Diqin Designer

Chapter 477 Internal Division Among the Former Nobles of the Six Kingdoms
Upon hearing the middle-aged Tibetan's words, the surrounding Tibetans turned their gazes toward him, wanting to know what he meant by "perhaps there is not absolutely no chance."

Feeling the gazes of others upon him, the middle-aged barbarian spoke his opinion: "Although the Qin people are strong, they are new to the island and there are many things they need someone to do for them. Besides us, who else on the island can do things for the Qin people?"

“As long as we are willing to submit to the Qin people, I think the Qin people will not refuse to employ us. We have grown up here since childhood, and we are much more familiar with the affairs of the island than the Qin people.”

The other barbarians understood what the middle-aged barbarian had said. The Qin people were newcomers and unfamiliar with the island, while they, as locals, knew the island very well. As long as they sincerely pledged allegiance to the Qin people, the Qin people should not turn them away. With the help of these locals who were familiar with the island, the Qin people would obviously be able to get things done more smoothly on the island.

If the Qin people needed timber from the island, they were more familiar with the places where the trees grew than the Qin people, and could help the Qin people find suitable trees. Furthermore, the Qin people did not know the island's terrain as well as they did, and with their help to guide them, the Qin people could grasp the situation on the island more quickly.

In short, they had something that the Qin people could use, and if the Qin people used them to do things, they might get the opportunity to become Qin people themselves.

The middle-aged barbarian then said, “Perhaps we will not see this opportunity in our lifetime, but our sons and our grandsons may be able to see it one day.”

This makes some sense. They have served the Qin people loyally for a long time and protected the island for them. It is indeed possible that they could gain the recognition of the Qin people and be granted Qin identity. Although this may be in the hands of the Qin people, it is not entirely impossible.

The middle-aged barbarian's words, "our sons" and "our grandsons," silenced the surrounding barbarians. Their families had been slaughtered by those from the six kingdoms; how could they possibly have any descendants? Even if they wanted to have more children, they would need wives, but they were now a group of men...

It's all because of those damned beasts from the six kingdoms that they've fallen to this state. The local barbarians' hatred for the former nobles of the six kingdoms is even stronger!

If they wanted to have more descendants, they first needed women, but there were almost no women left on the island. They only had two choices: go off the island to find a woman to marry, or have the Qin people bring women from outside the island to marry them.

Thinking about it this way, it seems that they need the Qin people's help even more!
After a moment of silence, one of the foreigners said, "Let's think about how to deal with those damned people from the six states. If the Qin ships have blocked the people from the six states, they must still be on the island. Where do you think they are?"

A man from another region drew a rough map of the island on the ground with a stick. Pointing to the north of the map with the stick, he analyzed, "There are Qin people in the north, so those people from the six states can't possibly go there. Their village was just massacred by them, so they must know that we will fight them to the death when we return. They can't possibly go back to their village either. They only have one choice..."

The barbarian pointed to the south of the map with a wooden stick, saying, "Go south, avoid the Qin people and us, and try to build a ship in the south so that we can leave the island again."

After listening to the analysis of this foreigner, another foreigner raised two questions: "But the south is so vast, how can we find those beasts from the six kingdoms? Even if we do find them, can we defeat them?"

These two questions silenced the surrounding barbarians once again. The actions of those people from the six kingdoms were indeed inhuman, but it had to be admitted that they were very strong. If they encountered them, they might not be able to win. If the people from the six kingdoms were not strong enough, they would not have enslaved them after defeating them.

The barbarian people were filled with hatred for the people of the six kingdoms and were not afraid to fight them to the death. However, they did not want to die in a meaningless battle. They wanted to kill the people of the six kingdoms and avenge their dead relatives before they died, rather than die before they could avenge them.

Another barbarian said, “Finding those beasts from the six kingdoms is not difficult; with so many of them, they must have left traces. The problem is whether we can defeat them once we find them.”

Upon hearing these words, an impatient barbarian said anxiously, "This won't do, that won't do, are we supposed to let those beasts from the six kingdoms escape?"

Releasing them is definitely out of the question, but if we were to let them directly wage war against the people of the six kingdoms, we would be unsure of their fate. They are not afraid of death, but they are afraid of failing to exact revenge.

Another barbarian said, "It seems we can only ask the Qin people for help again. Only the Qin people can help us defeat those beasts from the six states."

Asking the Qin people for help comes at a price; the Qin people are unlikely to help them selflessly. But they have no other choice now, and besides, they have nothing to lose. They're not worried about having too much debt, and they're not bothered by too many lice.

One radical barbarian said, "We'll ask the Qin people for help if they want. As long as they can help us kill those beasts from the six states, we'll be willing to be slaves to them."

