As the rails of the Changsha-Luoyang-Xichang Railway grew hotter and hotter, the industrial behemoth of the Han Empire roared with hunger. Coking coal transformed into crimson flames in the furnaces and manganese steel was forged into the empire's skeleton beneath the hammer. However, the source of all this activity — the mines — became a silt that was strangling civilisation.
'Your Majesty, three coal mines in Bingzhou and iron mines in Anshan have collapsed this month.' Gongshu Qi knelt before Liu Xun, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. 'Water is seeping from the mines like springs. The miners say it's because they angered the earth dragon. Now, even death row inmates dare not go down the mines. If the coal and iron supply stops, the train wheels will stop turning and the fires in the steel mills will go out.'
Liu Xun stood before a wall covered in black maps of the mining areas, his eyes icy. In ancient times, mining was a matter of life and death, a dark and dreary battlefield. But now, his system had already prepared the crowbar for this 'war for the earth's core' — [System Technology Tree Update], reward: Basic Black Powder Directional Demolition Technique and Mine Steam Pumping and Ventilation System.
Core Logic: Upgrade 'Brute Force Digging' to 'Engineering Demolition', and transform the 'Deadly Abyss' into an 'Industrial Workshop'.
Bingzhou is the largest mixed open-pit and deep-well coal mining area of the Han Dynasty.
Tens of thousands of ragged, terrified miners and overseers knelt on the gravel beach. Before them lay a layer of hard rock deemed a 'dead end', beneath which lay the high-quality coking coal most desperately needed by the Han dynasty.
'The earth dragon has turned over; those who enter will surely die!' the priests whispered tremulously in the distance.
Draped in a black cloak, Liu Xun strode to the dark blue rock amidst the crowd's gasps, activating [God-Level Acting: Creator Acting on Behalf of Heaven].
'Earth dragon?' This is all Han land. Even if there is a dragon god, he should serve me!' Liu Xun personally inserted a 'directional explosive charge' filled with system-modified black powder into a pre-drilled hole. He pulled the fuse and stood with his hands behind his back, facing away from the rock. Just as the fuse began to hiss, he slowly raised his right hand and pointed it straight towards the sky. He then roared, "Open!" A deafening roar followed, and dust billowed everywhere.
The earth trembled violently and flames shot into the sky. Amidst the billowing dust, the hard rock layer that had blocked their path for thousands of years was precisely blasted and shattered as if it were tofu. When the dust settled, a gigantic, jet-black coal seam shimmering with an alluring lustre was revealed as if by divine intervention. The miners stared in disbelief, then kowtowed frantically as if a pyramid had been toppled. 'Your Majesty's divine might! This is divine intervention!' Seizing the opportunity, Liu Xun ordered the steam pump developed by the Academy of Sciences to be brought out. The massive piston began to rise and fall rhythmically, and the water deep in the well — enough to drown someone — gushed out like a roaring white dragon. Immediately afterwards, the 'wind-driven guide pipe' forced fresh air continuously from the ground into a depth of hundreds of metres.
'From now on, there will be gas underground, but no water!' Liu Xun's voice echoed throughout the mining area. Just as the overseers were about to whip the miners to drive them down the mine, Liu Xun issued a decree that thrilled all the labourers in the land:
'Issue the decree! From this day forward, the slave mining system is abolished! All miners of the Great Han Dynasty are now imperial workers!'
"Distribute 'heart-protecting manganese steel armour' (safety suits) and 'filtering masks'! Introduce 'five insurances and one fund for miners': medical care for the injured, support for the elderly and bereaved, and compensation for the deceased. Their children will be given priority admission to the Royal Primary School!"
'Wages will be calculated based on the weight of coal mined, with no upper limit!' What was once a dead end to be avoided at all costs has, overnight, transformed into a highly coveted 'high-paying job' for strong men in Guanzhong. Their fear has been replaced by a thirst for wealth and fervent worship of the emperor. With the outbreak of the mining revolution, the Han Dynasty's energy output increased exponentially.
[System Data Feedback]
Coal output: Increased by 800%
Iron ore purity: Increased by 300%
Industrial Revolution Progress: 96%
Unlock rewards: Large coking oven unit, basic seismic wave detector
System data shows: Coal output has increased by 800%, iron ore purity by 300% and industrial revolution progress by 96%. Unlocked rewards include a large coking oven unit and a basic seismic wave detector.
