xymnovel Chapter 91 The Crystal Palace of Xianyang: Building a Mirage for All Nations
Chapter 91 The Crystal Palace of Xianyang: Building a Mirage for All Nations
Xianyang Palace, Qilin Hall.
A sense of unease hung in the air. This wasn't due to the heat, but rather the pile of memorials on Ying Zheng's desk.
This pile of memorials doesn't mention famine or rebellion; it only talks about how "there's nowhere to put them all."
"Your Majesty, the Imperial Treasury's warehouse is about to explode again."
Yang Que, the Prefect of Grain Supply, knelt on the ground, his face full of sorrow, holding an account book in his hands. His voice trembled as if he were announcing a death: "In the past three months, our production of flat glass has quadrupled. Apart from supplying greenhouses for nobles and windows for commoners, we simply can't use it all! The glass sheets piled up in the warehouse now outnumber the bricks of the city wall!"
"And then there's steel," Zhang Han, the Junior Minister of the Imperial Household, added with a bitter face. "After three years of the Great Leap Forward's steelmaking campaign, the current production capacity... to put it bluntly, even if you shoeed every Hun horse with eighteen iron shoes, the remaining iron would still be enough to make armor for every ant. And that 'Great Qin Heavy Industry' is piling up 30,000 bicycles in their warehouse; they're all rusting!"
Ying Zheng rubbed his temples.
This is a side effect of industrialization—overcapacity.
Once the steam engine and assembly line were running, productivity exploded exponentially. Although the internal consumption capacity of the Qin Dynasty was increasing, it was far from keeping up with the speed at which the machines were producing products.
"If the food can't be sold, the factory has to shut down; if the factory shuts down, the workers won't get paid; if they don't get paid, they can't afford to buy food..." Ying Zheng repeated the economic principles Wang Jianguo had taught him, his eyes sharpening. "It's a vicious cycle. We have to find someone to take over."
"Sell them to the former nobles of the six states?" Li Si tentatively suggested. "And force them to pay?"
"That's killing the goose that lays the golden eggs." Wang Jianguo sat in a grand chair to the side, shaking his head. "Prime Minister Li, forcing people to buy or sell is the behavior of bandits. We need to use sophisticated methods, to make them beg us to buy, and even thank us after they've bought."
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Ying Zheng asked Wang Jianguo.
Wang Jianguo adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses (specially made by the Great Qin Academy) and a mysterious smile played on his lips: "Your Majesty, since we can't conquer the domestic market, let's broaden our horizons. Aren't there still Rome, Parthia, the Mauryan Empire, and a whole host of small kingdoms in the Western Regions?"
"They're poor," Liu Bang interjected, peeling an orange. "Those barbarians can't even afford proper trousers, how could they possibly afford our glass and bicycles?"
"They have no money, but they have gold, minerals, and labor." Wang Jianguo pointed in the direction of the Epang Palace. "We're going to hold a grand event. An unprecedented 'World Expo.' We're going to display the most amazing, dazzling, and incredible things of the Qin Dynasty, to dazzle their eyes and shatter their worldview."
Liu Bang's eyes lit up instantly, and he even threw away the orange peel: "Old Wang, you mean... lure those bumpkins in... oh no, invite them in, and then fleece them?"
"It's not just about killing one person." Ying Zheng stood up and walked to the huge world map. "I want to use this exposition to tell the world: the standard of civilization is set by Great Qin. I want them to see that Great Qin's moon is rounder than theirs, Great Qin's food is more fragrant than theirs, and Great Qin's air is sweeter than theirs."
"But, Your Majesty," Zhang Han asked timidly, "where shall we hold this? The Epang Palace is indeed vast, but if we're to receive envoys from all over the world and set up so many machines, I'm afraid..."
"Then let's build it." Ying Zheng waved his hand and pointed to the open space north of the Epang Palace.
"Do you remember that 'Crystal Palace' (greenhouse) built a few years ago to prevent Li Si from hitting his head?"
Li Si blushed and subconsciously touched his nose.
"On that foundation, expand it for me." Ying Zheng's eyes burned with the flames of an infrastructure fanatic. "No wood, no rammed earth. I want steel for the skeleton and glass for the skin. I want to build a hundred-acre, completely transparent, daytime-like building—the Great Qin World Expo Center."
