My Imperial Advisor is ChatGPT

Chapter 88 The Prototype of Steam-Powered Warships and Xu Fu's "Seafood Express"

On the north bank of the Wei River, the Daqin Royal Shipyard.

On this day, an unprecedented atmosphere of tension permeated the once turbid and calm surface of the Wei River. In the reed beds along the banks, several wild ducks that had intended to bask in the sun on the mudflats seemed to sense some kind of oppressive feeling from industrial civilization and flapped their wings and flew away early.

On the viewing platform on the shore, Ying Zheng, clad in a black dragon robe, held a pair of binoculars that had just been meticulously crafted by the Imperial Workshop. Although his face maintained the imperial majesty that remained unmoved even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, the slightly white knuckles of his fingers holding the binoculars betrayed his inner anticipation and a hint of trepidation.

"Jianguo, this thing... can it really move?" Ying Zheng put down his binoculars and glanced at Wang Jianguo beside him.

Today, Wang Jianguo was dressed like a contractor in charge of a ribbon-cutting ceremony, wearing a rattan safety helmet (to prevent being hit by flying screws) and holding a metal megaphone.

"Your Majesty, according to the second law of thermodynamics, as long as the boiler doesn't explode, it must be moved." Wang Jianguo pushed up his glasses, his tone firm, but his eyes kept glancing at Zhao Gao—he was checking whether Zhao Gao had replaced the pig's head used for the river god sacrifice with scientific "high-grade lubricating oil" as required by regulations.

On the river, a strange-looking giant beast was moored.

It wasn't a traditional Qin dynasty warship, nor was it one of those pointed-toe boats. Its hull was so wide it resembled a mobile coffin shop, and to support the weight of the steam engine, its keel was a thickened double-layered structure. Two enormous wooden wheels hung from either side of the hull, making it look like a giant carriage that had fallen into the river. Most outrageous of all, a thick iron pipe, even thicker than a mast, stood erect in the center of the ship, sputtering and belching out black smoke.

This was the first steam-powered experimental ship of the Great Qin Dynasty, the "Zulong" (although the craftsmen privately called it "the smoking toad").

"Vibration massage" on the deck

At this moment, inside the engine room of the "Zulong", Gongshu Huai was leading a dozen or so Mohist disciples from the Gongshu family through the most turbulent time of his life.

"What's the air pressure?" Gongshu Huai roared, his voice buzzing in the closed cabin.

"Eight atmospheres! Master, this boiler is shaking! Is it trying to dance?" A young apprentice, clutching the pressure gauge, had his face flushed red from the heat of the furnace and his teeth chattering.

This rudimentary marine steam engine was a heavily scaled-up version of Watt's improved design, created by Wang Jianguo. Because the Qin Dynasty's current metallurgical technology couldn't produce a high-precision crankshaft, the machine suffered from extremely poor dynamic balance.

Once it's running, the whole ship is like someone with Parkinson's disease.

"Shake it! If it doesn't shake, the fire's gone out!" Gongshu Huai roared as he poured lard (high-grade lubricating oil wasn't in mass production yet, so animal fat was the only option) onto the bearing. "Add coal! Pour in that pile of the best anthracite coal! Make this iron ox bellow for me!"

"Ugh—!!!"

A shrill and hoarse whistle echoed across both banks of the Wei River.

The sound was so terrifying, like both a dragon's roar and a bull's bellow, that the onlookers on the bank thought the river god had manifested his anger and knelt down in a panic, chanting "Dragon King, spare our lives!"

"set sail!"

As the steam valve opened, the massive piston began to push the connecting rod, producing a clanging metallic clanging sound.

The two paddle wheels on either side of the ship, each three zhang in diameter, began to turn slowly and laboriously.

"Splash—splash—"

Huge blades slapped against the water's surface, stirring up layers of white waves. The once still boat, without a sail or an oar, began to move slowly forward against the current of the Wei River.

The various forms of life on the shore

"It moved! It really moved!"

