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

The three-day deadline passed in the blink of an eye. The Roman monarch was powerless to resist the heavy railguns hanging over the heads of the Tang Dynasty. He could only obediently comply with the requirements and escort dozens of biochemical research leaders and core officials who planned the corruption scheme to the wasteland outside Chang'an. The mountains of war reparations and the sealed fungal cultivation equipment were transported to the site at the same time. The hundreds of thousands of Roman legions that had been stockpiled on the border were all withdrawn to the homeland. All the biochemical laboratories were blown up and destroyed on the spot, and the black smoke lingered in the far west for a long time.

Li Chengqian piloted the Black Titanium Quantum Ark, which descended slowly and came to a smooth stop at the newly built temporary spaceport next to the Jianmu Tower. The massive hull stirred up a thick gust of air as it landed, causing tens of thousands of civilians and mecha soldiers on the wasteland to bow in salute, their cheers echoing across the entire Guanzhong Plain.

Li Shimin personally led civil and military officials and representatives of folk artisans to the airport to welcome him. The old emperor strode forward, his gaze falling on Li Chengqian. Looking at his still wrinkled floral shirt and bare, reddened toes, he recalled the desperate situation three days ago when the tower collapsed and the city was in danger. His eyes couldn't help but redden slightly.

"My son, we owe you so much this time." Li Shimin patted his shoulder, his tone full of emotion. "If we had arrived even a moment later, Chang'an and the entire Guanzhong region would have been doomed."

Li Chengqian waved his hand, bent down to pick up the black-rimmed sunglasses that had fallen to the side, put them back on, and looked at the straight and towering Jianmu Tower behind him. He said in a calm tone, "Father, this tower is not only a project of the Great Tang Dynasty, but also the starting point for my planning of interstellar travel. To move it is to cut off my path forward, and I will naturally not sit idly by."

Old Wai, pushing through the crowd, stepped forward, clutching a thick stack of gold redemption documents. He scratched his head sheepishly, "Your Highness, I was worried His Majesty's promise of gold bricks was just empty words. I didn't expect the court to be so efficient. Ten times the gold for the scrapped crane was delivered to my home yesterday. I plan to use this money to build two even larger engineering mechs to guard the Tower of Babel. If anyone tries to sabotage it again, I'll be the first to stop them!"

Li Chengqian chuckled upon hearing this, raised his hand and patted Lao Wai's shoulder: "From now on, you won't need to risk your lives to hold up the tower. The Ark will station a defensive fleet to guard the stratosphere for a long time, and the Tian Shu monitoring system will scan the entire area 24 hours a day. Any biological or chemical weapons or foreign infiltration devices will be locked and intercepted immediately. There will be no more dangerous situations like those three days ago."

As soon as he finished speaking, the holographic projection of Tian Shu appeared out of thin air, hovering above everyone's heads, unfolding a brand-new blueprint for the overall planning of space infrastructure.

The reinforcement project for the wooden tower's foundation is now complete. The broken carbon nanotube load-bearing beams have all been replaced with new high-toughness alloys. Every inch of the tower's structure has undergone tens of thousands of pressure tests, making it capable of withstanding dozens of times the previous gravitational impact. The orbital elevator, space cargo transfer platform, and near-Earth orbit space station, which will soon be under construction, are all marked on the blueprints. There are even plans for a long-term lunar mining base and interstellar cargo routes.

All the civil and military officials looked up at the magnificent blueprint, their hearts trembling. Before, they had only thought that building a wooden pagoda was a magnificent but impractical structure, but now they understood that Li Chengqian harbored a grand plan that spanned the galaxy.

"I have already instructed Tian Shu to allocate the reparations from Rome." Li Chengqian traced a corner of the blueprint with his fingertip. "Half of it will be used to expand the armory, mass-produce heavy engineering mechs and defensive warships, and strengthen the border defenses of the Tang Dynasty; the other half will be invested entirely in space infrastructure, recruiting craftsmen and scientific researchers from all over the country to develop new aerospace materials and accelerate the construction of the orbital space station."

Li Shimin nodded repeatedly, no longer having any concerns. He immediately ordered notices to be posted throughout the country, recruiting talented individuals skilled in mechanics, materials, and astronomy to come to Chang'an to participate in the space project. All craftsmen and students who participated in the project would receive high salaries from the court and would also have priority to enter the science and technology school配套 with the Ark for further study.

