Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 259 Going to the sea
Liu Haoxing's situation at home could not be hidden from his father.

Xuan Chong clearly instructed that this be kept secret, but the servant turned around and informed the King of Dongtu.

Originally, these servants were used by King Dongtu to ascertain the condition of his son.

In the newly introduced workshop of Dongtu Steel Plant, Liu Dangzhen was standing in front of the waterfall-like molten iron; golden power emanated from his body, incorporating the powdery rare earth elements beside him, and then flowing into the steel.

After the golden energy flowed into the steel, it entered a container. Following a forging process, the golden energy that had been adhering to the molten iron was extracted and returned to its source. The scorching steel instantly transformed into a cold, metallic color. A closer look revealed a remarkably beautiful crystal lattice, identical to that of steel that had undergone repeated heat treatment and cold rolling.

Large machines placed the still-steaming steel on one side.

In a single day, all the essential steel needed for a warship had been processed. Liu Dangzhen also finished his work, panting slightly, and bowed to the dragon-patterned memorial tablet beside him, a gift from the Emperor.

The "dragon power" in his chest was almost depleted, and he would not be able to use it again for a week.

The vassal king finished his workday. After picking up his report from home, he leisurely sipped his tea, a smile playing on his lips: "Oh? Object manipulation? Heh, finally awakened, huh?"

Liu Dangzhen clearly did not believe that Liu Haoxin was "practicing qigong" at this time, because it was his seed.

Dragon offspring.

Meanwhile, off the coast of Dongtu, a dock was under construction. Steamships of all sizes were docking, their black paint adorned with totems depicting dragons bringing rain, ears of wheat growing, and livestock thriving.

The martial arts learned by the chivalrous heroes of the present Han Dynasty are still within the realm of ordinary people, while the class that controls the "ritual power" is the truly extraordinary existence.

…The empire, with its millennia of rise and fall, itself holds the greatest mystery in the world…

As early as the ancient, primordial era, the power of dragons, along with other strange abilities in the world, descended upon this world.

As early as the Yuan and Han dynasties, there were records stating that "when the dragon moves, it changes a hundred times and can perceive the changes of all things."

To translate: The supernatural abilities in this world are diverse. Some possess the power to devour the sun and condense their divine spirit, others have skin as hard as steel, and still others move with lightning speed. But dragon power can mimic all supernatural effects.

The numerous records and documents of merchants before the "Zhen Han" era contain countless accounts of extraordinary people and events from other civilizations across the entire continent.

However, with the rise of the modern Han dynasty; the treasure ships sent envoys to the South Seas, steel cannons shook the ocean, and camel caravans carried guns to trade. During this expansion, the Han princes, by order of the emperor, took up their fiefdoms throughout the land, and after the prohibition of licentious rites, the "supernatural abilities" of other regions were completely swallowed up.

It has been established in modern Chinese history that "extraordinary abilities" are related to sacrificial rites. In addition to the Liu family, the emperors, who held the power of sacrifice within the Han territory, extraordinary individuals often appeared in prominent families that had been passed down for thousands of years in various places.

Because the founding monarch of the Han Dynasty wanted to ensure that the Liu family could gain the support of the people during the "cycle of order and chaos", he expanded the old system of two kings and three retainers, and selected one hundred major surnames as the main lineage of the Chinese people, and gave them the power to worship their ancestors at a high level.

The Liu family, who ruled the country as a family, could not control every piece of the vast territory of the present-day Han Dynasty.

In many areas where control was not so strong, other powerful clans gained dominance; if people did not offer sacrifices to their "great ancestors," such as Laozi and King Wen of Zhou, these clans would declare themselves kings.

Therefore, it is very important for the modern Han people to ensure the political consensus that "we are all one family". All the great ancestors can be traced back to the source of Yan and Huang.

"Sacrifice" brings extraordinary benefits.

With the advancement of technology, Longzhou has begun to use "technology" to analyze the power of ancestral spirits; the Europa people are also using the latest ideas for revival to understand the ritual of "the descent of the Holy Son".

As the entity that currently possesses the greatest "superpower," how could the Han Dynasty lag behind in this aspect?

