Diqin Designer

Chapter 421: Qin Enters the Western Regions

No matter how many plans Li Nian has for the Western Regions, it cannot change one fact: the influence of the Qin Dynasty in the Western Regions today cannot be compared with that of the Han and Tang Dynasties during their heyday. At least, in terms of the territory that can be controlled, it is not as good as the Han and Tang Dynasties when the Western Regions Protectorate was established.

"Suiye City", one of the four Anxi towns established by the Tang Dynasty, is located in present-day Kyrgyzstan, but the Qin Dynasty cannot reach this place at present. It has not even settled the nearby Western Regions countries, let alone such a place.

The "Western Regions" mentioned at this time are actually the lands of China in later generations, with Yangguan and Yumen in Gansu as the eastern boundary, and to the west is what the Central Plains dynasties often regarded as the Western Regions.

Therefore, "Yangguan" and "Yumen" are often mentioned in frontier poems, such as "I urge you to drink another cup of wine, for there will be no friends west of Yangguan" and "The long clouds from Qinghai darken the snow-capped mountains, and the lonely city looks towards Yumen Pass from afar."

The main area of ​​the "Western Regions" is the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The "Thirty-Six Kingdoms of the Western Regions" under the jurisdiction of the Western Regions Protectorate in the Han Dynasty were concentrated in the Tarim Basin. There was not much west at all. The Wusun and Yuezhi were all located in the territory of later China.

This is also the important reason why Li Nian wants the Qin Dynasty in this world to take over the "Western Regions": Even if the Qin Dynasty cannot expand its territory in this world, the territory that China should have cannot be lost, and certain places must be taken back!
But it belonged to China in later generations, but not to the Qin Dynasty at this time. In fact, the control and influence of the Qin Dynasty was not as great as that of the Han and Tang Dynasties. The "Western Regions" acquired by the Qin Dynasty were still in Gansu in later generations, and it had not even reached Xinjiang.

The Qin Empire was able to obtain this "Western Region" by defeating the Yuezhi people. The area where the Yuezhi people originally grazed was between Dunhuang and Qilian in Gansu Province in later generations. After being defeated by the Qin Empire, the Qin Empire and Wusun divided the Yuezhi people's land together.

Obtaining part of the Yuezhi's land also allowed the Qin Dynasty to successfully extend its influence into the Western Regions, but this was still far from the goal that Li Nian wanted to achieve.

The Western Regions that Li Nian had in mind that the Qin Dynasty could influence were not the Gansu and Xinjiang regions of later generations. This "Western Regions" at the doorstep should have been an inseparable part of the Qin Dynasty. There was no need to think too much about it. Now, they had only obtained what they should have obtained, and only a little bit at that. How gratifying was that?
The strategic plan for the Western Regions that he wanted to realize was to go out and head further west, so that the Qin Dynasty could spread the light of Chinese civilization to Central Asia, West Asia, and even Europe.

But the road is long and arduous. The Qin Dynasty could not swallow up the "Western Regions" at its doorstep in one breath, let alone the Central Asia and West Asia further west. It had to start from the "Western Regions" at its doorstep.

In the second year of Emperor Qin Shihuang's reign, on October 17, autumn had passed and it was already winter. The green on the grassland had turned to withered yellow. Even though the weather was generally warmer during this period, the temperature on the grassland was still not very high in winter.

It was the same today. Although the sun was shining, the wind was so cold that people couldn't help but want to curl up in the yurt to drink and keep warm, and didn't want to go out.

But there are a group of people who did not hide in the yurts to avoid the winter cold, but stood on the roadside to blow in the cold wind.

This is the location of Zhaowu City, the original capital of the Yuezhi people. A large group of people, unafraid of the cold, are standing on the road outside the east gate of Zhaowu City.

These people were divided into several areas. Judging from their clothes and hairstyles, the people in each area had their own origins. They were looking towards the east, as if waiting for something.

It's not that they are really not afraid of the cold, but they have received news that the Qin governor appointed by the Qin Emperor will arrive today.

As the permanent representative of the Qin Dynasty in the Western Regions, they will definitely have many dealings with him in the future. Even if the weather is very cold, they have to wait for him here.

The Qin Dynasty was indeed powerful. Not to mention the Donghu, which was a bit far away from them, but the Yuezhi were indeed strong. However, the Yuezhi, who seemed powerful in their eyes, were easily defeated by the Qin Dynasty. Even the royal city that the Yuezhi had built with great difficulty now belonged to the Qin people.

By the way, this city seems to have been renamed "Zhangye" by the Qin people, and I don't know why the Qin people changed the name to this.

This is the consequence of going against the Qin people. Not only did you lose your land and people die in battle, but even your city took the Qin people's name.

How could they not take such a Qin State seriously? In the past, the Qin State only existed in the rumors they knew about. Although they had heard of its power, they had never seen it and had little feeling for it.