Liu Xun returned to Chang'an and watched the trains laden with coal and ore roll by.
'Energy freedom is here, and so is steel.' He pointed to the tower in the west, a symbol of divine authority, and told his generals to instruct Gongshu Qi to install tracks on his internal combustion engine. 'We have enough coal. I want to ensure that the sound of horses' hooves is eradicated from this world.'
While the previous railways were mere 'bonsai', cobbled together from manganese steel scavenged across the country, what is rising today in Ma'anshan (the Dahanjiang East Mining Area) is a heavy industrial monster capable of swallowing the horizon. Standing atop the riverside watchtower, Liu Xun could smell the pungent aroma of coking coal and feel the intense heat of burning metal in the wind. The scene before him completely overturned the local people's perception of 'blacksmith shops' for miles around.
'In the past, Your Majesty, we relied on steel refined a hundred times for iron smelting, which was like embroidery,' said Gongshu Qi, pointing to the massive factory buildings stretching for miles below. His voice was barely audible amidst the roar of the machines. 'Each furnace produced no more than a hundred catties of iron, and the quality was uneven. If we wanted to lay thousands of miles of railway and build hundreds of ironclad ships, how could we have possibly achieved that with only those rudimentary furnaces in the countryside?" Liu Xun snorted coldly, glancing at the technology module shimmering with a dark golden lustre on the system interface.
[System Reward Loading]: The core logic of the 'Bessemer converter steelmaking process (modified by Dahan)' is to use powerful bottom blasting to generate heat from the spontaneous combustion of impurities in pig iron, instantly transforming it into refined steel. The energy system consists of connected coke oven blast furnaces and steam-powered blowers.
As the sun set over the Yangtze River, the Ma'anshan New Area was 'resurrected': hundreds of metres of connected blast furnaces burned day and night, shooting black smoke and sparks into the sky. Gongshu Qi gave the command and the massive converter slowly began to tilt. With a "whoosh", tons of molten iron surged out like lava, carrying enough heat to incinerate the soul. Unlike water, the flow followed the pre-designed refractory brick troughs; it was more like a crimson dragon, dormant underground for millennia, bowing its head to the ironclad laws of industry.
In that instant, the darkness for miles around was forcibly torn apart as tons of molten iron gushed forth like lava, carrying enough heat to incinerate the soul. It was unlike water; it was more like a crimson dragon, dormant underground for millennia, bowing its head to the ironclad laws of industry.
The molten iron was poured into the massive 'I-beam continuous casting mould', emitting a series of piercing screams as it cooled in the steam spray, filling the entire workshop with white mist. 'Clang! Clang!" A massive steam-powered forging hammer fell with pinpoint accuracy, each strike weighing several tons and rapidly shaping the once red-hot steel ingots under immense pressure. Here, there were no 'divine weapons', only standardisation.
The length, curvature and carbon content of each production line were precise to the millimetre. Manganese steel rails, which previously required hundreds of top-class blacksmiths to spend months forging them, now sprang up like mushrooms after rain on these assembly lines.
Several spies from the Parthian Empire and Rome mingled among the labourers, observing from afar. Gazing at the mountains and seas of I-beams and the terrifying efficiency with which enough steel was produced in a single day to arm three heavily armoured legions, they crushed their wooden record boards in their hands."This isn't human labour; this is the factory of demons." The spies trembled and knelt in the mud. In their country, iron was a precious strategic resource, but here, steel was merely an inexpensive industrial product used for paving, construction, and luxury.
Ignoring the scorching heat, Liu Xun descended from the watchtower and personally touched a standard rail that had just cooled. The weight he felt under his fingertips finally brought peace to his tense heart during the system mission.
'Gongshu Qi, look,' said Liu Xun, pointing to the rows of steel rails stacked neatly like city walls. His eyes gleamed with a loneliness and fervour that transcended millennia. 'I used to think that the Han Dynasty's rule was supported by the words of its officials. Then I thought it was supported by the lives of its soldiers.'
He patted the cold steel rail, his voice resounding: 'Now I know: this is the true backbone of the Han Dynasty.'
[System Announcement] Main Quest: 'Initial Construction of the Heavy Industrial Base' Achieved.
