My Imperial Advisor is ChatGPT

Chapter 59: Burning the National Treasury Like Coal, and the "Patriotic Lottery" in Xianya

The autumn wind in Xianyang turned bleak overnight.

The people who cheered for the gladiators in the arena yesterday woke up this morning to find that the atmosphere in the streets had changed. The wagons that usually carried cloth and spices were gone, replaced by supply wagons loaded with grain, pig iron, and coal, their wheels rumbling heavily and oppressively over the cobblestones.

The pleasant aroma of roasted sweet potatoes in the air had faded, replaced by a strong smell of engine oil and the burnt smell of steel being forged.

The massive machine of the Qin Empire was undergoing an extremely painful "gear shift." It was being forcibly shifted from a high-speed gear called "getting rich" to a low-speed gear called "war."

Inside a side hall of the Qilin Palace, Qin Prime Minister Li Si is facing the biggest crisis of his career—not rebellion, but bankruptcy.

Li Si knelt on the ground, surrounded by abacus beads. He held a thick account book in his hands, his hair disheveled, and his eyes sunken, looking like a miser who had just been robbed.

"Your Majesty! We can't dial anymore! We really can't dial anymore!"

Li Si burst into tears, his finger trembling as he pointed to the red characters on the ledger.

"The Minister of the Imperial Household asked for money to build a new type of 'armored train,' demanding fifty million coins! Prince Huhai asked for money to expand the arsenal, asking for ten thousand catties of gold! And that spendthrift Xiang Yu said his special forces soldiers should eat the finest beef, drink the strongest liquor, and be equipped with those ridiculously expensive 'hand grenades'!"

"Your Majesty! Although we've made some money in the past two years, we can't afford to squander it like this! Even the rats that go into the national treasury now have to come out with tears in their eyes; there's simply no surplus grain!"

Ying Zheng sat on the imperial couch, holding the purple clay teapot in his hand, his brows furrowed.

He knew Li Si wasn't lying. War is expensive, and waging an industrialized war that spans thousands of miles is like burning the national treasury like coal.

"Little G," Ying Zheng sighed inwardly, "Have I taken too big a step?"

A calm blue light flickered in my mind.

"Your Majesty, this is an inevitable step in 'total war.' Industrialized warfare is all about logistics and production capacity. However, money isn't saved, it's created."

"Change? How? Do you expect me to turn stones into gold?"

"No. You have a more powerful tool than turning lead into gold—credit."

Ying Zheng stroked the teapot thoughtfully.

"Li Si, stop wailing." Ying Zheng put down the teapot, his voice calm. "I know the national treasury is empty. But the people have money."

Li Si stopped feigning tears and raised his head: "Your Majesty means... to increase taxes?"

"Fool," Ying Zheng cursed. "Raising taxes is killing the goose that lays the golden eggs; the people will revolt. What I need is... a loan."

"borrow?"

"Yes. Issue 'Special Treasury Bonds for the Qin War'."

Ying Zheng stood up, walked to the map, and glanced at the bustling city of Xianyang.

"Tell the merchants and people of the world that I am going to attack Modu to protect their trade routes and to enable them to do business to the ends of the earth in the future."

"Now, I will borrow money from them. One bond will be worth one hundred coins, and in five years, I will repay them one hundred and twenty coins with interest."

"Moreover..." A sly glint flashed in Ying Zheng's eyes, "to make everyone more interested, I've decided to add some 'bonus' to the bonds."

"A prize?" Li Si asked, puzzled.

"For every 10,000 bonds sold, a prize will be drawn in public. The grand prize... will be a 'royal villa' next to the Epang Palace."

"The second prize is a 'get-out-of-jail-free card' (only applicable to crimes other than treason)."

"The third prize is a limited edition Snowpiercer model personally signed by Hu Hai."

Li Si was dumbfounded. This wasn't borrowing money; it was clearly... opening a casino!

"Your Majesty... this... will this work?"

"Whether it will work or not, we'll find out by letting Liu Bang try," Ying Zheng sneered. "That old rogue is best at this kind of 'get something for nothing' trick."

