History Livestream: Aiming for a Steampunk Ming and Qing

Wen Yu starts a social media account, editing videos and running livestreams until she's utterly exhausted. Luckily, her fans are entertaining and generous with their money. But what really baffles her is how the big shots in her fan group love to roleplay and argue. Today, "Kangxi" calls "Qianlong" a spendthrift; tomorrow, "Zhu Yuanzhang" calls "Zhu Di" a traitor...

Of course, these fans are also eager learners, always peppering her with questions: "Why do we have to develop firearms? Aren't swords, spears, and halberds easier to use?" "Do we have to open up maritime trade to the red-haired foreigners (the English)? How can we turn the tables on them?" "What's global economic integration? Can't we stop it?" "How do you build those strange, smoke-belching, rumbling contraptions?"...

Maybe it's because you dream about what you think about during the day. Lately, Wen Yu keeps dreaming of fantastical ancient settings. The people there wear traditional clothes, but carry advanced firearms at their waists. Metal shoes that emit white mist can even send people into the sky, while steam trains thunder across the land of China. Everyone's face is alight with joy...

Steam-powered Ming and Qing, cyberpunk Han and Tang, and the Great Qin's interstellar expeditions.

[Note] 1. I originally added a "friendly discussion" note, but that didn't work out, so I closed the comments.

2. If this isn't your thing, don't read it. Don't force yourself to eat food that doesn't suit your taste.

2. This is an alternate, parallel world and has no effect on our world. You can read it as science fiction.

3. To spare the people too much suffering, there will be a technological revolution in the mid-Qing period, but no constitutional monarchy, because the tide of history cannot be reversed.

4. Every ruler has both merits and faults, and every dynasty has its strengths and weaknesses. Keep an open mind: the modern world is the best.

[Coming Soon] Livestream: A Rundown of the Ten Most Tragic Figures in History

After the sky screen appeared, the "immortals" revealed spoilers that hit like a storm.

Prince Fusu, about to take his own life, lowered the sword in his hand.

Xiang Yu, about to spare Liu Bang, took the sword from Xiang Zhuang.

Shen Wansan, who was urging his craftsmen to build the Great Wall: "..."

By donating, people can save the historical figures they love, so the public starts pouring in coins.

Ji Kang, executed after being framed, arrives in the modern era in an instant and becomes a master of ancient music. People hear the real Guangling Melody.

Wei Jie, the peerless beauty said to have been "stared to death," comes back to life in an instant and becomes a heartthrob. At last, historical romance dramas have hope.

Huo Qubing, who died young, rises from the dead, and Emperor Wu of Han is moved to tears.

Later, people from the future remix the Guangling Melody into electronic music. Ji Kang is furious at first, but the more he listens, the more he gets into it. "Move aside, let me do it!"

And so Ji Kang becomes a leading star of traditional-style electronic music, making magic with the electric bass.

Wei Jie becomes a top-tier star. When his fans find out their idol is frail, they don't dare cheer too loudly, but Wei Jie tells them, "You don't have to hold back. I've recovered my health."

The fans' cheers thunder like a mountain of roaring waves.

The Xiongnu send a memorial, begging Emperor Wu of Han to let Huo Qubing return and rest: "We won't invade again."

Theme: Learn from history and strengthen the nation through science and technology.