Industrial Revolution Progress: 97%. Unlocked rewards: Large Gantry Crane Technology and Basic Metal Cutting Machine Tool (Lathe).
If steel is the backbone of the empire, then the massive rotary kiln billowing smoke on the western outskirts of Chang'an is forging the flesh and blood of the Han dynasty. This process is known as 'order'.
For a long time, Chang'an's prosperity concealed the fragility of its architecture: wooden beams rotted easily, it was difficult to mix bricks and stones, and a single fire could reduce half the city to ashes. However, in Liu Xun's view, the limitations on the Han Dynasty's expansion were not due to divine taboo, but rather the scarcity of materials.
'Your Majesty, this is nothing but a pile of lime and clay residue, charred and unsightly. How can it compare to solid white marble?' Gongshu Qi held a bowl of greyish powder, his face full of suspicion.
At that moment, the civil and military officials of Chang'an gathered in the square in front of Weiyang Palace, whispering amongst themselves. They believed that the emperor was neglecting to repair perfectly good palaces and was wasting his time and energy studying this 'ash powder'.
Liu Xun offered no explanation, simply instructing the engineers to mix the powder with gravel and sand, then add water and stir repeatedly in the massive wooden trough.
[System Technology Tree Loading]: [Portland cement recipe] + [reinforced concrete structure principles].
Core Logic: Silicates react chemically with water to form a high-strength crystalline structure.
Physical properties: Extremely strong compressive strength combined with manganese steel reinforcement (tensile strength) enables a leap forward in building structures.
The next morning, when the officials returned to the square, the previously muddy wooden trough had undergone an astonishing transformation. An old scholar stepped forward disdainfully, raised his cane and smashed it forcefully against the trough.'Clang!' A crisp sound rang out and the cane shattered, but the grey cube remained completely still and didn't leave a single white mark. 'Is this the magic of turning stone into gold?' The officials gasped in astonishment.
Liu Xun stepped forward and lightly tapped the artificial boulder with his toe. He surveyed the surroundings and activated his Top Performance: Crusher of the Old Era.
'What you call "indulging in frivolous pursuits" can turn to stone overnight. This thing can lay the foundations for eternity — a road stretching for a thousand miles. Tell me, is my plaster harder or your sacred texts?'
Liu Xun gave the conservatives no chance to respond, launching the 'Chang'an Old City Renovation Plan' immediately.
Amidst the roar of steam demolition machines, the decaying wooden government offices were torn down and replaced with an unprecedented construction scene: thick manganese steel bars were woven into a dense skeleton that pierced the sky like the ribs of a dragon. Dark red cement slurry was then continuously poured into the moulds via steam pumps.
In less than half a month, the first five-storey government buildings began to take shape in the setting sun. Lacking elaborate bracket sets, they boasted a vertical height and transparent windows unlike anything seen before in the history of the Han Dynasty. 'Five stories... and not a single large enough timber to support it. Why doesn't it collapse?' The people of the capital watched the new building as if it were a miracle. They believed that three storeys was the limit for earthen and wooden construction, yet Liu Xun's building had a smooth, mirror-like exterior and a spacious, bright interior. Most astonishingly of all, Liu Xun had ordered the installation of a water pressure tank on the roof. Using steam pumps, he pressurised the water to bring the first 'indoor running water' to the Han Dynasty.
Standing on the top floor of the government building, Liu Xun looked down at the grid of cement roads below. Once muddy in the rain and dusty in the sun, those streets were now covered with smooth, hard grey cement, allowing carriages to travel at twice the speed.
'Wherever the cement is laid, my war chariots can go,' he said. He turned around and gave Gongshu Qi a new order. 'Chang'an is just a testing ground. Issue an order to build a cement bunker and supply station every hundred li along the railway line. I want this 'steel artery' to be protected by a layer of armour that not even a saint could penetrate!"
[System Announcement] Achievement Completed: 'Infrastructure Maniac: The Great Han Architectural Revolution'.
Industrial Revolution Progress: 98.5%.
Unlocked rewards: 'Basic Centrifugal Pump Technology' and 'Large-Scale Glass Production Line'.
Important foreshadowing: The saint tried to use the 'Earth-Cracking Curse' to destroy the cement road surface but found that the steel-framed structure was highly earthquake-resistant.
