Crown Prince of the Empire, I quit!

When Qin Ming entered the city, the snow-covered streets were filled with trembling people kneeling. He walked straight to the observatory in the city center, where he met with the Khorasan governor, who knelt and apologized.

"I'll give you two choices," Qin Ming said, slicing a frozen apple with his dagger. "Take your crescent flag and return to Mulu City. Tell the Caliph that the land east of Samarkand belongs to Daqian. Or..." The tip of the knife suddenly pierced the core of the apple. "Leave your head on the star map in the observatory."

Abbas prostrated himself on the ground, his forehead resting on the cold tiles. He heard his own trembling voice: "I... choose the first path."

That night, in the warm room of the Samarkand Palace, Qin Ming unfolded his newly drawn map of the Western Regions. With a red wolf-hair brush, he drew red circles around Kabul, Peshawar, and Kandahar, and finally, with a heavy touch, the city of Mulu.

"Next spring," he said to Meng Zhi, "it's time to go to the Amu Darya River to water the horses."

The winter snow in Samarkand hadn't yet melted, but Qin Ming was already standing before a newly redrawn map of the Western Regions. On the sheepskin map, a cinnabar-red line snaked from Yumen Pass, through Kucha and Shule, all the way to the recently surrendered Samarkand, connecting the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions like a blood vessel. At this moment, his gaze crossed the Amu Darya River and settled on the city of Mulu, further west, in the heart of Khorasan.

"Your Majesty," Zhao Huaijin, the newly appointed Protector General of Anxi, presented a secret report. "After Khorasan Governor Abbas fled back to Mulu, he killed his defeated generals, reinforced the city's defenses, and even sent envoys to Baghdad for aid. However..." He paused, "the court of the Arab Caliph is in turmoil, and reinforcements may not arrive in time."

Qin Ming's fingertips traced the location of Mulu City, feeling the coldness. "Abbas is now like a trapped beast. Mulu City is strong, and a sudden attack would only bring heavy casualties." He suddenly turned and said, "Issue an order: 30% of the tax grain collected this year in Hexi and Longyou will be converted into cotton cloth, tea, and porcelain, to be transported to the Western Regions by official merchant caravans. Tell the city lords who have just surrendered to exchange them for war horses and furs."

Zhao Huaijin was stunned: "Your Majesty, do you want to...use merchants instead of soldiers?"

"Iron cavalry can break a city, but it's hard to stop them." Qin Ming looked out the window at the busy market. "Let the people of the Western Regions see that following the Daqian, wearing silk and drinking tea, is better than following the Daqin and starving."

With the arrival of spring, merchant caravans, each bearing a black dragon flag, appeared in the oases of the Western Regions. Yutian's jade was exchanged for Jiangnan silk, and Kucha's raisins were presented on Jingdezhen porcelain plates. Even more remarkable, Qin Ming granted special permission to the sons of city lords who had surrendered to him to study at the Imperial Academy in Chang'an. Western nobles began to take pride in their ability to write Chinese characters.

Yet Murug remained closed. Abbasids cut off foreign trade and extorted grain and fodder, sparking widespread resentment within the city. In the sweltering heat of July, Qin Ming suddenly appeared at the eastern bank of the Amu Darya with 3,000 light cavalry. Instead of crossing, he ordered his soldiers to practice a new type of "fire dragon emerging from the water" drill daily by the river. The shrieking roar of rockets piercing the sky reached the ears of the defenders on the other side every night.

On the full-mooned night of August 15th, the south gate of Mulu City quietly opened a crack. A group of black-robed men, escorting a heavily laden camel caravan, emerged. They were Abbas's trusted confidants attempting to transfer their family and treasures to Persia! The long-lurking Tingfeng Guards pounced like cheetahs, capturing the treasurer alive. The seized account books detailed Abbasid's crimes of withholding military pay and hoarding treasures.

Qin Ming immediately ordered a hundred copies of the account book to be fired into Mulu City via rockets. The next morning, the city's defenders were in turmoil. Lieutenant General Hassan suddenly launched a mutiny, beheading Abbas's closest associates and opening the city walls to surrender. When Qin Ming's Black Armored Army entered Mulu City, they discovered that Abbas had committed suicide in the Governor's Mansion, his last words written in blood on the wall: "The new moon will not set."

