Diqin Designer

Chapter 465 Qin-Kong "Friendly" Treaty

Ideally, all foreigners would worship the gods of Qin, and Qin's religion would become the world's number one religion.

Li Nian said, "The Great Qin embraces all rivers, and so do its gods. If you wish to worship the gods of the Great Qin, that is perfectly acceptable. May Taiyi protect you all!"

As he spoke, Li Nian placed his right hand on his chest in a gesture of respect. Pi Jianu and the others immediately understood that this "Taiyi" must be a deity worshipped by the Qin people, and perhaps the most revered one at that.

The others followed Li Nian's example and bowed, saying, "May Taiyi protect us!"

After these matters were settled, the atmosphere in the side hall became much more pleasant and relaxed.

Pijanu and his companions were delighted. They had successfully established contact with the Qin Dynasty, ensuring their interests would be protected even if the Qin Dynasty attacked the Peacock Kingdom in the future. Fusu and Li Nian were equally pleased. With these people acting as guides, the Qin Dynasty would face fewer costs and less trouble when it attacked the Peacock Kingdom.

This is called "win-win cooperation," where both parties feel they have won and obtained what they wanted.

However, this is only a preliminary framework for "win-win cooperation" between Daqin and these people. Specific details still need to be discussed and cannot be agreed upon in a short time.

For example, after Qin conquered the Peacock Kingdom, how exactly should the benefits be distributed among these people? How much should Qin take, and how much should they take? How should the territories of the various families who surrendered to Qin be divided? Furthermore, if Qin wanted to amend the Peacock Kingdom's original laws, which parts needed to be changed and which should be retained? And regarding the armed forces that Qin allowed them to possess, how much should they have, and what restrictions should be placed on them?

These all need to be discussed in detail, and a treaty that is acceptable to both parties should be reached in the end.

Fusu invited Pijianu and the others to dine in a side hall. After the meal, Pijianu and the others took their leave.

After the group left the palace, Fusu said, "As envoys of a country, they have no sense of shame whatsoever, as if the Peacock Kingdom is not their own country."

Li Nian laughed and said, "In their eyes, there is only their own benefit. What about the country? As long as their interests can be guaranteed, they don't care whether Qin will occupy the Peacock Kingdom."

"These people may be shameless, but as long as they benefit Qin, that's all that matters. If Qin has such people, it's a bad thing for Qin, but if other states have them, it's a good thing!"

Fusu simply disliked the shamelessness of Pijianu and his group and looked down on their character, but he also understood that it was a good thing for Qin to have people like Pijianu in other countries.

"I finally understand why my brother-in-law insists on teaching the people to love their country. If they are not taught, the people of Qin will be just like these people from the Peacock Kingdom, and the country will soon perish."

Fusu then said solemnly, "Brother-in-law, we must be wary of these Peacock people. We must not allow them to occupy high positions in our Great Qin. They can betray the Peacock Kingdom, and they can betray Great Qin just as easily!"

Li Nian said, "Brother, rest assured. This is precisely why I did not mention that after Qin conquered the Peacock Kingdom, it could directly grant them the status of Qin citizens. This is to prevent them from occupying high positions in Qin and causing harm to Qin after obtaining the status of Qin citizens."

“They are not loyal to Qin, but rather they see that their country is declining while Qin is growing stronger. They want to jump ship to Qin before the ship of the Peacock Kingdom sinks, so as to protect their own interests.”

Fusu then said, "Brother-in-law, does Great Qin intend to use them to govern the Peacock Kingdom for an extended period? It would be detrimental to Great Qin if they held the power of local governance for too long."

Li Nian said helplessly, "I don't want them to act as agents of Qin, but Qin doesn't have enough manpower and resources to control the Peacock Kingdom right now, so this is the only option we have."

"The territory and population of the Peacock Kingdom are no less than those of the Great Qin. You, my brother, should know better than I how difficult it is to govern the Great Qin."

Fusu nodded. Governing a country as vast and populous as the Qin Dynasty was no easy task.

Especially at the beginning of the unification of the world, although the conquest of the six states made the world seem glorious, it was also the most difficult time for the Qin Dynasty: there was a lack of local officials, the people of the six states looked at the Qin Dynasty with suspicion, scrutiny, and distrust, and the former nobles of the six states were secretly hiding...

Without this brother-in-law, if the Qin Dynasty had taken one wrong step, the consequences would have been unpredictable. Now that Fusu knows the history of later generations, the Qin Dynasty that was destroyed in history was clearly due to taking the wrong step.

Even now, the Qin Dynasty is still in the process of overcoming its own difficulties and solving its own problems.

If at this point you were to govern a country roughly the same size as the Qin Dynasty, with a similar population...

With the current national strength of the Qin Dynasty, it would be difficult for them to withstand this!

Li Nian continued, "One must eat one bite at a time, and walk one step at a time. Don't be tempted to rush to conquer the Peacock Kingdom just because it seems like a good place. The Qin Dynasty's current focus is not on the Peacock Kingdom, but on the Xiongnu, the southwest, the Baiyue, the Western Regions... We must first gain actual control over these places!"

