The Backbone of the Song Dynasty

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Chen Taichu, a transmigrator, rises to prominence as a candidate for the imperial examination in Kaide Prefecture, beginning in the first year of Zhenghe under the Northern Song (1111). Using modern knowledge, he revolutionizes sugar refining and brewing to amass wealth, then enters government through the imperial exams. In court and on the battlefield, he improves gunpowder and has cannons and firearms cast, quells internal rebellions, and secretly develops cutting-edge technologies such as water-powered machinery and flintlock guns. After breaking with the powerful eunuch Tong Guan and insisting on a hardline stance, he is “posted” overseas as an imperial commissioner, but in reality embarks on an epic voyage around the globe. His travels take him across the Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Indian Ocean. He brings back crops such as potatoes and corn, and establishes outposts at key ports around the world.

When the Jingkang Incident erupts (1126–1127), Chen Taichu rushes home. He turns the tide: in a fierce battle at Huazhou, he crushes the Jin army’s main eastern force,