This was a battle worthy of the history books, and the first time the Human Race had used aircraft for bombing.
Under Wang Jian's command, large numbers of aircraft took off from Xianyang in the Qin Kingdom and flew straight toward the Qi Kingdom's territory.
Unlike Steam Airships, these were more like the bombers and fighters of the Second World War in his previous life.
Aircraft bombed from above, tanks charged on the ground, and soldiers followed behind the tanks. This was the large-scale infantry-tank coordination tactic Wang Jian had developed.
Xianyang had a population of 6.7 million, with brawlers everywhere. How could it possibly have only 200,000 soldiers?
Those 200,000 were an elite force. Every assault would conquer, every battle would end in victory!
As the two great generals Wang Jian and Bai Qi put it, better to have too few than accept inferior troops.
These were assault forces. After taking a city, they would continue their advance!
Everything else could simply be left to the administrative teams.
Under this three-pronged assault, the Qi Kingdom held out for only nine days before announcing its surrender.
Wang Jian's name spread across Blue Star, his might shaking the world.
On the other front, Bai Qi brought a massive army to the Wei Kingdom's border, then surrounded it without attacking.
Bai Qi excelled at risky military maneuvers. He ordered multiple special forces units to infiltrate the cities and await orders.
Five days later, the leaderless Wei Kingdom fell once again. Without spilling blood in battle, Bai Qi took the Wei Kingdom.
Back at military academy, he had heard Ying Zheng speak of his father's past, and of how a so-called cousin from the royal family had publicly humiliated him. It was something Ying Zheng would never forget, and the reason he had left his homeland for the Xia Kingdom's military academy.
Not one of the Wei royal family's 327 members survived. Those who had bullied Ying Zheng were tortured to death, and the entire palace became a hell on earth.
Looking at the scene inside the Wei palace, Bai Qi's expression remained unchanged. He wiped the blood from his hands and walked outside.
Some unpleasant matters were best not brought home to resolve. Bringing them back would put Brother Zheng in a difficult position.
After this war, the five kingdoms became three, standing like the three legs of a tripod.
While the Qin Kingdom attacked Qi and Wei, Chu and Xia announced a military alliance to resist Qin together.
The Chu Kingdom publicly announced that it had developed the Chu V-1 Cruise Missile.
It claimed the missile could strike any target within three hundred kilometers, while calling for peace talks among the three kingdoms and recognizing the Qin Kingdom's standing. The Human Race needed to develop in harmony!
The Xia Kingdom also released information, declaring that it had built the Xuanyuan Gunala Cannon.
The cannon weighed 1,500 tons and could launch shells weighing eight tons at any target within 180 kilometers.
Situated on the plains, the Xia Kingdom had deployed twelve giant cannons along its borders. It called for peace, recognized the Qin Kingdom's standing, and urged peace talks.
The King of Xia suggested holding the talks in the Qin Kingdom, showing no fear whatsoever.
The supposed coexistence of eight kingdoms had been heavily padded. The only truly powerful countries had been Chu, Xia, and Han.
The Chu Kingdom had many elite warriors. Many veterans of the Star War and descendants of the old Chiyou Tribe lived there.
The Xia Kingdom had deep foundations. The descendants of the Xuanyuan Tribe and the main forces of the Star War were there.
The Han Kingdom had been the same, with the legacy of the Yan Emperor Tribe behind it. It had simply been unlucky enough to be destroyed by an alliance of several kingdoms.
It had landed straight in a loot crate.
As for the other five kingdoms, bluntly put, they failed at everything they tried and left nothing uneaten.
They were good at indulging in pleasure, but had no foundations whatsoever. Their soldiers had not seen a drop of blood in all those years, and their countries neither developed technology nor possessed any foresight.
On top of that, their opponent was Qin, whose soldiers had been selected from among the most vicious and ruthless people. They brimmed with killing intent.
Qin's soldiers had fighting spirit and excellent equipment, while the men commanding them were first-rate generals.
Blitzkrieg, surprise attacks, decapitation strikes, infantry-tank coordination, and three-pronged assaults were all tactics the continent had never seen before.
Meanwhile, the Qin Kingdom implemented the Military Merit System, awarding important military posts based on achievements in killing enemies.
Ying Zheng announced that the children of anyone who died fighting for the country would be raised by the Qin Kingdom until adulthood.
Their families would also receive a support payment, enough to leave them without any worries back home.
Those who survived a war for the kingdom would rise one rank, with their merits assessed after the war.
Every rank was tied to benefits after retirement. How could the soldiers not fight with their lives on the line?
Soldiers like these were bound to win every battle and take every objective!
The Qin Kingdom abolished the commandery-and-county system. All officials were appointed and assigned by the King of Qin under a highly centralized system of rule.
Three systems-the military, civil administration, and police-managed Qin's cities. They did not interfere with one another, and each checked and balanced the others.
Whenever Qin's army captured a city, a team would take over. The civil administration handled only livelihoods and development, the police maintained public order, and the local military protected the city. All three kept one another in check.
The Qin Kingdom established two institutions, courts and procuratorates: one enforced the law, while the other provided oversight.