Government buildings continued to be constructed in Chang'an, but Liu Xun knew that without a population, these cold concrete jungles were nothing more than lifeless tombstones. The Han Dynasty's factories were frantically devouring coal and iron, but what they craved even more was labour. At that time, 80 per cent of the Han population remained rooted to the spot on inefficient farmland.
'Half the looms in the factories have stopped, Your Majesty,' reported Shen Wanshan, wiping sweat from his brow as he bowed before the five-storey French windows. 'It's not that there's no cotton; it's that there are no men! The refugees from beyond the Great Wall are held captive in the fields by powerful local families, working as tenant farmers. They're given a meagre meal and have to work for life. I've offered triple wages, but those aristocratic families have sent their servants to block the roads, forbidding able-bodied men from entering the city!'
Liu Xun coldly surveyed the distant, sprawling earthen mounds. Land was the lifeblood of the powerful families of the Han Dynasty, but it was also hindering industrial development.
The next day, Liu Xun convened an expanded meeting of the 'Royal Industrial Partners' in the Daming Palace.
Looking at the powerful clan leaders below, clutching their land deeds tightly, Liu Xun unleashed his 'god-level acting skills' — the builder of a community of shared interests. Adopting a worried expression, he sighed and said, 'My esteemed ministers, I have heard that grain prices have stabilised recently and that making a living by farming is becoming increasingly difficult. I pity you for clinging to your meagre plots of land and constantly worrying about disasters. So, I plan to expand 'Great Han Steel' and 'Royal Textiles', these two 'money-printing machines', and allow you to use your family's land as shares.'
He pointed to the stack of beautifully printed 'share certificates' on the table and said, in an incredibly enticing voice: 'How many bushels of grain does a field produce in a year? My factories can buy a granary in Han Yuan every day! As long as you invest, you won't have to work in the fields anymore — you can just sit back and collect your money. As for those fields, the state will transform them all into 'mechanised state-run livestock farms'."
The powerful clans did the maths. Compared to land dependent on the weather, shares that could be exchanged for 'Han Yuan' were a godsend. In less than a month, ownership swaps were completed on 30% of the land in the Guanzhong region. With land restrictions loosened, a massive influx of people rushed in. However, Liu Xun didn't allow everyone to flood into Chang'an. Instead, he used the newly constructed 'Portland Cement Road Network' to begin large-scale construction of satellite towns.
[System Infrastructure Planning]
Core Area: Chang'an (Administration, High-Tech Research, Finance)
Satellite City A (Xianyang): Heavy Industry, Chemical Plants, Railway Station Hub
Satellite City B (Xinfeng): Textile processing, light industry base, logistics distribution centre
Hub connection: Four-lane standard paved cement roads lined with horse-drawn railcars and early steam buses.
Zhang Daniu, who used to live in a remote mountain village, had to travel for a month to reach Chang'an, wearing out three pairs of shoes and constantly on guard against bandits. Now, he travelled on the smooth, mirror-like cement roads with his luggage in just three days. Every fifty li (approximately twenty-five kilometres) there was an official 'fast food station' providing cheap industrial canned goods and hot water.
'Da Niu, why are you going to the city?'
'To be a factory worker! I heard they provide meals and that at the end of the month, you get shiny 'Han Yuan' (Chinese currency) plus enough to pay for your kids' school fees!"
That year, the Han Dynasty witnessed the emergence of its first generation of 'migrant workers', with millions of young adults leaving the land and flooding into factories. The demographic dividend of the Han Dynasty, like a powder keg that had been ignited, exploded completely.
Far to the west, a sage observed the anomaly in the east through his spiritual vision: he no longer saw scattered villages, but clusters of cities tightly meshed together. 'He has turned people into part of a machine...' The sage's hand, gripping his sceptre, trembled.
Meanwhile, Liu Xun sat atop the newly completed Chang'an Grand Theatre with a glass of freshly imported southern wine in his hand and murmured to the system, 'With people moving into the city, demand arises. Only with demand do my internal combustion engines and generators have meaning. Sage, our final battle is not on the altar, but beneath these smoking chimneys.'
