Chronicles of The Hardships of Komachi in The Sengoku Era

Mid August, 1572.

On July 19th, Nobunaga gathered almost all of his retainers to hold the ceremony of Nobutada’s first donning of armor. It is also called Yoroi Kizome, which is a ceremony where a male warrior wears armor for the first time. Usually, it coincides with the coming-of-age ceremony, but there is no formal rule, and it can be done before the coming-of-age ceremony, like Nobutada. On the other hand, there are cases like Takeda Yoshinobu, who had his coming-of-age ceremony at the age of thirteen and held the ceremony at the age of fifteen, two years later. Therefore, although the first donning of armor and the coming-of-age ceremony are often equated, they are different things.

Once the first donning of armor was over, Nobunaga led an army of about 50,000 to attack Asai Hisamasa, who was holed up in Odani Castle. They arrived in northern Omi Province and held Nobutada’s first battle ceremony. This marked the end of the series of ceremonies related to Nobutada.

“In this situation, it is impressive that renowned military commanders have gathered.”

Nobunaga addresses everyone before the first battle ceremony.

“All of us retainers will stand firm, protect the Oda family’s honor, and completely defeat the Asai family.”

Since he had not yet come of age, he was called Kimyomaru (Oda Nobutada) as his childhood name, but he was already a capable warrior in armor. Nobunaga, who usually had a stern expression, seemed somewhat relieved that the ceremony for his successor, Kimyomaru (Oda Nobutada), went smoothly, and his expression softened a bit.

“Everyone, drink up.”

The warriors drink celebratory sake at Nobunaga’s words. Although they are about to attack the Asai family, they show no signs of being anxious. The Asai family no longer has the power they once had and are on the verge of being extinguished. As for the Asakura family, their previous evasive actions have caused their reputation within the Oda clan to decline, and they are no longer seen as a prestigious family but rather as cowards. Nobunaga believed that the encirclement by the countrymen and the Honganji Temple and Enryakuji Temple had been lifted, and he could focus on attacking the Asai family. Of course, he understood that the second encirclement was steadily forming. Therefore, it was necessary to strike the Asai and Asakura families hard enough to immobilize them for a while.

“My Lord, congratulatory gifts have arrived from various provinces.”

Nobunaga receives a list of gifts from a page and reads through it. After reading everything, Nobunaga smiles slightly.

“Neither Kennyo nor Takeda can eat a tanuki.”

He sends gifts to those who are trying to crush him with the encirclement. It was either a display of confidence that he could always recover them or a separation of diplomatic etiquette and political stance, but either way, it was an interesting story for Nobunaga.

(To undermine those who are looking down on us and look down on them in return. I see, what Mitsuhide says makes sense. When everything is over, I will enjoy seeing their faces.)

“My Lord, is there anything inconvenient?”

Hori, who noticed that Nobunaga was smiling strangely while looking at the names on the list of gifts, cautiously asks a question.

“Neither Kennyo nor Takeda can eat a tanuki.”

In response, Nobunaga crumples the paper and throws it to Hori, uttering the same words as before. Hori takes the crumpled paper, but he is puzzled because he doesn’t understand Nobunaga’s true intention. However, Nobunaga does not say anything in response.

“…It’s disappointing that there’s only a little bit of sake in such a large cup.”

On the other hand, Shizuko, who was present at Nobutada’s first battle ceremony, drinks a small amount of sake that is poured into her cup. Since she is still under a prohibition on drinking, she is served water instead of sake in formal occasions where alcohol is served. However, water cups are considered unlucky, so the amount of water she is allowed to drink is strictly limited. Shizuko was slightly curious about why Nobunaga stubbornly refused to let her drink sake, but she had no particular desire to drink alcohol, so she left it at just being curious.

“Heh, it’s good that the encirclement has been lifted.”

“Indeed. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to proceed so smoothly.”

“But we must not let our guard down. The Asai and Asakura families are still alive. If we relax, we could lose our territory in an instant.”

Shizuko overhears the conversation among the warriors. From the current situation, it is clear that the Oda clan is not in immediate danger, so it is natural for their voices to lack a sense of tension. In fact, she thought that this relaxed expression and tone would be good for deceiving spies from various factions.

