The waves of the Mediterranean had not yet subsided when the mighty Han army marched north, reaching the desolate northern wilderness that had even been abandoned by the gods. Beneath these glaciers, which had formed over the course of millennia, lay the 'Correctors'' final trump card: a prehistoric mechanical behemoth, frozen in ice. However, Liu Xun had no intention of sending his soldiers on foot through temperatures of minus fifty degrees Celsius.
In the underground experimental field of the Chang'an Academy of Sciences, the first 'Great Han Vermilion Bird-type Internal Combustion Engine' roared with deep, violent intensity. Unlike the cumbersome steam engine, this steel heart 'drinking' the essence of petroleum possessed a terrifying power-to-gravity ratio. 'Your Majesty, this gasoline derived from petroleum cracking makes it possible for steel to fly,' said Gongshu Qi, pointing to a row of low, wide 'monsters' covered in thick white camouflage armour. They lacked massive chimneys, instead having exhaust vents hidden at the rear and 'high-tooth manganese steel tracks' capable of gripping ice fragments.
[System Armament Upgrade: Polar Armour Module]
Power core: 120 hp water-cooled internal combustion engine (with added antifreeze).
Running Mechanism: Wide Anti-slip Tracks + Independent Suspension (Ignores Ice Cracks)
Special weapon: liquid incendiary (chemical incineration targeting prehistoric biological tissue).
During a snowstorm in the North Sea polar region, the Corrector was positioned on a platform, attempting to break the ice surrounding the prehistoric machinery with a high-frequency resonance device.
'The Han Dynasty's ironclad warships can't enter the frozen sea. Liu Xun, you're doomed.' Before he could finish speaking, the roar of propellers came suddenly from the thick clouds. Three enormous 'Han Dynasty Kunpeng-type Heavy-Duty Gliders', reinforced with canvas and wood, were being towed by a modified steam airship.'Disengage!' Three gliders, spreading their wings like eagles, released themselves a hundred metres above the ground. A massive array of parachutes bloomed in the air like falling white lotuses, with the Han Dynasty's most advanced 'Snow Wolf' polar armoured vehicles hanging beneath them.
The moment the armoured vehicles landed, their internal combustion engines roared to life, drowning out the Corrector's incantation completely.
Hot exhaust fumes billowed into the frigid air and turned into a cloud of white mist. The three armoured vehicles, arranged in a triangular formation, moved easily across the two-metre-deep, snow-covered wasteland. The sound of their tracks grinding across the ice drowned out the Corrector's incantation completely.
"What is that? Without fire, how can it move?' The Corrector stared at the rapidly approaching 'steel beast', a look of utter absurdity appearing in his eyes for the first time. The ice shattered and a massive, rusty, rune-covered, prehistoric, spider-like machine trembled as it rose, its sonic boom shattering the surrounding ice pillars.
'Fire!' Liu Xun issued the command via long-range radio, and a 30-metre-long 'concentrated gasoline fire dragon' erupted from the turntable atop the armoured vehicle. This intense chemical heat surpassed the realm of 'Greek fire', instantly charring the runes on the prehistoric machine's surface.
Immediately afterwards, the 57 mm direct-fire cannon fired three rounds in quick succession, precisely shattering the mechanical spider's power bearing.
As the snowstorm dissipated, the Corrector's consciousness carrier was reduced to ashes in the flames. The prehistoric machine, once said to be capable of destroying civilisation, was now nothing more than a pile of black smoke, reeking of petrol. Liu Xun stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Tower of Babel, the system's crisp notification ringing in his ears. 'Achievement unlocked — Polar Expedition: Dimensional Crushing.'
Achievement achieved: Petroleum energy has officially replaced coal, and the Great Han Empire has entered the 'Internal Combustion Engine Era'.
Judgement: Unlocked rewards: The first set of automated production line blueprints and basic synthetic rubber technology.
Looking at the North Pole marked in red on the map, Liu Xun smiled faintly and said, "Gongshuqi, build a monument there and inscribe it with the words 'Where science reaches, the gods retreat.' Also, since oil is so useful, we can 'expand the scale' of our drilling platforms in the Persian Gulf.'
Even before the smoke of war had cleared from the Persian Gulf, the remaining Western nations' nobles and aristocrats secretly reached a final agreement: 'Cut off their oil routes and burn their granaries.' They assembled a coalition army of two million, they claimed, in an attempt to cut off the Han Dynasty's energy supply on the Central Asian plains before the Han's polar expeditionary force could return. However, their understanding of 'modern warfare' was stuck in the past, relying on foot marches and dry rations.
