Diqin Designer

Chapter 522 Arrival in Bactria
The minister's rebuttal prompted Euthydemus I and several other ministers to reflect.

If the Qin people had used the same method as Alexander the Great, that is, to send out a large army on expeditions, conquering cities and seizing territories along the way, only conquering without paying attention to actual governance, it is indeed possible that they could have reached their territory.

Euthydemus I looked at the minister who had spoken out in rebuttal and said, "Are you suggesting that we refuse the Qin envoy's visit?"

The minister who had spoken out against it shook his head and said, "No, even if the Qin people have ulterior motives, we should still allow them to visit us. This is also an opportunity for us to understand the Qin people!"

"Besides, the idea that the Qin people have ulterior motives is just speculation. They may not necessarily harbor ill intentions. If we refuse, wouldn't we be offending them for no reason?"

"The Qin people have sent envoys this time, probably for the Yuezhi people. We can get more information about the Yuezhi people from the Qin people, and we can even ask the Qin people to help us deal with the Yuezhi people."

The minister then changed the subject, saying, "Although we accept the Qin people's visit, we must remain vigilant against them. When the Qin delegation arrives, we must not allow them to access our most advanced knowledge and technology, especially in the casting of weapons and armor."

Upon hearing this, the minister who had been refuted couldn't help but sneer. When he saw others looking at him, he explained why he had laughed.

"Didn't you read what the letter said? The Qin people's mission this time is not just to our area, but also to go further west. Even if we forbid the Qin people from accessing our most advanced knowledge and technology, the Qin people may still be able to obtain it from other places."

This makes some sense. Their craftsmanship was similar to that of the western countries. If the Qin people couldn't obtain it from them, they might be able to obtain it from other countries.

The Hellenistic states were the various states that emerged after Alexander's death, when the Macedonian Empire disintegrated and split into several parts, particularly those conquered during Alexander's eastern campaigns.

Because they had been conquered by Alexander the Great, these countries were influenced by ancient Greek civilization in their politics, culture, customs, and technology. Even after they became independent, their politics were similar, their culture and customs were largely alike, and their technology was at a similar level.

Simply put, they all originated from the giant Macedonian Empire. It's hard to say that any of the Hellenistic states were significantly superior to the others, especially in terms of knowledge and craftsmanship.

The minister added, "Moreover, the Qin people's knowledge and craftsmanship may not be inferior to ours. For example, the legendary cannons—we have never heard of such weapons before..."

At this point, the minister stopped speaking. Euthydemus I and the other ministers understood his meaning: the Qin people's knowledge and craftsmanship were not only no less than theirs, but very likely even superior.

The Qin people were able to defeat the Yuezhi people with weapons called "cannons," but they couldn't create weapons that could defeat the Yuezhi people. This is the most obvious difference.

It is very likely that the Qin people looked down on their knowledge and skills, and the Qin people were on guard against them stealing their knowledge.

At this point, another minister said, "Although the Qin people's knowledge and craftsmanship may not be inferior to ours, we still need to be on guard. Even if we cannot ultimately defend against them, we should try to delay them as long as possible."

Euthydemus I and several other ministers pondered for a moment and then nodded.

The newly appointed minister continued, “When the Qin delegation arrives, we should treat them with utmost hospitality. However, we must carefully consider their requests and never agree to them casually. We should ponder the Qin people’s true intentions, weigh the pros and cons, and then make a decision.”

Euthydemus I smiled and nodded, saying, "That makes perfect sense. We shall allow the Qin people to visit, but we must be wary of them."

Even if the Qin people wanted to copy their books, they had to first determine whether the books the Qin people wanted to copy were of significant value.

A month later, the Qin delegation, which had been granted permission to visit by Euthydemus I, arrived in Bactria. Accompanying the Qin delegation were three squads of Bactrian cavalry, ostensibly to accompany them, but in reality to prevent the Qin delegation from causing trouble within Bactria.

Most of the mission's soldiers were stationed outside Bactria, with only the royal family and others being allowed to enter the city.

There was no other way. The delegation had brought over eight hundred soldiers, and if they were all allowed into the city, what would happen if they started causing trouble?
Moreover, the Qin army that could protect the Qin delegation must be elite, and it would be even more difficult to deal with if something happened.

Wang Ling and his companions were currently in Bactria, the capital of Bactria, which was much larger than the small border town they had encountered when they first arrived in Bactria.

