Chapter 66: The Boiling World

Chapter 66: A Boilling World

In the twelfth year of First Emperor Ying Zheng’s reign, historically, the ruler of Qin passed away.

After the First Emperor breathed his last at Shaqiu, the mighty Qin Empire plunged into darkness in the days that followed. Corrupt officials seized power, ministers and renowned generals committed suicide one after another, and even the royal Ying clan was slaughtered by Huhai.

Pity the common people of the realm, who had yet to enjoy a stable life before they were once again dragged into the flames of war that swept across the entire Central Plains.

It was precisely because of this great war in the Central Plains that the Xiongnu on the grasslands, under the leadership of Modu, annexed many surrounding tribes and rose overnight to become the greatest overlord of the steppes.

At the peak of his power, Modu commanded over three hundred thousand archers and besieged Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, at Mount Baideng for seven full days and nights.

Had it not been for Chen Ping’s stratagem and the timely arrival of the main Han reinforcement army led by Zhou Bo and Fan Kuai, no one could have predicted where subsequent events would have led.

Today’s Qin, however, had changed significantly due to Yang Zimo’s arrival.

Yet, this was the year of Ying Zheng’s demise—would history repeat itself?

Everything remained unknown.

Five years flashed by in the blink of an eye, and the world in this spacetime had long undergone earth-shattering changes.

Thanks to the existence of the Pan-Asian Continental Alliance and Qin’s proactive economic policies, nations and tribes across the globe were now interconnected.

Global economic exchanges flourished overnight.

In recent years, many specialty products emerged in Qin, such as newly cultivated tea, silk fabrics, refined salt, porcelain, and fine wine.

Through various channels, these goods became widely known to numerous countries.

In particular, Qin’s tea, wine, porcelain, and silk were deeply adored by Western nations. Meanwhile, the Parthian Empire, serving as the transit hub for East-West trade, grew fabulously wealthy from this exchange.

Princess Vivian of Parthia and her retinue of knightly escorts had been ransomed back five years ago at a tremendous cost by King Arsaces I of Parthia.

Yet, Arsaces I seemed entirely unaffected by the previous conflict. Instead, he actively cooperated with Qin in subsequent foreign trade, acting as a crucial bridge for communication between the Eastern and Western worlds.

Perhaps it was because Vivian recounted everything she had witnessed in Qin to Arsaces, or perhaps because he was so awed by the detailed accounts of the great war between Qin and the Xiongnu—specifically the sudden appearance of unknown weapons and formidable troops—that he dared not make a move without any means of countering them.

Then again, between nations, there are no eternal friendships, only eternal interests.

In interstate diplomacy, a country's own interests should always be the primary consideration of its ruler.

Over the past five years, Qin had smoothly accomplished the targets set by its Second Five-Year Plan.

Sweet potatoes had been successfully planted in all commanderies and counties of Qin, with large-scale cultivation taking root in the northwest region as well.

Five consecutive years of favorable weather brought five years of bumper harvests, leaving grain piled mountain-high across the land and providing Qin with surplus crops to brew wine.

By the twelfth year of the First Emperor, the number of horses bred in the Hetao Grasslands of Qin exceeded six00,000, while draft cattle reached a scale of 250,000.

As for sheep, the number was even staggering—over twenty million in total.

The breeding of cattle and the introduction of new farming tools made agricultural labor much less strenuous for the people of Qin.

Encouraged by the imperial court’s preferential policies, Qin added 800,000 new households over the past five years. Its population reached over 34 million, and newly cultivated farmland expanded by 120 million mu.

With the high-yielding sweet potato, Qin had essentially resolved the food and clothing crisis for its people, save for the most remote areas. The next goal was to ensure that citizens throughout the realm could eat well and have meat regularly.

Infrastructure construction in Qin had also met its predetermined targets. Roads leading to all major commanderies, strongholds, and strategic passes were now paved with cement, and existing roads in every commandery, county, and village had been successfully expanded.

Thanks to the vigorous breeding efforts in the Hetao and northern grasslands over the past five years, Qin soldiers could now enjoy meat every few days.

Specialized units even achieved the luxury of having meat at every single meal. With this abundant meat supply, the physical fitness of the soldiers improved dramatically.

Even ordinary citizens of Qin, following the breeding techniques specifically written and distributed by the imperial court, raised chickens, ducks, and pigs on a large scale, allowing them to occasionally enjoy meat in their daily lives and noticeably strengthening their physiques.

Bolstered by the overall improvement in physical fitness across the population, Qin’s Mo-Dao (Saber-Chop) Army expanded significantly.

Over the years, the continuous expansion of Qin’s mines and ironworks equipped all frontline troops with steel sabers and iron armor.

With a steady supply from the horse farms and regular purchases from various tribes, the cavalry units were fully organized.

The 5,000 heavy armored cavalry and 170,000 regular cavalry were each equipped with two horses per man, and the entire cavalry corps had been tempered in the fires of battle.

Regrettably, the forging of Mo-Dao sabers and heavy armor remained extremely slow, leaving Qin with only a 5,000-strong Mo-Dao Army.

On a celebratory note, Qin’s first special operations unit was established, composed of individuals from the Grand Tutor’s bodyguard detail. Unfortunately, only forty-eight candidates successfully completed the grueling final assessment, falling short of the original goal of one hundred.

Still, it was a solid start. These forty-eight individuals were the seeds; with their existence, Qin would eventually command four hundred and eighty, and then four thousand eight hundred such elite troops.

Meanwhile, the tribes that joined the Pan-Asian Continental Alliance enjoyed the privilege of priority trading and optimal pricing with Qin.

After acquiring goods from Qin, they resold them at high prices to other tribes, reaping massive profits and growing obscenely wealthy.

Over these five years, the entire world felt as if a new door had been flung open. Every tribe and nation went wild, desperately reselling Qin’s commodities to drive the development of their respective lands.

As the mastermind behind the scenes, Qin had deployed numerous scouts and spies to orchestrate this exact scenario, all to stir up the global stage.

Qin not only sold these high-demand goods but also exported military equipment.

Outdated spears, lances, leather armor, and wooden shields retired by Qin were bundled and sold to members of the Continental Alliance, who then resold them at exorbitant prices to other tribes.

The sale of this military gear not only brought immense wealth to Qin but also efficiently disposed of surplus stockpiles.

Looking at a world map, one would notice that an East-West trade route had taken shape ahead of time, running along the axis of Xianyang - Western Regions - Yuezhi - Parthia - Seleucid - Rome, advancing cultural and economic exchange between the Eastern and Western worlds by several centuries.

Countless quantities of tea, porcelain, and silk flowed along this trade route to every corner of the globe.

In return, ivory, gemstones, gold, silver, and spices from all over the world flowed back to the mystical Eastern empire of Qin.

The Roman Senate once exclaimed that the mystical realm of the East had thrown open its doors to them!

The renowned Western troubadour Marco Lulu wrote in his diary: "The joys offered by the Imperial City surpass those of any city in the world; those dwelling within it might well believe they reside in the abode of gods."

"The mystical East: where silver paves the floors, and gold forms the pillars! Crystal makes the windows, and gemstones serve as decorations. Stoop down to pick them up, and boundless wealth is yours!"