The domineering Uchiha drove the Third Hokage mad!

Chapter 355 The Daimyo of the Land of Wind Begins Human Trafficking

The atmosphere in the council hall of the Daimyo's mansion in the Land of Wind was extremely oppressive, as if it were the eve of a storm!

As soon as the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, entered the council hall, he heard the daimyo's curses.

On the council table, a population loss report was spread out, showing that nearly ten million civilians had left the country in the past three months!

The enraged daimyo slammed his fist on the table, splashing tea across the cup: "Rasa, are the ninjas you sent out just sitting around doing nothing? They can't even stop a civilian! Civilians are fleeing every day! If this continues, the population of the Land of Wind will be emptied out!"

Luo Sha's face turned pale, and he was about to speak in his defense.

The finance minister, who was standing nearby, suddenly stood up and bowed: "Your Highness, I have a plan that may turn this 'misfortune' into a 'good thing'."

The lord stopped and glanced at him sideways: "Oh? Tell me, what plan... will it keep them here... or... will it bring them back?"

The Finance Minister adjusted his glasses, a calculating glint in his eyes: "Retaining people is difficult, but we can profit from this 'lost money.' The Water Kingdom offers a reward of 1000 taels per immigrant. With 20 million people having already left, that's 2 trillion taels, equivalent to over 20 years of the Wind Kingdom's fiscal revenue! Since those people want to immigrate, why don't we proactively 'send' them there and pocket this reward!"

The daimyo of the Land of Wind's eyes lit up, and he strode over to the Minister of Finance: "Send them over? You mean, we'll proactively organize civilian immigration and get a reward from the Land of Water?"

The Finance Minister nodded, his mind full of calculations: "Exactly! We don't need to stop them. Instead, we should organize and send people to escort them there, and let the Water Kingdom reward us based on the number of people they take. They want people, we want money—a win-win situation!"

The daimyo tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his eyes gleaming with greed: "Ten million people are too few. Since the Land of Water is so fond of population, we'll send two hundred million over! Two hundred million people, that's four trillion taels! That's enough for us to build an army, and even enough to cripple the Land of Water's finances. Then the money is ours, the land is ours, and the people are ours!"

The finance minister quickly flattered, "Your Highness is wise!"

The daimyo nodded in satisfaction and continued, "Remember, we only want gold, not the Land of Water's currency. Who knows if their money will depreciate? Also, this matter cannot be handled in my name. Find a few nobles to lead the effort; I don't care about the specifics. I just want gold worth 4 trillion taels!"

Upon hearing this, the Minister of Revenue stood up, his face ashen: "Your Highness, this is absolutely forbidden! The Land of Wind has a total population of just over 74 million, and nearly 10 million have already fled. If another 20 million are sent away, the entire country will only have a little over 40 million people left! The country will be in serious trouble!"

The powerful figure kicked the Minister of Revenue, sending him sprawling to the ground: "Useless trash! You know nearly ten million people fled? If I had thought of this method earlier, I could have earned an extra two trillion taels! What use are you now that you're trying to stop me?!"

The Minister of Revenue prostrated himself on the ground, tears streaming down his face: "Your Highness, the population is the foundation of a nation! Without people, no matter how much gold we have, we cannot defend our land! The Kingdom of Akatsuki is still watching our west; if our army is not replenished, they could attack at any moment!"

The daimyo of the Land of Wind bent down and grabbed the Minister of Revenue by the collar: "Then send the people from the border cities of the Land of Dawn to the Land of Water as immigrants. There will only be empty cities and sand there. Even if they occupy them, it will be a waste! As for you, all you do is say 'this won't work' and 'that won't work.' What can you do besides holding everyone back?"

He released his grip, and the Minister of Revenue fell heavily to the ground, unable to get up for a long time.

The daimyo straightened his robes and said to the finance minister, "This matter is entrusted to you. You have one month to compile a list of 2000 million people and then find reliable merchants to connect with. If you fail to do a good job, you'll be sent to guard the city gates with the minister of revenue!"

The finance minister said with a fawning expression, "Your Highness, I will certainly handle this matter well. Moreover, we can transport the elderly and children to the Land of Water, thus relieving the country of a burden!"

Upon hearing this, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind laughed heartily, "You really have a way! Let's do it your way!"

Luo Sha stood aside, watching the farce unfold before him, his heart turning cold.

He knew the name, but now he was blinded by the gold and wouldn't listen to any objections.

In the afternoon, the finance minister secretly summoned dozens of merchants and nobles who frequently traveled to and from the Water Kingdom to discuss the "immigration business" in a secret room.

"Gentlemen, I've called you here today because I have a big deal to discuss."

"The Land of Water is receiving immigrants. The higher-ups want you to organize the immigration of 2500 million people. For every person you successfully send over, I will give you a reward of 10000 taels."

The merchants stared wide-eyed at the numbers on the slip of paper.

Each person would receive 10000 taels of silver, and if they escorted 2500 million people, that would amount to 2500 billion taels of silver in kickbacks—more than they would earn in ten years of business!

"Rest assured, sir, we will definitely handle it. However, 2500 million people is a huge undertaking. Will there be any problems?"

"Don't worry, this is the order from above. As for the population, I'll have the nobles help, prioritizing the elderly and children!"

The leading merchant immediately replied, "Alright, we understand. We'll have the vehicles for transporting the people ready within two days!"

The Finance Minister nodded in satisfaction: "I will send people to the Water Kingdom to negotiate with them and arrange for the evacuation in batches, 10 people each time. Remember, we only accept gold!"

Then, the merchants went from village to village, persuading the common people to accept the benefits and treatment offered by the Water Kingdom.

In Huangsha Village in the southern part of the Wind Kingdom, merchant Li Si was addressing the villagers: "Listen up, everyone! The Water Kingdom is short of people. If you come with us, you'll get housing and jobs there, earning 60000 taels a month! We'll cover all your food and drink along the way! This is a rare opportunity; don't miss it!"

The villagers surrounded Li Si, bombarding him with questions: "Boss Li, you're not a swindler, are you?"

Li Si explained with a smile, "I heard that the factories in the Land of Water are short of workers, and they're willing to pay high-ranking nobles, so I came to you! We need to gather 10 people before we set off, with priority given to the elderly and children!"

The villagers started discussing it, and eventually some nodded: "I've heard about this before... I'll bring my grandson to register... We'll go with you!"

In just three days, Li Si organized a force of nearly 10 people.

Similar scenes unfolded in various villages of the Land of Wind.

The merchants offered "the benefits of the Water Kingdom, and the guarantees from the great nobles!"

To allay the common people's concerns, they sent batches of civilians to the Land of Water...