My Imperial Advisor is ChatGPT

Chapter 62 The Iron Tortoise in the Desert, and Its Butt Set on Fire by the Sun

At the end of the Hexi Corridor lies a desolate wasteland forgotten by nature. Here, there is no green life, only endless gravel and scorching heat that can bake a person alive.

The once majestic "Black Dragon" train has now been completely dismantled and is unrecognizable.

Dozens of wheelbarrows originally used for transporting coal were violently modified by the Mohist craftsmen using twisted, abandoned railway tracks. Thick steel plates were welded around the sides of the vehicles, and barbed iron canopies were added to the roofs. From a distance, they looked like a group of giant black turtles covered in hard shells lying on the sand.

This is Ying Zheng's new chariot – the "Qin Heavy Armored Chariot Formation".

"Push harder! Push harder, all of you!"

Zhao Gao was currently bent over, with a thick hemp rope tied around his shoulders, kicking his legs frantically behind the largest "royal command vehicle" like an old donkey. His once fair and plump face was now as black as the bottom of a pot, with only two white streaks from sweat hanging at the corners of his eyes.

"Your Majesty..." Zhao Gao whimpered, pushing the cart, "This thing is too heavy! We're committing a sin! Why not take a proper train instead of pushing this iron lump in this godforsaken place? My feet are practically burning up."

Sitting atop the chariot shaft, Ying Zheng held a palm-leaf fan and was swatting flies away from the four camels pulling the chariot. He heard Zhao Gao's complaints but didn't even turn his head.

"Zhao Gao, save your energy. Little G said this is the law of conservation of energy. Before, coal did the work for you; now you do the work for coal. This is called... 'artificial kinetic energy recovery'."

Although Ying Zheng joked, his eyes scanned the area under the wheels with a serious expression.

Even with the widened rims coated with eucommia ulmoides resin, these heavy iron vehicles struggled to move an inch on the soft sand. With each step, the wheels sank deep into the sand, as if the earth were resisting the invasion of these steel monsters.

"Stop the car!" Ying Zheng suddenly shouted.

The column came to a stop. The soldiers collapsed beside the wheels, panting heavily.

Ying Zheng jumped off the chariot, squatted on the scorching sand, reached out and grabbed a handful of sand, watching it slip through his fingers.

"Pressure," Ying Zheng muttered to himself, "this damn pressure."

"The leader of the Mohist school!" Ying Zheng shouted.

The leader of the Mohist school, covered in grease and grime, emerged from a utility cart in the back, a wrench in his hand: "Your Majesty, what are your orders?"

"This is too slow. By the time we reach Dayuan, my bones will have weathered away." Ying Zheng pointed to the wheels of the carriages stuck in the sand. "Change them for me."

"How do I change it?" The giant looked bewildered.

"Put shoes on the wheels." Ying Zheng picked up a twig and drew a sketch on the sand.

It wasn't an ordinary wheel, but a wheel structure encased in a wide "track" made of wooden planks and rubber belts.

"Since the wheel is stuck, let's pave a road. But not on the ground, but on the wheel. So the wheel will always travel on the plank."

"This is called... 'track'."

The leader of the Mohist school stared at the diagram for a long time, then suddenly slapped his forehead, making a sharp sound.

"Wonderful! Your Majesty is truly a genius! This is like giving the carriage a super-sized snowshoe!"

……

Thus, on this desolate Gobi Desert, the craftsmen of Daqin began a crazy on-site modification.

Since there were no ready-made tracks, they used the broken sleepers, sawed them into short planks, and strung them together with iron chains. Since there were no bearings, they simply smeared them with lard.

Three days later, when the "modified" convoy started up again, a miracle occurred.

The iron tortoise, which was originally stuck in the sea of ​​sand, actually floated up. The simple wooden tracks rolled on the sand, making a "clattering" sound. Although it was bumpy and noisy, its speed increased by a full 100%.

Xiang Yu, who was sitting on the roof of the chariot on guard duty, couldn't help but grin as he looked at the strange-looking thing at his feet.

"His Majesty's mind is indeed more effective than my sword. This thing actually looks quite convincing when it moves."

He raised his binoculars and looked at the sand dunes in the distance.

There, several pairs of cold, sinister eyes were fixed on the convoy.

Those were the "wolf pack" left behind by Maodun.

A guerrilla force composed of Parthian rebels and elite Xiongnu troops. Their mission was not to engage in a decisive battle, but to swarm the Qin army like flies, preventing them from sleeping or drinking, until they wore down this steel behemoth in the desert.

"Boss, what are those things?" a Xiongnu scout asked in alarm, pointing at the Qin army's chariots. "Those chariots... how come they have legs?"

The Xiongnu commander in charge squinted at the rolling tracks, a chill creeping into his heart.

"It doesn't matter what it looks like. As long as it's alive, it needs to drink water."

The commander of the thousand cavalry sneered and pointed to a mark on the map.

"Thirty li ahead is 'Red Willow Spring.' It's the only water source for miles around. Pass down the order to throw in all the dead horses, dead camels, and the poison we brought."