At the command headquarters in Chang'an, red lights flashed wildly on a large sand table displaying enemy intelligence transmitted via wireless telegraph. The coalition army had crossed the Caspian Sea and their vanguard cavalry were less than three hundred li from the Han Dynasty's first oil well. The old general frowned and pointed to the long border. He said to His Majesty, 'Your Majesty, the enemy is numerous and scattered. If we rely on traditional troop deployment, it will take at least three months to assemble a counterattack.'
Liu Xun activated Supreme Commander: Dimensional Reduction Mobilisation Mode, sneered and drew a heavy line with a vermilion pen along the thick black line running east-west on the map. 'Three months? I only need fifteen days.'
[System Military Industry Module: Strategic Transportation Revolution]
Core Hub: Longhai-Lanxin-Central Asia Express Rail Network.
Transport vehicle: Black Dragon-class heavy-duty steam locomotive (5,000-tonne traction).
Standardised process: Containerised troop transport and prefabricated modular camps.
Upon receiving Liu Xun's order, the Han Empire's vast industrial machinery instantly accelerated to full speed. Military stations across the country received telegrams: 'Execute "Lightning" Plan, target: Western Regions oil fields.' Piercing whistles tore through the night at every train station in the Han Empire.Steel-clad trains roared past, their carriages now filled with fully-equipped mobile assault teams instead of infantry. Rifled field guns covered in canvas and camouflaged polar armoured vehicles sped westward on flatcars amidst the tremors of the rails.
'Report! The First Army Corps has arrived in Dunhuang and is refuelling. It is expected to depart in two hours!'
'Report! The 500,000 shi of canned food allocated from Southeast Asia has been transported by sea to the inland waterways and entered the railway transfer station!' While the commanders of the Western Allied Forces were still calculating the Han army's daily march of 30 li (approximately 15 kilometres), the Han soldiers were sitting in the trains, eating heated canned luncheon meat and wiping their bolt-action rifles. They were advancing towards the battlefield at a rate of 1,200 li (approximately 600 kilometres) per day.
Fifteen days later, the commanders of the Western Allied Forces stood on a high slope looking triumphantly down at the cavalry covering the hills and plains below, preparing for the general offensive. However, as the first rays of dawn appeared on the horizon, instead of the expected sound of warhorses nearing, they heard a chilling, thunderous chorus of horns.
'Whoosh!'
Hundreds of steam locomotives pulling endless rows of carriages appeared on the flank of the Allied forces. The doors slid open and fully armed elite soldiers surged forth like a tidal wave.
Under radio command, the million-strong army had traversed thousands of miles in half a month to complete the perfect 'pincer attack'.
'This is impossible... have they grown wings?' The Allied commander's monocular telescope fell limply to the ground. He saw perfectly aligned volleys of gunfire, armoured vehicles spitting fire and balloons that had locked onto all their command posts.
[System Settlement] Achievement Completed: Lightning Mobilisation – King of War Logistics
Judgment: The Han Dynasty has achieved near-instantaneous global mobilisation capabilities; the morale collapse rate of the Western Allied Forces is 90%.
[Subsequent unlocks: Internal Combustion Engine-Driven Heavy Trucks and the Great Han Expressway Network Planning Map. Liu Xun received his final telegram at his headquarters in Chang'an: 'A million-strong army is in position. Please give instructions.' Without looking up, he uttered a single word: 'Plough.'
While the Western coalition forces were still staring desperately at the rows of armoured trains belching black smoke amidst the endless yellow sands of Central Asia, Liu Xun's gaze had already crossed the snow-capped Himalayan peaks. He knew that the land-based mobilisation was merely a smokescreen for the main battlefield; the decisive battle would be fought in the azure abyss churning with monsoon winds.
'Your Majesty, although the land route is faster, the remnants of Parthia and Rome have built countless fortresses on the Persian Plateau. If we were to chip away at their strength inch by inch, not only would the casualties be extremely heavy, but it would also delay the 'comprehensive replacement of internal combustion engines' schedule.' Shen Wanshan unfolded a huge nautical chart and pointed from Guangzhou Port across the Strait of Malacca to the Indian Ocean.
Liu Xun initiated the Supreme Game: The Dawn of the Age of Sea Power, placing a model of an ironclad warship on the western coast of the chart. 'On land, I'll use railways to tie them down; at sea, I'll use ironclad ships to pierce their defences. Order the First Steam Ironclad Fleet to set sail immediately!'
Guangzhou, Quanzhou and Langya — the three major shipbuilding bases of the Great Han Dynasty — simultaneously sounded their horns at the highest frequency. Unlike the previous 'Zhenhai', the ships launched this time were 'Dinghai-class' heavy cruisers, improved through combat experience.
The armament module of the system is the "Blue Ocean Hegemony (Type II)" featuring an all-steel riveted hull and underwater compartments that are resistant to torpedoes.
Power core: A triple-expansion steam engine with a 20% increase in thermal efficiency and a range sufficient to cross half the globe.
