The Great Qin Empire, Volume Five: Iron and Blood Civilization, Part Two

With the rule of law as its foundation and warfare as its principal instrument, King Ying Zheng of Qin weathered countless upheavals, conquered the six states, and brought about unification, creating a unified civilization. The first centralized empire in Chinese history was born. Lü Buwei hung The Annals of Lü Buwei at the four gates of Xianyang, openly offering a thousand pieces of gold to anyone who could change a single character. Wang Jian, Li Si, and Meng Tian formed an alliance with King Qin, creating a new political center of power. At the city walls, Lü Buwei’s retainers debated, while the people openly challenged The Annals of Lü Buwei, sparking a major public and court debate over how to govern the state. King Ying Zheng deposed Lü Buwei on charges of “undermining the law, disrupting government, and misleading the people.” Forced into exile in Luoyang, Lü Buwei took his own life. Afterward, King Ying Zheng formally began building his empire. The first stage involved purging the military and government and promoting promising newcomers. A new generation of young generals and senior officials rose to power, while the state invested heavily in the Zhengguo Canal, a major irrigation project in Qin’s heartland that transformed the Qin River plain into a land of abundance. The second stage saw a succession of wars to unify China and the story of the six states falling one by one. In the third stage, the king ascended the throne as emperor and took the title First Emperor. He established a complete framework for Huaxia civilization, launched the Yinshan Campaign to drive out the Xiongnu, and built the Great Wall and other massive projects. In the fourth stage, the First Emperor governed tirelessly and toured the realm, eventually falling ill from overwork and relying on alchemists and their strange arts for treatment. During his sixth tour, he suddenly became gravely ill and died on the journey at Shaqiu. A vast power vacuum opened in Qin, as ambition and conspiracy began to stir.