Chapter 524: This is not a war to invade the six countries, but a war to defend Qin territory and liberate the Qin people
March 3rd, the first year of the Second Emperor.
Alcohol was prohibited in the Qin State, and the chilly spring breeze could not sober him up, leaving only a slight chill.
The winter has just passed and the spring has come. The grass has not grown yet and people are already leaving.
The soldiers who were recruited a winter in advance, after a quarter of training with good food and drink, are finally going to the real battlefield.
The red sun brought a warmth that was better than nothing. On the parade ground, 200,000 soldiers saluted the figure on the wooden platform with burning eyes. The cold weapons and the lazy weather could not make them retreat.
The civil and military officials thought that the conscription was inappropriate at this time, but for these low-ranking soldiers who returned home to serve as civilians and were not worthy of the first-class dukes of Qin, it was not a question of whether it was appropriate or not. It was a life-saving grace, a life-saving grace for the entire family.
Without honeycomb coal, without the rations provided by the court, and without the full salary after the rations were provided by the court, I don’t know how many people would have died in the cold and frozen stiff that past winter.
A tyrant? Pah! There is no better king than the Second Emperor.
Two years ago, the most vicious curse in Xianyang - your son is like a prince's brother - has now become the highest praise. The laughter of the parents of the children who received this praise can disperse the clouds a hundred miles away.
Two hundred thousand soldiers all opened their eyes wide, looking at the silver figure shining in the sun. Although their eyes almost popped out, they just wanted to see the second emperor. However, only the soldiers in the first few rows could realize this wish, because there were too many people.
Fan Er stood in the second row, the eighth column. He was an ordinary citizen of Xianyang before he joined the army. In order to stand here and see the second emperor with his own eyes, he relied on his good sister who married a centurion.
He was very excited to see the real face of the Second Emperor. His Majesty was a little more frail than he had imagined. From the lines of the silver armor, he could tell that His Majesty was not as strong and muscular as other generals.
But, it’s so beautiful…
The eight-foot-tall Second Emperor was majestic without even getting angry. Against the backdrop of the clanging silver armor, his originally handsome but gloomy face became heroic and masculine. He walked with broad strides and his head held high, like a god.
Fan Er stared at the second emperor's face carefully, wanting to memorize this heroic and masculine face firmly in his mind. If he could come back alive, he would ask the old carpenter Dongfeng in the west of the city to carve it out, and take it home to replace the wooden tablet that his father paid ten cents to find a scholar to write on.
Fan Er thought that kowtowing to the wooden sculpture of His Majesty to express their family's gratitude better than a wooden plaque with only His Majesty's title written on it, although it was still far from enough.
The Silver-Armored God smiled, his lips moved slightly, and he raised a big speaker to his mouth.
Fan Er was in high spirits, he wanted to hear the second emperor speak with his own ears.
This winter, the generals and commanders in the military camp used loudspeakers when giving speeches in front of large troops. Fan Er was very familiar with this object.
"There has been chaos outside the Great Wall for a whole winter. The dogs have fought their brains out. Qi, Chu, Zhao and Wei have all restored their states. When I woke up, the Great Qin Empire was left with only Guanzhong. This is the most terrible nightmare I have ever had. My brother, the First Emperor, unified the world and conquered a vast land. Will he lose it in my hands? At midnight, I couldn't fall asleep for a long time. I was worried and terrified. The six states restored themselves and Qi went west. Will the Great Qin Empire perish in my hands for the second time?"
Fan Er clenched his teeth tighter, and his five fingers, which were red from the cold, turned white from gripping the cold gun barrel so tightly.
The two hundred thousand Qin soldiers were completely silent, staring at their king in silence, except for their slightly heavy breathing. The breathing of two hundred thousand people gathered together, like a sign of a strong wind.
“This is a national disaster.
"In history, no country has ever survived a siege by the whole world. With only a small area of Guanzhong and a few people, we are fighting against the six countries with ten times the land area of Guanzhong. I don't see any chance of winning."
