Qin Renhuang just became an immortal, and you told me this is the prehistoric time

Wang Jian walked to the front of the tent, helped Ying Bu up, and glanced at the soldiers in the distance who, though excited, could not hide their exhaustion and many still had unhealed wounds. He said in a deep voice.

“Yingbu, look at them.”

Ying Bu followed Wang Jian's gaze.

"They have been fighting a bloody battle on this blood-red wasteland for more than a year."

Wang Jian's voice was low and slow, yet every word carried immense weight.

“Every day, they teeter on the edge of life and death; every moment, they risk watching their comrades fall. Their bodies are already exhausted, and their minds are riddled with wounds from the malevolent energy. Now, His Majesty’s divine might has temporarily suppressed the malevolent energy, giving them a glimmer of hope and a chance to recover. But the wounds to their bodies and minds will take time to heal.”

He paused, looking at the still-burning fighting spirit in Ying Bu's eyes, and continued.

"The families of the fallen brothers need compensation and resettlement. Those who survived, especially the young soldiers, many of whom were not yet married and had no children."

They shed their blood and risked their lives for the Qin Dynasty; the court… the court cannot simply treat them as expendable resources.

Wang Jian's voice had a slightly hoarse quality that was barely perceptible.

"If His Majesty hadn't brought those Tianxing Sect cultivators who swept through and took over the wasteland defense line, I would have died on that Great Wall rather than order a retreat! Because at that time, retreating even a step would have been a disaster for the Great Qin!"
But now, the defenses are temporarily secure, and those cultivators are under His Majesty's direct command, possessing formidable fighting power. We... we warriors who have risked our lives for over a year, it's time for us to catch our breath, it's time for us... to think about ourselves, about our families.”

He patted Yingbu on the shoulder, speaking earnestly.

"Most of the soldiers are ordinary people who only seek peace, wealth, and rewards of gold and silver. The court is not short of money and grain at present."

The merits and rewards they earned with their lives should not be treated unfairly.

After more than a year of fighting, an army of tens of millions has dwindled to just over nine million. Millions of young men are forever lost on that desolate wasteland. His Majesty once said that the monsters from that other world number in the trillions!

What we see now is but a drop in the ocean. We, this group of soldiers, as the strongest force in Qin today, will inevitably return to the wilderness to face even more brutal battles. Next time… we may not have the chance to return alive.”

Wang Jian's gaze became distant.

"Now, this is their only chance to go back and see their parents, get married and have children, and leave behind bloodlines and descendants for the Great Qin and for themselves."

This is something I, as the Grand Secretary, must strive for and arrange for them. I haven't spoken to anyone else about this, but I hope you understand.

As Ying Bu listened to Wang Jian's candid words, which were completely different from his usual iron-fisted style, the excitement and fighting spirit on his face gradually subsided, replaced by a heavy sense of understanding and complexity.

He looked at the young faces in the distance, whose roars were deafening, yet whose brows still bore the deep weariness and a hint of lingering shock from surviving a catastrophe. His clenched fists slowly loosened.

He understood. The commander-in-chief was considering not only the immediate battle, but also the future of the army, and the remaining lives and destiny of these soldiers as "human beings."

This consideration may require more wisdom and responsibility than simply charging into battle.

"This subordinate...understands."

Ying Bu took a deep breath, clasped his hands in a fist salute again, and lowered his voice considerably.

"It was my poor judgment that led me to seek battle."

Wang Jian nodded and said no more.

Soon, the order was relayed. More than nine million soldiers, tainted with murderous intent but seeing hope, began to disperse in batches according to their place of origin and region, leaving their temporary rest camps and heading towards the various counties and prefectures of the Great Qin.

They were eager to return home, and their marching speed remained fast. Although the murderous aura on their bodies had not dissipated and their eyes were still bloodshot, the anticipation of returning home to see their relatives and receive generous rewards somewhat diluted their murderous intent.

Thinking of the expectations of their parents, wives, and children at home, and the generous rewards promised by the imperial court for the farms under the jurisdiction of the "Shaofu" in each county—not just gold, silver, and copper coins, but also, it is said, various sturdy and useful iron farm tools—many soldiers even showed a long-lost, simple smile that belonged to ordinary people.

Meanwhile, throughout the Qin Dynasty, especially in the capitals of various prefectures and important county towns, the massive smelting workshops under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Department were already bustling with activity.

Rows of towering iron smelting furnaces, arranged like colossal beasts, burned day and night, melting the continuously arriving ore and scrap iron into molten iron. The molten iron was poured into enormous molds, and after cooling, it formed brand-new hoes, shovels, sickles, plowshares…

A middle-aged man dressed in a brocade robe, with a slightly slick demeanor but shrewd eyes, was inspecting the workshop with his hands behind his back, occasionally urging people to hurry up.

