The first wave of women, around six thousand strong, arrived at Hangu Pass, eager to reach the Pure Land. They gathered at the gate, glaring at the guards as if facing a hostile enemy.
"Let us out!"
"All women are free! Why are you stopping us from leaving?"
"I renounce my citizenship of the Great Chu!"
"Open the gate immediately!"
"If you don't let us pass, we'll report you to Emperor Yao Guang!"
The women shouted, their spittle flying in the faces of the garrison soldiers guarding the pass. But the soldiers, recently rotated from the Peng City garrison, stood firm.
Atop the gatehouse, clad in silver armor, General Fan Chun surveyed the agitated crowd.
"Not bad." He grinned, revealing a set of pearly white teeth.
"Intelligence reports indicate another 120,000 are on their way."
"Compared to the Three Kingdoms, the population drain in the Great Chu is relatively minor. No wonder Second Brother always says the common people are both pitiful and endearing. They are easily content. Ninety percent of them only desire peace and stability."
The deputy commanders flanking Fan Chun nodded in agreement.
The Great Chu had a population exceeding one hundred million. Even Sage Ruler Yao Guang, despite her eloquence and captivating sermons, had only swayed 120,000.
"Second Brother says those who abandon their homes and families are mostly those accustomed to a life of luxury and privilege.
They are naive. They take their comfort for granted, imagining and exaggerating their rights while ignoring their responsibilities. Letting these parasites leave is actually beneficial to the Great Chu!"
Fan Chun’s words puzzled his deputies.
"General, if that's the case, why not simply open the gate and let them go?"
"Duke Jin even sent the supply troops with… uh… 'Great Chu Emigration Gift Packages.'
"These traitors! Instead of punishing them for their treasonous actions, they receive gifts?"
Fan Chun chuckled. He couldn't reveal his second brother's plan to outsiders. "Gentlemen, do you not trust my second brother?" he asked playfully.
"We do!" the deputies responded in unison.
They had been trained by the Fan Clan Trading Company since childhood. Their allegiance was to the Fan Clan, not the Emperor.
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
"Silence!!!" Fan Chun silenced the thousands gathered below. "I am Fan Chun, Commander of the Great Chu Garrison."
The crowd fell silent.
Fan Chun?
The third son of the Fan Clan?
Though not the Minister of War, he was the most powerful figure in the Great Chu military.
In recent years, the Great Chu hadn’t engaged in any foreign wars. However, when it came to suppressing internal rebellions and banditry, Fan Chun’s achievements were unmatched.
He was known for two things: his unblemished record of victories and the fact that he never took prisoners.
The latter, in particular, sent chills down the spines of some of the women, causing a few to weep openly.
Hearing their cries, Fan Chun sneered.
Was this all it took to break them?
They sought freedom? Freedom was a heavy burden, and absolute freedom didn't exist.
His second brother had taught him that anything "absolute" was a lie.
"Fellow citizens. I am here, under orders, to see you off." Fan Chun’s words stirred the crowd.
A bold woman spoke up. "When you say 'see us off,' do you truly mean just that?"
Her imagination ran wild, picturing the garrison soldiers escorting them to their deaths.
"Of course. You are about to embark on a long journey to a foreign land. Though Duke Jin is reluctant to see you go, he wishes you all the best."
Hearing him address them as "fellow citizens," another woman retorted. "From this day forward, we are no longer citizens of the Great Chu. We have willingly embraced the Pure Land. The Pure Land is our new home!"
Her words angered the deputy commanders. As soldiers tasked with defending their nation, hearing such declarations from those they were supposed to protect filled them with rage. They longed to leap down from the gatehouse and strike them down.
"Oh?" Fan Chun continued, "You are all willing to renounce your citizenship? Even though your families, loved ones, and children remain in the Great Chu?"
His words caused many to pale, their resolve wavering. Some, reminded of their families, began to weep.
"Don't be swayed by his words! Our lives as women are filled with hardship and boredom! Fortunately, Emperor Yao Guang, in her benevolence, has offered us a true paradise.
If we give up now, we will return to that miserable existence, wasting our precious time.
We women are like flowers. Only the vast earth can nourish us. Why confine ourselves to a tiny pot?"
The woman's words were persuasive, especially her final analogy. Those wavering felt a surge of anger, their longing for their loved ones transformed into resentment. Those they cared for became shackles, binding them to a life of misery.
How hateful!
"Open the gate! Let us out!" the women shouted, their tear-stained faces filled with hatred towards Fan Chun, as if he were the source of all their suffering.
"Sigh."
"Second Brother was right. I shouldn’t waste my breath."
Fan Chun raised his right hand, making a hand gesture understood only by the garrison soldiers.
Suddenly, hundreds of soldiers, pushing carts laden with supplies, assembled beneath the gatehouse.
"Ladies," Fan Chun announced. "The Brahma Sound Pure Land is located in the western frontier, where the sun is strong, the wind harsh, and the climate dry.
Duke Jin, concerned for your well-being and worried about potential discomfort due to the change in environment, has prepared these 'Great Chu Emigration Gift Packages,' one for each of you."
"What's in the packages?" a woman asked. "And what does 'emigration' mean?"
"Duke Jin has decreed that all citizens of the Great Chu who reside abroad shall be considered emigrants," Fan Chun explained. "As for the packages, they contain everyday necessities."
"Emigrants?" A woman scoffed.
"The moment we leave the Great Chu, we become citizens of the Pure Land. We don't need your 'emigrant' status!"
"Everyday necessities? My family is wealthy. I lack nothing. Why would I need your gifts?"
The crowd buzzed with discontent, urging Fan Chun to open the gate. They even threatened to complain to Yao Guang upon reaching the Pure Land, vowing to make Fan Chun pay for delaying them.
"Really? You don't want these packages?"
Fan Chun showed no anger, only a hint of regret.
"These packages contain the latest products from the Fan Clan Trading Company: body wash, shampoo, perfume, face masks, body lotion…
These are all highly sought-after items, typically reserved for royalty, nobility, and prestigious families. But since you don't want them, I'll have them taken back."