Diqin Designer

Chapter 369: Qin and Huns Meet

Touman and others were very curious about what the Qin people were going to use for this expedition. What on earth was it that could make the Qin people so confident that they could defeat the Donghu and Yuezhi?

As they got closer, Touman and others noticed some details, such as the saddles on the Qin army's war horses were different from the ones they usually used.

The saddles they used had lower bridges, but the saddles used by the Qin army had higher bridges, and there was a pair of rings hanging on both sides of the saddle, with the Qin cavalry's feet stepping in the rings.

Touman and others had rich riding experience and could see at a glance that the saddles and rings used by the Qin army could improve the stability of the knights on horseback, allowing the knights to sit more steadily on the horse, making it easier for them to use weapons and thus improving their combat effectiveness.

This kind of component is not difficult to make and can be understood at a glance, but without the Qin people showing them, it would be difficult for them to imagine that the saddle bridge could be made higher and equipped with two footrest rings to increase stability on the horse.

Although the item is small, it is very useful. If a team of cavalry that does not use such saddles and rings meets a team of cavalry that uses such saddles and rings on the battlefield, the side that uses them will definitely have the advantage.

Touman and others had a strange idea in their minds: if they did not rely on the support of the big brother Qin, but instead became enemies with Qin, then the Qin army using this kind of saddle and ring might come to conquer them today.

When the time comes, they will be caught off guard and suffer heavy losses when they meet on the battlefield!

No one had ever heard of or seen the Qin cavalry using such saddles and rings before. They were only revealed because of this battle. Big Brother was hiding something from them. If they had not been tactful at the beginning, these things that Big Brother had concealed would have been used against them.

Thinking of this, Touman and others felt fortunate. It was a wise move to send envoys to congratulate the Qin Emperor on his enthronement. Otherwise, how could they have established diplomatic relations with the Qin Dynasty and clung to the big brother's support?

Thinking that Donghu and Yuezhi were about to fight against the Qin army, Touman and others began to gloat. They would not be able to taste the power of Big Brother, but Donghu and Yuezhi would soon.

The Donghu and Yuezhi always bullied them in the past, but so what?

What’s the point of beating?

To make it in life, you need power and background!

We cannot defeat you Donghu and Yuezhi, but we have a backer who can summon the most powerful summoned beast of this era - Daqin.

But Touman and others only noticed the saddle and stirrups at this time, and did not notice that the horse hooves also had details.

When Li Nian handed the Gaoqiao saddle, stirrups, and horseshoes to Qin Shi Huang, he thought they would play an unexpected role in the war between Qin and the Xiongnu. However, he did not expect that the war would not be fought against the Xiongnu, but against the Donghu and Yuezhi.

These things are simple to make and easy to see, so they can only be used once before others learn how to make them.

Stirrups and horseshoes were originally hidden as secrets of the Qin Dynasty, but in order to win a beautiful victory over the Donghu and Yuezhi, all aspects had to be fully prepared to ensure success, and it was naturally decided to take out these items.

Aren't trump cards something that should be used when they can be used? The current battle against the Donghu and Yuezhi is the moment when stirrups and horseshoes enter the world.

Moreover, as the Qin Dynasty continues to develop and progress, it will have more and more trump cards. The consumption of disposable trump cards such as stirrups and horseshoes will not have much impact on the future of the Qin Dynasty. In fact, with the development of the Qin Dynasty, items such as stirrups and horseshoes will not be considered trump cards.

Now is the time to use it in this war!

Soon, Touman and others approached the vanguard of the Qin army, and immediately a team of Qin soldiers came to meet them. The Qin general leading the team was recognized by Touman and others. He was Wang Li, who had accompanied Chen Ping and Jiao Li on a diplomatic mission to the Xiongnu.

But last time, the Qin army that came with Wang Li had only a few hundred people, but today there are tens of thousands of them, and Wang Li’s father, Wang Ben, is also there.

Seeing that it was Wang Li who led the Qin cavalry to meet them, Touman and others felt a lot more relieved. It is always better to know someone than someone they don't know.

Still at a distance, Touman smiled and said, "It's been a long time since I last saw you, General. You are still as charming as ever!"

These words made Wang Li, who was on his horse, stunned for a moment, because Touman was speaking in the elegant language. Although it had a strong Xiongnu accent, it was obviously the elegant language.

Wang Li looked at Touman and the Xiongnu leaders who followed him, clasped his fists and saluted them on horseback, and smiled and said: "After a year of separation, the Chanyu and the leaders are still as outstanding as ever."

Compared with a year ago, Touman and the other Xiongnu leaders have actually changed a lot, and the most obvious change is in their appearance.

