The New Weapons First Show Their Great Power, and the King Bestows the Title of Lord Wuwei

"Your Majesty, these weapons of war are still unfinished, so I did not bring you here earlier. Now that the Chancellor has raised doubts, let us take a look at these prototypes together."

Zhao Cheng led everyone to a heavily guarded courtyard. Inside stood several unfinished machines:

A Repeating Crossbow Chariot, its arrow magazine nearly half a man's height, with steam pipes connected to the Crossbow Mechanism. It was clearly powered by steam pressure;

A catapult, its base fitted with iron wheels. The plans beside it read, "Can hurl a thousand-jin boulder, with a range of three li";

A small iron-hulled boat, with a propeller mounted at the bow. The note beside it read, "Boiling Wave Boat; travels upstream as easily as over level ground";

And a machine with a protruding steel drill, labeled, "Rock-Piercing Machine; can bore ten zhang into a mountain in a single day."

"These are still being tested."

Zhao Cheng pointed to the Repeating Crossbow Carriage. "But given time, this vehicle will be able to fire a hundred arrows at once, covering an area ten zhang wide. The enemy's ranks will collapse in an instant.

"The catapult can bring down city walls, so we will no longer need our soldiers to swarm up them like ants.

"The Boiling Wave Boat can carry a thousand armored soldiers, sailing upstream along the Yangtze straight to the Chu capital.

"The Rock-Piercing Machine can cut through the Qinling Mountains' plank roads, allowing supplies to reach Bashu directly."

Ying Zheng walked up to the Repeating Crossbow Chariot and brushed his fingertips over its cold bow arms. A vision of the battlefield seemed to rise before his eyes:

Steam-powered repeating crossbows fired in unison, arrows pouring down like a torrential rain as the enemy army crumbled.

The Boiling Wave Boat surged through