Diqin Designer

Chapter 472 Discovers the Flaws in Qin Weapons
Zhao Yue said, "Those copper pipes were installed on the Qin ships, and each ship had many of them. When the copper pipes were used to attack, you could see flashes of light and something shooting out of the copper pipes. The thunder we heard earlier was the sound of the copper pipes being fired."

These words made it even harder for Xiong Xin and the others to understand what "a burst of fire" meant, and what "the thunder they heard earlier was the sound of the copper tube being fired" meant.
These words and phrases are understandable when separated, but become incomprehensible when put together.

What exactly was this weapon used by the Qin people?
Xiong Xin and the others carefully recalled their memories and found that they had never heard of this weapon before, which made them feel even more heavy-hearted.

Unheard-of weapons are not good news; they mean that the people know very little about weapons and are likely to suffer heavy losses when faced with them.

One of them asked, "Did you see clearly what was coming out of the copper pipe?"

Zhao Yue nodded and said, "Later I saw clearly that what was being fired from the copper pipe were copper balls. They were very fast and very powerful, and it would be extremely difficult for a human to withstand them. However..."

Zhao Yue paused for a moment before continuing, "Strangely, although these bronze balls are powerful, they are not as powerful as those used when attacking the water fortress. Perhaps the Qin people felt that they had basically destroyed the fortress and no longer needed that kind of weapon, so they replaced it with bronze balls. However, even bronze balls are far more powerful than bows and crossbows. Even those wearing thick armor cannot withstand them; their power can penetrate thick armor and take a life!"

These words made the atmosphere in the hall even more somber. If the Qin people's second-rate weapons were so powerful, how could they possibly fight against the Qin people?

One of them asked, "Have you noticed any flaws in the Qin people's weapons?"

The man had only asked casually and hadn't been very confident, but Zhao Yue said, "We have indeed discovered a flaw in the Qin people's weapons!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions brightened, and they looked at Zhao Yue with eager eyes. It was good that the Qin people's weapons had flaws; only with flaws could they find weaknesses and come up with ways to deal with them.

Zhao Yue said, "The general has discovered that although the Qin people's weapons are powerful, they require aiming. The copper pipes installed on the ships are not easy to move or turn, making aiming difficult. They are fine for attacking immovable inanimate objects, but when it comes to attacking living things, it may not be possible to keep up."

After thinking for a moment, everyone understood the meaning behind Zhao Yue's words. The Qin people's crude-barreled weapons were very powerful, but they required aiming, which was not easy.

This weapon is a more powerful but also more cumbersome crossbow. It's fine for attacking stationary objects, but it's quite difficult to attack moving objects!
Zhao Yue continued, "As long as we keep moving, it will be difficult for the Qin people's weapons to hit us. If we can get close enough, their power will be useless."

The crossbows are also very powerful; they can injure people from a distance with arrows, posing a great threat and making them difficult to deal with. However, once you rush close to the crossbowmen, it becomes much easier to deal with them.

Finally, they received some good news, which eased the heavy feeling in Xiong Xin and the others' hearts. Although they still felt it would be difficult to fight against the Qin people, at least there was a possibility of fighting back.

Zhao Yue said to Xiong Xin, "Your Majesty may not be able to understand the Qin ships by words alone. Why don't I draw them out so Your Majesty can see them?"

Yes, it's not easy to make them understand just by talking, but we can draw it out. Xiong Xin had someone bring over some wooden boards and pens, and Zhao Yue immediately picked up the pen and started drawing on the boards, while everyone in the hall waited patiently.

After a while, Zhaoyue finished drawing and presented the wooden board to Xiongxin. Xiongxin glanced at it and saw that the drawing on the board was not exquisite, but rather simple and rough. However, as long as it could express the meaning, it was acceptable.

The first wooden board depicts a ship, which shows the craftsmanship style of the Qin dynasty's multi-span ship, but it is different from the multi-span ship. For example, it has more sails, and the most significant difference is that there are many open windows on both sides of the hull, from which things are protruding.

The second and third wooden planks mainly depict the windows on both sides of the ship and the things protruding from them, which are pipes. Although Zhao Yue's drawing is somewhat rough, they are still recognizable.

After Xiong Xin finished reading, he had the three wooden boards passed around among the people in the hall. When they saw what was drawn on the boards, everyone was amazed: This is the Qin people's new warship, their new weapon?

Did the Qin people use this to destroy their water fortress?