It's like hearing that there's a perverted murderer in Da Piaoliang's place. Although you'd be surprised, you wouldn't take it too seriously: Oh, it's normal for Da Piaoliang to have some perverts!
But if it was suddenly reported that the perverted murderer was near them, that feeling would come up immediately.

The countries in the Western Regions had similar feelings about the Qin Dynasty. They were just shocked to see that the powerful Qin Dynasty suddenly appeared near them, became their neighbor, and even showed off its strength by defeating the Yuezhi.
After learning the result of the war between Daqin and Yuezhi, many countries and tribes in the Western Regions responded quickly: the Qin people are coming, and they quickly sent envoys to contact them.

If we don't contact the Qin people now and find out their intentions, do we have to wait until the Qin's war horses arrive outside the city gate and the artillery reaches the door before contacting them?
It is too late to provide timely assistance, but there is still a chance to add icing on the cake. Perhaps we can even get some benefits from the Qin people. Look at the Wusun. It was only because they relied on the Qin people that they were able to get rid of their enemy, the Yuezhi, and obtain a large tract of land from the Yuezhi.

As for the Yuezhi people, some died and some escaped. They had always suppressed the Wusun people and often invaded their pastures, but now the Wusun people took advantage of the power of the Qin people to seize their pastures.

Since the Wusun people can rely on the Qin people as their big brother, why can't they?
They can do what the Wusun people can do, and they may also be able to do what the Wusun people cannot do!
The Qin people obviously had ideas about the Western Regions, otherwise they would not have sent a governor to be stationed there permanently. The governor is the prime minister who oversees all matters and is in charge of all affairs in this area on behalf of the Qin Dynasty.

It is said that this Qin governor is the one who had been on a diplomatic mission to Wusun. If it is true, that would be good. That person has a heroic character, and it is better to get along with him than to deal with other Qin people whom we don't know well.

Some envoys who had met Liu Ji in Wusun thought to themselves.

But what strategy will the Qin people adopt against them and how will they treat them?

Thinking of this, the envoys felt heavy-hearted. Compared with the Qin Dynasty, their country (tribe) was too weak.

In addition to the envoys from various countries, there are also the Qin army left behind after the Qin Dynasty defeated the Yuezhi. They are here to maintain order. In fact, they are not needed to maintain order. The envoys from the countries and tribes in the Western Regions did not dare to cause trouble here and were all honest and well-behaved.

As time went by, the wind became stronger and stronger, and the sun set on people's bodies, but there was no warmth at all. Many people cursed the damn weather in their hearts, because the sun was out, but it was still so cold.

Some people were breathing out air and rubbing their hands while looking towards the east, hoping that the Qin people would arrive earlier so that they would have to suffer less from the wind and cold.

Perhaps it was because the expectation in these people's hearts was heard, there was a sudden tremor from the earth in the east, which gradually grew bigger and bigger, and it did not disappear after one wave, but came one after another.

This boosted the spirits of the envoys from various countries.

This was obviously a commotion that could only be caused by the arrival of a large group of cavalry. However, now this land has belonged to the Qin people and is Qin's territory. Only the Qin people themselves can dispatch such a large group of cavalry on Qin's territory.

The envoys of various countries stopped breathing and rubbing their hands. They raised their heads and looked towards the east, hoping to see the Qin people as soon as possible. Soon, several flags appeared from the land in the east, fluttering in the cold wind. An army appeared with the flags, and an imposing atmosphere followed.

The envoys from various countries stopped making small moves and stared intently at the army coming from the east against the cold wind.

It was not clear at first, but as we got closer, the flags gradually became clear.

One flag had a blue dragon and a black bird painted on it, one had a ferocious black tiger painted on it, one had a black background with a white circle and black characters, and the word "Qin" was written in the Qin people's bamboo script, and one had the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, and lakes painted on it...

They had heard of the other flags, but they didn't know what the flag with the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers and lakes was.

This is the governor's flag specially awarded by the Qin Dynasty to Liu Ji. It is derived from the saying "Everywhere the sun and the moon shine is Han territory, and wherever the rivers flow, all people are Han subjects."

Of course, this "Han" should now be changed to "Qin"!
This was the flag set by the First Emperor to be awarded to all governors-general of the Qin Dynasty in the future. The Qin Dynasty wanted to expand its territory and become the empire on which the sun never sets. It was impossible for there to be only one governor-general, Liu Ji. The governor-general was responsible for guarding the territory for the Qin Dynasty. The sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers and lakes just represented the territory.

Not only the flags were interesting, but the Qin army was even more interesting. Although they had seen the Qin army stationed in Zhangye City many times, they still felt a strong sense of oppression from the Qin army that came now.

