The industrial roar of Chang'an had barely subsided when the Langya Shipyard, located on the shores of the East China Sea, was transformed into a sea of steel and fire. In the massive granite dry dock, a black behemoth that would make any sailor from the olden days tremble awaited its baptism.
'Your Majesty, this is top-grade teak imported from the South Seas. Each log can be forged into a magnificent ship capable of traversing the four seas.' The aged Minister of the Navy stroked the mountain of timber piled on the shore, his eyes filled with reluctance. 'Must we really discard it all? Without sails, how will the ship sail? If the boilers go out, won't it become an iron coffin at sea?'
Meanwhile, Liu Xun stood with his hands behind his back on the dam, ready to begin his 'Grand Performance: A Navigator Across Eras'. Casually flicking a spark into the pile of wood, he watched as the precious teak was instantly engulfed in flames. 'The wind is a fickle gift, but I hold the power of steam in my own hands.' He pointed to the mastless, black, manganese-steel-armour-clad 'monster' ahead and declared, 'From this day forward, the sea is no longer the domain of the Wind God, but the inland lake of the Han Dynasty!' As the sluice gates opened, seawater surged in, displacing 3,500 tons, and the Han Dynasty's first fully ironclad, steam-powered warship — the Zhenhai — slowly rose to the surface.
[System armament parameters synchronised]
Ship structure: All-steel frame, externally mounted with 200 mm carburised steel armour (enough to withstand any solid stone projectiles or arrowheads).
Core propulsion: Twin reciprocating steam engines with a top speed of 12 knots and 2000 horsepower
Armament: Twelve 150 mm rapid-fire cannons on the sides and two 300 mm "Nation-Destroying" rotary heavy cannons mounted in the centre of the deck.
Meanwhile, the Western Saints were not to be outdone. They assembled the 'Oracle Fleet', comprising the Holy Fire Cult, Rome and Parthia. Boasting 3,000 sailing warships, the fleet darkened the sky as it set out to blockade the Strait of Malacca and cut off the Han Dynasty's rubber supply line. 'They have the wind; we have the coal.'
Standing in the spacious armoured command tower of the 'Zhenhai', Liu Xun did not give the order to deploy; instead, he coldly uttered a single word: 'Charge!'
On the Western flagship, the High Priest of the Holy Fire Cult was frantically praying for a storm. However, the sea remained deathly silent. Just as they had mocked the sinking of the Han people's iron ships, the Zhenhai's massive propeller churned up towering waves like a raging steel shark, crashing headlong into the sails with unparalleled force.
'Crack' — that was the death knell of the splintering timber. The Zhenhai's sharp alloy ram sliced the so-called 'sacred wooden warship' in two as easily as cutting tofu. Then, the 300 mm rotary cannons roared for the first time, their explosive shells detonating inside the wooden cabins and instantly turning the three-tiered propeller towers into a hell of blood and wood chips.
'This isn't war, this is slaughter!' The clergy, who had fallen miraculously into the water, looked on in despair at the rows of black, smoke-spitting, impenetrable 'steel monsters'. Their faith was buried with the sinking flagship at that moment.
On the surface, the remaining wooden fragments floated, the last vestiges of a bygone era. Liu Xun stood on the deck, letting the sea breeze ruffle his black robe. The system interface flashed before his eyes:
[System Announcement] Main Quest: Regaining Sea Control Completed.
Achievement Rewards: Global Naval Base Coordinates Map, Basic Radio Direction Finding Technology.
Current Assessment: The Han Navy is 200 years ahead of global civilisation.Looking at the faintly visible western coastline in the distance, Liu Xun calmly ordered, "Proceed directly to the port of Rome for a 'friendly visit' without turning back. Tell the emperor that if he doesn't understand the meaning of 'open door', my ship's cannons will show him."
As the black smoke from the Zhenhai lingered in the Persian Gulf, Liu Xun's gaze did not linger on his victory. Instead, he unfolded the enormous animal-hide world map and paused his finger on the narrow desert strip between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean — the Isthmus of Suez. This was the choke point between Eastern and Western civilisations, and the final obstacle preventing the Han Dynasty's ironclad warships from entering the Atlantic Ocean.
'Your Majesty,' said Gongshu Qi, his voice trembling as he pointed to the map. 'Even with a steam engine, a round trip to Europe via the southern Cape of Good Hope would take months.' 'But if we can carve through a hundred miles of desert here, the Han fleet could reach Rome's doorstep in just ten days. Then the entire Mediterranean would become your bathtub.'
