The army returned, impacting not only the military but also Ying Zheng and Lin Tian.
They appeared on the seaside at the earliest opportunity, awaiting the arrival of the ships.
Of course, this wait was not solely for the return of the meritorious and hardworking soldiers, but also for the return of Great Qin's own ships.
These ships had made the round trip from the distant West in a mere two months.
In two months, to travel to the far West and back – this was almost unbelievable to many, leading them to question if it was truly real.
Therefore, they were filled with curiosity, eager to see if Great Qin's ships had indeed returned.
Even the officials of Great Qin were filled with curiosity at this moment.
If they could visit the distant West in just one month, they too would be willing to make the journey.
After all, the distant West was also a territory of Great Qin, and they ought to admire the vast landscapes of their empire.
It was for this reason that they followed Ying Zheng and Lin Tian to the seaside, awaiting the arrival of the ships.
The wait was not long; the ships soon appeared before them.
As they emerged, many became excited.
"They're here, Great Qin's ships have appeared!"
"It's true, they are Great Qin's ships, those are indeed our ships. I never thought they would return so quickly!"
"Wonderful, absolutely wonderful! Great Qin's ships are back, we truly managed to travel to the West in just one month!"
Many people, without even clearly seeing the appearance of the ships, could not help but shriek with excitement.
After all, in the current sea, only Great Qin's ships sailed.
As for ships belonging to others, they were nonexistent.
Even if some existed, they dared not appear before Great Qin.
The might of Great Qin had deeply impressed the hearts of countless people.
Even if some among them had secretly amassed power, such power could never challenge Great Qin.
Therefore, the common people of Great Qin could generally ascertain that these were Great Qin's ships without needing to see them clearly.
Ying Zheng and Lin Tian said little about this.
Instead, they continued to wait until the ships were truly close.
Only when the ships had fully approached did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.
For only at this point were they certain that these were indeed Great Qin's ships.
Subsequently, they ordered the soldiers on board to gather immediately.
Soon, a large number of soldiers appeared before Ying Zheng and Lin Tian.
These individuals who stood before Ying Zheng and Lin Tian were the soldiers who had journeyed to the West.
Upon realizing that Ying Zheng and Lin Tian were waiting for them, their expressions immediately turned solemn.
"Reporting to His Majesty and His Highness, your humble servants have not failed in their mission, returning with fifty thousand slaves and a vast amount of wealth!"
"Excellent, you have done exceptionally well!"
"However, may we ask how long this return journey took?"
"Reporting to His Majesty and His Highness, we have calculated the precise duration. It took only twenty-five days! Merely twenty-five days to return from the distant West!"
Upon saying this, the soldiers could not help but become emotional.
These soldiers had followed the army, under Lin Tian's command, to the Western nations.
Their initial journey to various Western countries had not taken twenty-five days, but several years.
Following the footsteps of Lin Tian's army, they had traversed to numerous countries, taking several years to visit them all.
Therefore, they were among those who truly understood the hardships of distant campaigns.
This made their excitement over returning in just twenty-five days all the more profound.
To cover in twenty-five days a distance that had previously taken them several years to traverse was, to them, nothing short of a miracle.
Simultaneously, they understood very well how crucial this miracle was to Great Qin.
If Great Qin only needed twenty-five days to reach the far West, then Great Qin could fully secure all its territories.
Although those Western regions were extremely distant from Great Qin, they could no longer escape Great Qin's dominion.
As these soldiers contemplated this, they could hardly contain their surging emotions.
They felt as though they had stepped into a new and wondrous era.
More importantly, they were active participants in this new era.
With this thought, they could no longer suppress their excitement.
Many of them even wished they could remain on the ships, to bear witness to this miracle.
Lin Tian and Ying Zheng were unaware of their thoughts.
Having confirmed the speed of the ships, they finally broke into smiles.
"Excellent, this is merely the beginning. Future ships will undoubtedly be even faster!"
"Indeed! This is just the start. Great Qin's ships will only become more powerful!"
The more powerful and faster the ships, the greater the benefit to Great Qin.
Just as it was now, the soldiers of Great Qin could return to the empire swiftly.
Concurrently, they could quickly be dispatched to the battlefield.
Furthermore, they could transport vast resources and numerous slaves back to Great Qin.
This represented a profound and transformative change for Great Qin.
In the future, there would be even greater convenience for Great Qin.
These words, falling upon the ears of the common people and officials, made their hearts tremble.
They all felt that the future of Great Qin would be even brighter, and they were filled with anticipation for what lay ahead.
Indeed, some among them already felt that even if their children were to enlist, they would not have to worry about their children not returning.
Because no matter how far their children were sent, they could be brought back swiftly by ship.
Therefore, they had no reason to worry about their children joining the army and being deployed to other regions, and subsequently not being able to return.
Thinking this, many of them felt a great sense of relief.
They even felt that they should encourage their children to join the military.
After all, for the entirety of Great Qin, joining the army was the best path forward.
Many officials also believed that Great Qin would undergo a revolutionary transformation in the future.
Especially after witnessing the transport capacity of the ships, they felt that Great Qin's commerce would undoubtedly become even more robust.
With this notion in mind, many of them wondered if they should participate in Great Qin's commerce.
In doing so, they might be able to reap benefits.
Of course, only a minority held such thoughts.
The majority remained observers, simply wishing for Great Qin to grow ever stronger.