Starting with a Wei Wu soldier

The traitor's blood was buried under sand, and his head was displayed at the fortress gate for three days before finally being collected and buried in an unmarked grave. The shock and chilling atmosphere of the public execution, like autumn frost, quickly permeated every corner of Starfire Fortress. After a brief period of panic and tension, people's hearts were strangely calm and focused. The authority of the rules and the price of betrayal were imprinted on everyone's consciousness in the most cruel and direct way. The progress of various affairs within the fortress seemed to become more orderly and disciplined as a result. Even the most restless prisoners in the "re-education camp" became noticeably more restrained after hearing about this, no longer daring to make any small movements while working.

External pressure did not dissipate. Iron Rock Fortress remained even quieter, but scouts reported that the frequency and intensity of its border patrols had increased, clearly indicating that Sun Han was shocked and more vigilant by Starfire Fortress's swift action in identifying and dealing with its internal traitor. Gray Valley Fortress, on the other hand, sent a new envoy the day after the public execution, carrying even more lavish gifts than before. The envoy was increasingly humble, expressing "extreme shock and grief" that "the villains within the fortress dared to collude with foreign traitors and ruin the friendship between our two fortresses." He solemnly assured that Gray Valley Fortress had no ulterior motives and was willing to fully cooperate with Starfire Fortress in "purging the traitors," while subtly probing Starfire Fortress's next move, especially its attitude towards Black Mountain Commander.

Chen Xing received the envoy from Gray Valley Fortress with courtesy, accepted the gifts, and spoke gently but vaguely, only emphasizing that Starfire Fortress adhered to the strategy of "building high walls, storing ample grain, and delaying the declaration of kingship," and was willing to live in harmony with all law-abiding neighbors to jointly cope with the chaotic and dangerous situation. He neither investigated Gray Valley Fortress's possible involvement in secret instigation nor revealed any substantial information, leaving Hu Yong's envoy empty-handed and increasingly uneasy.

Having dealt with these pressing internal and external affairs, Chen Xing was finally able to free up relatively uninterrupted time to focus his attention on a more fundamental and long-term plan—systematically planning the "technology tree" of Xinghuo Fortress.

Having transmigrated to the present day, thanks to the "Imperial Overlord System," he exchanged for and introduced potatoes, steelmaking techniques, the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation, and even the nascent field of gunpowder. These technologies, like scattered pearls, played a crucial role at critical moments, but also brought new problems: a lack of overall planning, weak connections between technologies, and their promotion and application relying on his personal "flash of inspiration" and the execution capabilities of core members, risking duplicated investment and wasted resources. As his power expanded and affairs became more complex, he could no longer personally handle every matter and make decisions on the fly. He had to establish a clear, orderly, and sustainable technological development path.

In the stillness of the night, the study in the Lord's mansion was brightly lit by candlelight. Several sheets of specially made hemp paper were spread out in front of Chen Xing, covered with messy entries and arrows drawn in charcoal. This was a framework for technological development that he had attempted to outline, based on the unlocked and foreseeable projects in the system shop, combined with the current and future needs of Starfire Fortress.

"Technology tree..." he murmured to himself, a term all too familiar to him. In this chaotic world, almost like the age of cold weapons, "technology" was more about the comprehensive improvement of production tools, military technology, medical standards, and organizational capabilities. He roughly divided these areas into several main branches: agriculture and food production, materials and processing, military technology and engineering, medicine and hygiene, energy and power, and knowledge and management.

Each branch further lists the technologies currently mastered, being explored, and potentially needed in the future. For example:

Agriculture and food production: We have mastered potato planting and basic crop rotation; we are exploring seed selection and breeding, new plows, and irrigation optimization; in the future, we may need more efficient grain threshing tools, food preservation technology, and even livestock breed improvement.

Materials and Processing: Basic steelmaking and wood processing have been mastered; gunpowder preparation, lime burning, and simple glassmaking are being explored; in the future, higher quality steel, preliminary standardized parts production, and basic acid and alkali preparation may be required.

Military Technology and Engineering: We have mastered the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation, basic cold weapon forging, and leather armor production; we are exploring gunpowder applications, crossbow improvements, and fortification technology optimization; in the future, we may need more complex siege and defense equipment, signal systems, and more systematic military training manuals.

Medical and Health Care: A basic concept of epidemic prevention medical stations has been established, and some knowledge of combat wound first aid and common herbal remedies has been acquired; a more systematic process for the classification and treatment of wounded, prevention of common epidemics, and disinfection of basic surgical instruments are being explored; in the future, a more systematic atlas and processing of Chinese herbal medicines, basic human anatomy knowledge, and public health management regulations may be needed.

