Mystery Detective of the Steam World

Chapter 402 Era of Change
It must be said that Dr. Tester did bring Levi a pleasant surprise. As someone who lived in the electrical age, Levi naturally hoped that this world could be more in line with what he was familiar with. However, on the other hand, Levi also knew that, ultimately, the two worlds were still different.

As mentioned before, this world possesses an absurdly potent fuel: jet. A small piece of jet is enough to power a large mech for a whole day. And this is even before steam power fully utilizes the jet's potential. So, with a steam generator, Li Wei feels... he might actually be able to build the mechs seen in anime!

Ultimately, everything humanity has is built upon boiling water; the question is how to boil it. Coal has such immense energy; a generator would only absorb more of it. So, if placed on a mecha, wouldn't it be a power unit that can switch energy sources at any time?

This is much better than nuclear power because there's no radiation or pollution! At most, you just need to add some solvent and water from time to time! The parts that used to be powered by steam can now be powered entirely by electricity!
In addition, there's that incredibly high energy density ore...

Yes, it is indeed different from my own world.

So after leaving the Great Salt Lake, Li Wei immediately returned to Fog City and explained the situation to the old steward.

Of course, he wouldn't talk about things like energy ratio consumption like Dr. Tester did. Scientists always like to use data, but Levi knew that the upper-level bureaucrats weren't concerned with the data, but rather with how to use it!
So Li Wei told the old steward that, as it stands, this thing is smaller than the Empire's most advanced steam engine, and it's more powerful! It can carry much heavier loads into the sky!
This immediately piqued the old butler's interest.

As mentioned before, when the Empire initially chose to expand deep into the land, it built land cruisers and airships. The land cruisers had stronger firepower, while the airships had slightly weaker firepower. The reason is simple: land cruisers could move around more freely and had a greater carrying capacity.

As is well known, the power of a cannon equals its length and weight... This is also why Li Wei developed missiles in the first place; he couldn't possibly actually dig a hole in the ground like Jules Verne.

Therefore, in terms of firepower, airborne warships are inferior to those on land, and even inferior to those on water. Although they are called warships, the power of their naval guns is only barely adequate.

However, if air-to-air combat ships could power large-caliber naval guns, then... the budget for land cruisers could really be completely cut.

Terrible.

As for the principle of the generator, Li Wei doesn't need to explain it further, because modern steam engines actually have power generation systems. Otherwise, how would the lights on those mecha steam trains be lit? It's just that current generators have poor structure and low power generation efficiency, so they are considered an accessory to steam engines.

Dr. Tester, on the other hand, converted all the kinetic energy generated by the steam engine into electrical energy, instead of using it directly.

To put it simply, the generator, which was originally just an accessory to the steam engine, has now become more powerful than the steam engine and has taken over the role.

When we were looking at the moon, I called her "Sweetie," but now that the new girl has replaced the old, I call her "Old Cow."

Humans are just so fickle (shrug).

Of course, after that, Li Wei went to check on the progress of the jet engine... Well, it can only be said that after Professor Andrew joined the research group, the research on the jet engine has made some progress, but it has not yet reached the level that Li Wei expected, and we still need to continue our efforts.

However, Li Wei had already told them that the Empire now had a brand new power system, and he would have Dr. Tester build another one and send it over to see if it could be used in this project.

Li Wei had a lot to do. Although the rear of the empire was more stable than the front lines, and unlike the war mobilization of other countries, the empire had not mobilized for war. Given the vast territory and abundant resources of the empire and its large population, the regular army alone was sufficient to deal with the current war.

Unless the enemy has the possibility of launching a counterattack against the Empire, the Empire is unlikely to initiate war mobilization casually.

This is why Francis, Krant, and the Western European Empire are still hesitant. If the Empire were to mobilize for war, it would mean they are determined to defeat and annex Krant. However, the Empire has not mobilized for war. At the very least, it means that the Empire doesn't seem to need extra troops to control its territory. So, is the Empire's capture of Port Drey just intended to teach Krant a lesson?
It is this mix of truth and deception that leaves other countries somewhat unsure how to respond.

This is clearly a testament to Her Majesty's brilliance.

As long as you don't go all in, no one will know if you will. Once you go all in, there's obviously only one path left to take.

Unfortunately, this did not mean that the rear of the empire was safe and sound.

Li Wei had only been back in Chongqing slacking off for a few days when trouble came knocking again.

Unlike before, this time it's mainly a political issue.

Since the Empire entered the war, there has been a prevailing opinion in the City of Fog that the war has nothing to do with the Empire and that the Empire should not sacrifice the lives of its people to participate in a war that has nothing to do with them.

Of course, that would have been fine, but soon the idea evolved into another development—the Empire's involvement in the war was mainly due to Her Majesty the Queen's obstinacy, which is the danger of monarchy! We should follow Francis's example and let officials elected by the people decide whether or not to wage war, instead of letting those high-ranking elite bureaucrats decide!
Only officials elected by the people can truly understand the hardships of the people and stand up for the people, instead of becoming lackeys of nobles and royalty!
Her Majesty the Queen must listen to the voice of the people!
Yes, that's right. At first glance, it makes a lot of sense, and it does seem to be true.

So the question is, who came up with these claims?
Wow, quite a few nobles actually support this!