……

Three days later, in the West Market of Xianyang.

A huge wooden platform was erected again. But this time, instead of soap, it was selling colorful pieces of paper.

Liu Bang, dressed in a brocade robe embroidered with copper coins, stood on the platform, his face glowing. Behind him, Fan Kuai was energetically banging on a large bronze gong.

"Take a look! Don't miss it!"

"What is this? This is a 'Patriotic Certificate'! This is a 'Wealth Certificate'! This is your key to the luxurious Epang Palace!"

Liu Bang waved the bonds in his hand, spitting as he spoke.

Some people say, "What does war have to do with me?" Wrong! Utterly wrong!

"That grandson of a Maodun wants to cut off our Silk Road! He wants to cut off our raisins, ginseng, and cumin lamb! Do you agree to this?"

The crowd below was stirred up and became extremely agitated: "We won't agree!"

"Then buy it!" Liu Bang roared. "One hundred coins, you won't lose out, you won't be cheated! I'll pay you back with interest in five years! If you're lucky enough to win the lottery, you'll be the emperor's neighbor!"

"I'll buy them! I'll buy ten!"

"Give me a hundred! I want that house!"

A buying frenzy ensued. Fueled by both patriotism and the lure of sudden wealth, the people of Xianyang unleashed an astonishing purchasing power.

Watching the boxes of copper and gold coins being carried away, Li Si, who was hiding backstage, finally revealed a long-lost smile.

"Amazing... Your Majesty is truly amazing." Li Si wiped away his tears. "This money came faster than robbery!"

……

With the money problem solved, the next step is to turn that money into an inexhaustible force of steel.

Shaofu, the locomotive factory.

This place has been classified as top secret, with guards every three steps and sentries every five steps.

Ying Zheng, wearing a safety helmet, is inspecting the newly modified "armed train"—codenamed "Black Dragon".

This was a monster train completely encased in thick iron plates. The once-open carriages had been welded shut, leaving only dark firing ports.

The most eye-catching feature was the flatbed trailer behind the locomotive. It wasn't loaded with cargo; instead, a door was fixed to it…

炮？

No, to be precise, it was a huge, bronze-cast "heartless cannon" (an upgraded version of a gasoline drum-launched explosive charge).

"Father, look!" Hu Hai exclaimed like a child showing off a treasure, patting the short, thick cannon barrel. "This is the 'Thor's Hammer,' which your son and the leader of the Mohist school worked through the night to create!"

"This thing doesn't need gunpowder to propel it; it uses... a powerful spring and levers!" (Actually, it's a heavily modified version of a counterweight catapult, adapted to fit the train platform).

"With just a pull of this lever, a 100-pound explosive charge can fly 300 paces! It explodes upon landing, leaving nothing but barren land within a ten-zhang radius!"

Ying Zheng looked at the crudely designed weapon. Although he thought it was a bit ugly, he was quite satisfied with its overwhelming violent aesthetics.

"good."

Ying Zheng reached out and touched the cold car body.

"But, Hu Hai, isn't this cart... too heavy?"

"Father, it is a bit heavy," Hu Hai said, scratching his head. "With the added armor and cannons, it's twice as heavy as before. The original steam engine... is a bit too heavy to pull it."

"Then add it." Ying Zheng said decisively.

"If one locomotive isn't enough, add two. If two aren't enough, add three."

"I don't care how much coal you burn, or how many locomotives you have. All I want is for this 'Black Dragon' to be able to run and deliver my army to the front lines like lightning."

"Yes, sir!" Hu Hai agreed through gritted teeth. He'd rather heat the boiler until it was red-hot than fail, he'd make it run.

……

While Ying Zheng was busy inspecting military equipment, Xiang Yu was going through an internal struggle on the drill ground outside Xianyang.

"Bang!"

A loud bang was followed by a plume of white smoke.

Xiang Yu held a newly developed "handgun" (the prototype of the matchlock gun) in his hand, his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly.

A charred hole appeared on the target in the distance.

"This thing... is too slow."

