The smoke of war in the north has cleared, and the bricks of the Great Wall now form the foundations of launch towers. However, Liu Xun did not linger in the comforts of Chang'an. Instead, he led the Eternal Life Council's elite forces across the Central Plains and stood atop a precipice on the shores of the East China Sea.
Before him, the crashing waves rolled in, and behind him, the Han Dynasty had entered the age of electrification. With his hands behind his back, Liu Xun stood, the sea breeze ruffling his temples, yet his eyes remained fixed, as deep and silent as an abyss. At the edge of the waves, the unknown sea radiated an alluring, cold light.
[System Command]: Global land map fully integrated.
Triggering the core main quest: 'Age of Exploration: Blue Star Final Agreement'. The objective of the main quest is to establish a global deep-sea trade network and seize key energy points in the centre of the ocean. Rewards include the 'Anti-Gravity Fluid Propulsion Unit', the 'Seawater Desalination Module' and the 'Deep-Sea Mining Platform'.
[Host's note]: 'The land is the cradle of civilisation, but humanity cannot remain in the cradle forever.'
'System, you're finally no longer satisfied with that mud,' Liu Xun muttered to himself, a wild smile spreading across his face.
In order to explore the deep sea, which was considered forbidden territory by ancient navigators, Liu Xun ordered the transport of tens of thousands of tons of steel, mined from the North Sea coal mines, to shipyards along the coast.
'Gongshu Qi, I don't want those wooden pieces draped in white cloth.' Liu Xun slammed a system-generated blueprint onto the table.
Zhenhai-class Super-large Armored Cruiser:
- All-steel hull with a displacement of 30,000 tons;
- Power system equipped with high-pressure steam turbines, eliminating the need for wind power and freeing the ship from the constraints of monsoons.
Armament system: Equipped with a 300 mm calibre mortar main gun, which is sufficient to annihilate any resistance on the horizon.
'Your Majesty, this isn't just a ship...' Gongshu Qi stroked the blueprints in fascination. 'It's practically a floating fortress!'
Liu Xun held an unprecedented 'Sailing Ceremony' on the shores of the East China Sea. He launched the 'Ultimate Performance: The Eternal Pioneer', facing millions of people and sailors yearning for the New World. He drew his plasma sword and pointed it straight at the horizon, declaring, "Beyond the sea, there are no gods, only gold and spices waiting to be traded by the Great Han!"
'Beyond the sea, there are no gods, only gold and spices waiting to be traded by the Great Han!'
'Before, the sea was our shield. From today onwards, the sea is the Great Han's inland highway!' With the first blast of the ship's horn, Emperor Xuan's Ocean Fleet, composed of twelve steel behemoths, slowly sailed away from the port, parting the giant waves and symbolising the end of the old maritime era. However, as the fleet entered the deep sea, the radar system, which had previously been accurate, began to display strange static, triggering an alarm: 'Abnormal sonar echo detected.'
Depth: 4,000 metres below sea level.
Source of the anomaly: a prehistoric civilisation's underwater listening station has been awakened by the fleet's steel vessels.
Status: The deification process of the host has triggered the underwater defence mechanism and a large number of 'mechanical sea monsters' are gathering towards the fleet.
Liu Xun snorted coldly. He felt the deck beneath his feet tremble slightly, not from the waves, but from a rhythmic thumping sound emanating from the depths of the sea. Late at night, he stood on the bridge of the flagship, the 'First Emperor', with the roar of the engines beneath his feet and endless darkness before him.'Gongshu Qi, there's something even more interesting hidden beneath the sea than a coal mine.' Liu Xun stared at the red dot on the radar screen. 'The system says it's the territory of the Sea God. I'd like to see if its bones are tough enough for my main cannon."
At that moment, a councillor approached and whispered, 'Your Majesty, the royal family of the American province has sent a secret report. They've found some steel debris inscribed with Chinese characters they've never seen before on the west coast." Liu Xun was startled. 'Chinese characters? Never seen before?' Could it be that, somewhere else on this planet, another 'Han Dynasty' is evolving in parallel?