Within just three days, countless artisans and young students from all over the country flocked to Chang'an with dreams in their hearts. Temporary workshops were set up in the West Market and the wasteland outside the city. Machine tools roared and welding sparks flew day and night. The entire Guanzhong Plain was enveloped in a vigorous construction boom.

Instead of returning to Hawaii for vacation, Li Chengqian temporarily moved the Ark command module to the middle level of the Jianmu Tower. He stayed at the construction site every day, personally adjusting the infrastructure drawings and improving the machinery and equipment. Occasionally, he would change into work clothes and inspect the lifting equipment with the craftsmen. Shedding his identity as the crown prince, he was more like a chief engineer who was buried in tackling key problems.

That evening, after finishing his day's debugging work, Li Chengqian stood alone on the viewing platform on the middle level of the Jianmu Pagoda, overlooking the entire city of Chang'an below.

The setting sun bathed the ancient city's bricks and tiles, the Wei River flowed slowly, countless mechs operated in an orderly fashion on the wasteland, children chased and played in the safe area outside the city, merchants hawked their wares along the streets, civil and military officials performed their duties, and news of peace and stability came from the border. Rome was no longer able to provoke disputes, and even sent envoys to deliver a permanent peace treaty, seeking only to share the benefits of interstellar trade with the Tang Dynasty.

Li Shimin slowly walked to his side, followed his gaze to the distance, and said softly, "In the past, I was always obsessed with pacifying the four directions and consolidating the territory of the dynasty. Now I realize that there is a vast starry river beyond the heavens and earth. What you want is never the stability of a city or a country, but the future of the entire starry sea."

Li Chengqian turned his head to look at the old emperor and smiled gently: "Dynastic changes and territorial disputes are ultimately internal entanglements. Humanity's future should be set on looking to the stars. Once the orbital space station is completed, we can go to the moon to mine rare minerals, build interstellar observation stations, and explore the unknown territories beyond the heavens, no longer confined to this land, scheming and killing each other."

"But if it weren't for you guarding this Tower of Babel, none of this would have been possible," Li Shimin said with emotion. "On that day, tens of thousands of commoners and mecha pilots risked their lives to hold up the tower. Only then did I truly understand that a nation is never protected by the emperor alone, but by the unity and concerted efforts of its people to withstand annihilation. Today, all the gold in the national treasury is being returned to the people. From now on, the court will reduce taxes and levies so that everyone can live in peace and witness the completion of the Star River Infrastructure."

Li Chengqian nodded and turned to look at the top of the tower. The twelve quantum traction beams of the Ark still gently surrounded the tower, serving as a long-term stable gravity balancing device to prevent the risk of tilting again.

"Tian Shu, retrieve the simulation image of the long-term infrastructure completion."

As soon as he finished speaking, a simulated image from decades later appeared in the air.

The straight Jianmu Tower connects the ground to near-Earth orbit. Countless cargo shuttles travel back and forth along the tower's elevators. The orbital space station is brightly lit. Lunar mining spacecraft take off and land in an orderly manner. The flags of the Tang Dynasty flutter in all parts of the starry sea. The once hostile nations put aside their disputes and share interstellar resources and aerospace technology. There are no more biological and chemical intrigues or scheming between heaven and earth, and no more wars and conflicts.

The scene faded away, twilight completely enveloped the earth, and countless stars slowly emerged, dotting the deep blue night sky.

The roar of machinery on the wasteland gradually subsided, the craftsmen finished their work and rested one after another, and the lights of thousands of homes in the city lit up one after another, spreading a warm and peaceful atmosphere across the land.

Li Chengqian rested his hands on the railing of the viewing platform, his eyes clear and peaceful.

The crisis that nearly destroyed everything has come to a complete end. The lurking enemies have been punished as they deserved. The country is at peace, the people are united, and the space infrastructure spanning the galaxy has officially embarked on its proper course.

His long-planned blueprint for space infrastructure is finally unimpeded, slowly unveiling the prelude to a galaxy that belongs to the Tang Dynasty and this land.

"From now on, no one will be able to touch my towering infrastructure." Li Chengqian spoke softly, his words carried away by the evening breeze. "The road to the stars is long, let's walk it slowly."

On the city wall, Li Shimin gazed at the starry sky and the towering black pagoda, a relieved smile spreading across his lips.

The chaos and strife of the past have been put to rest. Beneath the Tower of Babel lies a peace that will last for millennia, and a brand new future that stretches to the boundless galaxy.

(End of the article)