Diqin Designer

Chapter 551 How dare the people of Qin?

Noticing the malevolent look in the lead knight's eyes, Guan Ying knew all too well that these Seleucids might be about to attack them!
The lead knight, Relesh, said, "You say you come from the Qin Kingdom and are here on diplomatic missions, but how can we know you're not lying, or whether you're carrying any contraband?"

Guan Ying knew that the Seleucids were deliberately finding fault and making excuses. Even if they proved that they came from Qin, they would still be targeted.

But Guan Ying wanted to see what these Seleucids were really up to, so he patiently asked, "So what do you want?"

Relesh said matter-of-factly, "Once you enter our country, you must follow our rules. You should lay down your weapons and all of you submit to our inspection!"

Upon hearing the translator's retelling of this sentence, Guan Ying was both angry and amused.

Everyone, lay down your weapons and submit to your inspection?
If you suddenly attack us after we lay down our weapons, what's the difference between that and washing your own throat and waiting to die?
Guan Ying immediately said to the translator, "Tell him that we will not accept such an unreasonable demand. At worst, we will not leave their country. What kind of thing dares to act so arrogantly in front of us? Just like what the young master said, 'The monkeys in the mountains have never seen a tiger and think they are kings.'"

"This last sentence doesn't need to be translated!"

Seeing that Guan Ying looked displeased and seemed to have uttered some curses, Relesh guessed that the Qin man probably hadn't agreed, but that was even better; he was hoping the Qin man wouldn't agree.

As expected, the Qin people did not agree. After listening to the translator's words, Relesh stared at Guan Ying and said, "You still have a good chance of cooperating. Our country is not a place you can come and go as you please!"

Guan Ying narrowed his eyes at the threat from the Seleucid knight, his gaze instantly sharpening. Was this Seleucid threatening him?
They are envoys of the Great Qin, representing the Great Qin. How could they back down and show weakness because of threats?
Guan Ying said, "Are you threatening me? What do you want if we don't want to cooperate?"

The translator was still relaying Guan Ying's words and hadn't finished translating when Relesh heard "If we were...". Suddenly, Guan Ying launched an attack, drawing a Qin-style military saber and swiftly and decisively slashing at Relesh.

Relesh was pondering how to respond to the Qin man when he was caught off guard by the Qin man's daring to launch the first attack. Before he could react, Guan Ying's knife slashed at his neck, the sharp blade instantly cleaving Relesh's neck open, and a large amount of blood gushed out.

The Seleucids had been arrogant and self-important in this region for too long, and because they considered Qin to be a barbaric and small state, they subconsciously felt that the Qin people would never dare to attack them.

After his neck was slashed open, Relesh's body gave way, and he fell off his horse, his face still showing a look of surprise and disbelief, as if asking: How dare he? What right does he have to do this? He is just a barbarian from a small country, and I am a noble Macedonian. How dare he lay a hand on me?
With this confusion, Relesh's body fell from his horse.

The instant Guan Ying made his move, without his order, the Qin knights who had come with him also launched an attack, charging towards the Seleucid knights in front.

After decisively and swiftly eliminating the dozen or so Seleucid knights, Guan Ying and his men, without any hesitation, quickly charged towards the Seleucid cavalry force.

In the distance, Wang Ling, Li Shiqi, Cao Can, and others saw through their telescopes that Guan Ying suddenly launched an attack and killed the Seleucid knight in front of him, and they knew that trouble was coming.

Although I was very curious about what had happened to Guan Ying, this was not the time to think about it. We had to support Guan Ying immediately and work together to defeat the Seleucid cavalry.

The reason why Guan Ying did not lead his troops to approach the main force of the mission after killing Relesh and others was that retreating to get closer to the main force was useless. He had to deal with this Seleucid cavalry so that the mission could retreat more safely.

If this problem isn't resolved, and we're kept in limbo by this Seleucid cavalry, retreating under those circumstances will be even more dangerous.

Moreover, Guan Ying believed that Wang Ling, Cao Can, and others would definitely support him and understand his intentions.

Seeing Guan Ying lead his men to charge the Seleucid cavalry, Cao Can quickly ordered: "Leave two hundred men behind, the rest of you follow me in the charge!"

On the other side, seeing the Qin people suddenly launch an attack and kill Relesh and others, the Seleucus general was stunned. He had never expected that the Qin people would dare to attack them first.

Are the people of Qin really that brave? Aren't they afraid of the Seleucids at all?

