Diqin Designer

Chapter 448 The Arrival of Various Kingdoms, Touman's Journey to Xianyang
The hosting of the Games and Expositions in Xianyang naturally brought about some changes to the city, the most significant of which was the increase in the population.

As news spread that the Games and Expositions of various countries would be held in Xianyang, many people, especially merchants, came to Xianyang specifically to attend. They keenly sensed the business opportunities hidden in the Games and Expositions and believed that if they could seize them, they could make a fortune.

This was also one of the reasons why Li Nian advised the First Emperor to hold sports meets and expositions, in order to revitalize the economy of the Qin Dynasty.

This is why many countries in later generations competed to host large-scale sporting events. It not only allowed them to showcase their national image and enhance their international influence, but also boosted their own economies and brought them economic benefits.

Even before the sports meet and expo started, the daily tax revenue collected in Xianyang had already exceeded the usual amount. With so many people coming to Xianyang, their spending on food, clothing, lodging, and transportation naturally increased the city's tax revenue.

When the sports meet and expo start, even more people will come, and we will be able to collect more taxes, as well as money from ticket sales and merchandise sales.

In order to attract many people to spend money, Li Nian also used the propaganda methods of later generations to promote the event, such as "This is the first inter-nation games and exposition, which will surely be recorded in history. What you are buying today is not a ticket, but a precious collection that can be passed down as a family heirloom."

Tickets for the opening ceremony of the Games have been sold out. Many people want to buy them but can't. The reason so many people are buying tickets is that it is said that His Majesty and the civil and military officials of the Qin Dynasty will personally attend the opening ceremony. In order to catch a glimpse of His Majesty's holy countenance, the tickets are worth buying.

Tickets for the opening ceremony were sold for several times their original price on the black market in Xianyang, and even then, there were no tickets available!
Some ministers in the court who had originally opposed holding sports meets and expositions stopped opposing them after seeing how much money was made.

They initially opposed the event because they felt that holding sports meets and expositions was a waste of money to give Qin a face among the other states. They thought it wasn't worth spending so much money for the sake of face. However, after discovering that the sports meets and expositions would not only not lose money but also make a profit, they naturally changed their attitude.

The maneuvering Li Nian pulled also broadened their horizons. They had no idea that things could be done this way. In the past, such national-level events almost always resulted in losses for the court, with no revenue coming in. They never expected that revenue could exceed expenditure.

Since sports meets and expos can generate revenue, they can continue to be held in the future.

As time passed and the opening of the Games and the Expo drew closer, Xianyang became increasingly crowded. Not only were there more tourists and merchants from other counties of the Qin Dynasty, but also more people from other states and regions.

In Xianyang today, one can see foreign women dancing, foreign merchants wearing headscarves hawking their specialties on the streets, and foreign performers putting on acrobatic shows...

It seems this is not Xianyang during the Qin Dynasty, but rather Chang'an during the prosperous Han and Tang Dynasties, when many foreigners also came to Xianyang.

The atmosphere of the sports meet and exposition in the city is getting stronger day by day. Mascot statues of the sports meet and exposition have been erected at the gates of several cities in Daqin. Small mascots are also hung in front of some houses in the city, and slogans welcoming all countries to Daqin and Xianyang are posted.

As the opening day of the Games approached, delegations from various countries arrived in Xianyang one after another. The delegations included not only athletes from various countries who came to participate in the Games, but also political figures from various countries.

When informing the various states that Qin was going to hold a sports meet and an exposition, Qin extended invitations to the kings and tribal leaders of the various states, asking them to come to Xianyang, so as to bring together the political leaders of the various states to discuss some matters.

Faced with the invitation from the Great Qin, the various states dared not take it lightly. Even if their kings did not come in person, they sent important ministers. As a good brother of the Great Qin, how could the Xiongnu not give their full support when the elder brother had set up the event?

Touman led a group of Xiongnu chieftains to Xianyang. He was originally unwilling to come to Xianyang because he was worried that the Qin Dynasty would detain him there.

But after more than two years, Touman had realized one thing: if the Qin people really wanted to deal with the Xiongnu, it wouldn't matter whether he went to Xianyang or not. The difference in strength between the Xiongnu and the Qin was too great, and it was impossible for them to fight against the Qin people. If they wanted to avoid being threatened by the Qin people, they had no other way but to migrate to a place far away from the Qin people.

Would the clansmen be willing to migrate to a place far away from the Qin people?

Thanks to the care of the Qin people, the Xiongnu people's lives actually improved day by day. Although they were not rich, they lived better than before, and all of this was brought about by the Qin people.

