Iron Dragon Gallops on Rails, Steam Clouds Boil; My Heart Soars, Admiring Divine Craftsmanship

Ying Zheng had spent half his life on campaign. He had seen chariots, tower ships, and catapults, yet he had never seen a "giant beast" like this.

That vast, surging brute force in motion made his heart tighten even more than the charge of a thousand troops and ten thousand horses.

Yet the texture of steel and its rumbling, majestic momentum stirred even greater curiosity within him.

Zhao Cheng stood beside him. Seeing the guarded curiosity on his face, he laughed aloud.

"Your Majesty, do not be alarmed. This is a Rail-Car, a steel mechanical carriage built by Mohist School disciples according to the principles of steam.

"It needs neither oxen nor horses to pull it, nor waterpower to drive it. So long as it burns coal, it can carry supplies and soldiers a thousand li a day."

"Just by burning coal, it can travel a thousand li?"

Ying Zheng's astonished gaze fell upon the iron dragon's chimney, from which white steam continuously poured, carrying a scorching heat.

He slowly stepped forward and carefully circled the Rail-Car, tapping here and touching there.

The iron dragon's body was pieced together from thick iron plates. The seams fitted so tightly that not the slightest looseness could be seen.

Its wheels were cast from solid iron, their edges lined with fine teeth that meshed perfectly with the grooves in the rails.

Copper pipes coiled around the locomotive's cylinders, and from within them came the faint rushing sound of steam flowing.

Several carriages were connected behind it. Their iron sides were punched with hollowed-out patterns, allowing ventilation while looking exquisitely crafted.

He reached out, his fingertips lightly touching the iron-plated body. It was icy cold and hard, utterly unlike the bronze commonly used in Qin State weaponry.

Bronze was resilient, but it could not