"Is the other end of the rope secured?"
"Brother Tian, it's secured!"
"Did we brush against any sharp rocks along the way?"
"Brother Tian, we avoided all those sharp rocks. It's foolproof!"
"Good, now have someone secure the topmost boulder!"
"Yes!"
After giving the order, Lin Tian plunged into the water with the soldiers.
He wanted to witness the Yuzhou Ding being lifted out himself before he could truly relax.
Therefore, he inspected the ropes attached to the Yuzhou Ding, and only after confirming there were no issues did he instruct the soldiers above to pull the ropes tied to the topmost boulder.
This boulder was not small, weighing hundreds of thousands of jin. Such a weight would be even more formidable underwater.
Fortunately, Lin Tian had employed a pulley system, suspending it in the middle of the rope, which saved half the effort.
The ropes used to pull the boulder were formed by twisting together a hundred strands of thick hemp rope, capable of bearing immense weight.
Otherwise, lifting this boulder would have been a pipe dream.
Upon Lin Tian's command, the soldiers on the shore quickly sprang into action.
They all tensed the ropes and began to pull with all their might.
Under their exertion, the boulder underwater began to move, inch by inch.
The crowd on the shore knew nothing of the underwater situation.
However, seeing the soldiers on the bank pulling step by step, the people knew that the underwater boulder had been moved.
This filled each and every one of them with excitement.
"It moved, it moved! They moved it!"
"They pulled it! They really pulled the boulder!"
"As expected of the army that first broke into Xinzheng City, their strength is incredible. They said they'd move it, and they did!"
The fact that the Right Vanguard Battalion had moved meant they had shifted the boulder.
This was cause for celebration for everyone.
Many suddenly felt that Lin Tian's plan to lift the Yuzhou Ding might not be impossible.
After all, he had such a group of powerful warriors under him.
Such words indeed made the men of the Right Vanguard Battalion swell with pride, their strength seemingly increasing.
Soon, the boulder was pulled to the location Lin Tian had designated.
Then, the ropes binding the boulder were untied.
"Grumble!"
The boulder plunged into the riverbed with great speed.
This location was already a considerable distance from the Yuzhou Ding. Its descent would not affect the Yuzhou Ding. This meant the first boulder on top of the Yuzhou Ding had been cleared.
The civilians, who were allowed to watch from a distance in the water, immediately surfaced to relay the news to everyone.
"It's moved! The first boulder is moved!!"
"Roar!!"
"It's moved! It's really moved!!"
"They did it! General Lin really did it!"
"It seems that today, the Yuzhou Ding will truly emerge from the water!"
With the first boulder cleared, the subsequent ones would naturally be less difficult.
Following the same method, Lin Tian had a total of five boulders removed.
The fifth boulder alone weighed a million jin. Without the pulley system and sufficiently strong ropes, it would have been impossible to lift.
However, after this boulder was moved, many breathed a sigh of relief.
For the Yuzhou Ding was now fully exposed before their very eyes.
"The Yuzhou Ding! It's truly the Yuzhou Ding!!"
"It's happening! The Yuzhou Ding will truly reappear in the world!"
With the colossal boulders removed by Lin Tian, a thousand-jin Yuzhou Ding would be a simple task for him.
In the eyes of countless people, this time the Yuzhou Ding would undoubtedly be lifted.
Thus, a great cheer erupted from the riverbanks.
But Lin Tian did not let his guard down.
The Yuzhou Ding had not yet been fully salvaged and transported to Xianyang City, so caution was paramount.
Therefore, he had people above pulling the Yuzhou Ding, while he himself watched it underwater, constantly vigilant against any accidents.
In fact, Lin Tian was not the only one watching the Yuzhou Ding; the people in the distance were also keeping their eyes fixed on it.
They longed to witness firsthand the Yuzhou Ding being hauled ashore.
However, the moment the Yuzhou Ding moved, an anomaly immediately occurred.
The river water near the Yuzhou Ding churned violently. Then, many people saw a massive 'dragon head' appear before their eyes.
Its eyes were incredibly cold, its body covered in scales. A single glance at it sent shivers down one's spine.
Those submerged in the water, upon merely being seen, frantically scrambled towards the surface.
As soon as they emerged, they cried out in terror:
"A dragon! There's a dragon in the water!"
"A fierce dragon! There's a fierce dragon beside the Yuzhou Ding!"
At these words, everyone was stunned.
"What? A fierce dragon? Is the fierce dragon trying to prevent us from salvaging the Yuzhou Ding?"