Fusu had another idea and said, "Although the Great Qin cannot immediately control the Peacock Kingdom, could we win over the lower castes within the Peacock Kingdom and restrain them?"

Fusu's idea was that by using the high-caste people of the Peacock Kingdom as agents of the Qin Dynasty to govern the Peacock Kingdom on behalf of the Qin, the Qin could win over the low-caste people within the Peacock Kingdom and thus restrain the high-caste people.

Li Nian shook his head and smiled, "This is not advisable. Doing so would not only offend the high castes of the Peacock Kingdom and harm the interests of the Great Qin, but the low-caste people of the Peacock Kingdom might not even accept it."

"The key to the survival of the caste system in the Peacock Kingdom lies in the fact that the lower castes of the Peacock Kingdom accept it and even actively maintain it. Therefore, if the Qin Dynasty proposes to abolish the caste system, they may not appreciate it and may even oppose the Qin Dynasty."

"Since they are so content with the caste system, why should Qin destroy it? On the contrary, keeping it is more beneficial to the stability of the Peacock Kingdom and is more in Qin's interest."

While Fusu and Li Nian were discussing the matter, the First Emperor entered with Wang Wan and several others.

Fusu and Li Nian immediately stood up and bowed to the First Emperor, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty (Father)!"

The First Emperor waved his hand and asked, "How did the discussions with those people from the Peacock Kingdom go?"

Fusu said, "A preliminary framework for 'win-win cooperation' with them has been drafted. Father, please take a look; this is what I have noted down!"

Fusu handed a few pages of paper to the First Emperor, who took them, read them, and then passed them on to Wang Wan, Feng Jie, and a few others.

After reading it, Feng Jie commented, "With such people in the country, how can the Peacock Kingdom not perish?"

Feng Quji said, “Those people only care about their own interests and not about the country. They are willing to sell out the country for their own benefit. Great Qin should take this as a warning.”

Wang Ben asked, "Are they really so willing to concede to Qin?"

Li Nian said, "Of course not. We have only reached some preliminary agreements. If the strength of the Great Qin is insufficient, they may renege at any time. Therefore, when the Great Qin attacks the Peacock Kingdom, there will definitely be at least one tough battle. If the Great Qin wins, they will abide by the agreement. If the Great Qin loses or wins a Pyrrhic victory, they will definitely not abide by it."

The First Emperor said, "In the end, strength will determine who prevails." He then looked at Fusu and Li Nian and said, "Fusu and Li Nian, the matter of discussing with the Peacock Kingdom will also be entrusted to you two. This matter is a secret of the Great Qin Dynasty, so do not let it leak out!" Such acts of defection and betrayal are more effective if kept secret before they happen, so that the Peacock Kingdom can be attacked from both inside and outside.

While the First Emperor and his entourage went to a side hall to check on the progress of Fusu and Li Nian's work, Pijianu and his group followed a palace attendant outside Zhangtai Palace. Pijianu walked in front, and the others followed behind, without exchanging a word.

Pijanu was somewhat angry. He had hoped to achieve the feat of being the first to surrender to the Qin people, thereby gaining their favor. After all, the first person to betray their country to the Qin people should receive some preferential treatment.

Unexpectedly, these guys came over and ruined his good deed.

But he also knew that these people were afraid that he and the Qin people would reach an agreement first, which would be detrimental to their ability to sell out their country to the Qin people: If you sell out first, then we will suffer losses if we sell out later.

Despite their anger, the die was cast, and anger was useless. Besides, they were all in the same boat and would need to help each other after returning to the Peacock Kingdom.

After walking a short distance, Pijanu turned back to the group and said, "Now that you're all here today, we'll work together from now on. No one is allowed to act on their own. What do you all think?"

Seeing that Pijanu did not reprimand them, the group breathed a sigh of relief and nodded hastily. They were all traitors in the same boat and should stick together.

After establishing a basic framework of surrender and betrayal with the Qin Dynasty, the members of the Peacock Kingdom delegation could clearly feel that their treatment in the Qin Dynasty had improved.

The Qin people showed them the sports meet and the exposition, introduced them to dignitaries from other countries, and let them observe the "cooperation" meeting between Qin and other states.

Only then did they realize that the gap between them and the Qin Dynasty was greater than they had originally thought, and they increasingly felt that it was impossible to fight against the Qin Dynasty, and that surrendering to the Qin Dynasty was the right path.

The Qin Dynasty had actually established a Western Regions Alliance in the west, with dozens of Western Regions countries joining it. And this so-called Western Regions was just north of their Peacock Kingdom, which meant that the Qin Dynasty might actually attack their Peacock Kingdom from the Western Regions.

It's almost unimaginable how serious the consequences would be if they were completely unaware beforehand and the Qin Dynasty led a group of Western Region states to attack from the north.

