I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Well... how about this, let's both sides compromise."

"You shall withdraw your warships from Edo Bay and cease causing trouble for the Shogunate."

"As for Samo, we will not interfere."

"You can ask Samo for whatever amount of compensation you want."

"Now you can give yourselves an explanation back home, right?"

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The country of Russia is the same as the Russians, and Russia is a transliteration of Russia. To fit the historical context, this book has always used this name, so it will not be changed.

Chapter 699 Qingdeng's Promotion! The Eighth Prince and a Thousand People United in Heart! [4300]

Edo, Edo Port

As the largest port in Edo, Edo Port was bustling with people coming and going every day.

Although Edo is inevitably declining, this area remains one of the most bustling districts in Edo.

However, today is slightly different from the past.

It's not that there are fewer people; on the contrary, there are too many people today.

From early this morning, a large crowd of people, men and women, young and old, gathered at Edo Port.

They craned their necks, stood on tiptoe, and gazed at Edo Bay in the distance.

They weren't admiring any beautiful scenery; they were waiting for Qingdeng... or rather, waiting for the outcome of the "Muying Negotiations."

Soft whispers rose and fell:

"Has Lord Niou set off yet?"

"We set off a long time ago."

"Why hasn't he come back yet...?"

"We talked for a long time today."

"Alas... what a tragedy... how did the mighty Tokugawa Shogunate fall to such a predicament, threatened by the Western barbarians..."

"What if war really breaks out...?"

"What else can we do? Of course, we must pick up our swords and fight the Western barbarians to the death!"

"You make it sound so easy! The Western barbarians have guns and cannons!"

"It is better to die fighting than to be frightened to death by the Western barbarians!"

……

The news that "the British have given them a deadline of June 12th, and if they don't give them an explanation by then, they will bombard Edo" had already spread throughout the streets and alleys of Edo.

The people of Edo could not help but pay attention to this "Shogunate-Hideyoshi Negotiation".

After all, this time there really was a "Sword of Damocles" hanging over their heads.

The success or failure of the negotiations directly affected the lives and fortunes of all the citizens of the city.

As the old saying goes: Under the guns of warships, all living beings are equal.

One naval cannon shot, and no matter who you are, you'll be reduced to ashes.

Those high-ranking officials and nobles could pack their valuables and flee to other places, but they could not move their houses or take their land with them.

If Edo were destroyed by war, these high-ranking officials would also suffer a huge blow.

Therefore, everyone in Edo, from high-ranking officials of the shogunate to Eta no Hijin, pinned their hopes on Seito's "deployment"—hoping that Lord Niou could create a miracle as usual and save Edo.

Despite knowing they were useless, many samurai and commoners still gathered at Edo Port to try and calm their anxieties, hoping for Aoto's triumphant return.

Nearly an hour had passed since the Xianlin Maru set sail and Qingdeng and the others headed to the Julius.

With each passing second, the hearts of the people waiting at the port grew heavier...

Just then... someone suddenly shouted:

"Hey! Look! The Western barbarian warships seem to be retreating!"

These words immediately caused a stir throughout the room!

In an instant, heads snapped up, and eyes turned toward the distant Edo Bay.

Looking out, the nine "black dots" that had been stretching across Edo Bay and tormenting the Edo people like a nightmare for over a month began to move slowly.

They spewed out thick black smoke and then began to change formation.

First, the horizontal line of the "T" shape changed into the vertical line, and then it whistled, sailed, and slowly sailed away from Edo Bay.

Steamships are very fast.

In a short while, the nine British ships disappeared into the distance, swallowed up by the vast horizon.

Seeing this scene, the people and civilians on the port all stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief.

It was eerily quiet... No one spoke, only the heavy breathing of bellows in a blacksmith's shop, making repeated "whoosh whoosh" sounds.

A while passed like this... and then time, which seemed to have stood still, finally began to flow again.

"The Western barbarians have retreated!"

Someone shouted.

"They've all left!"

Someone echoed.

With these two initiating the commotion, the people and residents of the port were overjoyed and roared wildly.

"The Western barbarians have retreated! They've retreated!"

We're safe!

"Lord Niou has succeeded!"

……

In an instant, the entire Edo Port was filled with an atmosphere of jubilation.

A very few people even cried tears of joy.

Suddenly, another person shouted:

"Look! It's Xianlin Pill!"

On Edo Bay, the Kanrin Maru, its canvas billowing and belching black smoke, sailed straight in.

Knowing that they were people returning from Qingdeng, the group gradually held their breath and focused their attention.

Before long, the Hamrin Maru smoothly docked and entered the port.

The tall figure appeared before everyone's eyes.

With a faint smile on his face, Qing Deng strode onto the covered bridge.

Amidst the eager anticipation of the crowd, he proclaimed in a loud voice:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure you've all seen it by now!"

"So, I won't waste any more words!"

"Yes! Everything is exactly as you see it! The British ships have retreated!"

"They have waived their claims against the shogunate! And they will no longer threaten Edo!"

The moment Qingdeng finished speaking, a huge wave of cheers enveloped him!

Everyone present—including the sailors aboard the Hamrin Maru—cheered at the top of their lungs, as if in catharsis.

The so-called "thunderous cheers" were nothing more than this.

Katsurin Taro and Manjiro slowly stepped onto the covered bridge.

The two looked at the magnificent scene before them and smiled.

Katsurin Taro breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's finally over..."

Manjiro grinned and chimed in:

"It wasn't easy... To be honest, I almost thought even Lord Niou would suffer a defeat. Fortunately, in the end, we achieved a happy ending for everyone."

Upon hearing this, Katsura Rintaro chuckled in disbelief.

"A happy ending for everyone? I doubt Samo would see it that way."

Manjiro's expression turned strange.

"At this point, we can't control others anymore; we can only take care of ourselves."

When you want to open the window, the people inside vehemently object; when you say you're going to rip the roof off, they agree to open the window—this is the commonality of humanity, no matter how times change.

The reason the British came to demand compensation from the Shogunate was purely to extort money from them.

Therefore, when they find that their revenue and costs are not matched, they will naturally think about how to exit gracefully.

However, it was clearly impossible to expect Britain, which was used to being a robber, to suffer in silence.

In any case, Seido had only one goal: to protect Edo and preserve the interests of the shogunate as much as possible.

Therefore, Qing Deng deliberately set an exorbitant price right from the start, claiming that "neither the Shogunate nor Satsuma will seek compensation!"

When the time is right, soften your tone and say, "As long as the shogunate doesn't lose money, you can do whatever you want with Satsuma."

As expected—the British, already intimidated by Seido's power and words and unwilling to entangle themselves with the shogunate any longer, immediately turned their attention to Satsuma.

The shogunate was safe.