"Hurry! Hurry! Get your hands dirty! His Majesty personally decided on the rewards. If you delay, you'll lose your heads! The lists of soldiers and the amounts of rewards reported by each county are on their way. We must get everything ready before they arrive home! We don't have enough manpower?"
"Then recruit more! Ten times isn't enough, twenty times! Make sure every meritorious soldier receives the reward they deserve!"

This person was none other than Liu Bang, one of the cabinet officials in charge of this matter.

He might not be as skilled in battlefield strategy as those famous generals, but he possessed unique abilities and skills in coordinating logistics, organizing production, and calming people's hearts. At this moment, he stared at the farm tools being produced like on an assembly line, his face bearing his usual smile, but his eyes were unusually serious.

He knew what these seemingly ordinary iron tools meant to the soldiers and their families who had just experienced a bloody battle and longed to return to a peaceful life.

This is His Majesty's grace, the court's credibility, and a crucial element in uniting the people and consolidating the foundation of the Qin Dynasty.

He looked out of the workshop, as if he could see through the walls and see the figures of soldiers returning home from all directions with complicated feelings, and muttered to himself.

"I'm home...that's good. With these things, at least I can have a few days of peace. Next time...sigh."

He shook his head, shaking off the terrifying shadow of the "trillion-dollar monster" from his mind, and turned back to the intense work of supervising the construction. After a period of extreme operation, the massive war machine of the Great Qin was finally able to slow down temporarily, allowing for crucial rest, digestion, and recovery.

At its core—the majestic imperial palace, and the unfathomable emperor deep within it—were gathering strength for the next, potentially even more intense, clash.

In a valley temporarily requisitioned near a mine and a river, dozens of towering iron smelting furnaces lay like crouching beasts, their flames illuminating the valley in a fiery red glow, radiating intense heat. The clanging of hammers, shouts, and calls of those carrying ore mingled together, creating a noisy yet ruggedly vibrant atmosphere.

On the high ground above the valley, Liu Bang, dressed in a brocade robe, stood with his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed, his face so gloomy it seemed to drip water.

He looked down at the busy but still "slow" workshop below, listening to his subordinates report over and over again the frustrating data and urgent reports from various places demanding rewards, and a surge of anger rushed to his head.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!" Liu Bang turned around abruptly and shouted at the several trembling officials behind him, his voice sharp with excitement.

"I have already given the order! Every soldier who participated in the war must be rewarded with a set of farming tools! Hoe, plow, sickle, shovel... not one less! This is a grace decreed by His Majesty's golden words! Look at how long it has been! Not even half of it has been completed?"
"When those soldiers get home and find that the promises made by the court haven't materialized, how can I face His Majesty? How can I appease those soldiers who just crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood?!"

He got angrier and angrier as he spoke, pointing downwards.

"When His Majesty first ascended the throne, he required each household to have at least one iron farm tool. There was really no other way! There weren't enough blacksmiths, and there was a shortage of metalwork! But now? Blacksmiths? More than 100,000 craftsmen have been transferred and recruited from all over the country! Metalwork?"
The rubble left behind by those monsters in the wasteland, along with the crude and refined iron mined and smelted from various places over the years, are piled up like mountains! We have the manpower and the materials, yet we can't even secure a single reward? Is the imperial court supporting your Imperial Household Department just for eating?!

Several subordinates were so berated that they couldn't lift their heads, and were covered in cold sweat.

One of the leaders, bracing himself, offered a quiet explanation.

"My lord, please calm down... It's just... it's just that there are too many soldiers, nearly ten million! A set of farm tools has at least a dozen pieces, which adds up to hundreds of millions... The deadline is tight, the craftsmen have been working day and night, the furnaces have never been extinguished, but this..."

"I won't listen to any of that!"

Liu Bang interrupted abruptly, his eyes cold and sharp.

"I only care about the results! I have personally been to the front lines of the wasteland! I have seen those endless monsters pouring out of the so-called 'Heavenly Gate'! I have also seen how the sons of my Great Qin fought, struggled, and resisted with their lives! They fought a bloody battle for more than a year!"

"Are the farming tools and gold and silver bestowed by His Majesty a lot when divided among everyone? Not really! But with so many people involved! The total amount has already emptied more than half of the national treasury and the Imperial Treasury's reserves! This is already the limit the court can manage!"

He took a breath, his voice lowered, yet carrying a deeper chill and resolve.