Li Si was so excited his beard trembled. As the Prime Minister of Qin, he knew all too well what this meant. Like a boat going against the current, it needed no boatmen, no waiting for the wind, no need to exhaust the convicts rowing it to death; all it needed to do was feed it those black stones, and it would run on its own.

This means that the Qin Dynasty's grain could be transported from Jiangnan to Guanzhong regardless of wind direction, and that the Qin army could appear on any major river at any time.

"Is this the embodiment of 'force'...?" Meng Tian murmured to himself. He was a cavalry commander, but as he looked at the ugly ship billowing black smoke, he felt a force more savage than a stampede of ten thousand horses.

That's the power of industry—brutal, direct, and unreasonable.

However, the situation on the ship was not as optimistic as it seemed.

As the speed increased, the vibration of the ship reached an appalling level.

The test officer standing at the bow (an unfortunate centurion, supposedly drafted for slacking off during the last training session) felt like his brains were about to be shaken to pieces. He clung tightly to the railing, trying to maintain the dignity of the Qin warriors, but the breakfast in his stomach clearly had no such intention.

"vomit--"

The centurion offered his breakfast as a sacrifice to the Wei River.

Inside the engine room, a screw flew off due to the vibration and hit Gongshu Huai in the rear like a bullet.

"Ouch!" Gongshu Huai cried out in pain, but he didn't have time to rub it. "Quick! Use a wrench to stop it! It's leaking air! Plug it with a wet blanket! Nobody is allowed to stop! Even if we break apart, we'll shake it to the finish line!"

This is a true reflection of the early stages of Qin Industry – full of makeshift solutions, patches, and a crumbling brilliance.

But in Ying Zheng's eyes, this tremor was not a defect, but a heartbeat.

"Good." Ying Zheng put down the telescope, a smile playing on his lips. "Although it's a bit ugly and noisy, this attitude of going against the current is like me."

Wang Jianguo wiped his sweat: "Your Majesty, this is just a prototype. Paddle wheels are inefficient, easily damaged, and take up a lot of space. Once our propeller technology matures, the ship won't shake so much. However..."

"But what?"

"But this ship is still too slow." Wang Jianguo looked at the ship, which had a speed of only about five knots. "To conquer the sea, this speed is slower than a tortoise. We need better steel, tighter seals, and people who understand the sea better."

Ying Zheng nodded: "No rush. As long as we're heading in the right direction, even a slow pace is progress."

Just as the emperor and his minister were envisioning the future of the Qin navy, a strange fleet suddenly appeared on the distant waters.

No, that can't be called a fleet. It looks more like a pile of garbage that has been drifting at sea for half a century.

Xu Fu's "Ghost Fleet"

It was a fleet of five dilapidated multi-ships. The canvas hung from the masts like a beggar's patchwork rags, and the hulls were covered with green seaweed and barnacles. One of the ships even had half of its hull collapsed, barely held together by planks and animal hides.

The fleet sailed downstream, swaying and rocking as if it might fall apart at any moment.

"Warning!" Meng Tian shouted.

The Qin soldiers on the riverbank instantly drew their bows and nocked arrows, their dark gun barrels (matchlock guns) aimed at the river.

"Don't...don't fire! They're our own people!"

At the bow of the foremost wrecked ship, a figure as black as charcoal was desperately waving a tattered Qin Dynasty black dragon flag.

The man had disheveled hair, his clothes were tattered to shreds, a string of seashells hung around his neck, and a rusty bronze sword was at his waist. If it weren't for the flag, everyone would have thought he was a savage tribal chief who had appeared out of nowhere.

"I am Xu Fu! I am Xu Fu!"

The man shouted, his voice hoarse and tearful, as if he had suffered a great injustice.

Ying Zheng was taken aback.

Xu Fu?

Xu Fu, who swindled me out of a large sum of money and led three thousand boys and girls overseas to find the elixir of immortality?

Shouldn't he have run away long ago? How did he come back looking like this?

"Let him dock." Ying Zheng waved his hand. "I want to see what kind of magic medicine this old swindler can bring back. If he dares to try to fool me with dried radishes, I'll use that ship to ram him back into the sea."

Seafood or a miracle cure?

