An Engineering Madman in Datong

Lin Shun, a highly educated modern engineering student, accidentally transmigrates to the Datong Dynasty after a laboratory accident. As soon as he arrives, he is arrested on suspicion of being a spy from Yue. In a desperate situation, he helps the defenders repel the Yue army using the principle of the camera obscura, narrowly saving his own life but arousing the suspicions of Empress Zhao Xuan.

The Datong Dynasty is a feudal empire established by Zhao Xuan with the technology of Lin Jian, a transmigrator and Lin Shun’s father. Though it boasts improved products such as soap and sweet potatoes, it has no heavy industry to speak of and remains, in essence, an age of cold weapons. Wary of Lin Jian’s technology and his ideals of equality for all, Zhao Xuan imprisoned him. Yet on the eve of his execution, Lin Jian mysteriously disappeared, leaving behind hidden resources and his unfulfilled ideals.

In the palace, Lin Shun discovers traces left by his father. Disguising himself as a merchant, he keeps a low profile and survives by using his engineering expertise to improve textiles and master iron smelting. He establishes himself in Shan'an, foils the efforts of local merchant magnates to crush him, and builds up his capital and influence. Later, he encounters one of his father’s former subordinates, learns his father’s identity and the truth about his murder, and vows to avenge him, carry on his legacy, and find clues to his disappearance.

Lin Shun stops holding back. He builds a steelworks, masters the Bessemer converter and steam engine, mass-produces weapons and farm tools, and forms an industrial army that delivers a technological mismatch against the age of cold weapons. He stokes infighting at court, wins the people’s support, and wages a battle against Zhao Xuan both openly and in secret. In the end, he storms the imperial palace and captures Zhao Xuan alive, clearing his father’s name.

Afterward, Lin Shun unites the various factions, establishes a new order in Datong, promotes industrial technology, and improves public administration. He gradually fulfills his father’s dream of a golden age of great unity. Yet the truth behind his father’s disappearance remains an enduring concern in his heart, leaving an open thread for the story.