Diqin Designer

Chapter 418 Western Regions and Oil

This mission might have something to do with him. The First Emperor would choose Zhang Han to carry it out. In all likelihood, he made the decision after hearing about Zhang Han from him.

Now that Zhang Han has returned, it means that the mission has been completed, but it will take Zhang Han more than a year to carry out the mission. What exactly is it?

The reason why the First Emperor asked Zhang Han to accompany Liu Ji to the Western Regions was probably because of this: he intended to keep Zhang Han away from the center of the Qin Dynasty so that the mission he performed for the First Emperor would not be known to the public.

Li Nian suppressed his curiosity and stopped asking. He looked at everyone and said, "You were all sent to me by His Majesty. I'm sure everyone knows His Majesty's intentions."

Everyone in the hall nodded. They were sent to this young master by the Emperor specially in order to listen to him talk about the Western Regions and to make preparations for the future Qin Dynasty to garrison in the Western Regions.

Li Nian asked again: "You are all rare talents in the Qin Dynasty. You will represent the Qin Dynasty and stay in the Western Regions to fight for the benefits of the Western Regions. But how much do you know about the Western Regions? Liu Ji, you have been to Wusun and the Western Regions as an envoy. You answer first!"

Li Nian has been a teacher for several times and is quite familiar with the job. Asking questions in class and selecting students to answer is also one of a teacher's jobs. However, the student he selected this time is no ordinary one. In the original history, he was the famous Emperor Gaozu of Han.

Liu Ji had received training from Li Nian before. After thinking for a while, he replied, "My Lord, as far as I know, there are many states and tribes in the Western Regions, but none of them are large. I heard from the Wusun people that some states only have one city and a few thousand people, yet they dare to call themselves a country."

"Although these countries and tribes are small, they each have their own customs and habits. For example, the Wusun people believe that wolves and crows are gods, while some tribes in the Western Regions believe that snakes and eagles are gods. Their daily etiquette and habits are also different. This has led to the disharmony between the countries in the Western Regions!"

"When Ji was in Wusun, he met some people from other Western Region tribes. After hearing that we were from the Qin Dynasty, they were generally in awe of us. Especially after the Qin Dynasty defeated the Donghu and Yuezhi, they were even more in awe. Many Western Region countries sent envoys to Wusun to visit Yu Ji."

When Liu Ji and others returned to Daqin to attend the triumphal ceremony, many envoys from the Western Regions also came to Xianyang.

There was no way. To the countries in the Western Regions, the Great Qin in the past was just a legend from the East, and they did not have much real feeling about it. Although the Great Qin was very powerful in the rumors, it was still far away from them and could not affect them.

However, this situation changed after the Qin Dynasty defeated the Donghu and Yuezhi.

They had never personally experienced the power of the Qin Dynasty, but they knew the Yuezhi, who were much stronger than them. Some small countries and tribes in the Western Regions had even been bullied by the Yuezhi.

But the Yuezhi, who they thought were very powerful, were easily defeated by the powerful Qin in the east. After the news spread, the countries in the Western Regions were shocked, and many countries and tribes took the initiative to send envoys to the Qin. When they heard that there was a Qin envoy in Wusun, they ran to Wusun to ask for a meeting.

The Qin State joined forces with the Wusun people to defeat the Yuezhi. The powerful Qin State would most likely extend its hand to the Western Regions. If we don't send envoys to express our wishes to the Qin State at this time, do we have to wait for the Qin people to come before we can pay homage to them?
Therefore, when Liu Ji and others returned to Xianyang, they also brought a large number of envoys from various countries in the Western Regions, which made the First Emperor very happy.

This was also one of the reasons why Liu Ji was the third to be awarded the title and why the First Emperor decided to send him to the Western Regions to reside permanently.

Liu Ji continued to answer Li Nian's question: "The countries in the Western Regions are small and weak, not as powerful as the Great Qin. They are afraid of the power of the Great Qin, but they should not be underestimated. Precisely because of their small size, they will definitely choose to ally with the strong."

"If one day the Qin Dynasty declines and a new powerful nation emerges in the Western Regions, they will surely become disloyal and betray the Qin Dynasty. Therefore, when we are stationed in the Western Regions in the future, we must be on guard against them and never trust them completely, otherwise we will suffer from their misfortune."

There are examples of this in history. The countries in the Western Regions have submitted to the Central Plains dynasty, but have also betrayed it, causing considerable losses.

This is also the way of survival for the countries in the Western Regions. Their situation is destined to make them rely on the strong. When they feel that the Central Plains dynasty is not strong enough, they may betray.

"My lord once said, 'Barbarians fear power but not virtue.' This is very true. If we enter the Western Regions, we must use people from the Western Regions, but we must also be wary of them. If the Great Qin wants to gain benefits from the Western Regions and command the Western Regions, it must have a strong army stationed there to make them feel the might of the Great Qin army!"

