Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Faced with these helpful suggestions, the Mohists put in their efforts and achieved results.

After seeing the results, Ying Zheng actively promoted the project.

At this moment, in the vast desert, the Qin army was advancing rapidly, relying on the "sand boats" created by the Gongshu family.

If the Mohist institutions were designed for the people's livelihood, then the Gongshu family was more professional in warfare.

The enormous sand boats, in a way that is incomprehensible to ordinary people, treat the desert as flowing water, moving freely through it.

The ability to travel by boat on land, something that only existed in legends, was not impossible for the Gongshu family.

The sandboats traveled for a long time when suddenly the sky darkened, a strong wind arose, whipping up sand and dust, as if to bury them all.

Chapter 398 The Secrets of Loulan

The wind howled and the sandstorm raged, making visibility extremely low.

If it were the armies of other small kingdoms in the Western Regions, they would certainly be helpless in the face of this situation, and might even lose their way in the desert and perish there.

Unfortunately, the army currently attacking Loulan is the Qin army.

In order to better conquer the countries of the Western Regions, the Gongshu family created many special mechanical beasts tailored to the unique environment of the Western Regions.

Despite the raging winds and sandstorms, the Qin soldiers remained calm.

The Gongshu family disciples, who had been waiting in advance, quickly activated the protective mechanisms of the sand boats. An invisible barrier instantly rose up, keeping out the sandstorm. At the same time, several small mechanical compasses floated above the sand boats, accurately locking onto the direction even in extremely low visibility, guiding the army forward.

The sandstorm lasted for several hours. When the wind subsided and the sand dispersed, the desert returned to calm. The Qin army remained in perfect formation, without suffering any losses.

The general in charge of the troops stood at the bow of the sand barge, gazing at the vast desert, and sighed in a deep voice: "It is truly remarkable that Loulan, living in such a treacherous place, has been able to survive for so many years and contend with the various kingdoms of the Western Regions until now."

Everyone shared the same feeling. Qin's intelligence had already clearly stated that Loulan had a long history, its historical foundation was comparable to that of the Yan Kingdom in the Central Plains in the past, and it occupied an oasis deep in the desert. Its survival in the dog-eat-dog Western Regions was itself extraordinary.

"Although this country is small, it has its unique features. Conquering this place will not only expand the territory of the Qin Dynasty, but also allow us to explore its ancient heritage, which is of great significance," the general added.

After a short rest, the Qin army set off again, their sand boats speeding across the desert, the mechanical devices of the Gongshu family allowing the army to traverse as if on flat ground.

Within a few days, an oasis appeared ahead, and in the center of the oasis stood an ancient city-state, which was the capital of the ancient Loulan Kingdom.

The Qin army quickly formed ranks, with sand boats docking in succession. Soldiers, armed with weapons, stood in neat formation, their imposing presence instantly surrounding the city of Loulan, truly bringing the enemy to its gates.

When the news reached Loulan City, the already anxious city-state was plunged into complete panic.

Loulan was small in size, with a total population of only a few hundred thousand. Its capital was smaller than that of an ordinary city in the Central Plains, and its military strength was weak. Compared with the Qin army that swept across the six states, the gap was huge.

In the streets and alleys, the people looked panicked. Some packed their bags, wanting to escape, but found that the city had been besieged by the Qin army and there was no way out. Others knelt in the streets, praying in the direction of the Goddess Temple, hoping that the goddess would appear.

Inside the council chamber, the noble ministers gathered again, their faces pale, and no one dared to utter the word "resistance" again.

Those advocating surrender grew increasingly resolute, hoping only that the Qin army would preserve the lives of the Loulan people and a trace of the ancient kingdom's heritage; even those who had previously insisted on resistance were now dejected and helpless.

The high priest remained inside the temple of the goddess, kneeling before the statue of the goddess Xuan, his prayers never ceasing, only the solemnity between his brows grew heavier, and his voice trembled more.

