Diqin Designer

Chapter 543 Qin State is truly an open and inclusive country!
Arsak I said, "Please convey my gratitude to His Majesty the Emperor of your country. When you envoys return to your country, I will send someone to accompany you there!"

Since the Qin emperor had sent these precious gifts, he couldn't appear stingy and had to send an envoy with the gifts to visit Qin.

Wang Ling smiled and said, "The Great Qin welcomes Your Majesty's envoy to visit!"

King Arsak I added, “You have come from afar from your country. If there is anything we can do to help you, please let us know. Don’t hesitate to ask.”

The Qin emperor sent an envoy from so far away, which was certainly not to deliver gifts, or rather, there must have been something else going on.

Besides, even if the Qin envoy had nothing else to do, he still had to ask about the many treasures that had been sent from so far away. He couldn't just accept the gifts and then not ask anything or offer any help, could he?

As a monarch, it's not appropriate to do something so shameful.

Wang Ling said, “To be honest, Your Majesty, there is indeed something I need Your Majesty’s help with! First, we need to obtain some supplies from your country, please grant us permission; second, Prince Li Nian is very curious about the books of other countries, and before his mission, he asked us to collect them for him. We hope to copy some of your country’s books and bring them back for the prince, please grant us permission.”

The demands made by Wang Ling were similar to those he made to Euthydemus I in Bactria: to allow the Qin delegation to purchase Parthian specialties, including but not limited to Parthian horses and some unique Parthian crops; to allow academic exchanges between Qin and Parthian scholars; and to allow trade between the two sides...

Hearing that the king's requests were all normal and not excessive, King Arsak I smiled and said, "I can grant the envoy's other requests, but I would rather not have academic exchanges with our scholars. Our country is not founded on scholarship, and I'm afraid there are few people who can exchange ideas with your scholars."

Arsak I made no secret of this, because Parthia was in much the same state of affairs.

In the Hellenistic countries of this era, knowledge was mainly in the hands of the Macedonians, and Parthia, being part of the Seleucid Empire, was no exception.

Arsak I rose to power by instigating the Seleucid rebellion, and since he was not of Macedonian origin, it was difficult for him to gain the support of Macedonian scholars.

Therefore, Arsaj I did not have many outstanding scholars under his command.

This is different from Eusidmus I, who, although also a Seleucid rebel, was a true Macedonian elite.

In the eyes of those Macedonian scholars, could they be the same? You, Arsak, a lowly native, do you even deserve to be compared with us Macedonian elites?
Furthermore, Eusidmus I did not directly rebel against the Seleucus. Rather, it was Theodotus I who first rebelled against the Seleucus and established the kingdom, and Eusidmus I then usurped the throne from Theodotus II. Eusidmus I did not directly rebel against the Seleucus.

Arsak I added, “However, if you wish to copy the classics, please do so, just do not damage them.”

In this respect, he was more open-minded than Euthydemus I.

However, this was because although those books were spoils of war obtained after his victory, few of them could understand or were willing to read them, so it was better to generously let the Qin people copy them.

The Macedonian texts were copied, and that was fine as long as they weren't damaged.

The Qin people asked for horses and crops, undoubtedly intending to take them back to Qin. The horses, once taken back as breeding stock, might provide the Qin people with fine horses. However, Arsak I felt this wouldn't significantly impact their peace, as Qin was far away.

Arsak I suddenly had an idea and asked the royal tomb, "May I send someone to your country to study?"

Since their rebellion against the Seleucids and the establishment of their own independent state, the Seleucids had been imposing a blockade on them, including educational restrictions.

Of course, this is normal; since they have all rebelled, Seleucus certainly wouldn't send anyone to impart knowledge to them.

This is also why Arsak I was willing to allow the Qin delegation to copy the classics. Even if they had kept them hidden and refused to let the Qin delegation copy them, they would have had a hard time realizing the value of these classics.

But the Seleucids imposed an educational blockade on them, a blockade of knowledge; perhaps they could obtain it from the Qin people…

Black cat or white cat, a good cat is one that can catch mice. Who says it has to be a white cat?
However, there is a problem: even if the people of Qin accept the students they send out and are willing to impart their knowledge to them, Qin is too far away from them.

When Arsak I proposed sending people to study in Daqin, Wang Ling was taken aback. What a wonderful thing!

