Diqin Designer

Chapter 366: The Qin Dynasty is about to take action
Xiongnu, Touman City, the Qin Embassy in Xiongnu, a sound of horse hooves approaching from afar attracted the attention of the people who were working in the embassy. Looking in the direction of the sound of horse hooves, they saw a team of Qin cavalry coming from not far away.

These were indeed the Qin cavalry, but their main duty was not to fight, but to serve as messengers to deliver messages. Every once in a while, a messenger would come from Qin, bringing the latest news from Qin, as well as letters sent from the homes of embassy staff.

Everyone looked at the team of messengers curiously, wondering what news they brought this time.
Almost all the people who came to the embassy for business were merchants, mostly Daqin merchants, mixed with some Xiongnu merchants. As merchants, they were more sensitive to information, so they could seize business opportunities, make money before others react, or reduce losses before policies changed.

An order from the court yesterday made them a fortune, but a decree today can also make them lose everything. If they want to make more money without losing, they naturally have to keep up to date with the latest news!

Under the curious gaze of the businessman, the team of messengers arrived in front of the embassy, ​​all dismounted, and embassy staff immediately stepped forward to conduct preliminary identity checks and security checks on the messengers.

At this time, Jiao Li and Chen Ping were working in a room. As the only embassy of the Qin Dynasty to the Xiongnu, there were many daily affairs that needed to be handled by Ambassador Jiao Li.

An embassy staff member came in and reported to the two men: "Ambassador, special envoy, a team of messengers has arrived from Xianyang and is now being examined and verified."

Jiao Li nodded and replied, "I see. If there is anything, please report it in time. They have traveled a long way to get here, so you should provide a good reception."

Regarding the messenger coming from Xianyang, Jiao Li felt that it was just an ordinary messenger dispatch and should not be much different from the previous ones.

But after a while, the embassy staff came in again and reported to Jiao Li in a serious tone: "Ambassador, the courier leading the team said there is a confidential document that you and the special envoy need to receive in person!"

Jiao Li and Chen Ping looked up at the embassy staff member, and both realized that the news coming from Xianyang this time might be very important.

"Let him in!"

Soon, a Qin general wearing armor entered the room under the escort of a team of embassy guards. After greeting Jiao Li and Chen Ping, Qin general took out a sealed copper tube from his arms and said, "Li Chengfeng ordered this to be delivered to the ambassador. Please check it!"

Jiao Li did not go to take it directly. The copper tube was first taken by the embassy staff, who checked it before handing it to Jiao Li.

Jiao Li took the copper tube and checked it again, then said to the Qin general, "Jiao Li, the Qin ambassador to the Xiongnu, confirmed that the seal is intact and has been received! Is there anything else?"

General Qin shook his head and said, "I can only order this item to be delivered to the ambassador. I have no other appointments!"

The purpose of this team of messengers coming here should be to deliver this sealed copper tube to them. It seems that the message carried in the copper tube is more important than they thought.

Jiao Li thought to himself, "In that case, you can leave now!"

General Qin followed the embassy staff and left. Jiao Li said to the embassy staff who came to report, "You also leave. No one is allowed to enter without my permission."

Everyone left the room, leaving only Jiao Li and Chen Ping. As Chen Ping watched, Jiao Li unsealed the copper tube and shook out a rolled-up piece of parchment.

After Jiao Li unfolded the parchment, Chen Ping saw that it contained the same numbers that the Qin Dynasty was currently implementing.

Chen Ping had also learned about this kind of numbers and knew their advantages. They were convenient for recording, writing, and counting, but they also had disadvantages. Numbers like this could be easily modified.

Of course, this number is not used for counting, but is a ciphertext that needs to be decrypted in a certain way to obtain the real information contained in it.

Jiao Li looked at the number for a while, then found a few books in the room, opened them according to the numbers, and found a certain word in a certain article.

Jiao Li was flipping through the book while writing down the words. After an hour, Jiao Li finally translated all the numbers on the parchment into words.

Seeing the translated message, Jiao Li was shocked. After reading it, he handed the paper to Chen Ping and asked, "What do you think?"

After reading it, Chen Ping pondered for a while and said, "This can indeed catch Donghu and Yuezhi by surprise. Moreover, if we send troops at this time, Donghu and Yuezhi will find it difficult to prepare adequately. It may succeed, but it is also possible to fail. If it fails, it will not only affect the prestige of Daqin in the grassland, but it may also be difficult to send troops in the next few years."

"I am not surprised that they are sending troops at this time, but from this letter, it seems that they believe that they will definitely defeat the Donghu and Yuezhi, and will only succeed, not fail!"

Although he and Jiao Li also felt that the Qin Dynasty would achieve final victory over the Donghu and Yuezhi, they did not think that the Qin Dynasty had no chance of failure.

Having confidence in victory and feeling that you will definitely win and there is no possibility of failure are different, but this secret letter contains the latter. As long as the Qin Dynasty sends troops, the Donghu and Yuezhi will definitely be defeated without any surprises.

