I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Yes, this is a peony!"

Can you eat peonies?

Influenced by Buddhist culture, the flesh of four-legged animals was considered unclean in traditional Japanese thought.

Even to avoid using the word, the meat of quadrupeds has been given all sorts of alternative names.

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

Although more and more people are now accepting meat due to the gradual introduction of Western culture, many still avoid the meat of four-legged animals—Shimada Kai is one such person.

Although a strong sense of resistance welled up inside me, but... but...

He turned his head and glanced at his companions, who were eating heartily, seemingly wishing they had an extra mouth... After a brief internal struggle, he suddenly gritted his teeth:

—Never mind what kind of meat it is!

After making up his mind, he grabbed the bowl and chopsticks and took a big, forceful bite.

He froze the moment the meat porridge touched his lips.

Really fragrant!

So peonies are really this delicious?!

The meat chunks were cooked until very tender; they fell apart with just a light bite, and the rich umami flavor spread from the tip of the tongue throughout the entire mouth.

The distinct grains of rice have a sweet taste, and the rich meat juices blend together with the rice. You don't even need to bite into them; just holding them in your mouth is enough to experience an amazingly rich flavor.

It's so delicious!

The unprecedentedly delicious taste directly shattered Shimada Kai's will... By the time he came to his senses, he had already eaten the entire bowl of meat porridge clean, leaving not a single grain of rice.

This is the most delicious meal I've ever had in my life!

As Shimada Kai wiped his mouth, he turned to look at the cook not far away.

Can I have a second bowl?

The moment this thought arose, Shimada Kai heard a sound that, to him at that moment, was like heavenly music:

"Take it easy! Don't eat too fast, or you'll choke!"

Qingdeng smiled and continued the conversation:

"There's still plenty of meat porridge. Eat as much as you want! Just don't waste any!"

His words immediately caused a new sensation!

"Another bowl, please!"

With lightning speed, Shimada Kai handed the empty bowl in his hand to the cook not far away.

"Alright!"

The cook called out enthusiastically, and her arm holding the long-handled ladle stretched out gently—the steaming hot meat porridge fell precisely into Shimada Kai's bowl.

Then, the scene repeats itself—Shimada Kai loses consciousness, and when he comes to his senses, the rice bowl in his hand is empty again.

"Another bowl, please!"

As he spoke, he handed the empty bowl to the cook...

……

……

Souji quietly extended her right elbow and lightly poked Aoto's side a few times while she sat next to her.

"Ju-kun, cooking such a big pot of meat porridge must have cost a lot of money, right?"

"That's for sure."

Qingdeng nodded slightly.

"Putting rice aside for now, those peonies are ridiculously expensive."

Upon hearing this, the commander couldn't help but urgently say:

"Is it really a good idea to spend so much money on cooking? Aren't we on a tight budget?"

Qing Deng shrugged, a calm smile appearing on his lips:

"Supplies are the foundation of combat power, and some expenses are absolutely unavoidable. I would rather sell my orange juice and the Ghost-Slaying Elixir than let my men go hungry."

********

********

Orange Water/Stabilizing Spirits: "If you've sold us out, what about Vairocana?"

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Chapter 591 Making History! Qing Deng's Self-Created Military Strategy: The Orange Stream Strategy! [4600]

This large pot of meat porridge not only shocked the soldiers, but also left the "Shiweiguan faction," who were familiar with Qingdeng, feeling quite taken aback.

Because they were close to Qingdeng, they had received word several days earlier that Qingdeng was going to hire a large number of cooks to improve the Shinsengumi's food and living conditions in order to enhance the soldiers' physical fitness.

People need to eat more to have strength, and horses need to eat fine food to run fast—this is a principle that even children understand.

Therefore, Qing Deng's decision was welcomed by everyone.

The "high-class military meal" that the commander and others could imagine was nothing more than rice, with a slightly richer selection of side dishes such as pickled radishes, salted vegetables, and taro.

However... it was only at this moment that they were fully aware of how impoverished their imagination was.