Wang Ling quickly realized what was going on and laughed, "Your Majesty is too kind. Of course, our Great Qin welcomes your country to send people to study in Great Qin!"

“Study abroad?” King Arsark I nodded and said, “That’s a reasonable term. Go to another country, stay and study, and then return home after completing your studies.”

Arsak I then asked curiously, "Are there many students studying in your country?"

Wang Ling laughed and said, "Indeed, quite a few! The various tribes of Baiyue, the Xiongnu, Wusun, and the Western Regions alliance have all sent people to study in Daqin."

An Anxi minister asked, "May I ask, envoy, who are these Baiyue tribes and the Western Regions alliance states...?"

It seems that quite a few countries have sent people to study in Qin. Only a very strong country can attract so many people to study there. It's unlikely that those countries would choose to study in a country weaker than themselves.
Thinking about it this way, what the Qin envoy said is probably true. Qin was an extremely powerful country, even stronger than Macedonia under Alexander the Great.

Wang Ling smiled and explained, "The Baiyue tribes are some tribes or states located in the south of our Great Qin. They each have their own names. 'Baiyue tribes' is the general term used by our Great Qin to refer to them, including the Xiou and Luoyue..."

Wang Ling recited a list of Baiyue tribes. In fact, those who came to study in Daqin from the south were not only Baiyue tribes, but also some tribes (from Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, and other regions) that Daqin sent Yao Zhi and others to the Peacock Kingdom.

These tribes also sent people to study in Daqin, and Daqin naturally welcomed them, even more so than it had welcomed the Baiyue and Xiongnu people.

Because these tribes were more primitive and backward than the Baiyue and Xiongnu people, it was easier for the Qin Dynasty to mold them into the shape it desired.

As for the Baiyue tribes and the Xiongnu, it would take Qin more manpower, resources, and time to mold them into the shapes Qin desired.

The Qin Dynasty naturally welcomed these tribes who sent people to study, allowing them to acquire "advanced knowledge" in Qin. After returning to their tribes, these people would certainly carry out Qin-style transformations.

Wang Ling continued, "As for the Western Regions Alliance, it is an alliance established by the Great Qin in the Western Regions, uniting various states to maintain peace and promote development in the Western Regions. Its member states include Pishan, Khotan, and others."

Each time Wang Ling uttered the name of a member state of the Western Regions Alliance, the expressions of some Parthian ministers in the hall grew more serious.

Because they had heard of these countries, which were not large and not as peaceful as their own, but the fact that so many countries had been integrated by the Qin people made them a force that they could not ignore.

Judging from the names of the countries mentioned by the Qin envoy, it was clear that Qin had integrated all the small states in the east. What was Qin's intention in establishing the Western Regions Alliance and bringing so many small states under its control?
I originally thought that the Qin people's influence was limited to the east, but I never imagined that their influence had spread so far.

The Qin state was far away from them, but the Western Regions Alliance was not so far away. Fortunately, they were separated by Bactria, which prevented them from having direct contact.

The Qin envoy's claim that the Western Regions Alliance was for the purpose of maintaining peace and promoting development in the Western Regions is most likely nonsense. It was clearly a political and military bloc led by the Qin state.

The Parthian minister who asked the question replied, "Indeed, many people travel to your country to study. May I ask, envoy, what can one learn while studying in your country?"

Wang Ling smiled and said, "Our Great Qin has specially established the Great Qin International Academy to teach international students from various countries. As long as the students are talented enough, they can learn all the knowledge of our Great Qin. Our Great Qin has always been tolerant of talented people."

Wang Ling wasn't exactly bluffing, but he didn't finish his sentence. The Qin Dynasty allowed talented students to study its knowledge, but only if they passed the screening and were willing to pledge allegiance to the Qin Dynasty.

Otherwise, no matter how talented the international students are, they will not be given access to the most advanced knowledge of the Qin Dynasty.

"The medicine, physics, mathematics... of our Great Qin are all open to international students."

Some basic knowledge must be made available, because it is difficult to prevent the outflow of such basic knowledge.

Moreover, clinging to everything would discourage the followers of Qin. They sent students abroad, so they wanted them to learn something useful.

Therefore, Daqin International Academy truly teaches useful things.