Other barbarian soldiers also voiced their support, asking the Qin people to help them defeat the people of the six states!
Meanwhile, Xiong Xin and his men set up camp in a mountain forest to rest. After witnessing the Qin people's two warships destroy their ships, their morale plummeted. The hateful Qin dogs cut off their retreat, forcing them to stay on the island.

If they couldn't escape the island, the barbarians and Qin people would find them sooner or later. The thought of being found by the Qin or barbarians sent chills down many people's spines...

Inside a makeshift tent, Xiong Xin and other former nobles and high-ranking officials from the six kingdoms were all present. However, everyone looked solemn and lacked their usual composure. Some had their clothes torn while traveling, and others were covered in grass and mud, but they didn't care at the moment.

They had reached a dead end; one wrong move and they would all die. They had no time to care about such trivial matters.

Sitting in the main seat, Xiong Xin glanced at everyone in the tent and said, "The Qin dogs destroyed our ships, making it impossible for us to leave the island for the time being, putting us in a dangerous situation. Does anyone have a brilliant plan to solve this?"

A nobleman from one of the six kingdoms said, "I only want to understand one thing: how did the Qin dog know about that harbor, and why did it happen to be there? Even the barbarians don't know about that harbor, so how did the Qin dog find out? Could it be that the Qin dog Li Nian is truly knowledgeable in astronomy and geography, and knows that we will anchor our ships there?"

When this nobleman from the six kingdoms spoke of Li Nian's vast knowledge of astronomy and geography, he was clearly mocking him, disbelieving that Li Nian was responsible, and thus immediately eliminating the correct answer.

That's normal, they don't know that Li Nian traveled from the future!

The meaning behind the words of this nobleman from one of the six states was quite clear: someone had informed the Qin people, which is how the Qin people learned about the harbor where they had hidden their ships.

But who tipped them off?
That harbor was unknown to the ordinary nobles of the six kingdoms; only those nobles of high status and rank knew about it.

Having the opportunity to get close to the Qin people and knowing about the nobles of the six states where the harbor was located... one person came to mind: Qu Tong, the garrison commander of the northern water fortress!
This person was most likely not dead, but captured by the Qin people. He then revealed the information about the harbor to them, which led the Qin people to send warships to destroy their ships anchored in the harbor.

If it wasn't someone who informed on them, could it be that Li Nian had some kind of premonition and told the Qin people, or could it be that the Qin people just happened to stumble upon the harbor by sheer luck?
Believing the latter two is less reliable than believing they are the King of Qin; someone must have betrayed them!
Qu Tong ordered the others to evacuate but did not evacuate himself. This may not be because he did not want to escape anymore and wanted to stay and live or die with the water village, but because it would be easier for him to surrender and inform the Qin people after the others evacuated.

The others in the tent understood the nobleman's meaning. Zhao Yue wanted to defend Qu Tong, but someone shook his head at him, so he swallowed back the words he was about to say. The truth of the matter was no longer important; what mattered was that someone had taken responsibility for the destruction of all the ships, giving everyone an outlet for their emotions and boosting their low morale.

Moreover, Qu Tong is indeed suspected of informing on others, and the possibility is not small!

Following this nobleman from one of the six states, another nobleman sneered, "Why bother with the pretense? If you don't want to talk, then I will. Knowing the location of the harbor and still having time to contact the Qin people, only one person can do it: Qu Tong!"

"Everyone else who knew about the harbor from the northern water fortress has returned, except for him. If he didn't betray us to the Qin people, who else could it be?"

The speaker was none other than Zhen Yin, who had previously stated that "Li Nian is nothing but a person with an empty reputation."

Zhao Yue couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "Zhen Yin said that the General informed on the Qin people. Is there any evidence?"

The speaker glanced at Zhao Yue and said, "He told you to evacuate, saying that as long as the stronghold exists, we will live; if the stronghold falls, we will die. Actually, he wanted you to leave so that it would be easier for him to inform on you to the Qin people. If you don't think he was the one who informed on you, then who was?"

This question really stumped Zhao Yue. Apart from Qu Tong, it seemed that no one else had this opportunity. If it wasn't Qu Tong who informed him, then he would either have to admit that Li Nian was a prophet or that the Qin people had just stumbled upon this by chance.

Zhao Yue remained silent and did not speak again. Another nobleman said, "The facts are clear. It must have been Qu Tong who informed the Qin people. He should not be dead. He may be being treated as an honored guest by the Qin people right now, drinking and eating meat."

The thought that Qu Tong was not only alive but also living a life of luxury with the Qin people after betraying them filled many in the camp with anger: This damned traitor had betrayed them, causing them to fall into this predicament, while he himself had successfully boarded the Qin people's ship.

