My Imperial Advisor is ChatGPT

In the height of summer in Xianyang, the cicadas sing incessantly.

Although the "Shennong No. 1" tractor was already roaring across the Guanzhong Plain, and the genetically improved wheat was filling out, the atmosphere inside the "Qinzheng Hall" of Xianyang Palace, which was adorned with a huge world map, was even more stifling than the weather outside.

Ying Zheng stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the map of the Qin Dynasty. That black region, symbolizing the empire, now stretched north to the grasslands, south to the Baiyue region, and west to the shifting sands.

"Building a nation," Ying Zheng's voice was somewhat low, "I thought about that account you gave me all night last night."

Wang Jianguo stood to the side, holding a pointer in his hand, and pointed to the location of the Guanzhong Plain.

"Your Majesty, this is called the 'Malthusian Trap' (although Malthus was never born, the principle is sound). With improvements in medical conditions (smallpox vaccination, the rudiments of antibiotics), reduced warfare, and the initial mechanization of agriculture, the population of Qin is about to experience a terrifying explosion."

"According to my calculations, the population of Qin will double within ten years. Within twenty years, it may exceed sixty million, or even more."

"Sixty million..." Li Si wiped his sweat beside him. "Although the current grain reserves are enough to eat, no matter how fast the crops grow in the fields, they can't keep up with the rate at which people are having children. When the time comes, there will be too many people and too little land, and the people will not have enough to eat. This prosperous age... I'm afraid it will turn into a chaotic age."

This is a deadlock. Throughout history, the collapse of dynasties has often been not due to external enemies, but rather because population growth exceeded the carrying capacity of the land.

"Am I to issue an edict restricting people from having children?" Ying Zheng frowned. "Wouldn't that be tyranny?"

"Of course we can't restrict them." Wang Jianguo shook his head. "People are a resource, not a burden. The premise is that we have enough food to feed them."

Wang Jianguo swung his pointer sharply, slicing across the vast Pacific Ocean (then called the East China Sea), and striking heavily on the huge, blank outline on the right side of the map.

"Your Majesty, the key to breaking this deadlock is here."

"What's there?" Zhao Gao asked curiously, leaning closer. "Is it mountains of gold and silver? Or jewels scattered everywhere?"

Wang Jianguo glanced at Zhao Gao, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.

"Ten thousand times more precious than mountains of gold and silver."

"There's a kind of 'clod of earth' there that can grow just by being thrown into the ground. It doesn't care about the soil or the water, and the yield is... 3,000 catties per mu."

"How many?!"

The teacup in Li Si's hand fell to the ground with a "clatter." Zhao Gao was so frightened that he sat down on the carpet with a thud.

"Three thousand catties?!" Li Si's voice cracked. "Grand Preceptor, are you dreaming? Even the best paddy fields, with meticulous cultivation, yield only three or four hundred catties per mu. Three thousand catties? That land isn't growing crops, it's growing stones!"

"It does look like a rock, but it tastes like glutinous rice." Wang Jianguo's eyes gleamed with fervor. "It's called a potato. There's another kind called corn, with ears as thick as an arm, and one stalk can produce several. And then there's the sweet potato, as sweet as honey, with an astonishing yield."

"This is 'divine food'," Wang Jianguo said decisively. "With it, let alone 60 million, even 600 million, the Great Qin can afford to feed them!"

Ying Zheng's breathing became rapid.

As an emperor, he knew all too well what "a yield of 3,000 catties per mu" meant. It meant that his empire would have unlimited war potential, and that his people would forever be free from hunger.

"Little G," Ying Zheng murmured to himself.

[Yes, Brother Zheng.]

"Is what Jian Guo said true? Does such a miraculous object really exist?"

[Absolutely true. These three crops are known as the 'saviors of the Old World.' In the original timeline, they wouldn't have been introduced to China until the Age of Exploration, 1700 years later. It was because of them that the Qing Dynasty's population exceeded 400 million. If the Qin Dynasty could obtain them now… Brother Zheng, your empire would immediately enter 'population-driven military expansion' mode.]

