Diqin Designer

Chapter 390 Honors
When Li Nian heard the words of the First Emperor, a thought immediately popped up in his mind: This seems to be what Chen Tang of the Western Han Dynasty said? Your Majesty, have you paid the usage fee for borrowing other people's words?
Although this statement was copied from Chen Tang, a famous general of the Western Han Dynasty, it was quite impressive when the First Emperor said this while holding the head of the King of Donghu: So what if the King of Donghu dares to offend the majesty of the Qin Dynasty? He must bear the wrath of the Qin Dynasty, and he will be punished even though he is far away!
When the Qin generals and common people heard the words of the First Emperor, they were all excited and shouted: "Whoever openly offends the mighty Qin will be punished even if he is far away!"

"Anyone who openly offends the mighty Qin will be punished no matter how far away he is!"

"Anyone who openly offends the mighty Qin will be punished no matter how far away he is!"

The uniform shouts made the Baiyue people and the Peacock people all frightened and worried. The Qin Dynasty was so overbearing and brutal. If they were targeted by the Qin Dynasty in the future, life would be difficult.

But at the same time as they were frightened and worried, they were also envious. How great it would be if their king said this! They would be as proud and excited as these Qin people.

Unfortunately, their tribe and country are not as good as the Qin Dynasty!
Some Maurya monks and Jains even had strange thoughts: Could it be that their path was wrong, and the correct path should be the same as that of the Qin Dynasty?
In the Maurya Kingdom, they would not doubt that they were wrong. The Buddha was so wise and Mahavira was so sage, so how could the "truth" they passed down be wrong?

But after arriving in Daqin and seeing the people and things of Daqin, they felt confused, puzzled, and puzzled. The monarch of this country was overbearing, the people were martial, and the army was fierce and good at fighting. They were not like them who emphasized not killing and should save the world with compassion...

This country did not develop as the Buddha and Mahavira said, but its development was better and stronger than their Maurya Kingdom, shocking all directions and making everyone afraid. The Qin people did not believe in the Buddha or Mahavira, but they were able to develop beyond what the Buddha and Mahavira said.

This makes it difficult for them not to doubt whether the path they are on is correct and whether the direction their country is heading in is correct.

This is also another purpose of this triumphal ceremony: to shock these people and make them doubt their own path and identify with the path of the Qin Dynasty.

This will change the ideological concepts of these people, causing them to abandon their own paths and learn from the path of the Qin Dynasty, gradually becoming the shape that the Qin Dynasty wants.

A group of Buddhist monks and Jains who admire and identify with the Qin model will return to the Maurya Kingdom. One can imagine how much influence they will have on the Maurya Kingdom. I am afraid that the entire ideological world of the Maurya Kingdom will be in turmoil.

This also paved the way for Daqin to enter the Peacock Kingdom in the future, allowing these people to return to their country as public intellectuals standing on the side of Daqin to spread the word, so that the people of Peacock Country would first know how powerful Daqin was, how advanced and civilized Daqin's ideas were, and how outdated and backward their own concepts were, creating an ideological environment suitable for Daqin's entry and governance, so as to reduce opposition and resistance when Daqin entered.

Of course, this may also have some negative effects. For example, after they go back and tell other Peacock people how powerful the Qin Dynasty is, the Peacock Kingdom may accelerate its development in order to avoid being invaded by the Qin Dynasty.

But Li Nian believed that these influences were unlikely to occur. The character of the Peacock People was not much better than the natives of Hezhou (Africa) and Yingzhou (South America). Even if they knew that Daqin posed a threat to them, they would not develop with all their might. Besides, Daqin was progressing faster.

The First Emperor put the head of the King of Donghu back into the wooden box. Meng Yi brought a basin of water to wash his hands, and then entered the next part of the ceremony, personally awarding rewards to those who had made contributions in this battle.