(I should start seriously considering who would be a suitable spy. But it’s probably impossible for me to do it… I wonder who would be the most suitable.)

Ashimitsu is the most suitable, but Shizuko is concerned that the burden on him is too high since she has entrusted him with military affairs. Ashimitsu himself is the type to say “if it’s impossible, it’s impossible,” so there is no need to worry, but he is an irreplaceable family member to Shizuko, and she wants to avoid putting too much burden on him.

(I’ll consult with him later. Then we can decide on our future plans.)

Having reached a conclusion, Shizuko only had to wait for the end of the first battle ceremony. After the ceremony, she would need to return to Owari, not participate in the attack on the Asai family. Of course, she would start preparing for the battle against the Takeda clan. Some supplies had already gathered in her storage. Among them were even parts for the new matchlock guns, but she kept them a secret even from Keiji and the others. Aya, who was in charge of distributing the goods, also did not know what they were. After all, to the casual observer, they just looked like iron rods or wooden molds. Even the people manufacturing them were not informed of what the final form would be.

(We must not let our guard down, but it is the culmination of hundreds of years of technology and research. Even people who don’t know what it is, just by looking at it, won’t understand what it is.)

In the first place, it was unheard of in the Sengoku period to disassemble a matchlock gun into its functional parts and mass-produce each part. The manufacturing technology was a closely guarded secret, and the structure was not easily known at the time. If the completed form was not found, it would be considered just a tool of some kind.

(It’s troublesome when spies have knowledge. That’s why they can’t easily come up with simple ideas.)

While thinking about such things, Shizuko drinks up the sake in her cup. Even though it is sake, drinking just enough to moisten her lips doesn’t make her feel like she has actually drunk anything.

Absentmindedly, Shizuko was lost in thought when the congratulatory gifts were brought in. Various things were sent from enemies such as Kennyo and Takeda Shingen’s sixth daughter, Matsuhime, and Tokugawa. The gifts were valuable items from both domestic and foreign sources, but Kimyomaru (Oda Nobutada) himself was not particularly pleased.

“Kimyomaru, don’t show your disappointment.”

“Father… I-I apologize.”

Perhaps thinking of them as gifts from the enemy, Nobunaga, who had been watching nearby, expressed his dissatisfaction. Whether it was pointed out or he understood it himself, Kimyomaru (Oda Nobutada) did not show his true feelings on his face after that.

After the first battle ceremony was over and the situation turned to attacking the Asai family, Shizuko was ordered by Nobunaga to gather the entire army and return to Owari instead of participating in the siege. The reason was that the eastern side seemed suspicious, so she was to act as a deterrent. From the perspective of other warriors, they were being deprived of the opportunity to achieve military exploits, but Shizuko silently began preparing to return. However, because there were plans to build a castle on Mount Tora Gozen, only a part of the rear support unit, including the Kurokuwa (civil engineering workers), remained.

“Ah, going back home without doing anything is demoralizing.”

“There’s nothing we can do. Lord Oda wants to use us, but it would be a problem if we were the only ones used and others were deprived of their chances for military exploits.”

“I understand, but still. I was looking forward to causing a ruckus, but being a deterrent is just demoralizing.”

Nagayoshi complains, and Keiji comforts him. It was already a decision that couldn’t be changed no matter what they said, but for Nagayoshi, voicing his complaints was a way to relieve stress. In times like this, men tend to understand each other’s feelings better than women.

“Well then, once the preparations are complete, we will return to Owari. After that, we will continue our training as usual. It may be the same old routine, but let’s do our best because this training will be useful someday.”

“Yes, sir!”

The other high-ranking warriors, except for Nagayoshi and Keiji, respond. Shizuko’s army has recovered considerably since the Battle of Usayama Castle and now numbers in the tens of thousands. However, the army personally led by Shizuko is only about 2,000 to 3,000, while Nagayoshi, Keiji, Saizo, Takatora (Yokichi Toudou), and Ashimitsu each lead 1,200 troops. Adding the rear support units, they have the same power as other influential warriors. Nobunaga’s request to give others a chance for military exploits is understandable with such a force.