A bunch of barbarians from a small, uncivilized country dared to attack them, a powerful group. If he knew the term "rebellious against the Heavenly Gang," he would definitely say, "They are utterly rebellious against the Heavenly Gang!"

This is not the time to think about these things. The Qin army is attacking, so we immediately ordered a response.

Seleucus suppressed the thoughts surging in his mind and shouted, "All men, listen to my command! Charge towards the Qin people!"

He did not choose to flee, but fled without even fighting. Even if he had fled back, he would certainly have been punished. Besides, why did he flee? Was it because they were weaker than the Qin people?
The Qin people were nothing but a bunch of barbarians; they were the advanced and powerful Macedonians!

Although the empire has split and they now belong to the Seleucids, they have inherited the empire's legitimacy, and the great spirit of Alexander is passed down in their hearts. How could they possibly flee without a fight when faced with a group of barbarians?

Moreover, the Qin army has already charged forward. If they flee now, they are very likely to be caught by the Qin army. By then, it will be too late to fight the Qin army.

Seeing that the Seleucid cavalry not only did not flee, but instead launched a counter-charge against them, Guan Ying's face showed an excited smile. These people should not flee; it would be troublesome if they did.

If they did not flee, they would have the opportunity to leave behind or severely damage this Seleucid cavalry, thus delaying the Seleucid pursuit and retaliation, giving the delegation more time to evacuate.

Even if the Seleucids react quickly and send troops to pursue and retaliate, they could still inflict some casualties on the Seleucids first.

On the contrary, these people escaped back to inform others, leading a large force to pursue and encircle them, making the problem even more complicated.

Seleucus inherited many things from the Macedonian Empire, including military affairs. On the battlefield, Seleucus's most effective fighting style was to deploy the Macedonian phalanx and fight the enemy.

However, the Macedonian phalanx required the coordination of multiple troop types, including infantry with shields and spears, as well as cavalry.

However, the Seleucids, wanting to get there quickly to see who had come to their country, only dispatched a cavalry unit. Cavalry could move quickly, while infantry was too slow.

But now, this has become a fatal weakness for this Seleucid cavalry. Without infantry to form a Macedonian phalanx to provide cover for the cavalry, they will directly engage in fierce battle with the Qin cavalry.

The strength of the Macedonian phalanx lay in the fact that the infantry formed an impenetrable square on the battlefield, pressing forward relentlessly. This not only tied down the enemy's main force but also served as a shield for their own cavalry. The cavalry's role was to use the infantry's role of holding down the enemy's main force while, under the protection of the phalanx, calmly search for the enemy's weaknesses and then use their mobility to defeat them.

The true shield of the Macedonian phalanx was the infantry, while the true spear was the cavalry; the two complemented each other.

Before the spear moves, it must be protected by a shield to ensure that it does not directly face the enemy's attack and be destroyed in one wave.

Now they only have spears, but lack shields. The Seleucid spears will face the Qin cavalry head-on! The Qin soldiers selected to join the mission are the elite of the Qin army, veterans who have fought on the battlefield. Their weapons and armor are superior to those of the Seleucids. In addition, Li Nian had explained the armies of these Western countries to them in detail before the mission.

Cao Shen, Guan Ying, and others knew about the Seleucid army, but the Seleucids knew nothing about the Qin army.

When the two sides met, the Seleucid cavalry realized something was wrong. Why were the Qin people so fierce?
They could hardly inflict casualties on the Qin people, but the Qin people could easily inflict casualties on them.

These Qin knights wore armor that was stronger than theirs, used weapons that were sharper than theirs, and were more skilled at riding. How could the Qin people ride so steadily on horseback?
The Qin people were able to shoot at them with their bows and arrows without using their hands to control their horses, and many knights died under the Qin people's arrows.

The stirrups that Li Nian invented in the Qin Dynasty have successfully tricked the Seleucids in the present day, since stirrups did not yet exist in the West at that time.

To be precise, the West never invented the stirrup; it was introduced from the East after the sixth century AD.

It is now the third century BC, and there are still seven or eight hundred years until the sixth century AD.

The Qin people's bows and arrows were also unusual; they were incredibly powerful, and the Qin soldiers were extremely accurate. They were definitely the elite of the Qin army!
Judging from the fighting prowess that the Qin people are currently displaying, they may not be the barbarian state they think they are.

Could a small, barbarian country possibly forge such weapons and armor?