Jiao Li smiled and said, "I feel the same way. Perhaps the young master has created some amazing artifact that makes Your Majesty think that we will surely win against the Donghu and Yuezhi."

Thinking of Li Nian, Chen Ping nodded. The changes that the young master brought to Daqin were clearly visible, especially for those living in Xianyang, who could personally feel the changes that took place in Xianyang.

The young man was knowledgeable and talented, and was extremely good at making various strange objects. It was not impossible that he made something that could defeat the Donghu and Yuezhi.

Jiao Li said: "But we should inform the Xiongnu before sending out troops. We should inform Touman and others immediately. This battle is not only for the Qin, but also for the Xiongnu. They also need to contribute."

The message recorded in this secret letter is: Daqin will not wait until the autumn when the horses are fat to send out troops, but will send out troops in the near future to fight against Donghu and Yuezhi.

The advantage of sending troops at this time is that the Donghu and Yuezhi are not well prepared. If the secret is kept well, we can catch the Donghu and Yuezhi by surprise and decide the situation in one battle.

But the downside is that Donghu and Yuezhi are not well prepared, and the Qin Dynasty's preparations may not be sufficient either. If they fail to completely defeat Donghu and Yuezhi in this wave of offensive, it may be difficult to send troops in the next few years.

This is a matter with the risk of failure, but in the secret letter, the attitude revealed by Xianyang is: no risk, the troops will surely win!

The embassy quickly arranged a carriage, and Jiao Li and Chen Ping rushed to Touman's palace.

Due to the various things brought by the Qin Dynasty, the current Touman City is much more prosperous and lively than before, so many Xiongnu nobles moved to the city to live. Even if they did not live there for a long time, they would buy houses in the city. Life in Touman City is much better than squatting in a yurt on the grassland. What can you enjoy on the grassland, and what can you enjoy in Touman City? After getting used to the comfort of Touman City, who would be willing to go to the grassland to be exposed to the wind and sun?

The Qin Empire also intended to raise these people into a group of pigs, making them indulge in pleasure, so that they would be more easily eroded and controlled by the Qin Empire and become the representatives of the Qin Empire's interests in the Xiongnu.

However, while the Qin Dynasty was raising them into pigs, it was also maintaining their rule within the Xiongnu, because it was not yet the time for the Qin Dynasty to seize the Xiongnu, and these people were still needed to take charge.

When Jiao Li and Chen Ping arrived at the palace, Touman was feasting with some leaders. Upon hearing of the two men's arrival, Touman hurriedly led the leaders to greet them.

As soon as they entered the main hall of the palace, Jiao Li and Chen Ping smelled the aroma of wine and meat in the hall. The two were not surprised, because they knew exactly what kind of life people like Touman were living.

Every two days there was a small banquet, every three days there was a big banquet, and it was quite extravagant. The wine they drank had to be the fine wine shipped from Daqin, the things they used had to be made in Daqin, the food they ate had to be made with Daqin spices and cooked by Daqin chefs, and the clothes they wore had to be made of Daqin fabrics...

Everything was in line with the Qin Dynasty, but while they were enjoying themselves, the Xiongnu civilians and slaves suffered. According to Jiao Li and Chen Ping, during this year, the lives of the Xiongnu civilians and slaves were more difficult than before, and the Xiongnu people had a lot of resentment towards the Chanyu and leaders.

If this resentment is not noticed and resolved by Touman and others, it will erupt sooner or later and destroy Touman and others.

On the other hand, the Xiongnu people had a good impression of Daqin, who thought it was a strong and prosperous superpower. Many Xiongnu people thought how great it would be if they were born in Daqin instead of the Xiongnu.

After sitting down, Touman, who was becoming more and more plump, said, "The ambassador and the special envoy are here today, but do you have anything to tell us?"

The Xiongnu leaders in the hall all looked at Jiao Li, and Jiao Li also looked at them and said, "Today there is news from Xianyang that concerns you all, and this matter should be informed to you as soon as possible, so we two came to disturb you."

After hearing Jiao Li's words, Touman and the other leaders instantly became serious. Although they had indulged in pleasure, they were not stupid. On the contrary, because they wanted to enjoy pleasure for longer, they cared more about their own power and safety. Only by staying alive and maintaining stable power could they enjoy better.

When they heard that the news from Xianyang was related to them, they were naturally very concerned.

It shouldn't be that the Emperor of Qin wanted to attack them, otherwise he wouldn't have sent someone to pass on the news from Xianyang. That means there was a rebellion within the Xiongnu or an external threat?

Internal rebellion is possible, but external invasion is more likely. Could it be that the Qin Emperor got the news that the Donghu and Yuezhi were going to attack them?
Jiao Li said: "This matter is confidential, please keep it secret as much as possible and don't let outsiders know!"

