Diqin Designer

Chapter 367 Expedition Ceremony
The promise to allow the Xiongnu to take food, fodder and property first after pacifying the Donghu and Yuezhi was both a sweet treat for the Xiongnu so that they would be willing to serve the Qin army and a trap for them.

After the Donghu and Yuezhi were pacified, let the Xiongnu take the food, fodder and property first. Given the hatred between the Xiongnu, the Donghu and Yuezhi, they would definitely plunder and kill the Donghu and Yuezhi people.

In this way, the strength of the Donghu and Yuezhi peoples could be weakened with the help of the Xiongnu, such as eliminating those who might become troublemakers among the Donghu and Yuezhi peoples and slaughtering the male adults among the Donghu and Yuezhi peoples.

If Daqin had to do these dirty work himself, it would be detrimental to Daqin's reputation and not conducive to Daqin's future plans. Even if one wants to be a big gangster, one must pay attention to one's reputation.

But if it is left to the Huns, there will be no such problem, as most of the hatred will be attributed to the Huns. On the contrary, if the Qin Dynasty makes a slight distinction between the Huns and treats the Donghu and Yuezhi people a little better, it may gain the favor of the Donghu and Yuezhi people, making it easier for the Qin Dynasty to subdue them and use them for its own benefit.

It would also deepen the hatred between the Donghu, Yuezhi and Xiongnu, making it more difficult for them to unite and pose a threat to the Qin Dynasty.

As for the cost of allowing the Huns to take food, fodder and other valuables first, it is nothing compared to the rewards that can be obtained.

After Jiao Li and Chen Ping left, Touman and others in the hall were silent for a long time. The sudden news caught them off guard. They had never thought that Daqin would choose to send troops so quickly, so they were unprepared.

A leader wondered, "Why did the Qin choose to send troops at this time? The grass on the grassland has not yet grown, and the horses have not yet recovered to their strongest. Sending troops at this time may surprise the Donghu and Yuezhi, but if we lose the battle..."

Another leader looked at this leader and said, "Didn't you hear that this is the time set by His Majesty the Emperor Qin to send troops? All we can do now is to cooperate and defeat the Donghu and Yuezhi."

After hearing this, the others fell silent again: If they did not obey the Qin Emperor's orders, could they disobey him?

They have already severely offended the Donghu and Yuezhi. If they offend even the Qin Dynasty, their backer, their ending will only be more tragic, not good.

Another leader said: "Your Majesty the Emperor of Qin and the nobles of the Great Qin are all wise and thoughtful. How could they not see the pros and cons of sending troops at this time? They must be sure of victory to make such a choice."

Others also thought of this, but they couldn't figure out what exactly made Big Brother so sure of victory. Was it some new weapon or some new tactic?

Touman glanced at the many leaders in the hall and said, "Now that things have come to this, we can no longer retreat. When you return, make good preparations and don't play tricks. Otherwise, even if I don't want your heads, Daqin will!"

The leaders were startled and quickly responded by promising that they would make good preparations and wait for the arrival of the Qin army to cooperate with the Qin to defeat the Donghu and Yuezhi.

Jiao Li and Chen Ping were sitting in the carriage, also discussing this matter. Jiao Li said, "Your Majesty and the other gentlemen have decided to send troops next month. The Donghu and Yuezhi do not have time to make adequate preparations, and the Xiongnu and Wusun are also unable to do so. Therefore, the main force to fight against the Donghu and Yuezhi should come from Daqin."

Chen Ping said: "This is also what I am confused about. If we wait until autumn to send troops, although the Donghu and Yuezhi will be strong, the Xiongnu and Wusun will also be strong. At that time, the Xiongnu and Wusun can play a greater role than they do now..."

"But at this time, the Xiongnu and Wusun are of limited use, their food and grass are insufficient, and their horses are weak. Even if they want to fight, it will be difficult for them to do so. They can only assist the Qin."

Jiao Li said: "This also shows one more thing, your majesty and the gentlemen did not think of relying on the power of the Xiongnu and Wusun, but believed that relying on the Qin Dynasty could defeat the Donghu and Yuezhi."

What happened in Touman City also happened in Wusun, but at a different time. The high-ranking officials of Xiongnu and Wusun all learned that Daqin would send troops to conquer Donghu and Yuezhi, and began to prepare for this war.

At the same time, in Xianyang, Qin Shi Huang, Li Nian, Wang Jian and others were attending Wang Ben's departure ceremony. Also present were some envoys from the Baiyue tribes, monks from Tammo Lidi, and envoys sent by the Maurya King.

After the monks of Tamolidi arrived in Daqin, the envoys sent by the Maurya King also arrived in Daqin. Like the monks of Tamolidi, they already knew that Daqin was not a barbaric and weak country as they had thought, but a strong and prosperous country.

Their population is no less than theirs, their territory is no smaller than theirs, and their civilization is much more advanced than theirs. The things they are proud of are nothing here. Compared with the powerful and civilized Qin, they are like barbarians.