“Hey, Shizuko. I came to see you off.”

As soon as the meeting ended, Kimyomaru (Oda Nobutada) came to Shizuko.

“Oh, Kimyomaru. I appreciate you coming to see me off. However, it’s careless of you to come without an escort.”

“Stop it, don’t be so formal. Even if you tell me that… um, what is it? It’s creepy.”

“That’s a harsh thing to say. But please bring an escort next time. We will also send some of our men, so make sure to return with an escort.”

As soon as she said that, Shizuko instructed Genro to select a few soldiers as escorts. Kimyomaru (Oda Nobutada), who overheard the conversation, had a displeased expression on his face.

“An escort is too formal. I just want to relax.”

“If the successor to Lord Oda were to fall in his first battle, not only Lord Oda but also the surrounding warriors would be criticized and bear the shame, you know?”

Since the day he was born, Kimyomaru (Oda Nobutada) had been designated as Nobunaga’s successor, but it was only today that it was officially confirmed. Losing a successor is a matter of life and death in the Sengoku period. Even though Nobunaga has many children, to put it bluntly, there is no one who can replace Kimyomaru (Oda Nobutada).

“Alright, alright. I get it. Jeez, don’t you trust my skills that much? By the way, is your new technology… incorporated into this armor?”

“…Well, yes. But don’t rely too much on it. When it’s time to die, you’ll die easily.”,If history follows its course, Kimyomaru (Oda Nobutada) will live until the Incident at Honnoji. However, the current history has already deviated from the history Shizuko learned. In some cases, people who were supposed to die end up living, and people who were supposed to live end up dying. Considering that, it was not easy for Shizuko to overlook Kimyomaru (Oda Nobutada) acting as he pleased.

“Well, I don’t want to die foolishly in my first battle either. Let’s listen to Shizuko’s advice here.”

Shizuko’s insistence caught Kimyomaru (Oda Nobutada)’s attention, and he listened to Shizuko’s opinion. After that, he stopped his carefree attitude and returned to the main camp surrounded by the guards brought by Genro.

“Well, let’s return to Owari.”

“Before that, could you spare me a little time, Lord Shizuko?”

Just when they were about to return home, an interruption occurred. Kimyomaru (Oda Nobutada) turned his face towards the direction of the voice with a look of exasperation, and there stood Takenaka Hanbei with a smiling face.

“There is something that concerns me a little.”

Ignoring Shizuko’s gaze, Takenaka Hanbei muttered while fluttering the paper he held in his hand.

Due to the “discussion” with Takenaka Hanbei, Shizuko’s return to Owari was delayed by half a day. However, there was no significant impact as Takeda and Honganji Temple were not making any noticeable moves at the moment.

On July 21st, Nobunaga ordered Shibata, Sakuma, Niwa (Niwa Nagahide), and Hideyoshi to attack Hiyariyama and Tora Gozenyama. They burned down the towns and attacked like fire. They also sent troops to Yamamotoyama Castle defended by Abi Sadayuki, but since Abi Sadayuki was already collaborating with the Oda side, it was just a deception to avoid being suspected of collusion.

On the 23rd and 24th, they burned down all the temples and villages that were planning an Ikko Ikki uprising near the border with Echizen. In this battle, neighboring residents and monks were killed by the Oda army. At the same time, Mitsuhide led the attack from the direction of Lake Biwa, blocking the reinforcements of the Ikko sect.

Nobunaga, who was successfully defeating enemy forces, ordered the construction of a castle on Tora Gozenyama on the 27th. After quickly completing the reconnaissance of the surrounding area, the Kurokuwa civil engineering workers entered Tora Gozenyama and began the construction work. As the days passed, the castle took shape, and Hisamasa could only watch with his fingers in his mouth. He no longer had the forces to drive away the Oda army, and it was clear that attacking would only result in defeat. Isolated and cut off from other forces, he had no choice but to send false information to Asakura requesting reinforcements.

