My Imperial Advisor is ChatGPT

The Wei River Wharf, originally a royal forbidden area, is now shrouded in an indescribable odor.

It wasn't the stench of a decaying corpse, nor the stench of a latrine, but a bizarre smell mixed with fermented dead fish, rotten shrimp, rotten eggs, and old, sauerkraut. This smell seemed to have a physical form, carried by the wind from the Wei River all the way to the walls of Xianyang Palace, ten miles away.

On the dock, even though the three thousand imperial guards were wearing thick cotton gauze masks, they were still swaying and their eyes were watering from the fumes.

Ying Zheng stood on the high platform upwind, clutching a handkerchief soaked in styrax in his hand, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

"Wang Jianguo," Ying Zheng's voice came from behind the handkerchief, filled with suppressed anger, "this is the 'divine object' you've been longing for for five years? This is the treasure that can stop the electrical wires in Qin from leaking electricity and stop my carriage from wobbling?"

Wang Jianguo, standing to the side, was also choked by the fumes, but his eyes gleamed with fervor.

He pushed up his glasses and pointed to the ship moored at the dock like a giant beast—the "Penglai," the flagship of Xu Fu, the director of the "Great Qin Maritime Bureau."

"Your Majesty, this is indeed a treasure," Wang Jianguo said excitedly. "Although it smells like a biogas digester has exploded right now, please recall our long search process."

Wang Jianguo turned around, pointed to the huge world map behind him, and began to provide the necessary background information:

"Your Majesty, please look. Back in Chapter 79, we encountered frequent short circuits in our electrical experiments due to a lack of insulation materials. At that time, we dispatched a land expedition team, led by the Baiyue veteran 'Amu,' deep into the southwestern border region. After surviving numerous close calls, they finally brought back the first bottle of white tree sap—a sample of the rubber tree."

Ying Zheng nodded: "I remember. The sap in that bottle is very elastic after it dries, but there's too little of it; it's not even enough to make a wire."

"Exactly," Wang Jianguo continued, "That's why we have the 'Ocean Expedition Plan' in Chapter 88. Since land transportation was difficult and production was limited, we used the reformed Xu Fu. He led the first steam-powered ocean-going fleet of the Great Qin Dynasty to the South Seas to find large forests of this divine tree. He drifted at sea for two years and finally established a collection base in what is now the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian archipelago (then called 'Greater Jiaozhou')."

Wang Jianguo pointed to the large ship emitting a foul stench: "This ship carried the first batch of raw rubber, weighing fifty tons, collected by Xu Fu overseas. This was the cornerstone of the Qin Dynasty's electrification era!"

"cornerstone?"

At this moment, Xu Fu was kneeling on the deck, his body covered in black, sticky liquid, crying like a heartbroken man.

"Your Majesty! I'm innocent!" Xu Fu cried out. "Back in the South Seas, this stuff was truly pure white like milk, with a wonderfully fragrant aroma. The locals even used it to make a ball to kick! I treasured it like a precious gem, sealing it in wooden barrels. But who knew... who knew that after crossing that so-called 'equatorial' heatline, the ship's cabin temperature became too high, and this stuff began to spoil and stink! By the time we reached Xianyang, it had become this... a black lump of dough!"

Zhao Gao stood beside Ying Zheng, pinching his nose and poking the black fluid flowing from the broken wooden bucket with a long bamboo pole with a look of disgust.

"Smack."

The bamboo pole got stuck, and when it was pulled out, it pulled out several meters of black thread, which was limp and without any strength.

"Chief Scholar Wang, Director Xu," Zhao Gao said sarcastically, "this stuff is as soft as snot, as sticky as glue, and as smelly as excrement. You call it foundation stone? To me, it's just a boatload of rotten mud. Our Great Qin spent millions of gold coins to bring back a pile of stinking mud to plaster walls?"

Wang Jianguo ignored Zhao Gao's mockery. He stepped forward, endured the stench, dipped his finger in the black viscous liquid, and rubbed it.

"It's oxidative degradation," Wang Jianguo muttered to himself. "Natural rubber is polyisoprene. Under the influence of high temperature, ultraviolet light, and oxygen, the molecular chains break down, turning it into a viscous flow state. Xu Fu didn't understand preservation technology, so this was to be expected."

He raised his head, looking firmly at Ying Zheng: "Your Majesty, it is merely 'sick.' Once it is cured, it will become the muscle of industry."

"How to treat it?"

