Diqin Designer

Chapter 341: Chen Ping's Second Mission to the Xiongnu
In the Xiongnu royal court in Manchester, Jiao Li was sitting in a carriage, looking at the street outside through the window.

After completing his mission, he stayed in Touman City as the first ambassador of the Qin Dynasty to the Xiongnu, responsible for communication between the Qin Dynasty and the Xiongnu.

There was another person in the car, it was none other than Chen Ping, the deputy envoy who accompanied Jiao Li on the Qin's diplomatic mission to the Xiongnu. However, he did not stay in Touman City after the mission ended, and was specially sent here this time.

Looking at the streets outside the car window, Chen Ping said with emotion: "Compared to when I first arrived, this city has also changed a lot!"

When I first came here, Manchester City was not like this?
The buildings in the city at that time were built by the Huns by borrowing from the architecture of Yan and Zhao and combining them with their own ideas. Therefore, the style is rather peculiar. You can see the style of the Seven Kingdoms, but it is also very strange that there are no pure Seven Kingdoms style buildings.

But now it is different. There are many more pure Qin-style buildings in the city, including houses, restaurants, shops, etc., scattered throughout the city.

There are many more Qin people in the city. For example, the restaurant that Chen Ping is seeing now is opened by Qin people. Firstly, the Huns are unlikely to open such a store, and secondly, the plaque on the door has the new words of the Qin Dynasty written on it, "Ma Ji Restaurant".

In front of the restaurant, two hired Xiongnu men dressed in Daqin costumes were shouting in broken classical Chinese to call on Xiongnu people on the street to come over for dinner. They were shouting: This is the delicious Maji Restaurant. Don’t miss it if you pass by…

Why did we have to use elegant language to greet the Huns in Manchester? If the Huns didn't understand, wouldn't they refuse to enter the store?

In fact, this is to highlight the authenticity, to show that this store was really opened by Qin people, and the food sold in it is also real Qin cuisine.

As the saying goes, "foreign monks can chant sutras", the idea of ​​"worshiping foreigners and fawning on foreigners" not only exists in later generations, but also in this era. Compared with the Huns, the Qin Dynasty today is a foreign monk, "foreign" and "foreign", and the Qin Dynasty is such a powerful foreigner.

If someone were to greet you in Xiongnu language, they would be considered to be of impure blood and not a genuine Qin product, and would be reluctant to enter the store to consume.

There were diners dining in Ma Ji Restaurant, some of whom were wearing Daqin costumes and appeared to be Qin people, but Chen Ping could tell at a glance that these people were not real Qin people, but a group of Huns wearing Daqin costumes.

Chen Ping's eyes passed over the restaurant and looked at every street he could see. He saw that traces of the Qin Dynasty were all over the city.

Some houses were hung with the flag of the Qin Dynasty, many pedestrians on the street were wearing Qin Dynasty costumes, and some walls were painted with slogans in simplified Chinese, most of which were about the Qin Dynasty and the Xiongnu living in harmony and creating a better future together:
What are the sayings like "China is one family, there is no distinction between you and me", "It is natural for a brother to lead a younger brother; a younger brother respects his elder brother, and there is friendship and mutual assistance", "Brothers are united, their strength can break metal; brothers join hands, there is a bright future"...

Chen Ping also saw some people greeting each other using the etiquette of the Great Qin and saying hello in elegant language. Although their speech was very clumsy and only a few greetings were in elegant language, it showed that the Great Qin was already having an impact on this city and even the entire Xiongnu.

It can be said that the concentration of Daqin in Touman City is quite high. In a trance, Chen Ping thought that he had not come to Touman City, but was still in a city of Daqin.

As the carriage continued to move forward, suddenly a burst of childish reading sounds was heard.

Chen Ping looked in the direction where the voice came from, and saw a courtyard with a strong Qin style standing not far away. There was no one reading, so they must be indoors, but he could hear clearly what was being read, and it was exactly the content of the new Qin textbook.

"The Master said: 'To learn and to practise what one has learned from time to time is it not a pleasure? To have friends come from afar is it not a pleasure? To be not angry when people do not know one is not a gentleman, is it not a change of character?'"

Chen Ping had a strange expression on his face. Although he had known for a long time that Daqin was going to provide education in Xiongnu and teach Xiongnu children the Daqin language and writing, he still felt very strange when he heard this now.

Glancing at the courtyard, a picture emerged in Chen Ping's mind: a group of Xiongnu children wearing Daqin student uniforms were sitting obediently in the classroom. A teacher from Daqin was standing in front of the classroom, explaining these words from "The Analects of Confucius" to these children, and the children were listening to him carefully and reciting them sentence by sentence.

In the long run, how much change will these Xiongnu children, who have been influenced by the Qin culture, bring to the Xiongnu?

"Mr. Li Nian, you are truly a genius!"

After sighing in his heart, Chen Ping silently withdrew his gaze and looked elsewhere, searching for other traces of the Qin Dynasty in this city.

