All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

Even if there are some transactions, they mostly involve them spending money to purchase goods from China. This unequal trade deficit has severely damaged their country's vitality, so naturally they are dissatisfied.

Over the past year, they have repeatedly asked the Dragon Kingdom to resolve the issue, but Han Chunming has adopted a delaying tactic, ignoring them on the one hand and sending out a large number of spies to monitor their country's every move on the other.

With money in hand, the Dragon Kingdom was willing to invest. Over the past three years, truckloads of goods have been transported from various Western Regions countries to Gem City by merchants from different countries. After being purchased by the Gem City purchasing station, they were transported to the Dragon Kingdom for consumption.

Some ores and military supplies were transported to Tianshan City and Jushi City, while Jushi City produced truckloads of glass, mirrors, ceramics and other items, which were then transported to Gem City to exchange for large sums of money. This money was then used to purchase goods from the traveling merchants, forming a closed-loop ecosystem.

After three years of development, Giant Stone City now boasts a complete industrial system, with dozens of large chimneys billowing thick smoke every day. More than 170 factories are located here, and many factory walls bear slogans such as "Seize every minute for 100 days."

If I didn't know this was the world before Christ, I would have thought I had traveled to the West in the 18th century. The area within a hundred miles was a true military restricted zone, with more than five thousand troops stationed there.

Occasionally, deafening explosions can be heard from the arsenal north of Tianshan City, but the local residents have grown accustomed to them, believing them to be miracles brought by the Dragon God, and there is no need to be afraid.

Since Han Chunming became a god, the people of the Dragon Kingdom must face east and worship every morning while reciting the Dragon God's Divine Light Scripture. The first sentence of the scripture is, "Thank you, omnipotent Dragon God, for bestowing upon me light and life..."

The method of controlling the people through faith is really too effective. This method makes Han Chunming feel a little euphoric because he has not heard any dissenting voices in the past three years.

His words are the truth, his words are the only truth.

He was well aware that this situation would have dire consequences for the future development of a country, but Han Chunming still promoted his faith throughout the country without hesitation.

The reason is simple: he now only needs one voice, one force, to follow his steps, forward, forward, and forward again.

Chapter Twenty-Three: The First Cannon Shot Before Christ

For the past three years, the Dragon Kingdom has been biding its time, waiting to accumulate strength for a future breakthrough.

Now, it's time to show their fangs.

During these three years, many things happened within the Qin territory. Yu Shu, escorted by Yi Xiaochuan and Meng Tian, ​​arrived in Xianyang.

Upon returning to Xianyang, Meng Tian met with Qin Shi Huang. He originally intended to report his encounter with Han Chunming to Qin Shi Huang immediately, but when Yu Shu appeared before Qin Shi Huang, Qin Shi Huang was completely captivated.

In order to please Qin Shi Huang and secure a chance for peace, Yu Shu revealed her slender waist and performed a dance depicting the beauty of the land.

Qin Shi Huang was overjoyed by the sudden change in his mood and immediately bestowed upon Yu Shu the title of Jade Beauty, having long forgotten that Meng Tian still had something to say to him.

After the morning court session, Qin Shi Huang couldn't wait to arrange a palace for Yu Shu and begin preparing to do some intimate things.

Although Yu Shu knew this scene would come sooner or later, she still suppressed her fear. As Ying Zheng stroked her small hand, she felt both ashamed and afraid, and her face flushed with a pitiful blush.

Yu Shu made an excuse that she had not eaten all day and hoped that the Emperor would allow her to wash up before serving him.

Ying Zheng, feeling pity for Yu Shu, immediately agreed. He arranged for wine and food while instructing palace maids to help Yu Shu wash up.

After washing up, Yu Shu was even more stunning and captivating. The charm in her every glance and smile was something Ying Zheng had never seen in any other woman.

With Yu Shu's help, he drank a pot of wine without hesitation. The wine seemed particularly intoxicating today. After a few cups, Ying Zheng felt hot all over.

He unfastened his dragon robe, revealing the silk pajamas underneath. Yu Shu thoughtfully removed his last layer of protection, revealing his lush pubic hair.

Yu Shu looked at the man in front of her, trying to close her eyes, but in the end she held back and began to undress. At this moment, she could no longer decide her own fate and could only submit.

She now has only one last wish in her mind: that what the old man said is true, so that she can retain her last shred of innocence.

Ying Zheng's hands trembled with excitement. Looking at the beauty before him, who was as white as jade, he felt more excited than ever before. Finally, he pulled down the curtain and pounced on Yu Shu.

Half an hour later, Ying Zheng roared. He was covered in sweat and looked at the limp thing, his pride was hurt a thousand times.

This was a situation he had never encountered before. Ying Zheng had more than twenty children and hundreds of concubines in his harem. Even though he was getting older, he had maintained this good habit of once a day for nearly twenty years. How could he suddenly stop?

Yu Shu trembled as she stepped forward to try and please Ying Zheng, but it was to no avail. Ying Zheng wanted to get angry, but seeing the pitiful Yu Shu, he couldn't vent his anger. After another half hour of this, Ying Zheng finally stormed off.