"I want them to watch the water, but not be able to drink a single drop."

……

Under the blazing sun, the air in the desert distorted due to the high temperature, and distant scenery swayed, like an Impressionist painting.

The Qin army has been without water for a day.

Although there was a water reserve on the vehicle, the consumption was enormous in order to supply the hundreds of camels and horses. The soldiers' lips were all cracked and peeling, and their throats felt like they had a lump of burning coals stuck in them.

"Water...there's water vapor ahead!"

The guide walking at the front—the Loulan man who had been bribed by Liu Bang—suddenly pointed ahead and shouted.

Everyone perked up and looked up.

Sure enough, on the distant horizon, a lush poplar forest could be faintly seen, with what appeared to be shimmering water in the middle of the forest.

"It's an oasis! It's Red Willow Spring!"

The soldiers cheered, their previously heavy steps instantly becoming lighter. Even the camels pulling the carts seemed to smell the moisture and quickened their pace.

"Wait!"

Ying Zheng's voice came from the command vehicle, carrying an undeniable calmness.

He held the binoculars, but instead of looking at the oasis, he looked at the sky above it.

Something's not right.

Ying Zheng frowned.

"Little G, look at that bird."

Several vultures were circling in the sky. But they didn't land in the seemingly vibrant oasis; instead, they hovered on the outskirts, as if wary of something.

[Your Majesty, the bio-radar indicates that the temperature in that area is abnormally high.]

[And the reflectivity of that water surface... was almost too perfect.]

Is this a mirage? No, a mirage is an illusion, but that poplar forest is real.

The only explanation is... it's a trap.

Ying Zheng put down the telescope, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Order to halt the advance."

"Set up our 'sun cannon'."

The "sun cannons" were actually those huge concave bronze mirrors that were previously used for transmitting messages. Since the beacon towers were dismantled, these bronze mirrors were taken along with the vehicles.

"Your Majesty, what are you going to do..." Meng Tian asked, puzzled.

"Since they want to lure me into a trap, then I will set them off with a 'fire attack on their camps'."

Ying Zheng pointed to the oasis.

"The vegetation there is too dry. And, I smell... the odor of flammable oil."

"They must have poisoned the water and ambushed people in the woods."

"Zhao Gao! Take your optics team and focus the mirror for me!"

……

In the poplar forest of Hongliuquan.

The Xiongnu commander of a thousand cavalrymen lay prone in the grass, enduring the bites of mosquitoes, secretly making plans.

"Come quickly, Qin people. As soon as you rush into the forest to grab the water, my poisoned arrows will turn you into hedgehogs. Even if they don't kill you, the poisoned herbs in the water will send you to your death."

He looked at the Qin army convoy that had stopped in the distance, somewhat puzzled.

"Why did you stop? Aren't they thirsty?"

Just then, he saw several large, gleaming mirrors erected on the roof of the Qin army's vehicle.

The mirrors adjusted their angles, capturing the most scorching midday sun.

"What are they doing? Looking in the mirror?" the cavalry commander scoffed. "The Qin people really love beauty, even on their deathbeds..."

Suddenly, he felt a burning sensation in his buttocks.

Not only his buttocks, but also the withered grass beside him and the pile of dry firewood specially stacked to start a fire, all started to smoke in that instant.

"Sizzle sizzle—"

Several huge concave mirrors focused the sunlight into several dazzling spots, which were precisely projected onto the densest area of ​​the poplar forest.

The temperature there soared to several hundred degrees in just a few breaths.

"boom!"

The first flame shot up.

Next came the second regiment, and then the third regiment.

Because the forest was doused with flammable oil (which the Xiongnu originally intended to use to burn the Qin army), the fire quickly became uncontrollable and turned into a raging inferno.

"Fire! Fire!"

The Hun soldiers lying in ambush in the woods cried out in terror. They had been hunters, but now they were like ducks in an oven.

"Who started this fire?! Which idiot accidentally set it on fire?!" The Thousand Cavalry Commander jumped up and roared, only to find that his buttocks were also on fire, causing him to roll on the ground in pain.

"It's not us! It's from the sky! It's heavenly fire!" The subordinate pointed at the several blinding beams of light, terrified out of his wits.

On the Qin army's battlefield, Ying Zheng looked at the black smoke rising in the distance and drank a satisfied sip of the last bit of warm water.

"Physics is sometimes just that simple and unadorned."

"Xiang Yu".

"Here!" Xiang Yu, unable to contain himself any longer, stood beside the chariot with his broadsword in hand.

"Since they like playing with fire, let them warm up a bit. Once the fire forces them out, you can go and 'cool them down'."

"Yes, sir!"

……

The fire burned for half an hour.

Unable to withstand the high temperature and thick smoke, the Xiongnu ambush troops finally collapsed. They rushed out of the forest crying and screaming, covered in soot, some still with flames on their bodies, looking nothing like the ambush attackers they once were.

What awaited them was the Qin army, which was well-rested and ready.

"shooting!"

Meng Tian gave the order.