Xiang Yu tossed the pistol to the soldier next to him with a look of disgust.

"Loading the powder, filling the shell, tamping it in, igniting it... this whole process is enough for me to kill ten people."

"And after firing one shot, you have to clean the barrel and guard against it exploding. This isn't a weapon; it's a monster!"

Long Qie chimed in, "Yes, brother. This thing's just for show. On the battlefield, our swords are the real deal."

However, Zhang Liang, who was standing to the side, shook his head.

He walked over, picked up the pistol, and skillfully loaded it.

"General Xiang, you only saw its slowness, not its distance."

Zhang Liang raised his pistol and aimed at a scarecrow two hundred paces away.

"At this distance, your sword can't reach it, and although your arrows can hit it, they can't penetrate heavy armor."

"But it can."

"Bang!"

Another gunshot rang out.

The scarecrow, two hundred paces away, had its chest blasted open, and even the wooden stake inside was broken.

Xiang Yu was stunned.

He walked up to the scarecrow and looked at the horrific wound.

"this……"

"That's 'kinetic energy'," Zhang Liang said, adjusting his glasses. "The lead bullet may be small, but it travels incredibly fast. It requires no skill, no strength. Even a frail farmer could kill a heavily armored cavalryman who has been trained for ten years simply by pulling the trigger."

Xiang Yu remained silent.

He felt a deep fear. Not the fear of death, but the fear that his proud martial arts skills would be abandoned by the times.

If future wars are fought like this, with soldiers being "lined up and shot," what use will the overlord be?

"General Xiang," Zhang Liang seemed to see through his thoughts, "you don't need to worry. The spear can't replace the sword yet."

"It's just... a tool to pave the way for you."

"Use it to blast open the enemy's formation, and then use your sword to reap their souls."

"This is what His Majesty meant by 'integrated air and ground'... oh no, it's 'combination of near and far ranges'."

Xiang Yu took a deep breath and picked up the pistol again.

Although he still felt awkward, the resistance in his eyes lessened.

"Fine. I'll endure it for the sake of winning."

"However, this tube is too thin. Could you make me a... bigger one?"

Xiang Yu gestured with a motion that was about the thickness of a bowl.

"I want the kind of shot that can cut a person in two with a single blast."

Zhang Liang's lips twitched.

"That's called... a hand cannon. Okay, as long as your wrist can take it, I'll make one for you."

……

Once the machine of war starts running, there is no reason for it to stop.

However, just before the army was about to set off, an unexpected turn of events occurred, like a pebble getting stuck in a fine gear.

Shaofu, Armory.

Meng Tian is conducting the final equipment inspection.

He picked up a piece of "standard plate armor" that had just been delivered; it was equipment issued to ordinary infantrymen.

"Looks good." Meng Tian tapped the nail plate, the sound crisp and clear.

But he was a cautious man. He drew his sword and, with half his strength, thrust it down.

"puff."

A soft sound.

The seemingly sturdy plate armor was pierced through as easily as tofu.

Meng Tian was stunned.

He tried on another one.

"puff."

I wore it anyway.

Meng Tian's face turned deathly pale instantly, then turned into fury.

"What the hell is this? Metal? Or paper?"

He tore open the broken edge of the armor plate and found that inside was... grayish-black, bubbly, low-quality pig iron, even mixed with unburnt slag.

"This is shoddy construction! It's a complete waste of money!"

Meng Tian roared, "Who did this? Who was in charge of this batch of armor?"

The clerk in charge of recording the events knelt on the ground in fright: "Reporting...Reporting to the General, it was...it was sent by the 'Zhao Family Ironworks.' They said they used a new process to meet the deadline..."

"The Zhao family?" Meng Tian narrowed his eyes. "The Zhao of Zhao Gao?"

"It's...it's his distant nephew who he just found..."

Meng Tian kicked over the armor box.

"Good. While the soldiers at the front are fighting desperately, there are people drinking their blood from behind!"

"Prepare the horses! Head to the palace! I'm going to impeach him!"

……

The atmosphere inside the Qilin Hall was extremely oppressive.

