Over the next twenty years, the Human Race developed rapidly. As bronze implements became widespread, the Xia dynasty also began researching a substance harder than copper: iron.
This was another material Zhang Yang had mentioned before, though he did not know how to smelt it either.
Whenever the Human Race encountered difficulties, someone capable always emerged. One craftsman devised a way to smelt iron ore, refine it, and hammer it into the first Iron Sword.
Xuanyuan Huangdi was delighted. He rewarded the craftsman and put him in charge of the other artisans, ordering him to continue improving the process and forge more Iron Swords.
They also researched weapons such as the Catapult, which the Father God had mentioned to him before.
The most primitive form of gunpowder was also being developed. Zhang Yang knew its proportions very well, and he also knew where its three mineral ingredients could be found on Blue Star. After he told Xuanyuan Huangdi all this, work began on developing the most primitive gunpowder.
In year 17 of the Xia era, gunpowder was finally developed. They packed it into a bronze jar with some iron filings. Chiyou was stunned by the resulting explosion and immediately began mass production.
After offering sacrifices to heaven and earth, Chiyou led his elite troops in an attempt to form Velociraptor cavalry, a Pterosaur air force, and other units, but difficulties piled up.
Although they had mastered the techniques and Beast Speech, taming them remained extremely difficult, and beasts frequently injured people.
Later, they began capturing young animals and raising them from infancy. The results improved considerably, and more and more beasts were brought into the army.
In this way, the Human Race gradually tamed the young of apex beasts such as Tyrannosaurus Rexes and titanic giant pythons, slowly feeding them and building bonds. Twenty years was enough to raise those young beasts to adulthood.
Human Race society underwent enormous changes, and its mobility increased dramatically. Riding a Pterosaur, one could travel between two provinces in no time, making it easier for the Yellow Emperor to govern the nine provinces.
Since they did not know whether Blue Star would be attacking or defending, they had to prepare for both possibilities. They could not assign every troop to defense or concentrate them all in one area.
The Yellow Emperor ordered the provincial governors and division commanders to speed up the construction of stone walls and fortify the nine provinces as thoroughly as possible.
At the same time, he ordered each province to embed soldiers among the populace. Settlements of township rank and above were to have their own dedicated troops, able to attack when advancing and defend when retreating. Smaller settlements were gradually issued equipment and organized into militia units.
Then came large-scale military training-frenzied training, drilling the coordination between humans and animals.
As the time drew nearer, everyone felt an increasing sense of urgency, and Zhang Yang was no exception.
The impending star war weighed heavily on him. He knew nothing about his opponent's civilization or species.
But Zhang Yang did have one small source of confidence: when Blue Star had previously reached the pinnacle of its civilization, it had not yet used the F-rank creature card. Beasts had been beasts, humans had been humans, and the Human Race had been unable to command the beasts and bring out their rightful strength.
Zhang Yang pondered what else he could do. He had two opportunities to pray to the cosmos, but neither prayer received a response, nor did he obtain anything.
Year after year passed like this. Under external pressure, the Human Race pooled its wisdom and developed rapidly, with everyone working hard.
And so came year 30 of the Xia era, a year destined to enter the Human Race's history books.
Zhang Yang watched the countdown on the medal: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
It was here.
A mechanical voice sounded from the medal.
[Congratulations, Star Lord. You have met the requirements for civilization advancement. Under the laws of the cosmos, the fittest survive. The star war will begin shortly.] [This star war will be supervised by the Local Interstellar Cloud branch of the Cosmic Elders Council. Star Lords are prohibited from interfering in the star war with divine power. Violators will be severely punished.] [In this star war, both attacker and defender may fight to the last person or surrender. The victor has the right to decide everything.] [Civilization matching will now begin. The planetary environment will not significantly hinder either side.] [Random matching now underway. There are 10,038 planets eligible for advancement.] [Match successful: Blue Star versus Bolwenli Star.] [Attacker: Bolwenli Star. Defender: Blue Star.] [Using Blue Star as the template, generating four War Sand Tables, two each for the attacker and defender.] [Both sides may deploy their armies. Countdown: exactly 360 days.]
(P.S. Time was standardized throughout the cosmos, including years, months, days, hours, minutes, and seconds.)
Zhang Yang breathed a sigh of relief. As the defender, he had the advantage of familiar terrain and environment.
Zhang Yang conveyed a message to the Human Race through his consciousness: "Prepare for battle. The enemy will invade, and the Human Race will defend. You have one year to deploy."
He also handed the two War Sand Tables to the Yellow Emperor. These were miniature models of Blue Star, designed to help both sides command their forces.
The War Sand Tables displayed the positions of both sides' leaders. As the defenders, the Human Race would lose the war if its leader was killed.
