Qin Kingdom. Xianyang.
A research and development base.
Ying Si worked ceaselessly. He had not gone outside in a very long time.
He slept less than four hours a day. This weapon could be said to be his creation alone.
He did not know whether creating such a terrifying weapon would be good or bad for the Human Race!
But Qin Kingdom needs it. My brother needs it!
Since the peace talks sixty years ago, the three kingdoms had fought no wars, but they remained on guard against one another.
This was a war without gunpowder smoke, a contest of technology and talent.
He headed all research and development in Qin Kingdom, and had a hand in developing every kind of new material and weapon.
Ever since he developed titanium-gold mud silicon, he had been the most famous scientist on the continent.
Thanks to titanium-gold mud silicon, Qin Kingdom was swimming in wealth, and he deserved the greatest share of the credit.
Ying Si! Hold on, just a little longer! You're almost there!
Somewhere else.
Shang Yang gazed out at the lights of countless homes in a city that never slept, emotion stirring in his heart.
The times were changing so quickly!
Under his reforms, Qin Kingdom's institutions had grown ever more comprehensive. Its people lived and worked in peace and contentment, with a high level of happiness.
Although Qin Kingdom occupied half of Blue Star's land, it held seventy percent of its population. Everyone wanted to move to Qin Kingdom; its social welfare system was simply too good.
Shang Yang returned to his desk and kept leafing through files. These were all reports from the people concerning unreasonable policies and practices.
He needed to address them, devise solutions, then discuss them with the King of Qin.
The operation was too vast, and there were too many people. Qin Kingdom had nearly three hundred million inhabitants, and that number kept rising. As technology advanced and medical care improved, people's lifespans were increasing as well.
He could not help worrying. Blue Star's population was growing too quickly. In another century, people would fill the entire continent.
When that time came, would the Human Race still be as happy as it was now, with survival and land at stake?
What if a horrific war broke out? Would the Human Race even survive?
Over these sixty years, all his ideals and ambitions had been fulfilled, and his parents, wife, and children were all by his side.
There were no challenges left. He loved the feeling of building Qin Kingdom little by little, creating something from nothing.
With its institutions perfected, he could retire once Blue Star was unified.
Shang Yang checked the time. It was nearly midnight.
He sighed. It was time to go home.
The Qin King's Palace.
"Your Majesty, you should rest!"
"What time is it?"
"It's already midnight."
"I see." Ying Zheng put down the files in his hands and massaged his aching lower back.
Everyone was giving their all for Qin Kingdom. How could he, its king, be an exception?
Ever since those peace talks, Ying Zheng's thinking had changed.
Destroying Chu and Xia now would be effortless. It would take only three days, two of them spent traveling.
Even sixty years ago, if he had disregarded the cost, he could have destroyed them and achieved unification.
Then his achievements would have rivaled those of the Three Sovereigns, and he would have reunited the Human Race.
But what came after unification?
At military academy, he had heard about the war between two planets a century earlier.
That was the first time he learned that Blue Star had a god!
But he had his doubts about whether it was true, because no one of his generation had ever seen or heard him.
According to the records, Blue Star had won!
The Human Race had gained a subordinate race, the Dwarf Race.
If that account was true, there ought to be many planets and races in the universe, and battles between Father Gods. That was the origin of the Star War.
After defeating an opponent, were there rewards? Could the Human Race live in a higher dimension?
Would it bring genetic changes to the Human Race?
Just as Father God had bestowed beast speech upon the Human Race.
Over the years, Ying Zheng had kept wondering whether the Xia Dynasty's fragmentation had anything to do with Father God.
Was Father God dissatisfied with the Xia Dynasty's progress in developing its civilization?
When would the next Star War arrive?
Father God!
To Ying Zheng, it was an unfamiliar term. He had never seen him, only read about him in the Human Race's various records.
Father God had created the Human Race and all things, guided its development, taught it to use fire and writing, and bestowed upon it the ability to communicate with wild beasts. He had even warned the Human Race thirty years in advance that the Star War was coming.
Ying Zheng felt somewhat lost about Blue Star's future development, but there was nothing he could do.
To the Human Race, he was the King of Qin. But to Father God, he was merely one living creature among many.
He touched his slightly sagging skin. He was no longer young.
At their current level of technology, two hundred years was theoretically the maximum human lifespan.
But the Dwarf Race could live for over five hundred years. Were there other races in the universe with even longer lifespans?
Was there a way for the Human Race to extend its lifespan?
Father God!
Does Father God really exist?
Something suddenly occurred to Ying Zheng, and his eyes brightened. When Xuanyuan Huangdi had unified the world, he had supposedly received Father God's blessing atop Mount Tai.
If I unite the Human Race, perform the Fengshan rites on Mount Tai, and establish the Great Qin Empire, will I meet Father God?
