I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

However, he wasn't the kind of person who couldn't see things clearly.

After enduring a series of battles against a group of top fighters, including Susumu Oishi, Hideaki Iba, and Nobuo Imai, even with his immense talent, he couldn't help but feel physically exhausted.

Because of the blessing of "Divine Brain +9", his spirit is still very high.

But its bones and muscles had been groaning in pain ever since it started.

Although he was eager to quickly replicate the talents of Ootani Seiichiro and Kuboda Kiyone, unless absolutely necessary, he only wanted to welcome the arrival of the system voice as the victor.

So he accepted the old couple's suggestion and rested for a while.

It was just noon—"Tachibana-kun, let's have lunch together." —Seiichiro Otani said.

Qingdeng had no reason to refuse such a reasonable invitation that wouldn't be too much of a bother to the other party.

And so, he sampled the cuisine of the Military Academy.

The Military Academy truly lived up to its reputation as a key project supported by the shogunate.

Not only are the infrastructure facilities such as wells and training grounds almost perfect, but even the daily food is enough to make a large number of commoners and lower-ranking warriors drool.

The staple food is glistening rice, piled up like a small mountain in a palm-sized bowl, its tip sticking out.

The meal consisted of a hearty four-dish meal and a soup.

The aroma of miso soup, the crispy-on-the-outside and tender-on-the-inside saury, the glistening fried tofu, the crisp pickled radish... What surprised Qing Deng the most was that the side dishes at the military training center even included pork.

"Come on, Mr. Orange, try our Peony Peony. You won't be disappointed with its taste."

With a steaming heat, male Seiichiro Otani gestured "please" towards the pork on the table in Aoto.

Although the debate over whether or not to open the country to the outside world continues to this day, the trend of Western culture and customs entering Japan is ultimately unstoppable.

The reason why ancient Japanese people did not eat four-legged animals was not because they did not like to eat meat.

Compared to vegetables, most humans prefer to eat meat—this is human nature.

Influenced by Buddhism and Shintoism, the Japanese government considered four-legged animals to be unclean, and therefore prohibited the consumption of four-legged animals such as pigs, cattle, and deer, while chickens, ducks, geese, and fish were exempt from the ban.

But the Japanese aren't stupid. They've always known that meat tastes good and that eating meat can strengthen the body.

Therefore, meat is a very important health food in the prescriptions of Japanese doctors.

In this way, meat, under the guise of "tonics" and "health products," stubbornly survived in the herbal medicine shops.

There are often meat lovers who, under the guise of "buying supplements to nourish their bodies," secretly sell and eat meat.

To avoid using the same names, various meats were given different names, which then spread widely among the people.

Pork is called "peony", horse meat is called "cherry blossom", and venison is called "red leaf".

So when Otani Seiichiro says, "Try our peony," he means "Try our pork."

As Western influence spreads eastward, more and more Japanese people are beginning to understand, experience, and appreciate meat.

Driven by this, the "meat-eating culture," which already had a certain foundation of public opinion, has seen significant development.

In regions like Nagasaki and Yokohama, where there is more interaction with the West, people there are even skilled at using knives and forks to cut steaks.

Initially, none of the people at the Shie-e-gaku (Test Guard Hall) ate meat.

Firstly, people are deeply influenced by the idea that "four-legged animals are unclean."

Secondly, meat is very expensive, and even high-ranking samurai cannot afford to eat meat every day.

As Shieikan gradually gained fame and its economic situation improved, Qingdeng began to vigorously promote "meat-eating culture".

The process was incredibly tortuous and arduous, but thankfully the final result was gratifying.

Under Qing Deng's careful "training," the staff at Shiwei Hall are now finally able to accept and enjoy the pleasure of eating meat.

Even today, they eat meat two to three times a week.

The changes brought about by improving one's diet are quite noticeable.

Compared to before, everyone's physique has become much stronger—except for Souji.

Despite eating meat just as often as anyone else, Souji's figure remained unchanged, always short and small.

Perhaps this is a side effect of having abnormal bodily functions.

—When I have a stable source of income in the future, I will definitely build a livestock farm specifically for my Shinsengumi so that my soldiers can have meat to eat every day!

Qingdeng silently made up his mind.

In an era where simply providing white rice could make lower-ranking samurai and commoners overjoyed and grateful, the ability to consistently eat meat every day... even Qing Deng couldn't imagine maintaining this for a year... No! In six months, to what extent would the Shinsengumi's fighting strength have increased!

