I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Upon seeing Manjiro arrive, Katsura Rintaro immediately asked:

"Manjiro, what's going on? Why are you making such a fuss?"

Manjiro did not reply, but instead hurriedly said in a loud voice:

"Lord Sheng, look at the bow of the Juliaus!"

As he spoke, he tossed a pair of binoculars to Katsura Rintaro.

With a puzzled look, Katsura Rintarou took the binoculars, pulled out the lens, and looked at the bow of the Juliaus.

In an instant, his eyes widened as if they were copper bells.

"What's this……?"

The massive cut that splits the keel in two is impossible to hide.

The reason the crew of the Hamrin Maru were making a fuss was because they had all seen the badly damaged keel.

Just as Katsura Rintaro was still reeling from the shock, a faint voice suddenly came from beside him:

"Rintaro, that is my brilliant plan."

Having said that, Qingdeng turned and left.

"Rintaro, Manjiro, hurry up and get ready to board the ship!"

……

……

Edo Bay, Juliaus, deck—

At the boarding gate, the sailors stood in two neat rows, just as they had yesterday.

However, compared to yesterday, they were all tense today, with their backs and legs taut and their expressions tense.

They seemed terrified that they would be overwhelmed by Qingdeng's "power" just like they had been yesterday.

Clearly, they were overthinking it.

Qingdeng did not make any show of force and calmly boarded the Juliaus.

At the end of the "welcoming procession," Neil and Colonel Jocelyn waited expressionlessly.

Aoto, Katsurin Taro, and Manjiro stood in a triangular formation and slowly moved to each other's front.

Good morning, Your Excellency.

Qingdeng was the first to greet them.

Neil responded indifferently.

Then, led by Neil and Colonel Jocelyn, the group arrived at the room with the long table from the previous day.

The moment Neil stepped into the room, his expression changed drastically!

He suddenly turned around, pulled out a revolver hidden in his jacket, and pointed the muzzle directly at Qing Deng's chest.

At the same time, Colonel Jocelyn beside him did the same thing, using both hands to pull out two pistols from his uniform, pointing them at Katsura Rintaro and Manjiro.

Neil frowned and began to curse:

"Damn Japanese pigs! You think your little tricks can scare us?! Let me tell you, the British Empire has plenty of ways to destroy you!"

The sudden and unexpected change left both Rintaro Tokatsu and Manjiro stunned.

Qing Deng glanced at Neil's gun barrel, then said calmly:

"Sir, please calm down. If this continues, you will completely push us into the French camp, repeating the events of the founding of the United States." (French)

*******

*******

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

Upon closer inspection, this book has almost been serialized for two years! It was released on April 18, 2022.

Chapter 698 The Cunning King Ren, Qingdeng's Strategic Vision [4500 words]

Because he often associated with the Angoulême family, whenever he had free time or felt like it, Chingden would ask Elodie and the others for French lessons.

Regardless of the era or place, learning popular foreign languages ​​is always a beneficial thing.

Qing Deng was already a very good learner—he was a top student in his previous life—and on top of that, he was further blessed with the talent "Heart of the Ghost +5".

As a result, he achieved considerable learning results without much effort.

While it hasn't reached the extremely high level of fluency expected of a native speaker, it's more than enough for simple communication.

In the 19th century, in terms of overall national strength, England, with the largest colony, was slightly stronger than France.

However, in terms of cultural influence, the former is not even worthy of carrying the latter's shoes.

From a very early time, France has been the undisputed cultural benchmark of the European continent.

Western countries deeply respect French culture and take pride in learning the French language.

When speaking, they always try to throw in a few French words to show that they are cultured.

Especially in Russia, the average person is highly skilled in magic.

In the aristocratic circles of Lucia, those who did not understand French were considered vulgar and lacking in class.

This is why the farcical scene of the "anti-French alliance communicating with each other in French" occurred.

Just like in Russia, most of the nobles in England were fluent in French, and even if they couldn't speak it, they could understand the gist of it.

There is no reason why a high-ranking official like Neil, who could reach the level of a minister, would not know French.

Sure enough—as soon as Qing Deng finished speaking, Neil raised his eyebrows sharply, his face showing surprise.

"...Do you understand French?" (French)

He countered in French.

Qing Deng smiled slightly.

"I once studied some French in the Edo settlement. Sir, please put down your gun; we have come with good intentions." (in French)

"..."

Neil pursed his lips, remaining silent as he pondered.

Colonel Jocelyn also understood French, so he silently observed Neil's appearance, waiting for Neil's response.

Only Katsura Rintaro and Manjiro, who didn't understand French at all, stood there dumbfounded.

They had no idea what Qingdeng and Neil had just said, so they could only stare at each other, anxiously waiting.

Time passed...

About half a minute later, Neil slowly lowered the muzzle of his gun.

"...Please take a seat."

Seeing that Neil had made his judgment, Colonel Jocelyn silently put away his pistol.

The tense atmosphere instantly relaxed.

Katsurin Taro and Manjiro both breathed a sigh of relief.

A hint of a smile flickered in Qing Deng's eyes.

He knew that his words had successfully intimidated the other party.

(If this continues, you will completely push us into the French camp, repeating the events of the founding of the United States.)

Qing Deng knew very well that no matter what he said—whether it was coercion or appeasement—he couldn't move Neil.

However, if France is involved, then the other party cannot afford to take it lightly.

……

……

The two sides sat down on opposite sides of the long table.

Qingdeng launched the "first attack"—

"Then, please allow me to reiterate the shogunate's position."

"We sincerely hope that you will accept our reasonable terms."

"Withdraw the fleet from Edo Bay and cease demanding reparations from the Shogunate and Satsuma."

"Please understand that we are not defenseless."

When Qing Deng said, "We are not helpless," he emphasized the sentence.

Neil and Colonel Jocelyn, sitting opposite each other, probably thought of the severed dragon bone, and both of them frowned.

Qingdeng continued speaking:

“You have fleets that can roam the seas and guns that are incomparably powerful, but the swords at our waists are no less effective.”

"If war breaks out, we will uphold the dignity of the samurai family and display the spirit of the warriors."

"We will risk our lives to fight you to the death."

"If Edo falls, we will retreat to Shinano; if Shinano falls, we will retreat to Echigo; if Echigo falls, we will retreat to Ōshu; if Ōshu also falls, then we will retreat to Ezo in one fell swoop and rebuild the shogunate in Goryō!"

"In short, with the support of France, we will fight you to the bitter end!"

"Now that things have come to this, I'll be honest with you."

"In recent years, France has been in contact with us."

"They were willing to establish a stable and friendly relationship with us, sell us affordable weapons, and help us build a new army."

"And we also intend to engage in long-term cooperation with France."

"Of course, it's only at the 'intentional' stage at the moment."

"Without a doubt, if your side is unwilling to cease hostilities and insists on waging war against us, we will not hesitate to join the arms of France!"