"Give it a 'surgery,' give it a skeleton," Wang Jianguo said, uttering a chemical term, "vulcanization."

Section 2: Zhao Gao's Alchemy Moment in Breaking Bad

The Imperial Academy of Qin, East District, Polymer Materials Laboratory (formerly the Royal Alchemy Room).

The smell here is better than at the dock, but it's still filled with a pungent sulfur odor.

Looking at the enormous bronze cauldron before him, and the churning black rubber inside, Zhao Gao felt utterly hopeless.

"Why is it always the 'miscellaneous servant'?" Zhao Gao asked indignantly. "The 'miscellaneous servant' is the Chief of the Imperial Carriage Office, meant to serve His Majesty, not to cook excrement!"

Wang Jianguo stood behind the safety glass, holding a notebook in his hand (to avoid being affected by the explosion).

"Old Zhao, the capable should do more. Looking across the entire Qin Dynasty, when it comes to playing with fire, sulfur, and heavy metals, who has more experience than you? You are the number one alchemist in the Qin Dynasty."

"That was before!" Zhao Gao retorted. "Ever since you came, everyone's switched to mechanics!"

"This time it's different," Wang Jianguo said seriously. "The rubber is soft now because its molecules are loose. We need something to bind them together like chains. That chain is sulfur."

"Sulfur is associated with dryness, while rubber is associated with softness." Although Zhao Gao didn't understand polymer chemistry, he did understand the Five Elements theory of mutual generation and restraint. "Are you trying to use the dryness of fire to overcome the softness of water?"

"That's roughly the idea. But the proportions are very difficult to get right," Wang Jianguo said. "Charles Goodyear (who wasn't even born yet) spent his whole life figuring it out. His Majesty has given you a month. If you can't make it, this pile of black dough will be your coffin."

Zhao Gao felt a chill run down his spine. He knew that Ying Zheng never joked.

Thus began the most insane "materials science breakthrough" in the history of the Qin Dynasty.

The first ten days were a complete disaster.

Following the practice of alchemy, Zhao Gao added sulfur to the rubber.

If too little is added, the rubber will still be soft after boiling, and it will break easily when pulled after cooling.

Add more, and it turns into a hard black stone (hard rubber) that crumbles with a single tap.

The fire got too big, and the rubber caught fire directly inside the cauldron. The billowing black smoke almost sent Zhao Gao to meet the late emperor ahead of schedule.

"No way!" On the fifteenth day, Zhao Gao, disheveled and covered in soot, looked like a ghost who had just crawled out of a coal mine. "This thing is too delicate! It won't budge! It won't do if it's not cooked even slightly right!"

Wang Jianguo looked at the experimental records with a furrowed brow.

The reaction between sulfur and rubber alone is too slow, and the degree of cross-linking is difficult to control. A catalyst (accelerator) is needed. But where could one find modern organic accelerators in 200 BC?

"Old Zhao," Wang Jianguo suddenly remembered something, "when you were refining the elixir of immortality, what did you add to 'suppress' the fiery nature of the sulfur to prevent the furnace from exploding?"

"To suppress the fire?" Zhao Gao thought for a moment. "Lead. Litharge (lead oxide) or lead tetroxide (lead tetroxide). The alchemists all say that metal is hard and heavy, and can suppress sulfur fire."

"Lead..." Wang Jianguo's eyes lit up. Lead oxide was indeed used as an inorganic activator in the early days of the rubber industry!

"Quick! Add lead powder!" Wang Jianguo shouted. "Grind litharge into powder and throw it in with the sulfur!"

Although Zhao Gao didn't know the principle behind it, he was desperate and decided to try anything. He grabbed a handful of gray lead oxide powder and a handful of sulfur, and threw them all into the large cauldron churning with black rubber.

"Stir it for me! Stir it hard!"

With the addition of lead oxide, the reaction inside the cauldron underwent a visible change.

The pungent stench began to subside, replaced by a burnt, chewy rubbery smell. The black liquid thickened, no longer resembling mud, but forming a glossy mass.

"My Lord! It's a group! It's a group!" the little eunuch exclaimed.

At this moment, a scalding hot rubber lump accidentally flew out with the stirring rod and landed on a red-hot iron plate (the temperature was about 140 degrees Celsius, which is exactly the ideal vulcanization temperature).

"Oh dear! My magic glue!" Zhao Gao rushed over in distress, trying to pick it up.

But he didn't pick it up.