This is certain. The Qin Empire will certainly send troops to garrison in the Western Regions, and it will be an elite force. Military force is the fundamental guarantee. Without sufficient military force, other things will be difficult to guarantee.

Liu Ji added: "The land in the Western Regions is also very good. I don't know whether it is suitable for growing crops in Daqin, but the grass and water there are abundant, which is quite suitable for grazing. It can raise a lot of cattle and sheep."

At this time in the Western Regions, the Loulan countries still existed, and the situation was much better than later generations. Lop Nur was still a large lake rather than a vast desert, and the water and grass were abundant.

"There are more countries to the west of the Western Regions. The countries of Seleucus and Pergamon that you once told us about are there. The above is what I know about the Western Regions. Please correct me, Master!"

Li Nian did not comment on Liu Ji's answer, but asked again: "Then what do you think is the benefit of the Western Regions to the Qin Dynasty? Zhang Han, you answer!"

Zhang Han, who was named by Li Nian, replied: "My lord, I think the Western Regions have the following benefits for the Qin Dynasty: First, the Western Regions have abundant water and grass, which is quite suitable for grazing. It can raise war horses and cattle and sheep for the Qin Dynasty;"

"Second, there are other foreign countries to the west of the Western Regions. It is the main route for communication between Qin and these countries. If Qin controls the Western Regions, it can not only prevent foreign countries from invading Qin, but also use this place to communicate with them and earn more benefits for Qin."

After saying these two points, Zhang Han said: "Han only thought of these two points!"

It is said to be two points, but in fact there are three points: one is that it can be used as a pasture for raising war horses, cattle and sheep for the Qin Dynasty; the second is that it can serve as a military barrier for the Qin Dynasty to resist invasions from western countries; and the third is that it can serve as a place for trade with western countries.

Li Nian looked at Liu Ji again and asked, "Liu Ji, do you have anything else to add?"

It seems that the Western Regions have only these three functions, but since this person is still asking, there must be others. Liu Ji quickly pondered in his mind and then said, "My lord, I think there are also people and mineral resources that are of great benefit to Daqin."

"The people of the Western Regions look different from us, but they can be used by our Great Qin, like... hiring them to build bridges and roads, cut wood and farm for our Great Qin." Liu Ji was reserved in this regard. If he was not facing this young man, but a few good friends gathered together, they would definitely say "The women in the Western Regions are very attractive, we can bring them back to be concubines", but it would be difficult to say it too vulgarly and explicitly in front of this man.

The women in the Western Regions were indeed very attractive. He brought back several of them from Wusun. Compared with the women in Daqin, they had a different exotic charm. Even if these women could not be the main wives in Daqin, they were quite good as concubines.

Li Nian heard Liu Ji's reservation. He must have been thinking of the woman from the Western Regions. He wanted to use her as an example, but he felt it was not appropriate to say this in front of him, so he changed his words.

"The Western Regions are very vast, and the countries in the Western Regions also have gold, silver and copper artifacts, which proves that there must be such mineral deposits in the Western Regions. If Daqin discovers them, we can use them. There are many products in the Western Regions that Daqin does not have. For example, we once ate a kind of fruit in Wusun, which tasted very good, but Daqin does not seem to have it!"

Li Nian nodded and said with a smile, "You two are right. The Western Region is extremely important to Daqin. It is the main route to foreign countries further west. It is the key place connecting Shenzhou with Jizhou (Central Asia) and Zhuzhou (Europe). Even Yangzhou (India) can be reached from here."

After hearing what Li Nian said, everyone looked serious. Being able to connect several continents, the Western Region was indeed extremely important to Daqin.

"The Western Regions is not only the barrier for the Qin Dynasty to defend against the Western countries, but also the key place for the Qin Dynasty to expand westwards. It can also be used as a place for trade between the Qin Dynasty and the Western countries. The goods of the Qin Dynasty can be circulated to the Western countries from here, earning a huge profit for the Qin Dynasty."

"At the national strategic level, the Western Regions are extremely important to Daqin simply because of their geographical location. Therefore, when you go to the Western Regions in the future, it is not just to make the Western Regions submit and pay tribute to Daqin, but to make the Western Regions become Daqin's territory!"

This is not only Li Nian's design for the development of the Great Qin in this world, but also Li Nian's obsession from the future. What the Qin people now think of as the Western Regions will belong to China in the future. How can it be separated from the outside? It must belong to the Great Qin!
This was the first time that Liu Ji and others knew the real purpose of their trip to the Western Regions. It was not surprising. It would be strange if the Qin Dynasty had no intention of annexing the Western Regions.

Li Nian stood up and pointed at the map on the wooden stand with a small wooden stick. "The Western Region is very vast, as can be seen from this map. Therefore, it can serve as a western barrier for the Qin Empire. If an enemy suddenly attacks from the west, it can serve as a buffer so that the core of the Qin Empire will not be endangered all at once."