"Goddess, what should we do?"

The high priest's voice was filled with confusion.

Throughout countless ages, although Loulan was small, it relied on the power of the goddess to ensure the perpetual existence of water sources and oases, and to ensure that those who attempted to attack Loulan were defeated.

This is certainly not because Loulan was powerful; in fact, Loulan was not powerful at all.

The entire country's population is only a few hundred thousand. Excluding the elderly, the weak, the sick, and the disabled, the number of soldiers capable of fighting is only around ten thousand.

The reason why those countries failed to conquer Loulan in the past was that Loulan was hidden deep in the desert, and to get there, one had to cross the vast desert.

Secondly, the goddess's power protects Loulan. By activating the goddess's power, a vast sandstorm can be created in the desert, causing the armies to lose their way. Even if some people do manage to cross the sandstorm and reach Loulan, the sandstorm will disorient them, and very few armies will actually reach Loulan, and they will all be ravaged by the sandstorm.

In this situation, Loulan's own strength would be sufficient to repel the enemy.

Over the years, they have defeated countless powerful enemies using this method.

But this time was different. This time, they were facing the Qin state, a powerful nation that had unified the Central Plains.

With the nation on the verge of collapse, those nobles are clearly unreliable.

Even with the soldiers of Loulan, it would be difficult to resist the Qin state.

But the high priest couldn't just let Loulan perish.

Just as he was feeling lost, he suddenly looked at the goddess statue's brow, where an enormous gemstone was set, resembling a third eye.

The Loulan in this world is naturally somewhat different from the one in the "theatrical version".

In the theatrical version, the giant goddess statue is located in Loulan Square, but in this world, it stands inside the Goddess Temple, and ordinary people are not even qualified to worship the goddess statue.

The reason for this is that the greatest secret of Loulan is hidden within this temple of the goddess.

Dragon Soul!

This is a treasure left to Loulan by the goddess.

It is because of the existence of this thing that most of the oases in the Western Regions have turned into deserts over the long years, but the oasis occupied by Loulan has never disappeared. This is because of the power of the dragon soul, which continuously creates water to nourish the entire oasis.

"Goddess, please forgive us!"

Looking at the dragon soul embedded between the goddess's eyebrows, the high priest of Loulan suddenly spoke, the bewilderment in his eyes disappearing and replaced by determination.

As the high priestess of Loulan, and the de facto queen, she knew many secrets unknown to ordinary people.

To the average person, Loulan's water source was a gift from a goddess.

But in reality, it's not just that.

Just like the dragon soul before us, besides being able to create water, it can also activate something else.

That is the weapon of war sealed inside Loulan—the War Demon God!

This is a weapon of war left behind by the ancient demon king Chi You. After Chi You was defeated, this item was sealed in Loulan by the goddess. The ancestors of the Loulan people were the guardians appointed by the goddess. In order to enable them to guard the demon god for generations, the goddess left behind a dragon soul, so that they would have an endless source of water.

But today, the High Priest is preparing to activate the Demon God on his own initiative.

The real reason is that Loulan had no other choice.

Loulan is on the verge of destruction. Once Loulan falls, the Demon God and the Dragon Soul will fall into the hands of the Qin state. Rather than letting them fall into the hands of the Qin state, it is better to fight to the death.

They voluntarily liberated the demon god in exchange for Loulan's survival.

As long as these Qin troops can be defeated, Loulan can still survive.

As for whether the Qin state would continue to retaliate after its defeat, the high priest clearly hadn't considered that question.

Or perhaps, the fact that other states in the Western Regions failed to conquer Loulan in the past gave her the illusion that Qin's attack was only this once.

Outside Loulan City, the Qin army continued to besiege the city.

Unbeknownst to them, some people had already quietly infiltrated Loulan much earlier.

In the process of Qin's unification of the six states, the net played a role.