What is the principle behind this tube weapon's firing mechanism? Why does it emit flames? Does it really have the powerful force described by Dou Yang and Zhao Yue?
It hasn't been long, has it? The Qin people have already developed to a point that we can't understand or comprehend?
After everyone had finished looking at the weapons, Xiong Xin spoke up: "Now that you have all seen the Qin people's weapons, do you, my esteemed ministers, have any plans to deal with the Qin people?"

Although they already knew the warships and weapons used by the Qin people, and even knew a flaw in their weapons, they still had to think carefully about how to deal with the Qin people.

After a while, one of them solemnly said, "Your Majesty, I believe that we should take advantage of the fact that the Qin army has only recently arrived and find a way to defeat them as soon as possible and reclaim the water fortress."

Some people nodded in agreement with this statement. The Qin army that came this time was not large, and they had just arrived and had not yet built their defenses. If they did not repel the Qin people now, should they wait until the Qin people had built their defenses?
This seemed to make some sense, but another person offered a different perspective: "Even if we temporarily repel the Qin army, what good will it do? The Qin people have warships like those; even if we defeat them on land, they can simply escape back to their ships. What can we do against them?"

"Even if this Qin army fails to escape back to the ship and is wiped out by us, the Qin people will surely send more Qin people in the future. What will we do then?"

Hearing this person's words, everyone was somewhat unhappy, but upon closer reflection, they realized that what he said did make sense.

Even if they could defeat the Qin people on land, the Qin people could escape back to their ships and launch a counterattack with those weapons. Even if they annihilated all the Qin troops that had come this time and captured the Qin warships as well, the Qin people would definitely send a large number of troops afterward.

With their current strength, they are not even in the same league as the behemoth that is the Qin state. Even if you include the local barbarians, men, women, and children, they only number in the tens of thousands. But the Qin people can mobilize an army of that size, so they simply cannot afford to lose.

Looking at the person who had raised a different opinion, one of them said somewhat angrily, "Then what brilliant idea do you have? Are we supposed to just let the Qin people stay there and ignore them?"

The man bowed to Xiong Xin and said, "Your Majesty, I believe we should leave this place as soon as possible and go elsewhere before the Qin army arrives!"

Upon hearing this suggestion, everyone in the hall fell silent: another escape? They've already escaped so many times, where else can they go? And in this vast overseas world, can they even successfully escape to the next suitable place?

Each time they flee, they have to give up a lot; each time they flee, their strength weakens; each time they flee, they have to start all over again… An old man who had been silent in the hall said to Xiong Xin, “This old minister believes that we can fight the Qin people while keeping a backup plan. We are not only forced to fight the Qin people to the death, but also to flee at the mere sight of them when we hear that they are coming.”

“If we do not even have the courage to fight the Qin people when they arrive, we will lose our courage in the future. Therefore, I believe that we must fight the Qin people, both to let them know how powerful we are and to boost our morale.”

"The Qin army is small in number this time. Although they have powerful soldiers, they are lacking in weapons. We are not incapable of defeating them. Even if, as Zhong Zuotu said, we defeat the Qin people, it will be of no use. The Qin people can retreat to their ships and send another large army. But we must fight this battle!"

They didn't even dare to fight the Qin people, and instead fled. Their morale collapsed, and they became even more afraid of the Qin people in the future. It was even less likely that they would fight against the Qin people, let alone launch a counterattack on the Central Plains and restore the six states.

After the old man finished speaking, one of them said, "What the magistrate said is very true, but if we want to fight against the Qin people, we need to rely on the barbarians. The barbarians are frightened by the Qin people's weapons, so we need to get them to fight against the Qin people again..."

Yes, when the Qin attacked the water fortress, many of the Tibetan soldiers were so frightened that they deserted. Would the Tibetans be willing to fight the Qin again?

To this question, the old man calmly replied, "They fear the Qin people, but they don't fear us?"

The crowd quickly understood the old man's meaning: as long as they held the barbarians' weakness and instilled more fear in them than in the Qin people, the barbarians would definitely be "willing" to attack the Qin people!
When Xiong Xin and his men received news of the Qin army's arrival, Meng Tian was on his flagship meeting the few barbarians who had been captured alive during the day.

Night had fallen, and the ship's lamps were lit. In the light, several barbarians wearing shackles could be seen with their heads bowed in fear, as if raising their heads would offend the nobleman in front of them.

During the day, they not only experienced the shelling themselves, but also witnessed the entire process of how the fleet bombarded and destroyed the water fortress, leaving an indelible impression on them: these people were terrifying; in front of them, the water fortress they had built was completely powerless to fight back and was easily destroyed.

