Diqin Designer

Chapter 483 Liuqiu Returns to Qin
"Is this the false king?"

Meng Tian glanced at the wooden box in front of him and asked the group of people kneeling in front of him.

There was a processed human head placed neatly in the box.

Upon hearing Meng Tian's question, Zhao Yue, who was kneeling before the crowd, replied, "General, this man is Xiong Xin, the false king installed by Song Yi and others!"

Among those kneeling before Meng Tian, ​​besides Zhao Yue and a few others, were former nobles from the six states who had been captured by Zhao Yue.

The difference was that Zhao Yue and his companions were not bound, while the former nobles of the six kingdoms were all tightly bound.

This was several days after Zhao Yue and others betrayed the regime. They came to surrender to Meng Tian with Xiong Xin's head and the captured nobles of the six states, which led to today's scene.

Meng Tian recalled for a moment and said, "Song Yi, I know him. He was originally the Prime Minister of Chu. After the fall of Chu, he disappeared. More than two years ago, he started a rebellion, but was defeated by General Wang Ben."

After saying this, Meng Tian added, "I have felt General Zhaoyue's sincerity. He is truly sincere. I will speak on your behalf before His Majesty."

Zhao Yue and his companions were immediately delighted. With this famous Qin general speaking on their behalf before the Qin Emperor, they should be able to get a good result.

They made the right choice by surrendering to the Qin people!

The men said gratefully, "Thank you, General! Thank you, General! We are deeply grateful for your great kindness!"

Meng Tian waved his hand and said, "I didn't do anything. You gentlemen earned this yourselves. Our Great Qin has never treated those who have made contributions poorly. Gentlemen, please rise and speak!"

These words made Zhao Yue and the others even happier. After bowing to Meng Tian to express their gratitude, they respectfully stood up.

They are no longer the high-ranking, noble nobles of the six states, but a group of desperate people who have betrayed and surrendered to Qin, their lives and futures now in the hands of the Qin people.

Meng Tian asked, "Now that you have rendered such service, is there anything you wish to ask for?"

Zhao Yue and the others understood that Meng Tian wasn't really asking them what they wanted; he was just being polite. If they thought they could make demands at will, they didn't know their own limitations.

In situations like these, lowering your stance might actually be more effective.

Zhao Yue said, "Our contributions are insignificant, how dare we ask for anything? We only ask that the general speak to His Majesty the Qin Emperor and grant us the status of commoners!"

They certainly wanted to retain their power and status, but they also knew very well that they were not in a position to negotiate with the Qin people, and the Qin people would not allow them to regain their former status and power. It would be good enough if they were not killed.

This is indeed their current thought: to save their own lives, even if it means losing their status and power and becoming ordinary citizens.

None of them even mentioned asking the Qin people to allow them to return to their homeland. They wanted to return, but it was unlikely to be possible.

Even if the Qin people allowed them to return to Shenzhou, they would probably relocate them to other places, definitely not to their homeland.

Moreover, the merit they had made was not considered great by the Qin people; it merely saved them some trouble. The Qin people did not need their surrender, but they did need to surrender to the Qin people.

Seeing that they were so sensible, Meng Tian assured them again, "Please rest assured, I will certainly inform His Majesty on your behalf. I have already arranged a banquet..."

Just then, one of the bound former nobles of the six states suddenly roared, "Meng Tian, ​​sooner or later someone will wipe out you bunch of Qin dogs, and you traitors, you'll all die a horrible death!"

Someone took the lead, and another former nobleman from the six states said, "Qin dog, if you have the guts, kill your father. If your father even flinches, he'll be your grandson."

"Qin dogs, your perverse actions have long been prophesied: 'The one that will destroy Qin will be Chu.' Although we have been defeated, the people of Chu will sooner or later invade Xianyang and annihilate you all."

Knowing that they had little chance of survival after being captured, these people figured they might as well curse the Qin dogs before they died.

They can't do anything now except curse and gain some verbal advantage.

Upon hearing that these people had suddenly gone mad, Zhao Yue and the others' expressions changed drastically, and they wanted to apologize to Meng Tian.

Meng Tian didn't care at all, calmly listening to their curses: "If that day ever comes, I'll be waiting! For now, you are still my prisoners. Take them away and keep a close watch on them."

The Chu man who was able to invade Xianyang has long been executed by His Majesty, while the other man who was able to enter Xianyang has become the Governor-General of Qin, and is now serving Qin in the Western Regions.

The Qin Dynasty will likely perish in the future, but not in the way Li Nian Gongzi described. These people will not live to see the day the Qin Dynasty falls.

The Qin Dynasty had long since embarked on a different path due to the arrival of Prince Li Nian.