Energy and power: Currently, we mainly rely on human, animal and some water power; in the future, we may need more efficient water power applications, wind power applications, and even... primary coal utilization.

Knowledge and Management: The initial form of the Spark Academy has been established, and the "Order of Merit" and "Fortress Regulations" have been promulgated; more systematic literacy teaching materials, practical arithmetic teaching, and file management are being explored; in the future, more professional technical manuals may be compiled, basic weights and measures may be standardized, and simplified printing technology may be explored.

Chen Xing examined the preliminary "technology tree" sketch, feeling both excited and burdened. He was excited because, once progressed in an orderly manner, Xinghuo Fortress's overall strength would achieve a qualitative leap; he was burdened because every step forward required time, resources, and talent, especially reliable talent, for research, experimentation, and promotion. He also had to consider its connection with current social productivity to avoid being too far ahead and causing chaos or dependency.

"We must prioritize and proceed step by step," he reminded himself. The most pressing issue was undoubtedly countering the military threat posed by the Black Mountain Commander. Therefore, military technology and engineering, especially gunpowder application and city defense reinforcement, had to be prioritized and resources allocated to Chen Wei and the firearms research and development team and the city construction planning group. However, the foundation of a military is logistics; without a stable supply of food and materials, even the best tactics are castles in the air. Therefore, the basic aspects of agriculture and food production, as well as materials and processing, such as optimizing existing agricultural tools, ensuring the quality and efficiency of steelmaking, and finding stable sources of sulfur and saltpeter, also had to be ensured simultaneously.

Healthcare and sanitation are crucial to both combat effectiveness and non-combat casualties, especially in the event of a potential siege, where disease can be more deadly than swords. Therefore, the establishment of epidemic prevention clinics and basic medical training cannot be halted. Knowledge and management form the backbone of all technologies; the advancement of the Spark Academy and the cultivation of practical talent are long-term investments that require continuous effort.

As for more distant **energy and power** and other advanced technologies, we can only keep an eye on them for now and conduct preliminary explorations when resources and personnel allow. For example, when Zhou Dashan is in charge of the water conservancy workshop, he can try to improve the design of waterwheels and increase their efficiency.

After clarifying his thoughts, Chen Xing began to formulate more specific short-term and medium-term goals for each priority branch, and estimated the approximate resources required, as well as the key responsible persons.

For example, the short-term goals for gunpowder application are: to complete the safe small-batch production of black powder with a stable formulation, to test its explosive and arson effects, to design two or more safe ignition devices, and to establish strict production, storage, and transportation procedures. Person in charge: Chen Wei, leader of the firearms research and development team. Resources: Sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal supplies must be guaranteed; an independent hazardous work area must be allocated and staffed with absolutely loyal guards.

Short-term agricultural goals: Complete autumn and winter farmland irrigation repairs, ensure initial land preparation for newly reclaimed land, prepare sufficient potato seed tubers for next spring's planting, test the cut-and-sprout method, and trial-produce and promote three improved agricultural implements. Person in charge: Zhao Tiezhu, and managers of various villages. Resources: Allocate some iron for agricultural implement manufacturing and organize off-season training.

Working until late into the night, Chen Xing rubbed his tired eyes and organized the first few pages of the planning outline. This was just the beginning; he still needed to discuss it in detail with Wu Xuejiu, Chen Wei, Zhou Dashan, Zhao Tiezhu, Wang Jian, and others to refine it into a specific, actionable plan.

He blew out the candle and walked to the window. The autumn night sky was exceptionally clear, with the Milky Way stretching across the horizon. In this unfamiliar era, gazing at the stars, he could still feel a touch of loneliness. But looking down at the rough yet hopeful "technology tree" plan in his hands, that loneliness was replaced by a heavy sense of responsibility and a passion for creation.

The system gave him a vision and knowledge seeds that transcended his time. What he had to do was to carefully cultivate these seeds, combining them with the soil, climate, and human resources of this era, so that they could take root, sprout, and grow into a towering tree that could protect the people of the region and even change the course of the times.

The tree's first branches are struggling to grow against the threat of winter. A more lush canopy, however, will require more time for sunlight and rain, as well as careful pruning.

"We have to take things one step at a time," Chen Xing murmured to himself. "First, we have to weather this impending storm. Then... there's a future to speak of."

He locked the outline of the plan in a specially made wooden box. Tomorrow, he will convene relevant personnel to officially launch the planning and implementation process of Starfire Fortress's "technology tree". This may not immediately bring about raising the walls or filling the granaries, but it will determine, on a deeper level, how far Starfire Fortress can go and how strong it can become.