The ship docked. Xu Fu practically scrambled ashore.

The "boys and girls" behind him had now transformed into strong, dark-skinned young men and robust fisherwomen. Years of drifting at sea had washed away their naivety, forging them into the most resilient sailors. The fear of yesteryear was gone from their eyes, replaced by an indifference to the wind and waves.

"Your Majesty, I, the guilty subject Xu Fu, pay my respects!"

Xu Fu knelt down on the beach with a thud, his head hitting the ground repeatedly.

"Your Majesty! I've missed you so much! I've been wandering overseas for three years, and I've missed the roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) of Great Qin every single moment! I dream of hearing Qinqiang opera from Xianyang!"

Ying Zheng looked at him coldly: "Xu Fu, stop trying to get close to me. Where is my medicine?"

The air around them froze at that question. Zhao Gao, standing to the side, gloated as he touched the dagger in his sleeve, thinking: This old bastard is doomed today. If he can't produce the elixir of immortality, His Majesty will surely burn him alive.

Xu Fu shuddered, but he was clearly prepared. He raised his head, his weathered face radiating an aura of "I may not have the medicine, but I am right."

"Your Majesty! Although I...I haven't found the elixir of immortality, I have found the 'Dragon Palace Treasures'! These things can ensure the Qin Dynasty's longevity for ten thousand years, even more than the elixir of immortality!"

Xu Fu turned around and shouted towards the ship, "Bring it aboard!"

Several sailors huffed and puffed as they carried down several huge wooden crates.

"Open!"

The lid of the box was opened. A strong, suffocating, salty, and fishy smell instantly swept across the entire viewing platform.

Ying Zheng frowned and took half a step back.

Inside the box, there was a neatly stacked pile of hard, dark objects. They looked like both wooden sticks and stones.

"What is this?" Ying Zheng asked, covering his nose.

"Your Majesty," Xu Fu said with a boastful expression, "this is the 'Immortal Fish of the Eastern Sea'! I discovered it on Fusang Island (the Japanese archipelago) in the far east. This fish is as hard as iron; it won't rot even after ten years. Eating it won't grant immortality, but it will strengthen the body and enhance male virility!"

Wang Jianguo leaned over to take a look, picked it up, and tapped it, making a metallic "clang" sound. He almost burst out laughing.

Isn't this just bonito flakes (the raw material for making bonito flakes)? It's super hard dried bonito, known as the hardest food in the world, and it can even be sharpened into a knife.

"This is the secret treasure you spoke of?" Ying Zheng felt his intelligence had been insulted. "You brought me back a boatload of salted fish? And you expect me to use it to kill people?"

"Your Majesty, please calm down! There's more! There's more!"

Seeing that things were not going well, Xu Fu quickly ordered his men to open the second box.

This time it was a box of yellow stones that emitted a pungent sulfur smell.

"This is 'essence of earth fire' (sulfur)!" Xu Fu explained. "The island of Fusang is full of volcanoes, and what they spew out is this kind of stone. I remember the Imperial Advisor saying that this stuff can be used to make gunpowder! I risked being scalded to bring ten cartloads back to Your Majesty from the island!"

Wang Jianguo's eyes lit up.

Although the Qin Dynasty had sulfur mines, their purity was low and extraction was difficult. Japan, as a volcanic island nation, possessed extremely high-quality natural sulfur. This was undoubtedly a strategic resource for the Qin Dynasty, which was rapidly expanding its gunpowder production capacity.

"This stuff is good," Wang Jianguo whispered in Ying Zheng's ear. "Your Majesty, this is more valuable than salted fish. With this high-purity sulfur, the power of our gunpowder can be increased by 30%."

Ying Zheng's expression softened slightly.

"Is there anything else?"

Xu Fu gritted his teeth and pulled out his last trump card. He beckoned mysteriously, and several sailors carried up a heavy little box.

"Your Majesty, please look at this."

Xu Fu opened the box.

Inside were pieces of grayish-white ore, seemingly inconspicuous, but faintly shimmering with silver light.

