I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

In short, the Shinsengumi Law is similar to a constitution and is the fundamental law of the Shinsengumi; while the Shinsengumi's 21 Rules are similar to basic laws.

A country cannot be governed by the constitution alone.

Similarly, the Shinsengumi Law, with its mere five articles, was insufficient to manage the ever-growing Shinsengumi.

Therefore, not long ago, Qing Deng further formulated the "21 Rules of the Shinsengumi" based on the "Shinsengumi Laws", which detailed the daily conduct norms of the soldiers.

The content covers matters large and small, such as eating, urinating and defecating, and how to greet superiors.

These regulations seem ridiculous, but as the old saying goes: every regulation has its reason or background.

Nowadays, Japanese people have absolutely no concept of hygiene.

They don't know what bacteria and viruses are, let alone how dirty their own hands are; they have absolutely no sense of hygiene.

A significant number of people don't even have the habit of wiping their bottoms; they simply pick up their hakama and leave after relieving themselves.

The contents of the "21 Rules of the Shinsengumi" may seem ridiculous, but if the soldiers can perfectly follow all of them, it will greatly improve their physical health and minimize the possibility of contracting diseases or outbreaks of plague.

Putting aside other things, drinking boiled water and washing hands before meals and after using the toilet are two things that can prevent a significant number of gastrointestinal diseases and infectious diseases.

From Tokugawa Iemochi, Tenshōin, and Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu to the generals of the "Imperial Guard," this was the first time they had come into contact with such advanced hygiene knowledge.

Not washing hands before meals can easily lead to dysentery; urinating or defecating indiscriminately can cause epidemics... They found this knowledge both novel and surprising, and listened with rapt attention, marveling at it.

Qingdeng continued walking and chatting.

The others followed along, listening as they walked.

Finally, they entered the dining hall.

As soon as they entered the dining hall, a fragrant aroma that seemed to permeate their very being wafted towards them.

In an instant, the shogunate's high-ranking officials, led by Tokugawa Iemochi, and the generals of the "personal army" all began to twitch their noses as if by conditioned reflex.

Stimulated by the rich aroma, their mouths kept drooling.

His throat bobbed up and down... the sounds of swallowing, "glug," "glug," "glug," rose and fell.

The phrase "drooling with envy" perfectly describes this.

At that moment, they all had the same thought—it smells so good! What is this smell?!

Even Tokugawa Iemochi and his ilk, who were accustomed to delicacies and rare delicacies, had never smelled such a fragrance before.

From the moment they arrived, Qingdeng had been carefully observing their changes in expression.

Upon seeing Tokugawa Iemochi and the others sniffling and swallowing, he immediately revealed a satisfied smile, like a child who had successfully pulled off a prank.

Qingdeng had already sent people to prepare the meal and a quiet dining room.

Upon arriving at the dining room, everyone took their seats in order of rank and status.

Tokugawa Iemochi sat in the undisputed main seat, with Tenshōin to his left and Aoto to his left.

"Your Highness, everyone, this is the daily dish of my Shinsengumi—pork stew with potatoes. Please try it!"

A bowl of rice, a bowl of fragrant miso soup, a plate of scrambled eggs, a dish of grilled eggplant, and a plate of pork stew with potatoes.

An incredibly lavish spread of four dishes and a soup.

Both its appearance and aroma are impeccable.

The mouthwatering aroma that everyone smelled just now mainly came from this dish of pork stew with potatoes.

Facing this delicacy at such close range... everyone's noses twitched even more violently, and they swallowed their saliva much more frequently.

However, none of the people present immediately picked up their chopsticks.

They looked at each other, their faces showing reluctance.

It's no wonder they acted that way.

Although Western culture has begun to spread to Japan, the dietary culture of "not eating meat" and "the meat of four-legged animals is unclean" is still deeply ingrained in people's minds, especially among the upper class.

Yoshiki Ichibashi frowned and asked Aoto directly:

"Tachibana no Hyōbu, please forgive my bluntness, but... is this pork edible?"

