The Warring States' Number One Son-in-Law

He led an eight-nation fleet made up of Qin, Chu, Qi, Zhao, Han, Wei, Yan, and Wei, embarking on great voyages and trading industrial technology for agricultural resources from Europe, Asia, and Africa: peanuts, corn, potatoes, and more, as well as mineral resources such as gold and oil. He was Gongsun Fei, a mechanical engineer who transmigrated from the modern age to Xianyang in the Qin state and became the live-in son-in-law of a merchant family… Using the wisdom of a modern man, Gongsun Fei invented the steam engine… leading the Warring States period out of the agricultural age and into an era of major industrial development… He also cultivated rice on a vast scale, making it the staple food and allowing people of the Warring States period to enjoy rice and taste the delicacies of the 21st century. In 311 BC, King Huiwen of Qin was growing old. To unite the Six States, he hesitated over whether to follow the rule of succession by the eldest son or choose the most capable heir instead. This left the factions supporting his eldest and youngest sons restless. That year, Gongsun Fei transformed the image of the live-in son-in-law of the Warring States period and became the head of a merchant family, bringing enormous changes to the era’s military and economy.