Diqin Designer

Chapter 479 Situation on the Island
Meng Tian laughed and said, "You are all clever! However, if it is really as you say, I can promise to protect your lives."

Having received Meng Tian's verbal assurance, the group exclaimed joyfully, "Thank you, General! Thank you, General!"

Meng Tian waved his hand: "Don't thank me yet. How can I know that what you say is true? How can you guarantee it? Who knows if this is a ruse to feign surrender?"

That is indeed a problem. The Qin people will not believe that they are truly willing to surrender based on mere words.

But before sending a few people, Zhao Yue and his group had already thought about how to gain the trust of the Qin people.

The man who had been speaking to Meng Tian said, "General, rest assured, we would never dare to deceive you. Our lord truly wishes to surrender to the Great Qin!"

"His Majesty is deeply ashamed that he cannot come to see the General in person. To show his sincerity, His Majesty has given the General a token. We have hidden the token not far from here. The General may send someone to retrieve it at any time."

Meng Tian said, "Then go and get it now. I really want to see your lord's sincerity. Zhang Li and Yang Kuang, you two take men and go with them to get the token!"

Two staff officers immediately stepped forward: "Your subordinate obeys!"

Upon hearing that Meng Tian was about to send someone to retrieve the token, the five men who had come to surrender were about to set off to lead the way when Meng Tian pointed to two of them and said, "You two stay here!"

After the person who collected the token left, Meng Tian continued chatting with the two people who remained. He asked, "How have you been since you left... your homeland of Shenzhou?"

The two who remained were surprised when this famous general from Qin asked them how they had been doing since leaving their homeland.

Is there any special purpose behind this?

After a moment of silence, one of them replied, "To be honest, General, things haven't been going well. Not only are we living in constant fear, but the food and drink are also not as good as when we were in... Shenzhou. We can hardly afford even a bowl of rice, let alone rice or wheat. We mostly eat fish, which is very difficult to get used to."

"Things improved slightly after we arrived on this island, but not by much. The food the islanders eat is very different from ours. What they consider delicious is hard for us to swallow. We can only say we're not starving. Besides lacking food and clothing, being sick is extremely difficult to endure. Although there are doctors, there is no medicine!"

"Before we left Shenzhou, we brought some medicinal herbs, but with so many people, how could we possibly have enough? Besides, the herbs need to be given to others first..."

At this point, the man paused, not saying what he was going to say next, and instead said, "The overseas lands are different from the homeland of China. The medicinal herbs that exist in China do not exist overseas."

"If you get sick, you can only tough it out. If you can survive, you live; if you can't, you die. The miasma on this island is extremely poisonous. Not long after we landed on the island, many of us were infected by the miasma and did not survive. Even now, some people are still suffering from the miasma."

Upon hearing this, Meng Tian said, "The miasma is indeed vicious, but our Great Qin already has a way to cure it."

These words surprised the two of them. Could the Qin people even cure the poison of miasma?

As far as they knew, being infected with miasma was like being half-buried in the ground; very few could survive because there was no cure for miasma!
But the Qin people solved this incurable disease. They hadn't been away from China for long, and the Qin people seemed to have changed a lot.

Noticing their expressions, Meng Tian smiled and said, "The Qin of today is different from the Qin you all know. Even a scholar should be viewed with new eyes after three days of separation, let alone a country."

"If you could return to the Central Plains and witness the changes in our Great Qin, you would surely be amazed!"

In the past two years, the Qin Dynasty has undergone many changes, which even Meng Tian, ​​who witnessed and participated in them, often finds incredible.

The laws were amended, the official system was reformed, the army was reorganized, diplomatic relations were established with the Xiongnu and Baiyue tribes, envoys were sent to the Peacock Kingdom, the Donghu and Yuezhi were pacified, a foothold was established in the Western Regions, the Western Regions Alliance was formed, and the Games and Expositions of various countries were held...

They also established the Hundred Schools Academy and the Six Heroes Academy, compiled unified teaching materials, set a universal currency, stipulated that simplified script be the universal script and elegant speech be the standard language, enfeoffed the princes to various places as kings, established the eldest prince Fusu as the crown prince, and created the steam engine, papermaking, and the marvelous electric light...

Two years ago, Meng Tian would never have imagined that the Qin Dynasty would become what it is today, nor would he have imagined that such wondrous things would appear in the Qin Dynasty.

All of this is related to one person, the young master Li Nian who came from the future.

The arrival of Prince Li Nian not only brought the history of the Qin Dynasty to the present day, but also brought about many changes to the Qin Dynasty.

