Chapter 193: Divine Power

When Zhao Kuangyin ascended the throne in Kaifeng City, accepting the homage of all officials, a swift horse was carrying Wang Hao, charging into the Yangzhou territory.

Having been away from home for several years, stepping back onto his native soil, Wang Hao felt a myriad of emotions. The north's bronze and iron, schemes and tricks, seemed to dissipate with the warm, moist wind of Jiangnan.

The Wang Family Fort remained as it was, with blue-brick high walls and a grand presence; only the guards were stricter than when he had left, and the patrolling servants all wore uniform firearms, their eyes vigilant.

"Young Master Hao has returned!"

A sharp-eyed servant recognized him and exclaimed in surprise.

The news was immediately passed inside.

Soon after, the Head of Family Wang Zhen personally led several clan elders out to greet him.

"Just good that you're back." Wang Zhen looked at the dust-and-travelled Wang Hao, a relieved smile appearing on his face. He still bore that steady demeanor, but his gaze was deeper than before, as if holding a starry sea.

"Greetings, Head of Family, greetings, uncles." Wang Hao dismounted and bowed.

"No need for much ceremony, you've worked hard on the journey." Wang Zhen patted his shoulder, "Come, let's go inside and talk."

Returning to the familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar estate, Wang Hao discovered that the changes inside the fort were far greater than he had imagined.

In the air, there seemed to drift a faint, indescribable scent, like the mixture of burning coal and metal.

"Father, these past few years, the family seems... different." Wang Hao couldn't help but ask.

Wang Zhen smiled, did not answer directly, but asked instead: "Do you still remember that miraculous dream I mentioned in my letter to you, the 'Investigating Things to Extend Knowledge,' and that astonishing steam power?"

Wang Hao's heart stirred: "Naturally I remember. Uncle's letter said it was a kind of divine power that could drive steel to replace countless human labor."

At the time he merely took it as the Head of Family's motivational talk for the clan's juniors, not wholly believing it.

"Divine power?" Wang Zhen shook his head, a light Wang Hao had never seen before flashing in his eyes. "No, that is not divine power. It is a power that we can grasp and create."

He stopped his steps, turned to look at Wang Hao, his expression becoming extremely solemn.

"Come, I'll take you to see something. After seeing it, you'll understand why I approved you giving up your northern authority and having you return immediately."

Wang Zhen did not take him to the council hall, nor to the study, but passed through layers of guards to reach the deepest part of the fort, a huge courtyard completely isolated by high walls.

Here is the Wang Family's Science Academy.

Before even approaching, a tremendous rhythmic roaring sound came like rolling muffled thunder, making people's eardrums buzz. The ground trembled slightly, and the coal smell in the air grew stronger.

Pushing open the heavy iron door, the sight before him shocked even the worldly-wise Wang Hao into immobility, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints.

What he saw was not the small steam-engine model from his memory.

But a colossal steel monster!

It stood three zhang tall, composed of countless dark steel components, thick copper pipes, and densely packed rivets, resembling a crouching primordial beast. A massive boiler sat beneath, the blazing charcoal fire heating its walls to red-hot. Scorching white steam hissed from the pipe seams, accompanied by a sharp whistle.

And at the monster's core, a giant piston thicker than a person's leg, driven by steam, moved up and down with a "clang! clang!" each impact seeming able to shake the earth. The piston connected to a massive crankshaft and flywheel, transmitting through a series of complex gears and belts to every corner of the workshop.

There, a dozen-odd spinning machines that Wang Hao had never seen before operated at a dizzying speed, spinning cotton into fine yarn. On the other side, several massive hammers, lifted and dropped repeatedly by steam, pounded the red-hot iron lumps into various shapes.

"This... this is..." Wang Hao's throat dried, unable to utter a word. His imaginings of "steam power" in his mind, faced with this rough, violent yet mechanically beautiful reality, appeared utterly feeble.

"This is the steam engine." Wang Zhen's voice sounded in his ear, calm but full of pride: "Although it currently cannot drive too large a thing, some small looms and hammers can already fully replace human labor."

Wang Hao's gaze shifted from that roaring machine to the people nearby operating the machines.

They were a group of youths wearing uniform blue work clothes, with crew cuts, moving swiftly, their eyes burning with zeal, seeming tireless.

Wang Hao recognized them.

They were the "top-class" graduates sent from Japan, whom he had never met, but anyone able to work in the Science Academy with closely cropped hair must surely be those Japanese.

The leader among them was directing a few people to carefully add coal to the boiler. His face and hands were covered in black oil and coal dust, and one arm was wrapped in thick bandages, faintly bleeding.

"They..." Wang Hao's gaze fell upon that group, he keenly noticed the numbers were off.

"Wang Meng had sent a hundred of the finest graduates from Japan at that time." Wang Zhen's voice remained calm, "Now fewer than fifty remain."

Wang Hao's heart clenched.

"What about the others?"

"They died." Wang Zhen's reply was simple yet cruel: "Some died in boiler explosions; some were accidentally caught in the drive wheels; others were scalded to death while testing higher-pressure steam."

"Every technological advance requires a price, and they are that price. Rather than let our Han people bear it, it's better to use these Japanese." Wang Zhen's gaze swept over the busy Japanese, as if looking at a group of consumables.

"Moreover, they volunteered. In their view, to sacrifice their lives for the Wang Family and this great undertaking is the highest honor."

Wang Hao fell silent.

He looked at the roaring, constantly coal- and life-consuming steel behemoth, and then at the distant machines driven by the steam engine, swiftly producing wealth in the form of textile machines and hammers.

He finally understood the true meaning of the Head of Family's letter saying, "The family's future is not here."

While Northern Zhao Kuangyin was still playing at schemes for a crown,

his family had already, with a near-bloodthirsty ruthlessness and efficiency, personally inaugurated the First Industrial Revolution.