On the outskirts of Chang'an, on the southern bank of the Wei River, the former royal hunting ground had become the most ferocious and magnificent mechanical heart of the Han Empire: the Weinan First Joint Factory.
Thick smoke danced amidst white clouds and the ancient sounds of reciting classics and historical texts were drowned out by a symphony of steel.
On this day, the seven-year-old crown prince, Liu Shi, shed his magnificent, bright yellow jacket and donned a rough, yet sturdy, dark blue work uniform. He timidly tugged at the hem of a 'veteran's' coat as he walked through the rumbling workshop.
Liu Xun's face was now covered in stubble and the corners of his eyes bore marks from years of gunfire — the 'veteran skin' he had created using a 'special effects make-up patch' obtained through the system.
[System Command] Activate 'Acting Skills: The Ordinary Backbone of the Empire".
Current status: The Crown Prince's 'Savior, Old Sergeant' — a wounded, retired soldier covered in scars and skilled only at manipulating wrenches.
Psychological guidance: Use an "immersive experience" to correct the Crown Prince's erroneous notion that "benevolence and righteousness lead to the downfall of the country", instilled in him by old Confucian scholars.
'Shi'er, don't look at those smoking furnaces,' said Liu Xun in a rough voice, pointing to the workers queuing for their rations. 'Look at their faces.' Liu Shi followed his father's gaze. Although their faces were covered in grease and their skin was reddened from the furnaces, each worker possessed a dignity that he had never read about in books.
A peasant woman, holding a baby in her arms, skilfully operated a steam-powered spinning machine. When the workday ended, she received two large gold coins and a hearty bowl of braised pork from the canteen.
'Father... no, Sergeant,' asked Liu Shi softly. 'Confucius said that extraordinary skills and craftsmanship will disturb people's hearts, and that governing a country should be done with "light taxes and levies, and non-interference". But aren't they working very hard here?"
Liu Xun sneered, pulled his son towards the peasant woman and began his 'top-tier performance' as a desolate social observer. 'Sister-in-law, His Majesty built this factory, making you spend all day surrounded by lumps of iron. Don't you resent it?"
The peasant woman looked at Liu Xun as if he were a fool. "Resent it? Brother, you must have been confused by the war! Before, we relied on the weather for our livelihood in the fields. If there was a drought, we would starve; if there was a flood, we would sell our children. Now, at the factory, we get three meals a day — even meat! Our children can attend the Academy of Sciences' affiliated primary school. If there were more policies like this, I would support them for the rest of my life!"
Liu Xun squatted down and looked directly into Liu Shi's still bewildered eyes.
"Shi'er, did you hear that?" His voice boomed amidst the roar of the blast furnace. 'The "benevolent governance" your teachers taught you is about keeping the people noble, even in adversity. But my 'tyranny' is about seizing the power of heaven and earth, using steel as its bones and electricity as its blood to conjure up a real bowl of braised pork for the people!' He pointed to the massive blast furnace in the distance, which was producing enough manganese steel to pave the world's railways.
'Without this tyrannical iron, your benevolence is just waste paper; without this earth-shattering thunder, your kingly way is meat on a chopping board.' Liu Xun's eyes were sharp as knives and the progress bar for his deification process flickered slightly, affecting even the crown prince's consciousness.
'Remember, the Han dynasty's empire wasn't built through tears, but through the smoke billowing from these chimneys!'
Liu Shi's young mind was shocked beyond belief; those exquisite words of wisdom seemed so insignificant in the face of the mountain of coal. He reached out and touched the icy-hot steam engine casing with his small hand. The system notification read:
[Crown Prince Education Correction]: Increased by 35% (from 'Weak and Benevolent Ruler' to 'Iron-Blooded Crown Prince').
Father-son bond value: +500
Achievement: Heir to Dominance
Unlock rewards: Beginner's Industrial Psychology Textbook and Children's Simulation Management. Rise of the Empire
That evening, back in Weiyang Palace, Liu Xun removed his disguise and donned a majestic dragon robe. He sat before his desk and looked at Liu Shi, who was still dressed in work clothes and deep in thought. "Shi'er," he asked, "what have you seen today? Have you gained any insights?'
