Your Majesty, do not attack Rome yet, or the Qin Dynasty will perish!

"Bang!"

In Babylon, the gates of luxurious and elegant Greek-style courtyards were kicked open by the Imperial Guards.

"Who are you people?"

In the past, the nobles who were high and mighty would all show fear when they saw the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) in full armor.

"Pfft!"

With lightning speed, Shen Lian drew his embroidered spring knife from his waist and stabbed the Greek nobleman through the body.

Blood splattered on his face, making his face look like a monstrous demon.

"kill!"

Shen Lian raised his blood-stained left hand high and gave the order in a cold voice.

"kill!"

One by one, the stern-faced Imperial Guards drew their embroidered spring knives and swarmed into the courtyard from behind him.

"ah?!"

Heart-wrenching screams echoed continuously, and the entire courtyard was littered with corpses and rivers of blood.

This scene unfolded in every corner of Babylon, with Greeks, Macedonian nobles, and merchants all having their homes ransacked and their families exterminated by the Imperial Guards.

March 24, 208 BC, is a date known in the history of West Asia and Asia Minor as the Bloody Day.

On this day, from Babylon to Antioch and Damascus along the Mediterranean coast, those who refused to submit to the Qin Dynasty died under the embroidered spring blade.

The Black Bird Banner fluttered over West Asia and Asia Minor, its base color stained crimson by the blood of countless people.

"When the Western Lord is enraged, millions will lie dead and blood will flow for ten thousand miles!"

..............

The Secretariat.

Xun Yu sat upright at his desk, perusing the classics left by the Persian Empire, the Macedonian Empire, and the Seleucid Dynasty.

Before the Qin Dynasty unified the six kingdoms, the furthest connection between the Central Plains and the West was the Hexi Corridor.

While the cities and kingdoms of the Western Regions could be conquered one by one and prefectures and counties established, the situation here is different.

From Alexander the Great's eastward conquest to the present day, over a century has passed, and West Asia and Asia Minor have been imbued with too many Greek and Macedonian influences.

He must come up with a governance strategy as soon as possible to lay a solid foundation for Ying Xuan's return to the east.

"Your Excellency."

"The French military advisor and Magistrate Zhang have arrived."

A servant hurried inside and quietly reported the news.

"Oh?"

Raising an eyebrow, Xun Yu instructed, "Make tea and invite them for a chat."

"only!"

The servant immediately turned around and went to make the arrangements.

Not long after.

Anxious and impatient, Zhang Juzheng burst into the main hall, followed by the leisurely Fazheng.

"Brother Wenruo."

"The emperor ordered the Imperial Guards to search and confiscate all Greeks and Macedonians in the city."

"The Seleucid Empire has just been pacified, and the region is still not at peace. Such indiscriminate killing will only add to the turmoil."

Zhang Juzheng, considering the need to appease the people, was very worried that this move would incite a popular uprising.

"filial piety."

"You tell me."

Xun Yu picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then posed the question to Fa Zheng.

Currently, the civil officials under the command of west Jun Ying Xuan are led by Xun Yu, Zhang Juzheng, and Fa Zheng.

Xun Yu oversaw the administration of the state, Zhang Juzheng was in charge of civil affairs, and Fa Zheng was in charge of military affairs. The three worked together to ensure a clean and efficient military and political system.

In fact, Fa Zheng was the person Ying Xuan trusted most, because he was the first civil official to follow Ying Xuan.

"it is good."

Fa Zheng slowly began to speak, recounting Ying Xuan's past events one by one.

Unbeknownst to the three, in a corner of the Grand Secretary's residence, a figure was watching their conversation and recording it.

Over the course of five years, Lu Bing expanded the Embroidered Uniform Guard to every corner of Ying Xuan's territory, making it virtually impenetrable.

"So that's how it is."

After listening to Fa Zheng's account, Zhang Juzheng finally understood what Ying Xuan had gone through in the past seven years.

The Western King and the First Emperor, Ying Xuan and Fusu, remnants of the six states, the royal family of Ying Qin, the Chu faction, and the various schools of thought...

The westward expedition was not smooth sailing; it was fraught with difficulties, and it has been no easy feat to get to where we are today.