"Last time you spoke about history, you mentioned that after Chai Rong of the Later Zhou Dynasty died, Zhao Da bullied the orphaned mother and child, staged the Chenqiao Mutiny, donned the yellow robe, and established the Song Dynasty. You seemed to have a very low opinion of the Song Dynasty, calling it a 'cowardly dynasty.' Although I've heard you mention it briefly before, I don't know exactly what you mean by that."

Meng Tian was thinking about the history of later generations that Li Nian was talking about, while the other two were pondering Meng Tian's meaning after listening to his words.

This person said, "If you can return to the Central Plains and see the changes in my Great Qin, you will be amazed!" Was he telling them that they could return alive?

However, Meng Tian did not explain everything, and the two dared not speak recklessly. They could only say, "We also hope for the day that the general has spoken of."

After saying that, the man continued the previous topic: "Besides food, drink, and illness, what's even more difficult is that many people miss their homeland and want to go back. Even I often think about going back to my hometown!"

Back then, I didn't know how good my homeland was, and I mistook other places for treasures. Only after leaving my homeland did I realize how many advantages it had. No place is as good as my hometown.

They left their homeland without their families and followed Xiong Xin and others to sea without really knowing what was going on. When they arrived overseas, they faced problems with food, clothing, shelter, and medical care. Their longing for their hometown and relatives grew stronger every day, and many of them couldn't sleep at night because of homesickness.

Unfortunately, leaving their homeland was easy, but returning was difficult. First, they had to cross the sea to go back, and second, they would have to face the Qin people after returning. Their homeland was now Qin territory, and as rebels, would the Qin people allow them to go back?

Upon hearing this, Meng Tian smiled and said, "The saying 'It's hard to leave one's homeland' is not without reason. If you all can accomplish your mission for Qin this time, perhaps you will have the opportunity to return to your homeland!"

When Meng Tian casually offered another promise, the two were overjoyed. They had both thought that after going to sea, they would never be able to return to their homeland in their lifetime. They never expected that this famous general of Qin would be willing to give them a chance.

This man is a famous general of the Qin Dynasty, a true high-ranking official of the Qin state. If he gives us the opportunity, then this matter can probably be accomplished.

The two men thanked Meng Tian again: "Thank you so much, General! Thank you so much, General!"

Meng Tian said, "Don't rush to thank me. Whether this matter succeeds or not depends on His Majesty's decision. I can only speak on your behalf before His Majesty!"

Meng Tian did not think these people would be able to return to their original hometowns. Even if His Majesty allowed them to return to China alive, he would probably make them move to other regions to live.

These people are inherently unstable factors. Allowing them to live is already an extraordinary act of mercy. How could we possibly let them return to their homeland? What if these people start a rebellion one day?

But for these people, moving elsewhere would be better than staying on this island. This is not the treasure island of later generations; it is a nearly undeveloped, wild island.

"We are already deeply grateful that the general has spoken well of us before His Majesty the Qin Emperor. How could we dare to ask for anything more!"

Meng Tian was very satisfied with the two men's attitude and asked, "You have been on the island for a long time and are more familiar with the terrain and situation than we are. Could you please tell me a thing or two?"

The two were somewhat surprised that Meng Tian wanted to learn about the island from them. In their minds, the Qin people should know the island very well, otherwise how could they have found the harbor where they hid their ships?

Could it be that the Qin people were deceived?

They were so unlucky!
However, it's too early to say whether their luck is good or bad. If they successfully surrender to the Qin people, it would be a good thing if the Qin people found the harbor where they hid their ships and destroyed them.

If they sailed out to sea, they would have no chance to surrender to the Qin people and return to their homeland.

Life at sea is certainly not as good as returning to one's homeland. Even if the Qin people did not settle them back in their homeland, but instead moved them to other places, it would still be better than this place rife with miasma and wild beasts.

"If the general wishes to know, we will certainly tell you everything we know, but we do not know much and cannot explain it to the general in detail."

Those who were secretly sent by Zhao Yue and others to contact Meng Tian must have held a higher status than ordinary soldiers, but not too high, as they wouldn't be able to learn too many secrets.

Meng Tian understood that given their status, they certainly didn't know as much as the former nobles and high-ranking officials of the six states, so he didn't make things difficult for them and said, "You two can just tell me what you know!"

One of them then began to speak: "Our understanding of this island is not complete. The island is very large, and there are many places we have not been to."

Meng Tian sought information about Liuqiu Island from these people because he genuinely needed to know. Although he had obtained a considerable amount of information about Liuqiu Island from Li Nian, it was all information from later generations, and there would inevitably be some differences between it and Liuqiu Island in this era.