Deadly configuration: The first batch of 'Great Han Heavy Rifled Naval Guns' has been mounted amidships, with a range of approximately 25 kilometres.
In the Indian Ocean, hundreds of wooden sailing ships originally employed by Western powers were attempting to blockade the shipping lanes. They believed that large ships were slow and that, with skilful manoeuvring and oil-filled arrows, they could recreate the scene of 'ants killing an elephant'. However, when the sea fog dissipated and twelve black columns of smoke obscured the sun, the sailors' souls trembled.
'That's not a ship... that's a moving iron ore mine!' Boom!
The Han fleet initiated "out-of-visibility spotting" from five miles away, without even entering the enemy's firing range. The high-speed, rifled cannon projectiles tore through the air and the sonic booms shattered the wooden ships at sea. With each projectile, an intricately carved wooden ship was reduced to driftwood.
The armament module of the system is the "Blue Ocean Hegemony (Type II)" featuring an all-steel riveted hull and underwater compartments that are resistant to torpedoes.
Power core: A triple-expansion steam engine with a 20% increase in thermal efficiency and a range sufficient to cross half the globe.
[System Announcement] Achievement completed: 'Great Voyage Encirclement – Sea Power Victory.'
Judgement: The Han Empire has achieved a 'physical closed loop' over the Old World.
Unlocked rewards: 'Basic Sonar Technology' and 'First Global Maritime Code System'.
Important foreshadowing: Liu Xun received a faint message from the remnant channel of the 'Correctors' in the flagship command centre. 'Liu Xun, you've accelerated civilisation too fast. The 'Cleaners' in the depths of space have noticed this place...' Liu Xun sneered, knocking the ashes from his pipe onto the sea chart. 'Cleaners? Let them come. My rifled cannons haven't even been used to shoot stars yet.'
Under the neon-lit gaslights, the bustling city of Chang'an appeared dreamlike. The outline of the Weiyang Palace, illuminated by the initial installation of the power system, resembled a celestial palace descended to Earth. However, beneath this dazzling façade, several cold, shadowy figures darted swiftly, avoiding the patrolling steam-powered armoured vehicles and skimming along the shadows of the palace walls.
They were the final group of assassins dispatched by Julius Caesar prior to his departure — the "Eagle Eye" special assassination squad.
Deep within Weiyang Palace, Liu Xun sat alone in his study, fiddling with a specially made radio newspaper. Suddenly, the system interface in his mind turned from blue to red and a semi-transparent Battlefield Holographic Scanner silently unfolded.
[System plugin activated: Eye of Insight]
Functions: Thermal scanning (within a kilometre radius), heart rate monitoring, lie detection
Real-time report: Southeast corner eaves: three people; heart rate: 140; carrying: poisoned blowguns and short crossbows. Northwest water channel: two people; carrying: basic explosives. A playful smile curled at the corner of Liu Xun's lips.
'Assassins?' he muttered to himself. 'To play such stealth tactics against an industrialised emperor with a godlike perspective is like playing hide-and-seek under a searchlight.'
Liu Xun didn't order the Imperial Guards to close in. Instead, he activated Top-Tier Performance: A Weary and Desperate Dictator, deliberately opening the window and letting out a deep sigh. "Gongshu Qi," he muttered to himself. "Although the ironclad fleet has encircled the Indian Ocean, their coal supplies are exhausted. If we can't take Lion City within three days, the army will collapse without a fight...'
Hiding on the beam, the leader of the Roman assassins' pupils constricted. He held his breath and stared intently at the 'Top Secret Supply Map' peeking out deliberately from Liu Xun's desk. The map clearly stated: 'The Han fleet is out of power; it's a bluff.'
'Not only that,' said Liu Xun, rubbing his temples. His voice was tinged with anxiety and falsehood. 'The Western Railway has been disrupted by a permafrost collapse and a million troops are trapped in Dunhuang. The Western Regions are now nothing but empty cities.'
He then picked up his imperial brush and wrote the two characters 'Withdraw' on the fake map in heavy strokes. This was Rome's only hope of mounting a counterattack! The assassin leader gestured for his men to abandon the assassination attempt because capturing this 'Top Secret Intelligence' that could cause the Han Empire's complete defeat was more valuable than killing Liu Xun.
Believing they had escaped unnoticed, the assassins desperately broke out westward with the 'Top Secret Intelligence'. However, Liu Xun watched the five red dots representing the assassins on the system interface rapidly recede behind them. He calmly ordered Gongshu Qi, "Send this via wireless telegram to all stations on the western front and send these five 'megaphones' over. Also activate the Morse code jamming module to intercept all real battle reports within Roman territory.'
