The capital of the Great Xia Dynasty.
"Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!" A general rushed into the palace. "The Sogdiana treasury has been attacked! All the treasures have been looted by the Qin army!"
"What?!" The King of Great Xia's face turned ashen. "How is this possible? Aren't the Qin army already outside the city?"
"Your Majesty, that was a feint!" the general cried indignantly. "The Qin army deliberately divided their forces; one group drew our attention beneath the city walls, while the other bypassed the city and marched south to seize the treasury. Now all of our nation's accumulated treasures have been looted..."
The King of Great Xia was struck dumb. These treasures were symbols of the national strength accumulated by Great Xia over generations. To have them stolen in one fell swoop was tantamount to a devastating blow to the nation.
"Your Majesty, what should we do?" the ministers asked in a state of panic.
The King of Great Xia remained silent for a long time before finally sighing, "Send an order to send an envoy to the Qin army commander. Tell him that Great Xia is willing to submit, only begging for my life..."
The messenger soon arrived at the Qin army camp and conveyed the message of the King of Xia to the evil man.
"Surrender?" the wicked man sneered. "Now you're thinking of surrendering? Don't you think it's too late?"
The envoy immediately kowtowed: "Grand Commandant, you are wise! Our Great Xia had no intention of being enemies with your country, but was merely coerced by Kangju. Now that Kangju has been destroyed, our country is willing to be subservient to Great Qin for generations to come. We only beg you, Grand Commandant, to have mercy and spare the lives of our people..."
The wicked man pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Tell me, how many elephant troops does Great Xia still have?"
The envoy was taken aback, then honestly replied, "Grand Commandant, our country has three thousand elephant cavalry, who are the king's personal guards..."
"Very well." The wicked man nodded. "Go back and tell your king that I, the Grand Commandant, may consider sparing your lives, but on three conditions."
"Please speak, Grand Commandant!" The messenger was overjoyed.
"First, Great Xia shall immediately submit to Great Qin, and pay tribute of one thousand catties each of lapis lazuli and turquoise annually."
"Second, hand over all elephant troops and their training techniques."
"Third, the King of Great Xia and his royal family must personally come to my camp to apologize and accept punishment!"
The envoy readily agreed and rushed back to the capital.
After learning of the terms, the King of Xia consulted with his ministers. Some believed that the Qin army was making exorbitant demands and should not be trusted. However, the majority advocated accepting the terms to preserve the country.
"Let it be so," the King of Great Xia finally decided. "For the sake of the country and its people, I am willing to apologize."
The following morning, the King of Xia, accompanied by his royal family, nobles, and ministers—a total of over two hundred people—arrived at the Qin army camp. Behind them were three thousand war elephants, the spoils of war demanded by the Qin army.
"Grand Commandant of Great Qin, Your Majesty!" The King of Great Xia knelt respectfully. "Our Great Xia is willing to submit to Great Qin and be a vassal for generations to come. We offer these war elephants and treasures to the Grand Commandant. We only beg the Grand Commandant to have mercy and spare our people..."
The wicked man looked down at the once arrogant King of Xia with cold eyes. He had learned a lesson from the fall of Kangju and knew the consequences of resisting Qin.
"Very well." The wicked man nodded. "Since that's the case, I, the Grand Commandant, will give you a chance. Send the order to take all these war elephants away and hand them over to the Mohist master for research."
The soldiers immediately sprang into action, leading the massive war elephants away. The King of Great Xia breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he had escaped a calamity.
However, just as he was about to take his leave, the wicked man suddenly spoke up: "King of Great Xia, this Grand Commandant has one more thing to tell you."
"Please speak, Grand Commandant."
"Kangju was destroyed because it allied with you against Great Qin," the wicked man said coldly. "And your Great Xia is equally guilty."
The King of Great Xia's expression changed drastically: "Grand Commandant, we have already submitted..."
"Surrender?" the wicked man sneered. "Since they resisted, they should pay the price! Men, seize them all!"
"No! You promised..."
Before the King of Xia could finish speaking, he was dragged away by the Qin army. All the royal relatives and ministers who accompanied him were also arrested and taken aside.
"Order the entire army to prepare to attack the city!" the wicked man roared. "None of these traitors will live!"
The King of Daxia was taken to the city walls and forced to shout into the city, ordering the guards to open the gates and surrender.
In desperation, the King of Xia had no choice but to comply. The city gates opened, and the Qin army poured in like a tidal wave, unleashing a frenzied massacre.
"Kill! Leave no one alive!"
The Qin army's iron hooves trampled across every corner of the Great Xia. They killed indiscriminately, regardless of gender or age. Those who knelt and begged for mercy were hacked to death, and those who hid in houses were burned alive.
Blood quickly stained the streets, and corpses piled up like mountains.
The massacre lasted for three whole days.
By the time the last Xia citizen was executed, the entire capital had been reduced to ruins. It is estimated that over 200,000 Xia soldiers and civilians were killed in this battle, including royal family members, nobles, and ministers.
"Give the order to the entire army!" The wicked man stood in the corpse-strewn square. "Continue westward! Next target—Parthia!"
This conquering army left nothing but desolation in its wake, having completely conquered two powerful kingdoms beyond the Western Regions.
Next, their iron hooves will trample even further!
The wicked man stood on the ruins of the Great Xia capital, gazing westward.
There lies a vaster territory, greater wealth, and more nations waiting to be conquered!
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