!" Geta contentedly patted his pocket, where the large bills Ozawa had given him were.
This was the spoils he had extracted from the dead. He considered it a skill.
"Why did you fire just now? Did something happen?"
At this moment, on another armored vehicle, Kenji Mitsui, who had been awake all night, was about to doze off when the sounds of artillery fire startled him. He asked groggily.
Seeing Kenji Mitsui emerge, Captain Geta quickly extinguished his cigarette and went to Kenji Mitsui's side, reporting the situation as if seeking praise.
"President Mitsui, the task you assigned has been completed."
"Baka! What foolish thing have you done!"
SLAM!