Some Seleucid knights considered fleeing, not only because they were shocked by the Qin people's fighting prowess, but also because they faced the problem of losing their commander.

The Seleucid general was killed by an arrow in the first wave of Qin arrows.

However, because they were too close to the Qin cavalry, they lost their chance to escape. Under the Qin cavalry's arrows and charges, this Seleucid cavalry force of several hundred men was completely annihilated.

Because it was a direct confrontation using cold weapons, the Qin side also suffered dozens of casualties.

Covered in blood, Cao Can ordered: "Quickly clean up the battlefield. Take all the horses you can carry, and kill all the ones you can't take. Don't take the Seleucid weapons."

After Cao Can gave the order, Guan Ying, who was also covered in blood, glanced at the Seleucid corpses on the ground, thought of something, and added, "General, cut off their heads and take them with you, they'll be useful!"

Cao Can glanced at Guan Ying, and in a flash, he understood Guan Ying's intention. He said, "Cut off all these people's heads!"

While they were cleaning up the battlefield, Wang Ling, Li Shiqi, and the others rode up. Wang Ling asked, "General Guan Ying, what exactly happened just now? Why did you suddenly kill that Seleucid?"

Based on Wang Ling's understanding of Guan Ying, the fact that Guan Ying would suddenly attack and kill the Seleucids must be due to the Seleucids' actions.

Guan Ying said, "Before I came here, I heard you say that the Seleucids were arrogant and looked down on non-Macedonian countries and tribes. I didn't expect it to be just as you said."

"The Seleucids are extremely arrogant. Just now, when I told them that Great Qin was located in the east and that we were sent on a mission by His Majesty, that fellow actually said that Great Qin was lucky and that they should thank Alexander for not continuing his eastward expedition. If Alexander had continued his eastward expedition, Great Qin would have been conquered by Alexander as well."

Li Shiqi said, "Those barbarians are ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth. Alexander may have accomplished some things, but how can he compare to my Great Qin?"

Guan Ying nodded and said, "That's why I told that guy: It's not that our Great Qin is lucky, but that Alexander is lucky. If he dares to continue his eastern expedition, his lifelong reputation will be ruined!"

Wang Ling asked, "So the Seleucids got angry?"

Guan Ying shook his head: "When that fellow learned what I said, although his expression was unfriendly, he did not immediately get angry."

Wang Ling then asked, "Why did a Seleucid knight leave afterward?"

Guan Ying said, "That fellow said he couldn't make a decision about our mission and had to send someone back to ask for instructions. The Seleucus knight who left was the one who went back to ask for instructions."

Wang Ling then asked, "What happened next?"

They witnessed Guan Ying suddenly attack and kill people shortly after the Seleucid knight returned.

Guan Ying said, "That fellow must have received orders to have us lay down our weapons and submit to their inspection. What's the difference between laying down our weapons and surrendering to death?"

“These Seleucids are completely ill-intentioned and do not regard us as envoys from another country.”

“I told that guy that we would not accept such an unreasonable demand, and we would rather not leave their country.”

Li Shiqi nodded and said, "General Guan Ying should not accept it. The Seleucids are obviously up to no good by making such a demand. If we listen to them and lay down our weapons, we will probably be slaughtered on the spot!"

"Furthermore, if we agree to their demands, it will tarnish the prestige of Great Qin. We are here on behalf of Great Qin, and we must never back down in the face of unreasonable demands, even if it means dying in a foreign land!"

Guan Ying continued, "I originally had no intention of killing him. At worst, I would just leave this Seleucid Kingdom and not go on the mission. But after that fellow heard what I said, he actually said that the Seleucid Kingdom is not a place we can come and go as we please."

“Their malice is obvious. I know there is no point in talking to these Seleucids unless we kneel down in front of them and beg for mercy. Otherwise, they will not give us a way out.”

"Since they are unwilling to give us a way out, why should we give them one? We're bound to go to war with them anyway, so we might as well strike first!"

"So, taking advantage of his momentary lapse in attention, I killed him with a single blow!"

After listening to Guan Ying's explanation, Wang Ling and the others finally understood the whole story. The matter was not complicated at all; in fact, it was quite simple.

The Seleucids were too arrogant and conceited, considering the Qin Dynasty to be an unknown barbarian country. As a result, they not only disregarded the Qin delegation but also harbored ill intentions towards them, deliberately making an unreasonable demand on the delegation. However, they did not expect that the Qin delegation would not back down from them and would kill them with a single blow.

(End of this chapter)