The first person to be personally rewarded by the First Emperor was naturally Wang Ben. Given Wang Ben's contributions, it was difficult for him to be promoted to a higher official position or title, and he could only be given an honorary title and rewarded with more wealth, land, and fiefdom.

This time, the reward for Wang Ben was basically the same, but with some changes. The First Emperor announced a series of rewards for Wang Ben, and then said: "General Wang Ben, who led the Qin army to pacify the Donghu and the Yuezhi, has made great contributions to the country and the nation, and is specially awarded the Qin Medal of Defense!"

This was naturally also Li Nian's advice. At this triumphal ceremony, medals should be awarded to meritorious soldiers to increase their sense of honor.

After the First Emperor said this, Prime Minister Wang Wan walked up to the platform with a tray in his hand. On the tray was an opened wooden box with exquisite workmanship. Everyone saw a round plate shining with gold in the wooden box.

If you look closer, you will see that the gold medal is engraved with images of a black bird and a blue dragon, as well as two large Qin seal characters "Zhen Guo".

When Wang Wan stepped onto the platform, the First Emperor took out a gold medal from a wooden box and put it around Wang Ben's neck with a smile: "General, you are the pillar of the Qin Empire. Please continue to protect the country and its people!"

Wang Ben replied solemnly: "Your servant Wang Ben will devote himself to the Great Qin until his death!"

After being awarded medals by the First Emperor, Wang Ben stepped down from the platform with Wang Wan.

Many people's eyes were burning with excitement when they saw the golden medal hanging on Wang Ben's chest. "The Great Qin Medal of Defense" was a high honor.

The next person to be awarded the medal was Meng Tian. It was Wang Jian who presented the medal gift box to Meng Tian. The medal Meng Tian received was not the same Medal of Defense of the Country as Wang Ben, but the Medal of Safeguarding the Country.

The two medals had different names and styles. Everyone immediately knew that the medals were also divided into levels, and the level of the Medal of Defense of the Country should be higher than the Medal of Peace for the Country.

But what many people did not expect was that after Meng Tian, ​​the third person to be awarded the medal was not the Qin generals who fought against the Donghu and Yuezhi, but a man named "Liu Ji".

The First Emperor stood on the high platform and said to the crowd below: "Liu Ji, the Qin envoy, was sent to the friendly country of Wusun by my order. He established the friendship between the Great Qin and Wusun, defeated the Yuezhi's plan, boosted the prestige of the Great Qin in foreign lands, and promoted the friendship of the Great Qin in all directions. His contributions are invaluable, so I hereby award him the Great Qin Black Bird Medal..."

Many people then understood: Oh, it turned out that it was this person who led the Qin delegation to Wusun, made Qin and Wusun form an alliance, and made the Wusun people willing to join Qin in dealing with the Yuezhi. Without the support provided by the Wusun people, even if Qin could finally defeat the Yuezhi, it would probably not be easy.

At least without the food and fodder provided by the Wusun people, Daqin would be in much more trouble. It was the Wusun people who provided food and fodder that reduced the logistical supply pressure on Daqin and allowed Daqin to focus more on fighting the Yuezhi.

Thinking about it this way, Liu Ji can indeed be considered to have made great contributions. Even if he did not know much about military tactics, he knew the principle of "providing food and fodder must go before troops move forward."

Everyone saw a handsome old man in his thirties, wearing the uniform of a Qin envoy, stepping out of the line and walking towards the platform. Was this Liu Ji?
Liu Ji was in high spirits at this moment. Although he had been valued by the Emperor before, otherwise he would not have been allowed to lead an envoy to Wusun, but his name Liu Ji was not known to many people.

But now, His Majesty the Emperor has proclaimed his achievements in front of so many people, awarded him a reward, and granted him a Black Bird Medal. From today on, Liu Ji will be famous throughout the world.

Liu Ji was ranked third in the awarding of honors. Firstly, his merits were indeed sufficient. Secondly, the First Emperor and Li Nian took into consideration Liu Ji's status as Emperor Gaozu of Han in the original history. Thirdly, it was taken into consideration for future events.

