My Imperial Advisor is ChatGPT

Spring in Xianyang should be a season of renewal, with peach blossoms and willows in full bloom. However, in the thirty-fifth year of the First Emperor's reign (the fifth year of industrialization reform), spring in Xianyang was shrouded in a thin layer of coal smoke and noise.

This pressure did not come from the Xiongnu cavalry in the north, nor from the miasma-ridden jungles of the Baiyue in the south, but from the unbearable foundation of Xianyang City.

Inside the side hall of Weiyang Palace, the atmosphere was so oppressive that it felt like a storm was about to break.

"Your Majesty, this is the fifth 'fight' this month." Li Si, the Minister of Justice, stood before a huge map of Xianyang, holding a thick stack of bamboo slips in his hands, his face as black as the bottom of a pot. "Yesterday in the south of the city, two groups of laborers fought fiercely over the right to live in an abandoned stable, injuring more than thirty people. This is not an isolated incident. The population of Xianyang has now officially exceeded 600,000."

Six hundred thousand.

This number might be the size of a small county town in later generations, but in the agricultural society more than two thousand years ago, it was practically a population nuclear bomb that could explode at any moment.

Ying Zheng put down his vermilion brush and rubbed his throbbing temples. Since the start of the "Great Qin Industrialization," Xianyang had been like a giant magnet, frantically attracting resources and people from all over the land. Steel mill chimneys spewed black smoke day and night, railway whistles tore through the air, and scholars from the Imperial Academy, merchants seeking opportunities, and farmers who had lost their land and turned to manual labor... everyone was crowding here.

"I remember, didn't the Imperial Household Department just expand the outer city last year?" Ying Zheng's voice carried a hint of weariness.

"The expansion speed simply can't keep up with the influx of people," Li Si said with a wry smile, circling a piece of land on the map with his finger. "Land in the outer city is now being sold for eight thousand coins per mu, and there's no market for it. People have nowhere to live, so they've built makeshift shelters along the Wei River. These shacks are so densely packed that if a fire breaks out, it will spread like wildfire. What's more, there's excrement everywhere and sewage flowing freely. The Imperial Physician has warned us many times that if this isn't addressed, there could be a major epidemic."

[Your Majesty, this is a typical case of the "growing pains of urbanization."]

That familiar mechanical voice—the artificial intelligence Little G—calmly analyzed in Ying Zheng's mind.

[In your era, land use was flat. But the essence of industrial civilization is aggregation; aggregation brings efficiency, but also congestion. The only way to accommodate a larger population is to borrow land from the sky.]

"Borrow land from the sky?" Ying Zheng raised an eyebrow, his eyes sharpening. "You mean, build skyscrapers?"

[Exactly. Utilizing your existing reinforced concrete technology, we can abandon traditional rammed earth foundations and brick-and-wood structures, and fully transition to high-rise buildings.]

"No!"

Before Ying Zheng could speak, Zhang Han, the Minister of the Imperial Household, hurriedly objected. He was in charge of the royal finances and engineering projects, and had some knowledge of technology, but he was more concerned about the system of rites and rituals.

"Your Majesty, since ancient times, commoners' dwellings have never been higher than the imperial palace. Although the Epang Palace was high, it represented the majesty of the emperor. If commoners were to live halfway up the palace and look down upon it, that would be... that would be a great disrespect! Moreover, if the houses were built so high, wouldn't countless people die or be injured if an earthquake struck?"

Zhang Han's words represented the understanding of the vast majority of people at the time. Height was a symbol of power, but also a source of fear.

Ying Zheng stood up, put his hands behind his back, and walked to the window. Outside the window, the once majestic city walls now appeared somewhat low, and the dark, dense shacks in the distance looked like festering sores plastered on the once prosperous body of the empire.

"Zhang Han, you are right," Ying Zheng said calmly.

Just as Zhang Han was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Ying Zheng abruptly changed the subject: "But I ask you, is 'great disrespect' more important, or is it more important for the people of Qin not to freeze to death or be poisoned by plague?"

Zhang Han froze, cold sweat instantly pouring down his back: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty is terrified."

"As for the earth dragon turning over..." Ying Zheng's lips curled into a confident smile, a smile that spoke of absolute control over future technology. "I have my own divine arts. Issue the order to designate a piece of land in the West Market of Xianyang. I will build an unprecedented 'Tower of Heaven,' so that the world can see what an industrial Qin Dynasty truly is."

Abandoned workshop area in Xishi, Xianyang.

This place is about to become the testing ground for Daqin's first "high-rise residential area". The chief engineer in charge of this project is Wang Jianguo, a "returnee" from the Gewu Academy (actually a native technical bureaucrat trained by the Little G database).