Fooled by the false information from Hisamasa that Nobunaga was in crisis due to the Nagashima Ikko Ikki uprising, Asakura Yoshikage himself led a 15,000-strong army and set off from Echizen. However, as soon as they arrived in Omi Province and realized that the Oda army was still strong, they camped at Mount Otake and stayed there.

While they wasted time, the construction of Tora Gozenyama proceeded smoothly. Some facilities were not yet completed, but the sturdy defensive walls and other major facilities were already functioning. Nobunaga was delighted to see the efficient work of the Kurokuwa civil engineering workers, who were quickly and steadily completing the construction. On the other hand, Asakura and Azai had no openings to exploit and were frustrated.

As the standoff continued, there was movement on the Asakura side. In August, the father and son retainers of the Asakura clan, Maenami Nagatoshi and Choshu, who had given up on obstructing or preventing the castle construction, defected to the Oda side. The day after Maenami Nagatoshi defected, either out of impatience with the indecisive attitude of Asakura Yoshikage or as a result of using the defected Maenami Nagatoshi for intrigue, other retainers of the Asakura clan such as Tomita Nagahisa, Toda Yoji, and Keganosuke also defected to the Oda side.

“With so many defections, it’s not interesting anymore, father.”

Since the first battle ceremony, Kimyomaru (Oda Nobutada) had been in a good mood, despite not having any notable deployments. However, when Nobunaga heard Kimyomaru (Oda Nobutada)’s words, he smiled faintly.

“Young and strange. It is when the opponent is cornered that it becomes dangerous. A cornered rat will bite a cat.”

“However, Asakura is still hiding, and Azai is not making any significant moves. It may be safe to assume a one-sided victory, don’t you think?”

“That’s why.”

Kimyomaru (Oda Nobutada) tilted his head, not understanding the meaning of Nobunaga’s words. Nobunaga chuckled wryly, saying that this understanding could only be honed through practical experience.

“As the Asakura and Azai forces retreat, some soldiers will emerge. However, the remaining soldiers will be backed into a corner and become dead soldiers, attacking us. You know the strength of dead soldiers. There were soldiers who fought as dead soldiers in our army.”

“Ah…”

Finally, Kimyomaru (Oda Nobutada) understood Nobunaga’s true intentions. If they cornered the enemy too much, they would become desperate and only focus on finding an escape route, which could lead to a painful counterattack. Dead soldiers, whether allies or enemies, were formidable if on your side, but extremely troublesome if they became enemies.

“That’s right. As the Asakura and Azai forces become dead soldiers, there is a possibility that they will attack us. The fewer enemies there are, the more we should fear them. That fear is not a sign of cowardice. That fear will bring victory.”

“I am in awe of your deep consideration, and I will work harder, ashamed of my own lack of knowledge and skills.”

“Good. Everyone makes mistakes. What’s important is to acknowledge those mistakes, recognize one’s own immaturity, and use it as nourishment for growth. Those who hide their mistakes and blame others, even Matsu, will never grow. It’s better to cut them down early.”

With that, Nobunaga gathered his generals and made a declaration to them.

“Don’t worry about the continued standoff. The opportunity will come soon.”

Although there had been some movement in August, the situation between Oda and Azai/Asakura remained deadlocked. Nobunaga had challenged Asakura to a decisive battle several times, but Yoshikage never responded. Mocking his cowardice, Nobunaga moved to Yamanaka Castle, leaving Hideyoshi behind. Even with only Hideyoshi’s forces, there was still no movement from Azai or Asakura.

“Oh well, Azai and Asakura, just hiding all the time is boring.”

Hidenaga received his regular report and muttered while shrugging his shoulders. He was getting tired of the mere standoff. Of course, he was not the only one who felt that way.

“What does Lord think?”

“Continue to monitor and don’t let your guard down. Why don’t we just attack all at once?”

Hidenaga looked at Takenaka Hanbei, who also received the regular report, and crossed his arms. It seemed like he wanted to ask something, but Takenaka Hanbei didn’t answer. Nobunaga didn’t want to reduce his forces as much as possible before the upcoming major event. Knowing that, Takenaka Hanbei deliberately continued with a seemingly passive strategy.

“If we show weakness, they will underestimate us and come out… But it seems that Asakura is not aware of his surroundings.”