The carriage continued to move forward. Chen Ping and Jiao Li were going to Touman's palace today. When they arrived at the palace, Chen Ping found that the palace had also changed. Some buildings had obviously been rebuilt, and the pavilions, towers, decorations and carvings were more in the style of the Qin Dynasty.

Chen Ping turned his gaze again and saw a group of people waiting in front of the palace. The strange expression that had just calmed down reappeared on his face.

These people were none other than the Xiongnu Chanyu Touman and the leaders of various Xiongnu tribes. They were basically the same people he had met when he and Jiaoli were on a diplomatic mission. However, compared with a year ago, some of them had changed a lot!

Some leaders wore the clothes of the Qin Dynasty and had their hair styled in the Qin Dynasty. Of course, some also wore the clothes of the Xiongnu and dressed like the Xiongnu.

But what is very consistent is that these people have become more muscular than before, that is, they have become fatter and more stout, and even wrinkles appear on their faces when they smile.

This was the reason why Chen Ping had a strange expression on his face. These people had obviously lived a very good life in the past year and were even more pampered. They didn't look like the leaders of the Huns at all. They were just a group of fat pigs raised by the Qin Dynasty.

But it seemed that the Qin Dynasty really treated them as pigs, hoping to completely eliminate their ambitions and turn them into pigs that only knew how to enjoy themselves and grow meat.

But it is no wonder that after the Qin Dynasty and the Xiongnu officially established diplomatic relations, all kinds of things from the Qin Dynasty were introduced to the Xiongnu. The Qin Dynasty had much more delicious food and fun things than the Xiongnu, and the Qin Dynasty was changing with each passing day, and was constantly introducing more novel and fun things.

Food must be prepared with ingredients or seasonings from Daqin, clothes must be made of Daqin's finest fabrics, and things must be done according to Daqin's rules. In today's upper and middle classes of the Xiongnu, it is popular to use things from Daqin. If a family does not have something from Daqin, they will be looked down upon.

The food was more delicious than before, and the fun was more enjoyable than before, so naturally their spirit and fighting spirit were gradually worn down. If they were not still in the Xiongnu, they could have simply said, "I am happy in the Great Qin and don't miss the Xiongnu." What's more, these people had no enterprising spirit and just wanted to enjoy themselves until they died.

Seeing the carriage with the Great Qin flag and the Great Qin Embassy emblem approaching, Touman and others immediately came forward to greet it.

After Jiao Li and Chen Ping got off the car, Tou Man, whose belly had obviously grown a lot, greeted them with Ya Yan, who had already figured it out but still felt a little awkward.

In the past year, Touman Chanyu and some Xiongnu leaders also learned the language and writing of Daqin. After all, it is better to understand it yourself than to have others translate and relay it.
Of course, Daqin supported this kind of thing and sent special people to teach the Xiongnu. This started a trend of learning Daqin language from top to bottom among the Xiongnu.

This is also the main reason why Chen Ping saw many Huns in Touman City using poor elegant language to greet each other. Although it is impossible for every Hun to be proficient in elegant language, it is not difficult to learn a few greetings.

After the two sides exchanged greetings, Touman said with a smile: "The last time I met the special envoy was a year ago, and the special envoy's style has not diminished!" Chen Ping looked at Touman and others and said with a smile: "It's fair to say that the Chanyu and the other leaders are still as elegant as ever..."

The smile on Touman's face froze for a moment, but he immediately heard Chen Ping say, "It's even better than it was a year ago. I'm really envious!"

Upon hearing the second half of the sentence, the smile on Touman's face began to flow again, and the faces of the Hun leaders were also filled with strong smiles. The scene was harmonious and joyful.

Touman said, "This is not the place to talk, please follow me!"

Led by Touman, Jiaoli, Chen Ping and several staff members of the Qin Embassy in the Xiongnu headed towards Touman's palace. Along the way, the two sides talked and laughed, you talked about interesting stories about the Xiongnu, and I talked about strange things about the Qin.

When he arrived at the main hall of the palace, Chen Ping noticed that the main hall had also been renovated. It seemed that there was no throne originally, but now there was a beautifully shaped throne with eagles and wolves carved on it and inlaid with various gems.

He must have known that the Emperor had a special dragon throne, so Touman also got one for himself. However, it can only be called a throne, not a dragon throne, and Touman probably wouldn't dare to call it that.

There are also many things with the style of the Great Qin Dynasty added to the hall, such as the lamps placed in various places in the hall, which are obviously made by the Great Qin Dynasty, but they are not lit at the moment, and I don’t know what they will look like at night. There is also the incense burner standing in front of the throne...

There were no such things when I came here for the first time. They must have been made by Touman after he learned about the layout of the Emperor's palace.

This made Chen Ping feel happy. It was a good thing that the Huns' Khan imitated and learned from the Qin Dynasty. It showed that the Qin Dynasty was very powerful and advanced, which allowed others to imitate and learn from it.

Who would learn to emulate a weak country?
After the host and the guest sat down, Touman asked, "The special envoy must have come here for something important..."

