Weiyang Palace, Chang'an. Although the smoke of the Western Expedition seemed like yesterday, Liu Xun had already changed out of his dusty Parthian military uniform and into a wide, black imperial robe embroidered with gold.
Inside the Xuan Shi Hall, the air was thick with the fragrance of sandalwood, but this could not mask the decaying stench of the old era coming from the piles of memorials.
Court officials knelt on the ground, arguing endlessly about the 'governance costs of the Parthian Province'. To these conservative ministers, the Western Expedition represented the furthest extent of territorial expansion; beyond that lay the legendary abode of the 'Queen Mother of the West'.
'System, activate "Holographic Geographic Projection – Mirror Replication".' Target: Floor tiles of the Xuan Shi Hall in Weiyang Palace.'
[System Command]: 'Consuming 5,000 points of national fortune, loading a 16^(th)-century precision global hydrogeological map and dynamic simulation of ocean current trends.'
Visual enhancement: Sense of descent increased by 200%.
Liu Xun slowly rose, his Ding Qin sword pointing not at the traitorous minister but at his feet. 'My ministers, raise your heads and look at the "world" beneath your feet.'
In an instant, the entire floor of the hall transformed into a transparent deep sea. Under the horrified gaze of Gongshu Qi and Banji, a ghostly blue light seeped from the cracks in the floor tiles, outlining a massive arc-shaped landmass.
'Your Majesty... what kind of sorcery is this?' The old prime minister trembled as he pointed to the vast, deep blue area beneath his feet. This area was known as the 'Atlantic Ocean'. 'Isn't our Great Han surrounded only by the four seas? Why is there such a vast landmass at the end of the sea?' Liu Xun activated 'Top Performance: Sage Who Sees Through the Universe." He walked slowly across the projection of the 'American continent', creating ripples of light and shadow with each step.
'You think the Han Dynasty is the centre of the world, but in my eyes, it is merely a small piece of this enormous sphere.' Liu Xun's sword tip sliced across the Mediterranean Sea and the Sahara, finally stopping in the distant east — the Pacific Ocean. 'Here lie high-yield crops such as potatoes and corn that could feed the Han people for five hundred years. There are deep underground gold mines worth tens of thousands of taels. Yet you argue endlessly over tiny tariffs?'
'Your Majesty has gone mad! You have been bewitched by the demons of the Western Regions!' An old imperial censor wept bitterly and kowtowed frantically. 'The round heaven and square earth are the ancestral laws. Your Majesty has drawn a sphere; where does that place your ancestors?'
Liu Xun sneered and flicked his finger in the air. A huge, slowly rotating holographic globe appeared, suspended in the centre of the hall.
[System Prompt]:
[Worldview Impact Intensity]: Extremely High
[Minister's Psychological Collapse Progress]: 30%
Inspiration from investigative studies spreads (young officials begin to develop a desire to explore).
'I am not insane, but I have seen the path of the stars.' Liu Xun's voice was like a resounding bell, causing the lights in the hall to flicker. 'This sphere is called "Earth", with land accounting for only 30%; the remaining 70% is vast ocean. I already hold power over the land, but the oceans account for 70% of the planet and are the lifeblood of the Han Dynasty." Liu Xun sheathed his sword, his eyes flashing with a light more dazzling than any projection.
'Gongshu Qi, ignore the wailing of those old fogies.' He turned to the agitated Gongshu Qi. 'I want you to build the first Great Han Shipyard in Jiaozhou Bay (Qingdao). Not just wooden ships, but steel ones with steam engines too! I want to build an iron monster that can roam the oceans without needing wind!"
[System reward distribution]
Achievement: Pioneer of the Great Geographical Discovery
Unlocked rewards: Basic Nautical Clock Blueprint, High-Latitude Star Navigation Algorithm and Scurvy Prevention Manual (Citrate Extraction Method).
Liu Xun stood at the centre of the enormous projection, looking down at the trembling ministers kneeling on the 'Five Continents'. He knew that, from that moment on, the Han dynasty's civil service system would undergo its most brutal reorganisation. Those unable to adapt to the age of sea power would ultimately be crushed by the rolling waves of the old era.