Unfortunately, they were treated the same way as the monks of Tammo Lidi. They were strictly guarded and prohibited from moving freely. Today they were only allowed to participate in the Qin's expedition ceremony.

As guests attending the ceremony, they felt a heavy pressure when they saw the Qin soldiers standing in neat rows on the parade ground, motionless and like benchmarks!

The army of the Qin Dynasty was definitely not something that the Maurya Kingdom could resist. Even if the great Ashoka were resurrected or the Alexander the Great from the West reappeared, it would be impossible.

They thought they knew very well the purpose of the Qin people asking them to participate in this expedition ceremony. It was obviously to show them their own strength and intimidate them.

But the Qin people achieved their goal, and they were indeed shocked. How could their Maurya Kingdom’s army have such momentum and discipline?
Although they often boasted about how strong and powerful their country's army was when communicating with outsiders, they knew their own business. Their army was extremely lax, had very poor discipline, and did not fight bravely. They were nothing like the Qin army, which was intimidating just by standing there.

Perhaps when King Ashoka was conquering the south and the north, the army of the Maurya Kingdom still had some military power, but now, many soldiers have never even seen blood, their weapons are rotten, and their morale is lost.

It is said that these Qin troops were trained in battles with six other countries, and are definitely not on the same level as the army of the Peacock Kingdom.

Fortunately, the Qin Empire did not reach their Peacock Kingdom. Otherwise, if the Emperor of Qin ordered the Qin Army to attack the Peacock Kingdom, they would most likely be destroyed...

However, the Qin people already knew that the Peacock Kingdom had fertile land and abundant resources, and its people were weak and easy to bully. It was like a piece of fat meat hanging before their eyes, and it was impossible for the Qin people not to be tempted.

It is very likely that troops will be sent there one day. What should we do when that day comes?
Thinking of this, the monks of Tamolidi and the envoys of the Maurya King became worried. They wanted to go back and report the news, but the Qin people kept them under guard, not allowing them to move freely and not giving them the opportunity to go back and report the news.

The Qin army gathered here today. Judging from the situation, they are probably going to attack someone. But who is worthy of the Qin army? The envoys of the Baiyue tribes looked around and did not see the envoys of the Xiongnu and Wusun. They understood something: the Qin army was going to attack the Donghu and Yuezhi. They asked them to watch the expedition ceremony to show their military might to them. They might even let them watch the battle and see with their own eyes how the Qin army defeated the Donghu and Yuezhi, so as to deter the Baiyue.

But are the Qin people so conceited that they are sure they can defeat the Donghu and Yuezhi without any surprises?

The envoys from Xiongnu and Wusun were not there because these two parties were going to join the war with Qin, so there was naturally no need to send envoys. The Baiyue tribes and those strange people (referring to the monks of Tamolidi and the envoys from the Maurya Kingdom) would not participate in the war, so they were "invited" here by the Qin people and would even follow the army.

Li Nian stood somewhere, looking at the Qin army standing on the parade ground. Only a part of the Qin army that was to be dispatched came here. The hot weapons troops formed in the past year were not here.

After only a year of recuperation, Li Nian did not want to start another war at this time, but some wars had to be fought, and it was not a question of whether one wanted to or not.

Daqin needs this war. This war must not only be won, but also won beautifully, so that the surrounding countries can see Daqin's mighty military power, which will be beneficial to Daqin's next plan.

Why were the Han and Tang dynasties so famous that all nations came to pay tribute and submit to them?
It is not just about winning one victory after another. Only when other countries can truly feel the power of Qin, some things can be done.

What you can't get on the battlefield is also hard to get at the negotiating table. It's hard to make people obey the arrangements of the Qin Dynasty with words alone. If you want to do things for the Qin Dynasty, you have to use some fists.

Moreover, although the Qin Dynasty is now famous, for some countries and tribes, the Qin Dynasty's achievements are only heard of but not seen with their own eyes. Who knows whether the Qin Dynasty is really powerful or just a silver peg?
Therefore, this battle must be fought!
The decision to send troops at this time was the result of careful discussion among Qin Shi Huang, Wang Jian, Li Nian and others: there had been no major wars last year, and instead the country had been able to recuperate and accumulate a small amount of wealth, which, combined with the resources obtained from the Xiongnu, the Baiyue tribes and the Wusun, would be enough to support a war.

However, the scale and duration of this war must be controlled, that is, the number of troops and the duration of the war must be controlled. We can no longer mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops and fight for half a year or a year like when we destroyed the six kingdoms. We must use relatively few troops and achieve a fairly beautiful victory in a short period of time.

Therefore, the Qin hot weapons army, which had only been formed a year ago, would also go out with Wang Ben on this expedition. This was to test the achievements of the past year's construction and examine Wang Ben and other generals' understanding of the combat of hot weapons troops. It was also to use the advantages of the hot weapons army to achieve a beautiful victory and let others see the power of the Qin.