The Second Emperor's voice remained calm.
Being as calm as clear water cannot make the soldiers excited, but it can make them hear the real situation from the words and know how dangerous the current situation is.
The two hundred thousand soldiers continued to remain silent.
Most of them had participated in wars. In the Qin State where every citizen was a soldier, it was difficult to find an adult man among the people who had not served in the military.
They knew that what the Second Emperor said was right. Qin unified the world by defeating the six kingdoms one by one, rather than directly declaring an all-out war with them.
In one-on-one combat, Qin Guozi became invincible after his rise.
In the face of a large number of enemies, the Qin State was blocked in Hangu Pass by the coalition forces of five countries several times and was unable to get out.
“There are two options right now.
"First, we will hold on to Hangu Pass. If we leave 100,000 soldiers in Hangu Pass, they won't be able to break in. We can live our lives behind closed doors.
"Second, go east and invade the six countries."
The deafening yet extremely calm sound disappeared for a moment.
Fan Er, who was close to the platform and walking through the back door, standing in the eighth column of the second row, saw the second emperor take down the loudspeaker and let out a deep breath.
If it were two months earlier, this would be just a ball of white fog.
The extremely handsome second emperor raised the megaphone again, his face serious, and uttered two words in a lukewarm and emotionless manner.
"The country will be destroyed, and the race will be exterminated."
Fan Er looked unconvinced, and he saw that his comrades around him also looked unconvinced.
He doesn't believe in the destruction of a country and the extinction of a race.
Ten years of undefeated victories gave the Qin people absolute confidence, and they firmly believed that they were invincible on the battlefield.
Standing in the front row are the generals of the Qin Dynasty.
Meng Tian, who currently holds the greatest prestige and is expected to become the most powerful person in the Qin army after Wang Jian, stepped out from the stage, holding a loud speaker and shouting at the stage:
"The armies of the six nations are nothing but grass, how can they defeat the mighty Qin army?"
These words touched the hearts of the Qin soldiers who had been training for a whole winter and were still passionate despite the cold weather.
General Meng Tian is their mouthpiece.
"There are 30 million people in the world, how many people are there in Qin? How many soldiers can we recruit? When Wang Jian defeated Chu, he mobilized the whole country and sent out 600,000 soldiers. I will give you an extra 400,000. A million soldiers fighting outside will need at least 20 million shi of grain a year. Where can I find it for you? Even if there is no worry about food and grass, can you, Meng Tian, lead a million soldiers and defeat 10 million people?"
The second emperor's thunderous response made the soldiers frown again. They felt that something was wrong, but they couldn't tell what it was.
General Meng Tian spoke again.
“Your Majesty, there is a big mistake in what you said.
"You must know that the world is no longer the same as it was ten years ago. The Central Plains was divided into seven countries. Now there is only one country in the world, and that is our Great Qin Empire!
"The six kingdoms are a thing of the past . All people in the world are subjects of the Great Qin. All are Qin people.
"The remnants of the six kingdoms invaded our land and oppressed our people. In the past winter, the people of the Qin Dynasty could have enjoyed the warmth brought by honeycomb coal at home, and lived in peace and happiness. But now they are being persecuted by the villains, bleeding on the frozen ground, and dying with their eyes wide open.
"The Qin people everywhere have long been looking forward to the royal army coming to save them. Behind your majesty, there are not a million Qin troops, but 30 million Qin people. All under heaven is Qin land, and all the people are Qin people.
"This is not a war to invade the six kingdoms, but a war to defend Qin territory and liberate the Qin people."
The morale of the 200,000 soldiers was high. They nodded involuntarily and shouted at the same time:
"color!"
The word "liberation" was the word they heard every day over the past winter.
Fan Er, who had been staring at the Second Emperor's face, seemed to see the Second Emperor smile.
The smile lasted less than a second and disappeared in an instant.
Even Fan Er himself wasn't sure whether he really saw it or was hallucinating.