In Europe, people still believe that "superpowers" are random occurrences, and they suppress the awakening of superpowers that are outside their control as heresy.

The Han dynasty has already recorded this in detail in the Mingde Grand Canon. The awakening of "extraordinary power" is clearly related to "granted land". When a certain ethnic group sincerely begs the heavens, then a direct descendant of the tribe who can represent the "god" to enjoy the offerings will receive the favor of the "fertile land" and complete the awakening.

In ancient times, the awakening of "superpowers" was exclusive to kings. Early myths record that ancient emperors were born with extraordinary signs, such as being able to command thunder or the Zhulong.

Imperial families have a chance of communicating with heaven, earth, and spirits during grand sacrifices; this is the Mandate of Heaven. However, if an emperor neglects virtue and indulges in pleasure, then the Mandate of Heaven will shift its focus.

Therefore, to awaken supernatural abilities, it is not enough to simply acquire a fiefdom; one must also be sufficiently "devoted" and virtuous enough to match one's position.

Since Emperor Xuan of Han, subsequent Liu dynasty rulers have all been immoral, indulging in wine and women. As a result, the Mandate of Heaven, which had been concentrated in one place, was largely transferred to powerful clans in the four directions. This transfer has continued for the past two thousand years, leading to an ever-increasing number of talented and extraordinary individuals from all corners of the land.

By the time of the present Han dynasty, the education of the royal family had improved, and since the royal family often lived in harsh and cold regions, they had to keep their hearts set on the land beneath their feet. As a result, they were able to pass on the dragon power stably from generation to generation.

Therefore, Liu Dang, the King of Dongtu, was not surprised at all by Xuan Chong's "awakening"—it was simply "the will of Heaven."

…By divine mandate…

The Modern Chinese text summarizes the "awakening of the dragon seed." What factors are related to this? The land and the people's hearts.

First, the land must be large enough. Under the same unit of land area, the number of awakened beings is related to the land, not to the local population.

In other words, the number of Awakened Ones appearing in Dongtu is the same as in Huaizuodao, despite the forty-fold difference in population between the two places. The number of Awakened Ones appearing in Huaizuodao could not possibly be forty times that of Dongtu. Of course, a larger population often leads to an advantage in the "devotion to the land" metric, resulting in higher levels of Awakened Ones' abilities.

Clearly, according to modern research, the awakened superpowers come from some kind of "force" from the Earth's core, which is why they are related to the Earth's surface area. This is similar to the situation with radar; the larger the receiving surface, the stronger the feedback efficiency.

This is similar to certain exams in the past. In remote areas, there are fewer people, so the threshold for passing is lower. However, the actual level of those who pass the exam is far behind that of people in prosperous areas.

Furthermore, the probability of awakening superpowers is not something that can be easily obtained through immigration.

Since ancient times, no outsiders have ever awakened; only those who have long worshipped the land and its people have been the first to receive the blessings of the "fertile soil."

In Dongtu, Liu Haoxing's (Xuan Chong's) clan is the one that has worshipped this land the longest. Therefore, this once again raises the priority of Xuan Chong's awakening.

Therefore, in Liu Dangzhen's eyes, his "son" has now turned over a new leaf, so why shouldn't he pass the exam? And why shouldn't he be favored by Hou Tu?

…May your life be long and prosperous…

Therefore, looking at the global situation, this explains why the Han Dynasty began to significantly expand its territory, even though the land area far exceeded the current level of industrial and technological control. The permafrost in the north was completely uninhabitable, while the land in the east was barely habitable. However, apart from mining, it had no economic value whatsoever. But ultimately, it still had to be occupied.

The more extensive the land acquired, the more it signifies being "favored by the fertile soil".

Once this theory was validated, expansion became unstoppable for the current Han leadership. They seized vast tracts of land and then dumped it on various branches of the Liu family.

In the past three hundred years, wells in cities have been transformed into waterworks, and horse-drawn carriages for long-distance transport have been replaced by trains. Human footprints have spread all over the world.

It's worth mentioning that the current Han dynasty originally intended to confer a kingship upon Longzhou. However, the presence of traditional forces with "ancestral spiritual power" there made the current Han dynasty feel that they were somewhat "heretical."

