I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

As soon as Qing Deng said this, he immediately attracted a lot of mocking, sarcastic and contemptuous looks—most of which came from the onlookers who were waiting to see the show.

They all believed that Qing Deng's words and actions were an admission of defeat.

Seeing that the other side had a large number of people and a murderous aura, he lied and claimed that his laughter just now had no mocking meaning.

It saves the other person's face while also giving yourself a way to save face.

This approach is always effective when disputes arise.

At this moment, the onlookers around began to discuss it in small groups.

"Why did you back down so quickly... I was really looking forward to seeing a good show..."

"That samurai wearing a straw hat looks tall and strong, but he's actually quite cowardly and timid."

"Tch, look at what you're saying, as if you're some kind of invincible warrior. Don't you even look at how many of those scholars there are? A full 14 people. With so many of them, what else can they do but admit defeat, apologize, and make amends? Fight them head-on? If that man in the straw hat dares to do that, he'll definitely get a good beating."

Tokugawa Iemochi blinked, puzzled. He had expected Aoto to confront these ignorant pedants without hesitation, but he hadn't expected Aoto to back down.

The two sisters are among those who are currently displaying similar expressions.

Only Tianzhangyuan remained calm and composed.

Having worked with Qingdeng for some time and having a certain understanding of his personality, Tenshōin knew very well that this young man, who had been given the title of "King" at such a young age, would never obediently swallow this injustice.

The Confucian scholars, led by the freckled-faced man, all showed expressions of great surprise.

Qingdeng's smooth surrender was truly beyond their expectations.

With just a few words, he made a robust stranger obediently apologize—the corners of his freckled face unconsciously turned up slightly, a strong sense of satisfaction and accomplishment filling his heart.

Since the other party is so remorseful, let's be magnanimous and let him off the hook!

Just as the freckled-faced man waved his hand, about to boldly express his forgiveness for Qing Deng's earlier rude behavior—

"Your Excellency, I observe that you are all highly talented individuals well-versed in Confucianism. I have a question, and I wonder if any of you would be willing to answer it for me?"

The handsome man was taken aback. He was clearly surprised by Qing Deng's sudden question, but because of Qing Deng's good attitude in admitting his mistake and asking the question, he nodded humbly: "Please ask, sir."

Qing Deng bowed respectfully with feigned humility, but a hint of provocation flashed in his eyes the instant he lowered his head. However, this provocation was immediately concealed by the activation of his innate "Emperor's Art".

"I would like to ask you all, the armies of the Western countries are advancing in all directions, invincible and unstoppable. Even the shogunate that rules over three hundred lords was forced to abolish the isolation policy because it could not withstand the offensive of the Western countries. I wonder what good strategies you talented people have to resist the Western barbarians?"

Tokugawa Iemochi and the others standing nearby were slightly taken aback, but then immediately smiled faintly.

They all instantly understood what Qing Deng was trying to do.

The freckled-faced man and the group of Confucian scholars behind him were also taken aback.

The freckled face, its smile gradually fading, frowned. How could he not hear the ill intent emanating from Qing Deng's words?

However, he couldn't ignore Qing Deng's question at the moment.

With so many people watching them, if they were to be evasive or avoid the topic altogether, it would damage their reputation and tarnish their proud identity as Confucian scholars.

In that case, let's answer this person's question directly!

Anyway, this question isn't hard to answer!

How to defend against the invasion of the Western Barbarians? It's that simple!

The freckled-faced man snorted coldly and cleared his throat:

"That's a very good question!"

"This is one of the questions that my classmates and I discuss most often!"

"People today have far too high an opinion of and have too much of a myth about the Western Di."

"The Westerners are all strong and robust, and their strength is several times that of us Easterners."

"What Western barbarians can go three days and three nights without eating or sleeping?"

"All the Western Di have tall, long noses and eyes that are all inhuman colors, so they are descendants of the Heavenly Dog."

"All of these are completely fabricated rumors!"

"What the Western Barbarians rely on is nothing more than their strong ships and powerful cannons!"

"Weapons are certainly a factor in war, but they are by no means the decisive factor in victory or defeat! What determines victory or defeat is the human heart!"

"In the ancient Tang Dynasty, at the Battle of Julu, Xiang Yu's army, with its combined wisdom and the strength of the masses, broke the cauldrons and sank the boats, ultimately leading to the fall of the Qin capital to Chu!"

"Looking at the Battle of Sekigahara in our country, the Eastern Army was united in purpose, with its generals and commanders working together and the entire army fighting for their lives! On the other hand, the Western Army was full of treachery, with each side harboring its own secrets and becoming increasingly disloyal."

"In terms of troop strength and terrain advantage, the Western Army had the upper hand, but due to the difference in morale, the Western Army suffered a great defeat, and the Toyotomi clan never recovered from this setback."

"The reason why the shogunate could not withstand the military might of the Western barbarians was because the people's morale was low!"

"If soldiers lack the will to fight, the army will lack the will to fight."

"If we want to turn the situation around, we need to promote Confucianism so that all scholars and common people can be educated in rites and learn to admire the way of the sages. In this way, we can win over and unite the hearts of the people!"

"At that time, my spirited and righteous army will fight against the uncivilized and shameless barbarians. How can we not be certain of victory?"

At this point, the freckled face paused for a moment.

After giving a meaningful smile, he continued:

"Of course, as the saying goes: to subdue the enemy without fighting is the highest form of skill!"

