My Imperial Advisor is ChatGPT

The rain in the south is not as sharp and straightforward as the snow in the north. It is sticky and lingering, like a thick cotton quilt soaked with water, making it hard to breathe.

Lingqu Canal construction site in Xing'an, Guangxi.

This place is the throat connecting the Yangtze River system and the Pearl River system, and also the lifeline of the Qin army's southern expedition. At this moment, this lifeline is facing the risk of breaking.

The torrential rain has been falling for three days and three nights. The Xiangjiang River has swelled, and the muddy floodwaters, like a maddened yellow dragon, roar and crash against the newly built "human-shaped dam".

The atmosphere in the construction site's makeshift command post—a shed built of huge logs and thatch—was even more oppressive than the dark clouds outside.

Shi Lu, the official in charge of digging the Ling Canal, was barefoot, his trousers rolled up to his thighs, covered in mud, looking like an old farmer who had just crawled out of a mud pit. He clutched a roll of sheepskin blueprints tightly in his hand, his eyes bloodshot.

"No! Absolutely not!" Shi Lu slammed the blueprints on the table, making the ceramic bowls on it bounce wildly. "The water level is too high now. If we blast at the 'plowshare' location, and it's not controlled properly, the floodwaters will backflow into the unfinished channels, and all our hard work over the past six months will be wasted! Tens of thousands of laborers will be washed into the sea to feed the fish!"

Sitting opposite him was a young man dressed in gray cloth, who, though also covered in mud, still tried to maintain a certain scholarly demeanor.

Zhang Liang.

This former nobleman of the Korean Kingdom, now the "chief railway engineer" of the Qin Dynasty, was brought from the yellow sands of the northwest to the humid south by a decree from Ying Zheng. Ostensibly, it was for "technical support," but in reality, Ying Zheng felt that he had some talent in gunpowder explosions, so why not make use of him?

Zhang Liang slowly wiped the rain off his face, his movements as elegant as if he were wiping the strings of a musical instrument.

"Lord Shi Lu, do you think I'm discussing this with you?" Zhang Liang pointed to the rain outside. "If we don't blast open the last section of rocks on the watershed and divert some of the floodwater into the Li River, this dam will collapse tonight. Then, not only will the laborers be affected, but you and I will have to feed the fish."

"But what if the gunpowder gets damp? What if it misfires?" Shi Lu scratched his head anxiously. "This awful weather in the south is so bad, even my underwear gets soaked. Gunpowder is even more delicate."

Zhang Liang's lips curled up slightly, revealing a confident smile.

"That's why I brought the new trinket bestowed by His Majesty."

Zhang Liang carefully took out a ceramic jar from the wooden box at his feet. The jar was wrapped in layers of oiled paper and sealed with a thick layer of yellow wax.

"This is called a 'waterproof mine'."

"It contains the latest refined granular black powder from the Imperial Workshop. The fuse is made of cotton rope soaked in oil, and it is covered with a layer of... rubber tubing."

Shi Lu stared wide-eyed at the dark jar, as if he were looking at a freak.

"This...this is the 'gift for the River God' that His Majesty spoke of?"

"That's right." Zhang Liang stood up, a complex light flashing in his eyes. He had originally wanted to overthrow the Qin Dynasty, but now he had to use his wisdom to save the Qin's projects. This contradiction made him feel ironic, yet he also felt a sense of satisfaction in solving a difficult problem.

"Let's go, Lord Shi. Let's take advantage of the thunderstorm and send a message to the River God."

……

Meanwhile, in Xianyang, at the Shaofu workshop.

Ying Zheng was standing in front of a huge, strangely shaped wooden machine, holding a folding fan in his hand, looking at it with great interest.

This machine was as tall as a two-story building and was driven by a huge waterwheel. The waterwheel turned, driving a thick horizontal shaft with several protruding wooden teeth mounted on it. As the shaft turned, the wooden teeth pushed several huge wooden poles up and then fell heavily back down.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The end of the wooden pole was fitted with a heavy iron head, which slammed into the stone mortar at the base with a deafening roar and sparks flying with each fall.

