I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

How can we make the British realize that if a full-scale war breaks out with the Shogunate, they will suffer far greater casualties than they anticipated?

What ability did the Shogunate have to inflict such a heavy blow on the British?

Katsura Rintaro was filled with intense confusion and doubt...

At this time, the Kanrin Maru had already sailed deep into Edo Bay.

As the distance between the two sides continued to close, the nine "black dots" gradually revealed their true forms.

For those who rarely go to sea, the Hamrin Maru, equipped with three masts and sails, was already an enormous vessel.

However, compared to these nine British ships, the Hamrin Maru was nothing but a drop in the ocean!

The Hamrin Maru was merely a rudimentary warship; its tonnage, speed, and combat capabilities were all rather unremarkable.

In contrast, the British fleet in Edo Bay—every single ship in it was far larger than the Kanrin Maru!

The difference between the two is like that between a car and a truck.

Nine British warships were lined up in a row, forming the top horizontal line of a "T".

Anyone with even a slight understanding of naval warfare tactics of that era would immediately recognize this formation of British ships as a classic 19th-century naval attack formation!

In the 19th century… or rather, in the era of “big ships and big guns”, cannons were mounted on the sides of ships in order to carry the most powerful firepower possible.

Therefore, only by turning the ships sideways, that is, arranging them in a "long line", can their combat power be maximized.

Without a doubt, the British fleet was already on the attack line!

Once the order to attack is given, all the ships will fire their cannons at once, raining bullets down on Edo.

Thanks to the efforts of the shogunate in recent years, the defensive capabilities of Edo Bay have been greatly strengthened.

Since the "Black Ships Incident," in order to avoid repeating the same mistake, the shogunate built a large number of forts in Edo Bay, most of which were supervised by Katsura Rintaro.

For this reason, none of the nine British ships dared to get too close to Edo.

Otherwise, they might actually dare to march directly to Edo Port like the "Black Ships" did 10 years ago, and launch a real "challenge to the Shogunate."

However, with just these coastal defense guns, it was a pipe dream to completely block the British fleet from reaching the shore.

The Hamrin Maru cleaved through the waves, sailing alone towards the British fleet, much like a lone, valiant knight charging into battle.

Looking at the enemy's massive hull and the numerous dark gun barrels, the crew of the Xianlin Maru couldn't help but swallow hard, their faces filled with fear.

Even Katsu Rintaro couldn't help but purse his lips, his whole body tensing up.

Only Qingdeng remained calm.

Suddenly, rapid footsteps came from behind Qing Deng and Sheng Lin Taro.

Manjiro jogged over and called out loudly:

"Lord Niou! Lord Katsu! We're about to board! We're about to board!"

Katsura Rintaro immediately responded:

"Okay, everyone, perk up!"

Their destination, naturally, was the flagship HMS Juliaras, located at the very center of the British fleet.

Ironclad warships have only been around for a short time.

Even for Western countries today, this is a rare and precious item.

Ships that are "mostly made of wood and a small part of steel" still make up the majority of Western navies.

Therefore, all nine British ships, including the flagship HMS Uriahlas, had wooden hulls.

Of course, all nine wooden boats were equipped with advanced steam engines, making them true steamships.

Qing Deng turned his head and said to Manjiro, who was not far away:

"Manjiro, I'll have to trouble you later."

Manjiro hurriedly straightened up:

"Yes, Lord Niou! Please rest assured! I am already very skilled at the job of 'interpreter'!"

Language is something that is used and then discarded.

The more you talk, the better you'll become at talking; the less you talk, the less you'll become at talking.

Once removed from the corresponding language environment, even one's native language will quickly deteriorate.

Before the time travel, Qing Deng, a top student, was able to communicate in simple English.

Even now, he can still recognize most common English words.

But when he tries to speak English, he stutters and stammers, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

Ironically, because of his frequent interactions with the Angoulême family, he is now more fluent in French than in English.

Qing Deng lowered his eyelids, squinted, and stared intently at the approaching Julius.