Ying Zheng turned around abruptly, his eyes burning brighter than the midday sun.

"Find it! You must find it for me!"

"Even if it means filling in the sea and turning this land upside down, I will bring this 'divine food' back to Xianyang!"

Since we are looking for divine food, we need a guide.

Xu Fu, the director of the Daqin Maritime Bureau, the "Chief Navigator of Daqin," and the "Former Notorious Fraudster," was urgently summoned to the palace.

After several years, Xu Fu had become darker and thinner. His face was etched with wrinkles from the sea wind, but his eyes held a newfound determination and world-weariness that only an old sailor possessed.

"Your subject Xu Fu pays his respects to Your Majesty."

"Rise," Ying Zheng said, pointing to the map. "Xu Fu, you once told me there were immortal mountains east of the sea. Now the Imperial Advisor says there is divine food east of the sea. Tell me, how far is that?"

Xu Fu glanced at the location Wang Jianguo pointed out—the Americas.

He took a deep breath and pulled out his personal copy of the "Tokai Kuroshio Observation Log".

"Your Majesty, although I have not found any immortals in the past few years, I have figured out the temperament of the sea."

Xu Fu walked up to the map and drew a curved line on the sea with his rough fingers.

"Here, there is a huge warm current, which I call the 'Kuroshio Current.' It is like a river in the sea, with high water temperature and a fast current, flowing eastward all the way. In the past, my ship was too small to follow it too closely. But I have observed that every autumn, huge redwoods drift back with this ocean current."

"That redwood is not a tree species native to the Central Plains." Xu Fu's voice trembled slightly. "This means that there must be a vast landmass in the far east."

"But..." Xu Fu paused, looking troubled.

"But what?"

"It's too far. Your Majesty, based on the current speed, it would take at least three months, or even longer, to reach that land. There are no supplies or islands along the way. Ships of the past simply couldn't carry that much fresh water and food."

"Moreover," Xu Fu pointed to his gums, "the most terrifying thing is not the wind and waves, but 'scurvy.' If a crew goes to sea for more than a month, their gums will bleed, they will become weak, and spots will appear on their bodies. In the end, they will die in agony. Half of my previous fleet died in this way."

Silence fell over the hall.

In this era, ocean voyages are not only a technological challenge, but also a challenge to physiological limits.

"I'll take care of the ship problem for you," Wang Jianguo said. "The 'First Emperor' class cruiser, which was just launched by the Imperial Household Department, is all-steel structure, steam-powered with three masts and sails, and can withstand a Force 12 storm."

"I'll take care of the water problem for you." Wang Jianguo pointed to a machine next to him. "This is a 'steam condensation freshwater extractor.' It uses the waste heat from the boiler to distill seawater. Although the taste is a bit off, it can save your life."

"As for 'weak legs'..."

Wang Jianguo took a bright yellow fruit out of his sleeve and tossed it to Xu Fu.

Xu Fu caught it and exclaimed, "This is... a lemon?"

"Yes. Scurvy is caused by a deficiency of Vitamin C. Bringing hundreds of barrels of pickled lemons and soybeans (for sprouting) will solve the problem."

Xu Fu looked at the lemon in his hand, then at Wang Jianguo's determined gaze.

He suddenly knelt down and kowtowed heavily.

"Since the Imperial Advisor has even foreseen this, then I... am willing to gamble my old life once more!"

"Not for seeking immortality, but solely to bring back to the Great Qin that divine grain yielding three thousand catties per mu!"

Just as Xu Fu received his orders, a young man dressed in general's armor strode out.

"Your Majesty! I request permission to accompany the fleet on this expedition!"

When everyone looked, they were surprised to see that it was Han Xin.

This "military genius" of the Qin Dynasty has been incredibly bored lately. The Xiongnu in the north, terrified by machine guns and barbed wire, have long since fled to Siberia to herd sheep; and the Baiyue in the south, under the onslaught of tractor-driven reclamation teams, have also become the Qin's granary.

With no battles to fight, Han Xin could only play war games at home or go to the military academy to teach students about the "Battle of the Back River" from the old almanac.