At this moment, Wang Jianguo was roaring at a group of Qin's top craftsmen.

"Reinforcing bars! Reinforcing bars need to be tied! You can't just stick them in anywhere!" Wang Jianguo waved the blueprints, spitting as he spoke. "Old Zhang, you're an old bricklayer, how come you're still thinking like a rammed earth worker? Concrete is also mud, but it's harder than stone when it dries! These are called 'stirrups,' they're used to resist shear forces, understand?"

Old Zhang, who had been scolded, looked aggrieved. Holding a piece of rebar in his hand, he muttered, "Engineer Wang, this iron rod is so expensive. Isn't it a waste to bury it in the mud? Besides, it's too densely packed. Even a mouse can't squeeze through."

"It has to be tight!" Wang Jianguo took a deep breath, adjusting his crystal glasses (a new product from the Gewu Academy) on the bridge of his nose. "We're building a six-story building! Nearly six zhang tall! If it's not securely fastened, it'll be like handing a task to the King of Hell!"

Besides technical difficulties, the greater obstacle comes from psychological factors.

As the foundation was dug deeper and the steel cage was erected higher and higher, the surrounding residents began to point and whisper. Rumors spread like wildfire throughout Xianyang.

"Have you heard? His Majesty the Emperor wants to build a demon tower, saying it will reach the heavens!"

"Oh dear, that's no place for people to live! It's so tall, wouldn't it collapse in the wind?"

"I heard that's for gods; if a mortal lives there, they'll be struck by lightning!"

Three months were spent amidst various doubts and fears.

The moment the scaffolding was dismantled, the entire city of Xianyang fell silent.

A colossal, greyish-white structure stood in the setting sun. It had no flying eaves or brackets, no carved beams or painted rafters, only straight lines and a cold, austere concrete exterior. At six stories high, it stood out like a crane among chickens in a sea of ​​one- or two-story dwellings at the time, even exuding a suffocating sense of oppression.

This is Building No. 1 of "Afang New Garden".

The building was completed, but a problem arose—no one dared to live there.

Forget about staying there; even getting close to it made people's legs go weak. The people avoided it, fearing the monster might suddenly collapse and crush them. Even though the government posted notices offering extremely low prices, no one showed interest.

"Your Majesty, this building... I'm afraid it's going to rot in your hands." Li Si looked at the empty sales office with a worried expression.

Ying Zheng sat in the imperial study, listening to Xiao G's report, his fingers lightly tapping the table.

[Your Majesty, this fear stems from a 'cognitive bias.' Official endorsement alone is insufficient to dispel this fear. You need a leader, someone shrewd and worldly enough to convince the people that 'if this guy dares to live here, he must be getting something for free.']

A rogue yet shrewd face instantly flashed into Ying Zheng's mind.

"Summon Liu Bang, the head of the Sishui Pavilion... no, now the vice president of the 'Great Qin Infrastructure Chamber of Commerce,'" Ying Zheng said in a deep voice.

Xianyang Palace, side hall.

Liu Bang knelt on the ground, his heart pounding. He had recently been doing very well in Xianyang, making a fortune by contracting out the leftover parts of the Epang Palace project, and even earning the nickname "Master Liu." But he knew that in front of this emperor who would be remembered for all time, he was nothing more than a slightly fatter ant.

"Liu Ji," Ying Zheng's voice was unreadable.

"This humble subject is here!" Liu Bang lowered his head even further.

"I've heard that you've recently bought quite a few plots of land in the West Market?"

Liu Bang's heart skipped a beat, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back. Was His Majesty going to investigate his taxes? Or did he suspect he was hoarding land and disrupting the market?

"Your Majesty, please understand! This humble subject...this humble subject only wishes to contribute to the construction of the Great Qin..."

"Alright, stop joking around." Ying Zheng waved his hand, tossing down a bamboo slip. "I'll give you a chance. You know that new building in the West Market, right?"

"I...I know. It's a miracle, a miracle!" Liu Bang quickly flattered him.

"Miracle my ass." Ying Zheng cursed (probably learned from Little G), "That's a ghost building that no one lives in. I order you to be the first resident and move into the top floor. That is, the sixth floor."

Liu Bang looked up abruptly, his face deathly pale: "Your Majesty... this... this humble subject is afraid of heights! And, won't that building really collapse?"

"Wang Jianguo guarantees with his head that it won't collapse." Ying Zheng stared into Liu Bang's eyes. "As long as you move in and help me sell the remaining seventy-one houses, I will give you three benefits."

Liu Bang's eyes darted around, his merchant instincts overcoming his fear: "May I ask, Your Majesty, which three are they?"