Bactria is not only larger, but also more prosperous, with many buildings that the small border town did not have.

A Bactrian official leading the way pointed to a large building ahead and proudly introduced it: "Esteemed guests from afar, that is the Bactrian Stadium, the largest stadium in our country."

"Whenever the competition is held, warriors from all over the country will compete to see who can run faster, who can jump farther, and who can throw the discus javelin farther... and the strongest warrior will be chosen from among them."

Isn't that the Games of the States held by the Qin Dynasty?
Wang Ling asked, "Are there any other nations or states participating in your competition?"

This question puzzled the Bactrian official who was giving the introduction. Why was the Qin envoy asking this?
He shook his head and said, "Usually only our country's warriors participate, but in the future, warriors from other countries will definitely participate!"

The current Bactrian Eusid Musclásian dynasty is still relatively new and its relations with its neighbors are not very good, so naturally no other countries would send representatives to participate in their games.

But officials believe that sooner or later, Bactria will be recognized by other countries and will be able to host the Games in the same way as ancient Greece.

After hearing the official's reply, Wang Ling and the others didn't say much, only wearing a mysterious smile that left the official puzzled.

I thought your sports meet was like the one organized by the Qin Dynasty, with participation from various states. Turns out it's not.

The official, unaware of the Qin people's smiles, pointed to a building and explained, "That is the Bactrian Theatre, the largest theatre in our country, capable of accommodating five thousand people for performances or gatherings. If you are interested, after you have paid homage to the great Baseles, I can take you there."

With a capacity of only 5,000 people, they can be so proud? If I told you the size of the largest stadium in the Qin Dynasty, you'd be shocked.
Wang Ling did not shatter the official's pride, saying, "That is indeed my wish, but I dare not ask!"

Seeing the king's polite manner, and seemingly surprised by his introduction, the official pointed to a large building on a distant mountain: "That is the Temple of Bactria, dedicated to the great king of the gods!"

Wang Ling recalled information about Bactria in his mind; the "King of the Gods" referred to a god called "Zeus".

However, according to the information the prince told them before their mission, this Zeus was a Greek god who had killed his father and married his sister. To prevent his children from overthrowing him as the king of the gods, he swallowed his unborn children along with their mother.

These foreigners who worship such selfish gods must themselves be no better.

Li Shiqi asked, "May I ask, Your Excellency, is the god worshipped in that temple Zeus?" After the translator understood Li Shiqi's question, the official exclaimed in surprise, "Even the envoy knows the name of the god-king Zeus?"

Could this Qin envoy also be a believer in the God-King? Even if not, we could explore this avenue by telling the Qin envoy about the God-King's greatness and turning him into a believer.

However, after receiving the official's reply, Li Shiqi simply nodded and did not ask any further questions, which stopped the official, who had wanted to take the opportunity to introduce the greatness of Zeus to the delegation.

He was unaware that Li Shiqi not only did not believe in Zeus, but also despised him. If Li Shiqi were to believe in such a god, he would rather smash his head against a wall and die!

As Wang Ling and his companions walked down the street, passersby cast curious glances at them, for they had never seen a Qin person before.

Wang Ling and his companions also looked around the city as the guiding official spoke.

According to their observations, the people in the city were mainly divided into two types: one type was a foreigner with yellowish-green skin, high cheekbones, a straight nose, and deep-set eyes, and the official who led them was one of them; the other type was a foreigner with brown skin, a high nose, and curly hair.

Of these two types of people, the former are fewer in number, but hold a higher status.

Besides these two groups of people, Wang Ling and his companions also saw other races, such as several people with very dark skin who were locked in cages in one place.

The black people in the cage caught Wang Ling and the others' attention: Are these the black people the young master mentioned? The young master really didn't lie to us, they are so dark.

Seeing Wang Ling and his group paying attention to the black men in the cages, the official assumed they were interested and said with a smile, "These are black men brought from the West. If you gentlemen are interested, you may buy some. These men are quite strong and are excellent workers!"

If Li Nian were here, she would definitely exclaim: "They were involved in the slave trade so early? It's an ancestral craft!"

After hearing the official's words, Wang Ling and the others smiled and said, "Thank you for your kindness, but there's no need to buy it. We're just a little surprised because we've never seen anything like it before."

