Deposed? I couldn't be happier! I wouldn't even be a dog to the crown prince.

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained: "Elementary Steam Engine Manufacturing Blueprints (Complete Analysis Edition)" and the accompanying "General Outline of Industrial Fundamentals"!]

The system's cold and emotionless mechanical voice, at this moment, was like the most violent thunder, raging wildly in Li Chengqian's mind.

Li Chengqian froze completely.

His hand, which had been resting on Wu Meiniang's head, twitched unnaturally.

Steam engine?

Industrial theory?

Is this broken system on steroids?

The potatoes, cotton, and even the red cannons given before could barely be considered as a reasonable extension of the technology tree in this era.

But now?

This is a direct leap across more than a thousand years of history, forcefully bringing the spark of the First Industrial Revolution to this land in the early Tang Dynasty, which was still dominated by agriculture and cold weapons!

Li Chengqian swallowed hard, feeling that his worldview had been severely impacted.

He originally just wanted to be a comfortable, feudal, salted prince.

He usually messes around with his father to make a little money, and when trouble comes, he lets Huo Qubing and his men fight and kill.

When he had nothing to do, he would lie in the Eastern Palace and let Wu Meiniang do the accounting, enjoying the evil life of the exploitative class.

But now the system is acting like it thinks he's been lying down too comfortably and is forcing him to start a massive industrial revolution!

"System, are you crazy? You want me, in this Tang Dynasty where they can't even manufacture a decent screw, to build a steam engine?"

Li Chengqian was ranting and raving in his mind.

"Do you think this is like building with blocks? This requires metallurgy, lathes, sealing technology... What's the use of just giving me blueprints? How am I supposed to build it?"

However, the system seemed to have anticipated his complaint.

[Ding! Concerns about technological barriers have been detected in the host.]

[Special Note: This blueprint is a 'modified, user-friendly version'. It has been automatically adapted to the current highest level of hydraulic forging technology in the Tang Dynasty. Simply gather the top craftsmen of the Mohist school to manually forge Unit-01.]

[Friendly reminder: Once the steam engine is invented, the Tang Dynasty's productivity and military projection capabilities will completely overwhelm any known civilization in the world, truly achieving a dimensional reduction attack.]

These few lines of golden prompt text slowly dissipated in his mind, but like a fire, they instantly ignited a kind of madness deep within Li Chengqian's heart that he himself was unaware of.

Yes.

The hand-rolled red cannons were enough to frighten the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions and Tibet into kneeling and singing of conquest.

If we could actually develop a steam engine and install it on ships or vehicles...

Wouldn't that mean the Tang Dynasty had directly entered the steampunk era?

At that time, the vast desert, the roof of the world, and even the boundless ocean will all be smooth roads in the face of the steel torrent of the Tang Dynasty!

That kind of miracle that requires no human or animal power, but only boiling water to generate infinite power.

What kind of terrifying tsunami would it unleash once it arrives in this era?

Thinking of this, Li Chengqian's breathing became extremely rapid.

His eyes, which usually exuded laziness and nonchalance, were now flashing with an extremely fanatical and dangerous light.

"Your Highness? What...what's wrong?"

Wu Meiniang stood aside, watching Li Chengqian's ever-changing expression.

He was gently stroking her head just a moment ago, but now he seemed like a completely different person, his eyes were terrifying.

The little girl tugged at his sleeve with some concern.

"Are you angry with Meiniang? Meiniang will never dare to speak carelessly again..."

Li Chengqian suddenly came to his senses and looked at the future empress whose fate he had unintentionally altered.

He suddenly burst into extremely unrestrained laughter.

"Hahaha! Angry? I'm overjoyed!"

Li Chengqian picked up Wu Meiniang and spun her around twice in mid-air, startling the little girl who screamed repeatedly.

"Meiniang, you are truly my lucky star!"

"If it weren't for your brilliant action, little girl, which triggered this divine secret, I don't know how much longer I would have had to endure in this age of cold weapons!"

Wu Meiniang was put down, and dazedly straightened her clothes, completely unable to understand what crazy things Li Chengqian was saying.

What secrets of heaven? What cold weapons?

Has Your Highness been blown silly by the sandstorms of the Western Regions?

"Old Xu!"

Li Chengqian had no time to explain. He turned his head sharply and shouted at the outside of the study.

"This old servant is here!"

Xu Xiao, who had been waiting outside the door like a ghost, pushed the door open and knelt on one knee almost instantly.

"Go! Go to the Divine Machine Camp immediately!"

Li Chengqian's tone was urgent and extremely excited, even carrying a hint of unquestionable fanaticism.

"Summon Mo Ju to me!"

"Tell him to stop all work with those red-coated cannons and muskets!"

"Have him bring ten of the most skilled and experienced artisans from the Mohist school to see me immediately in the secret chamber of the Eastern Palace!"

Xu Xiao was slightly taken aback.

The Shenji Camp is now the most important military stronghold of the Tang Dynasty. Even if the production of those firearms stops for just one day, His Majesty the Emperor will be so distressed that he will lose sleep.

What is Your Highness doing? Are you even abandoning the construction of cannons?

But as the most loyal dog, Xu Xiao never asked any extra questions.

"This old servant obeys!"

Half an hour later.

In the extremely secure, top-secret stone chamber beneath the East Palace, where not even a fly could get in.

Mo Ju, accompanied by ten top craftsmen of the Mo family, with gray hair and calloused hands, stood trembling before Li Chengqian.

They thought that the cannon they had built had exploded again, and that His Highness the Crown Prince was going to hold them accountable.

"Your Highness...is there a problem with the quality of that batch of exploding shells from the Divine Machine Battalion?"

Mo Ju wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and cautiously asked.

Li Chengqian remained silent.

He stood before a huge stone table, on which lay a thick stack of meticulously crafted blueprints, freshly redeemed from the system and printed on the finest Chengxintang paper of the Tang Dynasty.

The surface is covered with a dense array of gears, connecting rods, cylinder structures, and extremely complex mathematical formulas.

To people of this era, it was like an extremely profound and mysterious book.

Li Chengqian turned around and looked at these artisans who represented the highest level of handicrafts in the Tang Dynasty.

A mad, wicked smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Old Mexican."

Li Chengqian reached out and slammed his hand heavily on the stack of blueprints, making a dull thud.

"I didn't call you here today for those worthless pieces of junk."

"I have come to give to your Mohist school..."

Li Chengqian's eyes became extremely deep, like a bottomless black hole, as if he wanted to suck in all the souls of these people.

"A true chance to become a legend!"

He pulled out the most complex diagram of the core structure of the steam engine from the top and slowly pushed it in front of Mo Ju.

"Take a look at this."

Mo Ju approached with a puzzled look, and after just one glance, he froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.

His eyes widened and widened until they almost bulged out.

Those large, rough, and steady hands, worn from years of blacksmithing, were now trembling violently like a sieve.

"What... what kind of ingenious technique is this?!"

Mo Ju pointed to the extremely precise reciprocating cylinder structure on the blueprint, his voice trembling so much that he could barely speak.

"This is beyond human capability! This power... where does this power originate?"

"In water, in fire."

Li Chengqian placed his hands on the stone table, leaned slightly forward, and spoke with a captivating, seductive tone.

"As long as there is water and coal."

"This steel behemoth can roar tirelessly, it can pull 100,000 kilograms of weight, and it can replace tens of thousands of laborers."

"Old Mo, tell me."

Li Chengqian stared intently into Mo Ju's eyes, which were now filled with extreme fervor.

"If I give you these blueprints, could you...make one for me?"