Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1169

The scissors carefully trimmed a protruding branch of the bonsai. As the jutting branch was cut away, the bonsai transformed into a slightly more vibrant form.

Each time the wrinkled hand slowly moved here and there, it seemed as if the bonsai was coming to life.

“Hmm….”

The Leader gazed at the completed bonsai with a calm look.

“Leader!”

A person who had entered the garden with slightly hurried steps knelt before the Leader.

“Reporting. The first wave has successfully landed. And the second and third waves are currently entering the peninsula for additional landings.”

The Leader did not respond.

His gaze remained fixed on the bonsai.

It was as if perfecting this bonsai was more important than something like war.

“…Leader?”

“Do you see it?”

“Yes?”

At the Leader’s words, Sugiyama Shinya, who had given the report, turned his head towards the bonsai.

The bonsai, which had been carefully cultivated for a long time, looked so magnificent that even a layman would be moved to admiration.

“What do you think?”

“It is magnificent.”

It was not an appropriate conversation to have during wartime, but Shinya did not question it.

There was a reason for all of the Leader’s actions.

Even seemingly meaningless actions had often turned out to have a solid reason when looked back upon later. The Leader was someone whose way of thinking could not be fathomed by ordinary people.

No matter how great the Three Kings of China were, and no matter how much Kang Jin-ho of Korea was gaining momentum, Shinya thought that none of them could be compared to the Leader.

Power?

That was a secondary issue.

Strength was a necessary element for those who led an organization, but as long as one possessed a certain level of strength, it was not a major problem.

What a leader needed was not power, but the foresight to see the future and strong leadership.

In that respect, the Leader was a perfect leader.

He knew how to prepare for the future and how to control people. It was unimaginable for someone else to sit in the Leader’s position.

“Why is it?”

“What do you mean… I don’t understand, Leader.”

“Why is it magnificent?”

The Leader’s gaze turned to the bonsai.

“Because you cared for it, Leader.”

“That is not the answer.”

The Leader slowly put down the scissors. Then, he reached out and gently stroked the leaves of the bonsai.

“Nurturing a force and nurturing a bonsai are not so different.”

“Whether it’s a force or a plant, they are things that cannot be controlled from the start. No matter how much attention you give and manage where the branches will grow, if you take your eyes off them for even a moment, they will grow as they please and ruin the harmony. No matter how good the seed you plant, it will never grow the way you want it to.”

“That is so.”

“The same goes for a force. No matter how much you spend your whole life organizing, paving the way, and nurturing it, it will never be as you wish. Even if you make rules, there will be those who break them, and even if you set a direction, there will be those who move in the opposite direction.”

Shinya quietly lowered his head.

“Do you know what is most important in nurturing a bonsai?”

“I do not know, Leader.”

“It is cutting off the branches.”

The Leader’s eyes turned cold.

“Usually, when growing a tree, it is said that cutting off the rotten branches is important.”

Shinya nodded.

It was something he had heard often.

“But that is what people who do not know say.”

The Leader continued in a cold tone.

“Anyone can cut off rotten branches. What is truly important is cutting off branches that are not rotten. To grow a bonsai beautifully, you must be bold. You must cut off new shoots before they even grow, and even if a well-grown branch is blooming beautifully, you must not hesitate to use the scissors if it disrupts the harmony. Only by being so bold and caring so meticulously can a decent bonsai be created.”

Shinya’s eyes turned to the bonsai.

The bonsai created by the Leader was indeed extraordinary.

Perfect harmony and flavor were present there.

“Shinya.”

“Yes, Leader.”

“Nurturing a force is the same. While others focus on increasing the size of their force, I first thought about the harmony of the force. Even if they had potential, if they were harmful to the future of Shinichi-kai [a Japanese Yakuza organization], I boldly cut them off, and even young children who had not yet had a chance to show their potential were purged without hesitation. Do you think I went too far?”

“No, I do not.”

“Why?”

Shinya lowered his head further and answered.

“Because you have no personal desires, Leader. If you kill someone out of personal feelings, it is murder, but if you kill someone for the sake of a greater cause, it cannot be called murder. If you do not distinguish between the greater cause and personal desires, all the heroes who have embraced history will not be able to shed the guise of murderers.”

“Sweet words are harmful.”

“But is there any reason to hesitate in stating the truth as it is?”

“Even that is excessive.”

The Leader’s gaze slowly turned upwards.

Looking at the distant western sky, the Leader opened his mouth.

“This time is the same. When I first became the action leader of Shinichi-kai, I devoted myself to the harmony of my members. When I became the leader of Shinichi-kai, the harmony of Shinichi-kai became my goal. What do you think it is now?”