Liu Shi knelt on the ground. His voice, usually childish, now carried an unprecedented firmness: 'Father, I understand. The 'Way' of the teachers is on paper; your 'Way' is in the workers' bowls. I am willing to learn the 'magic' that allows everyone to eat meat and safeguard the Han Dynasty's iron and steel empire."
Liu Xun looked at his son, whom he had forcibly led away from the 'weak path', and closed his eyes with satisfaction. 'Gongshu Qi.'
'Your subject is here.'
Send the Crown Prince to the Academy of Sciences to work with physiologists on boilers for half a year. He can only return to listen to the Confucian scholars' lectures once he has personally repaired a steam engine."
While the mighty warriors of the Han Dynasty roamed and raged across the Guanzhong Plain, thousands of miles away on the Mediterranean coast, a plague of fear, tainted by religion, was evolving into the ultimate curse against Liu Xun.
In the nascent ruins of the Vatican and the crumbling walls of Kushan temples, exiled Parthian priests and the chief priests of the Kushan Empire, along with the remnants of the Roman Senate, secretly gathered. Faced with a financial crisis triggered by the Han dynasty's gold coins and a crisis of faith brought about by the study of natural philosophy, they finally revealed their last trump card:
'The Emperor of the Han Dynasty is not human, but Satan who steals the thunder and fire of hell! He binds the land with iron chains and steals souls with electrified wires!'
'Imperial War Edicts' bearing the seals of religious leaders from various countries began to circulate in the West. They claimed that Liu Xun was the 'destroyer of the world' from the Book of Revelation, that the roaring train was a chariot leading to hell and that the light emanating from the Han Academy of Sciences was karmic fire burning the world.
[System Command]: Global public opinion hostility has surged. Current status: Western nations have entered a state of 'fanatical holy war' mobilisation. Enemy buffs include 'religious fanaticism/conversion of suicide soldiers' and 'anti-scientific superstition barriers'. The system suggests that the host choose either 'public relations' or 'physical elimination' as a response.
Liu Xun sat in a leather swivel chair in the Weiyang Palace, looking at the translation sent back by the postal system. A cruel yet elegant smile played on his lips. 'Physical elimination? No, that's too boring. I'm going to launch a… 'Holy Expedition.'"
Liu Xun activated the 'Deification Progress Bar: 15% (Judicator Form)'. Rather than issuing a war mobilisation order, he released a 'Global Civilisation Reversion Book'. 'Since they say I'm a demon, then I'll show them the true "Apocalypse".'
He ordered the formation of the Han Dynasty's first 'Global Expedition Fleet', appointing the newly launched all-steel armoured warship 'Yinglong' as its flagship. This fleet carried no gold or silk, only gunpowder, electromagnetic cannon prototypes and ten thousand 'pursuit missionaries' clad in white protective suits. For this expedition, Liu Xun personally unlocked the system's cutting-edge technology — the 'Great Han No. 1: High-Pressure Compression Ignition Internal Combustion Engine (Diesel Engine Prototype)' — in a secret workshop at the Academy of Sciences. Unlike the cumbersome steam engine, the internal combustion engine's roar was shorter and more powerful.
"Gongshuqi, load these 'hearts' into our 'Mechanical War Elephants' (basic tanks)." Liu Xun stroked the cold cylinders. 'When those believers charge at us waving crosses, I will show them just how pale the Word of God is before a machine gun firing six hundred rounds per minute.'
On the day of departure, at the Chang'an docks, Liu Xun did not perform the elaborate rituals of traditional emperors. Instead, he stood on the bridge and broadcast his voice to the world through a loudspeaker: 'The West says I am a demon. Very well, then I will cross the ocean to smash their idols, demolish their temples, build power stations on their ruins and replace their scriptures with mathematical formulas!"
Turning to the foreign empresses being presented as tribute, he whispered in standard Ancient Greek, 'Behold, your gods will not even leave ashes under my fire.'
[System Notification]
[War Mobilisation Level]: Due to the concept of the 'Holy Expedition', the people of the Han dynasty are in a frenzy. Achievement: Civilization Bulldozer.