The glow of the globe within the Xuan Shi Hall had barely faded when Liu Xun's decree swept across the long southeastern coastline of the Han Dynasty like a whirlwind. He didn't even glance at the old ministers who were still agonising over the 'round heaven and square earth' theory. His mind was completely absorbed in the newly displayed golden attributes from the system.
'System, activate the "Maritime Infrastructure – Shipbuilding Administration" module and load the core technologies: European-style longitudinal keel structure and reinforced Chinese-style watertight compartments."
'System command: Consumes 45,000 'National Fortune Points'."
Technology unlocked: Hybrid power keel reinforcement technology, gravity drainage valve system and manganese steel anti-corrosion rivet technology.
Core bonus: Hull structural strength increased by 600%; wind and wave resistance level increased to level 12.
Privilege reward: [Eye of Heavenly Craftsmanship] (instantly scans for internal cracks and bubbles in wood and steel). Liu Xun spread a large blank silk scroll on the table. With a flick of his finger, a ship structure unlike anything seen in the Han Dynasty appeared on the paper — a massive keel running across the hull like a spine, complemented by tightly divided compartments.
'In the past, a single leak in a large ship would sink the entire vessel, but my ship can still cleave through the waves even if half its side is smashed!'
In order to support his expansionist ambitions in this "sphere", Liu Xun ordered the establishment of a supreme military institution, independent of the Ministry of Works: the Great Han Shipbuilding Administration. He unfolded a map of the southeast and pressed down heavily on four points with his fingertips:
Jiaozhou Base (Beihai): Relying on nearby coal and iron resources, specialising in experimental all-steel ships.
Chongming Base (Yangtze River Estuary): Utilising the Yangtze River's golden waterway to build 'inland river and near-shore steamships'.
Quanzhou Base (Southern Fujian): Construction of 'large ocean-going armed transport ships' integrating Southeast Asian timber with Chinese compartmentalisation technology.
Panyu Base (Lingnan): Serving as a springboard for southward expansion and secretly developing 'tropical special-purpose speedboats and supply ships'.
'Your Majesty, I understand the "watertight compartments", but how can this ship float with a cast-iron keel? The century-old carpenters in Quanzhou say iron sinks in water.' Gongshu Qi, with dark circles under his eyes, held the 'Buoyancy Balance Calculation Table' printed by the system, feeling his understanding of physics crumbling.
Liu Xun smiled slightly and casually tossed a flattened, thin gold basin into the pond in the Imperial Garden. The basin floated steadily.
'Gongshu Qi, remember this truth: if the displacement is greater than its own weight, iron can float on the sea.' Liu Xun activated his 'Top Performance: The Wise Man of the New Era" and said, "What I want is not a wooden ship, but a behemoth encased in steel and spewing flames. Send those old carpenters who can't calculate buoyancy to the Academy of Physics for retraining!"
Several days later, Jiaozhou Bay (Qingdao).
Liu Xun personally witnessed the scene. Inside the massive dry dock, hundreds of craftsmen were working together to pull a pulley system, slowly placing a thirty-zhang-long 'manganese steel composite keel', forged in the special blast furnace of the Imperial Academy of Materials, onto its base.
[System Notification]:
[Han Dynasty Shipbuilding Industry Value]: Increased from 0 to 15 (crossing the threshold of basic modern industry).
[Prototype of Maritime Hegemony]: Beginning to take shape.
Unlocked limited-time mission: First Steam Paddlewheel Ship Trial Voyage
Reward preview: High-Magnification Nautical Telescope, Basic Radio Morse Code Machine
As the keel thudded back into place, Liu Xun stood on the seawall and let the sea breeze tousle his long hair. He turned to the leader of the Hidden Dragon Guard and whispered, 'From today onwards, blockade the four major bases within a radius of fifty li. If any Roman or Southeast Asian spies approach, do not report them; kill them directly. I want to give this 'sphere' a huge surprise.'
Although the steel keel of the warship had already been placed in Jiaozhou Bay, Liu Xun knew that, during the mid-19th-century technological transition, the stability of the centre of gravity and the flexibility of the deck of such a large steel ship still required top-quality timber. One of the proposed solutions was a special type of timber called 'Dragon-Subduing Wood' (a variant of high-density ironwood and ebony) that grew only in the powerful, miasma-ridden mountains of Lingnan.
