Armed with knowledge from the twenty-first century, Guo Feng kindles the flames of industry in the Ming dynasty. He upgrades bellows, smelts fine steel, fires cement, and builds machine tools, turning artisan workshops into assembly-line factories. As Zhu Di watches weapons, armor, and provisions pour out without end, he finally believes this man can defy fate and change the course of history. When the emperor on the throne in the Hall of Heavenly Mandate decrees the abolition of the fiefdoms, Guo Feng presents him with an object. “Your Majesty, this is called a flintlock rifle.”
