Diqin Designer

Chapter 455 The Rise of the Qin State and the Opening Ceremony
Although Fei Zi was rewarded by King Xiao of Zhou for his excellent horse breeding skills and was granted the land of Qin as his fief, Qin was still not considered a formal vassal state.

According to the Zhou system, there were several classes, including the Son of Heaven (King), feudal lords, high officials, and scholars.

Feizi was a high-ranking official, and Qin was Feizi's fief, not a feudal state at the level of a vassal lord.

Therefore, the history of the Qin state does not begin from this point.

If this period is also included, Qin has existed for more than seven hundred years.

The performances on the platform are still ongoing. The ancestors of the Qin people raised horses for the Zhou emperor and fought and made peace with the Western Rong.

The road to entrepreneurship and rise is slow and arduous. It was only through the efforts of generations of Qin people that Qin gradually grew stronger.

During the reign of King Ping of Zhou, Duke Xiang of Qin was rewarded for his meritorious service in protecting the king. King Ping enfeoffed Duke Xiang of Qin as a vassal, granting him the land west of Qi. He also made an oath with Duke Xiang of Qin: "The Rong are wicked and have invaded and seized my lands of Qi and Feng. If Qin can attack and drive out the Rong, then it will have their land."

Although King Ping of Zhou enfeoffed Duke Xiang of Qin as a vassal and granted him a nominal fief, the fief was now in the hands of the Quanrong. If Duke Xiang of Qin wanted to obtain the actual fief, he had to go and take it himself.

On the platform, after King Ping of Zhou made the oath, the man playing Duke Xiang of Qin straightened his back and loudly announced to the audience: "The Great Qin Dynasty is hereby established!"

Today, these actors are able to portray the Yellow Emperor, the Yan Emperor, the Zhou Emperor, and even Qin Feizi and Duke Xiang of Qin, all with the permission of the First Emperor beforehand. Otherwise, who would dare to portray his ancestors in front of the First Emperor?

Although the Qin state during the reign of Duke Xiang of Qin could hardly be called "Great Qin" and could only be considered a small Qin among the states, no one corrected this statement.

Moreover, it's not wrong that the Qin during the reign of Duke Xiang of Qin was a small Qin, but it would grow into a great Qin in the future.

This short sentence made the entire stadium erupt in cheers from the Qin people.

This was the time when the Qin Dynasty was officially established, the path our ancestors had walked!

Cheers and applause filled the stadium.

A large crowd had gathered outside the Xuan Niao Stadium. They didn't have tickets and couldn't enter to watch, but that didn't stop them from coming here.

Compared to other places, this place has a better atmosphere. Even if you can't go in, being outside is a form of support and witness.

Hearing the thunderous cheers coming from inside the stadium, I was filled with curiosity, envy, and confusion. What exactly was going on inside?
I wish I could go inside and take a look.

After becoming a vassal state, the Qin state once dominated the Western Rong tribes and became one of the four major powers in the Spring and Autumn Period, but then began to decline.

In the war between Qin and Wei for control of the Hexi region, Wu Qi defeated Qin. When Duke Hui of Qin raised an army of hundreds of thousands to fight against the Wei army, Wu Qi defeated Qin with 50,000 elite Wei soldiers.

Despite its decline, the Qin dynasty continued to exist until the reign of Duke Xiao of Qin.

On stage, facing the decline of the Qin state, the actor playing Duke Xiao of Qin is heartbroken and determined to change the situation. He wants to rebuild the glory of the Qin state and make it great again.

He said to his ministers, "If any of my guests or ministers can devise an extraordinary plan to strengthen Qin, I will bestow upon them high office and share their land."

When the edict seeking talented individuals was issued, Wei Yang, a man from Wei, came to Qin to assist Duke Xiao. Duke Xiao and Wei Yang, together as ruler and minister, began to implement reforms.

In the audience, many people had mixed feelings when they saw the actor playing Wei Yang appear on stage and recite his lines.