"I want it to become a mirage in the desert, a temple that mortals look up to."
At the command, the sophisticated national machine of the Qin Dynasty instantly began operating at full power.
The North Garden of the Epang Palace, originally a royal hunting ground, has now been transformed into a bustling steel battlefield.
"Lift the hoist—!!!"
With a whistle from the foreman, a giant steam crane, fifteen feet tall (codenamed "The Lifter"), spewed out a thick plume of black smoke, and the winch emitted a teeth-grinding metallic scraping sound.
A 20-meter-long, several-ton H-shaped steel beam was slowly hoisted up, tracing a black arc in the air.
Mo Yun, a disciple of the Mohist school, is now the chief engineer of the "Great Qin Construction Group." Wearing a hard hat made of rattan and painted red, he stands on the towering scaffolding, holding a red flag, and directing the docking in the air.
"Three inches to the left! Hold steady! Land!"
"Clang!"
With a loud crash, the steel beam precisely embedded itself into the prefabricated mortise and tenon joint. Several shirtless riveters quickly followed, shoving huge, red-hot rivets into the holes, then swinging their sledgehammers—"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Sparks flew everywhere, like a shower of steel fireworks.
This is not a traditional civil engineering building; it is the world's first all-steel structure skyscraper.
There were no walls built between the steel beams.
Instead, countless craftsmen are carefully installing glass.
Zhao Gao, as the deputy chief commander of this project (mainly responsible for supervision and logistics), stood below, watching with trepidation, his pinky finger raised in a delicate gesture.
"Ouch! Be gentle! That's tempered glass!" Zhao Gao shouted in a shrill voice, more piercing than a steam whistle. "That piece of glass is worth a hundred gold pieces! It's a top-grade product that our Great Qin Glass Factory spent three months firing! If anyone manages to chip a corner on it, I'll grind that corner down!"
The workers were trembling with fear at Zhao Gao's presence, but they dared not slow down their work.
Because the construction period is only three months.
To accomplish this seemingly impossible task, Daqin employed "prefabricated" technology. All the steel beams, glass, and connectors were standardized and manufactured in the factory, and then simply assembled on-site like building blocks.
Even so, the sheer scale of the project is still breathtaking.
To showcase the "muscle of Qin Industry," Wang Jianguo designed the main exhibition hall, "Crystal Palace" Phase II, which is 300 meters long, 100 meters wide, and 40 meters high (equivalent to a ten-story building).
The entire building is supported by massive arched steel beams, with no pillars obstructing the view.
The glass curtain wall of the first side wall was installed just as the sun was setting.
The golden sunset cast its glow on the huge, mirror-like glass wall, reflecting a dazzling light that mirrored the surrounding scenery, making it seem as if the world had turned upside down.
People from Xianyang in the distance poured out of their homes, and when they saw the "Crystal Mountain" burning in the setting sun, they all knelt down and kowtowed.
"The Dragon Palace! The Dragon Palace of the East Sea Dragon King has surfaced!"
"Nonsense! That's the Jade Emperor's Lingxiao Palace!"
Even the well-traveled Li Si, standing at the edge of the construction site, gazing at this incredible creation, couldn't help but marvel:
"Using glazed tiles as roof tiles, and steel as wood... His Majesty wants more than just houses; he's showing off to the heavens."
Hardware is growing rapidly, and software (hype) work is also underway simultaneously.
The Grand Council of the Qin Dynasty (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) was extremely busy at this moment.
Dozens of Confucian scholars, fluent in various languages (practical talents transformed by the "Burning the Night Pavilion"), are writing furiously at their desks.
They didn't use bulky bamboo slips or ordinary hemp paper, but rather specially made, gold-stamped hard cardboard from the Imperial Household Department.
"How should we phrase this invitation?" The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies looked at Li Si with a troubled expression. "If we're too polite, it will make us seem weak; if we're too forceful, we might scare them away."
Li Si was sitting in a grand chair, toying with a small, bright yellow object in his hand.
