NIPPON SANGOKU: The Three Nations of the Crimson Sun (日本三國)

Fictional work. Any similarity to real names or events is coincidental.

Underage smoking is prohibited.

End of Reiwa era.

Japan suffered an overwhelming defeat in the fourth industrial revolution

at the hands of the USA, China, India and other countries.

In addition, the acceleration of the declining birth rate and aging population

and a major drop in education levels compounded Japan's deterioration.

A nuclear war broke out.

Though Japan did not become a battlefield,

refugees poured in, and infectious diseases spread.

Furthermore, major earthquakes hit one after another.

Meanwhile, wealth concentrated in the hands of those ridiculed as elites,

such as politicians and capitalists.

Suffering government failure, heavy taxes, natural disasters and famine,

the people finally rose up.

This was The Great Violent Revolution.

The nation collapsed as a state.

Within a few years, the population reduced to less than a tenth of what it was,

and all modern culture, infrastructure and technology were lost.

Civilization regressed to early Meiji era levels.

A world of chaotic war divided by military cliques began.

Then, decades later,

the three nations of Yamato, Buo and Seii

entered the Sangoku period, fighting for hegemony.

YAMATO - EHIME DISTRICT

Show some self-restraint! A wedding dress is completely absurd!

AOTERU MISUMI AGE 15

I can't help myself. It's a wedding, so I need a wedding dress!

SAKI HIGASHIMACHI AGE 16

AN OATH FOR PEACE

Saki, that was the case in the late Japan era.

The very end of the end too.

To begin with, the wedding dress is attire worn in Catholic Christian weddings…

You are so hardheaded!

I'm wearing a wedding dress because it's cute.

"Because it's cute"?

What the heck? That's not logical at all!

Hey, hey, wait! Saki!

Aoteru! Saki! Congratulations on your marriage!

Wow! Saki looks really wonderful!

I wonder what that white clothing is.

I heard it's called a "uejingu dress."

EHIME LIBRARY

Man, I never thought my daughter would get married

to a hardheaded, quibbling man like you, Aoteru.

Library Director. No, Father-in-law!

It's just that I judge things based on whether they are reasonable or not.

In the late Japan era, weddings were held in the Christian style,

funerals in the Buddhist style,

and people visited shrines at New Year's following the Shinto style.

In other words, Japanese people had a close relationship with religion.

But that's not the case now.

It's completely natural for me to stop Saki,

who has no religious beliefs whatsoever, from wearing a wedding dress.

But then Saki goes, "I'm wearing it because it's cute…"

That would make anyone go, "Huh?"

Library Director, Aoteru sure does know a lot!

And he's a good talker.

Yeah, that's true.

When Aoteru's parents died young from illness,

I started taking care of him.

He acquired literacy and gained varied knowledge of the Japan era,

and now he's a fine agricultural officer.

Though he is at the bottom of the ladder.

All things considered, they make a good couple.

That said, Saki is the exact opposite of you,

quick to anger and doesn't listen to reason.

Please take care of Saki from here on out, Aoteru.

Yes.

A FEW DAYS LATER

He's been gone a while.

NOBUHITO HIGASHIMACHI

NAKADAI - NAKASONE

Whoa, whoa.

Saki.

I knew you would be here.

I can't believe you are doing this on a cold-ass day like this.

A little more. Just a little more.

I like the view you can see from here.

The mountains, the sea, the artificial land.

The factories and buildings from the Japan era.

The paved roads and all the utility poles.

It makes me think Japan used to be an amazing civilization.

You have always drawn maps, ever since we were young.

TOGETHER FOREVER R8.4.15

It's nostalgic to think about how everyone avoided you because of that.

Not everyone. You didn't, Saki.

I just felt sorry for you.

But this map-making

has proven to be really helpful in agricultural management.

Maybe it could help me achieve something even greater than what I'm doing no--

Like… war, for example?