Shang Yang did indeed make contributions to the Qin Dynasty. If it weren't for his and Duke Xiao's reforms that made Qin stronger, there would be no Qin Dynasty today. However, the cruel laws he established are hard for people to like.

It had only been a little over two years since the Qin Dynasty abolished those cruel corporal punishments and reduced the severity of penalties. The people of Qin still clearly remembered the days when they were subject to the strict Qin laws and suffered punishment.

Lord Shang was indeed talented and made contributions to the Qin Dynasty, but he also deserved to die. It would not have been an exaggeration for him to be torn apart by five oxen!

Some Qin people couldn't help but think that if, after unifying the world, the Qin Dynasty continued to maintain its old laws...

I immediately felt a chill run down my spine. That was terrifying! Fortunately, His Majesty is wise and revised the Qin laws!
Little did they know that without Li Nian's arrival in Qin, things would truly be as they imagined. Although Qin unified the world, their lives would remain largely unchanged. The harsh Qin laws would continue to suppress and control them until "Chen Sheng becomes king, and the Great Chu rises," and "whoever enters Guanzhong first becomes king"...

After Shang Yang's reforms, the Qin state grew stronger day by day, gradually widening the gap with the other six states. After more than a hundred years of diligent governance by several generations of Qin kings, the foundation for unifying the world was finally laid.

On the platform, real Qin generals such as Wang Jian, Wang Ben, and Meng Tian appeared, with several elite Qin soldiers standing behind them, and a Qin military flag fluttering behind the generals.

With a clang, Wang Jian drew his sword from his waist, pointed it to the sky, and declared, "By order of the King, we will conquer the six kingdoms and unify the world!"

Upon hearing Wang Jian's words, the blood of many Qin people in the stadium surged, as if they had returned to the days when they obeyed the king's orders, conquered the six states, and fought fiercely across the world.

For many people from Qin today, that was a glorious and memorable period.

Many Qin people spontaneously stood up and shouted in unison, "By order of the King, we will conquer the six states and unify the world!" They even sang "Qin Feng: No Robes".

How can you say we have no clothes? We share the same robes. The king is raising an army; let us prepare our spears and shields. We will fight alongside you against this common enemy!
Qi said without clothes?Tongze with the child.Master Wang Yuxing, repair my spear.Work with the son!
How can you say we have no clothes? We'll share our garments with you. The king is raising an army; let us prepare our armor and weapons. We'll march together!
When the dignitaries of the various states heard the Qin people chanting in unison, they only felt the unity and terror of the Qin people.

With the Qin people so devoted to and loving their country, how could it not prosper and become strong!

Could their people be as loyal and devoted to their nation and tribe as the Qin people?
The answer is clear in the minds of political leaders of various countries.

Their people are unlikely to be like these Qin people, which further demonstrates how terrifying the Qin people were!
Those audience members from the former six states, upon hearing this ancient poem, couldn't help but recall the time more than two years ago when the Qin state unified the world.

The King of Qin's army pointed its spearhead at the world, and after ten years, the six states were conquered one by one, ending hundreds of years of chaos, leaving only one state in the world!
Although they should harbor resentment because their old country was destroyed by the Qin people, and because the Qin people caused many casualties in their conquests, they should also be grateful for the Qin's unification of the world, which ended the chaos and reduced the frequency of wars. They no longer had to be conscripted by their rulers to fight as they had in the past.

This is another reason why Li Nian advised the First Emperor to hold a Games of the States: to establish the legitimacy and rationality of the Qin Dynasty's unification of the world in the hearts of the people of the former six states, to eliminate the prejudices and grievances of the people of the six states against the Qin Dynasty, and to make them more willing to integrate and become a member of the Qin Dynasty, that is, to shape the people's aspirations for the Qin Dynasty!
Although some people may dismiss Mencius's saying, "He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world," it is indeed a profound truth.