Those were the latest trial-produced 7.62mm fixed-caliber metal bullets from the Qin Dynasty's arsenal, stamped from brass. Although only a few guns had been made yet, the bullets themselves were a pinnacle of industrial manufacturing artistry.
"Don't worry about the tone," Li Si said calmly, his eyes revealing a Legalist ruthlessness. "In each invitation, slip one of these in."
"Huh?" The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies was stunned. "Sending...sending hidden weapons?"
"It's a small gift but carries great meaning." Li Si slammed the bullet on the table, making a crisp sound. "This bullet means: Great Qin cordially invites you to visit the pinnacle of civilization. If you come, this is a souvenir of Great Qin's industry; if you don't come..."
Li Si sneered: "Then the next time this thing comes looking for you, it will be fired from the gun barrel at twice the speed of sound."
"That's what you call bullet diplomacy."
A few days later, dozens of well-equipped Black Ice Guard light cavalry teams, carrying these special letters, set off from Xianyang like a group of black ghosts, heading to all corners of the world.
……
Two months later, on the border of the Mauryan Empire (ancient India).
A Mauryan governor, dressed in a silk robe and adorned with jewels, is lounging on the back of an elephant.
Suddenly, a knight in black blocked their path.
Without a word, the knight tossed over an exquisite lacquer box.
The governor opened the box, inside which was a beautifully designed card depicting "Shrine" and a cold, pointed metal object.
"What is this?" the governor asked in broken Qin language. "Some kind of amulet?"
The black-clad knight smiled slightly, pulled a revolver (a handmade sample by Wang Jianguo) from his waist, took the bullet out of the box, and skillfully inserted it into the cylinder.
"Click." The wheel returns to its original position.
"Bang!"
With a sharp crack, the wooden handle of the parasol above the governor's head snapped off.
The elephant was startled and nearly threw the governor off. The surrounding guards were so frightened that they dropped their spears.
The knight blew away the smoke from the muzzle of his gun, sheathed it, and clasped his hands in a fist salute, saying, "This is a gift from Great Qin to its friends, and also a funeral for its enemies. Governor, see you in Xianyang in three months. My Emperor will treat you to a buffet, and travel expenses will be covered."
The governor was pale as he looked at the broken umbrella handle and then at the knight's departing figure.
"Quickly! Prepare ivory and jewels!" the governor shouted, wiping away cold sweat. "I'm going to Xianyang! I don't want that stuff in my head!"
The same scene unfolded in the palaces of Parthia and in the Senate of the Roman Republic.
That tiny brass bullet became the most haunting nightmare and the most alluring invitation for the world's elite this summer.
Time flies, and there are only three days left until the opening of the expo.
The main structure of the Crystal Palace is complete, and its glass curtain wall gleams in the sunlight. Now, the most crucial moment has arrived—the exhibition setup.
According to the vision of chief planner Liu Bang, a treasure of the museum should be placed in the very center of the exhibition hall, at the highest point of the Crystal Palace dome.
It wasn't a golden statue, nor an imperial seal, but a large, black, menacing machine that reeked of engine oil—the "Qin Dynasty No. 1" steam locomotive.
This 50-ton steel behemoth represents the pinnacle of Qin Dynasty industry and is a totem of power and speed.
But here's the problem: how do you get it in?
The Crystal Palace is already topped out, leaving only a large door, five meters wide and six meters high. The locomotive can only run on the tracks; once it's off the tracks, it's just a heavy, unyielding lump of iron.
"Lay down the logs! Lay down the logs for this scoundrel!"
Zhao Gao was covered in sweat, directing hundreds of strongmen. He hadn't slept for three days, and his voice was hoarse like a broken gong.
Thick logs were laid under the locomotive, and a thick hemp rope was tied to the front of it.
At the other end of the rope were eight war elephants transported from Lingnan.
"Ready—Go!"
At the trainer's whistle, the eight war elephants exerted their strength simultaneously, their trunks curling up and their powerful legs stomping the ground.
"Creak—"
The heavy locomotive moved slowly along the logs, and with each movement, the ground trembled.
"Be careful! Don't scrape against the door frame!" Zhao Gao stamped his feet anxiously, his effeminate fingers trembling. "That door frame is covered in gold leaf! You can't afford to pay for it if you scratch it!"