The waves of the East China Sea grew increasingly turbulent, as if warning the mortals who dared to venture into the abyss. On the bridge of the flagship First Emperor, Liu Xun observed the clutter on the radar screen caused by deep-sea interference. While the existing steel-armoured ships possessed formidable firepower, he knew that their unstable centre of gravity and insufficient anti-sinking ability were fatal flaws when it came to combating the unknown deep-sea currents imbued with 'space-time correction forces'.
'System, current shipbuilding technology cannot withstand the strange ocean currents above the Mariana Trench. Please provide a solution.'
[System Command]: 'Host's expansion intention detected. Issuing a divine reward — Great Han Fuchuan Starry Sky Iteration Edition Manufacturing Blueprint.'
Core technologies: Multi-layer watertight compartment structure (a millennium ahead of its time), hydrodynamically balanced keel and biomimetic anti-corrosion alloy coating.
Technical description: Watertight compartments ensure the hull maintains buoyancy even after severe damage, earning the ship the title of 'unsinkable'.
Liu Xun closed his eyes and countless intricate mechanical diagrams flooded his mind. This technology, condensed from the wisdom of the ancient Han people and systematically 'modified', was the true key to conquering the oceans.
In the top-secret workshop of the Donghai Shipyard, Gongshu Qi stared at the design blueprint titled 'Fujian Ship' in his hand and was deeply awestruck.
'Your Majesty, this is simply a brilliant idea!' Gongshu Qi exclaimed, pointing to the ship's interior, which was divided into countless independent compartments by bulkheads. 'By dividing the ship into interconnected small rooms, even if one compartment is damaged, the seawater will only fill that compartment and not spread throughout the entire ship. This 'divide and conquer' logic can even be applied to the waves!'
Liu Xun launched into his 'Grand Performance: The Creator's Composure". 'Gongshu Qi, this isn't just shipbuilding; it's about establishing the laws of survival at sea. I want the Han Dynasty's battle flag to fly high above the water, even in the presence of the most ferocious sea monsters.'
He ordered a combination of ancient structural aesthetics and modern manganese steel armour to be used in the construction of the Unsinkable Class air battleship. This 200-metre-long battleship had 72 independent watertight compartments inside. It employed a double-bottom design with a bottom compartment filled with high-density ballast fluid that was automatically adjusted in real time by a system algorithm to ensure the deck remained level, even in sea state 10 conditions.
The propellers of the Gewu ship are crafted from a nickel-aluminium bronze alloy capable of withstanding corrosion in the deep sea's highly saline environment.
As the first 'steel Fujian ship', a fusion of millennia of wisdom and futuristic industry, slowly glided towards the estuary, its mountain-like stability seemed to restrain the raging waves.
At that moment, the system radar emitted a piercing alarm once again: 'System warning: A swarm of giant mechanical squid, controlled by deep-sea AI, has locked onto the target. They are attempting to use their tentacles to drill through the hull and detonate the core from within.'
'Attacking from below?' Liu Xun asked, standing on the edge of the deck with the heavy steel beneath his feet. 'Then they'll find out what "unbreakable and unsinkable" means.'
As a dark shadow swept across the deep sea, a giant tentacle lashed out against the side of the Fujian ship like a steel whip, producing a piercing screeching sound, and the ship swayed slightly. However, thanks to the structural support of the 'watertight compartments', the kinetic energy of the impact was quickly dispersed.'Activate the electromagnetic sonar pulse,' ordered Liu Xun, his voice cold. Inside the separate compartment of the Fujian-style ship, the massive energy storage capacitors began to hum.
The next second, a directional sound wave powerful enough to shatter a whale's entrails pierced the water, instantly overloading and burning out the mechanical squid's sensors. It surfaced belly-up, revealing its bizarre body, a mixture of metal and flesh. Liu Xun looked down at these failed 'cleaners' and lit another cigarette.
'Poseidon? Just another 'actor' abandoned by the times.' He turned and looked towards the distant shore. 'Gongshu Qi, speed up! I can smell it. On the other side of the sea is another 'civilisation experiment field'."
[System Notification]:
[Great Voyage Progress]: Increased to 20%.
[New Mission]: The Lost Ruins of Atlantis – Core Recovery.
