I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

In fact, when he wrote this notice, Qing Deng had not only returned to his homeland, but he was also unaware of the trouble that had occurred in Owari.

However, this was not a "white lie" by Sanako.

Perhaps it was the tacit understanding between husband and wife, or perhaps it was Sanako's absolute trust in Aoto, but she firmly believed that her husband would rush back to rescue Qin Jin as quickly as possible!

With this trust in her, she organized a group of people to set up supply stations on the only way back to Qinjin to meet Qingdeng.

The person in charge of taking over this task was A-Wu.

Sanako was the matriarch of the Hatatsu Domain, and Omai was also the matriarch of the Hatatsu Domain.

In order to get through this crisis safely, A-Mai's sense of responsibility and determination are no less than Sanako's.

Unlike Sanako, she didn't have a high level of personal prestige, nor could she speak eloquently or give orders in front of a large group of strangers.

Therefore, she could only provide support in her own way, working hard behind the scenes.

A-Wu was responsible for supervising all the important tasks, such as "setting up supply stations to meet Qingdeng" and "posting notices to reassure the people".

When Sanako was in a meeting, she would often sit beside her to support her.

"A mistress sitting alone" is definitely more imposing and intimidating to the ministers than "two mistresses sitting side by side".

Even if A-Mai doesn't say a word, just sitting quietly next to Sanako is enough to put pressure on the courtiers.

The relationship between Sanako and Omai is quite delicate—this is no secret in the Hatatsu Domain.

By having Zuo and Wu sit shoulder to shoulder before the assembled officials, they were sending a clear message: Regardless of our private relationships or conflicts, we will never be confused when it comes to official and important matters! We will never fight amongst ourselves!

The two matriarchs worked together to fight the enemy... Upon witnessing this scene, all the officials felt the unity of the two women and their unwavering determination to protect Qin Jin.

It is worth mentioning that Sanako learned from Chacha's good intentions back then and did not make any public appearances in order to boost public morale.

In 1615, the Tokugawa clan launched the Second Battle of Osaka in order to completely eliminate the Toyotomi clan. This battle is known as the Siege of Osaka.

This battle is a matter of life and death for the Toyotomi family.

To boost morale, Yodo-hime Chacha—Toyotomi Hideyoshi's concubine and the "Empress Dowager" of the Toyotomi family—showed a rare display of strength, donned military attire, and personally went to the front lines to inspire morale.

She originally thought that her appearance would greatly boost the morale of the army.

Unexpectedly, her good deed not only failed to work, but also backfired, causing the morale of the soldiers defending the city to plummet...

The reason for this was that the soldiers thought the battle had been so devastating that even the "Empress Dowager" Chacha had personally gone to the battlefield, so they couldn't help but feel despair.

Japan has always been a patriarchal society, and very few women practice martial arts.

In the world's perception, going to war is a man's job, why should women get involved?

Therefore, the best course of action for most women in ancient Japan was to diligently study music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, marry a good husband, and settle down to be a dutiful wife and mother.

Female warriors like Sanako and Souji, who not only went to the battlefield but also made great achievements, are truly exceptional.

Now, Sanako and Omai are the matriarchs of the Hatatsu Domain, no longer simply female warriors and ninjas.

Their every word and action represents Qin Jinfan and is being closely watched by countless people.

Although they were originally female warriors (female ninjas), it was normal for them to wear military uniforms. However, they might be exploited by malicious individuals who spread malicious rumors such as, "Look, even the matriarchs are personally taking to the field. Qin Jin is truly at his wit's end."

Therefore, Sanako and Mai stayed cautiously at the Tachibana residence, waiting for Aoto's return.

Although the process was far from smooth, with the two women working together, order in Qinjin Prefecture gradually returned to stability.

The officials diligently and methodically remained at their posts.

The people were no longer panicked.

All shops are operating normally, and prices of goods remain the same.

As for the refugees who came to seek refuge, they were all properly resettled.

In fact, the effort and painstaking work that the two women put into "ruling the country in place of their husbands" went far beyond this.

In addition to the above, their extensive work included, but was not limited to: "sending out spies to ascertain the current situation in Owari," "tracking the specific movements of the Choshu army," and "sending warnings to Edo"...

In conclusion, their actions and achievements are entirely worthy of the title "Mistress of Qinjin"!

Qin Jin's ministers never imagined that one day they would gain power from two women!

It is unclear who started it, but recently the ministers of Qin Jin have been privately referring to Sanako as "Sanako-go-zen" and Omai as "Omai-go-zen".

X-Gozen... This nickname is clearly a tribute to Tomoe Gozen.