"No way! Could this be the will of Heaven? Has Heaven sent this fierce dragon to guard the Yuzhou Ding, preventing us Qin from taking it? Can't our Great Qin unify the world?"
"Is there really a fierce dragon? General Lin and the others are still underwater, won't they be in danger?"
"It's over! There's a fierce dragon, it seems the Yuzhou Ding cannot be salvaged!!"
In the hearts of many, dragons were divine and powerful, while fierce dragons were ferocious and terrifying.
Wherever a fierce dragon appeared, disaster was sure to follow.
Its presence was synonymous with calamity and misfortune, and it was one of the most brutal beasts in the world.
Therefore, upon hearing of a fierce dragon, the people and officials on the shore were all filled with dread and confusion.
Even Wang Wu and the others in the water lost their composure.
Before them loomed a colossal creature, several zhang long, with strong four limbs, its body entirely covered in scales. Its back bore a hard fin, and it possessed an incredibly powerful tail.
Its overall appearance bore a striking resemblance to the legendary... fierce dragon!
Faced with a creature from mythology, they truly did not know what to do.
However, Lin Tian was filled with surprise.
For what appeared before him was not a fierce dragon at all, but a crocodile.
He did not know the specific species, but it was likely a freshwater crocodile.
It was very long, about four meters.
It did indeed look quite intimidating.
It was perfectly normal for those who had never seen a crocodile to be frightened.
However, Lin Tian's fear was considerably less intense, firstly because he had seen many, and secondly, his strength was sufficient.
Thus, to him, a crocodile was merely a slightly stronger animal.
But when Lin Tian saw the crocodile circling the Yuzhou Ding and making advances towards the rope being used to pull it, he grew anxious.
"Could this be the divine dragon that the King of Qin is referring to when pulling the Yuzhou Ding's rope?"
"You can't bite through my rope, or all my efforts will be in vain!"
With this thought, Lin Tian lunged towards the crocodile.
Lin Tian's actions immediately caused Wang Wu and the others to panic.
They wanted to help Lin Tian, but they had been submerged for too long and needed to resurface for air.
Therefore, they could only watch helplessly as Lin Tian approached the crocodile.
Upon reaching the crocodile, Lin Tian exerted his strength with both hands, prying open its jaws.
Immediately, immense force was transmitted from the crocodile's jaws.
While a crocodile's teeth were not particularly sharp, its bite force was incredibly powerful, likely exceeding a thousand kilograms.
Such immense power was not something Lin Tian wished to contend with underwater.
Therefore, Lin Tian feigned resistance. As the crocodile closed its jaws to bite him, he used both hands to grip its mouth, preventing it from opening.
This agitated the crocodile.
Its bite force was formidable, but the power to open its jaws was far less than its biting strength.
Once Lin Tian held its mouth shut, it could no longer open it.
This made it incredibly desperate. It thrashed and rolled, unable to break free.
With its mouth clamped shut, it was completely at Lin Tian's mercy.
Finally, the crocodile, truly enraged, suddenly began to perform a rapid 360-degree roll.
Such a rapid roll, if inflicted upon anyone else, would surely catch them off guard, allowing the crocodile to escape.
But Lin Tian had anticipated this.
"Death roll?"
The death roll was a famous maneuver of crocodiles. Ordinary crocodile packs used this to dismember their prey.
They would latch onto their prey and spin at high speed, using the immense rotational force to tear apart and consume their meal.
Creatures like large deer and rhinoceros were their prey.
Since Lin Tian knew what it was about to do, he certainly wouldn't let it escape.
As it prepared for its rapid roll, Lin Tian clung to its back, held its mouth shut, and began to roll with it.
This rolling continued for more than ten breaths. Lin Tian had lost count of the rotations and felt a bit dizzy.
However, even so, Lin Tian did not let go.
Only when the crocodile was exhausted did Lin Tian drag it ashore, bind its mouth with a rope, and then let others take charge of it.
By this time, the Yuzhou Ding had also been lifted and was placed beside the crocodile.
When the crowd witnessed this scene, they were all utterly astounded.
"It's out! They really lifted the Yuzhou Ding!!"
"My heavens! They actually did it! They actually salvaged the Yuzhou Ding!!"
"Not only that, I saw General Lin! General Lin dragged the fierce dragon out! He actually subdued the fierce dragon!!"
"The Yuzhou Ding emerges, and the fierce dragon submits! How can our Great Qin not prosper!!"