Because the black object, upon landing, did not slump like mud, nor shatter like a stone.

It bounced up.

"Whoosh—smack!"

It crashed into the wall, bounced back, hopped around on the ground a few times, and finally lay there quietly, steaming.

The laboratory was deathly silent.

Zhao Gao reached out with trembling hands and picked up the still-hot black piece of paper.

He pulled hard—it grew longer and stronger.

As soon as he let go—with a "snap," it instantly shrank back to its original shape.

He pinched it with his fingernail—the surface was tough and no longer sticky.

"It...it bounced?" Zhao Gao squeezed it in disbelief, then suddenly burst into maniacal laughter, a laugh more awful than crying. "Hahahaha! This humble one has mastered it! The immortal dough! This humble one has mastered it!"

This is the Qin Dynasty version of "Goodyear's Hour".

Through the discovery in Chapter 79 and the transportation in Chapter 88, the crucial leap from raw materials to industrial materials was finally completed in Chapter 94.

Section 3: The Roar of the Cylinders and the Leak-Proof Qin

Three days later, in the western suburbs of Xianyang, at the Royal Heavy Industry Test Site.

Ying Zheng sat on the dragon throne, with the "First Emperor No. 1" steam engine, which he both loved and hated, placed in front of him.

Although this machine is incredibly powerful, it has always had a fatal weakness—air leakage.

No matter how smoothly the craftsman polishes the piston and cylinder, there will always be gaps. In the past, oil-soaked hemp rope or cowhide was used to seal them, but these things would rot in less than half an hour in the face of steam at several hundred degrees Celsius.

The consequence was that the steam engine worked like an asthma patient, hissing and leaking air, with extremely low thermal efficiency, and most of the energy was wasted on jet propulsion.

"Your Majesty, please look."

Wang Jianguo took out a black ring. This was the first-generation O-ring, molded using Zhao Gao's "magic glue".

The craftsmen skillfully disassembled the cylinder connector, inserted the flexible black ring into the groove, and then tightened the bolts. The rubber deformed under pressure, perfectly filling the micron-sized gaps between the metal parts.

"Ignition! Pressure build-up!"

As the boiler temperature rose, the pressure gauge needle began to jump wildly.

3 atmospheres... 5 atmospheres... 8 atmospheres!

In the past, when the pressure reached 5 atmospheres, the interface would have been shrouded in white mist, but today, this behemoth was eerily quiet, with only a muffled boiling sound coming from inside.

"Open the valve!"

"boom--!"

The main valve opened, and the high-pressure steam, pent up like a tiger unleashed from its cage, propelled the piston violently. The massive flywheel accelerated instantly, emitting a heart-stopping whooshing sound.

There was no leak. Not even a wisp of air.

All the thermal energy was locked tightly inside the cylinder by the black rubber ring and converted into violent mechanical energy.

"The RPM has increased by 40%! The torque has increased by 50%!" Wang Jianguo looked at the instrument panel, his voice trembling with excitement. "Your Majesty, our trains can run faster! Our water pumps can draw water deeper!"

Ying Zheng looked at the rapidly spinning wheel and nodded in satisfaction: "Softness can overcome hardness. This small black circle has actually managed to restrain such violent power. Zhao Gao, reward him!"

Section 4: The Redemption of the Buttocks and "Mute Mode"

The second application of rubber is directly related to the "user experience" of the Qin Dynasty royal family.

Hu Hai, the chief playboy and product tester of the Qin Dynasty, is standing in front of a brand-new four-wheeled carriage.

The wheels of this vehicle are no longer bare wooden wheels covered with sheet metal, but are now wrapped in a thick layer of solid vulcanized rubber.

"Is this thing really going to work?" Hu Hai kicked the tire skeptically, feeling that it was a bit soft and elastic. "Father, last time I rode in that car without shock absorbers, my butt was all swollen from the bumps."

"Enough talk, go run two laps," Ying Zheng ordered.

Hu Hai climbed onto the carriage with a bitter face and cracked his whip.

The horse-drawn carriage sped across the cement-paved test field.

Previously, at this speed, the iron wheels would make a loud "creaking" sound when hitting the road surface, the vehicle would shake violently, and the people inside would speak with trembling voices.

But today, a miracle happened.

The carriage glided silently across the road, making only a slight "rustling" sound. The rubber tires absorbed the subtle vibrations from the road surface, providing excellent grip.

Hu Hai was surprised to find that the water in the teacup placed on the small table had not spilled!