……

……

At this very moment—

Edo, a settlement for Westerners —

Anthony stood with his hands behind his back, facing the fireplace, his expression solemn and preoccupied.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from the direction of the corridor.

"master."

Their maid, Leroy, hurried up behind Anthony.

She looked panicked, as if she had encountered something terrifying.

"Leroy, how is it?"

"Anthony asked."

"master……"

Leroy swallowed hard, trying to calm himself down.

“You’re right…there is indeed someone spying on us.”

Upon hearing this, Anthony turned pale, closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and let out a long sigh:

"They...they really did catch up after us...We've already escaped Europe, why won't they let us go..."

*******

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Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

By the way, many readers have probably forgotten the plot from before—Elodie is no ordinary little girl.

Chapter 534 Kiryu's Acquaintance: Kyoto's Strongest Bodyguard! [4400]

As the commander of the Kyoto Garrison and the captain of the Shinsengumi, Aoto naturally sat at the same table as Otani Seiichiro and Kubota Kiyone.

The rest of the group, including Susumu Oishi and Kenji Sakakibara, could only sit far away. Forget about talking to Aoto; they even had to carefully consider whether they could get close to him.

What is Qing Deng's current status?

The General of the Expedition and the favorite of the Grand Minister of State!

A powerful regional official who guards a territory!

A general who holds actual military power!

None of the above would dare to act presumptuously in front of Seito, let alone ordinary commoners, or even lower-ranking officials in the shogunate or daimyo of weaker domains.

Therefore, strictly speaking, Oya Seiichiro and Kuboda Kiyone, who were merely military academy principals, were not worthy of sitting side by side with Aoto.

Those qualified to sit next to Aoto were only a handful of high-ranking figures at the pinnacle of the political arena, including Yoshinobu Hitoshi, the Shogun's Chief of Staff; Haruaki Matsudaira, the President of Political Affairs; and Katamori Matsudaira, the Governor of Kyoto.

At first, the two elders intended for Qingdeng to sit in the main seat, while they would sit in the secondary seats.

In response, Qingdeng insisted that the two elders sit with him, saying, "This is not a formal occasion, so let's be more relaxed." Only then did they sit on either side of Qingdeng.

Aoto was no stranger to Otani Seiichiro, having had a lively exchange at the "Plum Blossom Viewing Banquet" just over a month ago. However, this was his first time interacting with Kubota Kiyone.

Kuboda Kiyone is an "all-around martial artist" who is a rare find, perhaps only once every few decades.

Although he was proficient in many classical military strategies, such as the Yamaga-ryu, Koshu-ryu, Echigo-ryu, Naganuma-ryu, and Nojima-ryu naval strategies, Aoto discovered that he did not hold the outdated ideas that "ancestral laws cannot be changed" or "whoever dares to change the ancestral rules will lose their head."

He not only did not oppose Western weaponry and military thought, but actively absorbed its essence and discarded its dross.

According to Otani Seiichiro, it was Kubota Kiyone's idea to "introduce meat and make the students of the Military Academy as tall and strong as Westerners".

It is very pleasant to talk to such an open-minded and broad-minded intelligent person.

While enjoying the sumptuous meal, Qingdeng actively chatted with the two elders.

The three of them talked about nothing in particular, without any specific topic.

They first chatted about what they had eaten that day, then talked about the current state of the Edo martial arts world, and then shared their martial arts experiences...

In the midst of this casual conversation, someone started the conversation, and they suddenly began talking about the current political situation.

"The Shogunate is now getting very close to France... This is truly worrying."

Otani Seiichiro sighed softly.

"Although I can understand that cooperating with Western countries is an unavoidable trend of the times, France's sinister intentions still make me break out in a cold sweat..."

Supporting compradors and agents for profit—this is a common tactic of imperialism.

As Otani Seiichiro said, the Edo Shogunate is currently very close to France.

In recent years, France has frequently shown goodwill to the Shogunate, providing advanced weapons and sending instructors to help it build a modern army.

For the Shogunate, which was sinking deeper and deeper into a predicament of internal and external troubles, the aid from France was like sending charcoal in snowy weather.

In this way, the two sides reached in-depth cooperation in multiple fields such as military and economy.

However, France's methods are as clear as day.

Anyone with a basic understanding of international politics can see through his sinister intentions.

There is no such thing as friendship between nations; alliances or wars are all driven by self-interest.

France's aid to the Tokugawa shogunate was merely an attempt to control the Tokugawa family, turn them into their agents, and secure their interests in the Far East.

Seiichiro Otani's remarks were not unfounded concerns.