"Your Majesty, this...this is the 'automatic punching machine' you wanted?" Hu Hai covered his ears and shouted loudly.

Ying Zheng glared at him and corrected him, "You're uncultured. This is called a 'water-powered stone crusher'."

"Or it could be called a 'hydraulic forging hammer'."

This was an improvement made by the Mohists based on the principle of water mills, commissioned by Ying Zheng to solve the problems of low efficiency in crushing stones at the Lingqu Canal construction site and the excessive labor cost of forging iron armor in the arsenal.

"Little G," Ying Zheng asked in his mind, "This thing looks pretty bulky, is it powerful enough?"

[Your Majesty, this is a classic application of the conversion of gravitational potential energy into kinetic energy.]

[A single iron head, weighing three hundred pounds, falls from a height of five feet. The force of this single blow is equivalent to ten strong men swinging a sledgehammer. Moreover, it is tireless; as long as the water flows, it can keep smashing.]

[These tools are invaluable for crushing stones, forging iron, and even grinding bamboo pulp for papermaking.]

This was the prototype of "industrialization": replacing human labor with natural forces.

Ying Zheng nodded in satisfaction.

He walked over to the machine and looked at the shattered granite block.

"Zhao Gao."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Zhao Gao was wearing earplugs made of cotton balls today, clearly suffering greatly from the noise.

"Send these blueprints to the Lingqu Canal by fast horses. Tell Shi Lu, don't just rely on men to smash the rocks. Set up dozens of these huge machines along the Xiang River, and use the current to smash through that mountain for me!"

"Also," Ying Zheng pointed to a pile of scrap metal next to him, "send this over as well."

When Zhao Gao looked at it, he saw that it was a pile of oddly shaped iron pieces with sharp edges and a hole in the middle.

"This is?"

"This is the 'trick' I prepared for Zhang Liang." A sly glint flashed in Ying Zheng's eyes. "Since he likes playing with explosives, I'll teach him another trick: 'drilling and blasting'."

"Use this iron plate to attach to the drill rod, and with the help of water power, drill a deep hole in the rock, stuff gunpowder inside, and detonate it. It's ten times more powerful than detonating it on the surface."

Zhao Gao was stunned. Although he didn't understand what drilling and blasting were, he understood one thing: His Majesty was going to destroy that mountain.

"This servant obeys the decree! I will make the arrangements immediately!"

……

Let's turn our attention back to the south.

The rain was torrential, and the waves of the Xiangjiang River had already reached the edge of the embankment.

Zhang Liang led a team of daredevils, their waists tied with ropes, as they struggled to climb the slippery rock face. Each of them carried one of those "waterproof mines" on their backs.

Beneath my feet was a roaring flood, and above me, deafening lightning.

"We're here! This is it!"

Zhang Liang pointed to a natural crack in the watershed. According to his calculations, this was a weak point in the rock strata. If they could blast this crack open, the floodwaters could be diverted into the unfinished South Canal. Although it would destroy some facilities, it would save the dam and the laborers' camp downstream.

"Stuff it in! Fill it completely!"

Zhang Liang gave loud instructions.

Several daredevils stuffed the pottery jar into the crack and secured it with stones.

"ignition!"

Lighting a fire in this torrential rain was a skill in itself. But under Zhang Liang’s guidance, they used a specially made “windproof tinderbox” that used flint and tinder, packed in a sealed copper box.

"Sizzle—"

The fuse burned stubbornly in the rain, emitting dazzling sparks.

"Jump! Jump now!"

Zhang Liang shouted and took the lead in jumping into the surging river.

A few seconds later.

"BOOM—!!!"

A deafening roar even drowned out the thunder in the sky.