The same applied to the attackers. If their leader fell, their invasion would fail.
[Generating a Star Gate based on Blue Star's landmass.]
As Blue Star's ruler, Zhang Yang could clearly sense a gigantic gate to the starry sky slowly taking shape on its continent.
He did not know whether the Star Gate's location had been chosen according to Blue Star's actual circumstances. It was outside the Human Race's nine provinces, with no large creatures nearby.
The Star Gate was relatively close to Liang Province and Yong Province. He immediately transmitted its coordinates to Xuanyuan Huangdi.
The ruler of Bolwenli Star felt somewhat afraid when he heard that his side would be attacking. After all, as a planetary ruler who had never experienced a star war, he was hardly pleased about fighting in another world, but he had no choice.
As the Star Gate formed, Bo'er suddenly gained a god's-eye view of the opposing planet. He could see its entire landscape, but not its species.
He immediately understood that this was intended to help the attacker command their forces, another way of balancing the star war.
It was like an unlocked minimap in a game.
Looking at the other planet's beautiful environment, Bo'er grew excited. After this battle, it would all be mine!
He immediately ordered the entire planet's army to assemble at the gate to the starry sky.
All the Human Race's tribes stood ready for battle. Following the Father God's command, Xuanyuan Huangdi immediately dispatched large numbers of messengers to urgently notify the nine provinces.
Liang Province and Yong Province were told to prepare for battle. They would bear the brunt of the assault.
A thousand messengers immediately mounted Pterosaurs and flew toward every corner of the nine provinces.
Chiyou immediately led his army toward Liang Province and Yong Province.
As the Human Race's supreme leader, the Yellow Emperor remained in Yu Province to command the entire nation.
For a time, all of the Human Race urgently entered a state of war. The governors of Yan Province, Qing Province, Xu Province, and Yang Province immediately ordered every town and city to muster their armies and bring supplies to Liang Province and Yong Province.
They were in the deep rear and had to provide support to the other provinces while ensuring that logistical preparations were properly handled.
Ji Province, Yu Province, and Jing Province, situated in the center of the nine provinces, also assembled their armies as a second defensive line and awaited orders.
The Star Gate flickered as Bo'er Star's army poured out in an endless stream. When the first soldier stepped onto Blue Star, Zhang Yang looked at the soldier's appearance and weapons and exclaimed in surprise, "The Dwarf Race?"
Of course, this was merely the name Zhang Yang gave them. They looked very similar to the Human Race, standing only 1.2 meters tall, yet they were exceptionally muscular, like squat little cannons planted on the ground.
This Dwarf Race soldier looked short but extraordinarily strong, with a long beard, thick hair, a large nose, and very dark skin. The soldier looked exceptionally ugly, yet that tiny body carried a hammer taller than itself. The bright armor looked sturdy, and a gourd hung at the waist.
The vast army marched out of the Star Gate, and Zhang Yang noticed female dwarves among them as well. Their physical features were much the same, except that they wore braids.
"Huh?"
Zhang Yang was surprised to discover that the dwarf troops emerging from the Star Gate were carrying muskets on their shoulders.
Although somewhat crude, they were unmistakably guns to Zhang Yang.
In his previous life, he had read novels and played games too. The Dwarf Race was always described as straightforward, somewhat hot-tempered, devoted to drinking, stubborn, petty, and naturally skilled artisans and blacksmiths, adept at crafting fine tools and equipment.
A little later, Zhang Yang was dumbfounded. "Is that a Smoothbore Cannon?"
Several dwarves worked together to push out a weapon resembling a cannon. There were also Catapults, with round ammunition loaded beside them.
"A Steam Airship?" "A Ballista?" "A Steam Six-Barrel Gatling Gun?"
Fifty days passed like this, and both sides finished preparing for battle.
Zhang Yang could see the opposing army, and the opposing ruler could likewise see humanity's army.
There had to be 1.7 million Dwarf Race soldiers, of every shape and size: men, women, the elderly, and children. Some had white beards, yet they were still among the troops. The entire race had taken the field.
It seemed the dwarves were not as prolific as the Human Race.
They had brought all manner of machinery, even a Lava Blast Furnace. Clearly, they had committed their race's full strength.
During this period, the Dwarf Race fired a cannon outward. The cannonball seemed to strike an invisible barrier before falling down.
Zhang Yang also wanted to deliberately summon wind and rain, but the moment he tried, he felt some immense, unseen terror watching him. If he actually acted, the consequences would be severe.
Then, as dawn arrived on the sixtieth day, the medal began to glow with a faint golden light.
The gate to the starry sky gradually disappeared, and a mechanical voice sounded:
[Deployment complete. The star war begins!]
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