"Han Xin?" Ying Zheng was somewhat surprised. "You're a general in the army, what are you going to do at sea? Seasickness can make you vomit bile."

"Your Majesty, I find no equal on land," Han Xin said, his head held high, a wild glint in his eyes. "I've heard that beyond the sea, there may be powerful barbarian tribes? Or unknown empires?"

"I wish to see for myself," Han Xin said, pointing to the map. "The Imperial Advisor says the Earth is round. I want to walk around it myself and measure its size with my own feet. And..."

Han Xin glanced at Xu Fu.

"Although Lord Xu is knowledgeable about navigation, if he encounters pirates or is besieged by natives after landing, he will probably have to rely on the sword in my hand."

"Your Majesty, I am willing to be the sword that paves the way for the Qin fleet!"

Ying Zheng looked at Han Xin. He saw the longing in the young man's eyes—a desire to conquer the unknown, exactly the same as his own eyes back then.

"Good!" Ying Zheng slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

"Han Xin, I hereby appoint you as 'Admiral of the Great Qin Ocean Fleet,' and Xu Fu as 'Chief Navigator.' You two, one a strategist and the other a warrior, will conquer this vast ocean for me!"

"Remember, you took away not just ships, but the majesty of Qin; you brought back not just potatoes, but the future of Qin!"

With the order given, the entire city of Xianyang sprang into action once again for this unprecedented expedition.

In the Shaofu shipyard, five colossal steel warships, each displacing two thousand tons, are undergoing final outfitting. They possess massive paddle wheels (for stability) and propellers (for efficiency), towering funnels, and three enormous masts. It's a typical "steampunk" hybrid style.

The busiest department is the logistics department.

Inside the food factory, Zhao Gao was rubbing his cheek as he watched the workers process the mountain of lemons.

"Ugh...it looks sour." Zhao Gao slurped, "The Imperial Advisor said this stuff can save lives? I have a feeling it's going to poison the sailors!"

The workers sliced ​​the lemons, sprinkled them with plenty of salt and sugar, and then stuffed them into oak barrels and sealed them.

"Lord Zhao, this is called 'Vitamin C Supplement'," Wang Jianguo said, inspecting the container. "Each barrel must be sealed tightly. This is more important than gold."

Besides lemons, there are also a lot of soybeans.

"Tell the boatswain that a 'vegetable garden' must be set aside in the hold of every ship," Wang Jianguo instructed. "Water it every day and let it sprout beans. At sea, this is the only fresh vegetable you can eat."

Of course, the most important thing is canned food.

The tinplate canning technology developed was already mature at this time.

One hundred thousand cans of braised pork, fifty thousand cans of luncheon meat, and thirty thousand cans of candied yellow peaches were packed into wooden crates and stamped with the seal "Special Supply to the Royal Navy".

Han Xin stood on the dock, watching the supplies being hoisted onto the ship. He casually picked up a jar of braised pork and pried it open with his sword.

"Sizzle—"

A delicious aroma of meat wafted through the air.

"It smells so good." Han Xin scooped out a piece and stuffed it into his mouth. "With this, even if I drift to the ends of the earth, I can still win the battle."

Next to the engine room of the flagship "Shihuang", there is a strange copper machine.

This is the **"waste heat distiller"** designed by Wang Jianguo.

Using the waste heat from the exhaust gas of the steam engine, seawater is boiled, and the steam condenses to produce fresh water. Although due to technological limitations, the water always carries a faint smell of copper rust and coal smoke, it is considered a precious elixir on the vast ocean.

Xu Fu circled the machine three times, marveling at it.

"If we had this treasure back then, we wouldn't have had to drink boys' urine to survive," Xu Fu exclaimed. "Science... is truly a wonderful thing."

In the autumn of the thirty-ninth year of King Zheng of Qin.

On the shore of the East China Sea, stands Langya Terrace.

The sea breeze howls, and banners blot out the sun.

Five massive steel ships, painted black and flying black dragon flags, lay silently on the sea like mobile cities. Long trails of black smoke billowed from their chimneys, tracing long lines in the sea breeze.