"This is..." Liu Bang leaned closer. He was an expert at making money, with a nose as sharp as a dog's. "This is silver ore? And it's extremely high-grade silver ore!"

"Exactly!" Xu Fu said proudly, "That island not only has sulfur, but also a huge silver mountain (Iwami Silver Mine)! I only dug on the surface and found these. If you dig deeper... Your Majesty, it's a mountain made of silver!"

Ying Zheng's eyes finally narrowed.

He no longer needs the elixir of immortality; what he needs now is money. Road construction costs money, shipbuilding costs money, and maintaining an army costs money. A mountain of silver is indeed more tangible than a vague and elusive elixir.

"You deserve some credit," Ying Zheng said calmly.

The real treasure: A world painted on sheepskin

"Your Majesty, these are all material possessions."

Xu Fu suddenly became serious and took out a sheepskin scroll wrapped in layers of oilcloth from his bosom.

"For the past three years, I have not merely been adrift. I have led my fleet eastward along the Kuroshio Current (the warm current of Japan), recording the wind direction, the water depth, and the location of every reef every day."

Ying Zheng took the parchment scroll and unfolded it.

That was a map.

An unprecedented and detailed map of East Asian waters.

It depicts the coastline of the Korean Peninsula, the outline of the Japanese archipelago (though somewhat distorted), and the direction of ocean currents in a crooked and uneven manner. It even marks where there is fresh water, where there are storms, and where there are groups of whales.

"Your Majesty," Xu Fu pointed to the blue area, "I used to be a sorcerer, making a living by deceiving people. But on this vast ocean, deception cannot save lives. Only by observing celestial phenomena and recording data can one survive."

"I have discovered that the sea... is indeed round."

Xu Fu's voice trembled slightly, as if he were recalling the loneliness and awe he felt at sea.

"When I watch other ships sail away, the hulls disappear first, and the masts last. When I see distant islands appear, the mountaintops are the first thing I see. The Grand Preceptor is right, we really do live on a giant sphere."

"I have not found the Penglai Immortal Island, nor have I seen any immortals. But I have discovered the nature of this sea. With this map, the Qin fleet can safely reach that bountiful island and transport its sulfur and silver back to Xianyang in a steady stream."

"In my opinion, this map is more likely to ensure the longevity of the Qin Dynasty than any elixir of immortality."

Ying Zheng looked at the picture, then at Xu Fu, who was dark-skinned and thin but had a determined look in his eyes.

long silence.

"Jianguo, what do you think?"

Looking at the map, Wang Jianguo was also deeply shocked. This was firsthand hydrological data! In the era before satellites, this was big data obtained at the cost of lives. Xu Fu had completed a magnificent transformation from a charlatan to a geographer.

"Your Majesty, Xu Fu is guilty of deceiving the emperor. But Xu Fu also has merits, expanding the territory and seas." Wang Jianguo objectively commented, "This map is worth ten thousand heads. He proved that overseas is not hell, but a treasure trove waiting to be explored."

Ying Zheng closed the map.

"Xu Fu".

"This guilty subject is here."

"Your head is temporarily residing on your neck." Ying Zheng pointed to the smoking steamship in the river. "See that?"

"I see it, that's... a huge, smoking monster?"

"That is my new steed. From now on, it will be bigger, faster, and more resistant to wind and waves." Ying Zheng looked eastward. "I hereby appoint you as the first director of the 'Great Qin Maritime Bureau.' Your task is not to find medicine, but to guide me."

"I want these smoking ships to sail along the lines you drew to the end of the sea. Bring that silver mountain back to me."

Xu Fu suddenly raised his head, tears washing away the darkness on his face, leaving two white streaks.

"Your Majesty, I... obey! I will certainly investigate every single stone in this sea for you!"

A "Blueprint for Overseas Development" in the Dead of Night

That evening, in a side hall of Xianyang Palace.

Xu Fu, having been cleaned and dressed in a new official robe (though his skin was still as black as charcoal), was sitting in front of Wang Jianguo and Xiao G's screen, giving a "report on his duties".

There were no outsiders present at this time, only Ying Zheng, Wang Jianguo, and Xu Fu.

