Diqin Designer

Chapter 541: Countries that have no understanding of the power of the Qin Dynasty
Some people also noticed the "Qiulin Jade" mentioned by the envoy. What kind of treasure is this Qiulin Jade?
It actually proved that white light is not the purest light.

An Anxi minister asked, "What is this jade pendant?"

The envoy thought for a moment before replying, "Qiulin jade is a rare gem that is only produced in the Qin state. Its beauty far surpasses any other gem I have ever seen, and I cannot explain it to you all."

After hearing the envoy's words, Arsak I and the Parthian ministers in the palace became even more curious about just how beautiful this jade could be.

Arsak I said, "Your country's Baseles sent you here not merely to inform me of these things..."

The messenger said, “We dare not deceive Your Majesty. Baselus sent us here to join Your Majesty in stopping the Qin people from selling weapons and armor to the Seleucids.”

"The Seleucid Empire was already stronger than both of our two countries. If they were to acquire Qin's weapons and armor..."

Although they were reluctant to admit it, it was an undeniable fact that the Seleucus were stronger than them; otherwise, they wouldn't have needed to form an alliance against the Seleucus.

Seleucus was on the decline, but even on the decline, he was still stronger than them.

Before Euthydemus I's envoy could finish speaking, Arsak I and the Parthian ministers in the hall understood his meaning: Seleucus's strength was already superior to theirs, and they needed an alliance to fight against him. If Seleucus were to acquire Qin's weapons and armor, further increasing his strength, it would become even more difficult for them to fight him.

An Anxi minister asked, "Are the Qin people's weapons and armor really that powerful? Are the Qin people willing to sell their weapons and armor to us?"

The envoy said, "It will only be stronger than I said! The armor that the Qin people are willing to sell us is certainly not their most powerful armor, but it is already more powerful than ours."

Some Parthian ministers have realized that the Qin army's armor and weapons are formidable, and they have no choice but to buy them. If they don't buy them and someone else does, they will suffer a loss in terms of armor and weapons.

As for the impact of weapons and armor on war, Alsak I and many of his ministers had personally led troops into battle, so how could they not understand it?
Because they did not buy Qin's weapons and armor, their own weapons and armor were weaker than the enemy's, which could lead to defeat in battle. If the battle was particularly crucial, it could even lead to the destruction of the country.

When the Qin people's armor and weapons were superior to theirs, and they were willing to sell them, the outcome was already predetermined: they would definitely have to buy them.

This made Arsak I and his Parthian ministers feel like they were being choked and forced to do something, which made them quite unhappy!
However, from another perspective, the sale of weapons and armor by the Qin state could also become an advantage for them.

For example, if they seize the weapons and armor sold by the Qin people and prevent the enemy from obtaining Qin's weapons and armor, then their weapons and armor will have an advantage over the enemy's.

The Bactrian envoy came precisely for this reason, to work with them to stop the Qin from selling weapons and armor to the Seleucus.

Seleucus was already so strong. If he were to be reinforced with Qin's weapons and armor, how would he possibly compete?
We must find a way to make the Qin people sell only to them and not to the Seleucus.

The Parthian minister said, "If Qin is really as powerful as you say, wouldn't we offend the Qin people if we stopped them from selling weapons and armor to the Seleucids?"

The envoy said, "It is naturally inappropriate to use violence to obstruct them; a gentle approach should be the first priority. The Qin people are selling weapons and armor to make money. For the Qin people, as long as they make enough money, it doesn't matter who they sell to."

You're mistaken. The Qin Dynasty wants to make money and create chaos. The more fiercely you fight and the more people die, the better it will be for the Qin Dynasty's interests.

While the Qin Dynasty cannot directly extend its reach, it can act as a regional troublemaker, making things even more chaotic and unpleasant for these western countries.

Just like the US and Russia in later years, they stirred up the local area, and even if they withdrew, they left behind a bunch of problems.

Many territorial disputes and ethnic issues in the world today have the "contribution" of Niu Niu, such as deliberately causing trouble when demarcating the border between two countries, so that territorial issues will arise between the two countries in the future.

The Qin Dynasty sold weapons and armor to the various states not only because it had better ones and wanted to make money from the obsolete equipment, but also because it wanted to influence the situation in those states and make their wars more brutal.

The envoy continued, "Qin is far to the east, and the amount of weapons and armor they can transport each time is limited. If we buy all the weapons and armor, the Qin people will have no stock and naturally will not sell them to anyone else."

