After transmigrating to the Tang dynasty, Qin Duyuan became an unlucky artisan who was arrested for making firearms in secret. Emperor Taizong, Li Shimin, was personally overseeing his execution. Just before the blade fell, Qin shouted, “I can make it so the Tang dynasty won't need oxen or horses to travel a thousand li in a day!” The entire court laughed at him, but Li Er ordered the execution halted. No one knew his mind was filled with designs for steam engines, steel furnaces, and railways. Three months later, the first steam engine roared to life, emptying the streets of Chang'an as the whole city came out to see it. A year later, steel behemoths crushed the Turks, and Li Shimin begged Qin to become his Imperial Preceptor. While the Eight-Nation Alliance was still fighting with swords and blades, Qin Duyuan was already driving a steam-powered war machine around the world with the Tang army aboard!
