Chapter 135: A Promising Future?

Having resolved his worries regarding the potential destruction of his kingdom, Ying Zheng finally felt at ease, though the ambitious beast stirring within him suddenly roared to life. Since he had encountered such a fortuitous opportunity, he knew he must seize it firmly; to let it slip away would be a lifelong regret.

"May I ask, sir, how does one strengthen a nation? How can a country rise to power rapidly?"

As the leader among the various states, the Qin Kingdom left Ying Zheng feeling deeply dissatisfied. For years, the endless friction and chaotic, tangled web of alliances between these states had been a source of constant, splitting headaches. Long ago, Ying Zheng had harbored the ambition to sweep across the states and unify the world, but the beast within him had remained dormant—until now, its sharp claws and fangs beginning to stir, unable to be restrained any longer. That was why he posed the question.

"By the way, sir, didn't you mention earlier that Ying Zheng would unify the six kingdoms? If not for that, he wouldn't have become the First Emperor of the Ages, would he?"

As he asked this, King Zhou felt a pang of discomfort. The title of "First Emperor of the Ages"—what a supreme, incomparable honor. Yet, he, King Zhou, lacked that destiny. Both were kings, yet Ying Zheng was destined to sweep across the world and establish the first imperial dynasty of the Divine Land. It was impossible for King Zhou not to feel a twinge of jealousy and envy.

Glancing lightly at the look of disappointment on young King Zhou’s face, Chu Xiaoyu smiled and said, "Di Xin, you need not be disheartened. Your Great Shang and their Great Qin are not of the same era. Specifically, the resources, culture, and education of your Yin-Shang simply cannot be compared to those of the Great Qin."

"Your Great Shang is the second dynasty of the Divine Land. While restricted in terms of culture and economy, your dynasty stood for over five hundred years. This proves that without the tempering and sedimentation of your Yin-Shang, there would be no foundation for the later dynasties."

"The occurrence of any event is interconnected, mutually promoting and restraining; each part is indispensable. Your Yin-Shang need not belittle yourselves; just focus on doing what is right in the present."

King Zhou’s face immediately brightened. "Thank you for your guidance, sir. Di Xin has been enlightened." He realized the teacher was right. They came from different dynasties and different spans of time; they only needed to handle the affairs of their own eras well. Why covet the achievements of another? It had nothing to do with him.

"Sir, did their Great Qin really destroy the six kingdoms? And then unify the world, becoming the first dynasty of the Divine Land? If so, this Great Qin is truly powerful and perhaps too overbearing," Su Hu could not help but ask. Meng Tian was also deeply shocked.

They, the Great Qin, had actually destroyed the six kingdoms? And their monarch had become the first emperor? Yet, none of these things had happened yet; they were supposedly events of the future. But the future is ever-changing, and plans can never keep up with change. Is the future promising? Can it really be so?

"Ying Zheng, you just asked me how to make a nation strong. That is a crucial question. Why don't I let Di Xin answer it for you?" Chu Xiaoyu turned his gaze toward King Zhou.

King Zhou scratched his head and chuckled, "Very well, since it is the teacher's request, Ying Zheng, I shall tell you a thing or two."

"In the fourth month of the Yin calendar, the Wusang Kingdom invaded our borders with an army of 100,000. On their way, they burned and looted a town called Taiping, slaughtering thousands of our people..."

"I was enraged, so I dispatched Generals Su Hu and Huang Feihu with 3,000 light cavalry to intercept... You might want to guess what happened in the end."

Ying Zheng looked puzzled. "How could 3,000 light cavalry resist an army of 100,000? That... that is impossible." That wasn't war; that was throwing one's life away and handing the enemy victory on a silver platter. It was like casting an egg against a rock—utterly foolish.

"3,000 soldiers against 100,000? You must have suffered a tragic defeat, didn't you?" Meng Tian asked.

"No! Quite the opposite," Su Hu replied. "Because we had a divine weapon to assist us. Each of our soldiers could hold off a hundred, or even a thousand, of their men without any problem."

"A divine weapon? What on earth is that?" Meng Tian pressed.

"The weapon is called a hand grenade. The teacher taught us the method of its creation, and after much difficult exploration, we successfully manufactured it."

"With just a single grenade, once the fuse is lit, a single 'boom' can blow the enemy into smithereens. Holding off a hundred or a thousand enemies is no problem at all."

King Zhou's words caused Ying Zheng and Meng Tian to exchange looks of utter shock and disbelief. Holding off a hundred or even a thousand men—what kind of concept was that? It was terrifying beyond imagination.

"Is... is there really such a powerful weapon?" Ying Zheng was skeptical.

King Zhou shot a knowing look at Ying Zheng. "Heh, of course there is. You have both experienced the methods the teacher has demonstrated, haven't you? I believe... there is nothing in this world that can stump the teacher. Isn't that right, sir?"

Chu Xiaoyu simply smiled and said nothing.

At this moment, the way Ying Zheng and Meng Tian looked at Chu Xiaoyu was no longer just filled with admiration, but with deep awe and fear. With a weapon that could kill hundreds or thousands with a single explosion, how could one fail to become a powerhouse among the nations? It was an inevitable trend.

"Sir, sir, may I see one of these grenades?" Ying Zheng asked, unable to contain his excitement.

Chu Xiaoyu looked at King Zhou. "Did any of you bring one?"

King Zhou, Su Hu, and Bi Gan all shook their heads. Such a fierce and domineering weapon—how could they carry it around casually? Its destructive power was so ferocious that if it were accidentally detonated, they wouldn't just fail to escape; they wouldn't even have bones left to bury.

"Next time, perhaps, if the opportunity arises." Since the items had already been successfully created and the Yin-Shang had used them to achieve a brilliant and shocking military victory, Chu Xiaoyu couldn't be bothered to look up videos and simply brushed the question aside.

Unable to see the actual object, Ying Zheng felt a pang of regret. Inadvertently, his gaze fell upon a discarded draft on the table. He was immediately drawn to the object depicted in the drawing and couldn't help but open it.

His expression turned to one of intense excitement. "This thing... it looks so familiar. Meng Tian, come and look at this..."

Meng Tian leaned in and was startled. "Your Majesty, this is... is this a crossbow? How is it so similar to our military mechanical crossbows?"

The Hundred-Battle Divine Machine Crossbow! That was known as the Great Qin's most powerful and ruthless killing tool. It could fire dozens of bolts in rapid succession, and it was with this assistance that the Great Qin had swept across the six kingdoms without leaving a single suit of armor behind. However, the crossbow in this drawing was far more complex in design than those of the Great Qin, and its power was clearly greater. Especially the continuous-firing mechanism; if conditions permitted, it could fire a hundred rounds without issue.