Therefore, engaging in armed conflict with the Western Barbarians is ultimately the worst possible solution.

"I happen to have some new insights and ideas today regarding how to deal with the Western Di."

"Oh?" Qing Deng raised an eyebrow and gestured with his chin. "I'd like to hear more details."

A confident smile on a freckled face:

"The Western Barbarians are ultimately just a group of barbarians skilled in strange and ingenious tricks, who have never been influenced by the king's rule. Therefore, it is better to win people over with virtue than to conquer them by force!"

“We should teach the Western Barbarians the teachings of the sages, so that they may be enlightened by the sages, and thus revere the sages’ rites. This will allow their hearts to spontaneously respect and follow the kingly way, and they will realize how shameless and despicable it is to invade another country’s territory without permission, and thus withdraw their troops!”

"In this way, we can drive out the barbarians and bring peace to the world without losing a single soldier!"

As soon as the freckled-faced man finished speaking, a tidal wave of cheers erupted from the group of Confucian scholars behind him.

"Yes! Well said!"

"To spread the teachings of the sages to the Western Barbarians... Hmm... Not bad! This method is feasible!"

"Honda-kun, your words are like the clouds parting to reveal the sun; they have enlightened me completely!"

The freckled face possessed considerable oratory talent. He spoke clearly, with a loud and clear voice, and his arguments were logical and well-organized.

Many of the onlookers were so engrossed in the conversation that they became completely absorbed.

Limited by their limited perspectives and knowledge, not to mention people in remote areas, even the citizens of Edo knew very little about Westerners.

Many people genuinely believe that the West is only great in terms of weaponry and navigation technology, and that everything else is insignificant.

Therefore, many onlookers were genuinely taken aback by the freckled-faced man's words and subconsciously nodded repeatedly.

The enthusiastic responses from those around him made the freckled man quite pleased.

He puffed out his already proud chest even higher, looking just like a general returning victorious from a battle.

He looked at Qingdeng, eager to find on Qingdeng's face the look of defeat and resignation that came from being utterly defeated by his profound arguments.

However, Qing Deng's face remained calm and composed—only a faint hint of mockery could be seen at the corner of his lips.

After a moment, once the surrounding noise had gradually subsided, Qingdeng spoke:

"So—does Your Excellency intend to use the Analects to resist the barbarians?"

The freckled face frowned, displeased, and said:

"When did I say that we should use the Analects to fight against the barbarians? You are taking things out of context. What I meant was that we should promote the teachings of the sages not only to our own people and scholars to boost our national morale, but also to the barbarians in the west, so that they may be influenced by the way of the king, lay down their weapons, and let the conflicts disappear without a trace!"

Qingdeng chuckled through his nose.

"I had a little expectation for you bunch of pedantic scholars, wanting to hear if you could come up with any original and outrageous theories that would blow my mind. But after all that, what you've said is still this kind of ignorant talk that only sees the sky through a pipe."

The freckled face's expression immediately changed.

The man who changed his expression, along with the others behind him—all the Confucian scholars—suddenly glared angrily at Qing Deng, their fierce expressions revealed.

The atmosphere at the scene changed dramatically.

The onlookers around were all stunned as Qing Deng suddenly stood there, dumbfounded, and began to mock the Confucian scholar.

Qingdeng ignored the murderous glares from the Confucian scholars and laughed unrestrainedly:

"You all call yourselves geniuses, but in reality you're nothing but a bunch of closed-minded, taciturn bookworms!"

Even after saying all that, Qingdeng still felt it wasn't enough.

He adopted a sarcastic tone and, after slightly modifying a famous line from the Qing Dynasty scholar Xu Dachun's "Daoqing," recited it aloud:

"These mediocre essays are as rotten as mud. The government originally intended them to attract talent, but who knew they would turn into a deceptive tactic? What's the point of chewing on sugarcane pulp again and again? They waste time and are deluded by day. Even if they manage to deceive high-ranking officials, it's still bad luck for the people and the government."

Qing Deng's move couldn't even be described as pointing fingers and cursing; it was more like stepping on the faces of these Confucian scholars and rubbing them wildly.

Like stirring up a hornet's nest, the Confucian scholars present were all outraged and vehemently denounced Qing Deng:

"How dare you, you brat, insult us!"

“We are all learned and full of righteous spirit; how can we not be great talents?”

"And who do you think you are? How dare you spout nonsense in front of us?"

"Let me tell you, we are all students of the Changpingzaka Academy! If we are not geniuses, then who in this world deserves the title of 'genius'?"

The Confucian scholars' fierce denunciation not only failed to intimidate Qing Deng, but also had the opposite effect.

Qing Deng, his face growing increasingly sarcastic, took a deep breath and focused his energy in his dantian.

"I know you're all anxious right now, but don't rush."

As soon as Qing Deng spoke, he instantly overshadowed all the petty scoundrels present.

Qingdeng possesses the abilities of "piercing clouds and splitting rocks" and "Iron Lungs +1," and he has also practiced the ape cry of the Manifestation Stream.

Trying to outdo Qingdeng in shouting? That's clearly overestimating yourself.

"Your Excellency, you just said that the Western Barbarians can only rely on their strong ships and powerful cannons. Then I dare to ask you—do you know why the Western Barbarians possess such powerful ships and firearms?"

Qingdeng stared intently at the freckled face.