191: Chapter 191: A Declaration of War Against the Xiongnu!

If the Qin Army were to attack, Modun would be forced to change his plans to head south.

If their grand army didn't cover the relocation of women, children, cattle, and sheep, would they be stealing Great Qin's grain while Great Qin stole their livestock?

The problem was that most of Great Qin's grain was kept within city walls, making it difficult for them to steal, whereas it was very easy for Great Qin to seize their cattle and sheep.

In this game of mutual harm, it was the Xiongnu who would suffer the worse deal!

Modun could only continue to send out large numbers of scouts to strictly monitor the Qin Army's movements. He had riders relay the Qin Army's unusual activities to the gathered cavalry units, ordering the warriors to temporarily return to their tribes to protect the women and children and drive the herds toward Mobei.

The Xiongnu Royal Court was gathered in the Yinshan region; if the Qin Army launched an attack on them...

Even if they couldn't win the fight, they could still flee toward Mobei.

Inside the Great Qin Empire Academy of Sciences in Xianyang, the steam tractor was undergoing various calculations and tests.

Its curb weight was as high as thirty tons!

It could carry a thousand catties of coal and had a backup water tank of sixteen hundred liters.

Its torque exceeded six thousand Newton-meters.

The Newton-meter is a unit in physics used to represent torque or work.

Torque is the product of the force that causes an object to rotate multiplied by the moment arm.

The gravity generated by a 1-kilogram object is 9.8 Newtons.

If there is a 1-meter-long rod, and your hand holds one end while a 1-kilogram object is hung on the other end, keeping the rod horizontal, the torque your wrist endures at that moment is 9.8 Newton-meters.

One can only imagine how immense the six thousand Newton-meters of torque on this steam tractor was!

According to calculations, its maximum towing weight was as high as fifty tons!

Its design, featuring high ground clearance and wide tire treads, enhanced grip and reduced the risk of slipping, allowing it to adapt to various slope conditions.

Its maximum climbing angle was between fifteen and thirty-five degrees.

As the gradient and the complexity of the road surface increased, its maximum towing weight would also be significantly reduced.

"Chuff, chuff, chuff..."

"Woo, woo, woo..."

When Elder Mos Team was conducting slope road tests in the countryside, the massive roar of the steam tractor drew many farmers to come and watch.

In their eyes, this steam tractor, radiating a metallic luster and emitting white steam, looked like a roaring steel behemoth.

Old Shuan's mouth hung wide open, and the cane in his hand almost fell.

"This..."

"What on earth is this thing?"

He stammered, his eyes bulging like copper bells as he stared fixedly at the steam tractor.

"I—I don't know!"

Most of the farmers were illiterate and didn't have the money to buy the Great Qin Empire Weekly, so they hadn't learned from the newspapers that this was a steam tractor.

Like Old Shuan, there were many farmers trembling with fear.

"I've lived for more than half my life and have never seen such a strange thing. What kind of power is making it move?"

Old Shuan leaned on his cane, his face full of bewilderment.

A self-proclaimed 'smart guy' took the opportunity to show off, saying, "I know, I know!"

Seeing that he knew, the gathered farmers all looked toward him.

Seeing himself successfully become the focus of the whole village, he suddenly grew excited.

His voice couldn't help but rise several notches.

With an extremely agitated expression, he said, "This must be a Divine Beast Heavenly Steed sent from the heavens!"

In truth, this 'smart guy' didn't know what this strangely shaped, noisy thing was either.

He just wanted to say that to capture the attention of the whole village.

"Divine Beast Heavenly Steed!"

The farmers' expressions all shifted.

"Is that for real?"

They began to discuss it in small groups.

Seeing that the crowd didn't believe him, the smart guy shouted loudly.

"Listen to how loud its voice is and look at how huge it is. You don't see any horses or oxen pulling it from the front, yet it can move on its own!"

Hearing him say this, the farmers began to discuss it with some skepticism.

"When you think about it carefully, there's some logic to it."

"That's true!"

"May the Divine Beast Heavenly Steed protect us!"

To make everyone believe his words, the smart guy knelt directly on the ground, pressed his palms together, and muttered, "May the Divine Beast Heavenly Steed protect us!"

His actions led many farmers to follow suit, fearing that if they were late in kneeling and praying, misfortune would befall them.

The name of the Divine Beast Heavenly Steed spread throughout Xianyang in a very short time.

People were convinced by the rumors of the Divine Beast Heavenly Steed.

After Zhao Fusu heard that people were calling the steam tractor 'Heavenly Steed,' he simply respected everyone's wishes and named the steam tractor the Heavenly Steed 128, representing its one hundred and twenty-eight horsepower.

While the Great Qin Empire Weekly published the introduction related to the Heavenly Steed 128, it also published a proclamation of war against the Xiongnu on its front page.

"Great Qin Empire Weekly, Xianyang, October 17th. By order of the Great Qin Empire Parliament, the Great Qin Empire Weekly issues the following statement on October 17th, the ninth year of Great Qin: Since the beginning of our Huaxia People's history, for thousands of years, we have suffered from harassment from the north. The soldiers and civilians on the border have been plagued by it, unable to live a single day in peace."

"The Xiongnu are a sword hanging over the heads of our Huaxia People. Even if they are driven away for a time, it will eventually fall, plundering our Huaxia People's grain and women, and seriously threatening the peace and security of our Great Qin Empire."

"Throughout the generations, our Huaxia People have built the Great Wall to resist the Hu people coming south to raid."

"But while a thief can plot for a thousand days, how can one defend against a thief for a thousand days!"

"To let our descendants enjoy prosperity for ten thousand generations, the Great Qin Empire would rather bear a temporary bad reputation and launch a northern expedition to conquer the Xiongnu people!"

As soon as this edition of the newspaper came out, it immediately caused a sensation throughout the city of Xianyang.

The nobles of the Qin Region had long known that Great Qin was going to mobilize troops against the Xiongnu again. What they didn't expect was that this time, Great Qin didn't intend to just drive the Xiongnu away, but to conquer them.

This sparked discussions from all sides.

The officials, the nobility, and the common people were all talking about it.

The common people were, of course, the most supportive.

Just as the war proclamation stated, the Hu people would head south every autumn to plunder the Huaxia People's grain and women.

With hatred accumulated over generations, they were all incredibly furious with the Hu people.

At the same time, everyone wanted to solve the problem of the Hu people's constant harassment as soon as possible.

Therefore, the people of Xianyang were very supportive of Zhao Fusu's move to conquer the Xiongnu.

Before Zhao Fusu left Xianyang, General Wang Jian sent someone to invite Zhao Fusu to be a guest at his manor.

Zhao Fusu had some guesses as to why General Wang Jian was looking for him.

He brought a kerosene pressure lamp as a gift for the visit.

In terms of family relations, General Wang Jian could be considered his grandfather.

However, Zhao Fusu did not call General Wang Jian 'Grandfather' but rather 'General'.

At the banquet, Zhao Fusu saw a familiar figure and quickly walked over.