However, before the current Han court could take action, an internal group within the Eastern Yin suddenly betrayed them within the past century, but did not completely break away, maintaining a detached relationship; the current Han was busy dismantling the banners of Europe, so it could only put it aside.

The practice of abstaining from licentious rituals is not only being done by the modern Han dynasty, but also by the Eastern Shu, a branch of the Chinese civilization.

The Eastern Shu was not so polite to Pengzhou. While helping the locals resist the invasion of the Low Countries of Europe, they thoroughly purged the area to ensure that their ideology leaned towards their own.

Whether it's the "Power of Ancestral Spirits," the "Descent of the Holy Son," or the current "Awakening of the Dragon Race," they are all essentially the same—gifts from some being at the core of the planet. The difference between these three powers lies in how different races on the surface understand, control, and utilize them.

The misuse of superpowers can have adverse consequences. All major civilizations have a mechanism to restrain superpowers and ensure their continued transmission.

For example, the awakening of "dragon seeds" in present-day Hanzhong can be stably generated and controlled by a set of standard rituals. After each dragon seed is awakened, the emperor bestows upon them "jade ornaments" and then sends them to work in certain departments.

Therefore, those who awaken as "Dragon Seeds" rarely appear before the world.

Dragonforcers can only appear in specific factories, such as the room where "special technology components are loaded" on a large battleship, or the "super energy device" in a fortress base.

And in each of these places, there would be a life tablet appointed by the emperor.

Every time Long Li took a move, it triggered the life tablet, which was then presented to the emperor.

The Dongtu King Liu Dang's formation was like this; Dongtu was originally not a suitable place for shipbuilding.

However, to control the "dragon seed," the royal family relocated some industries through commerce, allowing Liu Dang's dragon power to operate in designated areas. —What? Factories cost too much? They're unwilling to pay even this much? The northern region is out of control, costing even more.

Therefore, all awakened beings in the present Han dynasty underwent an induction ceremony to "become immortals" and serve the unification of the empire under the emperor's command.

The "power of ancestral spirits" is awakened randomly, leading to the formation of multiple factions in the Eastern Yin region.

…Interest classes in class…

On the sports field, Xuan Chong was running and jumping. At this moment, Xuan Chong's steps were very light. With the help of the elastic energy storage of the dotted buffer lines, Xuan Chong leaped a full four meters high as if on the moon. Most importantly, Xuan Chong was able to precisely control the landing point, and his toes landed steadily on the plum blossom stakes, even though he couldn't see them.

From Xuan Chong's perspective, various torques were drawn on his body, and countless dotted lines emerged from his body, forming a web like a spider.

When a dotted line hits an obstacle, it compresses and simultaneously experiences some force; however, to prevent injury from the feedback force, this force is only one-tenth to one-ten-thousandth of the force of a real collision. The farther away, the weaker the feedback force.

Torque can not only enhance motion, but also become a "radar network".

For example, if a large truck crashes into you from several hundred meters away and hits the dotted line, Xuan Chong can feel the force of a breeze brushing his face hundreds of meters in advance.

At this moment, Xuan Chong could see the matter within a radius of several hundred meters around him as clearly as if he had licked it with his tongue.

The art of freezing objects requires a "perceptual aid system," and with the help of the pencil case, Xuan Chong discovered that he could "draw."

Xuan Chong: "I need to write a program!"

When the dashed lines are subjected to force, they will form "dense-sparse waves". These "dense-sparse waves" can make small squares rotate. If these small squares are small enough, they are equivalent to the potential of an integrated circuit. When the dashed lines are stacked together, they become the "channels" of the integrated circuit.

However, as he continued programming, Xuan Chong suddenly realized: since the movements can be programmed, why don't I just program a "simulated skeleton movement torque that is under my control"?
This is the "enhancing technique" that the Third Aunt of the "Great Yao" plane gave herself.

However, the "torque structure" system of the Third Aunt is connected to the rigidity of Xuan Chong's bones and muscles; while the "torque" system developed by Xuan Chong can be transformed between "rigidity and flexibility", making it even more muscular than muscles.