They use infiltration and assassinations to gain intelligence in advance and create chaos.

Previously, in the process of conquering Baiyue, the Qin state also relied on the help of collaborators. If it weren't for Tianze's efforts, the destruction of Baiyue would not have been so easy.

For this reason, the Qin state placed great importance on intelligence during its conquest of the Western Regions.

They even committed numerous assassinations.

The reason is that the kingdoms of the Western Regions are too weak. Many of them exist as city-states. Once the leaders of these city-states are killed, they will instantly fall into chaos.

Then destroying and annexing it would be an easy task.

When the High Priestess of Loulan prayed to the Goddess in the temple, her every move, along with the reactions of the Loulan nobles, was observed by everyone.

Soon, this intelligence reached the Qin army.

It also fell into the hands of Xu Qing, who came here because he was interested in Loulan.

"So, in this world's Loulan, there really exist things like the God of War, the Dragon Soul, and... the Chi You Sword?"

Xu Qing looked at the intelligence report and began to ponder it to himself.

The intelligence gathered by Qin's network was clearly not just about secretly monitoring Loulan's high-ranking officials; they also secretly investigated Loulan's secrets.

Under normal circumstances, there is no need to take Loulan so seriously.

After all, it was just an insignificant little country, not even as powerful as a city in the Central Plains in the past.

Clearly, this was something Xu Qing specifically requested.

And as it turns out, conducting a thorough investigation of Loulan was very meaningful.

At least, after seeing this intelligence, Xu Qing became certain of many things.

According to intelligence, the highest deity in the ancient Loulan Kingdom was the goddess "Nine Heavens Mysterious Lady," and the highest authority was the "High Priest." Loulan has been passed down for thousands of years. The surrounding oases have turned into deserts, but the Loulan people have multiplied generation after generation, and their water source has never run out, which is attributed to the goddess's gift.

Although ordinary people in Loulan did not know much about it.

However, Xu Qing still managed to deduce a lot of things based on this intelligence.

If his guess is true, Loulan is not currently missing its dragon soul as depicted in the theatrical version.

As long as the Dragon Soul remains in Loulan, it will have countless uses.

In the theatrical version, in addition to creating water sources, the Dragon Soul can also transform into a Pixiu, and at crucial moments, it can become a giant dragon. It can also be used as the energy core of the demon god.

Upon thinking of this, Xu Qing's eyes flickered slightly.

If such a thing as the War God truly exists, Loulan might choose to activate it when facing the threat of annihilation.

Since they're about to destroy a country, they'll definitely resort to nuclear weapons.

Therefore, he had to go there in person to find out the details of the Dragon Soul and the Demon God of Soldiers, and to prevent certain things from happening.

The night was deep, and darkness enveloped the entire capital of Loulan. The city was deathly silent, with only a few scattered lights flickering, reflecting the fearful faces of the people. Everyone was in danger, and the air was filled with an atmosphere of despair.

Outside the city, the Qin army's camp was brightly lit, and flags fluttered in the night wind. The siege formation remained unchanged, the crisis was never over, and a sense of oppression enveloped this ancient city-state like a tidal wave.

Inside the Goddess Temple, the candlelight was dim, and the High Priest remained kneeling before the statue of the Goddess of Mystery, his expression complex.

Although she was prepared to perish together with the enemy and determined to activate the War God if necessary, she never took that step before the Qin army attacked the city.

Activating the Soldier Demon God violates the ancestral teachings of Loulan. The meaning of Loulan's existence for generations is to guard the Soldier Demon God and something else for the goddess. She is unwilling to break this tradition unless absolutely necessary.

Just then, a dark figure silently slipped into the Goddess Temple, its footsteps extremely light, without making a sound.

The newcomer stood beneath the statue, his gaze falling on the enormous gem between the goddess's eyebrows. A look of understanding flashed in his eyes, and he sighed softly, "So there really is a dragon soul!"