At that time, although Lingnan was nominally under the control of the Han dynasty, it was actually dominated by the powerful Zhao clan, who claimed descent from the King of Nanyue, as well as local chieftains. They blocked access to the forests, cut off the imperial court's timber harvesting rights and even smuggled spices to pirates in the South China Sea.
'System, locate the core growth area of "Dragon-Subduing Wood" and scan the defensive deployments of the Lingnan chieftains.'
[System Command]: 'National Fortune Value' consumed 8,000 points. The target is locked in the Shiwan Mountains of Guangxi and the hinterland of the Leizhou Peninsula. Resource attribute: 'Dragon-Subduing Wood', characterised by corrosion resistance, insect resistance and tensile strength approaching that of pig iron. Obstacle analysis indicates a 'fortified village system' constructed by powerful local families with complex terrain concealment and traps such as blowpipes and poison smoke.
In the Xuan Shi Hall, Liu Xun traced the green map of the south with his fingertips. "Issue my decree," he said. "Order the Deputy Director of the Shipbuilding Bureau to lead 5,000 troops carrying the Academy of Natural Sciences' forest-specific mountain guns to Lingnan to retrieve my shipbuilding materials." Meanwhile, in the Zhao Family Fortress in Lingnan, the powerful chieftain Zhao Heng sat sneering at the Han Dynasty's grain requisition officer. 'In Lingnan, the mountains are high and the emperor is far away. That so-called 'Dragon-Subduing Wood' is a gift from the mountain god. Liu Xun wants it? Trade it for ten times the gold! Otherwise, not a single piece of wood will leave the pass!"
Zhao Heng, the chieftain, sat in his chair looking at the Han Dynasty's grain requisition officer and sneered. 'In Lingnan, the mountains are high and the emperor is far away. That so-called 'Dragon-Subduing Wood' is a gift from the mountain god. Liu Xun wants it? Trade it for ten times the gold! Otherwise, not a single piece of wood will leave the pass!"
As soon as he had finished speaking, a deep rumble echoed from the distant mountains.
Rather than challenging them directly, Liu Xun's advance envoy unleashed the 'Chemical Herbicide - Scorched Earth Version' and 'Lightweight Bulk-Loaded Rifled Mountain Gun' — both of which were system rewards.
'His Majesty decrees: Under heaven, all land belongs to the king. Anyone who dares to hoard the nation's most important weapons will be exterminated!'
Faced with such a disparity in firepower, the supposed jungle obstacles were rendered insignificant. The Han army used 'hot air balloons for high-altitude reconnaissance' to locate the granaries and ammunition depots of the Zhao clan's fortified village with precision.
Liu Xun personally visited the logging site on the Leizhou Peninsula. When the first 'Dragon-Subduing Tree', which was fifty zhang tall and required ten men to encircle, was felled by a massive 'steam-powered chainsaw', the entire forest trembled.
[System Prompt]:
[Lingnan Administrative Control]: Increased to 98%.
[Special Shipbuilding Material Reserves]: Increased by 50,000 cubic metres (enough to support twenty 10,000-tonne hybrid-powered warships).
[Achievement]: [Southern Frontier Pacifier]
Unlock reward: Basic natural rubber vulcanisation technology (from Lingnan rubber forests).
Dozens of barges, fully loaded with heavy dragon-taming wood, travelled north along the Grand Canal and the coastline, heading straight for the four major shipbuilding bases.
At the dock entrance of the Quanzhou base, Liu Xun watched as the deep, dark wood was precisely processed into standard deck veneers by steam planers. This composite structure of 'inner steel and outer wood' would become the Han Navy's ultimate weapon for dominating the oceans.
'The Zhao family thinks it is guarding the mountains, but it is actually guarding the bottom of my ships.' Liu Xun stroked the cold wood grain, his eyes flashing with the cold ruthlessness of a harvester. 'Order Jiaozhou Bay to prepare for the "Dragon-Taming Ceremony". I want to show the South Sea pirates what 'Dragon-Taming Enters the Sea' truly means.'