Unlock rewards: Remote Radio Direction Finding Technology and Nitroglycerin Stabilisation Process (Bitter Acid Explosive).
Liu Xun waved his hand and the 'Yinglong' spewed thick smoke, accompanied by the low roar of its internal combustion engine. The last cable to the old world was severed. This was not plunder, but "brain colonisation".
Under the moonlight, the Ganges River flows silently, having witnessed the rise and fall of countless civilisations and countless acts of piety and folly. Tonight, on the banks of this revered "holy city", a fanatical and restless atmosphere of impending war pervades.
Inside the city, Kushan monks and exiled Roman priests are frantically chanting curses against Liu Xun around a sacred fire. Outside, hundreds of thousands of believers, incited by the slogan of 'holy war', are wielding makeshift forks and pickaxes — some are even bare-handed — shouting that they will tear the 'destroyer of the world' to shreds.
They have built towering wooden fortifications to repel the Han's steel warships, but never expected Liu Xun's attack to come from the undefended heavens.
'System, activate the "High-Altitude Wind Direction Fine-tuning Patch" and the "Thermal Imaging Enemy Situation Scan".'
[System Command]: 'Consuming 30,000 National Fortune Points.'
[Strategic Core]: 'Utilise tropospheric winds to send one hundred large industrial-grade hot air balloons over the Holy City.'
[Technical Specifications]: 'High-strength nylon-coated capsule' + 'heavy oil injection burner' + 'insulated rubber basket' (to prevent high-altitude static electricity).
Carrying capacity: Each basket can carry four Special Forces soldiers equipped with 'Han-made No. 1 rotary machine guns' and 'nitroglycerine grenades'.
Standing on the bridge of the 'Yinglong', Liu Xun watched through a 'low-light night vision device' as the one hundred enormous black shadows, almost blending into the night, streaked across the Ganges like ghosts.
'Gongshuqi, look at these believers,' said Liu Xun with a cold smile. 'They think burying their heads in the sand will save them from the flood, but they don't know the flood is coming from the sky.'As the first hot air balloon slowly descended onto the temple square in the centre of the holy city, a Kushan priest on patrol widened his eyes in horror. Bathed in moonlight, the massive body of the balloon resembled a dark cloud descending from the sky. Its burners occasionally spewed out tongues of dark red flame, much like a dragon breathing fire from the clouds.
"Is that a celestial being descending on clouds?" The priest trembled and knelt on the ground. However, as the insulated rubber basket touched down, four Special Forces soldiers in black combat uniforms with camouflage face paint and carrying cold, gleaming rotary machine guns emerged. The 'celestial being' in the priest's eyes instantly transformed into a reaper of death.
"For the Great Han, investigate things and attain knowledge! Purify ignorance!' Upon receiving the captain's order, the special forces soldiers launched a simultaneous attack on various core nodes of the Holy City from a hundred hot air balloons. "Rat-a-tat-tat-tat—!"
The brutal roar of the Han-made No. 1 rotary machine gun shattered the Holy City's tranquillity instantly. This 'monster', capable of firing 300 lead bullets per minute, was divine punishment for the fanatical believers still wielding wooden sticks and shields.
The priests and monks who had been frantically chanting scriptures were now riddled with bullets, their flesh torn to shreds. Then, nitroglycerine grenades were thrown into dense crowds and ammunition depots.
'Boom!' Boom! Boom!' The bell tower of the Holy City collapsed and the temple dome melted in flames. The so-called 'holy flames' seemed insignificant and laughable compared to the Great Han's highly efficient explosives.
As the first light of dawn pierced the Ganges mist, the entire Holy City lay in ruins. Dressed in a long white uniform from the Academy of Sciences, Liu Xun slowly ascended the blood-stained steps to the ruined temple altar.
[System Notification]
[Deification Progress Bar]: Due to the complete destruction of the West's spiritual pillar, the progress bar has increased to 18% (Passive Skill: Eye of the Civilisation Reaper).
[Holy War Frenzy]: Plunged to 5% (the awe of the gods and spirits held by the believers has transformed into fear of the Han army).