After this incident, the imperial physician examined all the food and wine that day, as well as all the items on Yu Shu's body, and found no trace of poisoning. The matter had to be dropped.

Yu Shu was also temporarily banished to the cold palace. After this incident, Ying Zheng consulted countless imperial physicians, but to no avail.

Given Ying Zheng's personality, this matter would have at least resulted in the complete annihilation of Yu Shu and the Tu'an Kingdom.

However, Yu Shu was simply too beautiful and extremely pleasing to Ying Zheng. Even when his manhood failed him, Ying Zheng often missed the beauty and thus summoned Yu Shu back to his side.

When Yu Shu saw that Ying Zheng's manhood was truly impotent, she felt a strange fear afterwards. She was afraid that Ying Zheng would retaliate against Tu An for this, so she desperately tried to please Ying Zheng and finally won his trust.

To ensure her safety, Yu Shu abandoned her dignity and tried to please Ying Zheng. Meanwhile, Yi Xiaochuan in Xianyang, despite feeling incredibly heartbroken, still kept the promise he made to Yu Shu.

He had promised Yu Shu that he would wait for her for five years and was willing to wait for that belated love in Xianyang.

Aside from some setbacks in his love life, Yi Xiaochuan has had a smooth journey in other aspects of his life, remaining a chosen one.

Because of Meng Tian's connection, he successfully joined the Meng family army and became its second-in-command. Meng Tian also intended to entrust the future of the Meng family army to Yi Xiaochuan, as he believed that Yi Xiaochuan was his long-lost younger brother, Meng Yi.

Yi Xiaochuan also encountered Cui Wenzi in Xianyang, then Xiang Yu and his master Xiang Liang, and finally Gao Yao, who had become a favorite of Hu Hai in the palace.

With Yi Xiaochuan's powerful background and extensive network of connections, he could easily have become a high-ranking person if he had just managed things properly.

However, he first joined Prince Fusu's camp, and then because of Liu Bang's affairs, he became enemies with Gao Yao, and the two became bitter enemies who were both close friends and mortal enemies.

Meanwhile, Liu Bang, who was originally in Pei County, was living a good life, with a beautiful wife and the wealth of the Lü family, enjoying a carefree life in Pei County.

However, due to Gao Yao's sudden rise to power, Liu Bang was completely defeated and began to hide with his wife and children, fearing that Gao Yao would send people to kill him.

After living like this for some time, Liu Bang could no longer stand it and secretly went to Xianyang to look for an opportunity.

Upon arriving in Xianyang, Liu Bang unexpectedly encountered Yi Xiaochuan. To his utter surprise, Yi Xiaochuan not only did not end up buried at the Great Wall, but also became a high-ranking official in Xianyang.

Then, on a whim, he told Yi Xiaochuan about Lü Zhi's infidelity and even said he suspected his son wasn't his own.

Liu Bang deliberately revealed his son's birth date and time, without explicitly stating that the man who had cuckolded him was Yi Xiaochuan.

When Yi Xiaochuan heard this, he was shocked. He did some mental calculations and felt a chill run down his spine. Could it be that the time he had that thing with Lü Zhi resulted in her getting pregnant?

Seeing that Liu Bang didn't seem to suspect him, Yi Xiaochuan breathed a sigh of relief. Feeling guilty, he then arranged an official position for Liu Bang.

Liu Bang was overjoyed that his plan had actually succeeded, and happily took office.

It was also because of Yi Xiaochuan's act of taking in Liu Bang that Gao Yao and Yi Xiaochuan completely broke off their relationship.

Although Gao Yao is now Hu Hai's most favored man, he has lost his dignity as a man and now hates Liu Bang, who sold him out, even more.

So he tried every means to get rid of Liu Bang, but he didn't expect that Liu Bang would be taken in by Yi Xiaochuan, which greatly angered him.

Gao Yao also personally sought out Yi Xiaochuan, questioning him about why he had helped such a despicable person as Liu Bang.

Perhaps out of guilt towards Liu Bang, Yi Xiaochuan protected him in every way, which made Gao Yao resent Yi Xiaochuan even more.

Unfortunately, Gao Yao was merely a favorite of Hu Hai, not Qin Shi Huang, and his power was far from sufficient at present.

The Meng family army was the most important force under Qin Shi Huang, and its commander, Meng Tian, ​​was highly trusted by Qin Shi Huang, far surpassing the power of a minor eunuch like Gao Yao.

In order to climb to a higher position, Gao Yao sought to get acquainted with Li Si and embarked on a path of currying favor with powerful figures to advance his career.

During these three years, Gao Yao and Yi Xiaochuan fought each other fiercely, remaining evenly matched. With Li Si's help and his own ruthlessness, Gao Yao successfully became the most powerful eunuch in Xianyang Palace within three years.

Seeing that Gao Yao's power was growing stronger, Liu Bang felt that he could no longer stay in Xianyang.

He then managed to get some money from Yi Xiaochuan and went back to Pei County to become the head of the Sishui Pavilion. That was his territory, and if anything happened, he would have a group of brothers to protect him.

