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

"thump!"

Without any hesitation.

Mo Ju, the chief commander of the Shenji Battalion who possessed the highest secrets of the Tang Dynasty and whom even the emperor had to show deference to, knelt upright before the stone table.

His eyes, which were red from years of exposure to the fire, were now brimming with tears of extreme fervor, bordering on madness.

"Your Highness...this...this is a miracle! This is the ultimate mechanical art that our Mohist ancestors dreamed of!"

Mo Ju's hands trembled as he tried to touch the blueprint, but he was afraid that his rough fingers would soil this sacred map.

He turned around, looked at the ten equally dumbfounded old craftsmen behind him, and roared hoarsely.

"What are you all standing there for! Kneel down now! This is the truth! This is the power of a true god, beyond human capabilities!"

Although the ten old craftsmen couldn't understand the extremely complex mathematical formulas on the blueprints.

But they were all people who had spent their entire lives working with iron.

Just by looking at the intricate transmission structure of the cylinder and piston, they could keenly sense that once this thing started turning, it would unleash a terrifying, devastating force.

"Old Mo, calm down, get up first."

Li Chengqian looked at the group of "ancient scientists" who had fallen into a frenzy with great satisfaction.

That's exactly the effect he wanted.

In an era that had been bound by Confucianism for thousands of years, only a pure science and engineering fanatic like him could break the rules and smash open the door to the Industrial Revolution with hammer blows.

"This blueprint is exquisite, but the requirements are also extremely high."

Li Chengqian rolled up the blueprints and handed them to Mo Ju with utmost seriousness.

"Especially the sealing of this boiler and the polishing of the inner wall of the cylinder. Even the slightest error would turn this steel behemoth into a piece of scrap metal that explodes in an instant."

"I don't care how fast you are, I just want you to knead it out meticulously."

Li Chengqian walked to a corner of the secret room, where it was piled high with top-quality steel and copper ingots transported back from the Western Regions.

"I will provide you with all the resources I have."

"From today onwards, the Eastern Palace Arsenal will be under the highest level of military control. Not even a rat is allowed in!"

"You only have one mission..."

A sharp glint flashed in Li Chengqian's eyes.

"Create this monster that boils water for me alive!"

Mo Ju held the blueprints tightly in his arms, as if he were holding his own son.

"Your Highness, rest assured! Even if I don't eat or sleep, even if I burn these old bones dry in the furnace!"

Mo Ju gritted his teeth and uttered an extremely vicious oath.

"We will certainly live up to our mission and forge this national treasure for the Tang Dynasty!"

For the next whole month.

The once extremely secretive arsenal in the backyard of the Eastern Palace has completely fallen into a state of extreme frenzy and abnormal upheaval.

Every day, the people of Chang'an could see thick black smoke billowing from the sky above the Eastern Palace.

The plumes of smoke were as thick as giant black dragons, shooting straight into the sky.

At the same time, there were a series of extremely dull and regular metallic clanging sounds.

"Ding-dong! Ding-dong!"

It was like a giant forging iron, echoing day and night over the city of Chang'an.

The commotion even startled Li Shimin, who was in the Taiji Palace, admiring the new musket.

"What kind of mischief is that brat Chengqian up to in the Eastern Palace now?"

Li Shimin frowned, looking at the extremely abrupt black smoke in the sky, and muttered to himself.

"Could it be that he's secretly developing an even more powerful red-coated cannon behind my back? That brat, he has something good but doesn't even show it to me first!"

Li Shimin repeatedly wanted to send the Hundred Cavalry to investigate.

But when he thought of Li Chengqian's extremely serious and mysterious warning before he left, he forced himself to suppress his curiosity.

Anyway, that kid always manages to come up with some amazing things, so I'll just wait and see what happens.

Meanwhile, in the extremely hot and pungent underground chamber of the Eastern Palace Arsenal...

Li Chengqian was wrapped in an extremely inappropriate single garment, holding a towel soaked with sweat in his hand, staring intently at the center of the field.

there.

A massive, ugly, black steel behemoth covered in rivets and rough welds lay quietly on the bluestone floor.

It doesn't have a fancy appearance, and in some places the sheet metal is even uneven.

But it was this pile of pig iron that looked extremely dilapidated.

However, it took the top craftsmen of the Mo family a whole month of hard work, and countless pieces of the finest steel were scrapped.

Mo Ju was shirtless, his entire body covered in charcoal ash, with only his eyes still flashing with extreme fervor.

Holding a long pair of iron tongs, he carefully placed the last piece of red-hot coal into the bottom of the huge boiler.

"Gurgle—"

The boiler began to emit an extremely muffled boiling sound.

As the temperature continued to rise, on the cylinder dial next to it, which was connected to a thick pipe, an extremely simple copper needle began to slowly but steadily climb upwards.

The air in the entire sealed room seemed to freeze.

Everyone held their breath, staring intently at the metal lump that seemed poised to explode at any moment.

"laugh--!"

Suddenly, an extremely piercing burst of high-pressure steam shot out from a very well-hidden pressure relief valve.

White, hot water mist instantly filled the entire sealed room.

Followed by.

"Click!"

A crisp metallic clanging sound rang out.

The extremely thick, hundreds-of-pounds-weight cast iron piston was lifted up very slowly and very steadily under extremely terrifying steam pressure!

"It moved! Your Highness! It moved!"

Mo Ju was so excited that he plopped down on the ground, ignoring the scalding steam, and pointed at the slowly rising connecting rod, screaming hoarsely.

"Besides...besides..."

With the reciprocating motion of the piston.

The enormous cast iron flywheel, with a diameter of over ten feet, began to turn with great difficulty.

It started slowly, like an old man taking a faltering step.

But as the steam pressure continues to accumulate, the flywheel rotates faster and faster.

"Besides! Besides! Besides!"

The extremely mechanical and brutal sound of metal friction, mixed with the piercing whistling of high-pressure steam, intertwined in the enclosed room to create an extremely shocking industrial symphony!

The enormous flywheel generated an extremely violent gust of wind, causing Li Chengqian's hair to fly wildly.

He felt the extremely violent vibrations beneath his feet and watched the connecting rod moving back and forth wildly.

This steel behemoth is unleashing its first extremely faint yet terrifying roar towards the entire Tang Dynasty and even the whole world!

Li Chengqian threw away the towel in his hand.

He opened his arms wide in an extremely unrestrained and arrogant manner, welcoming the extremely hot and scorching steam.

He looked at the old craftsmen kneeling on the ground, weeping bitterly, and at the huge flywheel that was spinning so fast it was almost a blur.

An extremely crazy smile bloomed on Li Chengqian's youthful face.

"Did you hear that, old Mexican?"

Li Chengqian's voice sounded extremely weak amidst the roar of the machines, but it exuded an aura of absolute dominance.

"That is power."

"This is the absolute truth!"