Chapter 347: Chapter 348: Bullet-sized Small Country

Through Old Man Qi’s words, Lin Qian understood why the common folk of the Qin Dynasty looked the way they did on the road.

Completely because the Qin Dynasty treated the searched-for commoners like livestock, utterly disregarding their lives or hardships.

Like Old Man Qi’s son, although he was already thirty years old and his realm was only that of the Ninth Level of Entering Yuan, his talent was simply abysmal, yet he was still capable of hunting some low-level Soul Beasts, peddling their hides for a living.

But the taxes of the Qin Dynasty were extremely heavy, with ordinary citizens having to hand over eighty percent of their income to the dynasty, leaving only twenty percent for themselves.

Even having only twenty percent of income was bearable, if not for the Soul Martial Artists of the Qin Dynasty, like the city guards of Yushui City, who frequently plundered the ordinary citizens.

Therefore, the citizens of the Qin Dynasty were consistently destitute, with only the dynasty’s Soul Martial Artists flourishing in wealth.

This distorted dynasty filled Lin Qian with disgust, and he now found himself wishing he could immediately annihilate the Qin Dynasty. To enslave their own people like this was no better than the barbaric foreigners.

Moreover, the people had no way to resist; in this world, martial strength was honored. All the citizens of Yushui City banded together wouldn’t stand a chance against a thousand-man city guard.

Not to mention that the city guard wasn’t just a thousand strong, but two hundred thousand in number.

Hence, commoners like Old Man Qi felt no allegiance to the Qin Dynasty at all; on the contrary, they would rather Double Pole Palace, Carefree Sect, and Blood Spirit Valley overthrow the dynasty.

If possible, Lin Qian wouldn’t wish to wage war, as it would only bring disaster upon the common folk.

But Lin Qian had now realized, waging war against the Qin Dynasty would actually be a boon for the suffering citizens; destroying their dynasty would be an act of immense merit!

Thinking this, Lin Qian felt a sense of satisfaction. Looking at the Old Man Qi in front of him, he said, “Old sir, to tell you the truth, I am an Emperor of an empire.”

“Emperor?” Old Man Qi, having heard Lin Qian’s words, rubbed his eyes, which had mostly recovered thanks to a potion, and asked with some confusion, “I’ve only ever heard of Human Emperors or Great Emperors, but never of an Emperor like you mention.”

Hearing Lin Qian’s words, Old Man Qi also laughed out loud, his mood obviously lifted by his grandchild’s escape from the threat to his life.

Old Man Qi didn’t believe Lin Qian’s claim of being an emperor of a dynasty at first, but seeing the other’s earnest expression, he couldn’t help but believe him.

“My empire’s citizens are protected by the Imperial Army; there would absolutely be no incidents of oppressing the public, and citizens with an income below four thousand Low Grade Soul Crystals are not required to pay any tax crystals,” Lin Qian explained with a smile when Old Man Qi inquired about the living conditions of his empire’s citizens.

In Lin Qian’s eyes, the common folk were the foundation of an empire, and only under peaceful circumstances could they build a more beautiful empire together.

Soul Martial Artists also emerged from among the common folk. In such an environment, the citizens would feel a sense of belonging and pride towards their empire, and if there were any talents among them, they would be willing to dedicate their strength to the empire.

Only an empire with a strong position from young to old, from the bottom to the top could be truly mighty.

Lin Qian looked down upon this Qin Dynasty, which had lasted a thousand years, from the bottom of his heart; a dynasty that coerced rule through martial strength was unworthy of such vast lands and such numerous citizens.

This land should belong to the more deserving Huaxia Empire!

While Lin Qian maintained his inner moral standards, he did not suppress his own desire for territory; Origin State and Coastal State had developed too rapidly in a short span of time, and he could foresee that their lands simply would not suffice in the future.

Even including Feng State and Lianshan State, plus the Four Directions State, it would still not be enough.

Lin Qian needed more land!

“The Qin Dynasty is no longer suitable to exist on this land,” Lin Qian thought to himself when Old Man Qi was gazing with longing at the young man before him.

Old Man Qi didn’t know why, but he just believed what Lin Qian said – that the citizens living in this young man’s empire must be leading happy lives.

“If only I could live in this young man’s empire, how wonderful that would be!” Old Man Qi thought to himself, inadvertently mumbling out loud.

“Old master, I believe that day will come before long,” Lin Qian’s voice suddenly rang out just as Old Man Qi was murmuring, interrupting his daydreams.

On hearing Lin Qian’s words, Old Man Qi shook his head in disbelief, “I’m afraid I won’t live to see that day.”

“Why?” Seeing Old Man Qi so pessimistic, Lin Qian didn’t understand and asked.

Old Man Qi shook his head and said to Lin Qian, “Young man, although I’m just a commoner, there are some things I do know. Wars between major forces like this, if they don’t last decades, won’t be finished.”

“Old Man Qi knows you’re with those three forces attacking the Qin Dynasty, and in the future, you’re bound to incorporate a part of the Qin Dynasty’s territory into your own. By that time, everyone should be able to enjoy the kind of life you’ve talked about.”

“But that’s probably something for decades in the future. Yaner may live to see that day.”

The notion of wars lasting decades was something Lin Qian was indeed familiar with.

Just as the Qin Dynasty’s territory was vast, defeating the dynasty completely would naturally require conquering each and every one of its cities.

However, with the existence of defense Arrays, the speed of attack from both sides would certainly be very slow, and the situation would surely be a stalemate.

Besides, with the Qin Dynasty’s territory being so broad, how many cities would one have to conquer before they were done?

The closer the strength between the two warring sides, the longer the conflict would last – this was something even Old Man Qi, a commoner, knew.

The reason for a war dragging on like this was the deadlock created by defense Arrays.

But this was the situation in a normal war between the Qin Dynasty and the three forces. Now that Lin Qian’s Huaxia Empire was joining the war, the situation would obviously undergo a massive change.

“Old master, with my empire joining the war, I will destroy the Qin Dynasty in just three years, incorporating most of its territory into mine,” Lin Qian began confidently, seeing Old Man Qi’s wistful expression, “Within three years, old master, you’ll experience what it feels like to be a citizen of the Huaxia Empire.”

Hearing Lin Qian’s words, Old Man Qi laughed out loud, shaking his head repeatedly: “Young man, you love to boast. Although the Qin Dynasty may be weak, its power is still formidable. How could it possibly fall in three years? Impossible, just impossible.”

In the eyes of small commoners like Old Man Qi, although the Qin Dynasty was cruel and unkind, as one of its subjects, he knew very well the extent of its monstrous strength.

Lin Qian didn’t say much in the face of Old Man Qi’s disbelief, his face simply revealing a smile.

Decades?

For the Huaxia Empire, that was way too long – three years would suffice.

“The world of the Four Directions is ultimately too small, Qin Dynasty…” As Lin Qian looked at the disbelieving Old Man Qi, he thought to himself, “Your Qin Dynasty may seem like a small pellet to you in my Huaxia Empire’s eyes, but aren’t you also just the same in mine?”