"First, I will give you this top-floor apartment. Second, for every unit sold, you will receive a commission. Third, I will give priority to your chamber of commerce for future real estate development rights in the Great Qin Dynasty."

Liu Bang's breathing became rapid.

Giving away houses is a small matter, and commissions are just money, but that "priority development right"... that's a gold mine! As industrialization progresses, land in Xianyang will only become more and more expensive. As long as he masters the technology and power to build skyscrapers, Liu Bang will be the richest man in the Qin Dynasty!

"Fortune favors the bold!" Liu Bang gritted his teeth, kowtowed heavily, and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured! This humble subject not only wants a place to live, but he wants it to be magnificent! This humble subject will go back and make arrangements immediately, and within three days, I guarantee that the people of Xianyang will be scrambling to buy houses!"

Three days later, in the West Market, downstairs at the Afang New Garden.

This was an auspicious day, but the West Market was more bustling than any other festival.

"Look, look! That's Liu Bang, the wealthy landowner!"

"Has he gone mad? Why would he bring his whole family into that strange building?"

A grand procession came with music and fanfare. At the head of the procession, Liu Bang, dressed in a brand-new brocade robe and riding a tall horse, was beaming with health, as if he were not going to live in a haunted house, but to ascend the throne.

Upon reaching the ground floor, Liu Bang reined in his horse and leaped onto the platform that had been erected. He surveyed the dense crowd around him and cleared his throat.

"Fellow villagers! I am Liu Bang!"

"I know what you're thinking! You think this building is too tall, you're afraid it will collapse! You're afraid you'll fall and die! You're afraid it will be struck by lightning!"

The audience erupted in laughter.

Liu Bang laughed too, laughing louder than anyone else: "But who am I, Liu Bang? I'm someone who never does a losing business! Why do I dare to stay here? Because I have inside information!"

The crowd fell silent instantly, craning their necks.

Liu Bang pointed mysteriously to the ceiling: "This building was designed by Lu Ban, the legendary carpenter from heaven, whom Your Majesty invited to descend to earth (Wang Jianguo sneezed)! It's not made of mud, but of divine cement! And it even has a black iron dragon skeleton (steel reinforcement) inside! Don't even mention the wind; even if the earth were to turn upside down, it would only sway, not collapse!"

"Moreover!" Liu Bang suddenly raised his voice, "Living in a high-rise building has three major advantages that you living in bungalows will never experience!"

"Master Liu, what's in it for us?" someone couldn't help but ask.

Liu Bang held up one finger: "First, fortune! Everyone knows that purple aura comes from the east, and that aura floats in the sky. The higher you live, the more you absorb! Look at those immortals, which one lives in a cellar? They all live on the mountains! Living on this sixth floor is like living halfway up the mountain, and your descendants will all benefit!"

This rambling, superstitious nonsense struck a nerve with the Qin people. Their gazes towards the tall building instantly shifted from fear to awe.

"Secondly, it's clean!" Liu Bang pointed to the muddy streets around them. "You live in single-story houses, where rats burrow and cockroaches crawl on the beds. When it rains, the houses are full of mud and water. But upstairs? The cement floors are so smooth that flies can't even do the splits! And there are no mosquitoes. It's as clean as a palace!"

"And what about the third one?"

Liu Bang chuckled, revealing a lewd smile that all men understand, and shouted, "The third one is called having a broad mind! Just imagine, you get up in the morning, stand on the sixth-floor balcony, loosen your belt, and look down..."

The entire room fell silent.

"Your pee can float three feet in the wind! Imagine the entire city of Xianyang at your feet, what would that feel like? That's called ruling the world! That's called 'looking down from above'! Don't you want to try that kind of exhilaration?"

"Hahahaha!" The crowd erupted in deafening laughter, their initial fear vanishing in the face of Liu Bang's crude yet vivid metaphor.

"One last thing!" Liu Bang pressed his advantage, throwing out his trump card, "These first batch of houses are a gift from His Majesty! The first floor is only 500 coins, and the top floor is only 1000 coins! They come with a full set of furniture and even that magical 'running water' system! Just turn it on, and the water will gush out! First come, first served! Late? Hmph, once this building becomes a symbol of good fortune, you won't be able to buy it even with ten thousand gold pieces!"

Five hundred coins? Really?

"If Master Liu dares to live on the top floor, then he'll definitely be fine!"

"I want a set! I want to absorb some of the auspicious energy!"

"I want to experience what it feels like to pee three feet high!"

A buying frenzy began. This day was later known by historians as the "Year One of Real Estate Development in the Qin Dynasty".

That evening, on the sixth floor of Afang New Garden.

As the noise subsided, Liu Bang stood on his balcony, his calves still cramping.