For the Qin Dynasty, this was some rudimentary and basic knowledge, but for other countries of that era, it was quite advanced and useful knowledge.

Many regions in this era were still primitive and ignorant. The fact that the Qin Dynasty was able to spread this knowledge was definitely a great act of kindness that promoted the progress of human civilization as a whole.

Hearing that the people of Qin could teach so much to students from other countries, even if it wasn't the most advanced knowledge in Qin, it was still quite remarkable.

King Arsak I exclaimed, "Your country is truly an open and inclusive nation!"

The Qin state's openness and inclusiveness were related to its own strength. Because it was extremely strong, it was not afraid that other countries would learn its methods and pose a threat to it.

If Seleucus's Macedonians had acted like the Qin people, he might not have rebelled.

But it was impossible; the Macedonian elites who ruled the Seleucid Empire never took the local natives seriously or gave them a place.

A Parthian minister said, "In that case, there must be many people in other countries in your country?"

Wang Ling laughed and said, "There are quite a few. When the Games and Expositions of the Nations are held, even more foreigners come. At that time, even the worst inns in Xianyang were full."

The Games of the Nations and the World Expo were two major events held by the Qin Dynasty after its founding. They not only enhanced the Qin Dynasty's influence among the nations, but also brought the Qin Dynasty numerous benefits, both in terms of direct financial gains and indirect benefits in other aspects.

Nowadays, merchants from all over the world love the goods from the Qin Dynasty the most. They will travel thousands of miles to the Qin Dynasty to buy goods and then transport them back to their own countries to sell.

Goods from the Qin Dynasty were never hard to sell in their country, as they were proud to use Qin goods.

In particular, the nobles of various countries had to wear clothes made of cloth from the Qin Dynasty, eat with tableware from the Qin Dynasty, use seasonings from the Qin Dynasty for their dishes, and drink tea from the Qin Dynasty...

When entertaining guests, anyone whose home does not contain high-end items from the Qin Dynasty will feel ashamed in front of them!

Scholars from various countries considered it an honor to study in Daqin. Even those who could not gain admission to the Daqin International Academy still went to Xianyang to try to learn about Daqin.

There are quite a few of these unofficial international students who come spontaneously, and the number is increasing.

Li Nian is even considering opening a few more schools for international students in Da Qin, specifically to accommodate these guys.

After all, these people came because they admired the advanced and powerful Qin Dynasty, so it was not appropriate to expel them, but it was also inappropriate to leave them alone.

Of course, these were all countries that were influenced by the Qin Dynasty and knew of its power.

Upon hearing the mention of "the Games of Nations" and "the Exposition of Nations" by the King, Arsak I and the Parthian ministers in the palace pondered to themselves: They knew what the Games of Nations were, but what was the Exposition of Nations?
Could it be that each of the states brought some treasures to Qin for exhibition?
King Arsak I asked, "Envoy, what are your country's multinational games and expositions...?"

Wang Ling smiled and said, "The Games of Nations is a sports event in which multiple countries participate. Every participating country sends a representative team to compete. In short, it is a competition where athletes from multiple countries compete together."

"The first Games of Nations have just been held, hosted by the Great Qin in Xianyang. The participating countries include the Baiyue tribes, the Western Regions Alliance, the Xiongnu, the Wusun, and our Great Qin!"

When Arsak I heard this, he thought that if it were true, it would be much larger than the sports meet he held in his country, and even larger than the Olympic Games held by the Greeks.

The Qin state's sports meet invited many countries to participate; it was a competition between nations vying for national honor.

"The World's Fair is where countries gather together to exhibit their treasures, which could be unique flora and fauna, their own history, or advanced inventions..."

The exposition is not currently further subdivided because if it were stipulated that only industrial inventions could participate, some countries simply wouldn't be able to produce them.

After hearing Wang Ling's introduction, Arsakh I and his Parthian ministers shared the same feeling: Qin was very strong! Extremely strong!

Could Qin, a state that could "willingly" get other states to participate in these two grand events, be weak?
The hosting of these two grand events also reflects the ambition of the Qin people, who clearly want to be above all other states and become their leader.

He commanded all nations, and none dared disobey him—what a majestic and domineering presence he was!
Arsak I couldn't help but feel envious. How wonderful it would be if his tomb could also host such a grand event, attracting many countries to participate.

(End of this chapter)