With a goal in mind, the Japanese pirates began to build ships.
While they were building ships, Qin also began to build its own.
The objective of the pirates was very simple: to build small boats.
Despite their grand ambitions, their limited knowledge prevented them from even considering building large vessels.
More importantly, at this time, they could only build small boats; they were incapable of constructing anything larger.
Furthermore, the items they plundered were confined to what they already knew.
Therefore, for them, building small boats was sufficient.
However, with their considerable numbers, they needed to build a substantial quantity of small boats.
This large number presented them with no small amount of trouble.
Their current manufacturing capabilities were limited.
Although small boats were not large, building many of them would still require a significant amount of time.
At the very least, they could not complete shipbuilding within a month, unlike Great Qin.
In Great Qin, under the Emperor's command, the artisans toiled day and night.
With the assistance of the army, their shipbuilding speed was remarkably fast.
In just one month, they had indeed completed the construction of the large ships.
This was a cause for great joy for Lin Tian.
Upon learning that the ships were ready, he could no longer contain his eagerness.
"Father Emperor, I wish to conquer the Japanese!"
"Go, I knew you had this in you!"
"However, how large an army will you take with you this time?"
"One hundred thousand soldiers!"
Conquering the Japanese alone would not necessitate such a large army.
Lin Tian was taking such a vast force not only to conquer them but also to acquire a substantial amount of resources from them.
More importantly, the majority of Qin's soldiers were not accustomed to the sea, and the oceanic climate was not something they were well-adapted to.
Therefore, with one hundred thousand soldiers, even if ninety thousand suffered from seasickness, at least ten thousand would remain capable of fighting.
Moreover, after this expedition, these one hundred thousand soldiers would become very familiar with overseas conditions.
In the future, subsequent voyages would be much less troublesome.
Thus, Lin Tian's action could also be seen as a form of training.
Hearing Lin Tian's proposal, Ying Zheng nodded in agreement.
Although this matter caused some ripples in the imperial court, with Ying Zheng and Lin Tian having already made their decision, others, despite their reservations, could not hinder it.
However, they did not understand why Lin Tian attached such importance to the seemingly less formidable Japanese pirates.
Lin Tian had no need to explain his reasoning to these ministers.
By the time he decided to go to the land of the Japanese, his army and ships were already gathered at the coast.
At the shore, Lin Tian issued his battle orders.
"Our purpose in going to Japan this time is to conquer their pirates!"
"Anyone who dares to resist, kill!"
"Anyone who shows intent to resist, kill!"
"Anyone unwilling to be captured, kill their entire family!"
"We go to Japan not only to conquer their land but also to avenge our Qin citizens!"
"The small land of Japan dared to lay hands on our Qin citizens and steal their property. This time, they will pay with their lives!!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!!"
Lin Tian's words ignited a fierce killing intent within the hearts of his soldiers.
Previously, Lin Tian had never spoken with such ferocity.
Therefore, they immediately sensed a change in Lin Tian's demeanor from his words.
They felt the killing intent and the spirit of conquest within Lin Tian.
And Lin Tian's will was their will as soldiers.
What Lin Tian wished to accomplish, they would undoubtedly carry out without fail.
With this mindset, their killing intent surged.
Without hesitation, they followed Lin Tian on the expedition to Japan.
Under the gaze of the onlookers, the army set sail on ten large ships.
These vessels, appearing massive from the shore, seemed less imposing once at sea.
They even appeared rather small.
One wrong move, and they could be lost in the vast ocean.
Fortunately, Japan was not far from Qin; in just over ten days, Lin Tian and his forces sighted the islands of Japan.
The more than ten days of sailing had been a significant trial for the soldiers of Qin.
Especially since many of them had never been on a ship before, a great many suffered from seasickness on the sea.
It was an ordeal that was truly difficult to endure.
But now, seeing land, their situation was entirely different.
"Land lies ahead, Japan lies ahead! Let's charge! We charge now!!"
"Finally, we're about to reach land, and we can finally rest. If we drift any longer, I feel like I'll die at sea!"
"Hmph! Since we've reached Japan, let's rest for a day or two before we begin our slaughter!"
Many had been on ships for too long, so their first instinct upon landing was to rest.
After so long at sea, they had almost forgotten the feeling of solid ground beneath their feet.
If they didn't rest properly now, they would feel like they were floating.
With this thought, they wished to land silently, without causing any disturbance.
However, while they desired a silent landing, someone else did not want them to land so quietly.
As they approached the shore, the Japanese inhabitants discovered them.
These inhabitants were those who intended to join the pirates in attacking Qin.
Upon seeing the Qin army, they were initially stunned, then began to shout loudly.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!! An enemy has appeared!"
"Big ships, such large ships! These people must be here to conquer our land, to steal our wealth and our women! Stop them, quickly stop them!"
"Notify everyone, the enemy has arrived! Come and help us stop them! Do not let them land!"
These Japanese only perceived the Qin ships as very large; at this moment, they had not yet grasped the approaching danger.
They were unaware that the ships carried a hundred thousand soldiers.
Thus, they called out to friends and family, gathering many people to the shore, intending to block the advance of Lin Tian's army.
Moreover, each of them wore a stern expression, as if preparing for a great battle.
However, as Lin Tian's army drew closer, their once serious faces slowly turned to panic.
They realized that the situation had spiraled out of their control.
The enemy they faced seemed to be far beyond their imagination.
Such a large number of enemies seemed utterly insurmountable for them.
...