Sun Tzu, the military strategist from ancient China…

…preached the importance of using geography in war.

Right, right. And the genius military advisor, Kanbei Kuroda…

…analyzed the terrain when conquering Bitchu,

then surrounded and flooded Takamatsu castle.

That's right!

If you put your knowledge to use, it might be possible

to secure the borderlands and end the Sangoku period.

The reunification of Japan wouldn't just be a dream!

The reunification of Japan?

Aoteru, have you heard of "Toryumon"?

Mitsuhide Ryumon… He's a general who has jurisdiction over the borderlands.

Noble and talented both in literary and military arts, he's a well-respected man.

They say that over a thousand people visit his house in the capital Osaka every day,

hoping to serve under him.

I think you would be able to make the most of your resourcefulness with him.

I just want to live a normal life with you, Saki.

That's enough for today. Let's go home.

A FEW DAYS LATER

It's so delicious! Saki, your cooking is the best!

We harvested all those ingredients here,

so I could never have made it if not for you.

But, man, it doesn't feel real.

While we are here farming, so many Yamato samurai are out at war, right?

Kinda makes you feel like a disgrace.

There's nothing disgraceful about it.

To win the war, we must have strong samurai.

What do you think you need for that?

Skill with a blade?

A competent commander?

A strong conviction!

Those are all very important, but there's something even more important.

Food.

To provide nutritious food to many samurai,

you must have high agricultural productivity.

In other words, agriculture makes the nation stronger.

I will say it over and over, you are not disgraceful at all.

We are amazing!

-Let's eat and get back to work! -You can't farm on an empty stomach!

-What's that? -Look at all the people.

An imperial visit?

That means the person in the carriage is the emperor of Yamato?

No, that's not the emperor.

LORD OF HOME AFFAIRS - DENKI TAIRA

People of Ehime, bow your heads.

This person has come from Osaka, the capital of Yamato.

Lord Denki Taira of Home Affairs!

What do you think you are doing?

Capture him!

Hold on, now.

Right.

Dismemberment by the wheel.

-Within 30 seconds. -What?

What?

Three, two, one.

No way! What?

Right.

Listen closely, commoners.

I am the state. Got it?

I'll be in this town until noon tomorrow, so you best behave yourselves.

That fatso is out of his mind!

Show some self-restraint, Saki! Seriously!

What is that fatso's deal?

Lord Denki Taira of Home Affairs.

He's the highest officer of Yamato and in control of state affairs.

The Taira clan's been a powerful clan since before the founding of Yamato.

OSAKA

Nineteen years ago, when his younger sister was made empress

of the former emperor Fuji II, he was appointed lord of home affairs.

Then, Denki Taira murdered Fuji II by poisoning him.

He backed the current emperor, Fuji III, as the successor,

and made his own daughter the empress, seizing full power and control.

MURDERED BY POISON

He killed the former emperor?

If he did something that insane,

why would the current emperor give that fatso control over everything?

Out of fear.

Fear? No way, I can't accept that!

How dare he say, "I am the state"? Are you kidding me?

He's not necessarily wrong.

Aoteru, are you saying you agree with that fatso?

I'm not agreeing with him. It's an established fact.

I won't let a fact like that exist.

We gotta kill that fatso.

What? Kill?

Wait, can you calm down for a second?

That's not going to bring about any kind of fundamental change.

I respect that you have courage,

but you must learn to control yourself at least a little!

Aoteru, it's you who must learn to have courage.

What are they doing?

Next one!

Taxes are ¥10 per person!

If you don't have enough, borrow it from a loan shark,

or it's 20 strikes with this stick!

1 YEN 50 SEN

Mr. Tax Collector of the Taira clan, here is a total of ¥10.

Please accept it.

-Aren't you forgetting something? -What?

There's a ¥2 handling fee.

So I'll need two more of these, all right?

That absolute piece of trash!

Wait, Saki! Come tomorrow, they will leave this town.

One! Two! Three!