Qin soldiers immediately stepped forward, subdued these former nobles of the six states, and escorted them away.

Throughout the entire ordeal, Meng Tian never even glanced at the captured former nobles of the six states; they were nothing but a pack of stray dogs, not worthy of his attention.

After the former nobles of the six states were escorted away, Zhao Yue and the others were about to apologize to Meng Tian when they heard Meng Tian say, "This matter has nothing to do with you. They are them, and you are you. I am not someone who cannot distinguish right from wrong. The banquet will last for a while, so you may rest for a bit!"

After Zhao Yue and the others left, an advisor suggested, "General, shouldn't we take this opportunity to..."

Although the advisor did not finish speaking, everyone understood his meaning: to physically eliminate all the former nobles of the six kingdoms and prevent future troubles.

Meng Tian said, "No need. They can no longer cause any trouble. Keeping them alive will actually benefit Great Qin. They can demonstrate Great Qin's magnanimity, and their strength can be used to do things for Great Qin."

Keeping Zhao Yue and others around would be excellent propaganda material. Qin had only unified the world for a few years, and there were still many nobles from the six states hiding their identities among the common people. There were also many people from the six states who still distrusted Qin and harbored doubts.

If the story of Zhao Yue and others is publicized, it will help to calm people's hearts: Look, the Qin people can even spare these nobles from the six states, so they can live in peace without worrying that the Qin people will not let them go.

By not killing Zhao Yue and others, the negative impact of the Changping massacre on Qin could be reversed, making the people of the six states and other tribes realize that they could surrender to the Qin of today!

This will benefit Qin's future policies towards other states. A Qin that can surrender to them will certainly be easier to get along with than a Qin that surrenders and kills prisoners. Qin will also encounter less resistance when conquering them.

Since surrendering would mean certain death anyway, they might as well fight to the bitter end and take as many Qin soldiers down with them even in death.

The political benefits of keeping Zhao Yue and the others alive far outweigh those of killing them.

Although the number of Zhao Yue and others who surrendered was not large, they were still people who could work. Wouldn't it be better to send these people to those undeveloped areas and let them develop and build them than to kill them directly?
Make the best use of resources and people. The Qin Dynasty is currently short of labor, and it would be a pity to kill them.

Another advisor said, "General, if we accept their surrender, what should we do with the barbarians? They have a grudge against us, and they will surely be dissatisfied with our acceptance of their surrender." Meng Tian said, "I will report to His Majesty that some remnants of the six states should be left behind and dealt with by the barbarians to appease their hatred. If the barbarians are still not satisfied, then let them be dissatisfied!"

Zhao Yue and the others surrendered because they feared the power of the Qin Dynasty, not because they were afraid of the barbarians, nor because they surrendered to the barbarians.

The barbarians have done nothing wrong, so what right do they have to be dissatisfied with the Qin Dynasty and negotiate with it?

The fact that the Qin Dynasty was willing to hand over some former nobles and prisoners from the six states to them for disposal was already a sign of respect for the barbarians.

Meng Tian never imagined things would turn out this way. He was simply ordered to lead the naval fleet on its first mission, but he never expected to encounter the remnants of the six kingdoms on Liuqiu Island and to eliminate them.

Meng Tian got up and went outside, looking at the distant mountains and forests. 'So, this means they've brought Liuqiu Island under their control?'

He said, "Since ancient times, Liuchiu Island has been an inseparable part of China. It was in the past, it is today, and it will be in the future."

He already knew the importance of Ryukyu Island to China, or rather to the Qin Dynasty, when he heard Li Nian talk about it. This island must never be allowed to be obtained by any other country or race.

In Xianyang, at the Zhangtai Palace, the First Emperor was handling state affairs when a guard suddenly entered the hall: "Report! Urgent military intelligence has arrived!"

The First Emperor looked up at the guard. Urgent military news? Where did it come from? Was something wrong in the Western Regions, the North, or the South?
Was it a rebellion in the Western Regions, or were the Xiongnu and Baiyue tribes disobeying orders?
He didn't realize for a moment that it was Meng Tian who had made his achievements overseas.

The First Emperor said, "Bring it here immediately!"

Soon, a Qin soldier entered the hall and delivered a secret letter.

After translation, the coded text on the secret letter was rendered into a letter and presented to the First Emperor.

The First Emperor picked up the secret letter, quickly read it, and soon understood what it meant.

This was indeed an "urgent military situation," but it wasn't critical; in fact, it was a piece of good news.

Upon seeing the contents of the letter, the First Emperor smiled.

Bringing Liuqiu Island back to Qin is not actually that significant for Qin at present. Qin cannot afford to allocate too much manpower and resources to develop Liuqiu right now, which is destined to be a process that will take decades or even hundreds of years.

