Reborn: Selling Arms in the Tang Dynasty

Li Yan, a military-industrial expert, opens his eyes to find himself a poor nobody in Chang'an during the Tang dynasty. The golden age in the history books? All smoke and mirrors! The court is drunk on pleasure while the northern frontier's barbarian generals sharpen their blades. In eleven years, the land will be engulfed in blood and fire. Li Yan slaps his thigh. “Just sit around and wait to die? Not a chance! This is exactly my field!”

With pockets emptier than his face? No problem! His family's rundown workshop is where it all begins. He talks the clever young Xiao Wu into becoming his partner, then throws together some “stinky stones,” “salty stones,” and stove ash. The “Kitchen God's fury” explodes across Chang'an in its first thunderous blast! When the neighborhood warden comes to investigate, Li Yan bluffs: “I was just praying to the Kitchen God with all my heart. The deity answered!”

From then on, he becomes the mysterious “Craftsman God,” dancing along the tightrope of imperial power:

· He sells the anxious crown prince a dream: “Flintlock blueprints? Ten thousand taels of gold, and your throne will be as secure as a rock!”

· He does business with the ambitious frontier commander: “High-bridge stirrups and improved horse-cutting sabers? They'll turn your cavalry into mad dogs! The price? We can talk!”

· He matches wits with the greedy prime minister: “Technology in exchange for protection? Fine! But the core secrets? In your dreams!”

With his talent for turning stone into gold and the nerve to walk the knife's edge, Li Yan quickly rises to become Chang'an's mysterious tycoon. But his warehouses aren't piled with gold and silver. They're full of “treasures” that can rewrite the rules of war: stable gunpowder, primitive cannons, steel formulas... Each one tolls the death knell for the age of cold weapons!

Eleven years pass in the blink of an eye. Fires blaze across the northern frontier as rebel cavalry charges straight for Tong Pass, the empire's vital stronghold! While the defenders turn pale, Li Yan climbs the city wall and gazes at the rebels' vast, dark camp beyond the pass. A crazed smile curls across his lips. “Destruction? No!”