Just as half of the locomotive had squeezed through the gate, the accident occurred.
The locomotive's chimney (designed to be very tall for ventilation) was about to hit the door frame.
"Stop! Stop!" the Mohist disciple shouted in alarm. "Not high enough! The chimney is stuck!"
If you force it, either the door beam will collapse or the chimney will break.
Zhao Gao rushed over and saw that it was still two inches short.
"What do we do?" the foreman cried out in desperation. "It's too late to dismantle the chimney! It's a single piece of cast iron!"
"Dig!" suggested a quick-witted eunuch nearby. "Dig away a layer of soil under the threshold to lower the front of the carriage a bit!"
"No way!" Zhao Gao objected. "The floor underneath is marble; digging it up will disfigure you!"
Time was ticking away, and Ying Zheng was scheduled to come for an inspection tomorrow.
Zhao Gao gritted his teeth, looked at the huge locomotive, and then at the war elephants that were swinging their trunks.
"Deflate the tires... no, deflate the logs!" Zhao Gao suddenly had a flash of inspiration, even though there were no inflatable tires at this time.
"My lord, the log is solid!"
"Idiot! Change to smaller logs!" Zhao Gao roared. "Take down these thick ones in the front and replace them with thinner iron bars! Make the front of the cart drop!"
This is an extremely dangerous operation. The supports need to be replaced while moving a load weighing tens of tons.
"I'll personally take command!" Zhao Gao was desperate to save his official position. He crawled to the side of the locomotive and directed the laborers to use jacks (a prototype hydraulic jack) to slightly lift the locomotive.
"One, two, switch!"
Just as the logs were being replaced, the jack suddenly made a "crack" sound as it could no longer bear the weight and slipped slightly.
"Be careful!"
Zhao Gao reacted quickly, shoving the stunned eunuch beside him. However, he used too much force and a crisp "crack" sound came from his waist.
"Ouch--!!!"
A piercing scream echoed throughout the Crystal Palace.
"My lord! My lord, what's wrong?"
"My back... my old back..." Zhao Gao collapsed to the ground, his face contorted in pain, cold sweat pouring down his face, but his finger still trembled as he pointed at the locomotive, "Never mind me... hurry... hurry and push it in... is it in yet?"
"It's in! The chimney is past! Just a finger's width away!" the workers cheered.
Zhao Gao breathed a sigh of relief, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace: "That's good...that's good...Quickly, carry me to find Doctor Xia...remember to use a stretcher, don't jostle me around in a cart..."
And so, Zhao Gao, the powerful and influential Chief of the Imperial Carriage Office in the Qin Dynasty, gloriously injured his back for the sake of the Qin's reputation. And that black steel behemoth finally sat securely in the very center of the Crystal Palace, like a divine statue.
While Xianyang was bustling with activity for the exposition, a special delegation was heading south across the northern grasslands.
The Xiongnu royal court (which had by this time moved westward to the west of the Hexi Corridor).
Modu Chanyu sat on a tiger skin, holding the gold-embossed invitation and the bullet in his hand.
"Chanyu, the Qin people are flexing their muscles!" The Left Wise King slammed the bullet on the table in anger. "They are humiliating us! What can this little bronze egg do? Can it even pierce our leather armor?"
Maodun didn't say anything, but silently picked up the bullet, put it in his mouth, and bit it.
It's very hard. I can't bite it.
"This is not an insult." Maodun spat out the bullet, his eyes deep. In the past few years, he had "leveled up" in the Western Regions, and his perspective was no longer that of the ignorant young man he once was. He knew the changes in the Qin people, and he knew how terrifying those fire-breathing pipes were.
"This is an opportunity," Maodun said. "The Qin people are holding this 'World Expo,' supposedly to showcase all their finest possessions."
"We must go. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."
"But Chanyu, what if they detain us?" the Right Wise King asked worriedly. "That's Qin territory."
"No." Maodun pointed to a line of small print on the back of the invitation, which was a "bait" that Liu Bang had deliberately added.
"Look here it says: 'During the expo, all-day, unlimited, and free buffet catering will be provided to delegations from all countries. All you can eat and drink, and take away as much as you like.'"