With his exceptional eyesight enhanced by his talent "Fiery Eyes +5", he clearly saw that the side of the Julius facing the Hamrin Maru was filled with a densely packed number of sailors.

The sailors hung on the railing, watching the Hamrim Maru with great interest, as if they were observing livestock in a zoo, with strange smiles on their faces, whispering and chattering amongst themselves.

Because of the distance, Qingdeng couldn't hear what they were saying.

But he could roughly guess that it was mostly saying things like, "Look, the monkeys from the East are here again," or "What a stubborn bunch," which were full of discrimination and ridicule.

……

……

Indeed, the sailors on the side of the Julius were just as Qingden had predicted.

They spoke with utter contempt, and then proceeded to ridicule and hurl insults without restraint:

"Look! It's a ship from the Shogunate!"

"The monkeys from the East are here again!"

"My goodness, their ships are so small! Luckily it's a sunny day; if the wind had picked up, I was worried their ships would have capsized!"

"Don't say that, this is already the best ship they have!"

"What a bunch of stubborn guys! Where do they get the audacity to challenge us?"

"It's said they changed their envoy! Apparently, they sent... uh... something king."

What's his name?

"I don't remember, I only know that he seemed to be a general, and his position seemed to be quite high."

"Who cares who they are! How many envoys have they sent before? In the end, they were all scared into scrambling to escape in fear and trembling!"

"The captain is too kind-hearted! Fire a few shells at their city, and they'll never dare to utter a sound again!"

……

Their words and expressions were filled with undisguised contempt.

On the other side, Captain Joslin of the Julius addressed their interim envoy, John Neil:

"Your Excellency, an envoy from the shogunate has arrived."

Neil replied without raising an eyebrow:

"Yes, let's get ready to welcome them."

Colonel Jocelyn continued:

"Sir, shall we prepare a 'welcoming ceremony'?"

"Of course!"

Neil curled the corners of his mouth, a sinister smile appearing on his lips.

"Pass down the order: have the soldiers take up their weapons, line up in formation, and give the shogunate envoy a 'grand' welcome ceremony!"

Colonel Jocelyn then gave a strange smile.

"Yes! I'll do it right away!"

Previously, in order to intimidate the shogunate envoys and to demonstrate the "divine might" of the British Empire, whenever a shogunate envoy boarded a ship, they would set up neat and imposing military formations on both sides of the boarding gate.

The soldiers in the military train were all carrying the latest rifles, with gleaming bayonets fixed to the muzzles, making them awe-inspiring.

Looking back at every previous negotiation, this tactic of theirs has been invariably successful!

Whenever they put on this "welcome ceremony," the shogunate envoys who came to negotiate were all terrified and their expressions changed drastically.

Even worse, some people can't even walk properly anymore.

For example, Tokugawa Yoshiyoshi, the young lord of the Owari Domain, turned pale with fright after seeing the British "welcoming ceremony".

Have the shoguns ever seen such a large number of musketeers?

When have I ever seen such a majestic array of rifles?

As the British negotiator, Neil naturally learned immediately that the shogunate had changed its envoy.

This envoy was a general in charge of the shogunate's army and enjoyed extremely high prestige in eastern Japan.

Neil had only one thought about this: So what?

As for Neil, he didn't care who the shogunate sent to negotiate with them—even if Tokugawa Iemochi came in person.

He had seen through the decline of the shogunate and the incompetence of its officials.

Whoever comes is just another spineless coward!

They lack both diplomatic experience and the courage to overturn the table.

Neither of these two things matter; in the end, they are just like a lump of clay, allowing them to poke, knead, and press at will.

Regardless, we British are determined to have that £10 in compensation!

Thinking of this, Neil smugly picked up his pipe, took a deep drag, and pondered with great interest how he would tease the upcoming new shogunate envoy.

……

……

The Hamrin Maru sailed to the side of the Julius and then turned sideways so that the two ships could be as close as possible.