On a mysterious night, modern mechanical engineer Lin Yan is inexplicably transmigrated to the Chenyian Dynasty in 1320, setting the wheels of fate spinning wildly.
When he first arrives in Mobei, the blacksmith village where Lin Yan lives is massacred by the Tiejung army. His father gives his life to secure half of a fragmentary copy of The Firearms Manual. Hidden within are priceless secrets, including the forging process for the casing of Western Xia’s “Heaven-Shaking Thunder” and improvement plans for the base of the Huihui catapult. From then on, Lin Yan embarks on a journey of escape and rising against the odds.
Drawing on the knowledge he brought from his previous life and the guidance of The Firearms Manual, he begins carving a path through the world of technology. He uses the drop of a Yinshan waterfall to design an improved hydraulic forge hammer powered by a three-stage water-lifting system, dramatically increasing ironworking efficiency. He upgrades the Huihui catapult and makes a splash on the battlefield with “shrapnel + tung-oil hardened projectiles,” successfully repelling the Mongol army’s attack.
Yet the road ahead is far from smooth. Conservative Mongol nobles and corrupt local officials see him as a thorn in their side and do everything they can to suppress him. Lin Yan refuses to back down. He forges alliances with an open-minded Mongol prince, Han scholars, merchants from the Western Regions, and others. With their help, he keeps pushing beyond his limits.
He improves the Li people’s cotton-spinning techniques, establishes the Silk Road United Exchange, and issues Silk Road notes, disrupting the Sému merchants’ monopoly. In the military sphere, he develops a modular, detachable crossbow mechanism, posing a serious challenge to the advantage of Mongol cavalry.
Through one pivotal battle after another, can Lin Yan use his intelligence and technology to lead everyone to victory? What momentous choices will he face as he grows? Will he establish a new dynasty, or withdraw from the world?
