These people would not have knelt if they had any other choice.
Deep within their hearts lay their pride, and also their fears.
They were afraid that even if they surrendered, there would be no way out for them.
But now, they had no other option. Even if they were afraid, they had to surrender.
As more and more people knelt, the warriors of Lingnan began to crumble like a collapsing mountain.
In the end, no one was left standing. Every single one of them knelt on the ground.
They knew that at this point, the only way to survive was to kneel.
Because of this, the Qin army finally occupied the tribe.
After occupying the tribe, the Qin soldiers finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"It seems we've captured the Lingnan region!"
"Indeed, apart from a small number of people, we've taken the entire Lingnan region!"
"Fighting like this was truly not easy. The poisons in Lingnan are too potent. If we hadn't been cautious enough, many of us might have died!"
In the final battle with the people of Lingnan, they had truly experienced the potency of their poisons.
Many soldiers didn't even know what had happened. They had merely sustained minor injuries, only to be poisoned to death.
The final battle had cost the Great Qin soldiers dearly.
Because of this, everyone felt fortunate.
Fortunate that they had been sufficiently cautious, otherwise, their casualties would not have been so few.
And because of this, their admiration for Lin Tian grew even greater.
Lin Tian was unaware of their thoughts.
However, the capture of Lingnan was indeed a joyous occasion for him.
Especially when he approached the Lingnan tribe and saw the surrendered people of Lingnan, he was even more pleased.
"Very good, excellent. We have finally taken the Lingnan region!"
"This war has lasted for so long, it has also been a form of tempering for our soldiers!"
Upon hearing this, many soldiers couldn't help but smile.
For them, this experience had indeed been a tempering.
However, this tempering had not caused them significant harm.
Moreover, they had gained immense military merit.
This was undoubtedly a good thing for them.
Therefore, they were very satisfied with such tempering.
Their gaze towards Lin Tian was filled with even greater reverence.
Lin Tian was aware of their thoughts.
However, he didn't say much more to these soldiers. Instead, he knelt down and looked at a Lingnan warrior, saying:
"Are you truly willing to surrender?"
"We, we...!"
Lin Tian knelt down, positioning himself before the Lingnan warriors. For these warriors, this was an excellent opportunity to strike.
They were even confident that if they attacked, Lin Tian would have no chance to react.
Based on their judgment, Lin Tian wouldn't even have time to escape.
This meant that if they acted, Lin Tian would surely die.
This was an absolutely prime opportunity for them, so they became restless.
However, when they saw the people of Lingnan who had knelt with them, they suppressed their impulses.
It wasn't just the Lingnan warriors present, but also the Lingnan commoners.
Perhaps the lives of warriors were not so important, but the lives of commoners were definitely of utmost importance.
They could abandon the lives of the warriors, but they absolutely could not abandon the lives of the commoners.
Because of this, they were filled with hesitation.
In the end, they still chose not to act.
"Yes, we are willing to surrender!"
Having uttered these words, the Lingnan warriors expended all their strength.
Even their leader seemed to have exhausted all his energy, collapsing to the ground.
This was not a situation they wished to see, but it was one they had to face.
Upon hearing his words, Lin Tian smiled slightly.
Then he spoke:
"Since you are all willing to surrender, then I have one request for you!"
"Please find all the people of Lingnan, I want them all to surrender to our Great Qin!"
"All the people of Lingnan? How is that possible?"
Hearing Lin Tian's words, the people of Lingnan cried out in disbelief.
They knew that Lingnan was vast. Although this was their largest tribe, they had not visited many other tribes.
Moreover, many places were fraught with danger, and they were unwilling to go.
Not to mention, Lin Tian was asking them to find other people of Lingnan, and to betray their own people.
How could the Lingnan warriors be willing to accept such a task?
Therefore, when Lin Tian made this demand, they instinctively objected.
However, Lin Tian did not get angry upon hearing their objections. He simply smiled.
"If you are unwilling to do this, then there is no use keeping you alive!"
"And those who are of no use have no need to be kept alive!"
As Lin Tian spoke, a killing intent flashed in his eyes.
Seeing his gaze, the Lingnan warriors immediately understood his meaning.
If they did not lead the Qin soldiers to find the other people of Lingnan, then all of them would die.
This was an agonizing choice for them.
They did not want to die themselves, nor did they want their families to die. On the other hand, they did not want to be traitors to Lingnan.
Such a difficult dilemma was something they had never encountered before.
Because of this, they were deeply conflicted for a long time.
It wasn't until the Qin soldiers raised their swords and pointed them at the Lingnan people.
In the next instant, their swords would likely fall. Only then did the Lingnan people make up their minds.
"I will do it, we will do it!"
"Yes! I will do it, we will do it!"
"Don't! We are willing to do it, don't be rash!"
For their own sake and for their families, they ultimately chose to undertake this task.
And this task was not actually difficult for them.
It was just that previously, they couldn't bring themselves to decide.
Now that they had made up their minds, they had no more reservations.
And to ensure they carried out this task, their families were naturally kept behind.
Only the Lingnan warriors were sent out to search for other people of Lingnan.
...