In the plan of Li Nian and the First Emperor, Liu Ji would be the first Protector General of the Western Regions of the Qin Dynasty. Therefore, improving Liu Ji's reputation and making him known to the world would make it easier for him to protect the Western Regions of the Qin Dynasty in the future and safeguard the interests of the Qin Dynasty in the Western Regions. What happened when he was on a diplomatic mission to Wusun was presented to the First Emperor and Li Nian, and they both believed that with Liu Ji's talent, he would be able to protect the Western Regions for the Qin Dynasty.

Liu Ji walked up to the platform and saluted the First Emperor: "Your Majesty, I, Liu Ji, pay my respects to you!"

The First Emperor personally helped him up, took a medal from the wooden tray presented by Li Si, put it on Liu Ji, and encouraged him: "You have made great contributions in your mission to Wusun. I hope you will continue to work hard. The Qin Dynasty also needs talents like you!"

Liu Ji said: "I will not betray your majesty's words. I will go through fire and water for the Qin Dynasty and your majesty. I will not hesitate!"

Liu Ji's words were not empty talk, but came from his heart. He was in his thirties and had not achieved anything significant. Although he had some fame in Pei County, he was truly unknown in the entire Qin Dynasty. It was His Majesty the Emperor of Qin who discovered him and gave him the opportunity to become famous throughout the world.

Liu Ji naturally remembered this kindness of recognition and promotion deeply in his heart, and from being the Emperor Gaozu of Han who should have overthrown the Qin Dynasty in history, he became a loyal minister of the First Emperor.

This was interesting to those who knew about it, and it was one of the reasons why Liu Ji was ranked third in the award of honor. Wang Jian, Wang Ben, Meng Tian and others all agreed to this proposal.

Emperor Gaozu of Han, who founded the Han Dynasty, became a loyal minister of the Qin Dynasty. In the future, he will be stationed in the Western Regions for the Qin Dynasty, using all his wisdom and strength there. That's good...

After Liu Ji, many other people were awarded medals, including not only the Qin soldiers who fought in the battlefield, but also many meritorious officials who worked for the Qin in this battle. Even the Huns and Wusun people were awarded medals by the First Emperor.

Touman and the King of Wusun were not present, but both sent envoys. The First Emperor summoned the Xiongnu envoys and the Wusun envoys to the high platform and said, "Without the help of friendly countries, even if we can win this battle, Daqin will suffer great losses. Therefore, the victory of this battle is not a victory for Daqin alone, but a victory for Daqin and the two friendly countries! This victory cannot be monopolized by Daqin, and this achievement cannot be monopolized by Daqin alone!"

The Xiongnu said respectfully in the not-so-fluent elegant language: "Your Majesty, please allow me to report this. In this battle, we only assisted from the side. The victory over the Donghu and Yuezhi was really due to the efforts of the Qin Heavenly Soldiers. We really dare not take credit for it!"

The Wusun envoy on the side also echoed, saying that in this battle they were basically only responsible for the transportation of food and grass and guiding the direction, and that the actual combat was still thanks to the Qin Dynasty that defeated the enemy. How could they dare to take credit for it?

Seeing the attitude of the two envoys, the First Emperor was very satisfied in his heart, but he could not say so. He said: "The two envoys are wrong. There is a saying that 'before the troops move, the food and grass must be sent first'. Transporting food and grass is the key to war. Without sufficient food and grass, how can the Qin soldiers fight with peace of mind?"

"Guidance is also important. Without the two friendly nations leading the way, even if our Great Qin army is strong, we still can't find the enemy's location. How can we win this great victory? The victory of this battle is the victory of our three families. No one can be missing!"

At this point, the First Emperor changed the subject and said, "I would like to award the two friendly countries the Great Qin Friendship Medal to show the friendship between Great Qin and the two friendly countries."