Unification! It will happen soon. Then my achievements will rival those of the Three Sovereigns. I, Ying Zheng, will also be a Human Emperor.
I shall be the Human Emperor!
The First Emperor!
Year 183 of the Xia Era.
Qin Kingdom publicly announced that it had successfully developed a strategic weapon. In accordance with their agreement, it called upon Chu and Xia to surrender, and would send troops to take control.
If they refused to surrender, Qin Kingdom's armies would seize them.
Waves stirred across Blue Star's continent once again. Qin Kingdom's people were excited, while those of the other two kingdoms were terrified.
Shun, the King of Xia, declared that Xia chose to surrender and join Qin Kingdom, but demanded equal treatment for the people of both kingdoms.
The King of Xia knew that Qin Kingdom had long possessed the strength to unify the continent. It had simply been unwilling to do so.
A wise man recognized the tides of the times.
Qin Kingdom naturally agreed to this demand and dispatched its armies to Xia Kingdom to take control of its territory.
Chu Kingdom, however, publicly expressed doubt, stating that it had never seen Qin Kingdom conduct any strategic weapons tests!
Well, well!
Ying Zheng sneered. They would not shed a tear until they saw the coffin.
What qualified as a strategic weapon?
Did Qin Kingdom's Dongfeng Series count?
Did the successfully developed mushroom count?
At a base somewhere in Qin Kingdom, several military vehicles slowly moved into an open area, and the enormous cylinders mounted on their backs gradually rose.
The commander of the strategic forces was named Li Mu. He had joined Qin Kingdom thirty years earlier and, through outstanding performance, gradually risen into its military's senior ranks.
He took his radio and requested authorization from General Wang Jian. "Our forces are ready. Requesting permission to launch!"
Qin Kingdom had two military leaders: Wang Jian and Bai Qi.
At a certain base, Wang Jian watched the screen and replied, "Approved."
3.2.1
Several rockets slowly rose into the sky with a tremendous roar, flying into the distance before abruptly accelerating.
Zhang Yi, Qin Kingdom's spokesman for foreign affairs, contacted Chu Kingdom directly. "Your gift has been sent. Please receive it."
Then he hung up.
The person on the other end was utterly bewildered. What was going on?
A dozen or so minutes later, a stalled construction site awaiting development not far from Chu Kingdom's palace erupted in a violent explosion.
That night, Chu Kingdom announced: "Without trust, a man cannot stand. Chu Kingdom has always kept its word. What happened during the day was merely a misunderstanding. We request that Qin Kingdom take control!"
May, Year 183 of the Xia Era.
Qin Kingdom publicly announced its formal acceptance of Xia and Chu's surrender. With this, the Human Race was united once more.
"The royal families of Xia and Chu will receive the respect due to them and may continue to hold important positions."
July, Year 183 of the Xia Era.
Qin Kingdom had dispatched a large army to take full control of all the territories of Xia and Chu.
Shun, the King of Xia, hanged himself in his room, saying that he had failed his ancestors, but had done right by the people of Xia Kingdom.
Xia Kingdom's royal family led its officials in submitting to the surrender.
Upon receiving the news, the King of Qin ordered a grand burial for the King of Xia, with a royal mausoleum built for him in the Xia Dynasty's burial grounds.
The King of Chu led his officials in submitting to the surrender. To avoid suspicion, the King of Chu and the others chose to relinquish all their positions. Going into business and living as wealthy men from then on would be good enough.
And so, after a century apart, the Human Race achieved unification once again.
September, Year 183 of the Xia Era.
The King of Qin delivered a speech that people throughout the country could watch on their televisions.
He declared that the people of Chu and Xia were all subjects of Great Qin and would enjoy the same welfare system as Qin Kingdom.
Nine years of compulsory education, medical subsidies, care for the elderly, tax reductions, and a series of other benefits.
When Shang Yang's turn to speak came, he suddenly said:
"Every official and subject of Qin Kingdom believes that the King of Qin's achievements surpass those of the Three Sovereigns and Xuanyuan Huangdi. We propose combining the 'huang' of the Three Sovereigns with the 'di' of the Yellow Emperor to form the title 'huangdi'-Emperor."
The King of Qin rejected the proposal on the spot and left in anger.
It was said that countless people came to the Qin King's Palace that night, begging him to accept the title.
This was the only thing they could do for the King of Qin. In the end, he had no choice but to accept.
"The King of Qin is the first monarch in Blue Star's history to use the title 'Emperor,' and thus styles himself the 'First Emperor.'"
In October of that same year, the First Emperor announced, "On November 1, I will perform the Fengshan rites on Mount Tai, formally proclaim Qin Kingdom's achievement of unification, and offer sacrifices to Father God!"
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