The Bosphorus Strait, the golden waterway that connects the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, has been a strategically vital 'throat of the world' since ancient times. However, on this day, the surging waves bore witness to an unprecedented display of despair when the Han Empire's steel fleet appeared like a cold guillotine at the strait's narrowest point.
As the morning mist dissipated, the defenders of Constantinople were horrified to discover that the sea was not dotted with sails but with six 'mobile fortresses' belching black smoke.
Liu Xun stood on the bridge of the Zhenhai Type II heavy cruiser. The riveted steel deck beneath his feet was incredibly sturdy and the main gun turrets beside him boasted a calibre of 203 millimetres. This behemoth, optimised by the system and meticulously crafted by Han Heavy Industries, had utterly extinguished the last vestiges of the age of sail.
[System Armament Module: Sea Power Lockdown]
Core ships: 2 cruisers + 4 destroyers
Blockade radius: Full coverage within visual range (approximately 20 kilometres).
Deterrent weapon: 'Radio-guided fire correction' — cooperating with shore-based observation and communication stations to achieve cross-visual-range strikes.
Gongshu Qi reported via radio: 'Your Majesty, we have intercepted a remnant Roman fleet attempting to storm the port. They are carrying large quantities of saltpeter and grain.' Liu Xun remained expressionless, not even putting down his copy of The Theory of Industrial Foundations: 'Signal them: 'Those who cross the line will be sunk.'"
Several wooden merchant ships with sails attempted to use the monsoon winds to speed through the blockade, but against the Zhenhai Type II's speed, this was like a 'tortoise and hare race'. Two deafening cannon shots sent columns of water tens of metres high instantly rising from the sea. The massive shockwave from the near miss snapped the wooden ship's keel directly.
The ancient ballistae and early smoothbore cannons on the walls of Constantinople attempted to retaliate, but aside from leaving white scratches and deafening clangs on the carburised steel armour of the Han warships, the hundred-pound stones and iron balls did nothing to harm them.
'Too weak,' said Liu Xun, ordering the main guns to return fire. With just one salvo, the once "unbreakable" fortress tower collapsed like a sandcastle under the onslaught of high-explosive shells. Amidst the rubble and dust, the last remaining link between the Western world and Eastern resources was completely severed.
The blockade of the Bosphorus Strait was not only a military victory, but also an 'economic torture' of the remaining Western powers.
[Soaring prices] — The prices of spices and silk in the western provinces increased a hundredfold.
Energy disruption — Coal reserves transported from the Black Sea coast to Rome were running low, forcing factories to shut down.
Psychological collapse — When Western nobles discovered that their refined lifestyle depended on the Han Dynasty's 'transit permits', their last will to resist crumbled.
[System Announcement] Achievement Completed: [Mediterranean Key – Pinnacle of Naval Power].
On both sides of the strait, the flag of the Han Dynasty — a black flag bearing a red dragon — fluttered in the salty sea breeze. Liu Xun lightly drew a circle on the nautical chart, turning the entire Mediterranean into the Han Empire's 'inland lake'.
Judgment: The logistical lifeline of Western civilisation is now entirely under the control of the Han Empire.
Unlocked rewards: Mine Deployment Technology, Early Sonar Prototype.
System prompt: Lord Liu, abnormal electromagnetic fluctuations have been detected deep in the far western Atlantic Ocean. They are suspected to be from the last escaped submarine of the 'Correctors'. Liu Xun looked at the unknown sea area on the map and sneered. 'Want to be a deep-sea fish? Gongshuqi, load our batch of depth charge prototypes onto the ship. Since we're going to blockade it, even the underwater fish will have to be 'Han's'."
The smoke from the battle had not yet cleared from the Bosphorus Strait and the roar of the Han Dynasty's ironclad warships could still be heard echoing along both banks. Liu Xun stood with his hands behind his back on the reef. Suddenly, the long-dormant system interface in his mind burst forth with a blinding golden light. As the last line of naval defence in the west crumbled, the system's 'Ultimate Milestone' was finally unlocked.
System Announcement: Unification of the Territory Progress: 95%. Hidden reward triggered: Domination of the entire domain. Troop Production Module Unlocked — Divine Machine Battalion: Hot Air Balloon Heavy Armoured Column'. Technical features: High-strength coated silk fabric, liquid fuel burner, external loading points on the basket. 'Your Majesty,' said Gongshu Qi, his voice trembling as he gazed at the sky. 'I never imagined you would lead the soldiers of the Han Dynasty to pluck the stars from the heavens.'
Liu Xun watched the massive sphere rapidly taking shape in the rear military factory, his eyes burning with fervour. 'The land is measured by tracks; the sea is locked by ironclad armour. Now, this sky will also bear the name of the Han Dynasty.'