Tomoe Gozen was a famous female general in the late Heian period. She was not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also possessed unparalleled beauty. She was a loyal and devoted wife who assisted her husband. She is known for the anecdote of breaking the neck of an enemy general with her bare hands to cover her husband Kiso Yoshinaka's retreat.

The ministers of Hatatsu referred to Sanako and Omai as "Sanako-go-zen" and "Omai-go-zen" to express their respect—you are like Tomoe-go-zen, wise and capable wives who are worthy of being remembered in history!

After hearing from the officials at the supply station about the two women's recent efforts and deeds, Qing Deng remained speechless for a long time.

An indescribable feeling of emotion surged through him!

To be honest, if the two women were in front of him right now, he would want to pick them up immediately and kiss every inch of their bodies.

Even so, it is still not enough to truly express Qingdeng's excitement.

At that moment, he deeply understood what it meant to have a virtuous wife at home, so that her husband would not suffer any misfortune!

Sanako and Mai were a huge help!

Thanks to them, Qin Jinfan's current situation is far better than Qing Deng had expected.

Once he returns to Otsu, he won't have to spend any more time and energy stabilizing the morale of the people within the domain—for this alone, the two women are absolutely deserving of great credit!

"call……"

He took a deep breath, trying to suppress his excited and surging emotions.

In that instant, he felt all the fatigue that had been building up inside him vanish! His whole body was filled with inexhaustible energy!

Sanako and Ama have already given their all; how can I fall behind them?

With this thought in mind, he climbed back onto the radish's back and shouted:

"Let's go!"

The dust that had been scattered by the horse's (or cow's) hooves stomping on the ground returned to the surroundings.

The cavalry galloped eastward along the main road and soon disappeared at the intersection leading to Otsu.

……

……

2 days later—

Qinjin Fan, Dajin, Judi——

"..."

Sanako sat upright behind the desk, carefully reading the letter in her hand.

With each line her gaze swept across the letter, her brow furrowed more deeply.

After thoroughly reading the letter, her beautiful face turned ashen, and her expression became extremely unpleasant.

As soon as she took over the administration of the Hatazu Domain, she immediately mobilized the Ninth Division soldiers stationed in Otsu and ordered them to infiltrate Owari to collect intelligence on the Choshu Army, especially their specific movements, and to find out the truth about them.

Espionage is by no means an easy task.

Since dispatching this group of ninjas, Sanako has never received any reports from them.

Sanako had no choice but to wait silently.

Finally... today, at this very moment, the report she had been longing for has finally arrived—the letter in her hand.

The long-awaited intelligence finally arrived. She read the letter eagerly, while also preparing herself mentally.

Although she had prepared for the worst, the contents of the letter and the cruel reality before her still stunned her, leaving her deeply shocked for a long time.

"Ugh……"

Sanako, who rarely sighs, revealed a rare moment of vulnerability.

She wearily put down the letter in her hand, unconsciously turning her head to look westward, a faint look of longing appearing on her face...

"Waaaa! Waa ...

Suddenly, the sound of a baby crying rang out beside him.

The next instant, Sanako instinctively turned to the side, half anxiously and half nervously checking on the baby... namely, Kuro's condition.

Anyone who has raised a baby knows that babies often wake up suddenly while they are sleeping, and then cry for no apparent reason.

This is exactly the situation with Jiulang. One second he was sleeping soundly, the next he suddenly woke up and burst into tears.

Sanako was already used to this.

She was not only used to it, but also used to dealing with it.

"Don't cry~ Don't cry~"

She gently patted Jiulang's belly while speaking softly.

After more than a month of repeated "training," Sanako is now increasingly showing the qualities of a mother.

She has become exceptionally skilled at both soothing and entertaining babies.

Compared to her previous clumsy appearance, where she couldn't even properly wrap a baby in swaddling clothes, she was completely different.

Her gentle patting of her belly and her words of "Don't cry, don't cry" seemed to possess some kind of magic.

Before long, Jiulang's crying stopped and he quickly calmed down.

After a while, he slowly closed his eyelids and fell into a deep sleep.

Looking at her son who had fallen asleep again, Sanako's smile deepened, her pretty face filled with maternal love, and the weariness that had previously dominated her expression gradually faded away.

The Changzhou army is ravaging the Eastern Kingdom; Qing Deng and others have not yet returned; the thousands of people of Qin Jin are all counting on her to take charge; apart from A Wu, there is no one else around to support her...

Only she and Ah Wu know the immense pressure she has been under recently...

Even the resolute and unyielding "Chiba Oni Komachi" couldn't help but feel exhausted and physically and mentally drained in the face of this unprecedented pressure...

It has to be said that having children is indeed a very strange thing.

Before giving birth, Sanako admitted that she was not someone who liked children.

Rather, she often finds children annoying.