The entire mountain seemed to tremble. Huge columns of water mixed with rubble shot into the sky, reaching heights of tens of feet.

The watershed has collapsed.

A turbid torrent roared and rushed into the South Canal through the blasted breach.

The pressure on the previously precarious dam suddenly decreased, and the water level visibly began to drop.

Downstream, in the camp, tens of thousands of anxious laborers watched this scene in deathly silence, followed by a deafening roar of cheers.

"The Dragon King has appeared!"

"No! It's Lord Zhang who has appeared to us!"

Zhang Liang, soaking wet and disheveled after being washed ashore by the river, heard the cheers, wiped the mud off his face, and shook his head with a wry smile.

"What kind of miracle is this... it's all calculated."

He lay in the mud, watching the dark clouds gradually dissipate in the sky, and a strange feeling suddenly welled up in his heart.

Previously, all he wanted was revenge and to destroy everything in the Qin Dynasty.

But today, as he personally saved tens of thousands of Qin laborers, he found that he did not regret it.

"Ying Zheng..." Zhang Liang murmured to himself, "You showed me a different kind of 'conquest.' Not conquering people, but conquering heaven and earth."

……

The crisis at Lingqu was resolved, but another unexpected "side effect" emerged.

Because the explosion was so powerful, combined with the erosion caused by the flood, a huge cave was carved out of the riverbed.

When the floodwaters receded and workers were cleaning the riverbed, they discovered that the cave was filled with a strange, grayish-white stone.

"What's this? It looks like a bone?"

The workers were talking about it.

The news quickly reached Liu Bang's ears, who was "doing business" nearby.

Liu Bang is now a famous merchant in Baiyue. He is holding a peacock feather fan and wearing a silk robe. He is promoting his "Xianyang Special Supply Flower Dew" to several Baiyue leaders.

"Lord Liu! Lord Liu!" Fan Kuai rushed over. "We've dug up a treasure in the river! Lord Shi Lu says it's an auspicious omen and he's preparing to present it to His Majesty!"

"An auspicious omen?" Liu Bang's eyes lit up. "Let's go! Let's take a look! If it's a real treasure, we'll have a go at it!"

When Liu Bang arrived at the scene and saw the pile of grayish-white stones, he was greatly disappointed.

"Isn't this just a rotten rock? It doesn't shine, it's not translucent, and it's not even as pretty as that glass ball." Liu Bang kicked it.

But Zhang Liang, who was standing to the side, squatted down, picked up a stone, looked at it carefully, and then licked it with his tongue.

"Pah! It's pungent."

Zhang Liang frowned and pondered.

"This stuff... has a fine texture and gets slightly warm when it comes into contact with water. If we were to fire it..."

Zhang Liang suddenly remembered the diagrams about "cement raw materials" that he had seen at the Gewu Institute.

"This is top-quality limestone! And it's extremely pure!" Zhang Liang's eyes lit up. "It can not only be used to make cement, but also... it can be used to make something called 'bleaching powder'."

"Bleach?" Liu Bang asked, puzzled. "What's it used for?"

"It disinfects, sterilizes, and can even turn your yellowed linen as white as snow." Zhang Liang stood up, looking at the pit full of stones as if it were a mountain of gold.

"Brother Liu, your 'high-end fabric' business has been secured."

Upon hearing that it could make money, Liu Bang's expression immediately changed, and he hugged the stone and kissed it.

"Oh my precious stone! This isn't just an auspicious omen, it's the God of Wealth!"

"Quick! Cover up the news! Just say this is...this is River God's excrement! It's bad luck! I, Liu Ji, am doing this for everyone's safety, even though it's a bit of a hassle!"

……

Xianyang, Epang Palace.

Ying Zheng received the good news that the Lingqu Canal had been initially completed, but at the same time, he also received a cartload of "River God's excrement" sent by Liu Bang.

Looking at the accompanying letter, Ying Zheng laughed so hard he almost crushed the walnut in his hand.

