Year of the Boar, Tenth Month, Day 8.

I awoke this morning freshly determined.  My resolve had wavered as I lay awake at various times during the night.  What would my mother have done...? My grandmother...?  Her mother before her...?  I know, deep in my heart, though that none of them would have allowed Silent Thunder to be slighted in this fashion. So, go to war, I will. For the sake of my House, for the sake of my people and for the sake of my child.  I called Azusa and Tomoe to my chambers and had them cover the walls with carpets; I cannot be too careful from now on. The very walls themselves may hear too much and one never knows where there are spies.  As I remember it, Pale Twilight were particularly skilled at spying long ago; my great grandmother used to tell a story of a spy she had caught working as a maid to one of her cousins. In this story, she found the girl smuggling scrolls containing House secrets to Laughing Spider in baskets of laundry which would find their way to the gates of the House rather than the laundry.  She told of how she managed to work on the girl until she agreed to turn and spy double. I am not certain but I do not think that my child self would have understood the concept of torture, although now that is what I believe she did... I do not know if any of the Houses indulge in any serious spying these days; I cannot imagine what the point would be although... if we are to go to war... I will most certainly need to invest in some spies of my own and perhaps if I had already had some... my House would not be in the mess it is now... Regardless, White Lake must suspect nothing before I am upon them so I must act accordingly and ensure that my secrets remain just that.
I digress.
I have asked Azusa to facilitate the recruitment of soldiers. I cannot see a way to launch a war unless I can muster an army of a decent size... I have no idea how one recruits soldiers, so I shall have to leave it to Azusa to liaise with the remaining troops and see what is to be done... Enough of this; I tire... I must try to sleep...