One minister said, "But the Seleucids are offering a higher price, and the Qin people insist on selling to the Seleucids. What should we do then?"

Before the envoy could answer, a Parthian general said, "If that's the case, then we will have a hard time guaranteeing their safety within our territory."

If the Qin people wanted to avoid taking a long detour to reach the Seleucids, they would have to pass through the borders of Bactria and their Parthian territories, where they would encounter bandits and wild beasts...

It's not impossible.

After listening to the Parthian general's words, the envoy did not express any opinion. Although the Bactrians also had this idea, they did not want to offend the Qin people. If they could get these Parthians to charge ahead, that would be the best outcome.

This was also a major reason why Euthydemus I sent envoys: if they really wanted to offend the Qin people, they could let the Parthians be the ones to cause trouble for the Qin people, while the Bactrians could just stand back and watch.

Although Bactria and Parthia were allies, they were not a single country.

Arsak I glanced at the envoy. He was a shrewd man who had successfully rebelled against the Seleucids and established an independent state. He could easily see through the Bactrians' intentions. He said, "Let's meet the Qin envoy first!"

In reality, Euthydemus I never really thought his little trick would succeed; he was just taking a chance, so failure was inevitable, but what if it succeeded?

Upon seeing that Arsak I was preparing to receive the Qin envoy, Eusidmus I's envoy took his leave.

Wang Ling and his group, who had been waiting in the side hall, arrived at the main hall. In an instant, many eyes fell on Wang Ling, Li Shiqi and the others, scrutinizing and probing them. Some of the gazes were deliberately serious and cold, as if they could carry a sense of pressure and give Wang Ling and the others a look of intimidation.

Wang Ling and his entourage ignored all the stares, as if they were not being watched by many people. They were envoys of the Great Qin, representing His Majesty the Emperor of Great Qin. How could they be intimidated by the gazes of these foreigners?
If they show weakness, wouldn't that be a disgrace to the Great Qin and to His Majesty the Emperor?

Besides, what could a mere foreign country possibly have to inspire awe in them?
Although this small foreign country seems to have a large territory, can its strength compare with that of the Great Qin?

Arsak I's palace is very similar to Euthydemus I's palace, both being in the same architectural style. This is not surprising, as both Bactria and Parthia were Hellenistic states.

Wang Ling led the delegation members and bowed to Arsak I: "Wang Ling, the envoy of the Great Qin, is here on the orders of His Majesty the Emperor of Great Qin to extend his greetings to Your Majesty!"

Arsak I returned the greeting, saying, "Please also convey my regards to His Majesty the Emperor of your country, and I am very grateful for his greetings."

Before Wang Ling could speak, Arsak I looked at Wang Ling, Li Shiqi, and the others, and said, "From your appearance and clothing, it is clear that you are indeed from a distant country." Putting aside their appearance, the clothing of the Qin Dynasty is too strange compared to theirs. They have never seen it before. Can such clothes really be comfortable to wear?
But the fabric of the clothes looked very high-end, better than what they were wearing.

Arsak I said, "May I ask if you gentlemen could tell me about your country?"

Wang Ling laughed and said, "Since Your Majesty is curious, I can certainly tell you. My Great Qin Dynasty has existed for five hundred and fifty years since its founding!"

Upon hearing this number, Arsak I and his Parthian ministers were all taken aback: What? The Qin state has been established for over five hundred years?

Actually, if we start counting from Qin Feizi, the history of the Qin state is even longer.

The Qin Dynasty had only been established for a few years, but the Qin state existed for a very long time.

The Qin state was also a very ancient state, but why hadn't they heard of it much before?
Arsak I also asked this question, and Wang Ling replied, "This is because when the Qin Dynasty was first established, it was not as powerful as it is today. The Qin Dynasty was originally one of the vassal states of the Zhou Dynasty..."

Wang Ling thought for a moment and made a somewhat inappropriate analogy: “You can think of ‘Zhou’ as Macedonia in the east, which had many vassal states, and the vassal states were the governors of Zhou.”

Although the analogy was not entirely appropriate, upon hearing it, Arsak I and his Parthian ministers suddenly understood the relationship between Zhou and Qin, and what Qin was like when it was first established.

Wang Ling continued, “There are two important reasons why Your Majesty has never heard of Great Qin: Firstly, the journey is too long, with mountains and ranges separating us. It is very difficult for either you to travel to Great Qin or for Great Qin to travel to your country.”

Indeed, in this era of inconvenient transportation, distance is the biggest problem for travel. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve global unification on land without developing more advanced transportation and communication tools.