“You are the one who leads Japan, Leader.”

“Yes, that’s right. I don’t know if it was what I wanted, but I had risen to that position before I knew it. But even if my position changes and my status changes, what I do does not change. Having risen to this position, I cannot help but think about the harmony of all of Japan.”

“For harmony, you must cut off.”

“You know it.”

The Leader put on a faint smile.

“A fool gains nothing while carrying out one task. An ordinary person gains one benefit while carrying out one task. And a wise person thinks of several benefits at the same time from one task.”

“No one will doubt your wisdom, Leader.”

“Do not be overconfident.”

The Leader quietly shook his head.

“I am not without confidence in my own mind, but those I have to face are also extremely wise. Just as I aim for several things, they also aim for several things. Only when I win that match will I be able to laugh.”

“It will be as you wish, Leader.”

The Leader quietly nodded.

“You said the second wave is entering?”

“Yes, Leader. That is correct.”

“What about the main force?”

“The main force is also attempting to enter.”

“I see.”

The Leader’s eyes sank a little deeper.

“One always hesitates when cutting off a living branch.”

“Whether you can put strength into your trembling fingertips or hesitate and back down determines the life of the bonsai. But even I hesitate this time. If you cut off too large a branch, the bonsai can wither.”

“That will not happen.”

The Leader’s gaze turned to Shinya.

“We have a strong trunk and the peninsula as fertilizer. If we can obtain the peninsula, we can recover from the wound of cutting off a large branch at any time.”

“That must be so.”

The Leader quietly nodded.

“What about the first wave?”

“They have successfully landed. Department Head Yoshinobu has left a message for the Chief that he will not set foot on Japanese soil without beheading Kang Jin-ho.”

“Young spirit is something that pleases people. But having spirit and looking down on the opponent are different things. I don’t know if Yoshinobu knows this fact.”

“If it is Yoshinobu, he will know it well enough.”

The Leader did not answer and smiled.

Andara….

That must be so.

He must know it.

But that was not the answer.

Knowing and understanding are different. But most people think that they have understood the knowledge just by knowing it.

Is there anyone who does not know that murder is bad?

Is there anyone who does not know why stealing is bad?

But murder and robbery happen frequently in the world. Just because you know it doesn’t mean you can keep it. If everyone could act according to reason and common sense, the world would not be so chaotic.

But humans are beings who cannot even keep what they should naturally keep. That is why there are always variables in war. The one who makes the strategy is human, and the one who executes it is also human.

At that moment, another person entered the garden. He immediately knelt and lowered his head.

“A message has arrived from Chai Ke-chang. He said that he has finished delivering it to the General Assembly.”

“I understand.”

“Yes!”

As the reporter left the garden again, Shinya looked at the Leader with a slightly questioning look.

“A message, you say?”

“It is as it sounds. I gave information to the General Assembly.”

“…To the General Assembly?”

“Why? Is it strange?”

The Leader smiled.

“Even in the Warring States period [a period of warfare in ancient China], it was common for leaders to exchange letters with each other. Do you think they did such things because they were stupid?”

“That is not the case.”

“Yes, there is a reason for everything in the world. The battlefield is where reason and reason collide. Now that they know my intentions, they will have no choice but to move as I want them to.”

“…May I ask why?”

“Because it is also beneficial to them.”

Shinya unknowingly raised his head and looked at the Leader.

The Leader smiled and looked at him.

“Is it strange?”

“It is difficult for a commoner like me to understand.”

“It is not difficult. People think that war is about inflicting losses on the opponent and bringing benefits to oneself. But how easy would that be?”

It would not be easy.

The opponent would also be aiming for the same thing.

“The true strategy is not to force losses on the opponent. It is to give benefits to the opponent. And then I take even greater benefits.”

“It is difficult.”

“It is not difficult. Isn’t it a strategy that everyone uses to give up a small castle in exchange for a larger castle? It is just a little further than that.”

The Leader slowly turned his body.

“War is ultimately just a game of chess played on a vast board called the earth. A novice tries not to give up any of his pieces and only aims for the opponent’s pieces. But a master thinks about how to sacrifice his pieces to capture the opponent’s pieces.”

Shinya was silent.

He could not follow the Leader’s thoughts.

Even if the Leader explained it in detail, he could not see into the depths.

He could only believe and follow.

“Tell Yoshinobu.”

“Yes!”

“Tell him not to miss the timing.”

“I will carry out your command.”

As Shinya hurried away, the Leader reached out and stroked a branch of the bonsai.

Snap.

A large branch broke off completely.

The Leader’s expression as he looked at the branch that had fallen to the ground did not show any emotion.