Unlike civilian acrobatic air shows, the Shenji Battalion's hot air balloons were true war machines. Each sphere was coated with bulletproof fibre and the enormous baskets were made of lightweight aluminium alloy and hung with specially made high-explosive grenades and white phosphorus incendiary canisters.
[Tactical Role] Guided Attack: Utilises wireless telegraph to provide precise impact point corrections to the rear heavy artillery regiment from high altitude.
- Vertical Strike: Ignoring any walls or fortifications, it delivers death directly to the enemy commander.
Psychological Deterrence: When hundreds of black spheres block out the sunlight, the will to resist of any mortal crumbles instantly.The last defensive position of the 'Correctors' on the remaining islands in the Far Western Atlantic was built on a treacherous mountainside. Ironclad warships could not approach it, and tanks could barely climb the terrain. 'You can't get up this bottomless cliff, Liu Xun!' the remnants of the Correctors' consciousness roared in the gale. Liu Xun sneered and waved his hand lightly. 'Divine Machine Battalion, take off!'
As burners spewed eerie blue flames, hundreds of hot air balloons emblazoned with black dragon patterns slowly rose into the clouds like a flock of ancient giant birds. With the help of high-altitude air currents, they easily crossed the so-called 'natural barrier'. From above, the Correctors' position resembled an unobstructed chessboard.
'Coordinates 104, elevation 15 degrees, fire!' The Shenji Battalion soldiers activated their 'God's-eye view' from a thousand metres up. There was no need for a charge or hand-to-hand combat; hundreds of high-explosive shells, accompanied by sharp whistles, rained down from the sky and precisely penetrated the gaps in the Correctors' bunkers.
Instantly, the entire island transformed into an erupting volcano, and the Correctors' proud ambush positions became as fragile as a child's sandcastle in the face of the Great Han's vertical strike.
As the sun set, Liu Xun boarded a specially made golden gondola and slowly ascended into the sky. Below him lay Europe, already subjugated, and in the distance, the industrialised Central Plains of his homeland.
The wireless telegraph inside the gondola ticked away as it sent the Great Han's latest decrees to every corner of the globe.
System Final Evaluation: Achievement Completed: 'The Beginning of Air Power: A Mortal Myth.'
Judgment: The Great Han Empire has officially entered the 'All-Dimensional Warfare Era'.
Unlocked rewards: Basic Propeller Power Research and the High-Altitude Pressurised Cabin Concept.
Looking down at the blue planet, Liu Xun calmly said to the void, 'Corrector, can you see? 'The sky is no longer the abode of the gods, but the Great Han Divine Machine Battalion's firing range.'
Cold winds blew black smoke across the Bosphorus Strait, and Constantinople, the 'imperial capital' that had stood for millennia, trembled with unprecedented fear. The defenders on the city walls stared numbly at the sky, their eyes filled with despair and confusion. Initially, they had believed that the Han Dynasty's steel fleet had merely blocked the strait; as long as they held their triple-walled city and had ample food reserves and "Greek fire", they could wait for a turning point. However, Liu Xun had no intention of giving them that chance.
At dawn, the residents of Constantinople did not see the sun, but a black 'cloud' blotting out the sky.
This was the [Divine Machine Battalion Hot Air Balloon Column]: hundreds of enormous black silk spheres, coated in bulletproof paint and propelled by eerie blue flames from liquid fuel burners. They had crossed the Alps, carried by high-altitude air currents, and now hovered directly above Constantinople like a group of silent grim reapers.
Real-time system monitoring: absolute air control
Altitude: 1500 metres (exceeding the range of all existing city defence weapons)
Loadout: Each basket is equipped with 20 'first generation high-explosive white phosphorus incendiary bombs'.
Wind Correction: Radio guidance, error range 50 metres.
'Your Majesty, targets locked: St. Sophia Cathedral, St. Rios Fortress and the enemy saltpeter depot.' Gongshu Qi received the high-altitude firing correction information via radio in the command room of the Zhenhai. Meanwhile, Liu Xun stood on the main deck, looking at the tiny ancient city in the morning light through binoculars, and slowly raised his right hand.
'Since they don't believe in science, let them experience my destiny in a chemical reaction.'
As his hand fell, radio waves exploded in the air: 'Shenji Battalion, free bombing!'
From high above, hundreds of small black dots emerged from the baskets one after another. Whoosh! A sharp whistling sound ripped through the tranquillity of Constantinople as the first high-explosive white phosphorus incendiary bomb struck the dome of the Hagia Sophia with pinpoint accuracy. Boom!