In the past year, they have lived a life of luxury, wearing clothes made in Daqin, drinking fine wine brewed in Daqin, eating delicacies cooked by Daqin chefs, and receiving medical care from Daqin. Their lives have been very comfortable.

As a result, the bodies of Touman and others also expanded, becoming plump and round. Wang Li said that they "still have extraordinary bearing", which was really a lie.

But Wang Li's words made Touman and others very satisfied. It was not because Wang Li's words were pleasant to the ears and they were very happy, but because Wang Ben was willing to let Wang Li meet them, which expressed Wang Ben's friendly attitude towards them and showed that Wang Ben would not deliberately make things difficult for them.

After Wang Li saluted Jiao Li, Chen Ping and others, he said to Tou Man and others: "The general is in front, Shan Yu and other leaders, please follow me!"

Led by Wang Li, Touman and others approached a certain part of the Qin army's center. When they approached the Qin army's center, the Qin army was still marching in an orderly manner, as if ignoring them.

The Qin army didn't care about the arrival of the Xiongnu Chanyu and the leader, they just kept marching!
But Touman and others knew that these Qin soldiers were not really ignoring them, they just had not received the order to attack them. If they received the order, these seemingly indifferent and calm Qin soldiers would launch a thundering attack on them the next moment.

The more they observed, the more Touman and others felt that this Qin army was a terrifying army. Every soldier was silent and did what he was supposed to do calmly, in a unified and orderly manner, not like a human being.

This kind of unity and order is not deliberately pretended, but has become a habit developed in daily life. An army with such discipline would be absolutely terrifying on the battlefield.

Touman and others also noticed that the Qin troops were dressed differently. For example, the Qin troops near some of the carriages were dressed differently from most of the Qin troops on the march. There was a special pattern painted on their clothes to distinguish them from other Qin troops.

What are these Qin soldiers doing? Touman and others had a guess in their minds: perhaps these Qin soldiers are responsible for controlling the secret items carried in the carriage.

They guessed correctly, these Qin troops were actually the artillery established by the Qin Dynasty, and the artillery carried in the carriages were the artillery cast by the Qin Dynasty in the past year!

Not all chariots were escorted by Qin soldiers in special attire, and some were not. So what was in these chariots?
With all kinds of questions and surprises, Touman and others approached the central army, and saw at a glance a middle-aged general with unique armor riding on a good horse, surrounded by several Qin generals, riding forward under the protection of a group of elite Qin cavalry.

This general should be Wang Ben, the son of Wang Jian and father of Wang Li, the chief general of the Qin army who is leading the Qin army to conquer the Donghu and Yuezhi!

The middle-aged general also looked over with a calm gaze, but Touman and others unconsciously avoided his gaze, not daring to look him in the face.

Touman and others didn't see it. Seeing that Touman and others avoided his gaze, the middle-aged general shook his head slightly. The Huns' Chanyu and leader were considered useless.

Thinking back then, he had heard the story of the war between the Huns and Li Mu, and had wondered if he could do the same as Li Mu if he were in Li Mu's position.

Today, he saw the Xiongnu Chanyu who had fought with Li Mu, but the other party had long lost his former ambition and vigor.

This is not surprising. Back then, Tou Man was very powerful. He had hundreds of thousands of soldiers under his command. He was extremely rampant on the grassland and led the Hun army to invade Zhao State. Then he met Li Mu. Almost all the elite Huns of that generation were killed by Li Mu.

If it weren't for the heavy casualties caused by Li Mu, how could the Xiongnu be willing to be blackmailed by the Donghu and Yuezhi? It was because they were not strong enough and had no choice but to bow down!

At this time, Wang Li's voice came, proving the conjecture of Touman and others. The middle-aged general was really Wang Ben. "I am Wang Li, the last general, and I want to report to the general that Touman Chanyu and the other leaders have arrived. Do you want to meet them?"

Then, a calm male voice sounded, "Yes!"

Touman and others were then allowed to approach Wang Ben. They did not dare to look directly at him, so they only saw Wang Ben's appearance from a quick glance. He was a very handsome general. Just by standing there without saying a word, he had an aura of majesty without even getting angry.

In addition to the personal guards around Wang Ben, there were also several Qin generals. What made them remember most was that the Qin general closest to Wang Ben was actually a child!

The child was riding on a horse, wearing a helmet and armor. Although he was small, he did not look childish. Instead, he gave people a feeling that "this child is also a Qin general."

This child was of course Han Xin. This was the first foreign war since the founding of the Qin Dynasty, and also the first time that the Qin Dynasty used hot weapons in a war. Han Xin naturally followed Wang Ben to watch the battle and learn.

