Wang Han shook his head and said, "This map is just a gift from me to you, a token of my sincerity. It's not something I'm going to exchange. I'm going to exchange it for something else."
"So what do you want to exchange?"
Such a detailed map was merely a small gift; Wang Han couldn't possibly be unaware of its importance to the Qin state, forcing Ying Zheng to carefully weigh his options. Wang Han's ambitions must be substantial, perhaps even requiring the entire Qin state's resources to accomplish.
“What I want in exchange is what you’ve always wanted,” Wang Han said. “I want you to eliminate the Xiongnu within two years.”
"Two years?" Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng frowned. He also wanted to eliminate these two enemies within two years, but if he could do that, the war wouldn't have dragged on to this point.
“Yes, two years.” Wang Han nodded.
"Two years is far too short," Ying Zheng said. "You yourself said you understand military strategy, so you should also know that two years is not enough to eliminate them. The enemies of Qin are not just them."
“I’ve already said I understand strategy and agriculture, and the map was just a small gift, not something I’m trading with you,” Wang Han said with a smile. “What I want to trade with you is a method to eliminate them within two years.”
Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng looked at Wang Han in surprise. Wang Han's deal was less of a transaction and more of a favor to him and to the Qin state, but with the condition that it be completed within two years. Wang Han must have had a very deep grudge against the Xiongnu and the Donghu.
"What method? I need to see if this method is feasible," Ying Zheng asked, while Meng Tian also looked at Wang Han with curiosity.
"What are the most formidable aspects of the Xiongnu and Donghu?" Wang Han countered.
“Cavalry.” Meng Tian said without hesitation, “They are a nomadic people, and their most powerful asset is their cavalry, which is almost entirely composed of cavalry.”
"Please follow me," Wang Han said, and walked out of the hall first. Guina quickly followed.
Upon seeing this, Ying Zheng followed Wang Han without hesitation, and Meng Tian and Liu Bang quickly followed as well.
Returning to the courtyard, Wang Han waved his hand and created a two-meter-thick, five-meter-high and wide earthen wall. Then, to the astonishment of the others, he took out a homemade cannon (a cannon from the One Piece world; the technology in other Qin Dynasty worlds is far inferior). Wang Han first loaded gunpowder into the cannon, then took out an iron cannonball, loaded it, and lit the fuse.
"Bang!" With a loud bang, the cannon spewed fire from its muzzle, and the shell flew out at high speed, hitting the earthen wall directly.
"Boom..." Amidst the intense explosion and deafening roar, half of the earthen wall collapsed.
Ying Zheng and his companions were initially startled by the explosion, and then they were dumbfounded.
"Protect the Emperor! Protect the Emperor!" Upon hearing the loud noise in the courtyard, the Meng family generals quickly led their soldiers into the courtyard.
"Get out!" Ying Zheng shouted immediately. "No one is allowed to enter without my order, or they will be executed on the spot. No one is allowed to utter a single word about what happened today, or their entire family will be exterminated."
"Yes, sir." Upon hearing this, the Meng family generals, though worried, immediately led their soldiers away.
"What kind of weapon is this? What's its name? What's its range? Is it easy to mass-produce?" After the soldiers withdrew, Ying Zheng asked, suppressing his excitement. If he had possessed this back then, conquering the six states would have been a piece of cake.
Meng Tian couldn't help but step forward to examine the weapon closely. Military generals naturally have a great fondness for weapons.
"This is a cannon," Wang Han explained. "The range mainly depends on the materials and manufacturing process, but as long as it meets the standards, several thousand meters is no problem. The manufacturing difficulty is not very high, but it is not small either. The main problem is that the material is difficult to refine, but I happen to know the method for refining the material."
"Several thousand meters?" Upon hearing this, Meng Tian's eyes widened in disbelief.
“Of course.” Wang Han nodded and waved his hand, taking out a booklet. “I’ve written down everything in it: the manufacturing method, the required ores, the new method for refining the materials, and how to use them. Not only that, but I’ve also included another weapon, a musket. It can also be used against cavalry. Muskets are more suitable for soldiers to carry, and their lethality and range are much greater than ordinary bows and arrows, although their lethality is far less than that of cannons.”
"Can I see what a musket is?" Ying Zheng asked.
“Alright.” Wang Han nodded, a 1.5-meter-long flintlock musket appearing in his hand. After loading the gunpowder packet wrapped in oiled paper, he aimed at a stone swallow on the eaves of a house a hundred meters away. Seeing this, Ying Zheng and Meng Tian also looked over.
"Bang. Crack." The gunshot rang out, and the stone swallows on the eaves of the distant house shattered in response.
"If these two items are equipped on the army, I am fully confident that I can destroy the Xiongnu within a year," Ying Zheng said confidently. These two items are definitely powerful weapons for the army.
"Don't speak too soon," Wang Han said. "Musketeers are easy to carry, but cannons are not. You should be able to tell how heavy they are. Although having these two things will turn our defense against the Xiongnu into offense, transportation is the biggest problem. To improve transportation, we need to build roads first. I suggest you stop building the Great Wall and build roads first. Building roads will also make it easier to transport various supplies and promote exchanges and trade between different parts of Qin. In addition, these two things are not so easy to imitate. You just need to grasp their core manufacturing technology. I believe you can do this easily."
Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng nodded and said, "With these two things, we can defend against the Xiongnu. The Great Wall is no longer as important; transportation is indeed the key."
Ying Zheng nodded and said, "If this deal is reached, I will definitely destroy the Xiongnu within two years."
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