“Haha, that’s harsh. However, thanks to his cowardice, many have defected to our side. It would be best if they stayed that way. Of course, we want to achieve military achievements as well.”

“I understand your feelings. However–”

Just as Takenaka Hanbei was about to say something, rough footsteps reached his ears. Not only him, but Hidenaga also noticed the footsteps. There was only one person who could make such loud footsteps in their current location.

“I’m back! Geez, these greetings are tiring.”

“Welcome back, brother.”

It was Hideyoshi. He sat down in a suitable place and ordered a page to bring tea.

“So, any movement from Azai or Asakura?”

Hideyoshi asked with a wry smile, as if he already knew the answer. Hidenaga nodded and answered. Seeing that, Hideyoshi sighed as if to make a point.

“Azai I understand, but what’s the point of them coming here? Are they planning to stay holed up and return to Echizen in winter?”

“That possibility is the most likely. Once winter comes, the roads will be blocked by snow. If that happens, they won’t be able to return to their home country until the snow melts.”

“It’s frustrating. Well, thank you for your hard work. You can leave after serving the tea.”

A page brought tea during the conversation. Hideyoshi took a sip directly from the cup. It wasn’t exactly cold, but it was a treat for his body that had been walking around.

“Well, even if we get tired, we must not neglect Lord’s order to monitor. We should keep ourselves active and exercise regularly.”

“Understood.”

“Understood, brother.”

“Alright, that’s enough for now. Now, what’s for dinner today? It’s been a while since Shizuko’s kitchen staff is here. It’s not unreasonable to have high expectations, right?”

Hidenaga and Takenaka Hanbei could only smile wryly at Hideyoshi’s words.

On the other hand, Shizuko, who had been excluded from the attack on Azai and Asakura, disbanded her troops upon returning to Owari. August was a hot season, so the training itself was relaxed, but it was far from easy. However, it was different for warriors like Keiji and Nagayoshi. They held responsible positions, so they always needed to undergo rigorous training. But the training was more like torture than training. Especially Nagayoshi, who was directly trained by Mori Yoshinari. The intensity was enough to make anyone watching feel uneasy.

“What’s with that timid attitude! Do you think you can defeat the enemy with that?!?”

“I-I won’t… No, I won’t die!”

“Your defense is weak!”

“Guh!”

Nagayoshi desperately fought back, but Yoshinari mercilessly knocked him down. Nagayoshi let out a voice that sounded like a crushed frog as he fell to the ground.

“You keep making the same mistake, but you can’t learn it with your head. Learn everything with your body. Don’t worry, even if you forget it many times, I will beat it into your body every time.”,”W-Where is there anything to be reassured about… damn it! If it comes to this, I’ll take down one of the old man’s men no matter what!”

“You have great spirit. But your body can’t keep up!!”

“Geho!”

Dodging Nagayoshi’s attack easily, Yoshinari delivers a powerful blow to his vulnerable body. It must have been a fatal blow, as Nagayoshi writhes on the ground without caring about the eyes around him. But Yoshinari continues to pursue without much concern. Nagayoshi narrowly avoids it, but it was clear to anyone that he was heavily injured. Yoshinari had stepped back due to a shoulder injury, but seeing the current scene, it seemed like he could still be entrusted with the battlefield.

“What’s wrong? If you can’t defeat an old man like me, you won’t even become a foot soldier.”

“W-What old man? But, there’s no use complaining… Today, I’ll definitely take one down!”

Spitting out the blood in his mouth, Nagayoshi charges at Yoshinari. He had been able to exchange blows with Yoshinari for a while. However, in the one-on-one battle, Yoshinari was one step ahead.

“Too naive!!”

“Gueh!”

In the end, Nagayoshi couldn’t take down Yoshinari even today.

While Nobunaga was attacking the Asai and Asakura, Takeda was actively gathering information. Not only on the enemy Oda army, but also on their allies, Honganji Temple, Asai, and Asakura.

“Everything is moving just as you predicted, my lord. Your keen insight is truly impressive.”

“They are nothing more than chess pieces to me.”