[System Announcement] Achievement Completed: The Embryonic Formation of Urbanisation in the Han Dynasty
Population Flow Efficiency: Increased by 500%
Industrial Revolution Progress: 99.1%
Unlocked rewards: Basic Urban Sewage System Design Blueprint and High-Strength Flat Glass Production Line.
The nights in Chang'an used to be a realm of curfews and darkness, the silence occasionally broken by the sound of the watchman's clapper. Apart from the red candles burning in the inner palaces and mansions, the entire capital appeared to be a slumbering beast. However, for Liu Xun, darkness was the enemy of industry: without light, factory machines would cease operation and the millions of labourers who had recently arrived in the city would be unable to consume goods at night.
'Your Majesty, something strange has happened at the coking plant,' said Gongshu Qi, pointing to the massive coking furnaces on Ma'anshan Mountain on the outskirts of Chang'an. His expression was odd. 'When the coke is heated in a sealed environment, it spews out a pungent blue smoke through the pipes, igniting instantly and fiercely. The craftsmen all say it's 'demonic energy from the underworld' and dare not approach it.'
Upon hearing this, Liu Xun smiled with confidence. It wasn't demonic energy at all, but the key to unlocking the night-time economy of the industrial age: coal gas.
[System Energy Module: In-depth Development of By-products]
Core technologies: Gas Scrubbing and Purification Method (removal of tar and ammonia) and Constant Pressure Gas Storage Tank Design.
Transmission Network: Utilising existing cast iron water pipe technology to lay internal pressure pipelines covering the main roads of Chang'an.
Terminal devices: Bernese-style gas lamps with a built-in preheating air system and extremely high brightness.
At midnight on Zhuque Avenue, tens of thousands of Chang'an residents, envoys from various countries and industrial workers who had just finished work crowded the streets, staring at the cast iron lampposts standing every fifty steps, their faces full of confusion.A Roman envoy scoffed under his breath, "His Majesty said he would make Chang'an the 'never-setting sun' tonight. Isn't that just wishful thinking?"
Liu Xun stood on top of the bell tower in front of a row of massive cast-iron gates. He took a deep breath, activated Top Performance: Agent of Light, and slammed his right hand down. With a slight hissing sound, the gas instantly reached the lamp, igniting the pre-ignited spark. First there was a single ignition, and then, like a wildfire, thousands of gas lamps along Zhuque Avenue, in the East and West Markets and around the Imperial City walls exploded almost simultaneously in a blinding white light!
In that instant, half of Chang'an was illuminated as if it were daytime. Terrified people shielded their eyes, then erupted in cheers loud enough to shatter the heavens. The previously blurred cobblestone streets became crystal clear and the dark alleys were no longer shrouded in shadow.
'It's dawn! Dawn has broken in the middle of the night!'
'This isn't oil lamps; it's the light of the earth! His Majesty has truly caught the tail end of the sun!' The assassins, who had planned to infiltrate Chang'an under the cover of darkness, were exposed by the blinding light of the gas lamps and instantly killed by a hail of arrows from the patrolling armoured guards. The advent of gas lamps completely shattered the thousand-year-old curfew system.
[Three-Shift System] Factories are no longer bound by sunset, and the roar of steam engines now echoes day and night under the lights. The industrial output of the Han Dynasty doubles overnight.
[Night Economy]: Commercial streets remain sleepless, bookshops are packed with students seeking knowledge, operas celebrating industrial miracles are performed in theatres and the cries of vendors create an unprecedented boom.[Evolution of Public Security] Wherever the light reaches, the crime rate drops dramatically. Standing atop the clock tower, Liu Xun gazes at the dazzling, dreamlike dragon of lights below, while the system panel flashes wildly before his eyes. Data sets represent an agrarian civilisation being forcibly propelled into the modern era.
[System Announcement] Milestone Achieved: The urbanisation process of the Han dynasty has surpassed 15%.
Civilisation Level Weight: The foundation of industrial civilisation is stabilising.
Rewards received: Basic Telegraph Encoding Table and Large-Scale Literacy Education Plan.
System evaluation: 'When humanity no longer fears the night, they will begin to contemplate the truths of the stars.' Looking at the young people holding newspapers and discussing the efficiency of the new machine tools under the lamplight, Liu Xun said calmly, 'We have light now. Now, I want to light a lamp in their heads as well.'