He circled back, jumped off the carriage, and exclaimed with delight, "Father! Amazing! My bottom doesn't hurt at all! It feels like I'm sitting on a cloud!"

"And..." the coachman excitedly reported, "Your Majesty, the wheels have better grip, making it easier for the horse to run and less prone to skidding when turning!"

Ying Zheng laughed loudly: "Excellent! This thing is called 'Tire.' Issue my decree to prioritize equipping the army's supply wagons and artillery with it. From now on, my provisions and red-coated cannons will be faster and more stable than the Xiongnu cavalry!"

Section 5: Lightning in a Cage

However, for Wang Jianguo, the greatest significance of rubber is neither sealing nor tires, but rather—insulation.

Daqin Academy of Sciences, Electric Power Research Institute.

Wang Jianguo was giving a lesson to a group of Mohist disciples. On the table was a bundle of freshly produced copper wire, but the copper wire had been coated with a layer of black rubber through an extrusion process.

"Class, let's review Chapter 79." Wang Jianguo picked up a piece of copper wire. "Back then, Amu brought back too little raw rubber, and it was too soft. We could only use it to make insulating varnish, which was very ineffective. When it rained, the telegraph line would leak electricity, and the signal would be interrupted."

"But now," Wang Jianguo picked up the rubber line and threw it directly into a basin of water, "with the massive amount of rubber that Xu Fu brought back, and with Zhao Gao's vulcanization process, electricity has finally been caged by us."

He pressed the switch on the wire connected to the basin.

"Beep beep—beep—"

The receiver next to it transmitted the signal accurately, without being affected by the water at all.

The Mohist disciples erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

"What does this mean?" Wang Jianguo's eyes gleamed. "It means our telegraph line is no longer afraid of rain or tree branches tangling with it. We can even sink the line to the bottom of the river and bury it underground."

He walked to the huge map and traced his finger from Xianyang to the East China Sea.

"We will lay submarine cables. In the future, when General Xiang Yu is beheading people on Fusang Island (Japan), I will be able to hear the sound of swords in Xianyang Palace. Urgent reports from Liaodong will not need to take ten horses to their deaths; they will be transmitted to the central government in the blink of an eye."

"From today onwards, the Great Qin will enter the era of 'neural networks.' And this rubber is the myelin sheath that protects the nerves."

Section Six: Epilogue

Night falls at Xianyang Palace.

Ying Zheng stood alone, toying with a black rubber ball in his hand. This was a "stress-relieving toy" specially presented by Zhao Gao.

He slammed the ball to the ground with all his might. The ball bounced up, hit the roof beam, bounced back, and finally landed in his hand.

"Little G," Ying Zheng suddenly spoke, his voice tinged with philosophical thought, "I feel that this rubber is more than just useful. It has taught me a lesson."

"Brother Zheng, your insight always surprises the AI." Little G's projection appeared. "What came to mind?"

"I thought of 'strength' and 'softness'."

Ying Zheng looked at the ball in his hand: "The laws of Qin in the past were as harsh as iron, but rigidity makes them easy to break. Like pig iron, it is hard, but it will shatter at the slightest touch. The rebellion of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang (which has been resolved in this timeline) was caused by such an inflexible law as 'being executed for missing the deadline'."

"But this rubber is flexible. When subjected to force, it deforms; when the force is released, it returns to its original shape. It can absorb vibrations and impacts, so it can bear immense weight and travel thousands of miles."

Ying Zheng's gaze deepened: "Shouldn't my Great Qin also add a bit of 'rubber'? Let the laws, in addition to their severity, have an extra layer of 'elasticity'. Let the people have a buffer under heavy pressure. Only in this way can the war chariot of Great Qin travel further and more steadily on the bumpy road of history."

"This is what you call 'resilient governance,'" Little G exclaimed. "Brother Zheng, congratulations! You've just grasped the essence of modern political science. From 'Qin sword' to 'rubber,' this is true civilizational upgrading."

Ying Zheng laughed and tossed the rubber ball into the air.

"By imperial decree, a general amnesty is hereby granted. At the same time, Xu Fu is ordered to set sail again. This time, I want him to bring back even more 'elasticity.' My Great Qin will use this black soft armor to envelop the entire earth."

Outside the window, a train that had just been fitted with rubber seals and shock absorbers rumbled into the distance, its whistle ringing loudly and no longer leaking air.

That is the pulse of the industrial giant Qinhuangdao—strong, powerful, and resilient.