"That Liu Bang was a real sly fox. He clearly discovered a mine, but he insisted on making up a lie."

"Little G".

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Besides making cement and bleaching powder, what else is this limestone used for?"

Your Majesty, this is the mother of chemical engineering.

It is a raw material for glassmaking, a flux in iron smelting, and a raw material for alkali production.

Most importantly, in this era of scarce medical resources, quicklime was the best disinfectant.

You could have Liu Bang build a "Great Qin Southern Chemical Plant" in the south, specializing in the production of quicklime and bleaching powder.

With these two things, the plague in the south can be suppressed at its root.

Ying Zheng nodded.

"Granted."

"However, I have something even more important to do."

Ying Zheng walked to the window and looked eastward.

"With the Lingqu Canal open, the grain supply route is also open. The Baiyue people in Lingnan are no longer a threat."

"But, that Xu Fu..."

"How is the construction of my fleet going?"

"The throne has been passed down to Hu Hai."

……

A moment later, Hu Hai, dressed in oil-stained overalls, wearing the hard hat, and carrying a delicate model ship, ran in.

"Father! Look! This is the 'Invincible Giant Flying Wheel' that your son and the Mo family just created!"

Hu Hai placed the model on the table as if presenting a treasure.

It was a ship. But unlike the sailing ships of the past, it had a huge paddle wheel on each side.

"What is this?" Ying Zheng fiddled with the wheel.

"This is a paddle steamer!" Hu Hai explained excitedly. "Just connect a steam engine to this axle, and the ship will paddle forward with a whoosh! It can go wherever it wants, whether the wind is favorable or unfavorable!"

"Furthermore, I've installed a large iron spike on the bow of the ship! That's for ramming!"

"If we run into that old swindler Xu Fu's ship, we'll ram it and sink it!"

Ying Zheng looked at the model, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

Steam-powered paddle steamer.

Although it is still very primitive and not as efficient as a propeller, at this moment, it is the master of the sea.

"it is good."

Ying Zheng patted Hu Hai on the head.

"I will give you three months."

"Build three such real ships for me at the shipyard in Jiaodong County."

"I want to go to the East Sea myself to test the power of this 'Invincible Flying Wheel'."

"Also," Ying Zheng added, "don't forget to bring those 'Thunderclap Bombs'." The Thunderclap Bombs were the prototype of cannons, although they were currently just catapults that launched explosive charges.

"I want Xu Fu to know what it means to say that 'truth lies only within range.'"

……

Just as Ying Zheng was planning his famous eastern tour and sea voyage, in the far west, at the end of the Silk Road...

A caravan, dressed in rags but with resolute eyes, finally crossed the Pamir Mountains and arrived in an unfamiliar land.

The leader was none other than Xiao Mole, the Qin expedition captain, a talented young man and Xiao He's nephew, who had been "exiled" by Ying Zheng to search for the Western Regions.

They didn't find Zhang Qian, but they brought back a man.

A strange man with blond hair and blue eyes, speaking a language no one could understand, and wearing a strange robe.

"Captain, what should we do with this guy?" his subordinate asked.

Looking at the strange man, Xiao Mole recalled His Majesty's instructions before his departure: "If you see someone who is as white as a ghost and has eyes as green as a cat, you must bring them back. They are... Romans."

"Take it back!" Xiao Mole's eyes gleamed with excitement.

"This is a living 'auspicious omen'! His Majesty will surely reward it handsomely!"

"Moreover, the gold coin he's holding... has a pattern that's completely different from our Qin Banliang coins."

The first "physical contact" between the Qin Dynasty and Rome happened quietly on a chance afternoon.

However, at this time, Ying Zheng was unaware that the "world map" he had been longing for was about to be pieced together with one of the most important pieces.

Before that, he had to deal with that old fraudster who thought he was the "Emperor Jinmu".

The waves of the East China Sea have begun to surge.