The words were very polite, as if he was speaking to them on an equal footing, asking for their opinions: In order to highlight the friendship between you and my Great Qin, I have decided to award you the Medal of Friendship. What do you think?

In fact, they had no other choice. Could they say in front of His Majesty the Qin Emperor: Your Majesty, we are unwilling to accept the Medal of Friendship!
This man had just held up the head of the King of Donghu and said, "Whoever openly offends the mighty Qin will be punished, although they are far away!" If they dared to contradict the Qin Emperor, would they also be regarded as offending the majesty of the Great Qin and be punished, "Although they are far away, they will be punished"?
They had seen with their own eyes on the battlefield how the Qin people defeated the Donghu and Yuezhi. The Donghu and Yuezhi could not withstand the Qin people's artillery, and neither could they.

The Qin Emperor awarded them medals, and they could only accept them and could not object. However, once the medals were awarded by the Qin Emperor, it also meant that they were completely branded by the Qin Emperor, and it would become extremely difficult for them to jump off the ship of the Qin Emperor.

The Xiongnu envoys had almost no psychological burden. After all, they had already boarded the Qin ship and left countless marks of the Qin. Even if they wanted to distance themselves from the Qin, no one would believe them.

Hajinu, you have been almost marinated by Daqin, and you still say that you and Daqin are innocent?

The Wusun envoys had some psychological burden, but it was not much. The Qin Dynasty helped them drive away the Yuezhi people. The Yuezhi pastures were theirs from then on, and they also obtained a large amount of livestock and property from the Yuezhi people.

So, what's wrong with listening to the Qin people? Why not listen if there are benefits to be gained?
The glory of this victory was not enjoyed by the Qin State alone, but was shared among them. How could they not acknowledge such a generous adoptive father?

What's more, this adoptive father is so powerful. To get by, you need a background, and Daqin is the strongest background in this world today.

The Xiongnu and Wusun envoys saluted the First Emperor and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace. May the Qin Empire and the Xiongnu (Wusun) be friends forever!"

The First Emperor also said: "This medal is a testimony to the friendship between the Great Qin and the two friendly countries. May the friendship between the Great Qin and the two friendly countries last forever!"

The First Emperor awarded the two special envoys two beautiful medals, which were exquisitely crafted, mostly silver in color, and engraved with the Qin Dynasty's black bird totem and the totems worshipped by the Xiongnu and Wusun.

After conferring honors on the two envoys, the triumphal ceremony came to an end. The First Emperor looked at the crowd below the stage and said passionately: "This battle is the first victory of the Qin Dynasty. It can be said to be a victory since the founding of the dynasty. If it were not for the dedication of the ministers in the court, the soldiers fighting outside, the people of the Qin Dynasty paying taxes and tributes, and the diligent assistance of friendly countries, how could we have such a victory?"

The first victory of the Qin Dynasty?
But wasn’t the first victory the one in which General Wang Ben led the troops to quell the rebellion started by the old nobles of the six kingdoms?

Many people quickly realized that although they had won that battle, it was a rebellion suppressed within the Qin territory, but this battle was Qin sending troops outward.

His Majesty the Emperor did not consider the suppression of the rebellion at home as the first victory of the dynasty, but rather believed that the victory over foreign enemies was the first great victory of the Qin Dynasty.

"Therefore, this victory is a victory for all the nobles, a victory for all the soldiers, a victory for the people of the Qin Empire, and a victory for our friendly nations! However..."

The First Emperor changed the subject, "Although this battle is over, the road to the Great Qin is not over yet. The world is vast, and the sea is endless. I hope to work with you to ensure that the Great Qin will always be victorious. Do you have the confidence?"

As the First Emperor was asking questions, a unanimous shout that resounded through heaven and earth was heard again. On the high platform, the First Emperor looked ahead, toward the end where the sky and the earth met, and from there he seemed to see a new era rolling in.

(End of this chapter)