Saying that, Shingen throws the report aside. He didn’t feel the need to confirm reports that he already knew. Shingen’s habit of throwing away reports one after another terrified his retainers. No matter how much information they gathered, it seemed as if “the fact that the report would come with that content” was already predetermined. Just as Shingen thought that everything could be thrown away, he stopped when he picked up one report. He opened the report and checked its contents. Shingen’s unusual behavior caused unease among his retainers. However, Shingen ignored their reactions and spoke.

“She has returned.”

“Huh? Ah, this time, the Oda’s attack on Asai, the daughter of the Konoe clan, was removed. I attended the first battle ceremony of the heir, but as soon as it was over…”

“What was the reason for her return?”

“It is said that the daughter of the Konoe clan achieved too much military merit, so it was to resolve the dissatisfaction of those around her.”

Shingen was not convinced by the reason given by his retainer. Knowing Nobunaga’s personality, he would have pushed Shizuko to achieve even more military merit and put pressure on the surrounding warlords. It was only natural for Shingen to think that there was a hidden motive behind the pretext of removing her from the front lines due to excessive military merit.

“(That daughter of the Konoe clan again, that Oda… What are they thinking? And what kind of power is hidden within that girl?)”

Shizuko had ordered her spies to gather information, but the results were not satisfactory. No matter where they investigated, they couldn’t obtain the crucial information they were looking for. People around them were murmuring about Nihime (Shizuko), the successor, but Shingen saw through the fact that Nihime (Shizuko) herself was a ploy by Nobunaga.

“(For an Oda brat, he’s quite capable. But if he does anything unnecessary, it will only spread suspicion to those around him.) What about Ashimitsu?”

“Ah… This man is impossible to deal with. He doesn’t even try to listen to what I have to say. He is exceptionally skilled and tried to forcefully recruit me, but he ended up being defeated.”

“Deal with him quickly. If Ashimitsu is the one we’re talking about, his value as a piece will increase.”

After saying that, Shingen dismissed his retainer. The retainer quickly left, and another retainer came to Shingen.

“I have a report for you, my lord!”

“Don’t say it out loud, I already know.”

The retainer’s surprised expression showed that Shingen had already anticipated everything. But as soon as the retainer prostrated himself, he placed the report on the tray and quickly left the room. Shingen, without even looking at the report, pondered in silence.

“(Everything is going according to the game plan. But what is this uneasiness I feel?)”

Shingen felt a discomfort in his throat, like a fishbone stuck. He tried to find the cause to get rid of it, but no matter how much he thought, the uneasiness in his chest didn’t go away.

Ashimitsu walked alone without his subordinates. Recently, even in his own surroundings, there were spies lurking around, so it was easier to dispose of them alone. As he walked along a well-maintained road, he saw a figure ahead. Squinting his eyes to get a better look, he saw a woman crying. But to Ashimitsu, she was just a pebble on the roadside. Without changing his expression, he continued walking without slowing down. And he passed by the crying woman. After walking about ten steps, the woman’s sobbing stopped. To be precise, she stopped fake crying.

“You even pass by a woman’s tears. You really are as heartless as the rumors say.”

Ashimitsu stopped his steps, but he didn’t turn around. However, the woman who was sitting on the ground behind him continued speaking without any particular dissatisfaction.

“Our lord has a message for you. It would be nice if you could finally accept the letter.”

Finally, Ashimitsu turned around. The woman, with a satisfied smile, took out the letter she had kept in her pocket and handed it to him. As soon as he snatched the letter, Ashimitsu tore it up without hesitation. He threw the torn pieces of the letter away, then punched the woman’s face, who was dumbfounded.

“What’s this garbage? How dare you speak with human words when you’re nothing but garbage.”

After being punched, the woman’s hair was grabbed, and she was dragged to a nearby tree trunk. With broken teeth, blood flowing from her nose, and the pain of her hair being pulled, the woman’s face turned pale when she understood what he was going to do next.