If you ask your people to give up their current lives and move with you to a barren and cold place far away from the Qin people, would they be willing?

He made this decision during the day, and at night madmen sharpened their knives. Not to mention that the tribesmen would not agree, even the chieftains would not agree and would rebel against him. After finally having a few days of comfortable life, how many people want to go back to the bitter days of the past?

Moreover, given the influence of the Qin Dynasty, where could one be far from the threat of the Qin people? The Qin people also have a deep influence among the Xiongnu; who knows how many people secretly harbor feelings for the Qin?

If he dares to make any rash moves, even without the Qin people lifting a finger, someone within the Xiongnu will eliminate him!

Looking at his plump body, Touman decided not to think too much about it. Was he not comfortable with his current life?

As long as he goes along with the Qin people's wishes, they won't do anything to him. They will protect him and let him live well. When he gets too old to be the Chanyu, he may be able to live in Xianyang.

Once the thought of surrendering to Qin arose, the world suddenly seemed vast. After Touman Chanyu understood these things, he immediately felt refreshed and clear-headed, and was no longer afraid to go to Xianyang.

To be honest, Touman had long wanted to go to Xianyang to meet the Qin Emperor and see the legendary capital of the Qin Dynasty.

Although I had heard about Xianyang many times and seen portraits of the city, I was still shocked by the city in front of me when I saw it with my own eyes today.

Compared to it, Manchester is a dilapidated place. Although Manchester has changed a lot in the past two years, it still cannot compare with Xianyang.

The Xiongnu chieftains who came with Touman were also deeply moved, and some of them thought, "If only I could live in this city when I get old!"

Upon entering the city, Touman and his group immediately spotted the two mascots standing at the city gate. Both of these were designed by Li Nian: a cartoonish black bird and a blue dragon, as well as a chibi-style birdman and a dragonman.

Although they didn't belong to the style of this era, Touman and others thought the two things were cute and quite interesting.

Touman did not ride a horse, but sat in a carriage. In the carriage were several Xiongnu chieftains and a Qin envoy representing the First Emperor to welcome Touman.

As the "best" brother state, Touman, out of respect for his elder brother, personally came to Xianyang. Qin, of course, had to respond and show Touman a certain level of respect. Therefore, the First Emperor sent an envoy to welcome Touman on his behalf. Touman asked the Qin envoy, "May I ask, envoy, what are these two... strange objects? Why are they placed at the city gate? Is it intentionally placed so that everyone entering the city can see them?"

The envoy smiled and said, "These are mascots, specially designed by Young Master Li Nian for the sports meet and the expo. The one on the left is the sports meet mascot, named 'Xuanxuan,' and the one on the right is the expo mascot, named 'Cangcang,' representing good fortune, peace, and prosperity."

"Placing them at the city gate is to welcome you to the Great Qin and wish you good fortune and happiness in the Great Qin and Xianyang."

As expected, the Qin Dynasty is truly capable and professional. If they were to organize a sports meet or expo, they probably wouldn't be able to come up with such a mascot even if they racked their brains.

That's true. Otherwise, why would the Xiongnu be the elder brother and the Xiongnu only be his younger brothers? The Xiongnu were far inferior to the Qin Dynasty, not only in military terms but also in other aspects, and the gap was even greater in other aspects.

Upon entering the city, Touman and his men were quickly drawn to its bustling atmosphere. The streets were lined with shops, and there were countless pedestrians, far more than in Touman's city.

Despite the large number of people, the city was not chaotic at all; on the contrary, it was very orderly, and the streets were quite clean. The city was bustling yet well-organized, giving Touman and his companions an indescribable feeling.

This feeling is actually an admiration and longing for a more advanced, powerful, and beautiful civilization, which makes them want to live in this city.

Moreover, the city was not only inhabited by Qin people, but also by many foreigners. Touman and his men saw several Xiongnu shops, including a Xiongnu labor service shop, a Xiongnu goods store, and a Xiongnu tavern...

"Xiongnu Labor Shop" was what the Qin people of Xianyang called this shop, because the shop's main business was hiring Xiongnu laborers. If a family needed help, they could come to this shop to hire Xiongnu people to work. The price was lower than hiring Qin people, and it was very popular in Xianyang.

This was also the main shop opened by the Xiongnu chieftains in Xianyang. The Xiongnu didn't have many things that the Qin people would value, but their manpower was something they did value.