"Moreover, the Western Regions can also be used to defend the Great Qin against grassland tribes. From the Western Regions, we can separate the northern grasslands from the western Qiang tribe, so that the two cannot unite, and we can also effectively hold the grassland tribes and the Qiang tribe hostage. Going north, we can attack the grasslands, and going west, we can take Qiang land."

This is also something that can be seen at a glance from the map. If the Qin Dynasty can obtain the Western Regions, it can reduce the threat from the northern grasslands and the Qiang people in the west. If it loses the Western Regions, the grassland tribes will be less cautious when attacking.

"The Western Regions are an important place for the Qin Dynasty to expand westwards in the future. This can also be seen from this map. There are many countries and tribes to the west of the Western Regions. These countries and tribes are not as small as the countries in the Western Regions. Some of them are not weak. If the Qin Dynasty wants to develop westwards, it needs to use the Western Regions as a springboard!"

"In Li's opinion, the expansion of the Qin Empire to the west is inevitable. Even if we don't go there now, we will have to go there in a few decades or a hundred years!"

Li Nian pointed at the areas west of the Western Regions with a wooden stick and explained: "Because the lacquer resources in these places are extremely rich, even better than those in Daqin. Lacquer is a very important resource for national development. It is generally produced underground, is sticky, insoluble in water, and can burn..."

Having said this, Li Nian felt that talking alone would not be enough to make these people feel it intuitively. Fortunately, he had made preparations and had someone send in several glass jars.

All they saw was something black inside, which looked like some kind of liquid, but it didn't shake when it was brought in.

This is the oil that Li Nian asked the First Emperor to find in Daqin. Oil had been discovered in ancient times, but people did not pay much attention to it. For example, there is a record in "Book of Han" that "there is flammable Wei water in Gaonu County."

Li Nian said: "Come and take a look, look and smell it. Of course, this thing cannot be eaten or tasted!"

After hearing what Li Nian said, everyone stood up and walked to the glass jars, looking at them carefully with curiosity. They were even given a small wooden stick so that they could pick out something from the jar to observe.

Is the black and brown stuff in the tank oil?
It looks like liquid, but when you stir it with a wooden stick you can find that it is quite viscous, and it has a strong odor. As for what you said about it being inedible, you can tell by the smell.

But what is this thing for?

The young master also said that this thing is a very important resource for national development.

Can it be burned and used as a new kind of firewood?
Li Nian seemed to see through their confusion. He asked someone to take some oil out of the tank and ignite it, while smiling and saying, "This thing has a wide range of uses. It can be used to pave roads, make clothes, make medicine, and even for lighting. It can even make cars run as fast as the wind and let you fly into the sky..."

Everyone was shocked and amazed. How could this thing have so many uses?
Lighting and paving are understandable. Lighting is flammable, and paving is smeared on the ground. It can be made into medicine, which is understandable to some extent. This thing may be a kind of miracle medicine for certain diseases.

But making clothes out of it was incomprehensible. This thing was neither linen nor silk, but a sticky liquid that smelled quite bad. How could it be made into clothes? Not to mention anything else, just the smell, who would wear it?
It is even more incomprehensible to make the car run as fast as the wind and fly into the sky. Everyone really can't figure out how this thing can make them fly into the sky. Can they fly by smearing this thing all over their body and then lighting it?
At this time, Li Nian said again: "This substance has a wide range of uses, but it is difficult for the Qin Dynasty to use these uses now, so we have to wait until tomorrow. If you want to make this substance into medicine, it requires complicated processes and special equipment. Don't listen to Li's words "this substance can be made into medicine" and use it privately. Not only will it not cure the disease, but it will also cost you your life!"

Knowing that this was Li Nian's kind reminder, everyone said: "Don't worry, sir, we will not do that!"

Everyone also understood what Li Nian meant by mentioning this thing. For the current Qin Dynasty, this thing could not be used in many ways, but the future Qin Dynasty could, so this thing was an extremely important resource for the future Qin Dynasty and needed to be actively mastered from now on.

But everyone was curious again. Only the future Qin could make full use of this thing. How did this young master know the use of this thing? Did this young master try these uses of this thing himself?
Hiss, wasn’t it this young man who flew to the sky with the help of this thing? His experience was truly extraordinary. No wonder some people compared him to the ancient sages.

Li Nian was unaware of the thoughts his words had given rise to in the crowd. He continued, "This thing is limited in quantity in the world. It is not like trees, which can be regenerated. If we don't take more, others will take it."

This immediately made everyone understand the importance of this thing. It has a wide range of uses, and its stock is limited and non-renewable. So if the Qin Dynasty can get as much as possible, it should naturally get as much as possible!

(End of this chapter)