Liu Xun activated his Top-Tier Performance: The Creator Who Changes the World, grabbing a handful of red cinnabar and smearing it heavily on the isthmus. 'A detour is the helplessness of the weak. I will reverse the order of mountains and seas, isolating Africa from Asia. Issue an order to gather 300,000 prisoners of war from the Western Regions. I want to see the sea connected within two years!' In the eyes of the ancients, to carve a canal in a desert shrouded in sandstorms and devoid of water would be tantamount to suicide, but Liu Xun unleashed his long-accumulated [Infrastructure Black Technology].
[System Basic Modelling Team: Large-Scale Civil Engineering Revolution].
Core tool: Han Dynasty Type 1 steam long-arm excavator (tracked drive, capable of replacing a thousand people per day).
Transportation system: Rail-mounted dump truck (in conjunction with a temporarily laid light railway).Blasting technology: Nitroglycerin-based directional blasting for hard rock formations. Millions of tons of yellow sand were hurled up by giant steel shovels, while the deafening roar of steam echoed through the desert, which had remained silent for millennia. Captured Western Region nobles watched in despair as the Han people's 'iron monster' sliced through the earth as though it were butter.
'Your Majesty, there's no water. The workers and machines will all be paralysed.' Liu Xun smiled coldly and ordered the Freshwater Diversion Project to begin. Using precast concrete pipes and steam pumps, the Han dynasty diverted freshwater artificially from a tributary of the Nile, hundreds of miles away, into a canal. When the clear water flowed through the concrete pipes into the desert construction site, the parched labourers knelt in worship. To them, this was not just an extraordinary human achievement, but the work of a god moving mountains and rivers.
The sage sensed the Han dynasty's ambition and tried to summon the 'spirit of the sandstorm' using a secret method, in an attempt to bury the canal in a sea of sand. However, Liu Xun was prepared. He ordered the large-scale spraying of 'chemical sand-fixing agents' along both banks of the canal and erected high-strength, wind-catching nets.
The howling wind whipped up sand, but it crumbled and fell when it reached the Han dynasty's defences.
Standing atop the excavator, Liu Xun scoffed at the distant void: 'Sage, your divine power can only stir up dust, while my steam can move the earth. Make sure the next gust of wind is strong enough to cool down my steam fans." Two years later, the final layer of rock collapsed with a deafening explosion.
The saltwater of the Red Sea surged into the dried-up waterway like a blue dragon, crashing into the Mediterranean Sea. At the bow of the maiden voyage of the Zhenhai, Liu Xun stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the long, deep artificial waterway ahead and the millions of labourers kneeling and shouting 'Long live the Emperor!' on both banks.
'Suez...' Liu Xun murmured, then turned to the west, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.
[System Announcement] Miracle Construction: 'Great Han Suez Canal' completed!
Global shipping efficiency has increased by 800%!
Judgement: The Great Han Empire has seized control of the 'master switch' of global trade. Unlock the following weapons: Coastal Giant Cannon – Guardian Series and Basic Naval Mine Technology.
The azure waters of the Suez Canal had not yet calmed, but within the tents of the Han Dynasty's expeditionary force, the intense echo of clanging metal — a sound powerful enough to bring the age of knights to an abrupt end — reverberated along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean. On the island of Cyprus, Liu Xun stood before a makeshift armoury, two 'panaceas' before him that would reshape the history of warfare.
'While the crossbows of the past were formidable, their arrows were prone to wobbling in the air. Beyond a hundred paces, it was entirely a matter of fate,' said Gongshu Qi, holding a crossbow with an unusual shape and design. The inner wall of its barrel was engraved with spiral grooves — a feature known as a 'spiral rifled crossbow'.
[System Armoury Module: Ballistic Leap]
Core Principle: Gyroscopic stability (utilising the rifled crossbow to make the arrowhead spin at high speed and cut through the air).
Loading method: Rear-loading lever (no need to stand up and step on it; quick loading can be done while lying down)
Lethality: Within 500 paces, three layers of heavy armour are like paper.
Liu Xun took the rifled crossbow and, without activating the system's assistance, casually pulled the trigger.
The specially crafted steel-core arrowheads emitted a piercing whistle as they traced an almost straight white line through the air.
They instantly pierced a bronze shield three hundred paces away with undiminished force, embedding themselves firmly in the granite pillar behind it.
Behind the crossbow formation were arrayed rows of Jianwu Type 75mm Field Guns, gleaming with a cold blue light.
Unlike the bronze cannons of the Western Regions allied forces which easily exploded, the Han's cannons were made of carburised manganese steel with long, precision-rifled barrels.
'Your Majesty, this cannon isn't firing at stones, but at this,' said Gongshu Qi, holding up a conical fixed-explosive shell.
Liu Xun activated Top-Tier Performance: Terminator of the Art of War, gesturing towards a distant outpost fortress belonging to a Saint: 'Let those natives still living in the age of catapults see what "judgment beyond the horizon" truly means.'