All I can say is that poverty limited their imagination!

Because ancient Japan never had a culture of eating meat, and the country was just a resource-poor island nation with nearly 80% of its land being mountainous and plains being scarce, and there were no good pastoral areas, a large-scale and systematic animal husbandry industry never emerged in ancient Japan throughout its history.

With neither a market nor production, the combination of these two factors has led to the fact that the meat of quadrupedal animals has long been regarded as a tonic, placed on the shelves of medicine shops, and its high price has made it inaccessible even to middle-class families.

Using expensive pork to cook porridge?

This pot is so big, you can easily find 3 or 4 pieces of meat with just a scoop. Heaven knows how many kilograms of pork were thrown into it?

This...this...?!

Is it really okay to raise the standard of military meals to this level? Can the military budget support it?

As Souji and the others remarked on this, they kept shoveling meat porridge into their mouths—aside from the rich young lady Sanako and the "hidden young lady" Kinoshita Mai, even Hijikata Toshizo, who came from a wealthy farming family, rarely had the chance to eat such a sumptuous meal.

With his mouth stuffed full of rice and chunks of meat, the commander asked indistinctly:

"Mr. Orange, let me ask one more question: Is this level of food an occasional occurrence, or has it become the norm?"

Qingdeng answered without hesitation:

"Of course, it has become completely normalized."

History has proven time and again that logistical support is a crucial guarantee for the combat effectiveness of an army.

While the power of the spirit is indeed great, overemphasizing the spirit is tantamount to treating war as a game.

Historically, there have indeed been god-like armies that could unleash formidable fighting power even when lacking clothing and medicine, but they are extremely rare exceptions.

Generally speaking, any powerful army that has made a name for itself in history has a complete and sufficient logistical support system, ensuring that it has enough to eat and enough pay.

This has always been the case throughout history.

The same army has one appearance when it is short of food and pay, and another appearance when it is well-fed and well-paid.

The staple foods were millet and barnyard grass, and the side dishes were mainly pickled products... With this level of diet in the Edo period, people could only avoid starvation. Nutrition was non-existent, and as for building muscle and strengthening physical strength, that was even more of a pipe dream.

If even abundant nutrition cannot be provided, then the training programs that Qing Deng meticulously designed are nothing but castles in the air, and the goal of "transforming the Shinsengumi into a fierce and powerful force within three months" is even more like a mirage.

After a moment of silence, Souji said softly and weakly:

"Hmm... how should I put it... Tachibana-kun, I haven't read many books, I don't have much knowledge or refinement, and I don't understand those complicated and intricate things."

"I had absolutely no idea how to build up the army or how to make the Shinsengumi grow rapidly."

"Therefore, I do not want to interfere with your actions."

"But...you'd better take it easy."

"If we spend too much money and end up not being able to pay everyone's military salaries, that would be a real problem."

"Even a rough man like me knows how terrible it is to be owed wages."

The commander's concern was evident in his words.

"...You don't need to worry about the money."

After calmly taking a sip of porridge, Qingdeng continued with a mysterious expression:

"If you don't have money, you can find a way to make it later."

After saying that, he picked up the bowl again and drank the remaining porridge in one gulp.

Then, he casually put down his chopsticks and bowl, stood up, and paced around the mess hall, walking to each soldier to check on their meals.

At the same time, he would occasionally chat with the soldiers in a joking or easygoing tone:

"Wow~ You have quite an appetite."

"Peony is a wonderful thing! Eating more peonies will increase your strength, so don't waste it! Eat as much as you can!"

"Nobody's going to take it from you, why are you eating so fast?"

Wherever Qingdeng went, respectful eyes followed.

This incredibly lavish pot of meat porridge not only won over the soldiers' stomachs but also their hearts.

Even more extreme, some people shouted out emotionally:

"Lord Niou! Thank you so much!"

The lives of the poor people under Tokugawa's rule were far more than just "miserable"!

Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo period, once said: "The secret of politics is to keep the peasants half-dead."