On the ruins of the Great Xia, the wicked man summoned the Parthian messengers who had come to pay their respects.

The envoy was dressed in a magnificent robe, his beard was neatly trimmed, and his demeanor was elegant, clearly displaying the grandeur of a great nation.

However, when he saw the devastation in the capital of the Great Xia Dynasty, his face betrayed his fear.

"So you are the envoy from Parthia?" The wicked man looked down at him with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Indeed," the envoy replied in broken Qin language. "I have come on the orders of the King of Parthia to pay my highest respects to the Grand Commandant of Qin."

The wicked man sneered: "Respect? If you Parthia have any respect, why do you secretly ally with Kangju and Daxia to resist my Great Qin?"

The envoy's expression changed: "Grand Commandant, you are wise! This is all a misunderstanding. Our Parthia is a powerful nation with a vast territory, and we have always respected the strong. Now that the Qin cavalry is marching west, our country should naturally show our respect."

"Is that so?" The wicked man walked to the sand table, pointed to the Parthian territory on the map, and said, "I, the Grand Commandant, have already conquered Kangju and Daxia. Next is you, Parthia."

"Tell me, what does your king intend to do? Will he submit and submit, or will he be wiped out by my Great Qin like these other countries?"

The envoy swallowed hard, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead: "Grand Commandant, my king sent me here precisely to express our submission. Parthia is willing to submit to Great Qin and pay tribute annually..."

"Very good." The wicked man nodded in satisfaction. "Then I'll give you a chance."

“Go and tell your king that if he wants to save his life, he must do as I, the Grand Commandant, say: First, immediately submit to the Qin Dynasty and pay tribute of 10,000 taels of gold and 1,000 catties of glass every year; second, hand over all the passes on the Silk Road so that my Qin merchants can pass freely; third, the Parthian king must come to my camp in person to apologize and accept punishment!”

The envoy looked troubled: "Grand Commandant, our country will certainly abide by the first clause. The second clause, though difficult, can be discussed. But the third clause..."

"What?" A cold glint flashed in the wicked man's eyes. "Does your Parthian king think his life is more valuable than the lives of the King of Kangju or the King of Daxia?"

He pointed to the mound of Jingguan outside the city.

There lay piles of the heads of the King of Kangju, the King of Daxia, and others, which had begun to rot and emitted a foul stench.

Crows were pecking at the food on it, a terrifying sight.

"No, no..." the envoy quickly shook his head, "It's just that the journey is long, I'm afraid..."

"Three months," the wicked man declared resolutely. "I'm giving you three months. If your king doesn't come to apologize by then, the iron cavalry of Qin will trample the entire territory of Anxi!"

The envoy readily agreed, and as if granted a pardon, withdrew from the tent and immediately set off to return home.

After seeing the envoy off, Meng Tian was somewhat puzzled: "Grand Commandant, did we just let him go like that? If he goes back and informs the Parthian King, he might be prepared..."

"That suits me perfectly." The wicked man sneered, "What I want is not a sneak attack, but a frontal conquest! Issue the order for the entire army to rest for half a month, and then continue westward. Whether the Parthian king comes to apologize or not, I will pacify the entire Parthian territory!"

Meng Tian then realized that the wicked ruler had no intention of letting Anxi go. Whether they submitted or not, they would all become victims under the iron hooves of the Qin Dynasty.

Half a month later, the army set off and marched toward Parthia.

Parthia was one of the most powerful empires of its time, spanning Mesopotamia and the Iranian Plateau, possessing immense national strength and a formidable army.

Their heavy cavalry, in particular, were known as the strongest in the world and had defeated countless formidable enemies.

However, this time they faced an unprecedentedly powerful enemy—the wicked Grand Commandant of Qin!

On the tenth day of their march, the army arrived at the banks of the Euphrates River.

Parthian troops have already been deployed on the opposite bank of the river.

They were clad in iron armor, wielding long spears, and riding tall warhorses, exuding a menacing aura.

All the bridges on the river were destroyed and the boats were burned, clearly an attempt to use the natural barrier to block the Qin army.

"Grand Commandant," a scout reported, "The Parthian army on the opposite bank numbers about 100,000, all heavily armored cavalry. They have already deployed along the riverbank and seem to be waiting for our army to force a crossing..."

The wicked man glanced at the surging river, then at the enemy army on the opposite bank, and sneered: "Bring that Parthian envoy up here."

The Parthian envoy was led to the riverbank, and upon seeing his own country's army, he couldn't help but look troubled.

"Envoy," the wicked man said coldly, "is this your sincerity, Parthia? You promised to submit and pay tribute, yet you've set up an army here, preparing to oppose my Great Qin?"

"Grand Commandant, you are wise!" the messenger quickly explained, "This is all a misunderstanding. Our king is already on his way, but..."

"Shut up!" the wicked man roared. "I, the Grand Commandant, hate deception more than anything! Since you Parthia have chosen to resist, then await your destruction! Guards, cut off this envoy's head and hang it on the flagpole!"

Amidst piercing screams, the messenger was executed on the spot. His head was hung high, and blood flowed down the flagpole, staining a large area of ​​the land red.

"Order the entire army to prepare to cross the river!"

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