It was not Li Nian or the First Emperor who sent him here, but Han Xin took the initiative to ask Li Nian for help after learning that the Qin Dynasty was going to use military force against the Donghu and Yuezhi.

Looking at the plump and round Touman and others, Han Xin had a strange look in his eyes. He remembered something Li Nian taught him: Sometimes, victory does not necessarily have to be achieved on the battlefield!
The Xiongnu Chanyu and these leaders are a good example. Although the Qin Dynasty has not yet directly fought with the Xiongnu, the fight between the two countries has actually begun long ago, and that was a fight not on the battlefield.

Seeing Touman and others saluting Wang Ben, Han Xin had an idea: What if he detained all these people, and instead of attacking the Donghu and Yuezhi, he led his army to destroy the Xiongnu...

This idea was indeed feasible, but Han Xin gave up after just a brief thought. It was indeed very likely that the Huns would be annihilated, but the negative consequences would be serious.

The first thing is that they will lose credibility among other countries and tribes in the surrounding areas.

Reputation is sometimes not important, but sometimes very important. For the Qin Dynasty today, it needs to maintain a good national reputation, at least on the surface.

The Huns are now on the side of the Qin State and are Qin's younger brothers. If we take the opportunity to destroy the Huns, what will other countries think?
If you are so unethical towards your younger brothers, you will definitely be even more unethical towards us. If the Qin Dynasty wants to communicate with these wary nations and tribes, the cost will be even greater.

Secondly, the Qin Dynasty was not yet ready to annex the Huns. After destroying the six kingdoms and unifying the world, the six kingdoms kept the Qin Dynasty busy. There was a shortage of people here and materials there. If the Huns' territory was added, the shortage of talent and materials would be even more serious.

Touman and others were killed, and the Xiongnu's territory was also taken over, but what kind of talents should be used to govern the Xiongnu, and what policy should be adopted towards the Xiongnu?

Although the territory is good, if you eat too much, you will suffer from indigestion. It is better to let Touman and others continue to live and let them govern the Huns. The Qin Dynasty can influence the Huns from the side and make them gradually become the shape that the Qin Dynasty wants.

Let Touman and others take care of the Xiongnu fruit tree temporarily on behalf of Daqin. When the fruits that Daqin wants are ripe, kick Touman and others away and pick the fruits. Wouldn't that be easy and labor-saving?

'So this is what Master Li is planning for the Xiongnu, to lead them to change in the direction that Daqin wants, and Daqin will reap the rewards in the future. Therefore, the current Khan and leader of the Xiongnu must not only not die, but also stay alive. Because Daqin needs them alive!'

'When the Qin no longer needs them, it will be time for them to abdicate or die. Or when they hinder the interests of the Qin, the Qin will choose people who are in line with the interests. It doesn't matter who becomes the Chanyu or the leader, what matters is that it is in line with the interests of the Qin. And now, these people are in line with the interests of the Qin.'

Han Xin took a deep breath, and at this moment, he suddenly understood a lot. He looked at Touman and others with a deeper gaze. No wonder these people became so... wealthy. It was intentional by the Qin Dynasty.

The Qin Empire did not need a wise Chanyu or a group of capable leaders from the Xiongnu, but needed Chanyu and leaders who listened to the Qin Empire, even if they were cruel, corrupt, and absurd.

Han Xin suddenly thought of the story of the death of the Xiongnu prince Maodun, which was widely circulated in Daqin, and his eyes became strange. Originally, he believed the official statement that Maodun was executed for trespassing into the forbidden palace after getting drunk, and it had nothing to do with Master Li. It was not like the rumors outside that Master Li killed Maodun in anger for his master's wife.

But now I think that the truth of the matter probably has nothing to do with Master's wife, but it is definitely closely related to Master Li. Master Li must be pushing it behind the scenes.

There is only one reason for Maodun's death: he could have become the next Khan of the Xiongnu, a wise, capable and ambitious Khan.

While Han Xin was thinking about this, Touman and the others saluted Wang Ben, using the Great Qin etiquette that they had learned from the staff of the Great Qin Embassy in the Xiongnu: "Touman greets the general!"

Seeing Touman and others saluted him with the etiquette of the Qin Dynasty, Wang Ben thought of the cultural invasion that Li Nian had told them about. What he saw before his eyes was one of them!
Wang Ben also gave face to Touman and others. He returned the greeting to Touman with the courtesy of meeting a foreign monarch and said, "I am Wang Ben, the general of the Qin army marching north. I greet the Chanyu and the other leaders!"

(End of this chapter)