As Xu Fu wolfed down the braised pork, he recounted his extraordinary adventures at sea.

"Your Majesty, you have no idea how big the fish in the sea are! There is a kind of fish that spouts water several meters high, and its body is as big as a small mountain. I call it the 'Boat-Swallowing Fish' (whale). If its oil were rendered, it would be enough to power lamps in Xianyang for a year!"

"Also, the natives on those islands, though uncivilized, actually use a kind of black stone (coal) to make fires for warmth. I didn't bring it back this time, but I've memorized its location."

Ying Zheng listened with great interest. He used to only care about the lands of the six states, but now he found the things in the sea to be much more interesting.

"Xu Fu, what do you think lies at the end of the sea?" Ying Zheng suddenly asked.

Xu Fu put down his chopsticks, his eyes becoming deep.

"Your Majesty, I used to think the sea had an end, a void, an abyss. But this time, I kept heading east, and although I was eventually stopped by a storm, I have a feeling..."

Xu Fu gestured an arc.

"This sea may have no end. Or rather, its end is its beginning. If we keep going east, perhaps one day we will come back from the west."

Wang Jianguo nodded silently beside him. Xu Fu's intuition was accurate.

"Moreover," Xu Fu lowered his voice, "I saw some driftwood in that distant sea. The wood wasn't from our Central Plains; it was enormous and red. This means that further east, there must be a vast landmass (the Americas)."

"That place might be even bigger than the Qin Dynasty."

Ying Zheng stood up and walked to the map.

He looked at the dotted line that Xu Fu had drawn on the edge of the map; it was an unknown territory, a tempting blank space.

"Even bigger than the Qin Dynasty..." Ying Zheng murmured to himself.

His ambition was swelling, like steam rising from a steam engine, pressing against his chest.

"Jianguo, when will our ship be finished?"

"Your Majesty, the 'Zulong' is merely an experiment. With the sulfur Xu Fu brought back (for gunpowder), the future silver (for funding), and this nautical chart, we can build a true ocean-going fleet within three years."

Wang Jianguo pointed to the map: "At that time, we can not only dig for silver mountains, but also catch whales, and even... go and see the new continent that Xu Fu talked about."

Ying Zheng slammed his hand on the table.

"Alright! Let's do it!"

"By imperial decree: the Imperial Shipyard shall be expanded tenfold! Xu Fu, offer up all your sailors to serve as instructors and train the Qin navy! My Qin cannot be merely a land power; I wish to be the ruler of this… planet!"

Epilogue: The Salted Fish's Victory

Although the evening's conversation was filled with grand strategic ideas, the next day, the people of Qin only cared about one thing—whether the "divine fish" Xu Fu brought back was delicious.

The imperial kitchen developed a new dish: bonito flakes mixed with tofu.

This method of eating, which involves shaving the hard, iron-like bonito flakes into thin slices, sprinkling them on tender tofu, and then drizzling on some soy sauce sold by Liu Bang, quickly became popular in Xianyang.

The delicious taste made the people instantly forgive Xu Fu's fraudulent behavior from years ago.

"This Xu Fu, although he didn't find the elixir of immortality, was certainly a qualified 'Qin Dynasty deliveryman'!"

"Yes, yes, I heard he brought back a lot of sulfur? Does that mean our firecrackers for the New Year will be even louder?"

"This salted fish is really tough. I brought a piece home yesterday and it chipped my wife's cleaver. In the end, I could only use it to crack walnuts."

Amidst the cheers and laughter of the people, the Qin Dynasty's first steamship, the "Zulong," continued its arduous testing on the Wei River, belching black smoke. Xu Fu stood at the bow, directing a group of soldiers who couldn't swim to avoid seasickness.

He looked eastward, no longer the charlatan who only knew how to play tricks, but a navigator with the fire of exploration burning in his eyes.

The ocean, once a deep abyss representing death and the unknown, has now become, in the eyes of the Qin people, a huge treasure trove filled with sulfur, silver ore, and delicious salted fish.

The gaze of the Qin Dynasty finally shifted from the yellow earth to the deep blue.