If more timely and accurate information is not obtained and these discrepancies are allowed to persist, it could sow the seeds of disaster, especially in military operations, where a careless oversight could lead to defeat.

"As far as we know, the island's terrain is high in the east and low in the west. The central and eastern parts of the island are mountainous, while the western part is relatively flat. The island's forests mainly run from the northeast to the southwest, but we have never been there and do not know the specifics."

"Many places on the island are mountainous and densely forested, with a lot of miasma. Many indigenous tribes live there, which are very difficult to deal with. It is not that they are stronger than us, but that they have lived here for a long time and are more familiar with the terrain. Moreover, the indigenous people are not afraid of miasma, which is naturally advantageous to them."

“The barbarians are not as strong as us, but they rely on the terrain and the poison of the miasma. If we fight them, we will hardly gain anything, and if we lose, we will lose men and horses. We are not willing to go deep into the territory.”

Although the former nobles of the six kingdoms conquered a tribe of non-natives, this was not the case for all the tribes of non-natives on Ryuchiu Island. There were still many non-natives living in the mountains and forests of Ryuchiu Island.

It's easy to see that with the number of people from the six countries who landed on such a large island, they couldn't control the entire island or conquer all the indigenous tribes.

This was also recorded later. People from a certain windmill country recorded that their life in Ryukyu was not good. They dared not go deep into the island, firstly because of the miasma, and secondly because of the island's inhabitants.

"The climate on this island is also unpredictable. Since we arrived on the island, there have been strong winds (typhoons) every year, and several times a year. I have seen strong winds in my hometown, but the winds on this island are much stronger than those in my hometown. When the winds come, the rain will continue for several days, and the wind will blow and break the trees."

The man reminded Meng Tian, ​​"This is the season when strong winds blow, General, you must be careful!"

Even if this person hadn't reminded him, Meng Tian would have paid attention.

Because when Li Nian was explaining the terrain and climate of Ryukyu to him, she had carefully warned him to be careful of natural disasters on Ryukyu Island, as it was not like Xianyang.

But when someone kindly reminded him, Meng Tian replied, "Thank you for the reminder; I will certainly pay attention."

Meng Tian's "Thank you!" made the two men feel flattered. This famous general of Qin would actually thank them so politely.

"I dare not accept such praise, it is but a small matter. How could I possibly accept the general's thanks? Apart from the strong winds, this island has a lot of moisture and is quite humid and hot, which may be different from... the Great Qin. The general should also be careful."

"The rainfall on this island is also irregular, with periods of drought and rain. During droughts, there is little rain, and during rainy seasons, there is a lot of rain. We are currently in the rainy season."

These are some experiences they figured out and summarized after landing on the island, but they are only applicable to the area where they are located.

Just as the two were about to tell Meng Tian about the situation on the island, Zhang Li, Yang Kuang, and others returned from retrieving the token.

Zhang Li and Yang Kuang bowed to Meng Tian: "General, your humble servants have retrieved the token. Please examine it in person!"

Several soldiers following behind the two placed several cloth bags on the ground and opened them. Meng Tian saw that each cloth bag contained a copper box.

The copper boxes were locked, but the locks on three of them had been opened, indicating that they had been opened and verified by Zhang Li and Yang Kuang.

Meng Tian said, "Is this the token of our lords? Open the box and present its contents to me!"

The box was opened, revealing its contents: five bamboo slips of surrender written by the five individuals themselves, and five tokens that could prove their identities.

These five tokens were items that only nobles could possess, indicating the family they came from, which surname and clan they belonged to, and were objects that could prove their noble status in the six states.

After examining the five tokens one by one, Meng Tian looked at the five messengers who had come to surrender and said with a smile, "It seems that you are indeed very sincere. I have something to tell you: we will not be sending out a large army in the near future."

"Your lord wishes to cooperate with the Great Qin from within and without to help them wipe out those people, but I'm afraid it will have to wait a while longer!"

These words startled the five men. Was the Qin army deliberately not mobilizing its forces recently, or was it simply unable to do so?
If it's the latter, that's fine. But if it's the former, their surrender might be bad. The Qin people might want them to kill each other or the barbarians, and then reap the benefits.

Meng Tian saw through their thoughts and laughed, "To be honest, it's not that I'm unwilling to send troops, but rather that I haven't yet figured out the situation on the island, and I haven't brought many troops with me this time, so it's not appropriate to send troops for the time being."

Given the insufficient troop strength, Meng Tian would not risk venturing deep into the island.

The current situation is entirely on the side of Qin. As long as Qin uses its warships to blockade the former nobles of the six states from escaping from the island, it can achieve final victory once reinforcements arrive. There is no need to be too aggressive or risky.

(End of this chapter)