As for continuing to hide the hot weapons army and give the enemy a surprise in the future, it is not necessary at the moment. First, the formation of the army must be tested by actual combat. Second, Daqin needs to fight this battle beautifully. Third, Daqin's development speed far exceeds that of other countries.

Even if the hot weapons army is revealed to the public, with the development speed of the Qin Dynasty, other countries will not be able to catch up even if they also form hot weapons troops.

Li Nian believed that this battle was the real founding battle of the Qin Dynasty. It was so important that he had to show his strength and let others see that the Qin Dynasty was worthy of its reputation.

As long as the Donghu and Yuezhi are defeated beautifully in this war, the prestige of the Qin Dynasty will be even greater, and many things can be done more smoothly, such as the layout of the Western Regions, the planning of the Baiyue and the Peacock Kingdom...

This was also the real reason for inviting the envoys from the Baiyue tribes, the monks from Tamolidi, and the envoys from the Maurya King. These people were to be able to witness the beautiful victory of the Qin Dynasty in this battle and to establish in their minds the idea that "Qin is really strong and we must never be its enemy", to facilitate Qin Dynasty's future actions.

As for the monks of Tamolidi and the envoys of the Peacock Kingdom, if the Qin Dynasty wins this battle beautifully, they will be released and used as propaganda tools of the Qin Dynasty in the Peacock Kingdom. They will be allowed to spread the message that the Qin Dynasty is powerful and invincible in the Peacock Kingdom, laying the spiritual and ideological foundation for the Qin Dynasty to enter the Peacock Kingdom in the future and undermining their will to resist the Qin Dynasty.

Given the nature of the Peacocks, when they learn that the Qin Empire is so civilized and powerful, they will definitely think that it is reasonable that they cannot defeat the Qin Empire. Why resist? It would be better to surrender to the Qin Empire directly!
This situation was not Li Nian's imagination, but was demonstrated when Wang Xuance destroyed Central India. After seeing how powerful Wang Xuance was, more than 500 cities in Central India surrendered voluntarily.

Since the Indians at that time were able to surrender to Wang Xuance, I believe that the Maurya people at this time will also be able to take the initiative to surrender to the Qin Dynasty, as long as they can see how powerful the Qin Dynasty is!

The same is true for the countries in the Western Regions. After knowing that Daqin is powerful, it will be easier for Daqin to accept envoys sent to them, and it will also be easier for Daqin to influence them.

After all, as the most powerful and civilized beacon in the world, other countries will surely envy and yearn for it. The Eagle Sauce can influence the world and make many small countries worship it as their godfather. Isn't it because the Eagle Sauce is strong enough?

As Li Nian was thinking, the First Emperor had already climbed onto a high platform in front of the parade ground. He was not wearing the court robes he usually wore to court, but a specially made suit.

This is the military uniform of the Qin Emperor made at the suggestion of Li Nian. It contains many military elements of the Qin Dynasty. It is designed to highlight the identity of the First Emperor as the true supreme commander of the Qin army and to appear more like a personal soldier in such occasions.

Two flagpoles stood in front of the platform, but there were no flags on them. As the First Emperor shouted "Raise the flag and play music!", the musicians who had been prepared immediately began to play music. As the music sounded, a flag was carried out by a team of personal soldiers. It was the national flag of the Qin Dynasty.

Although the many Qin soldiers on the parade ground did not move, their eyes were fixed on the flag. They watched the flag being sent to the flagpole, tied with a rope, and raised to the sound of music, fluttering on the flagpole.

After the national anthem was played, the national flag of Daqin was also raised to the top of the flagpole, followed by another burst of music, this time the music was vigorous and exciting. This time there was still a flag rising with the music, but the flag that was raised was the military flag of Daqin.

It was not the first time that the monks of Tamolidi and the envoys of the Peacock King had seen the national flag of the Qin Dynasty, but it was the first time for them to watch the flag-raising ceremony. Seeing the two flags fluttering on the flagpoles, they felt more and more that compared with the Qin Dynasty, their Peacock Kingdom was far inferior.

How could the Peacock Kingdom be a rival to a country with such etiquette and civilization? Compared with them, the Peacock Kingdom was a weak and rude barbarian.

But if the Qin Dynasty was not a barbarian country, but instead surpassed them in strength and civilization, doesn’t it mean that they have taken the wrong path of development?

Because the Qin Dynasty did not develop according to their way, and did not believe in great sages like Buddha and Mahavira, but they ended up with such a scene. On the contrary, they believed in Buddha and Mahavira, but their development was not as good as that of the Qin Dynasty.

Shouldn't it be those who believe in Buddha and Mahavira who can develop better? What went wrong?
Perhaps the traditions and customs they followed were all wrong and had gone astray a long time ago, or perhaps they were born with inferior roots and were not as good as the Qin people...

(End of this chapter)