With Yoshiki Hitotsubashi taking the lead, the others began to raise questions:

Matsudaira Shungaku asked:

"Minister Tachibana, isn't this dish far too greasy? The eggplant is roasted, the eggs are scrambled, and especially this plate of pork, the grease is practically reflecting off my face."

Yamaki Yunrou sighed softly:

"Don't you have pickled radishes? I'll just eat pickled radishes."

Even Tokugawa Iemochi joined in questioning Aoto's decision.

"Qingdeng, this meal smells amazing, but... isn't it a bit too unhealthy?"

Faced with the doubts of the crowd, Qing Deng responded without hesitation:

"What you may not know is that the idea that 'the flesh of four-legged animals is unclean' is a complete fallacy."

"On the contrary, it's more accurate to say that it's quite the opposite."

"The meat of quadrupeds is extremely nutritious."

"Only by eating more meat can you nourish your body and strengthen your physique."

"If you don't believe me, you can take a close look at the physiques of my Shinsengumi soldiers later."

"Since they started eating meat, many soldiers have become much stronger, their complexions are rosy, and their strength has increased significantly."

Why are the Western barbarians so tall?

"It's because they eat meat all the time."

"As for Your Highness's question about whether it would be unhealthy—that's a misconception!"

"Compared to 'traditional dishes' such as a pickled radish with a large bowl of white rice or a salted fish with a large bowl of white rice, my dishes are the healthiest."

"As long as you eat my recipes every day, you can effectively prevent various diseases."

At this point, Qingdeng straightened his back, adopted a serious expression, and said, word by word:

"For example—it can prevent athlete's foot."

Upon hearing this, everyone present was stunned, and then their expressions turned serious.

For a long time, the Japanese have suffered from beriberi.

The previous shogun, Tokugawa Iesada, the 13th shogun and husband of Tenshōin, died of beriberi.

The frail Tokugawa Iesada suffered from numerous illnesses in the last few years of his life.

The onset of beriberi became the final straw that broke the camel's back.

It is said that before he died, his feet were so swollen that if you pinched the skin on his legs, the flesh would sink in and not bounce back.

"...Qingdeng, is what you say true?"

Tokugawa Iemochi asked in return with a serious expression.

Qingdeng nodded vigorously.

"really!"

"Doctors overseas have already identified the cause of athlete's foot."

"Simply put, people who don't eat healthily are more prone to beriberi."

"As everyone knows, different dishes have different nutritional values."

"Some dishes are good for the stomach, while others are good for the liver."

"Only by consuming a balanced diet can you have a healthy body."

"Eating too much rice and too little other vegetables leads to a nutritional imbalance, which in turn causes beriberi—it's that simple."

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I've been slacking off so much lately! Only making 4K+ a day, what kind of performance is that!

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Chapter 685 The Debate Between the Shogunate and the Imperial Court on Expelling the Barbarians Begins! [4300]

No sooner had Qing Deng finished speaking than everyone turned to him with incredulous stares.

Tokugawa Iemochi exclaimed in surprise:

"Nutritional imbalance? Is that all?"

Qingdeng nodded solemnly.

"That's right, that's all."

"As long as you pay more attention to the nutritional balance of your diet, you will not be able to get beriberi."

"Or to put it more simply—eating more brown rice on a regular basis can effectively prevent beriberi."

The expressions on everyone's faces had become numb from repeatedly displaying expressions of shock.

Although no one spoke, their facial expressions conveyed the same message—brown rice? Can eating brown rice prevent beriberi?

In the eyes of the general public nowadays, brown rice is food for the poor, and anyone with a little money in their pocket would not touch it.

Qingdeng smiled slightly:

"Don't underestimate brown rice!"

Brown rice happens to be rich in nutrients that can prevent beriberi.

Have any of you ever heard of poor people getting beriberi?

The crowd fell silent.

It is truly unheard of for a poor person to contract beriberi.