On the horizon, the Saints' most elite 'Holy Fire Heavy Knights' were charging. Clad in heavy armour imbued with divine runes, they rode tall horses and attempted to tear the Han army apart with ancient charging tactics. However, the Han soldiers were hidden from view.
"Fire!" At Liu Xun's command, the field artillery spewed forth crimson tongues of fire. Conical shells spun rapidly through the air, covering a distance of five miles, and struck the centre of the cavalry formation with a deafening roar!
After the violent explosion, specially designed pre-formed shrapnel swept across the battlefield in a fan shape. The so-called 'divine armour' was as fragile as dried leaves in the face of the steel storm. When the remaining cavalry charged to within five hundred paces, expecting hand-to-hand combat, they were met with a volley of breech-loading rifled arrows from the Han crossbowmen.
Concealed behind fortifications, the crossbowmen could unleash a volley of spinning arrows every three seconds. The rain of arrows was no longer indiscriminate, but precise and accurate. The Knights of the Sacred Flame discovered, to their horror, that no matter how high they raised their shields, the spinning arrows pierced everything like drills and pinned them to their horses.
'This is witchcraft! This is not war!' A Roman centurion, who had somehow survived, broke down completely. He knelt in a pool of blood, having witnessed his commander being killed by a cannonball several miles away; his spirit was completely shattered.
The battlefield was deathly silent, except for the lingering heat emanating from the Han cannons and distorting the air.
Liu Xun lowered his binoculars and turned to Gongshu Qi. "Tell the logistics department that these old crossbows can be phased out," he said calmly. Now that we've solved the stability problem with the 'prime powder', I want to see the 'breech-loading bolt-action rifle' deployed.'
[System Announcement] Main Quest: 'Long-Range Firepower Upgrade' completed.
Industrial Revolution Progress: 99.8%
Rewards: Basic Radio Transmitter (Morse Code) and Mercury Fusion Refining Technology.
Looking towards Constantinople, Liu Xun said coldly to the Sage, "My cannonballs are at your doorstep. Are you going to come out and talk to me about 'free trade', or are you going to wait in your temple for me to reduce your idols to rubble?'
In Liu Xun's eyes, the walls of Constantinople, which were as thick as mountains, were nothing more than 'clay chickens and earthen dogs'. Behind the camp of the Han expeditionary force, several enormous silk gasbags painted with black dragons playing with pearls were slowly inflating with the roar of blowtorches.
'Your Majesty, humans are not birds. Forcing ourselves to ascend to the heavens will surely incur divine punishment!' Several elderly priests from the Western Regions who were accompanying the army were terrified. They knelt on the ground, staring at the enormous, flaming cloth bags. According to their beliefs, the sky was the abode of the gods, and mortals who transgressed it would surely die.
Liu Xun sneered and pulled the cord of the gas nozzle himself. A ball of blazing blue flame instantly surged into the gas bag. This was a high-energy blowtorch powered by purified kerosene. [System reward: complete hot air balloon design blueprints.] The gas bag was made of glued, impermeable silk with excellent pressure resistance and airtightness.
Power system: Portable liquefied kerosene torch
Communication accessory: basic wired telegraph line (directly connected to ground command post).
As the cable was released, the first batch of 'cloud scouts' of the Great Han Dynasty officially took off.
The hot air balloon ascended to an altitude of 500 metres, revealing the defensive deployment of Constantinople: ambushes behind the city walls, tunnels dug in secret, and supply convoys in the palace's rear courtyard were all clearly marked on a three-dimensional, dynamic map.
'Is this the "God's-eye view"?' Liu Xun stood in the ground command post, watching the coordinate strips spit out by the telegraph machine, and began his 'top-level performance as a master strategist'.
He casually brushed aside the fog of war on the map. 'Does the sage think he can survive by hiding in the shadows? Order the artillery battalion to fire a volley at coordinates 15 degrees north of west, at a distance of 5.3 li!"
Boom! The breech-loading rifled cannons of the Han dynasty roared to life, their shells guided by a hot air balloon high above, striking the saint's prized 'heavy crossbow positions' with uncanny accuracy. The defenders, hiding behind cover, were engulfed in flames before they could react.
'Devils! The Han have hired devils from the sky!' The Saint's followers on the city walls looked up in terror at the black, dragon-shaped balloon looming faintly in the clouds. They tried to retaliate with arrows, but they fell halfway down. Even the scouts in the hot air balloon had time to spit downwards.
Liu Xun did not launch a general offensive straight away. Instead, he ordered the hot air balloon to carry tens of thousands of leaflets printed on 'Han-Yuan style anti-counterfeiting paper'.