Xuan Chong also felt that the torque control was connected to his will, which meant that he could move at a moment's notice without any delay.

To give an analogy, the system that Auntie San uses lacks system control, just like a hand-cranked tractor; before the tractor can start, you need to hold the crank handle and crank it; if you're not careful, your hand can easily be injured by the accelerating crank handle. (This is equivalent to the bones and muscles directly being linked to torque).

This new system is the electric vehicle's control system. It only requires pressing a button to start, and then you can control it by pushing or pulling. Xuan Chong, sitting in the car's cushioned seat, can directly sense the car's speed and control it via voice commands.

"Dashed lines" are compressible, buffered lines, while "solid lines" are rigid lines.

Xuan Chong's body is now in the buffer zone formed by the "dotted lines". Even with large-scale overload maneuvers, Xuan Chong is in the "sofa" formed by the flexible force field, which weakens the feeling of being pulled.

The lines drawn reminded Xuan Chong of the various intricate little figures he had drawn in books in his previous life as a child.

…during the exam…

Just as Xuan Chong was drawing lines with great interest, the steward came to him and said, "Young master, the master wants to see you."

Upon seeing Liu Dangzhen, Xuan Chong lowered his head.

But I caught a glimpse of the golden spirit tablet hanging on my father's waist, and I didn't know what its purpose was.

After seeing his son, Liu Dangzhen focused on the life tablet, but it seemed to have no reaction, so he frowned.

But then she felt relieved and said in a barely audible voice, just loud enough for Xuan Chong to hear, "You don't need to become a dragon or a phoenix, you just need to cheer up."

And so, the conversation began.

Liu Dangzhen: "You can't make it in the army in Yandu. Go to the naval academy in the south."

Xuan Chong: "I'm going to the south—would universities in the south accept me?"

Liu Dangzhen: "I've already made the arrangements. Remember, do your job well and don't mention your identity again."

Xuan Chong nodded. He certainly knew he had to keep a low profile, because 99% of the naval officers in the Han Dynasty had their own backgrounds; the navy was definitely a gathering place for nobles. And the south, well, that was a very prosperous place.

As for the navy's political influence on the Han Dynasty, it is not as great as the army, but it far surpasses the army economically. The navy's influence and control are mainly focused on major cities that pay taxes and tribute to the dynasty.

In the central mountainous regions of the continent, in remote areas, the control systems established were often comprised of land reclamation groups, requiring the construction of railways. The associated costs were prohibitively high. Therefore, the Han army still retained a large mule and horse convoy.

Although military experts from major powers are now paying attention to "armored forces," the most advanced prototype technology for similar technologies among the world's major powers so far is the light tank weighing around ten tons.

This isn't about the army being poorer than the navy; it's about the fact that today's railway infrastructure can't compare to the bridge and road networks of the era with billions of tons of steel and millions of tons of cement. Even if you could build a 60-ton heavy tank now, you couldn't transport it across that distance. And using massive amounts of steel to build railways? Train technology isn't as advanced as it is now; it can't recoup its costs in the same economic way as ships.

The navy could only tearfully accept ten times the amount of steel from the army.

When Xuan Chong heard that he could go to school in the south, he clearly felt that this was a "deliberate" arrangement. He was doing well at the East Library, so why did they have to kick him out of the house?

Xuan Chong glanced at his adoptive father, but couldn't find any answer in his face. His rigid demeanor was just like that of Teacher Gao.

…From the icy sea to West Lake…

Upon re-enrolling at the Hangkou Naval Academy, the officer in charge of receiving Liu Haoxing took a look and was quite impressed; he wasn't the wealthy young master of the rumors. —As long as one doesn't have excess fat and has a ruddy complexion, one can withstand the storms of the sea and become a capable and independent officer on a warship.

Xuan Chong carried his schoolbag to the dormitory, looked at the tall buildings of the school, and then registered.

Then, he took out a ruler and gestured towards the battleships in the distant naval port, extending the scale infinitely and carefully examining the inside of the gun barrels.

Preliminary data indicates the ship is 261.8179m long, 45.4545m wide, and has a mast height of 53.4441m.
After acquiring the ruler, Xuan Chong became quite interested in data.

(End of this chapter)