"Your Majesty has overcome numerous obstacles on your journey; why be bound by outdated and pedantic words?"

Fa Zheng said one last thing.

"I was being old-fashioned."

Zhang Juzheng shook his head, his face dejected. In the end, he had underestimated people's hearts.

The Western Lands are not the same as the Central Plains, and cannot be generalized.

..............

The inner sanctuary of the Babylonian palace.

"Summon them all together."

After listening to the report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Ying Xuan calmly replied.

Although these civil and military officials under his command are manifestations of cards, they have no memory of later generations.

However, their temperament and abilities are exactly the same as those of historical figures.

It is no exaggeration to say that this team is no less capable than the team that Qin Shi Huang had when he unified the country.

That's precisely why he needs to treat this matter with even greater caution.

He wanted to build an unprecedentedly vast empire, with an unwavering and resolute will.

"only!"

The attendants received their orders and left the palace to inform the civil and military officials.

"this...."

Zhang Juzheng, who was still in the Secretariat, received an imperial edict from the attendant of the Western Emperor, and his face showed hesitation.

Xun Yu smiled and said calmly, "Our ruler is a man of great talent and ambition, no less than the First Emperor."

"There are some things we haven't even talked about yet, but he's already made arrangements."

"Let's go."

Fazheng rose leisurely and strode toward the palace.

"Um."

A strange light flashed in Zhang Juzheng's eyes as he followed the two men in a carriage.

At dusk, as the sun sets in the west, a magnificent sunset illuminates the Babylonian palace.

The civil and military officials present were filled with doubt, completely unaware of why Ying Xuan had summoned them.

"His Majesty has arrived!"

A high-pitched, shrill cry came from the outside in, attracting everyone's attention.

Ying Xuan, dressed in a black brocade robe with gold trim and his hair tied up with a jade crown, appeared before them, sitting imposingly on the throne.

"I have summoned you here today to discuss matters concerning the Western Lands."

"Great order can only follow great chaos."

"only!"

Xun Yu, Zhang Juzheng, Fa Zheng, Xie Xuan, and others took their seats in turn.

"Your Majesty."

"Our army governs an area of ​​8,000 li from east to west and 3,000 li from north to south."

"The common people numbered approximately eight million, mostly Persians, Babylonians, Greeks, and Macedonians."

"It is indeed necessary to formulate national policies to stabilize the local area."

Cen Wenben spoke first.

"That's exactly right!"

"That's right!"

The civil officials all voiced their agreement.

For them, the Central Plains and the ancient lands of China were far away in the East; this was the place that needed their immediate attention.

The Qin army had just destroyed the Seleucid dynasty, and the people were eager for change. If they could not be stabilized, how could they provide assistance for the return to the east?

Fa Zheng then stood up and said loudly, "Your Majesty, I beseech you to emulate the First Emperor."

"The prefecture-county system was implemented, the written language was standardized, the gauge of carts was standardized, laws and regulations were unified, and weights and measures and currency were standardized."

"Build highways and straight roads to connect all places."

"color!!!"

This proposal immediately garnered high approval from both civil and military officials.

"good."

Ying Xuan agreed with this.

Fa Zheng truly deserves to be Liu Bei's chief strategist; every word he uttered was a gem.

The policies implemented by the First Emperor laid the foundation for later dynasties, and they are still in use in the 21st century.

If we consider the long-term future, emulating the First Emperor and governing the western regions would undoubtedly be the best choice.

"Your Majesty."

Zhang Juzheng added: "I believe that governing a large country is like cooking a small fish."

"In the west, local areas are governed by nobles, resulting in chaotic officialdom and land not belonging to the common people."

"The first priority should be to rectify official corruption, start anew with the people, and equalize land distribution and taxes."

"With sufficient provisions, we can train our troops. With well-trained troops and ample provisions, our journey back east will be smooth sailing, sweeping away all other nations."

"color!"

The military officers were thrilled and cheered in unison.

If Fa Zheng proposed the outline, then Zhang Juzheng proposed the details.

The most important purpose of governing the western lands was to facilitate their return to the east. Of course, the empire they had worked so hard to build could not be abandoned.

PS: The Babylonians included several ethnic groups living in the Mesopotamian plain.