“S-S-Stop…”

The woman couldn’t finish her sentence. Before that, Ashimitsu slammed her face into the tree trunk. Not just once, but two, three times, he slammed her face into the tree trunk. When the sound of breaking changed to a watery sound, the woman fell face down into a puddle of blood, bodily fluids, and flesh. Ashimitsu looked down at the woman, who was only convulsing on the ground, with cold eyes. Eventually, when the woman’s convulsions stopped, Ashimitsu lost interest in her and left the scene without a word.

After Ashimitsu left, two men appeared from somewhere. The men quietly approached the woman. One of them placed his hand on her neck and twisted it.

“No good.”

“Such cruelty surpasses what I’ve heard. Whether it’s a woman or an enemy, it doesn’t matter.”

The men looked at each other and nodded, then moved the woman’s body to a less conspicuous location. Although they didn’t have anything to indicate their identity, they couldn’t leave the body unattended.

“We need to think of another plan.”

One of the men, who had finished disposing of the body, muttered. However, the other man didn’t respond to his words. The man who was curious turned his face to the other man and was greeted with a shocking sight.

“If the plan fails, the key to survival is how quickly we can escape from the scene.”

Ashimitsu spoke without changing his expression to the man who had a shocked expression. The other man’s neck was bent in a direction that a normal neck wouldn’t bend.

“Is it Takeda’s trash, or is it the Hojo’s scum? Either way, those who sniff around me…”

As soon as he finished speaking, Ashimitsu cut down the man. His lightning-fast surprise attack cut through the man’s body, which was still in a daze.

“Kill without exception. Eventually, our comrades will follow. Rest in peace.”

Blood gushed out from the man’s body like a geyser, but Ashimitsu sheathed his sword silently and left. The only things left behind were three corpses.

Shizuko’s army was progressing smoothly with their training. They were aware that spies were monitoring from a distance, but Shizuko believed that even if the training content was known, it wouldn’t be much of a problem. In the first place, the spies couldn’t understand the purpose of the training that Shizuko was imposing on the soldiers. Even if they were to report it to their superiors, it would only confuse them more without grasping the essence. It was similar to how prophets could interpret vague expressions in any way they wanted. Even if they were able to catch a glimpse of the future, they would have to use familiar things as metaphors to express the unknown.

“It’s a good trend. We should be on track to meet the deadline in December.”

After checking the physical fitness data of the soldiers, Shizuko was confident that they were making good progress towards the goal by December. The other data was also fine, and the soldiers’ basic physical fitness was improving smoothly. From the soldiers’ perspective, although it was a bit mysterious, they had no complaints since they received money just by training every day.

During this time, Shizuko herself was not training as much as the soldiers. Of course, she did some training to prevent herself from getting rusty, but she didn’t undergo the intense training that the warlords were doing. From the perspective of the soldiers and warlords, they preferred Shizuko to stay in the rear and command, as it would be bad for her heart to be at the front. Whether it was good or bad, Shizuko adjusted her position to give orders from the rear, as most of the warlords wished.

“Well, it’s a mystery, but let’s not think too deeply about it.”

Shizuko had other tasks to attend to, one of which was to organize the accumulated documents. Although she had a personal seal, she mainly used a stamp because it was faster. However, unlike countrymen and court nobles, Shizuko used a black ink stamp for official documents. Even though they were seal documents, they were treated as formal documents. She carefully examined the contents of the documents, stamped them if there were no issues, and if there were problems, she wrote down the points of concern and returned them. The large number of documents were processed in no time. Shizuko ordered her attendants to move the finished documents to the next stage.

“Ah, I’m done, I’m done. Administrative work is so tiring.”,While patting her shoulder, Shizuko loosens her stiff body. As soon as she finishes her work, Wittman and the others skillfully open the door and enter. While Shizuko doesn’t disturb her during work, Wittman and the others have no reservations about relying on her once she’s finished. The Manul cat, Maruta, who goes his own way even during work, is lying down in his usual spot, fast asleep. Turkish Angora cats, Tama, Hana, and Yuki, as well as the snow leopard, Yukki, are typical cats who come and go as they please. Today, it’s unusual for Shirochoko to come in. Even though she came in, she sits wherever she pleases and rests freely.

“My room is not a resting place, you know.”

While saying that, Shizuko covers Kaiser’s back and enjoys stroking him.