Diqin Designer

Chapter 466 The Qin Navy, in Action!
After the Games and Exposition of the various nations came to an end, the dignitaries of the various nations departed one by one, and the delegation from the Peacock Kingdom also returned to the Peacock Kingdom with the Treaty of Friendship between Qin and Peacock. Xianyang gradually returned to its normal state.

However, the impact of these two major events on Qin and Xianyang has not subsided. The hosting of the sports meet and expo has brought huge economic benefits to Qin. Selling tickets and related merchandise is one thing, but the most important thing is the orders from other countries.

The Qin Dynasty reached trade agreements with many countries, with not only the governments of these countries placing orders, but also merchants from various countries making substantial purchases.

When they arrived in Xianyang, they saw the Qin people's beautiful fabrics and useful utensils. How could they not be tempted?

Moreover, Qin goods were not only better than their own, but they were also produced only in Qin and could not be bought anywhere else. This made the merchants even happier. Since they did not have them in their own country or other countries, they could better sell Qin goods there and make huge profits.

Before returning to their country, Lian Pijianu and his group also made a large purchase. These were goods from the Great Qin Dynasty; once they left the Great Qin and returned to their Peacock Kingdom, they would no longer be able to find such goods.

As a result, the Qin Dynasty not only did not lose money by hosting the Games and Expos, but actually made a lot of money!
This is because in today's world, the Qin Dynasty is the most advanced country, and no other country can compete with it. In later generations, it would be difficult to replicate the Qin Dynasty's situation.

The artifacts manufactured by the Qin Dynasty cannot be made by other countries and can only be purchased from the Qin Dynasty. In later generations, many countries can make them, so why must we buy them from you?

Historically, the goods of the Han, Tang, and Song dynasties were able to be exported to other countries and were loved by other countries, partly because other countries could not manufacture them and could only purchase them from the Han and Tang dynasties.

In the Qin Dynasty, sports meets and expositions that might have been unprofitable in later generations would have been profitable because of the unique scorpion cakes. Exclusive monopoly is the key to huge profits!
Besides bringing substantial economic benefits to the Qin Dynasty, the hosting of the Games and Expos also allowed the Qin Dynasty to showcase its culture to other states, expand its influence among them, and enhance the confidence of its people. Xianyang, as the host city, was also transforming into an international metropolis and began to show signs of becoming the Chang'an of the Tang Dynasty.

This is also what Li Nian wants to see. He hopes that the Chinese civilization in this world is stronger than the Chinese civilization in history, and that the Qin Dynasty can create achievements no less than those of the Han and Tang Dynasties. Why can't the Qin Dynasty's Xianyang in this world become the Han and Tang Dynasty's Chang'an in history?

Just as the Games and Expositions of the various nations came to a close and the dignitaries of each nation returned to their respective countries, in a certain sea area south of Qin, Meng Tian was standing on the deck of a ship, holding a telescope in his hand, observing his surroundings, sometimes looking at the sea ahead, sometimes at the birds flying in the sky.

This is not a single ship, but a fleet of twenty-four ships, four of which can be called giant ships of this era. The ship that Meng Tian is standing on is one of these giant ships, and also the flagship.

The fleet unfolded on the boundless sea, displaying an imposing presence as if it were cleaving through the wind and waves, its bows splitting everything in its path.
Although the Daqin Naval Academy was located in Xianyang, it could only be used to teach theoretical knowledge; actual naval training had to be conducted at sea.

Therefore, after completing the teaching of basic theoretical knowledge, Meng Tian and others were naturally arranged to go to the seaside for practical training. Otherwise, what would they train if they were training the navy in Xianyang? A bunch of ducks who could only swim in lakes and rivers.

The conditions at sea are different from those on land, such as lakes and rivers. Without training at sea, it is difficult to train a qualified navy.

Meng Tian and his men had begun actual training at sea six months ago. From their initial unfamiliarity, confusion, and various mistakes, they are now gradually taking on the appearance of the Qin Navy.

This time, Meng Tian led the fleet out to sea to carry out their first official mission after becoming the Qin Navy: to go to Taiwan!
As for why it wasn't Hainan Island, it's because compared to Taiwan Island, Hainan Island is farther from the Qin Dynasty, and Hainan Island belongs to the Baiyue region, which is closer to the Baiyue people, making it easier to conquer after dealing with them.

The fleet didn't have many ships, but it carried a large number of people, more than a thousand, including a full thousand naval soldiers and hundreds of craftsmen, doctors, cooks, and others.