As the 'Steel Fujian Ship' took shape at the Donghai Shipyard, Liu Xun was confronted with an even greater challenge than producing steel: how to steer this unprecedented behemoth. The elite of the Han dynasty travelled by horse and chariot; sending them to sea would only result in seasick landlubbers. Liu Xun therefore turned his attention to the 'water bandits' and outlaws who had long roamed the shadowy areas along the coasts of the Yangtze, Huaihe and East China Seas — wanted by the government and disregarding the law.
'System, activate "Talent Screening Module".' Keywords: Swimming ability, courage, unconventional combat experience.'
[System Command]: 'Scanning global coastal and inland waterway crime files...'
Targets selected: Zhou Meng, the 'River-Turning Dragon' of the Yangtze; Zhang Shun, the 'Wave-Drilling Master' of the East China Sea; and over 3,000 others.
Talent traits: - An extremely strong sense of wind and waves
- Nautical intuition
- Extreme contempt for the old order
Risk warning:
Risk warning: This group is extremely difficult to control, with a defection rate as high as 75%.
Liu Xun tapped his fingertips on his desk, a knowing smile playing on his lips. 'Difficult to tame? That's because they haven't witnessed true 'divine might' yet. Gongshu Qi, issue the decree: The Great Han is recruiting its first navy, regardless of background or crime. Anyone who passes the examination will be granted a life of luxury, a high rank and the position of general."
The 'Great Han Royal Naval Academy' was officially inaugurated on a deserted island in the Zhoushan Archipelago. Three thousand shackled, burly bandits were brought ashore. Instead of a guillotine, they found themselves surrounded by neatly arranged steel barracks and arc lights that illuminated the night sky.
Liu Xun wasn't wearing his imperial robes; he was wearing a crisp, dark blue naval commander's uniform instead. His boots clattered as he approached the group of unruly prisoners. He said:'I know you. You are river ghosts and sea thieves.' Liu Xun activated his 'Top Performance: Iron-Blooded Commander', his tone calm yet carrying a chilling intent to kill. 'Before, you stole grain to survive. Now, I'm giving you a chance to seize the entire world. In this academy, you will either become the swords of the Han dynasty or fish food in the sea.'
These bandits were excellent swimmers, but knew nothing of natural science. Liu Xun forcibly activated the 'Consciousness Infusion Simulation Chamber' using the system.
'Devil's Week' training included testing their psychological resilience under extreme sea conditions using high-pressure water cannons and simulated storms, as well as forced learning of subjects such as 'sextant usage', 'steam turbine pressure reading', and 'coordinate mapping'.
[Iron Law Reforged] — Absolute obedience was enforced under the personal supervision of the Imperial Guards using whips and gold coins.
'Your Majesty, are these guys really up to the task?' Gongshu Qi asked, looking at the former pirates who were scratching their heads over the complex 'watertight compartment balance table'. 'They have the genes of the sea.' Liu Xun looked at a ruffian who was calculating wind drift precisely. 'They know better than scholars how to survive in high waves. I just need to equip them with the 'brains' of scientific enquiry.'
Three months later, the first batch of five hundred qualified officers was ready. They had shed their banditry and adopted a cold sternness tempered by the discipline of scientific enquiry. Liu Xun personally presented them with their flags — a huge blue flag embroidered with the 'Black Water Dragon'.
[System Notification]:
[Naval Talent Pool]: Initially established:
Imperial Deterrence: Extending into the realm of sea power.
Achievement: Mentor of the Ghost Captain.'From this day forward, you are no longer pirates.' Liu Xun stood at the bow of the First Emperor, his voice booming like thunder. 'You are the backbone of the Han dynasty; the masters of the sea! Wherever your gaze falls is Han territory, and wherever your cannons point is your domain!' Amidst the celebratory atmosphere of the newly established academy, a student undergoing deep-sea training suddenly went mad, shouting syllables of an unknown frequency.
[High Risk Warning]: Due to its excessively strong 'collective will', the naval academy established by the host has unexpectedly connected to a remnant prehistoric consciousness base station in the deep sea.
Monitoring shows that, at a depth of four thousand metres, a biological weapon system codenamed 'Leviathan' is mimicking human commands and sending false 'coordinate guidance' to the Han Navy. Liu Xun looked at the coordinates that had suddenly appeared on the map, pointing to the centre of the Pacific Ocean. There was a flash of crazed battle lust in his eyes.
