In the thirty-fifth year of Qin Shi Huang's reign,
At the end of the year, the Xiongnu were defeated.
More than two hundred tribes, large and small, surrendered.
The remaining rebels were all slaughtered.
This brought an end to the northern border problem that had threatened the Qin Dynasty for decades.
Xianyang City.
Prime Minister Li Lin and border general Meng Tian and others sat together on a war chariot, displaying their imposing presence among the crowd.
"My husband, you're finally back! Thank God, you've worked so hard these past six months!"
Man Yin stood in the crowd, watching Li Lin walk towards the Prime Minister's residence, and hurriedly chased after him.
"Manyin, it's been a long time! You've become even more beautiful!"
Looking at her dazzling presence in the crowd, Li Lin couldn't help but reach out his calloused hands and gently touch her delicate, flawless cheeks.
In an instant, she blushed deeply.
"Ugh, so many people are watching! Can't you be serious for once?!"
"Hahaha, you're my wife, so what? Can't we even hug and cuddle in public? Fellow villagers, don't you agree?"
"The Prime Minister is right!"
"Yes, Prime Minister, you have defeated the Xiongnu. What a great achievement! How could we possibly have any objections?"
......
The people stood by, laughing and joking.
This made Manyin even more shy.
"Alright, let's go back to the manor together!"
They entered the Prime Minister's residence.
Without saying a word, Li Lin closed the door and then hugged Manyin.
"Husband, husband, why have you become so impatient?"
"lady!"
In an instant, inside the room...
Early the next morning.
Inside the palace, ministers from all walks of life had already gathered.
As the great hero who conquered the Xiongnu, Prime Minister Li Lin, who was reinstated on his way back, had not yet arrived at the scene.
This left the ministers quite puzzled.
The First Emperor, sitting high on the dragon throne, was also quite dissatisfied.
"Your Majesty, what's going on? Why hasn't the Prime Minister arrived yet?"
"Please don't be impatient, everyone. Li Lin may have just returned from a long journey and hasn't adjusted to his new state yet. Please wait a little longer. After all, he is a meritorious official, and we should be understanding of him!"
"Okay then!"
Although they were getting impatient, since His Majesty had already said so, they couldn't say anything.
Another half hour passed.
Li Lin then lazily walked into the main hall.
"Minister Li, why are you so late?"
"Your Majesty, I was just supervising the trial run of the train at the Construction Department."
"train?"
What is a train?
"Yes, Lord Meng Yi, have you ever heard of a train?"
"No!"
"Grand Censor, have you heard of this?"
"I don't know either!"
At this moment, the Imperial Censor Li Xin, sitting to the side, looked very relaxed. Ever since he was frightened by the way His Majesty had been so eager to kill his whole family, he had become completely calm.
Nowadays, people next to him ask him what a train is.
He didn't show much emotional fluctuation.
"Minister Li, is the train perhaps a burning vehicle?"
The First Emperor couldn't understand what this "train" was, so he interpreted it literally.
"No, Your Majesty, you have misunderstood. The train is not a vehicle that burns on fire, but a vehicle that uses a steam engine as its power source and burns coal as its energy source."
"Oh? So it was the steam engine that was in use?"
"Um!"
Li Lin nodded, appearing relaxed on the surface, but in reality, he was in a state of panic.
[Damn it, what era is this? It's the 35th year of Qin Shi Huang's reign! According to the Gregorian calendar, Jesus hasn't even been born yet, right? The Western continent is still full of monkeys hanging in trees, isn't it? The Qin Dynasty has already invented the steam engine and its applications, trains are already here, and even those idiots like Mo Zhiyuan have made considerable preparations for the internal combustion engine. It's terrifying!]
When the First Emperor heard Li Lin's shock, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
I never thought you, you little rascal, would have a day like this.
You must have been terrified!
Let me tell you, I've invested half of this year's tax revenue into the Construction Bureau. With such a huge amount of money being spent, I refuse to believe that we can't produce some kind of internal combustion engine or steam engine.
The advent of trains today seems to foreshadow the future application of steam engines.
You always pretend to be profound and mysterious in front of me. You little brat, do you think I can't handle you?
"Your Majesty, now that the Xiongnu have been defeated, a territorial vacuum has emerged in the north. Your Majesty cannot afford to hold out!"
"But the winters in the northern territories are cold, and we Qin people are not used to it. Moreover, people from the Central Plains often faint inexplicably when they go there, as if it were some kind of divine curse!"
The First Emperor had some concerns, knowing that the north was a strategically important region.
But there was really no way to defend it.
"Your Majesty, that's altitude sickness, not some curse from the Eternal Heaven God."
"Prime Minister Li, I believe that although the vast grassland territory of the Xiongnu is very important, it is a piece of meat that our Great Qin cannot currently take. The population of Great Qin is too small, and the number of people of working age is also small. Even if some of them are relocated there, it will be difficult to defend the grasslands!"
"General Meng Tian, Your Majesty, you have both fallen into a misconception. We do not need to send our own people there. Instead, we should promote the rule of the Qin Dynasty and let the vast Xiongnu tribes accept the culture of our Great Qin."
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