A sea breeze, carrying a slightly pungent, salty smell, swept across the newly built, ten-mile-long, stone dry dock in Dengzhou (present-day Penglai), blotting out the sun. Tens of thousands of craftsmen and soldiers stood solemnly, their eyes burning with intensity and fixed on the black behemoth rising like a mountain in the centre of the dock.
This was not the cumbersome, slow grain transport ships of old, but the pinnacle of the Great Han Academy of Materials: a fusion of centuries of woodworking craftsmanship and the latest steel technology — the 'Five-Story Composite Steam Treasure Ship'.
Liu Xun ascended the reviewing stand named 'Xuanwei' and activated 'System Flagship Data Monitoring'.
System Command: Scan Target: First Ocean-Going Battleship (Experimental Model).
Core parameters: Structure: longitudinal manganese steel keel and Lingnan dragon-slaying wood watertight compartments; Propulsion: twin-shaft steam paddle wheels and six-mast sail assistance (hybrid power); Firepower: 32 12-pound breech-loading smoothbore cannons mounted on the broadsides and two 24-pound heavy mortars at the bow.
Armour: Key areas are covered with layered, cold-forged, thin steel plates.
Liu Xun stroked the railing in front of the platform, recalling every rivet of the ship in his mind. He had spent nearly 100,000 units of national fortune to build this ship, propelling the Han Dynasty's naval technology forward by two centuries.
When Liu Xun received the glass bottle filled with tribute wine from the Western Regions, the entire hall fell into a deathly silence. According to ancestral custom, the first flagship should have been named 'Qilin' or 'Breaking Waves' to demonstrate national power.
Liu Xun slowly walked to the bow, where a layer of red silk covered the surface. He personally pulled back the silk to reveal three powerful, slightly melancholic gold-lacquered characters: 'Xu Pingjun Ship.'
'Your Majesty...' The old minister behind him hesitated.
Liu Xun turned around. His eyes were no longer cold as when he had defeated Parthia; instead, they were filled with an Oscar-worthy depth of emotion that was utterly genuine. 'I promised her a peaceful life, yet I let her leave the palace in desolation. Now, I will conquer the universe and let her sit on the grandest ship, witnessing the world's splendour and travelling to the farthest reaches of the earth, where all conspiracies will vanish.'
[System Notification]
[Emotional Resonance Value]: The entire army's morale soars, gaining the Undying Protection trait.
[Longing for Deceased Wife Factor]: Converted into the ship's Luck Value: +20.
"Into the sea!" As Liu Xun smashed the wine bottle against the steel keel, the sound of it shattering transformed into a tsunami-like cheer.
The Xu Pingjun, weighing thousands of tons, slowly moved along the massive wooden runway. The enormous paddle wheels began their trial run and white smoke billowed from the exhaust pipes like a dragon entering the sea. When the massive, five-storey hull finally crashed into the East China Sea, the resulting giant waves directly eroded the seawall as if the sea itself were paying tribute to this belated 'Empress'.
Liu Xun ascended the ten-zhang-high bridge and stood before the helm. The waves beneath his feet overlapped with the 'Global Ocean Current Route Map' provided by the system. Gongshu Qi, feeling the vibrations of the engines beneath his feet, asked with fervent eyes, 'Your Majesty, can this ship truly reach the other side of the sea?'
'It's not just the other side of the sea.' Liu Xun gazed at the unknown mists to the west, activating 'Sea Power Overlord: Global Vision.' 'She will carry the will of the Han Dynasty to the South Seas to harvest rubber and to the far south to mine gold. She will go to the place where the sun rises and proclaim to every island that the name of this vast ocean is "Han" of the Han Dynasty.'
[Achievement Acquired]: 'Founder of the Sea Power Era.'
Unlocked rewards: Basic Scurvy Treatment (Early Stage of Synthetic Vitamin C), Marine High-Powered Reflecting Telescope Set.
Liu Xun closed his eyes as if hearing the gentle whispers of a woman in the sea breeze and sounded the steam whistle abruptly.
A piercing cry ripped through the sky and the Han Dynasty's maritime era officially began amidst longing and the smoke of war.