“Let me tell you, this reward is not just a reward, but also His Majesty’s credibility and the dignity of the court! If even this cannot be fulfilled, the soldiers will be disheartened, and the people will laugh at us… His Majesty’s reputation will be damaged, and those petty people in the court who have been watching me and waiting to find fault will not let this opportunity pass.”
"At that time, not only you, but I, the Junior Steward, will be the first to lose my head! Therefore, all of you must be on your guard! At all costs, you must deliver the supplies to the soldiers in various regions before they are properly settled back home! Otherwise, those who delay or neglect their duties will all be punished severely!"

The officials were terrified and kept agreeing, then hurriedly went down to urge the supervisors to work even harder.

Liu Bang stood alone on the edge of the high ground, looking down at the glowing furnace and the ant-like crowd below. The gloom on his face did not dissipate, but instead added a few more points of anxiety and... a trace of deeply hidden helplessness.

He was well aware of the difficulty of this task. But as he said, it concerned His Majesty's reputation and could not afford the slightest mistake.

His ability to maintain his position in the court was largely due to the Emperor's tacit approval and manipulation, as well as his own practical skills. If he were to make a mistake on such a crucial matter, his fate would certainly be grim.

Just when he was in turmoil and under immense pressure—

"His Majesty has arrived!"

A drawn-out shout, carrying supreme authority, resounded like thunder across the valley, instantly drowning out all other noises!

Everyone in the valley was stunned for a moment, and then subconsciously stopped what they were doing and looked up.

On the horizon, a colossal auspicious cloud, radiating multicolored light and exuding a peaceful aura, was slowly drifting in. Several figures could be vaguely seen atop the cloud. Leading the group was none other than Ying Xuan, dressed in ordinary clothes yet possessing an undeniable imperial air of dominating the world! Behind him followed several elegant and beautiful imperial concubines.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty?!"

Liu Bang's heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly straightened his clothes and led all the officials and craftsmen in the valley to kneel down in the direction of the auspicious clouds, bowing their heads deeply and not daring to raise them.

"Greetings, Your Majesty! May Your Majesty live ten thousand years!"

The thunderous roar of worship echoed through the valley.

Auspicious clouds slowly descended upon the high ground.

Ying Xuan, accompanied by several imperial concubines, slowly descended from the auspicious clouds.

He casually glanced at the kneeling crowd below and the bustling yet chaotic and urgent scene in the workshop, and said indifferently.

"Be flat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Only then did everyone dare to stand up, but they still kept their hands at their sides and bowed, not daring to breathe too loudly.

Ying Xuan's gaze fell on Liu Bang, who was sweating profusely and looking anxious, and he asked directly.

"Liu Bang, the soldiers are about to return home. Will the farm tools they were rewarded with be distributed on time and in full?"

His voice was flat, revealing neither joy nor anger, yet it made Liu Bang's heart tighten again.

Liu Bang took a deep breath, stepped forward, bowed deeply, and spoke with a heavy voice, pleading for forgiveness.

"Your Majesty, I...I am guilty! I failed in my supervisory duties, which has caused...caused a serious delay in the production of agricultural tools. I fear...I fear it will be difficult to distribute them in full before all the soldiers return home..."

He gritted his teeth and decided to exaggerate the situation to highlight his "incompetence" and sincerity in "apologizing."

"A set of farm tools includes more than ten items such as hoes, plows, sickles, shovels, and picks. With nearly ten million soldiers, that's hundreds of millions! The construction period is tight. Although the craftsmen are working day and night, even with all their might, the Imperial Household Department's workshops have not yet completed even one-tenth of the required total! Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I deserve to die!"

His words were half truth and half exaggeration. While the actual situation was indeed tense, the fact that only one-tenth was completed was clearly an exaggeration, intended to show that the task was extremely difficult and beyond human capability, thus paving the way for the possible "scapegoating" that might follow.

He knew exactly what was going on.

This reward, for an army of millions who had fought for over a year and suffered millions of casualties, was indeed not generous per person; in fact, it could be said to be rather meager. But this was the limit the court could squeeze out after ensuring the continued fighting on the front lines and maintaining basic domestic operations! To add more would truly empty the national treasury and the Imperial Household Department, triggering other chain reactions.

But precisely because it is "meager," it is all the more crucial that nothing goes wrong! If even this small reward cannot be delivered properly, what will the soldiers think? Was their blood shed in vain? Were their lives fought for nothing? Has the court broken its promise? At that point, morale will be low, and His Majesty's prestige will inevitably suffer! And His Majesty must not make a mistake! This is an ironclad rule! (End of Chapter)