Relying on horses and ships for transportation, they could only selectively colonize and rule over certain regions.

Wang Ling continued, "The second reason is that Zhou was not at peace at the time, with various states fighting each other, and Qin also had many rivals. Qin had to defeat these states before it could send envoys abroad!"

An Anxi minister said, "So, your Qin state has now defeated the other states of Zhou and is able to send envoys abroad?"

Wang Ling smiled and nodded: "That's right! Our Great Qin has now destroyed all the other states and unified the world."

An Anxi minister said, "Your Qin state was originally a vassal state of Zhou. Doesn't this mean you have betrayed Zhou?"

Wang Ling's smile remained unchanged. He looked at the Parthian minister and said, "It is not that our Great Qin has betrayed us, but that the Zhou emperor has lost his virtue, causing the various states to fight each other and the people to suffer. Our Great Qin is acting in accordance with the will of the people to end the chaos among the states. We have not heard of any rebellion, only of following the will of the people and responding to the will of Heaven!"

The translators I brought this time were the same ones I used in Bactria, but they had improved considerably since then and could basically translate the meaning of the royal language.

Upon hearing the translator's words, Arsak I and many Parthian ministers' eyes lit up. The Qin envoy's words could also be applied to them: they had not betrayed Seleucus, but had established their kingdom in accordance with the will of the gods!
A Parthian general said, "I have heard that Alexander once campaigned eastward, and he should not have encountered your country. If he had met your country, what do you think would have happened?"

During their pre-departure training, they had heard Li Nian talk about Alexander the Great and knew his status among the Western countries.

The man asking him this question now is not doing so with good intentions. He wants to use Alexander to suppress the Qin Dynasty, or more precisely, to suppress them.

But as the chief envoy of the Qin Dynasty, is there any need to think too much about the answer to this question?

Wang Ling laughed and said, "To answer your question, my answer is: If Alexander the Great had encountered the Qin Dynasty during his eastern expedition, he would have perished there!"

Upon hearing Wang Ling's reply, the Parthian general burst into laughter, saying, "It seems the envoy doesn't know who Alexander is or how powerful he is..."

He was about to tell Wang Ling about Alexander's great achievements when he saw Wang Ling smile and shake his head.

He asked, "Why did the envoy shake his head?"

Wang Ling said, "You say I don't know who Alexander is, but in truth, you don't know my Great Qin. Alexander was the King of Macedon a hundred years ago, who led his army to conquer many countries and established a vast territory for Macedon..."

As Arsark I listened to the royal tomb recount Alexander's deeds, he realized that the Qin envoy knew just as much about Alexander as they did.

Indeed, the Qin delegation had already visited Bactria and must have learned a great deal from them. Alexander's deeds were not exactly a secret; on the contrary, they were widely known.

Little did they know that Wang Ling and the others knew this not from Bactria at all.

Wang Ling said, "It is a pity that he was blocked by the Peacock Kingdom and could not continue his eastward expedition. However, this is also his good fortune. If he had continued his eastward expedition, his lifelong reputation would not have been preserved."

This Qin envoy is incredibly arrogant; his words are practically a direct statement that if Alexander were to launch an eastern expedition, he would be defeated by Qin.

Of course, verbal sparring was not convincing enough, and the general said, "So, your country is very strong?"

Wang Ling laughed and said, "They're not that strong, but defeating your country shouldn't be too difficult!"

Upon hearing this, many Parthian ministers in the hall immediately changed their expressions and looked at the royal tomb with dissatisfaction.

The Bactrians, having suffered at the hands of the Yuezhi, held a deep reverence for the Qin Dynasty, which had utterly defeated them. However, the Parthians, having not experienced such a defeat, had little understanding of the Qin's power.

How powerful can a strange country in the East be?

Moreover, Wang Ling's answer seemed too arrogant to them. Even Alexander the Great at his peak couldn't defeat the Qin state. How could that be?

It should be noted that Parthia was established after the Seleucids, who in turn were established after Macedonia. To this day, Parthia has been unable to fight the Seleucids alone and has to form an alliance with Bactria.

This also shows how powerful Macedonia was at that time, and how formidable Alexander was.

However, the Qin envoy said that Alexander was lucky not to encounter Qin during his eastern expedition.

Some Parthian generals were considering challenging Wang Ling to a duel, thinking, "Isn't Qin very strong? If you have the guts, then fight us with real swords and spears!"
(End of this chapter)