Historically, the Qin Dynasty failed to address the issue of popular support; not only the people of the six states, but even the Qin people themselves disliked the Qin Dynasty.

Despite the shouts, the First Emperor remained clear-headed. He knew very well that the Qin people were now loyal to the Great Qin because the Great Qin had led them to victory in the war to unify the world, bringing them glory, changing and improving their lives, and giving them hope for the future.

But if one day, the Qin Dynasty can no longer bring them glory, no longer improve their lives, and instead worsen them, then it will lose the hearts of these people. The First Emperor said to Fusu, who sat beside him, "Crown Prince, you must remember: the ruler is the boat; the common people are the water. Water can carry the boat, but it can also capsize it! A ruler must act in accordance with the will of the people and respond to their needs; only then can the country be well-governed!"

The key is to "benefit the people," so that the people can feel the benefits, whether it is tangible material benefits or spiritual glory and pride.

One major reason why the Qin state was able to stand out from other states after Shang Yang's reforms was that the military merit system allowed people to gain benefits by winning military merits on the battlefield. As for the harsh Qin laws, the people of Qin could temporarily tolerate them because of the benefits brought by the military merit system.

However, once the six states were conquered and the world was unified, it became difficult to gain military merits. Moreover, the Qin people discovered that the biggest cake of "unification of the world" did not share any benefits with them, and they were forced to continue living the hard life they had in the past. Naturally, their resentment was deep.

However, in this world of Qin, they shared in the benefits of Qin's unification of the world. Although Li Nian felt that they received very little, it made them no longer resentful. Instead, they were proud to be Qin people and believed that under His Majesty's leadership, their lives would get better and better.

Today's opening ceremony is no exception; it will receive the support of many Qin people because it makes them feel proud and honored, and makes them feel that as Qin people, they are superior to people from other countries.

The performance ended after Wang Jian uttered the words "Conquer the six states and unify the world," and the handsome young man from Qin stepped onto the platform.

"Over thousands of years, countless ancestors have carved out a path through hardship and risen from decline to create the Qin Dynasty and the Chinese nation we know today. Thank you all for watching the performance!"

The young man from Qin changed the subject: "Next, let's welcome the delegations from all the countries. First, let's welcome the delegation from Great Qin..."

As the Qin youth finished speaking, the athletes representing Great Qin in this Games officially took the stage through the athletes' passage.

Dressed in uniform and smiling, they walked onto the sports field, led by a man holding a Qin Dynasty flag. Each athlete waved a small Qin Dynasty flag.

The young man from Qin on stage began to explain the backgrounds and origins of these athletes.

"Some of them were originally farmers, some were craftsmen, and some were soldiers..."

"But today, they share a common identity: as athletes of the Great Qin, representing the Great Qin in this Games!"

When the Qin delegation appeared, the Qin people in the audience cheered excitedly.

This is their Qin army, which will compete with teams from other countries to win glory for Qin, and Qin's glory is their glory.

Some dignitaries in the audience subtly changed their expressions. The Qin delegation's entrance was far too professional and standardized; their own delegations would surely appear amateurish in comparison later...

After the Qin delegation entered, the Xiongnu delegation followed.

As a close ally and brotherly nation of the Great Qin, the moment the Xiongnu delegation entered the venue, everyone immediately felt that the Xiongnu delegation must have learned from the Great Qin!
The Xiongnu delegation also had a uniform style of dress, a team leader and flag bearer, and each Xiongnu athlete held a Xiongnu flag.

If it weren't for the different colors and patterns on the clothing and the different flags, I would have thought that the Qin Dynasty had sent an extra delegation.

"The ancestors of the Xiongnu were Chunwei, a descendant of the Xia dynasty, therefore the Xiongnu were also part of the Huaxia people, and a brother state of the Qin dynasty..."