The Qin troops stationed in Zhangye City were also the elite among the Qin troops. However, when many envoys from the Western Regions came, the war between Qin and Yuezhi had already ended and the main forces had already withdrawn. They had not seen the Qin troops of this scale being dispatched.

In fact, this group of Qin troops was not as good as the Qin troops stationed in Zhangye City. When the Qin army fought against the Donghu and Yuezhi, it wanted to win a beautiful victory, so it dispatched the elite of the elite.

Although the Qin army that came with Liu Ji and others is also elite, its purpose is to garrison and deter the countries in the Western Regions. Compared with the need to win a beautiful victory, it is much more relaxed. Therefore, the troops dispatched this time are not the most elite.

But the envoys from the Western Regions did not know this. They only saw the Qin army moving on such a large scale, still in an orderly manner. Even though they were still a long distance away, they could feel the intimidating oppression.

Many envoys from various nations and tribes asked themselves: If they were faced with this Qin army, could they fight it head-on?
The results made them depressed. Their army was obviously no match for the Qin army. Not to mention the legendary Qin artillery, the Qin army was superior to them in other aspects. Just look at the weapons and armor. Which part was not better than theirs?
Thinking of the Qin people's weapons, armor and artillery, some envoys suddenly had an idea: the Qin people's artillery is unlikely to be sold outside, but apart from artillery, the Qin people's other weapons seem to be very powerful. Can these be sold outside?

If the Qin people can sell it to them, then the strength of their country will be able to reach a higher level. Last time, they suffered from the loss of weapons and armor and failed to defeat xx. Now that they have obtained the Qin people's weapons and armor, they will be able to take revenge.

The Qin people have artillery, and no one can defeat them, but they may have a chance to sit in a position below the Qin people.

These envoys became very interested and were determined to find a way to ask the Qin governor whether they could buy Qin's weapons and armor.

As if noticing that they were waiting here, the Qin army also began to charge.

The sight of tens of thousands of Qin cavalry charging forward made the envoys of various countries change color with fear. The earth seemed to have turned into a drumhead, and the horses' hooves were like drumsticks, beating the earth rapidly, causing the earth to vibrate rapidly.

The Qin army rushed from the east like a torrent, as if to charge and destroy anything that stood in its way.

If their army met this Qin army, they would probably be defeated in a single charge, with people torn to pieces and horses crushed, leaving only corpses wherever they passed.

But after reaching a certain distance, the Qin army began to restrain the horses and slow down the speed of the vanguard.

In the eyes of the envoys from various countries, the Qin army, which had turned into an invincible torrent, gradually returned to a state of neither haste nor slowness and in good order, switching from slow to fast and then from fast to slow, with the switch being very smooth.

This also made the envoys of various countries even more frightened. As slow as a mountain and as fast as a torrent, only a well-trained and elite army can do it.

This was obviously done intentionally by the Qin people to intimidate them first, but it did work, and envoys from some foreign countries were frightened to the point of trembling.

Liu Ji rode with one hand on his horse and held the whip with the other, pointing ahead, and laughed with Zhang Han beside him: "General Zhang, those people must have been scared!"

Zhang Han looked ahead and replied, "It's too early to be scared now. We will have a 'surprise' for them later."

Liu Ji also smiled and said, "That's right. There are even bigger 'surprises' for them. They are also lucky. This time we brought some new artillery from Xianyang to open their eyes! Some people have seen the power of artillery before and they are deeply regretful. This time, let them see it for themselves!"

What had just happened was just a "little joke" played by Liu Ji and others on the envoys from various countries. What was really intended to be used was artillery to demonstrate the might of the Qin Dynasty and intimidate the envoys from various countries in the Western Regions.

Compared with the cannons used in the conquests of the Donghu and Yuezhi, the new cannons they brought from Xianyang were more powerful.

If the envoys from the Western Regions knew about the "surprise" and "blessing" that Zhang Han and Liu Ji mentioned, they would definitely say: There is no need to give us such "surprise" and "blessing", we cannot afford it!
But how could they just refuse the "blessing" that the Qin Dynasty wanted to give them if they didn't want it?
Liu Ji and Zhang Han arrived with a team of tens of thousands of people. An envoy who knew Liu Ji hurriedly saluted Liu Ji and stated his identity in poorly written polite language: "I am Shanfu, the envoy of Khotan, and I am honored to meet the envoy of Qin!"

"Lan Jie, the envoy of Pishan, greets the envoy of Daqin!"

……

Liu Ji had not yet dismounted his horse. He was still riding on it, watching these people salute him respectfully. A sense of pleasure arose in his heart.

Just over a year ago, he was still hanging out in Pei County, watching dogs fight at the village entrance. He never imagined that today he would become the Governor-General of the Western Regions of the Qin Dynasty, representing the Qin Dynasty and permanently stationed in the Western Regions. The envoys of these countries and tribes would have to speak to him respectfully and look up at him.

(End of this chapter)