Upon receiving this news, many people in the Lingnan region fell silent.
They looked at their leaders, unsure what to say.
After a long pause, someone among them finally spoke, asking,
“Leader, what do we do now?”
They desperately wanted to know what measures they could take to resolve their current crisis.
After all, the Qin army numbered two hundred thousand, far surpassing their own forces.
If the Qin army were to attack, it would undoubtedly spell their doom.
At this thought, many among them suddenly lost the will to resist.
Rather than fight, many preferred to live.
Thus, while their leaders remained silent, some proposed,
“Perhaps we should surrender to Qin. If we surrender, the Qin people likely won't kill us!”
“That… seems plausible. Those who surrendered before weren't killed, and they even became citizens of Great Qin!”
“If it’s a dead end otherwise, I’m willing to surrender. It’s not that I fear death, but I don’t want my family to be left without a way to live, just like me!”
The existence of the cannons had profoundly impacted many minds.
Because of this, many among them still wished to surrender to Great Qin.
As long as they surrendered to Great Qin, they would still have a chance to live.
If they refused to surrender, once the Qin army arrived, no matter how much they wished to survive, they wouldn't be able to.
With this in mind, many agreed to surrender.
However, as soon as they voiced their intention to surrender, they were interrupted by their leaders.
“No, we cannot surrender!”
“If we surrender, our tribes will be completely gone, and we will become subjects of Great Qin!”
“Such an act of betraying our ancestors and traditions is something we absolutely cannot do!”
These leaders were naturally unwilling to surrender. If they did, not only would they become citizens of Great Qin, but they, the leaders, would also lose their authority.
Many of these leaders held hereditary positions.
Many of them were accustomed to the power that being a leader bestowed upon them.
In the Lingnan region, they were the heavens.
Within their territories, everyone obeyed them.
In essence, they were the kings of Lingnan, beings above all others.
If they surrendered to Qin, they would inevitably lose these privileges.
Some of them might even face death.
Under such circumstances, they naturally did not want to surrender to Great Qin and abandon their authority.
Of course, in their justifications, they said nothing about themselves.
They spoke more about ancestral laws and traditions.
It was as if all of this was due to the existence of ancestral laws and traditions, not their forceful demand on the people to act in this manner.
And these people, unable to discern the hidden meanings in their leaders' words, had no idea of their leaders' true intentions.
After their leaders spoke, they not only found no fault with the reasoning but felt it was quite sound.
Under these circumstances, they were naturally willing to fight for their leaders.
And those willing to fight for their leaders were not few.
After their leaders spoke, many among them immediately agreed.
“The leader is right, we cannot surrender to Great Qin, we must protect our tribes!”
“Yes, we must protect our tribes and not let them fall into Qin’s hands, otherwise, our tribes will cease to exist!”
Many warriors of the Lingnan region were willing to fight for their tribes.
Because of this, they spoke out one after another, supporting their leaders and wishing to protect their Lingnan land.
Upon hearing these words, their leaders felt somewhat relieved.
He knew that his daily indoctrination had been successful.
Therefore, the people of Lingnan were willing to support their leaders.
Now that they still had warriors to command, it was a momentous occasion for them.
Thus, without hesitation, they began to ponder quickly.
“Are Qin’s weapons truly that powerful? If Qin possessed such powerful weapons, why didn’t they use them to bombard our Lingnan region before?”
“This… could it be that their weapons are too heavy to move easily?”
“Heavy? Are their weapons very heavy?”
“Yes! Their weapons are extremely heavy, requiring multiple people to move them together, making them not so convenient to transport!”
“Now that you mention it, I feel much more at ease. If their weapons are heavy, attacking us won’t be so easy!”
Hearing that the cannons were very heavy, the leaders of Lingnan suddenly felt a sense of relief.
If these cannons were easy to move and also extremely powerful, then for the people of Lingnan to deal with them would be a pipe dream.
However, if their cannons were very heavy and difficult to move, then dealing with them would become much simpler.
As long as their movement speed was fast enough, and the Qin army’s weapons could not reach them, they would not need to fear Qin’s weapons.
With this thought, their hearts relaxed considerably.
“In that case, we must not enter the range of their weapons!”
“Once we discover the presence of their powerful weapons, we must retreat quickly!”
“As long as we withdraw fast enough, their heavy weapons will not be able to catch up to us!”
The leaders of Lingnan spoke thus, while simultaneously dispatching numerous scouts.
These scouts were naturally tasked with gathering information on the Qin army’s movements and being prepared for any sudden developments.
Once they discovered Qin’s formidable weapons heading their way, they would absolutely not confront them head-on.
They understood very well that with their strength, they could not possibly stand up to Qin’s powerful weapons.
Since that was the case, it was better for them to avoid Qin’s formidable weapons.
This way, more warriors could survive, and their warriors could play a greater role.
And the warriors, upon hearing that they could avoid Qin’s cannons, also felt relieved.
Previously, upon hearing their fellow warriors describe the power of the cannons, many of them had been startled.
At the same time, their hearts had developed a fear of the cannons.
Facing the existence of the cannons, they had no courage to confront them directly.
They even felt that if they faced the cannons head-on, they would surely perish.
Therefore, being able to avoid Qin’s cannons was a cause for joy for all of them.
…