(Kiyomi POV)
The princess's mobilization orders went as well as anyone would have expected, which is to say, not so much.
Most of the Noble houses were predictably less than cooperative, citing ridiculous reasons for not being able to mobilize their own household's troops.
Reasons ranged from needing them to participate in so and so daughter's wedding or they were on leave or even just plain outright rejecting the princess's order saying they only answer to the king.
The Sects however, were at least a bit more accommodating.
Just a bit.
Most of the Minor Sects pledged their Practitioners' participation in the battle, but the same could not be said for the Grand Sects.
Even though Heaven Sect had came forward to announce their support, the other Sect Masters claim that our Master's absence was a clear indication that the war was not as serious as we made it out to be.
If it weren't for the fact that we had lost contact with Master, we might have a way to counter their arguments. But alas, such a thing was unfortunately unavailable.
In the end, no one else amongst the top ten Grand Sects had stepped forward to join the cause.
No doubt these people were all hoping that the current Royal Family just perished so they could take its place as the ruler of the continent. Each of them think they possess enough strength themselves to annihilate the remaining Dong army after we had exhausted them.
Truly the thinking of the weak.
We took note of these pieces of trash to purge later, of course.
In the end, the princess only managed to dredge up the professional army of a little bit under ten thousand with the Practitioners added in.
Had this been a better world, we would have easily received at least twice that number if everyone had chosen to help us.
The order for conscription was then announced to the public and all able-bodied men were expected to join up for the war.
It was a rather tragic scene, really, to see the people's faces who were originally full of mirth from celebrating the princess's Coming of Age change so quickly into one of shock and despair.
I had thought that Guiying will definitely be hated for this and her eventual ascension to the throne would most likely be a very uncertain road, since this call to arms would definitely make the people hate her, after all.
But my worries seemed to have been unfounded since most, if not all, of the citizens were mostly aware of the Dong threat all this while.
I believe it has to do with all the refugees that came from across the mountains who then shared their stories with the people. That might have fostered a sense of sympathy and hate for the Dongs amongst the citizens over the years.
Guiying had capitalized on that little fact.
Using the still ongoing celebration to gather the populace, she had announced the conscription and the coming war in the next few days. She had even taken the chance to announce her own family's demise and declared herself the regent in lieu of the current crisis.
Putting aside how much protocol she had just disregarded, the initial reaction went about just as expected. Scenes of outrage and denial, some even openly cursing her and refusing to accept her as queen was spread throughout the crowd.
Guiying had endured all that without flinching, raising her hands to calm them down.
The princess began speaking as though she was an equal to them, declaring her love for the country and its people and how she had wished to do so much more for the people and cursed her powerlessness.
She had then proceeded to openly lament how the refugees from Dong had braved the perilous journey here for the promise of a better life.
She recounted how they had initially received them with suspicion and discrimination until slowly accepting them as their brothers, sisters and even lovers over the years.
Guiying reminded them of the injustice they had faced and that the Dongs now seek to cross the mountains to subject us to their rule, destroying what we had worked so hard to protect all these years.
She weaved a scenario of extreme hardship and torture should the Dongs be allowed to trample them and somehow even managed to push her family's demise into their hands convincingly. The day where she was supposed to celebrate the most had turned into a day of mourning instead.
The way she played with their emotions and mentality was so well done that even Diao Chan was in awe.
The princess I had initially thought as a hapless little girl now seemed so dominant and confident that I questioned which one was the true Guiying. It felt like she had just flipped a switch and changed herself and if this was her real self, she is quite the impressive one indeed.
I had almost forgotten that she had actually almost killed off one of the nobles in her fit of rage before, something that was hard to imagine when she acted so demure previously.
With that rousing speech of hers, the people threw in their full support where even a number of women had volunteered to take up arms against the Dongs.
With that much support, a number of the Major Houses and Grand Sects had no choice but to throw in their support in order to avoid losing face as well. Just a few of them that is.
Seeing so many people rising up to such an occasion…
It is honestly quite revolting for me.
So many pitiful and easily manipulated weaklings banding together thinking they were doing it of their own accord.
Pathetic.
To require such manipulation before they could actually see what is required of them even when they dared to call themselves this country's citizens is just… Sad.
Our own followers would have risen to the occasion without question, that is not to say that they were mindless sheep but it was just that they knew what was important and what was not.
This land is Master's home.
If a group of uncultured barbarians were to try and take it for themselves, they will need to do it over our dead bodies.
We will cut them down and purge every last one of these worthless pieces of scum who dare, dare, DARE think about sullying the sanctity of Master's land!
Ahhh~~ That thrill!
I will personally crush these worthless insects beneath my feet! Rip them all to shreds for having the audacity to tread upon this sacred place!
For Master who stands at the apex of power, powerless beings like the Dong scum should be grateful to even tread the very path he walks!
Yes… We shall make sure that after this little facade, Dong will be no more!
The weak things who dare try to stain Master's glory shall be purged!
For this world where power is everything, only Master deserves to have everything!
