Lin Tian returned. His army had pursued the remnants of the six kingdoms for more than twenty miles.
Most of the remnants of the six kingdoms were wiped out by Lin Tian's army.
Although a small number of them escaped, these escapees lived in constant fear, filled with dread.
Lin Tian's return was like a nightmare descending upon them.
Many among them could not endure it.
Even though they had escaped, every single one of them was terrified.
They dared only flee into the deep mountains and old forests, never venturing out elsewhere.
Fortunately, Lin Tian did not pursue them further for the time being, offering them a moment of relief.
At this moment, Lin Tian and Ying Zheng were deep in conversation.
"You conquered all those western countries?"
"They have all been conquered. Several of those countries were quite powerful, but compared to the armies of our Great Qin, they were far inferior!"
"Alas! You have worked hard!!"
"This journey was not arduous. Moreover, your son has brought back a vast amount of wealth."
"This includes a large quantity of grain, timber, gold, and more. These resources will be sufficient for Great Qin to stand at the pinnacle of the world for a long time to come!!"
"Furthermore, your son intends to open a route to the West. This way, our Great Qin will possess an inexhaustible source of wealth!!"
"Open a route to the West? Build a road leading to the West?"
Such an undertaking sounded incredibly long, so long it sent shivers down one's spine.
However, Ying Zheng was fond of such grand projects.
While such projects might have certain drawbacks in the present, they offered endless benefits in the long run.
It was for this reason that Ying Zheng wholeheartedly supported it.
However, what Lin Tian intended to build was not merely a road.
"In truth, what your son intends to build is not as simple as just a road!"
"He also wishes to construct a railway!"
"And even more so, to establish a sea route directly to the western countries!!"
"I can understand the sea route. But what is this railway?"
The things Lin Tian spoke of were too novel for Ying Zheng.
He had never even heard of many of them.
Therefore, when Lin Tian spoke, his expression was one of confusion.
Yet, despite Ying Zheng's bewilderment, Lin Tian was perfectly clear in his mind.
Because he not only had plans for building railways, but he had also seen railways and trains.
Thus, in this regard, he possessed absolute authority and a clear understanding.
After proposing the construction of a railway, he already had a general plan in mind.
"Father, this so-called railway is a track paved with iron, upon which iron boxes will run!"
"What? Iron boxes running on it? How many warhorses would be needed to pull such an iron box?"
"And what use is such an iron box?"
Ying Zheng had never seen a train. He assumed that iron boxes were incredibly heavy and would require a large number of horses to pull them.
Moreover, even with a multitude of horses pulling them, they could not carry much weight and would not be fast.
Therefore, such a thing seemed to have very little practical use.
In many respects, it was inferior to a horse-drawn carriage.
If anyone else had proposed such an idea, Ying Zheng would have dismissed them as a fool, perhaps even ordering their execution.
However, when Lin Tian spoke these words, Ying Zheng listened with extreme seriousness.
He was eager to understand what purpose Lin Tian envisioned for these iron boxes.
Yet, Lin Tian's next statement utterly bewildered Ying Zheng.
"Our iron boxes do not require warhorses to pull them; instead, iron boxes will pull other iron boxes!"
"As long as the foremost iron box begins to turn, our iron boxes will begin to turn rapidly."
"All we need to do is provide the iron box with power!!"
"Power?"
"That is, to make the iron box move like a warhorse!!"
Upon hearing this, the bewildered Ying Zheng became even more confused.
He knew nothing of steam engines, nor of energy conversion.
He only knew that warhorses moved, but iron boxes did not.
For an iron box to move, it would have to sprout legs.
However, Lin Tian spoke with such conviction and logic that he did not know how to refute him.
Of course, deep down, he was unwilling to refute Lin Tian.
"You may have this matter in mind!"
"Your son indeed has a plan, and I call this plan the Industrial Revolution!"
"..."
Ying Zheng could not understand anything about the Industrial Revolution that Lin Tian mentioned.
However, he could sense that Lin Tian was about to undertake something significant.
It was for this reason that he spoke to Lin Tian:
"In fact, there is something else I wish to discuss with you!"
"Father, have you encountered some difficulty?"
"It is not exactly a difficulty. Rather, your father has been feeling somewhat weary and lacking in spirit lately. Therefore, I wish to abdicate to you, and have you become the Emperor of Great Qin!!"
"What? Father, you wish to abdicate? Because of ill health? Have you been poisoned?"
Ying Zheng was only in his early thirties at this time, in his prime. For him to consider abdicating now was clearly highly unusual.
Historically, Ying Zheng did not abdicate in his thirties; he eventually died on his tour of the East.
The true cause of death was likely poisoning.
Therefore, upon hearing that Ying Zheng lacked spirit, Lin Tian's first reaction was that Ying Zheng had been poisoned.
At this pronouncement, Ying Zheng was also taken aback.
He had said this simply because the rebellions of the six kingdoms' remnants had left him mentally exhausted.
He never imagined that Lin Tian would suspect he had been poisoned.
Ying Zheng raised his hand, intending to explain.
But at this moment, Lin Tian had already drawn his sword.
"Father, have you been taking elixirs from cultivators recently?"
"Elixirs? Well... yes! But they are merely tonics!!"
Ying Zheng no longer harbored the desire for immortality at this point.
Because Ying Zheng knew that Great Qin had a successor.
As long as Lin Tian was present, Great Qin would undoubtedly be more stable and powerful than it was during his reign.
Under these circumstances, Ying Zheng saw no need to pursue eternal life and ensure the everlasting prosperity of Great Qin.
Therefore, the elixirs Ying Zheng had taken were not the legendary pills of immortality, but rather tonics for strengthening the body.
However, these tonics were still refined by alchemists, and thus they were essentially slow-acting poisons.
Knowing this, Lin Tian did not hesitate to draw his treasured sword.
"Guards! Arrest all those alchemists at once! Bring the leader of them to the main hall!!"
...