Ming Dynasty: From the Start, Refugees Awaken the Tech Tree and Crush the Great Powers

In the first year of the Chongzhen reign, a severe drought struck Shaanxi, and corpses of the starving lay everywhere. Lin Feng, a modern engineering doctoral student whose soul transmigrates into a refugee, awakens the "Great Ming Technology Tree System." Using a method of extracting saltpeter from urine to make gunpowder and pine-resin incendiary bombs to blow up grain stores, he saves thousands of starving people and establishes an armed "People's Salvation Society." Facing corrupt officials and Chongzhen's suppression, he is ruthless when necessary, yet also governs with benevolence. He takes in Bai Susu, a woman physician who treats smallpox, and Zhao Wan'er, a farmer's wife who helps promote agriculture and sericulture, gradually expanding his power.

Technology continues to advance: flintlock muskets sweep away government troops, water-powered forging machines mass-produce weapons and armor, and improved cannon rout Chongzhen's third campaign of suppression, eventually earning Lin Feng the title of Shaanxi governor. After heading south to Jiangnan, Lin Feng joins forces with the maritime merchant Zheng Zhilong to build steam-powered warships and defeat the Dutch fleet, capturing Taiwan. He brings in Portuguese firearms expert Anna Maria and Japanese merchant Fujita Hanako, monopolizing trade between East and West. He then crushes Li Zicheng's allied forces with rapid-fire cannons, forcing Chongzhen to ennoble him as the "King of Southern Ming."

But his ambitions do not end there. Lin Feng sets his sights on the world. His musketeers sweep through the Dzungar lands of the Western Regions, his navy intimidates the Mughal Empire and seizes its spices, and his steam warships blast open the Strait of Istanbul, bringing the Black Sea trade routes under his control. Beneath the dual faces of tyrant and benevolent ruler, a technological empire spanning Europe and Asia is rising, while Chongzhen's throne is already tottering...