Chen Ping said solemnly: "It is indeed an important matter. According to my Great Qin's inference, the Donghu and Yuezhi may join forces and send troops to you!"

After hearing what Chen Ping said, Touman and others were not surprised. They just lost their ambitions, but they did not become fools. When they decided to join the Qin Dynasty, they already knew that doing so might cause dissatisfaction from the Donghu and Yuezhi, and would target the Xiongnu.

But Touman and others also considered that if they did not rely on the Qin Dynasty, would the Donghu and Yuezhi not bully them?

The answer is "Yes!" The Donghu and Yuezhi didn't take them seriously at all. They came to extort some good horses today and some beautiful women tomorrow, as if they, the Xiongnu, were the cattle and horses raised by the Donghu and Yuezhi, and they could take them at will.

Since we are going to be targeted and bullied anyway, why not rely on the support of the Qin Dynasty?
After joining forces with the Qin Dynasty, relying on the Qin Dynasty's strength, it might be possible to intimidate the Donghu and Yuezhi, so that they would not dare to bully us again.

Moreover, instead of being blackmailed by Donghu and Yuezhi, it is better to respect Big Brother Qin. After all, Big Brother Qin is a real strong man. It is better to respect a real strong man than to be blackmailed by villains like Donghu and Yuezhi.

Moreover, the Xiongnu had no choice at that time. The attitude of the envoy sent by the Qin Dynasty was obviously: Do you want to be my younger brother? Do you want to work with me? If not, I will do it to you!

On the one hand, it offends the big brother Qin, and on the other hand, it offends the Donghu and Yuezhi people. No matter what choice you make, as long as you have a normal mind, you will not make the wrong choice.

Moreover, although choosing Big Brother Qin would severely offend Donghu and Yuezhi, Big Brother Qin would still help them when Donghu and Yuezhi attacked them, unless Big Brother Qin did not want to interfere in the grassland and did not want to gain a foothold in the grassland.

Because the Xiongnu people had surrendered to the big brother Qin, they were the big brother's younger brothers. When the younger brothers were bullied, the big brother would naturally take action. If he did not take action, what would the other tribes on the grassland think? How could the big brother Qin establish his prestige?

But if they chose Donghu and Yuezhi, when big brother Qin attacked, given their personalities, not only would they not lend them a helping hand, they would even take advantage of their misfortunes and extort them.

Doesn't the current situation prove that it was a wise choice for them to surrender to Big Brother Qin? When Big Brother learned that Donghu and Yuezhi were going to attack them, he immediately sent an envoy to inform them.

The Donghu and Yuezhi, one alone is enough to make the Xiongnu uncomfortable. Now both of them are going to attack them at the same time. Without the help of big brother Qin, I am afraid they will really be unable to survive.

One leader asked, "Special Envoy, when will the Donghu and Yuezhi send out their troops?"

Chen Ping shook his head: "I don't know the exact time yet, but it will be this year, probably in the autumn. At that time, the war horses will have rested, the weather will be high and the horses will be fat, and there will be plenty of food and grass. If we want to send troops, that will be the best time."

Indeed, autumn is the best time to send troops to the grassland. Spring, summer and winter are not so good. Winter is too cold, and in spring, the horses are weak due to the consumption of the winter, and there will be a shortage of food and fodder. Summer is the time to recover.

Another leader asked: "But this does not mean that they will send troops this year. They did not send troops last year..."

It has been a year since the Xiongnu surrendered to the Qin Dynasty. The Donghu and Yuezhi must have known about it now. They did not send troops last year, so why would they do so this year?
Chen Ping glanced at the leader and replied, "His Majesty the Emperor sent an envoy to the Wusun Kingdom in the Western Regions this year."

Some leaders had not yet reacted, but Touman and some other leaders had already realized that Wusun was a country in the Western Regions, and the Qin Dynasty sending envoys to a country in the Western Regions would make the Yuezhi people uneasy.

Even if the Donghu did not send troops, the Yuezhi people would do so, because once the countries in the Western Regions established diplomatic relations with the Qin Dynasty, the situation of the Yuezhi people would become extremely dangerous.

If the Yuezhi people were to send troops, they would only have three choices: either to attack the Western Regions, to attack the Xiongnu, or to attack the Qin directly...

Among these three options, sending troops to the Qin Dynasty should not be chosen. In fact, there are only two options: to attack the countries in the Western Regions or to attack the Huns.

This is considered from the perspective of the Yuezhi people. If it is changed to the perspective of the Donghu, if the Donghu sent troops, there would be only two options: against them or against the Qin Dynasty.

Considering the choices made by the Donghu and Yuezhi people, if the two sides want to join forces, they have only one choice: send troops to attack the Xiongnu!

The situation of the Yuezhi people was urgent. They could not just sit and watch the Qin Dynasty extend its hand to the grassland and interfere in the Western Regions. They had to respond before the Qin Dynasty achieved its goal.

Therefore, if the Donghu and Yuezhi people send troops, it will be this autumn!
(End of this chapter)