[Achievement] [Pioneer of Purification]: Looking at the trembling religious leaders he had captured, Liu Xun activated his [Actor Skill: Overbearing Divine Power] and spoke in a low voice in standard Latin and Sanskrit with a heavy Guanzhong accent:
'You call me a demon; today, I will teach you your final lesson: On this planet, the steam engine provides you with sustenance and gunpowder determines your life and death. I possess not only the steam engine and gunpowder, but also the truth that can utterly annihilate your souls.'
He waved his hand: 'Gongshu Qi, establish the Ganges Branch of the Great Han Academy of Sciences here. I will transform the waters of this river from holy water that washes away sins into industrial water that powers the turbines of the Great Han!"
The smoke from the battle had not yet cleared along the banks of the Ganges, and the ruins of the holy city looked especially desolate in the morning light. However, for the Han cavalry, who had managed to escape, and the remnants of the Western Allied Fleet, gathered in the distance, the real shock was just beginning.
Liu Xun did not immediately order a pursuit. Instead, he stood in the gondola of the large, holographic, hot air balloon flagship, which had been modified by the system, and activated the deification progress bar (20%, Truth Missionary form).
"System, activate the global language simultaneous interpretation matrix and the full-power amplification system."
System Command: Costs 50,000 points of national fortune. Strategic core: Utilise the upper troposphere to amplify Liu Xun's voice within a radius of 100 miles. Technical specifications: Multi-stage vacuum tube amplifier + directional sound wave array + system-specific dimensional reduction attack sound.
Language loading: Ancient Latin, Sanskrit, Middle Persian and the Guanzhong dialect of the Han dynasty.
Liu Xun took a deep breath, his voice booming like thunder across the Ganges through the cold metal microphone: 'Lost sheep of the Western nations! Your so-called 'oracles' are mere groans compared to my gunpowder. Your 'holy cities' are withered bones in the face of my profound knowledge!" Not only was his voice grand, it also possessed an inhuman majesty, as if heaven and earth were speaking directly to them. Countless enemy soldiers clutched their ears in agony and collapsed to their knees on the decks and in the sand.
Liu Xun abruptly pulled the lever beside the gondola. 'Gongshu Qi, activate the holographic light and shadow matrix! Let these frogs in a well witness the totem of the Great Han!'
[System Plugin Activated]
Large-scale 3D Holographic Projection Equipment
Energy Source: High-pressure steam generator unit built into the hot air balloon
Medium: A mixture of high-temperature steam and smoke ejected from the burner.
Visual Enhancement: [Laser Interference Imaging] + [System Special: Golden Dragon Totem Patch]
Above the Ganges River, swirling smoke and clouds were reorganised by a mysterious force and illuminated by countless directional lasers. A Great Han Golden Dragon, a hundred zhang long and radiating brilliant golden light, appeared out of thin air above the battlefield.
This was no inanimate object; the dragon writhed and roared in the clouds, its scales clearly visible, and a fire of truth emanated from its eyes. 'That's... that's the legendary Eastern dragon!'
'It's not a demon; it's a true deity!' The wooden sailing ships of the Western Allied Fleet descended into utter chaos in that instant. Gazing at the golden dragon, which towered over any temple, the fanatical believers saw their "Holy War" mountain of faith collapse completely with Liu Xun's thunderous voice. They threw down their weapons, knelt on the deck and frantically kowtowed to the golden dragon and the hot air balloon beneath it.
[System Notification]:
[Enemy Will Collapse]: 100% (Complete Surrender).
[Global Faith Value]: Explosive growth: the Great Han Golden Dragon Totem officially replaces Western demons and gods.
[Achievement]: [Miracle Maker]
Unlock rewards: Long-Range Radio Broadcasting Technology and Basic Laser Rangefinder
Liu Xun stood in the gondola, the golden dragon's light and shadow perfectly projected onto him, making him appear a god descending to Earth on a divine dragon. He activated his acting skill, 'King of Kings', and surveyed the paralysed battlefield below.
'Gongshu Qi, tell those prisoners that from this day forward, there is only one sun on this planet: the Han Dynasty. There is only one truth: my study of the principles of things. This golden dragon will forever hang above their heads as a constant reminder of the price of betraying the truth.' Liu Xun's voice became barely audible, yet chillingly cold.