This shows that Her Majesty the Queen is autocratic and dictatorial, and even the nobles can't tolerate it!
I'm so scared.

Let's investigate these nobles more closely... Oh dear, many of them are nobles who once fell on hard times and obtained titles after marrying capitalists.

This is even more interesting.

As a modern internet troll who enjoys spewing insults and gaining experience, Li Wei has long summarized a rule: when you look at a statement, don't focus on whether it's right or wrong, but rather on who made the statement.

Often, even if the statement is correct, it is wrong if the person making the statement is wrong!

When Lü Buwei commissioned someone to write the "Lüshi Chunqiu," he proposed to restrain the emperor's power and appoint people based on merit. Do you think he was advocating for the people?

He said something nice: "When the people are secure, the country is at peace, the world is well-governed, and wise men will surely emerge." That makes sense, doesn't it? Everyone agrees, right?

Then you've fallen for their trick.

I have just one question: What are the standards for a virtuous person? Who determined them?

Another important point is that you want people to know that you are a virtuous person, at least they should know that you exist.

Without Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang would have stayed in the mountains all day; how many people would have known him?
If one person has power, another has money, and yet another has talent, is it easier for the powerful and wealthy to become famous, or for the talented?

Especially in this era, media outlets such as newspapers and radio stations are either controlled by the government or by capital.

How can you let people know that you are a wise person? You can't just rely on word of mouth, can you?
So, what was the point of Lü Buwei writing the *Lüshi Chunqiu*? It's crystal clear now. The Qin state's current state is all thanks to me, Lü Buwei. I, Lü Buwei, am a virtuous man, so Ying Zheng, you don't need to do anything; let me do everything. I am a virtuous man, I have made great contributions, so it's no big deal for me to do more.

That sounds nice, but the First Emperor wouldn't buy it. It was either poison or being torn apart by five horses—you could choose.

They've seized power from the emperor! You've rebelled!
Even today, some intellectuals admire "Lüshi Chunqiu" and believe that everything written in it is the truth—but you don't even know who wrote it.

Can a dog spit out ivory?
No matter how righteously he writes, it can't hide the fact that Lü Buwei wanted to become the retired emperor.

Returning to this specific issue, it sounds nice to say that officials elected by the people will inevitably act in their best interests. Because if they don't represent the people's interests, we can use our votes to remove them from office!

That sounds nice, and it seems to make sense at first glance, but is that really the case?
Besides, like I said before, for people to vote, I need to know that you exist first.

Even if someone is truly willing to serve the people, if no one supports them, who will vote for them? What right do they have to be nominated?
Conversely, if you had to choose between two well-known candidates, one a drug addict and the other an alcoholic, who would you pick?

Does it matter who we choose? Expecting them to work for the people? That's absurd!

As for why this sound occurred, Li Wei quickly understood.

The current empire is governed by an elite system. Her Majesty the Queen maintains a firm grip on imperial power by consolidating the bureaucracy. Bureaucratic promotions are based on merit, not election. For capitalists who acquire aristocratic status through marriage alliances, this process is too time-consuming, the returns too slow, and the constraints imposed by the royal family make them very dissatisfied.

The best way to break this system where the royal family completely controls the promotion process is to gain the support of the majority through another means.

That's the voting system!
After all, voting requires name recognition, which comes from wealth and the media. If you're willing to spend money printing tabloids and advertising on the radio all day long, praising someone as exceptionally capable and selfless, most people will believe it.

Even if someone knows it's made up, they have no way to refute it, right? They can't just shout it out in the street, or they'll be sent straight to a mental hospital.

Doesn't this mean that capital controls the promotion of bureaucrats?

As for eliminating the other party, that's utter nonsense. So what if they're eliminated? They'll just come back next year. Hey, I came, I left, I came back again. I'm just playing around. I won't let you choose anyone else. You can only choose me. What can you do about it?

In Livy's world, someone even wrote "The End of History," declaring it the pinnacle of human history and politics! No need to read further! There is no better system in the world! Humanity's systems no longer need reform!
Later, realizing he couldn't continue the story, he changed it to "This is the least bad system in human history!"

Hmm, "at least not bad" is an interesting way to put it.

Should we talk about how Hitler and his Workers' Party used this "least bad" system to cause trouble?
Of course, this world doesn't have a mustache yet, and institutional reform is only at the very beginning stage of just starting to be talked about.

However, Li Wei was forced to investigate this matter.

the reason is simple.

In order to find out who among these people was in charge of the scheme, the royal family sent a loyal nobleman to investigate.

Unexpectedly, after he returned, his attitude underwent a complete 180-degree change. As if he had been brainwashed, he began to claim that the imperial system should be reformed and that elections should replace the current promotion of officials! Not only that, he was completely convinced of his own words, and seemed to be a fanatical believer.

This immediately alerted the royal family, and so... the case was sent to Livy.

"Brainwashed?"

After listening to the old butler's words, Li Wei was quite surprised. Indeed, it was too strange for someone to have completely changed their mindset after just attending a party. It shouldn't have come to this...

Thinking of this, Li Wei pondered for a moment and looked at the old steward.

"May I go and see that gentleman?"

Li Wei himself did not have a strong political inclination, but he had one principle: that capitalists should never be allowed to control politics. In Li Wei’s view, any system was better than capitalists in power!

(End of this chapter)