Although there were no railways, the armored vehicles still had strong shields. The Qin army relied on these vehicles to form a dense network of fire using repeating crossbows and shotguns.

"Bang bang bang!"

"Bang bang bang!"

The Hun soldiers who rushed out fell like wheat being harvested.

Xiang Yu was even more engrossed in the killing. He mounted a stolen camel, brandished his "Breaking Formation" giant sword, and charged wildly through the crowd.

"Don't run! Stop right there!"

Xiang Yu slapped a centurion who was trying to resist away with a single blow; the force was so great that it flattened the man's helmet.

The battle ended quickly.

The Qin army not only seized the water source but also captured a large number of camels and dry rations. Although the water had been poisoned, this was no problem for Xia Wuqie, the "toxicology expert."

"Your Majesty, this is a basaltoxin." Xia Wuqie tested it with a silver needle. "Just filter it with quicklime and charred wood, then boil it and it's safe to drink."

……

As night fell, the Qin army set up camp by the Red Willow Spring.

By the campfire, Ying Zheng watched the soldiers drinking water and laughing heartily, and felt somewhat at ease.

But he knew this was just the beginning.

The further west you go, the more difficult the road becomes. Moreover, Zhao Cheng, who has been hiding behind the scenes all along, definitely has even more insidious tricks up his sleeve.

"His Majesty."

Zhang Liang walked over, holding a strange fragment he had picked up from the battlefield.

"This was found on that Xiongnu commander of a thousand cavalry."

Ying Zheng took it and looked at it.

That was a piece of... ceramic?

No, to be precise, it was a ceramic slab with intricate patterns. It was engraved with some unintelligible symbols, and... a map.

"What is this?" Ying Zheng asked.

"I've taken a look," Zhang Liang said, adjusting his glasses with a grave expression. "This might be a... 'oil field distribution map'."

"oilfield?"

"Yes. Maodun was able to gain a foothold in Dayuan not only because he seized horses. I suspect that he discovered a kind of black oil in Dayuan. He is trying to... use this stuff to equip his army."

"If he gets his hands on the fire-breathing oil..." Zhang Liang pointed to the armored vehicles outside, "our wooden tracks probably won't be able to withstand the heat."

Ying Zheng's fingers traced the surface of the pottery shard.

"An oil war?"

"Isn't this script a bit too ahead of its time?"

"Little G".

Your Majesty, resources are the eternal theme of war.

If Maodun had truly mastered the technology of oil extraction and refining, he would no longer be a nomadic chieftain, but a warlord with energy dominance.

You must destroy his stronghold before he gains power.

Ying Zheng put the pottery shards into his robes.

"it is good."

"Since he's playing with oil, then I'll let him know what it means to 'get burned'."

"Pass down the order: rest for one night."

"Full speed ahead tomorrow morning. Destination: Dayuan City."

"I must put out this fire before he lights it."

……

As night fell, the camp gradually quieted down.

Zhao Gao was lying under the car, applying medicine to his feet, which were blistered and bleeding.

"Ouch...it hurts so much..."

Suddenly, he heard a strange sound.

That sound came from underground.

rustling... rustling...

It looked like something was moving rapidly beneath the sand.

Zhao Gao lay on the ground warily, his ear pressed against the ground.

The sounds grew closer and more frequent.

"Rat?" Zhao Gao muttered. "Where did all these rats come from in this desert?"

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a small bump suddenly rise up in the sand not far from him.

Immediately afterwards, a black insect with huge pincers burst out of the ground.

Those are... desert army ants?

No, it's even more terrifying than that.

Those were scorpions the size of a fist, fed by Zhao Cheng with some kind of secret medicine.

One, two, three... countless.

Under the cover of night, the black tide silently surged toward the sleeping Qin army camp.

Zhao Gao was so frightened that his throat tightened, and he wanted to shout but couldn't.

Just as a scorpion was about to crawl onto the back of his foot, he finally let out a piercing scream:

"There are bugs!!! Help!!!"

That shout was more effective than any alarm.

The sleeping Qin army was instantly awakened.

But when they opened their eyes, the sight that greeted them sent chills down their spines.

The entire camp was now surrounded by a sea of ​​black scorpions.

Ying Zheng rushed out of the tent and looked at the horrific scene, his face turning ashen.

"Biological warfare?"

"Zhao Cheng, you're becoming more and more despicable."

He drew his Tai'a sword, its blade gleaming with a cold light.

"Since you're here, don't leave."

"Liu Bang!" Ying Zheng roared.

"Your subject... Your subject is here!" Liu Bang was jumping up and down to avoid the scorpions, swatting them with his slipper.

"Where are your 'insecticides' (floral water mixed with realgar powder)? Bring them to me!"

"Also, pour all the remaining flammable oil onto the ground!"

"Tonight, I want roasted scorpions!"

The firelight blazed again in the desert.

But this was only the first "midnight snack" that Zhao Cheng brought.

In the deeper darkness, an even more greedy pair of eyes are watching this struggling group.

"Struggle, Ying Zheng."

"This desert will be your grave."