Ying Zheng personally saw off the expeditionary force.

He stood on the high platform and raised a glass of wine (this time it was genuine Erguotou, not cheap liquor).

"Soldiers!"

Ying Zheng's voice, amplified by a loudspeaker, drowned out the roar of the waves.

"I'll be waiting for you in Xianyang! Once you bring back that 'divine food,' I'll host a three-day feast, inviting all the people of the land to eat stewed beef with potatoes!"

"Years may pass, and the winds and waves may be fierce. I only want you to remember one thing: wherever you go, the deck beneath your feet is the territory of Great Qin! Behind you, a powerful empire stands strong to support you!"

"Victory! Victory! Victory!"

Three thousand carefully selected sailors and marines (most of whom were from Guanzhong, and some were fishermen trained by Xu Fu) roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

Han Xin, dressed in full military attire, stood on the bridge of the flagship, his hand on his sword. Looking at the imposing figure on the shore, a surge of heroic spirit welled up within him.

"Weigh anchor!" Han Xin drew his sword and pointed eastward. "Destination—the land of sunrise!"

"Ugh—!!!"

Five warships sounded their horns simultaneously. The powerful sound startled countless seagulls on the sea.

The propellers began to churn the seawater, and the paddle wheels lapped against the waves. The massive fleet slowly sailed away from the harbor, cutting through the azure waves.

The fleet sailed into the deep sea, where the land had disappeared below the horizon.

On the deck of the "First Emperor", Xu Fu was giving a lesson to the young sailors.

"Listen up, all of you!" Xu Fu held a moldy lemon in his hand. "You must eat one slice of this yellow fruit every day! Even if it's so sour it makes your teeth ache, you have to swallow it! Anyone who dares to secretly throw it away, I'll throw them into the sea to feed the sharks!"

A green recruit, looking distressed, said, "Sir, this is way too sour. Can I dip it in some sugar?"

"Dipping it in sugar? You think this is a snack?" Xu Fu glared. "This is medicine! Medicine to save my life!"

Meanwhile, Han Xin was studying a nautical chart.

"Admiral," the adjutant leaned closer, "do we really think we can find that America thing? What if... the Imperial Advisor is just making empty promises?"

Han Xin put down the nautical chart and glanced at the vast expanse where the sea and sky met in the distance.

"A pie in the sky?" Han Xin laughed, a laugh tinged with arrogance. "Even if it's just a pie in the sky, I'll still eat it. Besides, I trust the Grand Preceptor. If he says it exists, then it definitely exists."

"Moreover," Han Xin patted the pistol at his waist (a high-end one given to him by Wang Jianguo), "even without potatoes, as long as there is land and barbarians, our trip won't have been in vain. Capturing a few kings to dance for His Majesty would be a great achievement."

As night falls, the sea becomes deep and terrifying.

Wang Jianguo did not go on the expedition; he stayed in Xianyang to continue his technological advancements. However, Little G kept a close eye on the fleet's movements via wireless telegraph (although the distance was limited, communication could be barely maintained through relay ships).

Inside the Imperial Study.

[Brother Zheng, the fleet has entered the Kuroshio Current area. Current speed is 12 knots, everything is normal.]

Ying Zheng stood by the window, looking at the night sky in the east.

"Jianguo said that it gets light earlier over there than it does here."

Yes. The Earth rotates. While you were sleeping, Han Xin and his men were greeting the sunrise.

"Little G, tell me, if they really do find that continent..." Ying Zheng's voice was somewhat unsteady, "Shouldn't we redesign the map of Qin?"

[Brother Zheng, if they succeed, the Great Qin will no longer be "Chinese" Great Qin, but "world" Great Qin. The Atlantic and Pacific Oceans will become your inland lakes.]

Ying Zheng smiled.

He turned back to his desk and picked up the newly delivered census report.

"Sixty million...four hundred million..."

Ying Zheng picked up his brush and wrote two characters on a blank sheet of paper:

"hope."

This fleet carries more than just the mission of finding potatoes; it represents the first time this ancient civilization has proactively extended its reach to embrace, explore, and conquer every corner of this planet.