The Great Qin Empire, Book Five: Ironblood Civilization, Volume One

With the rule of law and civilization as his backing, and warfare as his primary means, King Ying Zheng of Qin weathered countless storms, conquered the Six States, and completed the great unification, creating a unified civilization. The first unified empire in Chinese history came into being.

Lü Buwei hung copies of Lüshi Chunqiu at the four gates of Xianyang, openly offering a thousand gold pieces to anyone who could change a single character.

Wang Jian, Li Si, and Meng Tian joined forces with the King of Qin, forming a new political axis.

Lü Buwei's retainers debated beneath the city walls, while the people openly refuted Lüshi Chunqiu, sparking a great debate throughout the court and country over the principles of governance.

King Ying Zheng of Qin dismissed Lü Buwei on charges of “violating the law, disrupting government, and misleading the people.” Lü Buwei was forced to take his own life in Luoyang.

Afterward, King Ying Zheng officially began building his empire. In the first phase, he reformed the military and government and promoted new talent. A host of young generals and ministers formed a new generation of power, while the Zhengguo Canal, a major irrigation project in the heartland of Qin, was built on a grand scale, turning the Qin River valley into a land of abundance. In the second phase, he launched a series of wars to unify China, beginning the story of the Six States' fall one by one. In the third phase, the King ascended the throne as emperor, taking the title First Emperor, and established a complete system of Huaxia civilization. He launched a major campaign at Yinshan to drive out the Xiongnu once and for all, and built the Great Wall and other vast projects. In the fourth phase, the First Emperor diligently governed and toured the realm, eventually falling ill from exhaustion and relying on the strange arts of alchemists for treatment.

During his sixth tour, he suddenly became gravely ill and died on the journey at Shaqiu.

A vast power vacuum emerged in Qin, as ambition and conspiracy began to stir.