In the enormity of the explosion, a strange, garlic-smelling white flame instantly engulfed the entire building. This flame was highly adhesive and smouldered in the air. Any attempt to extinguish it with soil or water only fuelled its flames.
'This is divine punishment! Run!' The defenders collapsed. Their proud triple walls were as fragile as children's toys in the face of the vertical strike from ten thousand metres above. The sturdy fortifications that had withstood countless barbarian attacks were instantly transformed into furnaces by the intense heat of the white phosphorus.
Incendiary bombs rained down, saltpeter warehouses exploded and the harbour caught fire. Within half an hour, Constantinople had become a massive inferno, spewing black smoke and eerie blue flames. As the sun set, the hot air balloon formation slowly returned after completing its bombing mission.
Liu Xun watched through the arc searchlight as the ancient city burned fiercely in the darkness. A thousand years of glory, countless books, statues and nobles had all turned to ash in the roar of chemical reactions.
[System Announcement] Achievement Completed: [Air Power Begins – Ultimate Deterrence].
Judgment: Constantinople, a symbol of Western civilisation, has physically perished.
Unlocked rewards: Basic Aerodynamics Model (Propeller Concept) and First Draft of High-Altitude Sealed Cabin Technology.
System prompt: Lord Liu, there are no organised resistance forces left on Earth. You can now usher in a new era of 'Industrial Unification'.
Liu Xun gently wiped the dust off the radio receiver. His eyes were deep as he said, "Where science reaches, all becomes dust. Gongshu Qi, don't let the fire burn for too long. I still need to build the Han Dynasty's first hydroelectric power station on those ruins.'
The embers of Constantinople were still burning, and the dragon flag of the Han Empire had been planted on every inch of the Old World. Liu Xun's carriage passed the terminus of the Lanzhou–Xinjiang Railway on its way back to the city known as "Chang'an", which had evolved into the "industrial heart". Tonight, Chang'an would not sleep.
On the banks of the Wei River, a colossal building made of blue bricks and refined steel rose from the ground. Its four massive chimneys pierced the sky — the breathing vents of the Han dynasty's industry. 'Your Majesty, the boiler pressure has reached the critical value, and the triple-unit vertical steam turbine is ready.' Gongshu Qi's face was covered in grease, but his eyes shone with almost fanatical devotion. Before him was the 'ten-thousand-kilowatt AC generator set', a system reward and three years' worth of construction by Han Dynasty Heavy Industry, emitting a deep, powerful hum.
[System Energy Module: The Second Industrial Revolution Begins]
Core technologies: Tesla-style AC power system, high-voltage transformer.
Installed capacity: 12,000 kW (enough to power the entire core area of Chang'an).
Milestone: Humanity officially bids farewell to the limitations of steam power output, entering the era of 'long-distance power transmission'.
Liu Xun ascended the hundred-metre-high 'Great Han Tower of Heaven'. The spire is no longer a golden feng shui ball, but a massive, cross-shaped copper radio transmission array. Beneath his feet, countless black power lines stretched like a spider's web along Zhuque Avenue into the distance, with a crystal-clear vacuum bulb adorning each pole.
'Your Majesty, 3,000 radio receiving stations worldwide are now online simultaneously.' Liu Xun took the ruby-encrusted 'high-sensitivity electromagnetic microphone', took a deep breath, and his voice instantly crossed mountains and oceans via invisible electromagnetic waves.
'My people, and all of you listening to this message from afar.' Liu Xun's voice echoed through every conquered city. He abruptly pulled down the heavy, pure silver switch at the top of the tower. With a loud bang, electricity surged through the darkness like a rushing river.
From Zhuque Avenue to the East and West Markets, tens of thousands of incandescent tungsten filament lamps lit up simultaneously, illuminating the previously dim city of Chang'an with a light brighter than daylight. Roman nobles and Persian merchants, who had previously relied on kerosene lamps for light, knelt in unison, exclaiming, 'A god has descended!'
'From this day forward, darkness will no longer be humanity's prison.' Standing atop the radiant tower, Liu Xun overlooked this dreamlike city that never slept. He declared into the microphone, word by word: 'Today, I solemnly proclaim to the world: the flames of the old era have been extinguished. Wherever sunlight shines, that is the territory of the Great Han. Wherever radio waves reach, those are the people of the Great Han.'
Chang'an had now written the definition of civilisation. The earth is the Great Han, and the Great Han is civilisation! As the declaration was made, the people of Chang'an erupted in thunderous cheers.
[System Announcement: Global Unification Achievement — Final Success]
Evaluation: You have completed an unprecedented dimensional expansion.
Current Tech Tree: Second Industrial Revolution – Electric Age, Fully Loaded.
Unlock Ultimate Branch: Interstellar Voyage – Liquid Rocket.