"Old Xiao, do you think this building... really won't collapse?" Liu Bang leaned on the railing, looking down at the dimly lit city of Xianyang, his voice trembling slightly.

Xiao He shook his head helplessly, holding a cup of hot tea (boiled with tap water): "You've been bragging about it down there, what's the use of being afraid now? But your 'tap water' is really convenient. Wang Jianguo said it uses some kind of 'water tower pressure' principle, so the water goes directly to the sixth floor without having to carry water. Just for that reason alone, this house is worth the price of admission."

Liu Bang took a deep breath; the cool night breeze dispelled his fear. Looking at the distant, dark night sky, he suddenly felt a surge of heroic spirit.

"Old Xiao, look at this view," Liu Bang said, pointing to the distance. "Before, when I lived in an alley, I could only see a tiny patch of sky and smell the stale water from Old Wang's house next door. Now, standing here, I feel like the whole of Xianyang is beneath my feet. Your Majesty is right, this is called 'vision'."

"When your ambitions grow too big, your ambitions also grow too wild." Xiao He gave him a meaningful look. "His Majesty entrusted you with this lucrative opportunity to test your abilities and to bind you with benefits. Be careful, lest you become arrogant before the building collapses."

"Don't worry." Liu Bang patted the hard cement railing. "This cement is very hard, and so am I. As long as we follow Your Majesty's lead, the Qin Dynasty will be vast."

One year later, in Xianyang New City.

The once lonely Afang New Garden is no longer solitary.

Around it, the second and third phases of the project sprang up like mushrooms after rain. A total of twenty six-story residential buildings formed a huge square. This is no longer just a few buildings, but a "community" with its own independent ecosystem.

Within the community, the cement roads are smooth and wide, lined with neat rows of plane trees (introduced from the Western Regions). Every so often, a strange iron pole stands along the roadside—these are the "biogas streetlights" that the Gewu Institute is testing. Although their brightness is average and their smell is unpleasant, they have brought light to the Qin Dynasty's nights for the first time.

What's even more interesting is the change in social structure.

Because of the close proximity of the buildings, the original clan-based community structure was disrupted and replaced by "neighborhood relations." To manage these high-rise buildings, the government established special "neighborhood committees," with middle-aged women wearing red armbands responsible for supervising hygiene, fire prevention, theft prevention, and even mediating marital disputes.

"No throwing things from high-rise buildings! Who poured their foot-washing water down there? A fine of fifty cents!"

A loud, booming voice came from downstairs.

Ying Zheng stood atop the newly built Xianyang TV Tower (actually a military observation tower and signal testing tower), overlooking this new city.

"Your Majesty, the data shows that the crime rate in the new city is 40% lower than in the old city, and the incidence of disease is 70% lower," Little G reported, a hint of relief in his voice. "While high-density living has brought new problems, centralized sewage and water supply have led to a qualitative leap in sanitation. Moreover, this communal living model makes it easier for government decrees to be implemented."

"Is this what 'civilization' looks like?" Ying Zheng looked down at the Qin people below, dressed in work clothes, hurrying along but full of energy.

This is only the initial stage. Your Majesty, please look at that.

Little G projected a blueprint onto Ying Zheng's retina.

The current six-story building is only limited by materials. The Institute of Geology's "steam elevator" (a prototype elevator) has entered its final testing phase. Once the power grid connection is successful, we can build skyscrapers of twenty or even fifty stories. At that time, Xianyang will become a true "vertical city."

"Electricity..." Ying Zheng murmured to himself. It was a power that Little G described as even more powerful than the steam engine.

At this moment, Li Si hurriedly climbed the tower, holding a new planning document in his hand, his face beaming with excitement: "Your Majesty! That scoundrel Liu Bang has submitted another memorial! He says that the current residential areas are too monotonous and suggests adding the concept of a 'commercial complex' to the next phase of the project, moving taverns, cloth shops, and theaters into the building, and calling it... 'Epang Square'?"

"That old fellow has a keen sense of smell," Ying Zheng laughed. "Granted. Also, tell Liu Bang that I not only want commercial entities, but also require him to fund the construction of schools and clinics. If he wants to make money from Qin, he must support Qin."

"promise!"

Just as Li Si was about to leave, Ying Zheng called him back.

"Li Si, tell me, if the people of Qin all live high in the clouds, watching the lights of countless homes, will they still think I'm a tyrant?"

Li Si paused for a moment, looked down at the vibrant steel forest below, and bowed deeply: "Your Majesty, if a tyrant can ensure that the people have a place to live, then the people will only hope that this tyranny will come even more fiercely."

Ying Zheng burst into laughter, the sound echoing over Xianyang.