Attacking Wa country was not difficult. At this time, Wa country could not even be considered Wa country; it was merely composed of a few tribes.
Their great battles were essentially battles between a few villages.
Therefore, winning against them was truly effortless.
However, they were sufficiently far from Great Qin. This distance, for them, served as a form of barrier.
It was precisely because of this barrier's existence that the Wa country of later generations could develop in secret.
Thus, for Qin country to obtain treasures from Wa country, large ships were necessary.
Only with large ships that could carry people and vast quantities of goods would going to Wa country become simple.
Therefore, at this time, Qin country needed to build ships.
In any other dynasty, such a matter would require considerable deliberation before deciding whether to mobilize against Wa country.
But for Ying Zheng, there was no need for consideration.
He was a proponent of war, and Qin country was a nation that needed war.
Coupled with the abundant wealth within Great Qin at present, Ying Zheng issued the order to attack without any hesitation.
"Since ships are needed, I will immediately issue an order for the craftsmen by the sea to build ships!"
"In a month, at most a month, our ships will be ready!"
"At that time, we can use our ships to acquire immense wealth from Penglai Island. I want to personally witness what treasures lie within Penglai!!"
What Ying Zheng wished to see was whether Penglai Island, like a true immortal isle, possessed countless supreme treasures.
However, Lin Tian knew that while Penglai Island might not have vast quantities of supreme treasures, it did possess innumerable silver, copper, and gold mines.
More importantly, it held boundless timber.
Much of this timber consisted of exceptionally precious woods.
For instance, ebony, golden-thread nanmu, and rosewood.
Those Wa people had not yet grasped the importance of these timbers, nor had they recognized their beauty. Consequently, they had not exploited the timber resources in their land.
Therefore, Great Qin could acquire a substantial amount of timber from there, as well as considerable gold and silver treasures.
Ying Zheng's decision to have ships ready for deployment to Wa country within a month dispelled Lin Tian's reservations.
It even stirred in him an impulse to visit Wa country.
Of course, his visit was not for sightseeing. He purely desired to kill, which was why he intended to go to Wa country.
When Lin Tian expressed this notion, Ying Zheng was taken aback.
"You wish to personally lead troops to Wa country??"
"Yes! I wish to personally go to Wa country!!"
"Isn't the strength of Wa country not formidable? Is it necessary for you to personally lead troops??"
"My going is not because Wa country is powerful, but because I wish to personally witness all the Wa people either being killed or captured and brought to Great Qin as slaves!"
Lin Tian harbored an immense hatred for the Wa people.
Ying Zheng did not know the origin of this hatred.
However, he could indeed sense Lin Tian's killing intent.
This piqued Ying Zheng's curiosity.
"Why do you bear such great animosity towards Wa country?"
"Perhaps because... of a dream!!"
"A dream??"
"In my dream, thousands of years later, Wa country secretly learned our technologies, became powerful, and then killed a large number of our citizens!"
"They committed widespread massacres on our territory, and they even harbored ambitions to occupy our land, invade our culture with their own, and turn our people into their slaves!"
"They sought to subtly ensure we would never have a chance to rise again!"
As he spoke, Lin Tian's killing intent intensified.
He wished he could rush to Wa country at that very moment and kill all the Wa people.
Upon hearing Lin Tian's account, Ying Zheng suddenly understood his killing intent.
At this time, people believed in dreams.
Since Lin Tian had such a dream, it was highly probable that such an event might occur in the future.
Consequently, Ying Zheng's killing intent surged.
"Since they are so detestable, shall we kill them all, annihilate their race, and leave none behind?"
"No need. A portion of them can be kept to perform manual labor!"
"However, annihilation of their race is possible. Preferably, all their males should undergo castration!!"
"This can be arranged. The palace has many attendants skilled in castration. We can have those attendants 'entertain' them properly!!"
What Lin Tian intended was to castrate them all.
In this way, they could truly be considered to have had their race annihilated.
Unbeknownst to them, these Wa pirates were still celebrating.
After seizing treasures, they were extremely excited.
"Hahaha! I knew this country was very prosperous. See, was I not right? We casually looted a few houses and acquired a large amount of clothing and food!"
"Moreover, their weapons are also quite good!!"
Saying this, a Wa pirate picked up a hoe.
While the handle of the hoe was made of wood, its head was made of iron.
Since Qin country had already developed iron smelting technology, many iron farming tools had appeared in Qin country.
The price of these farming tools was significantly lower than that of copper tools.
Thus, a large number of common households in Great Qin had acquired such farming tools.
Although the hoe contained iron, it was merely a farming tool, not a weapon.
It had not been confiscated by Great Qin.
However, falling into the hands of the Wa pirates, it became a treasured item for them.
They felt this weapon was very sturdy and quite long. Once used, it would surely clear a wide area.
Of course, what they referred to as "clearing a wide area" was within their own Wa country.
In their country, iron smelting technology was not mature, and they had very few standardized iron implements.
Even copper items were scarce.
Even if they had any, they were only crudely made items.
Yet, even these crudely made weapons were considered true treasures by the Wa pirates.
Otherwise, they would not have cherished a hoe so dearly.
This time, their plunder was extremely abundant.
Such a bountiful harvest also ignited their ambition.
"No, that country possesses so many treasures. If we don't plunder them, it would be a great loss of supreme treasures!"
"After returning, I will gather more men and we will sail here together to plunder this country!"
"As long as we can seize enough treasures and weapons, we will surely become the most powerful pirates in the world!"
"At that time, it's not impossible for us to establish a nation and occupy that prosperous land!!"
These Wa pirates were still fantasizing about the future, completely unaware that the crisis of their nation's annihilation was fast approaching.
...