When Li Nian learned of this news, he was speechless. He did not expect that the Xiongnu leader would sell the labor of his own people to make money for them. However, he did not object to this. If the Qin Dynasty wanted to develop, it needed relatively cheap labor as a resource. What the Xiongnu leader did was actually beneficial to the Qin Dynasty.

He sent people to investigate these labor shops and found that the Xiongnu people who were brought to Daqin to work not only had no complaints, but were actually quite happy, because they could live a much better life in Daqin than in the Xiongnu.

Although most of the wages would be taken away by the Qin people when working for them, you could often get a full meal, which was better than staying with the Xiongnu.

Sometimes it seems that nomadic peoples are very wealthy, but in reality, they are often very poor. They have to share an iron pot for several generations, and a set of clothes is passed down from father to son after the father dies. Not to mention other things. Although the Qin Dynasty is not wealthy now, compared to the Xiongnu, they are rich.

After seeing the Xiongnu chieftains open shops and use their own people to work for the Qin people to make money, the Baiyue people followed suit and opened Baiyue labor shops in Xianyang, thus creating competition between them in this area.

This left Li Nian speechless, but it benefited the Qin Dynasty. In the past two years, the Xiongnu and Baiyue people have contributed significantly to the construction of bridges and roads, the development of infrastructure, and the mining in Xianyang.

The Xiongnu shops were stores that sold Xiongnu specialties, such as Xiongnu clothing, carvings, handicrafts, as well as exotic flowers, rare birds and animals produced by the Xiongnu. The Xiongnu taverns were restaurants opened by the Xiongnu people, cooking Xiongnu food to attract customers who were curious about Xiongnu cuisine.

These shops were all supported by Touman and others, who were making money for them and supporting their spending. Although Da Qin knew this, it did not stop them and allowed them to develop.

Touman and the others noticed that the city was so clean and orderly because Qin people wearing special wooden badges were deliberately maintaining it.

When someone tries to spit or litter in the street, these people will stop them. When there are many people in a certain place, they will let people pass in order. They also saw foreigners seemingly asking people wearing wooden signs for help.

It was thanks to these Qin people that the city maintained such order despite having so many people.

A chieftain asked the envoy for advice, and the envoy smiled and said, "You're asking about these people? They are volunteers, recruited by the imperial court, to help out during sports meets and expositions, such as maintaining order and guiding those unfamiliar with Xianyang..."

After receiving the messenger's reply, the chieftain understood something and asked, "Why are they called 'volunteers'?"

The envoy smiled and said, "This title comes from Young Master Li Nian. According to him, volunteers are people who help out voluntarily. Although they are recruited by the court, they are not forced into corvée labor, and the court does not force them to come and help."

It's also related to that young master Li Nian. In the past two years, they've heard that name so many times they're practically calloused. There are too many things in the Great Qin that are related to that young master Li Nian. It's a pity that such a talented person wasn't born in their Xiongnu territory.

Of course, even if such outstanding individuals came from the Xiongnu, they probably wouldn't dare to give them important positions, fearing that they would seize power from them. Only the Qin Dynasty could utilize such outstanding individuals.

Continuing forward, Touman and his companions noticed that many houses in the city had the two mascots that stood at the city gates hanging on them, only much smaller and looking even cuter and more interesting. In addition to the mascots, many houses also displayed the national flag of the Great Qin.

This all demonstrates the Qin people's loyalty to the Qin Dynasty. Touman and others wondered to themselves, how could their people be so loyal to the Xiongnu?
Although they were reluctant to admit it, the answer was obviously "no." Their people would not be so loyal to the Xiongnu, but the Qin people would. The Qin people were powerful and cohesive, and they still had a chance to catch up with the Qin.

Touman decided to stop thinking about these troublesome issues and changed the subject, asking, "I've heard that there are nine scenic spots in Xianyang, which are a must-see for visitors from other places. Is this true?"

The envoy replied with a smile, "There is indeed a saying of 'Nine Scenic Spots of Xianyang,' and each of the nine spots is indeed wonderful. If the Chanyu wishes to visit them, arrangements can be made after meeting His Majesty. Besides the nine scenic spots, the other sights in the city are also quite impressive!"

As the leader of a nation who has come to Qin, this preferential treatment must be given. This can also be used as a publicity item: the nine scenic spots that even the Xiongnu Chanyu wanted to see!

Touman said, "Then I'll trouble you, envoy!" and continued to look at the scenery of Xianyang City with the other chieftains in the carriage.

This city is far more prosperous than they had imagined before they came, which shows the strength of the Qin Dynasty. They should just be good little brothers to the Qin Dynasty and not have any unrealistic ambitions.

(End of this chapter)