With a flip of the basket, the leaflets fell like snowflakes to every corner of Constantinople. Each leaflet bore only one line: 'The gods have departed from you; only the Great Han can bring you eternal light and bread.'
Under the dual pressures of hunger and fear, the faith of the city's civilians began to crumble. Some of the city's generals even secretly contacted the Han army to inquire about obtaining 'Han Citizen Certificates'.
Late at night, the Sage stood on top of the temple, watching the ghostly red lanterns (the afterglow of the hot air balloons) floating in the sky. He realised that no matter how he hid, a pair of cold eyes were always fixed on him. 'He wants not only my territory, but also my fear.'
Liu Xun finished his tea in his tent and smiled faintly at the distant lights. 'Sage, have you seen enough? Tomorrow, I don't just plan to send people up to observe. I'm going to put some bitter acid bombs in that basket. I wonder if your temple can withstand the 'heavenly fire' raining down?"
The smoke from the battle in Constantinople drifted on the Mediterranean air all the way to Rome, the Eternal City. The Roman Senate, which had once commanded the submission of Mediterranean nations, was now eerily silent.
In the dead of night, the Roman emperor awoke in a cold sweat. He threw back the silk curtains and stepped barefoot onto the cold marble floor.
On the table before him lay several 'sacred relics' that had been urgently transported from the eastern battlefields: a section of a centurion's armour that had been shredded by a crossbow bolt; half a piece of charred hot air balloon silk; and a beautifully printed Han Dynasty coin that depicted the portrait of Liu Xun.
'Impossible... This is no ordinary human power.' Caesar's hands trembled as he tried to piece together the torn silk. In his mind, silk was merely an adornment for noblewomen. How could the Han people have made silk carry warriors to the clouds? And how could they have printed patterns more intricate than temple reliefs on paper as thin as a cicada's wing?
The following morning, the Roman Senate erupted into the most chaotic argument in its history.
An elderly senator, tears streaming down his face as he waved his arms, cried, 'That's witchcraft! The Han emperor has made a pact with Satan! Our catapults can launch missiles a hundred paces, yet their 'iron pipes' (cannons) can unleash divine punishment from beyond the horizon! How can we fight this war?'
"Silence!" A military officer who had witnessed the construction of the canal firsthand turned pale. 'That's not witchcraft. I saw them build fortresses overnight using a kind of 'grey mud' (cement), and I saw iron ships without sails sailing upstream. The Han people aren't using magic; they're using a kind of 'science of things' (physics) that we can't begin to comprehend to reshape the world!'
[System Real-Time Monitoring: Western Civilisation Sanity Value]
Roman Elite Panic Level: 92%
Theocratic Rule Shake-Up Rate: 85%Judgement: The Roman Empire has developed a strong sense of 'generational inferiority', and its resolve to defend itself is beginning to waver. Caesar sat dejectedly on his throne, gazing at the proud Roman phalanxes outside the palace. These phalanxes, once symbols of Roman civilisation, were now nothing more than moving targets in the face of the 'God's-eye view' and 'rifled slaughter' of the Han Dynasty.
Caesar picked up his pen, his hand trembling, and wrote: 'A Desperate Plea for Peace: A Lament of the Weak':
'To the Great Emperor of Seres (the Han Dynasty) of the East: Rome has no desire to rival the sun. If you so desire, all the provinces west of Suez may be your pastures. We only ask that you reclaim those 'eyes flying in the sky'. Please tell me, what is the name of that divine power that can make steel float on water?' Liu Xun did not reply directly, but instead launched a special 'shell' from his ironclad warships in the Mediterranean towards the Roman port.
The shell exploded in the air, leaving no shrapnel, but rather tens of thousands of copies of the Handbook of the Fundamentals of Natural Sciences (Volume I), printed in Latin.
Caesar trembled as he opened the manual. It contained diagrams of lever principles, steam pressure and lens imaging. He suddenly understood: Not only did Liu Xun intend to destroy his physical body, he also intended to destroy the theological foundations that Rome had built over millennia. When the Romans began to study 'why boiling water lifts the kettle lid', their gods would be utterly dead.
Just as Caesar prepared to surrender, the saint in the ruins of Constantinople let out a chilling, maniacal laugh. 'Caesar, do you think studying those drawings will save you? Liu Xun wants to kill God with 'reason', so I will plunge this world into utter 'madness'!"
[System Emergency Alert] Large-scale unnatural energy fluctuations detected. The saint is initiating a 'Doomsday Sacrifice Ritual', with current progress at 15%.
[Liu Xun's Notes]
'What science cannot explain, I will eradicate with even larger cannons. Gongshu Qi, bring out the 'Jianwu Type II' giant cannon. I am going to perform a 'minimally invasive excision' on Constantinople.'