Under the vigorous search and arrest efforts of Marcus Aurelius and a host of Roman nobles, nearly three thousand Christians in Rome were all captured in just five days.
The ordinary believers were enslaved by the Roman nobles and sent to the Colosseum and slave markets, while the Christian missionaries were all handed over to Zhang Bao to deal with.
Zhang Bao showed no mercy to these heretics, and directly ordered them to be burned at the stake as the Chief Celestial Master of the Taiping Religion in Rome.
In the east of Rome, hundreds of wooden crosses stood in an open space, each with a Christian missionary strapped to it, and a pile of firewood stacked beneath it.
In front of each wooden frame stood a Taiping sect defender holding a torch.
The open space was surrounded not only by followers of the Taiping Church, but also by Roman citizens who had come to watch the execution.
In Rome during this period, most condemned criminals were hanged, while only those deemed to have impure souls and offended the gods were burned at the stake as a sign of purification.
Therefore, burning at the stake was not common in Rome, let alone a scene where more than a hundred people were burned to death at once.
The Roman citizens watching the Christians tied to the wooden frames felt little sympathy, but rather a sense of pleasure.
Through the combined suppression by Marcus Aurelius and the Senate, these Christians were perceived by the Roman people as heretics who were undermining the friendly relations between Rome and the Han Dynasty.
Through this period of propaganda, the Han Dynasty maintained a positive image in the minds of the Romans: wealthy, fair, benevolent, friendly, and helpful.
Those burly officials, scholars, merchants, and even sailors who walked the streets of Rome were always very popular with the Roman people.
Therefore, the Roman people naturally wouldn't have a good impression of these cultists who beat up the burly Taoist priest and attempted to sabotage relations between the two countries.
To the east of the open space, there is a makeshift wooden platform with three tables on top.
Seated in the middle was Chu Qian, the Han envoy. Zhang Bao, dressed in a Taoist robe, knelt solemnly on the left, while Commodus, the son of the Roman emperor, sat on the right.
As the sun reached its zenith, Kang Maode turned to look at Chu Qian, who was sitting in the middle.
"Han envoy, the time has come; the execution may be carried out!"
Chu Qian nodded expressionlessly, then made a hand gesture to Zhang Bao beside him.
Zhang Bao then stood up and used two fingers to pick out a bamboo skewer from the wooden fish tube.
This bamboo skewer is dark blue overall, with the tip shaped like a sharp sword. It looks somber and menacing, just like a real sword.
"Execute them!!"
With a loud shout from Zhang Bao, the bamboo skewer traced an arc and landed on the sandy ground.
The moral guardians not far away also stepped forward and lit the firewood under the wooden frame.
As the firewood began to burn, the Christians bound to the wooden frame cried out in terror.
Amidst the raging flames, cries of "God, Lord!" could be heard incessantly.
"Burn them to death!!"
"These damned cultists deserved it!"
The Roman citizens who were watching, upon hearing the Christians' shouts, also joined in the cheers.
Hearing the cries of the people and seeing the Christians wailing incessantly, Chu Qian's lips curled into a slight smile.
The burning at the stake not only demonstrated the Taiping Religion's status in Rome, but also the majesty of the Han Dynasty.
This also tells the world that no one can bully the people of the Han Dynasty, no matter where they are...
The flames burned for a full quarter of an hour before the scene quieted down, leaving only a lingering, acrid smell that made people frown.
"Master Zhang, the rest is up to you. I'll be leaving now!"
Seeing that all these Christians had been executed, Chu Qian said to Zhang Bao.
"good!"
Zhang Bao agreed and then waved to the Taiping followers not far away.
The group of believers quickly stepped forward and began to clean up the scene. Chu Qian and Kang Maode also left the place together.
In the days that followed, the Roman emperor also dispatched large numbers of troops and knights to various provinces to search for Christians.
Zhang Bao seized the opportunity and, with the support of the Roman nobles, sent all his Taoist priests to travel around, providing free medical treatment and distributing supplies to ordinary people, while also vigorously promoting the doctrines of the Taiping Sect.
In response to the help provided by the Taiping Religion, the poor people of Rome, while grateful, also began to worship Taiyi and other deities worshipped by Taoism.
In just one month, the number of Roman believers who joined the Taiping Church reached more than 40,000.
The ranks of the Taiping Church's defenders also expanded from the initial five hundred to two thousand.
Zhang Bao's explanation to the public regarding these defenders of the faith was simply to ensure the personal safety of believers when they were spreading their doctrines.
Marcus, Marcus Aurelius, and the other nobles all expressed their understanding of this.
After all, the Christians had been developing in Rome for many years, and although they had suffered a series of blows and were severely weakened, there were bound to be some who would take the opportunity to retaliate. The Taiping Church did indeed need its own armed force.
After establishing himself in Rome, Zhang Bao divided the various provinces of Rome into different dioceses. Each diocese appointed a Taoist priest and several Taoist priests to be responsible for the construction of local Taoist temples and the recruitment of believers.
With the support of Marcus Aurelius, Confucian scholars built a school in Rome specifically to teach Chinese to the sons of nobles.
Marcus Aurelius also selected five thousand loyal Roman warriors from his personal guard and sent his son Commodus to train with the imperial navy led by Huang Gai, Cheng Pu, and others.
The merchants who accompanied him, under Chu Qian's arrangement, traveled along the Mediterranean coast to various provinces of Rome to sell their goods and to set up joint ventures and "Han Chinese Street".
In April of the ninth year of Jianning, Chu Qian, who had stayed there for several months, proposed to Marcus Aurelius his idea of ​​returning to the Han Dynasty after arranging all matters.
As for Zhang Bao and those Confucian scholars, they stayed behind and continued to promote the Taiping Rebellion and Confucian doctrines.
Marcus Aurelius, along with a group of nobles, also came to the port to see off the members of the Han delegation.
"Set off!!"
Seeing that the time had come, Chu Qian shouted and then began to direct the sailors and soldiers on the ship to slowly sail away from the port.
Following behind the fleet were the Roman mission sent by Marcus Aurelius, and Roman naval soldiers led by Commodus.
After the fleet left the port, Chu Qian turned his head to look at the gradually blurring horizon behind him, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.
The seeds have been sown, and it is believed that in a few years, the flower of Han civilization will bloom in Rome.
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