Maodun swallowed hard.
Although there is no shortage of meat on the grasslands, it is all boiled or roasted, which is bland and tasteless. But the legendary "braised pork", "braised pig's trotters" and "Erguotou" of the Qin Dynasty are delicacies that even the gods would want to taste.
Moreover, the Xiongnu had been living in poverty for the past two years due to their westward migration, and they were short of spices, tea, and salt.
"The Qin people are concerned with their reputation." Maodun stood up and straightened his wolf-skin coat. "Since it's called 'a gathering of ten thousand nations,' without us Xiongnu, Ying Zheng's act wouldn't be complete. He wouldn't dare to touch us."
"Pass down the order!" Maodun waved his hand, his voice filled with heroic spirit, "Take two thousand of your most elite cavalry! No need for rations, just bring your mouths!"
"Our mission in Xianyang this time is simple—to eat!"
"Eat Qin Shi Huang out of house and home! Devour the Qin Dynasty! Empty their granaries! This is called—a war on the tip of the tongue!"
"Roar! We'll eat the Qin dogs out of house and home!" Two thousand Xiongnu cavalrymen roared in a deafening cheer, their eyes gleaming with a hungry and greedy green light.
What they didn't know was that inside that crystal palace, what awaited them was not just braised pork, but also an "industrial dimensional reduction attack" that would shatter their worldview.
The night before the opening ceremony.
Ying Zheng stood on the high platform of the Epang Palace, wearing a black dragon robe, with his hands behind his back, looking down at the completed "World Expo Center".
Night fell, and all was quiet. Xianyang City was asleep, with only the faint shadows of people moving about at the distant construction site.
"Let's begin," Ying Zheng said to Wang Jianguo beside him.
Wang Jianguo picked up the walkie-talkie in his hand (a short-range experimental radio device, based on the spark gap principle, which can only transmit simple signals):
"Control room, power on! Illuminate the future!"
"receive!"
In the distance, in the basement of the Crystal Palace, a massive guillotine was suddenly shoved up.
"Buzz—"
The twelve generator sets emitted a low rumble simultaneously.
Immediately afterwards, a bright light ripped through the night sky.
One hundred carbon arc searchlights installed inside and around the Crystal Palace were lit up at the same moment.
At that moment, time seemed to stand still.
A city of light suddenly rose from the once dark plain.
The transparent glass curtain wall projected the interior lights without reservation, and the steel structure's framework appeared and disappeared in the light and shadow, like the dragon bones supporting a celestial palace. Intense white light penetrated the glass, refracting in all directions, illuminating the night sky for miles around as if it were daytime.
The beam of light pierced the sky, as if proclaiming humanity's power to the heavens.
From a distance, it looks like a "crystal dragon palace" that only exists in mythology, floating on the black earth.
The Roman delegation, which had just arrived outside Xianyang and was setting up camp, was stunned by the sudden brilliance.
Marcus (who was now an honorary citizen and guide of the Great Qin) pointed in that direction, looked at his dumbfounded compatriots, and a proud smile appeared on his face.
"Look, you hillbillies," Marcus said in Latin, "that is the Great Qin."
"There, the sun never sets. Because His Majesty the Emperor commands the night to retreat, and the night dares not act recklessly."
Valerius, the Roman consul's envoy, dropped his wine cup with a clatter. Looking at the radiant temple, his knees buckled, and he felt an urge to kneel in worship.
"By Jupiter above..." he murmured to himself, "Are we here for sightseeing, or for pilgrimage?"
At the entrance of the Crystal Palace, the chief strategist Liu Bang, observing this magnificent scene, stroked his chin and said to Xiao He beside him:
"Old Xiao, the lighting effects are pretty good, but they consume too much electricity."
"The opening is tomorrow, and the ticket price... well, let's raise it by another 30%. Also, remember to make the plates smaller and the meat thinner for the buffet for the Huns. Those guys have eyes that look like they're starving to death; it makes my skin crawl."
Amidst the dazzling lights, the Qin Dynasty revealed its most captivating yet terrifying aspect to the world—the brilliance and hegemony of its industrial civilization.
A war over the "pricing power of civilization" has quietly begun amidst the interplay of light and shadow.