Meng Tian decided to try again to get some information from these people. Although they couldn't understand the Qin language or the languages ​​of the Seven Kingdoms, they still had their hands. It shouldn't be too difficult for them to draw something, right?

At Meng Tian's signal, several black wooden boards were placed in front of the group, along with a few small white sticks in front of each person. The barbarians looked at the black wooden boards and sticks in front of them, puzzled. What was this for?
One of Meng Tian's personal guards demonstrated for them, picking up a small white stick and beginning to draw on a black wooden board. After sketching an island and a ship, the guard pointed to the blackboard and stick in front of the barbarians.

The foreigners realized that they were to be instructed to imitate the others and draw on the black wooden board with the small white sticks, but what were they to draw?
A foreigner cautiously picked up a small white stick. This stick was very light and of unknown material. With a light stroke on the black wooden board, it left a white mark.

The other barbarians did not draw immediately. They watched this barbarian draw and let him try and make mistakes first, and then they followed suit.

The barbarian didn't understand what to draw, so he imitated Meng Tian's personal guards and drew an island and a ship. After finishing the drawing, the barbarian lowered his head even further, wondering if he could satisfy these people.

Meng Tian's personal guard took a piece of chalk and marked a big "X" on the drawing. He then erased the drawing on the small blackboard with a cloth brush. He pointed to the blackboard and indicated that the barbarian's drawing was incorrect and not what they wanted. He told the barbarians to continue drawing, and the other barbarians also drew.

Since they weren't asked to imitate painting, they probably wanted them to convey some information through drawing. That's certainly a good idea. It's difficult to communicate because of the language barrier, but drawing can convey certain messages.

Several barbarians felt they understood the intentions of these people and began to draw on their respective small blackboards. Meng Tian walked over to them and looked at what they were drawing.

The paintings were rather rough, but he didn't expect these foreigners to create world-famous paintings. He just wanted them to convey some information to him through their paintings.

On a small blackboard, a foreigner drew an island, several large ships, and tiny figures drawn in a very simple style.

Meng Tian felt that the painting depicted someone sailing on a large ship toward the island, most likely the former nobles of the six states who had started a rebellion in Kuaiji, which was quelled by General Wang Ben, and who then fled to Liuqiu Island by ship.

As expected, the foreigner drew another scene below this one, this time showing several large ships approaching the island, with small figures on the ships landing on the island, indicating that the former nobles of the six kingdoms had arrived in Ryukyu and landed on Ryukyu Island.

After finishing the second scene, the foreigner did not stop and continued to draw the third. In this scene, another group of little people appeared, who were hostile to the little people who had landed on the island. The foreigner also made sure that the newly drawn little people outnumbered the ones who had landed on the island, giving them a numerical advantage.

In the next scene, the numerically superior figures are either kneeling or lying on the ground, while next to them are the figures who have landed on the island. The former nobles of the six kingdoms defeated the local aborigines after fleeing to Ryukyu Island.

The following scenes mainly feature the majority of the little people, who are moving stones and cutting down trees. While they are working, several little people who landed on the island will stand next to them, indicating that they were enslaved by the little people who landed on the island after their defeat.

Meng Tian looked at another barbarian, whose painting skills were much better than the first barbarian's. He drew a group of people with swords held to their necks on a small blackboard, while another group of people were working.

Meng Tian immediately understood the meaning of the painting: the former nobles of the six kingdoms who landed on the island had taken control of the barbarian's relatives and friends, using their lives to threaten the barbarian into working for them.

The foreigner then drew another scene: a person's body was broken in two, and another person's body was divided into several pieces...

This clearly expresses how the former nobles of the six kingdoms who landed on the island used cruel punishments such as waist-cutting and dismemberment on the local barbarians in order to instill fear and make them obedient.

Meng Tian laughed and said, "These nobles from the six states have always accused Qin of being cruel and using torture, but how are they any better?"

After saying this, Meng Tian looked at the next barbarian. He saw that the barbarian had drawn a camp. There were simple trees around the camp, indicating that the camp was in the mountains and forests. But what caught Meng Tian's attention the most was a crooked and simple palace-like building inside the camp.

This place should be the palace built by the former nobles of the six kingdoms after they conquered the local aboriginal people on the island. It is also the main base of the former nobles of the six kingdoms. The main figures of the former nobles of the six kingdoms on Ryukyu Island must have been there!
(End of this chapter)