Touman and the others solemnly assured: "Don't worry, Ambassador, we will keep this secret. If you break this oath, you will be killed without a complete body!"

In fact, the secret letter did not contain any strong requirements for the Huns to keep the secret.

Because there were many Xiongnu leaders, it was extremely difficult to keep these people completely secret. Moreover, the Qin army would have to mobilize a lot of manpower and material resources, so it was not easy to cover it up.

Of course, it would be even better if you could keep it a secret!
This is also what puzzled Jiao Li and Chen Ping: Xianyang did not attach much importance to whether the Huns could keep the secret. It seemed that they had determined that even if the Donghu and Yuezhi knew that the Qin Dynasty was going to send troops to deal with them, the Qin Dynasty would still be able to win as long as they made preparations in advance.

Where does this confidence in victory come from and why are you so sure?

Jiao Li certainly didn't say "You don't have to swear to keep it secret", but said: "The matter is that your majesty has decided to send troops at the beginning of next month, led by General Wang Ben, to conquer the Donghu and Yuezhi."

After hearing Jiao Li's words, Tou Man and the others were all surprised. They had agreed to send troops in the fall, so why did they send troops at the beginning of next month? It wasn't long until the beginning of next month!

But in a moment, Touman and others figured out the reason why the Emperor of Qin chose to send troops at the beginning of next month: first, if they don't wait until autumn, the Donghu and Yuezhi will not be able to make adequate preparations, and their strength will not reach its peak; second, the Donghu and Yuezhi must have thought that the Qin Dynasty would send troops in autumn, and therefore would not be so vigilant. If the Qin Dynasty sent troops at this time, it would have a chance to catch the Donghu and Yuezhi by surprise.

But this also has disadvantages and risks. If it succeeds, it's good, but if it fails...

Not only will the Qin Dynasty lose its prestige on the grassland, it will also be difficult for it to get involved again within a few years, and the Huns will be in even worse shape.

They stood on the side of the Qin State and were no longer tolerated by the Donghu and Yuezhi. If they failed in this battle, the Qin people would just retreat back to Qin, but they would be in great trouble, as their entire clan might become slaves of the Donghu and Yuezhi.

The Emperor of Qin decided to send troops next month, not by discussing with them but by notifying them. However, they seemed to have no choice. From the moment they chose to stand on the side of the Qin Dynasty, they could only follow the big brother Qin to the end.

If we don’t agree to cooperate with Qin in sending troops now, the consequences will be even worse!
This is the pain of being someone's younger brother. The big brother usually protects you and gives you benefits, but if the big brother asks you to do something, you have to follow him. If you want to only take the big brother's benefits without doing anything for him, the big brother will be the first to punish you.

But Big Brother Qin was so powerful that even Zhao with Li Mu was destroyed by him. The Donghu and Yuezhi had a great chance of winning. It was just that the time was too short and Big Brother didn't inform them in advance. The news came suddenly, which caught them off guard.

In this short period of time, Donghu and Yuezhi could not make adequate preparations, and they were not doing enough either!

Touman and others thought seriously and felt that the Emperor Qin and the nobles of the Qin Dynasty were by no means foolish. They dared to suddenly decide to send troops, and they must have believed that they had a great chance of winning.

Thinking of this, Touman and the others felt relieved. As long as their eldest brother could win, there would be nothing wrong with them doing something. After their eldest brother defeated the Donghu and Yuezhi, even if they were not given the fattest meat, they could still eat the leftovers and drink some soup to fill their stomachs.

But why was Big Brother so confident that he could defeat Donghu and Yuezhi? Could it be that Big Brother Qin had a sure-win method?
Touman and others also had the same thought in their minds, and their worries became more stable. In this situation, it would be best if Big Brother could definitely win.

After all, they have no other choice. They can't betray the Qin Dynasty now and cling to the Donghu and Yuezhi. Not to mention that it will anger the Qin Dynasty, the Donghu and Yuezhi are not easy to deal with. They have been blackmailing and humiliating them in the past. If they surrender now, they will definitely be bullied even more.

Touman and the others had already made up their minds. They said to Jiaoli, "Thank you for telling us, Ambassador. This is due to the grievances between us and the Donghu and Yuezhi. Brother Daqin got involved because of us. Brother Daqin raised the army for us, so how can we fall behind? Brother Daqin, please tell us what you want us to do!"

Hearing Touman's answer, Jiao Li nodded with satisfaction. He smiled and said, "The Chanyu and the other leaders really understand the righteousness. During this period of time, please collect as much food and grass as possible to wait for the arrival of our Qin cavalry. Your Majesty knows that your tribes are not rich in food and grass. In the secret letter, there is an order that after the Donghu and Yuezhi are pacified, you will be the first to take their food and grass!"

After hearing this, Touman and the others all smiled. His Majesty the Emperor of Qin was truly righteous and was willing to let them take food and supplies from the Donghu and Yuezhi to replenish their consumption.

(End of this chapter)