Even if they wanted to seek refuge with the Qin people, they could have discussed it with them in secret. They are not inflexible. But now that this person has taken all the benefits, it has increased the difficulty for them to "get ashore" from the Qin people.

What some nobles of the six states deeply resented was not that Qu Tong informed the Qin people, but that Qu Tong had not informed them.

They hated him, but they had no way to deal with Qu Tong directly. He was living well with the Qin people; could they really expect the Qin people to hand him over? But while they couldn't deal with Qu Tong, his relatives and friends were still around.

One of the nobles from the six states said, "Qu Tong betrayed the Qin people, committing the grave crime of treason and breach of trust. If he is not punished with the most severe penalty, it will be difficult to appease the people!"

The other nobleman from the other six states immediately understood the man's intention and chimed in, "But Qu Tong is currently enjoying a good life with the Qin people, and we have no way to punish him."

The nobleman from the six kingdoms said, "Qu Tong is indeed not here, but his relatives and friends are. If we cannot punish Qu Tong, then we will punish his relatives and friends."

These words made some people in the tent frown. It wasn't that they felt sorry for Qu Tong, but rather that the practice of punishing his relatives and friends instead of Qu Tong himself was something that might be used against them in the future.

If this continues, everyone will feel insecure, fearing that not only they will be punished, but their relatives and friends will also be implicated.

One person said, "Although Qu Tong may have informed on us and committed a serious crime, his relatives and friends may not be aware of it. If we cannot punish Qu Tong, is it not appropriate to punish his relatives and friends instead?"

The nobleman from the six states looked at the speaker and asked in return, "What's wrong with it? If we don't punish Qu Tong's relatives and friends and let him off lightly, who knows how many people will inform on him to the Qin people in the future. We must let those with ulterior motives see the consequences in order to prevent this from happening again!"

If Qu Tong is not punished, and even his relatives and friends are not dealt with, some people will feel that it is not a big deal to inform the Qin people, thus increasing the possibility of secretly informing the Qin people. On the contrary, severely punishing Qu Tong's relatives and friends can deter some people.

Make them think before they inform on others that if they are exposed, they might be fine, but their relatives and friends will be tortured, so that they dare not inform on others.

Xiong Xin looked at an old man sitting inside the tent and asked, "What is the Prime Minister's opinion?"

The old man had been resting with his eyes closed inside the tent. When he heard Xiong Xin ask him a question, he opened his eyes and said, "This old minister believes that Qu Tong's relatives and friends should be dealt with. The reasons for this have already been explained very clearly by you all. We must prevent such things from happening again, so that none of you here will become the next Qu Tong!"

After the old man finished speaking, Xiong Xin thought, "Then this matter is settled. Qu Tong has committed the grave crime of betrayal and treason by informing the Qin people. His father, brothers, wife, and children should be punished as a warning to others..."

Xiong Xin originally intended to execute Qu Tong's relatives and friends with cruel torture, but then he thought that Qu Tong was a nobleman of Chu and one of the three major clans of the Chu royal family. He should save some face for Qu Tong, so he changed his mind and decided to behead him directly instead of using torture such as dismemberment or being torn apart by chariots.

Following Xiong Xin's order, Qu Tong's relatives and friends were quickly arrested and escorted outside the camp.

When everyone left the camp, they saw Qu Tong's relatives and friends being escorted in. Some of them were confused and didn't know what had happened. It wasn't until Xiong Xin announced Qu Tong's crimes that they learned that Qu Tong had betrayed and informed on them, which led the Qin people to find that harbor, destroy the ships, and cut off their way to the island.

When the soldiers from the six kingdoms heard that Qu Tong had betrayed them, they looked at Qu Tong's friends and relatives with great hostility. This damned traitor deserves to die!

After announcing Qu Tong's crimes, Xiong Xin ordered the execution of Qu Tong's relatives and friends. Some of Qu Tong's relatives and friends cried out that they were innocent and wanted to be spared, but it was all in vain.

At this point, whether Qu Tong betrayed them or not is no longer important. What is important is that Qu Tong's betrayal gave everyone an outlet for their emotions. They have fallen to such a state because of that damned traitor who betrayed them.

Zhao Yue and the others closed their eyes, unwilling to look. They believed that Qu Tong should not have informed on them, but unfortunately, they were of low status and could not go against the will of others.

Hearing the screams in their ears and smelling the blood, Zhao Yue and the others felt a sense of desolation: the general was clearly loyal, yet he was treated as a traitor and his relatives and friends were executed, which was truly chilling!
(End of this chapter)