System alert: due to abnormal fluctuations in the global power grid, the prehistoric probe on the far side of the moon has been activated.
Liu Xun turned off the microphone and looked at the dazzling sea of lights below. His eyes showed no sign of slackening, but rather a burning ambition. He turned to Gongshu Qi and said:
'Gongshu Qi, don't just stare at the lights. Now that electricity is secured, tell the Academy of Sciences when we can start building that 'skyrocket' capable of escaping Earth's gravity.'
Even though the neon lights of Chang'an City had not yet faded, the Great Han Empire had already launched its assault on the ancient, silent sea of stars. Deep within Jiuquan, the "Dragon's Roar Launch Site", classified as top secret by the Empire, rose from the ground.
Liu Xun stood beneath the massive steel service tower and gazed up at the jet-black metal behemoth, which was painted with crimson dragon patterns and was known as the 'Long March Zero Liquid Oxygen-Kerosene Experimental Rocket'.
'Your Majesty, I have consulted ancient texts. In a previous dynasty, there was a remarkable man named 'Wan Hu', who tied a rocket to a chair in an attempt to reach the moon, but was reduced to ashes in the process. Today, we have gathered minerals from around the world and harnessed the Empire's electricity to fulfil 'Wan Hu's wish' in steel.' Gongshu Qi stroked the rocket's cold casing, his voice somewhat hoarse.
Liu Xun activated Supreme Navigator: Deep Space Vision. To him, this was not just a rocket, but humanity's first attempt to escape the 'cradle of gravity'.
[System Aerospace Module: First Stage Acceleration]
Power source: Liquid oxygen-kerosene engine (primary cycle system).
Shell material: High-strength aluminium-lithium alloy (system smelting).
Payload: A commemorative plaque made of titanium alloy, engraved with a map of the Han Dynasty, and a high-frequency radio broadcaster.
Risk assessment: Atmospheric friction ablation (probability 30%), fuel pump failure (probability 15%).
'Sixty seconds to go, liquid oxygen supply shut off, internal power transfer.' In the command hall, thousands of scholars from the 'Great Han Academy of Sciences', dressed in white lab coats and wearing headsets, nervously typed on keyboards.
Liu Xun personally walked to the main control console and pressed the red button symbolising the change of eras. 'Ignition!'
At his command of 'Ignition!', a blinding white light, hot enough to melt steel, suddenly erupted from the base of the rocket. Dozens of tons of liquid oxygen and kerosene burned violently in an instant, the resulting thrust causing the entire Gobi Desert to tremble. A huge cloud of water vapour rose into the sky — the first roar of the Great Han against Earth's gravity. 'Altitude 10,000 metres, speed twice the speed of sound, initiating the turn!' Like a golden sword, the rocket pierced the azure sky straight ahead. As it ascended, the once thick atmosphere began to thin. The frantic roar of the liquid oxygen pumps could be heard on receivers worldwide — a power transcending civilisation, the strongest kinetic energy condensed by the Han Empire, built upon the ruins of Rome and beneath the flickering electric lights.
'First stage separation! Fairing jettison!' Finally breaking through the Kármán line and entering the pitch-black suborbital space, the rocket received Liu Xun's final command: 'Activate the broadcast system and send the Han Dynasty's "calling card" into the depths of space.'
High-frequency radio waves propagated at the speed of light into the depths of the Milky Way. This was no cry for help or compromise, but rather a waveform personally recorded by Liu Xun: 'I, Liu Xun, Emperor of the Han Dynasty, declare that the gravity of Earth can no longer imprison my people. If you are watching, 'Cleaners', remember this signal: this planet is no longer your observation box, but a warship of the Han Dynasty!"
The rocket debris eventually crashed into the ocean, but the titanium alloy commemorative plaque remained in orbit around the Earth forever.
[System Announcement: The Space Age Begins]
[Achievement Completed: Breaking Through the Atmosphere, Civilization Ascends'.
[Judgment: Earth civilisation officially transforms into a primary interstellar civilisation.
Unlocked rewards:
Satellite Communication Technology Overview
Ion Thruster Theoretical Sketch
[Lunar Landing Module Design]
System Emergency Notification: 'Lord Liu, due to your overly conspicuous signal, the "prehistoric monitoring station" on the far side of the Moon has emitted a self-check pulse.' Liu Xun walked out of the command centre and looked up at the bright moon. He knew that, in the shadows on the far side of the Moon, the entity that had 'corrected' human civilisation countless times was watching him.
'Gongshu Qi, prepare to recruit the first batch of "space suicide soldiers".' Liu Xun sneered, adjusting his cloak. 'I'm not used to people spying on me. Next month, I'm going to turn the Moon into another 'prefecture' of the Han dynasty.'