During these three years, Gao Yao also found his only solace in the Qin Dynasty, a palace maid who looked exactly like his sister Gao Lan.

Under Gao Yao's protection, the palace maid quickly became acquainted with him and chose to change her name to Gao Yue, willing to be Gao Yao's younger sister.

After Gao Yao had relatives in the Qin Dynasty, he cherished this hard-won family bond even more.

Gao Yao was not very educated, but he felt that the only way to protect his family ties was to elevate his status to a higher level, becoming a powerful eunuch second only to the emperor, so that no one in the world could bully him and his sister.

Gao Yao was gradually ascending to the pinnacle of power, while Qin Shi Huang in Xianyang Palace was becoming increasingly unwell year by year.

Since becoming impotent three years ago, Qin Shi Huang had been depressed and became even more obsessed with Yu Shu's gentleness and beauty. However, he could only touch such a beautiful woman but could not have sex with her, which occasionally drove Qin Shi Huang crazy.

With this conflicting mindset, Qin Shi Huang's health deteriorated year by year, making him even more eager to find the elixir of immortality.

He believed that if he took the elixir of immortality, he would become an immortal, and once he became an immortal, all his mortal ailments would be cured without treatment.

Thus, imperial edicts were issued throughout the land, and Qin Shi Huang sought out extraordinary talents and people from all over the world. At the same time, he sent Xu Fu overseas to search for true immortals.

In the last two years of Qin Shi Huang's life, he was constantly irritable and anxious, and the cause of all this was the butterfly effect brought about by Han Chunming's little pill.

If Han Chunming knew that the reason why Qin Shi Huang died so young was because of his own actions, he would surely realize that he had ultimately become a part of history.

Han Chunming, who was far away outside the pass, was naturally unaware of these matters. Although the Dragon Kingdom had also sent several waves of spies to the Great Qin, most of those spies were of low status and rarely had any information about the Xianyang Palace.

Han Chunming only needed to know the general direction of Qin Dynasty's development. Now, he had established his momentum, and the Dragon Kingdom was officially beginning to show its fangs.

One day in September, a scout reported that two neighboring countries had amassed their forces and were preparing to launch a surprise attack on Gem City in three days.

Upon receiving the message, Han Chunming merely curled his lips into a wicked smile and muttered to himself.

"What was bound to happen has finally happened. It's time to begin a new journey!"

For China today, the combined attack of two small countries is like using a cannon to kill a mosquito.

Three days later, the monarchs of the two countries personally led their thousands of soldiers, arriving at the outskirts of Gem City amidst a dusty journey.

When they arrived, the two monarchs were surprised to find that the area within a three-kilometer radius of Gem City had been completely cleared out, and the surroundings were empty. Clearly, their actions had been known to the enemy long ago.

However, they were not afraid. This time, each of them brought eight thousand troops, enough to sweep across the entire Dragon Kingdom. Their first target was to capture Gem City.

Because they had already agreed to seize Gem City, their cash cow, before launching an attack on the Dragon Kingdom's mainland.

If we can conquer the Dragon Kingdom, that would be even better. If we can't, we'll demand that the Dragon Kingdom cede Gem City to them, and also demand the transfer of technologies for manufacturing glass, paper, and mirrors, etc.

In short, Gem City was their primary target. Gem City was now incredibly wealthy, with houses selling for a thousand gold coins each, and it was teeming with rich merchants from all over the world.

Once they seized this money tree, they would be rich. Greed led them to decide to strike first.

Seeing the sparse guards on the city wall, the two monarchs exchanged a glance, both displaying the posture of victors, as if the Gem City before them was already within their grasp.

They only saw the scattered soldiers on the city wall, but they didn't see the five dark cannon muzzles pointed directly at them.

The soldiers were carrying round, solid cannonballs made of iron. The Hongyi cannons, which originally appeared in the 16th century, first came into existence in 212 BC.

Due to technological limitations, the Red Barbarian Cannon represents the most advanced technological achievement in Giant Stone City. Currently, only five cannons have been produced, and all of them have been transported to Gem City.

Although we have experimented with this many times, this is the first time we have actually conducted a real experiment.

On the city wall, a group of young people were excitedly adjusting the five Divine Dragon Cannons. Yes, this name was given by Han Chunming, meaning that this weapon has the power of a divine dragon.

Among the group of young people on the city wall, some were Han Chunming's students, while the other dozen or so were his students' students.

The vocational colleges in China are two-year programs. Two years of intensive study is enough to make those young people become qualified skilled workers.

The truly talented young people will be selected to enter a higher-level university, Shenlong University, for further studies after two years.

Currently, the Dragon Kingdom only has one university, located in Tianshan City. This university was built with the resources of the entire nation. Han Chunming's more than two hundred students have become the first batch of teachers. At the same time, they are also students, because Han Chunming still gives lectures at the academy every day, and the studies are still very intensive.

This university was built with all of Han Chunming's efforts, and most of the nation's most outstanding young people are concentrated here.