There were only twenty-four ships, yet they carried more than a thousand people. This seems out of place for the Qin Dynasty. Was this the level of production and manufacturing that the Qin Dynasty should have?

In fact, the shipbuilding technology of the Qin Dynasty was not bad; otherwise, it would not have been able to support Xu Fu's two voyages to the east. On the second voyage, he even brought three thousand boys and girls, as well as hundreds of craftsmen and soldiers.

According to some research, when Xu Fu took three thousand boys and girls to sea, he had dozens of ships with him, which means that on average, each ship could carry dozens or even hundreds of people.

Furthermore, since the First Emperor ordered Xu Fu to sail the seas in search of immortals, given the First Emperor's personality, he would surely have Xu Fu bring with him the gifts he had prepared for the immortals, and the quantity was likely to be extremely large.

The gifts prepared by the First Emperor for seeking immortality alone already took up a portion of the cargo space of Xu Fu's fleet. Xu Fu also brought three thousand boys and girls, hundreds of craftsmen and soldiers, who themselves also took up cargo space of the fleet. Moreover, they needed to eat and drink, so they also needed to carry enough food and fodder.

If it were just for carrying people, Xu Fu's fleet could probably carry tens of thousands of people. However, Meng Tian's fleet was much easier to lead this time than Xu Fu's. Just the fact that he didn't have to bring gifts for seeking immortality allowed the fleet to have much more carrying capacity to carry people. More than a thousand people was not a lot at all.

Suddenly, a signal came from the ship at the front of the fleet: their lookout had spotted signs of land ahead. Based on the observed features, it should be a sizable landmass, which was very likely their target – a large island that was considered "Yangzhou" among the Nine Provinces during the Xia and Shang dynasties and is now known as "Yizhou" or "Liuqiu".

According to the mission given to them by His Majesty, their purpose in going there was to find out the location of Liuqiu, investigate the situation there, and ideally occupy a place that could serve as a port.

After receiving the news from the ships ahead, Meng Tian picked up his binoculars and looked ahead. He gradually saw traces of land on the distant horizon. Based on the knowledge he had learned at the naval academy, he judged that this was a considerable piece of land!
"This is Ryukyu, the Taiwan Island that later generations have longed for? According to Young Master Li Nian, even when he arrived in Da Qin, later generations of China had not yet reclaimed it, but what later generations failed to do, Da Qin is now doing! Since ancient times, Ryukyu has been an inseparable part of China!"

A smile appeared on Meng Tian's face. He put down his binoculars and immediately ordered, "Pass on my order: target spotted. All personnel on high alert, prepare for battle!"

According to intelligence gathered before the trip, not only are there indigenous people living on Ryukyu Island, but some former nobles from the six kingdoms may also be on the island.

It might be possible to coexist peacefully with the barbarians, but with the former nobles of the six states, unless they are willing to surrender to Qin, there is little room for reconciliation.

Under Meng Tian's orders, the entire fleet reacted swiftly. The soldiers in charge of artillery inspected each cannon to ensure that they could be loaded and used in the event of battle. The naval soldiers responsible for landing operations inspected their armor and weapons, while the craftsmen walked around the ships, checking the major parts of the vessels to ensure that they could sail normally.

As the entire fleet prepared for battle, the land on the horizon gradually revealed its true form and became clearer. Although its coastline could be seen, its end could not be seen. This situation indicated that it was a landmass of considerable size!

As the fleet slowly approached the land, everyone on board was on high alert. During their drills, they had practiced how to fight at sea, but those were just drills. This time, they might have to engage in real combat.

Holding a telescope, Meng Tian kept observing the land getting closer and closer. After reaching a certain distance, he gave another order: "By my order, Zhenguo, Anbang, Jishi, and Fenwu, continue sailing toward the target. The rest of the ships shall slow down!"

Although he was unlikely to encounter any significant obstacles, and even if some former nobles from the six kingdoms fled to Liuqiu Island, they would not pose much of a threat to them, Meng Tian felt that caution was never excessive, and it was best to avoid danger if possible.

Some battles are lost because of a lack of attention to details and the overconfidence that there is no danger, which ultimately leads to defeat.

Meng Tian didn't want to fail due to carelessness. Moreover, this was the first official voyage of the Qin navy, and he needed to complete the mission flawlessly, so he had to be even more cautious!

We can't just send the entire fleet straight to that land. If there's a danger that could threaten the fleet, recklessly rushing in would put the entire fleet in danger.