"Give him a proper burial," Qin Ming ordered, then walked towards the Grand Mosque in the city center. He didn't enter the temple, but instead climbed the tallest minaret. The view from the top of the minaret was expansive: to the west, he could see the Persian Plateau, and to the north, he could see the glimmer of the Caspian Sea.

"Your Majesty," Zhao Huaijin presented the victory report, "Should we seize this opportunity to march into Persia?"

Qin Ming gazed into the distance for a long moment, then slowly shook his head. "The Arabs are like a sick camel, their bones and muscles broken. If I pursue them again, the Persian tribes will surely unite to resist me." He tapped the railing with his fingertips. "Issue an order: Establish the Anxi Protectorate in Mulu City, and you will be its first Protector. The nations of the Western Regions will be allowed to govern themselves, but military, tax, and diplomatic powers will belong to the Protectorate."

He turned and went downstairs, adding, "I'll start the 'Western Regions Lectures' again, and invite scholars from Persia and the Arab world to come and give lectures. I want them to see for themselves what the glorious Celestial Empire is."

In October, as the first snow fell, Qin Ming set out on his journey eastward. The sound of camel bells echoed across the Silk Road, and Western merchants followed the dragon flag eastward, their procession stretching ten miles. When they reached the ancient land of Kucha, he suddenly dismounted and walked into a poplar forest.

In a clearing in the forest, a blank bluestone stele stood. This was the burial site of the Black Armor Army captain who had died in the street fighting. Qin Ming personally filled three cups of wine and poured them in front of the stele.

"This Western Region," he said softly, "was acquired with blood. It must be nurtured with benevolent governance, to protect it."

Behind him, the new Lord of Kucha knelt and sobbed, "I, your servants, swear to be loyal to the Celestial Empire until death!"

As the bells and drums from the Chang'an city towers rang, Qin Ming's carriage had already passed Tongguan. He lifted the curtain and gazed westward. Under the setting sun, the Silk Road stretched like a golden thread, with camel caravans carrying spices from the Western Regions eastward and silk from the Central Plains westward.

"Tell the Ministry of Works," he lowered the carriage curtain, "Next spring, rebuild Yumen Pass. The name of the pass remains unchanged, but the gate must be built... so that a Persian elephant can pass through with its head held high."

The accompanying historian solemnly recorded: "The emperor conquered the Western Regions, opened up trade routes, and used both kindness and power. All nations came to pay tribute."

Qin Ming closed his eyes and rested, his fingertips silently marking the next target on his knees.

To the northeast, there are white mountains and black waters where Saker Falcon is abundant.

When Qin Ming entered Chang'an City, a city he hadn't visited for half a year, the sound of the people kneeling and bowing on both sides of Suzaku Street surged in like a tide. The black-armored guards stood in a solemn forest, and nine cannon salutes rang out, resonating through the sky. But the emperor, who had just conquered the Western Regions, had a lingering look of weathered weather between his brows.

"Your Majesty," the Cabinet's Chief Minister approached, holding a congratulatory letter announcing the victory in the Western Regions. "The Ministry of Rites has planned a three-day grand celebration, and envoys from various countries have arrived at the Honglu Temple..."

"The celebration is cancelled." Qin Ming took off his dusty cloak. "The banquet expenses will be allocated to disaster relief in Hexi. An imperial decree: The orphans of soldiers killed in battle in the Western Regions will be allowed to attend the official school in Chang'an; the wounded and disabled will be treated in the special wounded camp set up by the Imperial Hospital."

He walked past the kneeling officials and headed straight for the military affairs room in the side hall of the Taiji Hall. On the huge sand table, the flags of the thirty-six kingdoms in the Western Regions had been replaced with black dragon patterns. Only the area in the northeast corner marked with "Mohe" and "Khitan" still bore the red flag, representing instability.

"Let's talk about the Northeast." Qin Ming tapped the edge of the sand table with his fingertips.

The Minister of War quickly unfolded the map. "This spring, the eight Mohe tribes engaged in a bloody battle for the deer pastures. The Khitan Yaoyan clan took advantage of the situation to annex the weaker tribes. Last month, their envoys even robbed 300 military horses at the Youzhou market..."

"Also," the Privy Councilor added, "the navy intercepted a Silla merchant ship in Bohai Bay. Hidden in the hold was a wrought iron knife forged by the Mohe people. The pattern on the handle... matches the weapon used to assassinate the Imperial Censor of the Grand Canal last year."