As the towering, five-storey black silhouette of the 'Xu Pingjun' emerged from the entrance to the Strait of Malacca, it appeared as if the surface of the South China Sea had been cleanly sliced open by a giant blade. This steel behemoth, bearing the hopes and dreams of the Han emperor, brought the smoke of industrial civilisation to this area of the sea, which had been ruled by monsoons and pirates for millennia, for the first time.
In its way was a fleet of smugglers and plunderers led by the descendants of Chen Zuyi, who dominated the South China Sea for twenty years and were known as the 'Sea Dragon King'. More than two hundred fast ships, equipped with oil tanks and homemade whirlwind cannons, were densely packed across the horizon.
'Your Majesty, two hundred enemy ships are closing in like a "wolf pack". They intend to defeat us through hand-to-hand combat, boarding manoeuvres and setting fire to the lower decks of our ships," said Gongshu Qi, his palms sweating profusely as he stood on the command tower.
Meanwhile, Liu Xun stood with his hands behind his back on the bridge, the sea breeze ruffling his cloak to reveal the untouched Dingqin Sword at his waist. He activated the 'System – Naval Battle Command Module'.
System Command:
[Activate Shipwide Fire Control Joint Lock-On].
Target: Two hundred wooden sailing ships.
Environmental analysis: Crosswind force: 3. Wave height: 1.5 metres.
Tactical logic: Initiate a Dimensional Reduction Strike by firing a longitudinal half-salvo beyond the range of the enemy catapults.
'Gongshu Qi, don't let those filthy things damage Pingjun's hull.' Liu Xun's chilling voice, transmitted through the steam-powered microphone, echoed across the deck. 'Order the gun positions to fire a test shot. Target: Enemy flagship mast.'
With a wave of his hand, Liu Xun caused a twelve-pound breech-loading smoothbore cannon with a steel-lined casing on the third deck to emit a deep roar. Unlike traditional black powder, the Gewu Academy had been issued with a pre-stabilised nitrocellulose propellant.
A streak of fire ripped through the sky as the solid steel ball struck the pirate flagship's second mast with pinpoint accuracy. The massive wooden structure snapped, its beams collapsing and instantly crushing dozens of pirates into a bloody pulp.
'That was... lightning?' The pirate king, standing on the swaying deck, stared in terror at the strange ship three miles away, its sails flapping and billowing black smoke.
'Since they love fire, then I will grant them an eternal flame.'
Liu Xun activated 'Top-Tier Performance: The Judge of the Deep Sea." He ordered the Xu Pingjun to turn sideways, exposing all thirty-two of its broadside cannons to the enemy.
[System Plugin Activated]: White Phosphorus Cluster Bomb – Marine Type
Physical Effect: Utilising the self-igniting properties of white phosphorus in air, it adheres to the wooden hull and cannot be extinguished by water.
"Fire!"
Boom!
The entire sea trembles. Thirty-two white fireballs spread out in a fan shape and landed accurately among the pirate ships. The wooden boats, coated with tung oil for preservation, instantly transformed into giant sea torches. The pirates howled and jumped into the water, only to find that the flames continued to burn their skin even underwater. Half an hour later, only charred logs remained on the surface of the sea.
Liu Xun set foot on a deserted island called 'Lion Sands' — a vital choke point controlling the passage between the two oceans. He planted the Great Han Qilin Flag on the beach, and a pleasant notification sounded in his mind:
[System Notification]:
[First Victory in Naval Battle]: Destroyed 186 enemy ships, intimidating the thirty-six tribes of the South Seas.
[Strategic Outpost Achieved]: The "Great Han Malacca Overseas Coal Station" has been established, obtaining the [South Seas Harvester] achievement and unlocking the [Basic Centrifugal Fuel Pump] and [High-Purity Rubber Refining Technology (South Seas Specialty)] rewards. "Gongshu Qi, build a tall tower here and install my searchlight." Liu Xun looked back at the 'Xu Pingjun' ship anchored in the deep water. His gaze crossed the Strait of Malacca and landed on the distant Indian Ocean, which was rich in spices and gold. 'From now on, every drop of seawater in the South Seas will belong to the Han. Those who don't pay the 'toll' (five-zhu coins) will join the pirates."