First, send a few ships to scout ahead, with the main fleet following behind. If there is any danger, the main force can be evacuated in time to minimize losses.

After receiving Meng Tian's order, one of the four giant ships and three smaller ships broke away from the fleet and headed ahead towards the land.

These ships did not use steam engines for power; they still used sails.

Sailing ships may sound like an old, outdated thing, but that's not actually the case. During the Age of Exploration, Western ships were mainly sail-powered, and Zheng He also used sails when he went on his voyages to the Western Ocean.

Even when ships were powered by steam engines, Western ships often used both steam engines and sails, until the use of sails was reduced as technology advanced further.

Meng Tian held a telescope and watched as the four ships drew closer and closer to the land. Suddenly, the Fenwu, which was sailing at the front, signaled that they had spotted two ships at sea. According to their observation, these two ships were small and crudely made, far inferior to the ships of the Great Qin Dynasty.

The flag signals sent to Meng Tian asked for instructions on how to deal with the two ships.

These two ships may have been built by the indigenous people of Ryukyu Island, or they may have been built by the former nobles of the six kingdoms who fled to Ryukyu Island.

If it is the former, then we should not attack them indiscriminately. Although these people live on Liuqiu Island, their ancestors had close ties with China. As long as they do not help the former nobles of the six kingdoms, we can be on good terms with them. But I'm afraid it's the latter...

Meng Tian's mind raced, and he ordered, "If we determine there is no danger, approach them and capture them alive. If they resist, annihilate them!"

Following Meng Tian's order, the four warships Zhenguo, Anbang, Jishi, and Fenwu sailed toward the two small boats of unknown origin.

Thanks to the telescopes, the four warships first spotted two small boats, but the two small boats did not spot the Qin warships. However, as the four warships approached, the two small boats finally spotted the Qin warships.

The lookout on the Fenwu, holding a telescope, saw that the people on the two small boats saw four warships. At first, they showed surprise, pointing at the Qin warships and saying something. Then they became worried and anxious, seeing four ships several times larger than them heading towards them. The people on the two boats frantically rowed their small boats back to land.

The lookout also noticed that the people on the ship were dressed differently from those of the Qin Dynasty, or more precisely, from all seven kingdoms, but somewhat similar to those of certain tribes of the Baiyue, indicating that these people or their ancestors were related to the various tribes of the Baiyue.

Upon seeing the Qin warships, they were not bewildered or confused, but rather surprised, worried, and anxious.

This means that they had seen such large ships before, but where did these barbarians see them?

The answer is obvious; it most likely came from the nobles of the six kingdoms who fled to Ryukyu Island.

These foreigners likely had dealings with the nobles of the six kingdoms who fled to Ryuchi Island!
This is not good news, as it means that these barbarians may very well turn against Qin because of the nobles of the six states, whether they were misled by the nobles of the six states and had a preconceived hatred towards Qin, or they were conquered by the nobles of the six states and forced to serve them.

The lookout on the Fenwu once again signaled with flags, requesting instructions from Meng Tian.

Upon receiving the news, Meng Tian raised an eyebrow and laughed, "So you've already got news about those nobles from the six kingdoms? That's really good news. We didn't wipe them out when we unified the world, but we won't let them go this time!"

Meng Tian then spoke in the way he had learned from Li Nian: "Since they are remnants, they should be swept into the dustbin of history and not allowed to cause trouble again!"

"Issue my order to capture them; if they cannot be captured, annihilate them!"

As the flags waved, the orders were relayed once again to the Zhenguo, Anbang, Jishi, and Fenwu ships that were in motion.

The four warships sped towards the two ships.

The lookout on the Fenwu saw that the people on the two ships were seeing four warships approaching them, and their expressions became even more anxious as they rowed frantically.

However, their speeds are not on the same level, and they are constantly closing the gap.

Seeing the four warships getting closer and closer, they had no chance to escape back to land before the four warships got close. Some people on the two ships took out weapons, including knives, spears and bows and arrows, but with these weapons it was difficult to damage the four warships.

As they approached the two ships, the lookout spotted a cluster of camps in the distance where the sea met the land.

This is a rather large camp, and its architectural style is reminiscent of the six kingdoms.

It is obvious at a glance that it was built by nobles from the six countries who fled to the island, and it goes without saying who it was meant to defend against.

If the nobles of the six kingdoms who fled to Liuqiu Island weren't stupid, they would definitely take precautions to prevent the Qin Dynasty from coming to the island as well.

If they can get to this island, the Qin people certainly can too!

(End of this chapter)