But this is Liuqiu Island, which holds a very special place in Li Nian's heart. He is determined to bring this island under the control of the Great Qin.

The reason that kid couldn't forget it was not only because the island was indeed very important to China, but also because China had not yet recovered the island in later generations, which was a regret in his heart.

Now that Meng Tian has landed on this island and planted the Qin flag there, signifying that this island is now Qin territory, doesn't that mean he has surpassed later generations of China in this respect?

Although he knew that such a comparison was inappropriate, it did not stop the First Emperor from being happy. He was a very competitive person and felt that he had surpassed later generations in some aspects.

The First Emperor laughed and said, "Make a copy of this letter... no, summon Li Nian here!"

The First Emperor originally intended to have a copy made and send it to Li Nian to share the good news with the young man, but then he thought it would be better to summon the young man directly and let him know in person.

Soon after, Li Nian, unaware of why the First Emperor had summoned him, entered Zhangtai Palace and immediately saw Wang Wan, Wang Jian, Wang Ben, Feng Jie, and others already in the hall.

Apart from Meng Tian and Fusu, all other members of the "Listen to Later History Group" were present.

Why has the First Emperor summoned so many people together? What major event has occurred that requires their discussion and resolution?
It shouldn't be anything urgent or serious; everyone looked relaxed and even had smiles on their faces, so it might be a good thing.

Just as Li Nian was about to bow to the First Emperor, the First Emperor interrupted her, saying, "Don't stand on ceremony, look at this!"

Amid Li Nian's confusion, Meng Yi personally delivered the secret letter to her.

Li Nian quickly looked at the secret letter, which recorded a series of events that occurred after Meng Tian found Liuqiu Island, destroyed the water fortress established by the former nobles of the six kingdoms, landed on Liuqiu Island, and the former nobles of the six kingdoms killed each other.

Ryukyu Island is now considered to belong to the "Qin" family. Although there are still some indigenous people on the island, would Ryukyu Island respond if those indigenous people called out to it?
Ryukyu Island belongs to the Qin Dynasty. If the island's inhabitants don't agree, then it must be their problem.

After reading the secret letter, a smile appeared on Li Nian's face, and he even became excited. Wasn't this what he helped the First Emperor change the Qin Dynasty for?

To make China stronger, to ensure that those shameful historical events will never happen again, and to eliminate certain regrets and unresolved issues for future generations.

Now that Meng Tian has landed on Liuqiu Island and raised the flag of the Great Qin on the island, he has fulfilled one of his great wishes.

If Li Nian hadn't known that the First Emperor wouldn't allow him to leave Xianyang, he would have definitely asked the First Emperor to let him go to Liuqiu Island.

Li Nian bowed to the First Emperor and congratulated him: "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations on your successful annexation of Liuqiu, making it part of Great Qin! This not only expands the territory of Great Qin, but also adds a maritime barrier for Great Qin! General Meng has rendered a great service!"

The importance of Ryukyu Island can be seen from a map. At this time, when other countries' navigation technology was not very advanced, they may not have realized its significance, but they will feel it in the future as other countries' navigation technology develops.

This is a maritime barrier for the Qin Dynasty. The Qin Dynasty can use this to defend against enemies from overseas, and it can also sail overseas from here. For example, it is very convenient to go to the Japanese archipelago from here.

Furthermore, if Liuqiu were to be seized or influenced by an enemy state, it would be like a sharp nail driven into the Qin Dynasty, threatening the Qin's security.

Such a strategic location must naturally be in the hands of the Qin Dynasty itself!

This is not only to fulfill Li Nian's wish from the future, but also a necessity for the Great Qin Dynasty.

The First Emperor said, "I summoned you here not only to inform you of this good news, but also to ask you: What do you think should be done with the remnants of the six former states and the inhabitants of the island? What suggestions do you have for the development and construction of this island?"

The First Emperor did not summon Li Nian merely to share this good news with him.

Li Nian had long considered the question of the First Emperor. He had thought about how to develop and build Liuqiu Island if the Qin Dynasty took it over.

Li Nian said, “The remnants of the six kingdoms are nothing more than a minor scab. From the moment they fled overseas, they have been no longer a threat. However, I believe that since Zhao Yue and the others are willing to surrender, it would be better to spare their lives. As for the reason, General Meng has already explained it in his letter, so I will not repeat it here.”

"Regarding the island's inhabitants, I believe we should adopt a policy of 'appeasement and coexistence,' 'winning over some while striking down others.' With the current strength of the Great Qin, it is difficult to fully occupy and develop Liuqiu. For a considerable period of time, the Great Qin will inevitably coexist with the island's inhabitants in Liuqiu!"

(End of this chapter)