'Interesting. It's already recruiting before I've even had a chance to dismantle its doors?"
The roar of the Han Dynasty's premier navy had barely subsided when the Steel Fleet — a motley crew of 'water bandits' and 'materialists' — traversed the turbulent East China Sea and appeared off the archipelago's coast. At that time, the indigenous civilisation of the island was in a state of chaotic flux, a fusion of primitivism and superstition. To them, this was not a ship, but a mass of moving metal.
Rather than ordering the cannons to fire, Liu Xun stood on the flagship's deck and activated 'Holographic Miracle: The Moon Rising Over the Sea'.
System notification: Consuming 60,000 points of national fortune, actions include 'High-Pressure Cold Flame Projection' and 'Low-Frequency Hypersonic Deterrence'.
Visual effect: A massive golden "Han" character in the style of the Han dynasty rose above the fleet, its light enveloping the entire island. Upon seeing the fire-breathing behemoth that defied wind and current, the island's nobles and leaders instantly lost their will to resist.
They carried their most precious jade and meagre tributes, rowing in small wooden sampans like pilgrims towards the massive 'steel-clad Fujian ship'.
'I need not your jade,' said Liu Xun, seated on his dragon throne on the deck and looking down at the trembling island leader. 'I want every inch of this island to be planted with Han Dynasty grain and for everyone here to speak the language of Han.'
Liu Xun immediately signed the 'Order of Submission of the East Sea', announcing the establishment of the 'East Sea Province', which was administratively divided into three prefectures: Dongying, Yingzhou and Fangzhang. All indigenous royal titles on the island were abolished, and currency was unified by confiscating all seashells and inferior metal coins and forcibly implementing 'electronic anti-counterfeiting gold coins'.
Infrastructure development: Under the leadership of Gongshu Qi, a deep-water port and submarine cable pre-laying points were constructed on the main island, integrating it into the Han Dynasty's global energy network. Liu Xun realised that merely occupying land was superficial; cultural replacement was the true destruction of the soul. [System Plugin] — Activate 'Civilisation Assimilation Module'. Method A:
Method A: [Language Corrector]: All public officials must pass the 'Level 2 Chinese Language Test', or they will be stripped of their citizenship.
Method B: Education Restructuring — All local primitive totems are burned and the Great Han History of Natural History and Annals of the Han Emperor are used uniformly as teaching materials.
Method C: [Clothing assimilation] The government will distribute modified Hanfu clothing, regarding it as an 'entry ticket to higher civilisation'.
Within a few months, the islanders, who had originally eaten raw meat and drunk blood, began to take pride in wearing wide-sleeved robes and speaking the Qin dialect. In their eyes, abandoning their simple past customs meant aligning themselves with the 'Sun God' Liu Xun.
A piercing golden alarm sounded in the heart of the island: a world-class, super-large, open-pit silver mine (the prototype of the Iwami Silver Mine) and high-purity sulphur ore had been detected in the heart of the East Sea Province.
Strategic significance: The silver mine will provide substantial reserves for the Great Han's global financial system, while sulphur is a key ingredient in "natural history gunpowder" and the chemical industry. Liu Xun gazed at the two shimmering golden dots on the map, a satisfied smile spreading across his face as though he were a master of disguise. He thought to himself: 'These aren't islands; they're two enormous "supply ships" from the Han dynasty, anchored on the edge of the Pacific!'
Just as Liu Xun was inspecting Donghai County, he received a message from the system module responsible for the population census that sent chills down his spine.
[High-Risk Warning]: 'Genetic testing of some royal descendants on the island has revealed fragments that overlap significantly with those of "Han Imperial Relatives".'
[In-depth analysis]: 'This is not natural evolution. It is more likely that, two hundred years ago or even earlier, another group carrying the "Han System" conducted preliminary "genetic experiments" here.'
Standing on the sea cliffs of Donghai, Liu Xun felt an ancient call carried on the sea breeze. 'Gongshu Qi, do you believe that in this world, I might not be the first madman to attempt "unification"?'