The pierced plate armor was then thrown at Ying Zheng's feet.

Zhao Gao knelt to one side, not daring to raise his head, his whole body trembling like a cell phone on vibrate.

"Explain," Ying Zheng said, uttering only two words.

"Your Majesty! I'm innocent!" Zhao Gao cried out. "My nephew... he said it was a 'lightweight design'! It was to reduce the burden on the soldiers!"

"Lightweighting?" Ying Zheng sneered, picked up the armor plate, and smashed it directly onto Zhao Gao's head. "This is called 'death-defying'!"

"I gave you the best coal and the best technology, and this is the garbage you produced?"

"It seems my sword hasn't drawn blood in too long; some people think I'm too old to wield it anymore?"

Ying Zheng stood up, and the murderous aura emanating from him caused the temperature in the entire hall to drop to freezing point.

"Send word to the Court of Justice."

Investigate! Investigate thoroughly!

"Anyone involved in this batch of armor, regardless of whose nephew or relative."

"Arrest them all. No need for interrogation, send them directly to the 'testing range'."

"Let them wear the armor they made themselves and become targets for Hu Hai's 'heartless cannons'!"

"I want to see whether their words are more stubborn, or my cannons are more powerful!"

Zhao Gao collapsed to the ground, knowing that this time it was truly the end. His nephew, whom he had just recognized and wanted to bring with him wealth, had now truly stirred up trouble.

"And you, Zhao Gao."

Ying Zheng looked down at the old servant who had been with him for decades.

"He may be spared the death penalty, but he cannot escape punishment."

"You're coming along on this expedition."

"No need to ride a horse or take a carriage."

"Go and tend the boiler for the 'Black Dragon' train."

"Since the problem with this A is due to rushing the construction schedule, then you will personally speed it up for me."

"If you're missing even a shovelful of coal, I'll have you thrown in and burned as coal."

……

A storm of corruption swept through Xianyang on the eve of the campaign. Dozens of heads fell, their blood used to sacrifice the flag.

Although it was cruel, it also brought everyone to their senses.

This is a battle for the fate of the nation, and there is no room for any scum.

Three days later, at Xianyang Railway Station (temporarily constructed).

The massive "Black Dragon" train was stopped on the tracks, spewing thick smoke and emitting a low roar.

Countless soldiers were boarding the vehicles. They wore newly tested, high-quality armor, carried new muskets, and their eyes gleamed with a thirst for war and excitement for the unknown world.

Ying Zheng stood on the platform, dressed in military attire, with the Tai'a sword hanging at his waist.

Looking at this massive army of steel about to embark on a long expedition, a surge of pride welled up within him.

"Little G".

"My departure may take a long time."

"I entrust this Xianyang, this Great Qin, to Fusu."

[Your Majesty, rest assured. The system has been backed up, and Prince Fusu's "Governance" module has been loaded.]

Moreover, your trip this time is not just about fighting.

You are going there to witness a turning point in history.

Ying Zheng nodded.

"Set off!"

With a command given, the steam whistle sounded.

"Ughhhhhh!!!"

The black train slowly started moving, its massive wheels rolling over the tracks, rumbling and crushing towards the setting sun in the west, towards the powerful enemy that awaited them.

However, just as the train left Xianyang and passed through a remote valley,

"Thump!"

A dull thud, not very loud, came from the roof of the car.

It looked like something had been left on the train carriage.

Xiang Yu, sitting in the carriage, twitched his ears. He suddenly looked up at the roof of the carriage.

"A guest?"

Before he could react, a vulture with a letter tube attached to it suddenly crashed into the car window and died.

Bloodstains everywhere.

Xiang Yu opened the window and took down the letter tube.

There was only one note inside.

There was a strange symbol drawn on it—a bleeding eye.

There is also a line of smaller characters written in Qin seal script:

"Welcome to hell, I'll be waiting for you at the end."

Xiang Yu crushed the note, a ferocious smile appearing on his lips.

"Hell?"

"Perfect timing. I've been wanting to go there for ages."

The train continued to accelerate, rushing into the vast darkness of the night.