Before they set off, the young master sternly warned them that they must never bring any black people back to Qin territory; if they did, they would be severely punished.

The young master's tone was extremely stern. I wonder what this black man had done to offend him? What harm could he possibly do to the Qin Dynasty?
But even if they didn't know, they had no interest in disobeying their young master's orders.

Wang Ling and his companions also noticed that the city's streets were not very clean, far less so than those of Xianyang. Sometimes they could even see excrement, both human and animal.

Is this even worthy of being compared to the Great Qin?
Indeed, only our Great Qin is the most civilized country in the world.

Guided by the official, Wang Ling and his entourage arrived at the royal palace.

Upon arriving here, the mixed odors in the air dissipated considerably, allowing Wang Ling and the others to finally breathe freely without having to hold their breath.

The architectural style of the royal palace is completely different from that of the Qin Dynasty palace. Although it is a foreign style, it looks quite good from the outside. However, compared with the Qin Dynasty palace, the royal palace here obviously pays more attention to form rather than both form and spirit.

This is also due to cultural differences. Chinese culture prefers to convey spirit through form, not only requiring form but also using form to express charm.

Upon entering the palace, Wang Ling and his entourage met with Euthydemus I and bowed to him: "Wang Ling has been sent by order of the Emperor of Great Qin to lead an envoy to your esteemed country to convey His Majesty's greetings to Your Majesty!"

Looking at this group of people with different appearances, clothes, and languages ​​who were bowing to him with foreign etiquette, Euthydemus I said, "You envoys are too kind. Please give my regards to His Majesty the Emperor of Great Qin!"

After the exchange of greetings, just as Euthydemus I was about to ask the delegation why they had come and what they wanted, Wang Ling spoke first: "His Majesty the Emperor has a gift for Your Majesty; please accept it!"

This immediately piqued the interest of Euthydemus I and the courtiers. The Qin people would surely bring gifts on their mission, but what would those gifts be?

The culture and customs of the Qin state were very different from theirs, and the gifts sent by the Qin emperor were probably things they had never seen before.

Euthydemus I laughed and said, "To be honest, I have never received a gift from the Great Qin before. Thank you, Your Majesty the Emperor of Great Qin!"

When the gifts were brought into the palace, Euthydemus I saw that they were wooden chests and boxes, all of which were exquisitely crafted, with beautiful patterns carved on them and inlaid with pretty gemstones.

The wooden crates and boxes themselves look very precious, so what about the contents inside?
When the king opened the first large chest, under the watchful eyes of Euthydemus I and others, two members of the delegation carefully carried out a gift they had never seen before—it appeared to be a mirror.

Unlike the mirrors they had seen before, this one was made of gold and decorated with exquisite patterns. Above it was a great sun, to the left were undulating mountains, and to the right was a rushing river, seemingly symbolizing the sun shining on the world.

The patterns of the sun, mountains, and rivers are further embellished with gemstones, making them even more magnificent.

The outer layer is clearly made of gold and gemstones, but the mirror in the middle is of unknown origin.

It appears to be silver, but how could silver be so bright, so smooth and flat, without the slightest flaw?
The mirror reflected everything perfectly, exactly the same as what they usually see. Their mirrors are nowhere near as clear.

The mirror was very tall and large, standing as tall as a person on the ground. Standing in front of it, one could see their entire body.

Euthydemus I was immediately captivated by the mirror upon first sight. He saw it not only for his daily enjoyment and amusement, but also as a divine object to solidify his throne and prove the legitimacy of his overthrow of the Theodode dynasty.

With this item, the legitimacy of his Eusid Muss dynasty would be greatly enhanced. If the propaganda is done well, those foolish men and women will surely believe that this item is a divine object specially bestowed upon him by the god-king, allowing him to rule Bactria.

This item can be used as a symbol of the throne, passed down to future rulers!
Euthydemus I's gaze toward the royal tombs and the others became much more cordial; the Qin people truly showed their sincerity.

Such a treasure must be extremely rare even in the Qin Kingdom, yet the Qin emperor was willing to give it to him as a gift!
The only thing that gave him a headache was what treasure he should return the favor with, since the Emperor of Qin had sent him such a precious gift.
It seems that... there are no treasures in his collection that can compare to it.

However, he could not refuse to return the gift. Even out of respect for the ruler of a country, he had to give the Emperor of Qin a gift of equal value.

(End of this chapter)