He waved his hand and the 'Yinglong' spewed out thick smoke accompanied by the low roar of its internal combustion engine. This severed the last tether to the old world — this was not plunder, but 'brain colonisation'.
The waters of the Ganges were cold, yet the flame of the Han Dynasty spread like wildfire across the spiritual ruins of the Western world at an unprecedented speed. Liu Xun stood in the heart of the devastated holy city, with shattered ancient god statues beneath his feet. Yet he did not order a massacre nor confiscate all the scriptures. He knew that physical destruction would only create martyrs, whereas 'the reconstruction of logic' could enslave people.
'System, activate "Cultural Module: Mythological Merger Protocol". Objective: Integrate Roman polytheism, Persian Zoroastrianism and Kushan Buddhism.'
System instruction: Consumes 120,000 points of national fortune.
Core logic: The original deities of each civilisation are degraded to appointed gods under the 'Han Heavenly Emperor'.
Technical execution: Cognitive interference field + forged ancient documents (system carbon-14 ageing) + holographic replica of divine miracles.
Output: A global, unified belief framework entitled 'Record of All Gods Paying Homage to Han'. Liu Xun opened the ancient-looking 'scripture' that the system had conjured. The newly arranged stories depict Zeus of Greece as a 'Thunder Captain' dispatched by the Han Dynasty imperial family to the far west, and Brahma of India as a 'Deacon of the Imperial Academy' exiled to the mortal realm by the Han Dynasty.
'Gongshu Qi, publicise these "new archaeological discoveries",' said Liu Xun, pointing to the stone slabs buried underground and inscribed with Han clerical script and Latin. The slabs clearly depicted an Eastern emperor (an ancestor of Liu Xun) in a dragon robe subduing demons that were ravaging the west, and entrusting the flame of civilisation to local prophets.'We must convince them that their proud civilisation is merely a seed sown by the Han Empire thousands of years ago.' Liu Xun launched his 'Grand Performance: The Eternal Saviour", declaring: "When they discover that their ancestors also knelt before the Han Emperor, their resolve will crumble."
He transported the captured Pope, High Priest and foreign empress onto a specially designed 'transparent sightseeing train'.
Departing from the Ganges River, the train traversed the newly laid Western Regions railway. Instead of the desolate Gobi Desert, the view outside the window was of towering signal towers, coking plants emitting blue light and armoured mobile formations conducting exercises.
'Look, Princess Cleo,' said Liu Xun, swirling his wine glass and pointing to the rapidly receding scenery outside. 'Can your god make steel fly across the land? Can he make sound travel thousands of miles in an instant? If not, then he is merely a stepping stone beneath the feet of the Great Han's 'God of Natural History.'"
Under Liu Xun's rule, all overseas provinces controlled by the Great Han were required to abide by the Civilisation Assimilation Act: all temples had to enshrine the tablet of Emperor Xuan of Han in the main seat, and the old calendar was abolished in favour of the Great Han Natural History Calendar.
The Genealogy of Natural History was compiled, interpreting physical laws as 'the decrees of the Han Emperor' and chemical reactions as 'the Heavenly Emperor's...' "The Alchemy of..."
[System Prompt] [Cultural Compliance]: Increased to 85% (the younger generation begins to take pride in speaking Chinese and wearing Hanfu).
[Deification Progress]: Increased to 25% (Passive Skill Unlocked: Group Will Modification).Achievement obtained: [Shepherd of Civilisation]
Night fell and the train stopped at a supply station on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Standing on the platform, Liu Xun watched the formerly arrogant popes sit together and eagerly study the Record of All Gods Paying Homage to the Han, even arguing heatedly about 'what rank Zeus held in the Han Emperor's court'.
'Gongshu Qi, this is the power of culture.' Liu Xun revealed a chilling smile. 'Swords can only rule the land. But when they start explaining their existence through our mythology, this nation will disappear forever.' He turned to look at the darkening west. That was once the heartland of the Roman Empire. Now, every inch of that land yearned for 'divine revelation' from the Han dynasty.