The Qin state was already very strong, and it also had a group of subordinate states. The Peacock State had virtually no chance of resisting it.

The things the Qin people exhibited at the exposition also shocked them; the Qin people truly possessed the power of lightning, a power that only gods could wield, and were not deceiving them.

The amazing spinning machine and the self-propelled steam locomotive all demonstrate that the Qin people's technology far surpassed that of others.

The Qin people also invited them to watch a cannon demonstration, and the Peacock Kingdom delegation was even more shocked to see the power of the cannons firsthand.

Master Moye and the others did not deceive them; the Qin people did indeed possess terrifying weapons!

Under such weapons, the elephant cavalry of the Peacock Kingdom were indeed difficult to resist. The sound of the cannons alone could frighten the elephants, and if the elephant cavalry could not stop them, other armies would have an even greater difficulty.

When the time comes, the well-trained Qin army will bring their artillery to the battlefield. Apart from relying on their strong fortifications for defense, they will have no chance of engaging the Qin people in a direct confrontation.

Not only did they possess advanced technology and terrifying weapons, but the Qin people themselves were also formidable, and their army was far more well-trained than any of their own.

Even without relying on artillery, the Qin army could not possibly win based on their own skill level.

It is indeed a country that ultimately triumphed in centuries of conflict among nations. It was fortunate that the great Western emperor did not continue his attack here; otherwise, his illustrious reputation would most likely have been ruined here.

Faced with such a Qin state, Pijianu and others became even more determined to surrender. There was no future in resisting the Qin people; their only option was to surrender.

Feeling that the Qin state was far more powerful than their own, Pijanu and others became even more proactive in communicating with the Qin state.

After several days of negotiations, the two sides gradually reached an agreement on many issues and came up with a treaty that was acceptable to both sides.

On this day, in a side hall of Zhangtai Palace, watching Fusu and Pijianu press their fingerprints on two documents, Li Nian announced with a smile: "From this day forward, the Treaty of Friendship between Qin and Kong is hereby signed!"

Upon hearing Li Nian's words, Fusu and Pijianu smiled, especially Pijianu, who seemed to feel that everything had finally settled down.

His greatest mission to Qin was finally accomplished. As long as the Qin people abided by the treaty, even if the Peacock Kingdom was destroyed by Qin in the future, they would not suffer any losses. They might even be able to gain more benefits than before by taking advantage of Qin's strength.

This treaty stipulates that when the Qin Dynasty attacks the Peacock Kingdom in the future, the rights and interests of Pijanu and others will be guaranteed. However, Pijanu and others must also provide convenience for the Qin Dynasty's attack on the Peacock Kingdom, including but not limited to providing the Qin Dynasty with maps of the Peacock Kingdom's garrison, guides, and provisions for the Qin army.

After the Qin Dynasty conquered the Peacock Kingdom, the Peacock Kingdom had to recognize the Qin Dynasty as its suzerain state and acknowledge the Qin Dynasty's legitimate rule over it. However, the Qin Dynasty also had to employ the Peacock Kingdom to help govern it.

They came to contact the Qin people precisely because they feared that the Qin people would attack the Peacock Kingdom and endanger their lives and power. Now that the treaty has been signed, Pijanu and the others have obtained the sense of security they wanted from the Qin.

Of course, it also depends on whether the Qin people are willing to comply.

However, Pijanu personally believes that the Qin people should abide by this treaty, unless they do not want to rule their Peacock Kingdom for long and only want to plunder and leave.

Given the Qin people's vision and strategy, they would not choose such a short-sighted approach. They would look to the long term and want to rule the Peacock Kingdom for a long time. As long as the Qin people have long-term ideas, they will abide by this treaty and use their strength.

There was no way around it. The Qin people were very strong, much stronger than them, but the Qin people currently did not have the power to govern two large states at the same time, and the Qin state's goals were not limited to their Peacock State.

The Western Regions Alliance, the Xiongnu Kingdom, the Baiyue Kingdom... all of these would draw the Qin people's attention.

Given their inability to free up more resources, it was inevitable that the Qin people would choose to "cooperate for mutual benefit" with them.

The treaty has been signed, and it's time for them to return home. I wonder if those back home who are waiting for this treaty will be satisfied after seeing it?
There was nothing they could do about it; this was already a mutually acceptable result reached through negotiations between them and the Qin people.

Fusu instructed Pijianu, “Everyone must be careful to keep this secret. Our Great Qin has a saying: ‘If a ruler is not discreet, he will lose his ministers; if a minister is not discreet, he will lose his life; if important matters are not kept secret, they will lead to disaster.’ If the treaty is leaked, it will seriously affect the future plans of Great Qin and all of you.”

Pijanu immediately assured Fusu, "Your Highness, rest assured, we will keep this a secret and not let outsiders know!"

Fusu glanced at Pijanu and couldn't help but think he was unreliable. He had heard a lot about the future of this country from Li Nian recently.

(End of this chapter)