This is one of the reasons why the opening ceremony included a talk about the history of China and the Qin Dynasty, to solidify the brotherly relationship between the Qin and the Xiongnu among the various states, and to make the other states believe that the Xiongnu were the younger brother of the Qin, like family.

If the Qin Dynasty and the Xiongnu were to clash in the future, that would be a family matter between the two brothers, and outsiders should not interfere.

The political leaders of the various states were unaware of the deeper intentions of the Qin Dynasty and greatly envied the Xiongnu as a brother state of the Qin.

They also wanted an elder brother like the Qin Dynasty!

Faced with the envious glances from foreign dignitaries, Touman and his men couldn't say anything, and could only smile and nod: Yes, yes, yes, it is our honor to be the brother country of the great Qin!
"Among the Xiongnu, the best archers are called 'eagle shooters,' and only those who can shoot down eagles soaring in the sky can be called 'eagle shooters.' For this Games, the Xiongnu sent three eagle shooters."

Following the Xiongnu delegation was the delegation of the Baiyue tribes.

"Now approaching us is the delegation from Xi'ou. Xi'ou is located south of Daqin (the Roman Empire) and was one of the earliest Baiyue states to establish diplomatic relations with Daqin. Xi'ou boasts beautiful scenery, with lush mountains and clear waters..."

To put it nicely, it's "beautiful scenery, clear waters and lush mountains"; to put it bluntly, the place has nothing to offer except its mountains and rivers, with rugged terrain, crisscrossing mountains and rivers, and many poisonous insects and ferocious beasts.

The Xiou delegation was prepared in the same way as the Qin and Xiongnu delegations, wearing uniform clothing and carrying the Xiou national flag.

It was clearly influenced by the Qin Dynasty!

As the first Baiyue state to establish diplomatic relations with the Qin Dynasty, Xiou was successfully opened up by the Qin through cultural and economic means, and Xiou began to change in the shape that the Qin desired.

As the Baiyue people were later part of the Chinese civilization, the Qin Dynasty was determined to bring them under its control, but the method of doing so needed to be considered.

Historically, the Qin Dynasty used force to pry open the gates of the Baiyue and subjugate them, but the Qin Dynasty suffered great losses in its conquest of the Baiyue.

The Qin Dynasty now adopts the method proposed by Li Nian, using economic and cultural means to influence the Baiyue tribes, change their thinking, weaken their power, and ultimately swallow them up.

Although it may take longer, it can reduce the losses of the Qin Dynasty.

As the various tribes of Baiyue gradually adapted to the influence of Qin, they naturally began to imitate and learn from Qin. The deeper they imitated and learned, the more deeply they were influenced by Qin, and the more difficult it became for them to break away from Qin.

When the Baiyue people become accustomed to using Qin's products and the ideas that have spread from Qin, and believe that Qin's development path is correct, it will be much easier for Qin to conquer Baiyue!
Even without the Qin Dynasty taking any action, as long as they incite those among the Baiyue tribes who believe that the Qin Dynasty's path is correct and want the Baiyue tribes to follow the Qin Dynasty's path, the Baiyue tribes will fall into internal strife, cook themselves up, and let the Qin Dynasty enjoy them. They might even invite the Qin Dynasty to come and enjoy them!

Just like those countries that yearn for the West and learn from the West, they will eventually fall into the West's trap. The West doesn't even need to do anything; their own countries will fall into chaos on their own, and the West can simply step in and reap the benefits.

Each of the Baiyue tribes sent an independent delegation. Although they were collectively called Baiyue, they were all independent tribes. Many Baiyue tribes had deep-seated hatred for each other, so they would not be willing to form a joint delegation with other tribes.

The medals they win at the sports meet will also be counted and ranked individually.

Following the Baiyue tribes was the delegation from the Wusun Kingdom.

As Qin's number one junior brother in the Western Regions, Wusun had not been a junior brother for long, but it was already following the example of its elder brother Qin. Qin also took good care of this junior brother.

(End of this chapter)