The architect of this system was none other than Shang Yang.
After completing their missions, Bai Qi and Wang Jian returned to court with their armies. Others had already taken over all the conquered lands; such matters were not theirs to worry about or handle.
The Qin Kingdom now teemed with talent, and Ying Zheng's greatest strength was his ability to put people to good use.
He did not employ those he distrusted, and did not distrust those he employed.
As the saying went: talented men were not born in Qin, yet many wished to serve it loyally.
His classmates from military academy and other talented people traveled a thousand miles to the Qin Kingdom to join Ying Zheng.
That was personal charisma.
The people of Xianyang lined the streets to welcome them. Many of the soldiers were their relatives and friends. They were deeply satisfied with their country's ruler and naturally hoped he would prosper more and more.
The King of Qin led his officials ten li outside the city to welcome the two meritorious generals, Bai Qi and Wang Jian. After rewarding the troops, he led the entire army back to Xianyang.
Merit was always rewarded. Vast sums of banknotes were handed out, and the whole country celebrated for three days. Elementary and middle school students received time off, with no make-up school days!
The Qin Kingdom also implemented a complete educational progression through elementary school, middle school, high school, university, and postgraduate studies.
The nine years of compulsory elementary and middle school education were free, and the entire country cheered.
Local healthcare systems were also gradually improved, with hospitals, Nursing Homes, and police stations built in cities, towns, and villages at every level.
Destroying five kingdoms in succession had naturally accumulated enormous wealth. They simply had money to spare.
The entire social welfare system was excellent. All of this formed part of Shang Yang's reforms.
This sent happiness throughout the Qin Kingdom soaring, and its people felt a strong sense of belonging to their country.
Meanwhile, Lü Wei established a banking system, keeping the Qin Kingdom's economy circulating.
The Qin Kingdom could be said to be growing ever more modern, and ever more like the world of his previous life.
The three kingdoms held peace talks, but after three days and nights, they still could not reach an agreement. The main reason was that Qin was far too forceful and overbearing.
Finally, Yu Shun, the King of Xia, stood up. He looked around before turning to the King of Qin. "One hundred and twenty years ago, the Xuanyuan, Yan Emperor, and Chiyou Tribes united to establish the Xia Dynasty."
"I think everyone here knows very well why they united back then-the Star War."
Seeing everyone's expressions shift slightly, Shun, the King of Xia, continued, "In the mere 120 years since its founding, the Xia Dynasty has passed through the reigns of the Yellow Emperor, Zhuanxu, Di Ku, and Yao. With my generation, we have reached the fifth King of Xia."
"Since our ancestor, the Yellow Emperor, the Human Race has had no Human King. Father God has sent no decree for a hundred years, and no one knows when the next Star War will begin."
"The Xia Dynasty fractured, and a hundred schools of thought contended. Science and technology have continued to develop and innovate, and the Human Race has grown steadily stronger. I believe there is a heavenly design behind all this."
The King of Xia walked to the center of the meeting hall and continued, "King of Qin, King of Chu, why don't our three kingdoms make an agreement?
"Whoever first develops a strategic weapon capable of destroying a country with a single weapon will receive the unconditional surrender of the other two kingdoms, and the Human Race will be united again. Do you agree?"
"Good. Let us seal our oath with a clap of our palms."
"It's a deal."
The three kings struck palms, and the oath was made.
And so, Blue Star's turmoil of eight kingdoms ended, and peace settled over the world.
Every kingdom vigorously developed science and technology. New materials and technologies emerged each year, and the technological level of the entire Human Race rose in a straight line.
The Dwarf Race gradually gained more freedom. The three kingdoms no longer restricted their travel or occupations. After a hundred years, the Dwarf Race had fully integrated into human society and made tremendous contributions to the Human Race's technological development.
Time flowed swiftly onward. Spring departed and autumn arrived, year after year, and in the blink of an eye, sixty years had passed.
The three kings were roughly the same age, all around eighty. As technology developed, medical standards continued to improve. The Human Race's average lifespan was 150 years, while some long-lived individuals could reach 180.
The record holder for the longest lifespan on Blue Star was the reader in front of the screen, who apparently lived to two hundred, enjoyed good health, had every wish fulfilled, and saw wealth pouring in from every direction.
Year 180 of the Xia Era.
Zhang Yang, Father God, finally woke up. Looking at the development of human civilization, he was somewhat dazed. Had they already entered the Electrical Age? (If you don't understand, read chapter 21 again!)
The development of the entire Human Race had already drawn infinitely close to the early twentieth century of his previous life.
Many new materials had already surpassed those of his previous life. In the Qin Kingdom, Ying Si was working day and night to develop a strategic weapon, and success was imminent.
Zhang Yang thought, It looks like they'll catch up with the civilization of my previous life in less than a few decades. It's time I advanced to a level-two civilization as well.
The Nuclear Bomb should be enough to secure a foothold among level-two civilizations, right?
Although he could not gauge what the future held, he already had a direction for the Human Race's future development.
Zhang Yang gazed into the pitch-black universe, his eyes resolute. "Myriad races, we humans are coming. Are you ready?"
Before you continue