This was an example of a 'lower-dimensional attack' in intelligence warfare. The assassin returned with the 'truth' that the Han wanted to know, while the actual battle situation remained hidden from view due to Liu Xun's invisible radio waves. Three days later, the Roman emperor received the "top-secret intelligence" sent back by the assassin. Overjoyed, he immediately ordered a full-scale attack on the 'empty' Dunhuang fortress. However, when 20,000 elite Roman heavy cavalry charged into the mountain pass, they were not met with resistance from starving Han troops, but with the 'Gatling gun prototype' and thousands of heavy rifled cannons.
[System Announcement] Achievement Completed: [Strategic Deception – The Actor's Bait]
Judgment: Rome's last strength has been successfully lured out.
Unlock rewards: Basic Electronic Jamming Technology and Miniaturised Periphone Design Blueprint.
Standing atop the Tower of Babel, Liu Xun listened to the victory reports from the west and raised his glass to the empty night sky. "Caesar," he said, "what do you think of the intelligence I gave you? Since you like 'illusions' so much, I'll give you the most realistic funeral.'
The Pantheon Chamber in Rome. The air was thick with the acrid smell of gunpowder, brought back by defeated soldiers from the border. The envoy of the Han Dynasty, cloaked in black and accompanied by twelve royal guards carrying rifles, strode steadily into this hall, a symbol of the highest power in the West. In his hand was a proclamation of war against Rome, bound with gold thread and printed on specially developed high-quality paper from the Han Academy of Sciences.
'By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Caesar of Rome is a traitor who has betrayed us, stolen our secrets and attacked our merchant ships. Everything that belongs to the Han Dynasty is our possession, and all who offend the Han Dynasty will be reduced to ashes.' The envoy's cold, knife-like voice echoed in the empty chamber.
Caesar sat on the ivory throne that had once symbolised supreme power. His bloodshot eyes fixed on the 'false intelligence' he had obtained at the cost of an assassin's life. He believed that Liu Xun was merely bluffing, attempting to use this empty document to cover up the defeat on the western front.
"Is the Emperor of Han teaching me how to be human?" Caesar stood up abruptly, snatched the state letter and, in full view of everyone, tore it into countless flying fragments with an ear-piercing sound.
'Tearing it up is tantamount to tearing apart Rome's last path to survival,' said the Han envoy expressionlessly, his right hand slowly pressing against the timer on his chest. 'Caesar, according to Chang'an time, because you refused to accept peace, in five minutes the Han's "dimensional reduction attack" will be fully activated. May the gods bless you." The envoy turned and left, leaving a room full of bewildered Roman senators.
[System Real-time Monitoring: Full-scale Firing Order] Status: Peace Agreement invalid.
Synchronised across the war zone: The Western Railway, the Indian Ocean Expeditionary Fleet and the Cypriot Airborne Battalion.
Along the Roman border, on the banks of the Oronte River, Caesar's heavily armoured cavalry, assembled with the full might of the nation, formed a dense square formation. They firmly believed that the speed of their charge would prevent the Han artillery from achieving accurate coverage.
The shouts of 20,000 knights shook the heavens, while the tremors of their hooves on the ground resembled an earthquake. Yet on the opposite hillside, the soldiers of the First Legion of the Han Dynasty calmly cranked the bronze handles of the "Jianwu Type III Automatic Repeating Machine Gun", a secret weapon deployed by Liu Xun beforehand.
'Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat—' This continuous, terrifying sound, like tearing fabric, echoed across the wasteland. With a rate of fire of 600 rounds per minute, a visible barrage of deadly metal bullets was created.
The Romans had never experienced anything like this before. Their once impregnable heavy armour was as thin as paper against the barrage of Maxim machine gun fire. The leading knights didn't even have time to scream before they and their horses were reduced to a cloud of blood. 'Don't panic! Charge! They need to reload!' a Roman general roared frantically. But he soon realised with despair that this weapon didn't require the slow loading of a crossbow. As long as the canvas ammunition belts on the sides were still twitching, death would not stop.
Within ten minutes, the banks of the Oronte River were piled high with corpses. Not a single one of the twenty thousand elite heavy cavalry managed to get within a hundred metres of the Han army's lines.Meanwhile, inside Rome, Caesar was preparing to ascend the throne as the 'Restored Emperor' when, suddenly, a muffled rumble of thunder sounded from the west. He ran to the terrace and gazed at the distant horizon. There was no divine thunder, only three enormous, black, dragon-emblazoned, steam-powered reconnaissance airships hovering directly above Rome.
One of the airships slowly dropped a huge, bright red metal tube. It wasn't a bomb, but a high-decibel phonograph playing a looped recording of Liu Xun's cold voice: 'Caesar, if you hear these words, it means your cavalry have become nourishment for the earth. I watched your downfall from the Tower of Babel in Chang'an.'