The Steam Age

Watching the high-spirited Zhuanxu, Xuanyuan Huangdi felt a quiet surge of delight. He was very pleased with this grandson, whom he had kept by his side for three years.

The older generation always doted on their grandchildren, sending their sons far away while keeping their grandsons close.

Zhuanxu had something of Xuanyuan Huangdi's youthful bearing, and even resembled him in appearance. The Yellow Emperor loved him dearly.

The Yellow Emperor decided to test him. Stroking his beard, he asked in a low voice, "Then how do you think we should deal with this?"

Zhuanxu did not answer immediately. After pondering for a moment, he slowly said:

"Suppression, division, assimilation."

"First, wield the power of a king and conqueror. Let them know who their master is."

"When the dwarf race is at its most desperate, appoint a new puppet Dwarf King who will pledge allegiance to the human race, giving the dwarves a little hope."

"The dwarves love alcohol as dearly as their lives. Strictly prohibit private brewing, and have the Xia Dynasty Shops handle all sales. Punish violators severely, and charge higher prices the more they buy."

"Secretly support a dwarf faction opposed to the Xia Dynasty, and draw every dwarf in the realm who deeply resents the dynasty into that organization."

"Require every dwarf in the Nine Provinces to study Xia Dynasty culture. In particular, all newborn dwarf children must attend human schools."

Then he respectfully bowed deeply to Xuanyuan Huangdi. "Grandfather, that is all your grandson could think of."

Xuanyuan Huangdi burst into laughter, then said with satisfaction, "Thinking of all that is already quite impressive. You're better than your father. I have a worthy successor."

"I will handle the suppression, and you will handle the appeasement. This method can be used not only against the dwarves, but against humans as well."

Just like that, several days passed.

The dwarves were secretly congratulating themselves on playing these humans in the palms of their hands.

The elder leading them, Noah, was the illegitimate son of Nodin, the Dwarf King who had been executed.

After the Star War ended, Xuanyuan Huangdi executed several dwarf leaders. Nodin's entire lineage was put to death, with only this illegitimate son escaping disaster.

Trusted followers had protected him, preserving this lone surviving seed.

Noah harbored hatred in his heart. Over those eight years, he had conspired with elders who remained fiercely loyal to his father, secretly working against the humans.

Over eight years, the organization had amassed vast wealth and secretly bribed many humans dissatisfied with Xuanyuan, bringing them into his service.

He kept a large number of exchanged letters locked beneath his bed, using them to threaten human officials into providing favors for the dwarves.

Hidden away in a room somewhere, Noah held a beautiful dwarf woman in his arms and drank fine wine, thinking, One day, the dwarves will overthrow the Xia Dynasty and become the rulers of Blue Star.

In his drunken haze, Noah felt as though he was moving, but he had drunk too much and sank into sleep.

At noon the next day, Noah finally woke. Still groggy, he shouted, "Walan, I want water!"

"Hahahahaha!"

"Young Master Noah wants water! Which of you brothers has yellow piss? Piss him awake!"

"I'll do it!"

Noah instantly snapped alert. That was not Walan's voice. He hurriedly opened his eyes, and terror filled them.

"Who are you? Where is this? I can give you money! Let me go!" Noah screamed at the humans before him.

A jailer holding a whip sneered:

"Young Master Noah, allow me to answer. This is the Palace Prison."

"Money? You have none left. It all belongs to our Xia Dynasty."

"You vermin who don't know whether you're living or dying! His Majesty couldn't bear to see your race reduced to slavery, so he gave you a chance."

"And you still proved useless! You want to fight our Xia Dynasty? Do you have what it takes?"

The jailer flicked his wicker whip and lashed Noah savagely.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Watching Noah roll across the floor, howling without pause, the surrounding jailers sneered.

A bunch of defeated wretches, a sinful race condemned by Father God himself, had actually dared to sit atop the humans' heads and throw their weight around. Not only had they colluded to slow human technological development, they had even conspired with human officials to rebel against the Xia Dynasty.

After Xuanyuan Huangdi issued his orders, officials everywhere began collecting evidence of the dwarves' crimes.

The dwarves had one fatal flaw: they loved drinking. A little alcohol, and they started bragging their asses off, with no gatekeeper left at their mouths.

It might have gone unnoticed if no one investigated, but after following one lead after another, the investigators finally traced everything to its source.

In a secret chamber near the palace in Yu Province, they found a large stash of fine wine and several hideously ugly dwarf maids.

They discovered a large number of exchanged letters in the room. Who knew what was wrong with Noah-he had put every single letter beneath his bed.

That made things wonderfully convenient. The guards packed all the letters into chests, took them to the palace, and handed them to the king.

Xuanyuan Huangdi flew into a towering rage and immediately dispatched the Aerial Combat Force, sending them across the Nine Provinces to arrest the human traitors named in the letters.

At the same time, numerous messengers headed to government offices at every level throughout the Nine Provinces, ordering them to secretly bring the dwarves under control and prevent unrest.

Several days later, the arrests began in unison.

Many dwarves who were still throwing their weight around were arrested right in the streets, to the great excitement of the people nearby.

At last, these vermin were going to be dealt with.

Many dwarf elders tried to stir up their people's emotions, claiming that the humans were tearing down the bridge after crossing the river.

The Xia Dynasty Guards simply pulled the exchanged letters from their clothes and read them aloud on the spot, enraging the innocent-looking dwarves around them.

Wasn't their life perfectly good? What were these old fools stirring up trouble for?

There were also many humans who wanted to rebel. Dissatisfied with their current lives and status, they had planned to join the dwarves in rebellion.

Rumor had it that this wave of arrests filled every dungeon in the Nine Provinces.

Finally, evidence of the dwarves' crimes began to be solicited throughout the Nine Provinces.

For a time, public anger boiled over, and grievances filled the land. Government offices at every level were packed with citizens recounting the dwarves' crimes.

A flood of memorials reached Xuanyuan Huangdi, leaving him aghast. In his fury, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

His original intention had been to use the dwarves to develop human technology and help it rise.

"Those not of our race must harbor different hearts." He had once heard Father God say those words.

But he had believed that the dwarves, with their small population, could be won over and fully integrated into humanity, becoming useful to the human race.

In the end, he had been wrong. Utterly, terribly wrong.

Once the dwarves gained status, they amassed wealth without restraint, using money to buy off officials and win people over, securing greater standing for themselves.

They hired humans to farm their land and lived in silks and luxury, holding out their hands to be dressed and opening their mouths to be fed. They had even become landlords.

After a little drinking, they began abusing the Xia Dynasty subjects they employed, beating or cursing them at every turn, and even killing many.

Many commoners tried to lodge complaints, only for the dwarves to bribe officials into suppressing them. Most importantly, officials needed to develop technology to earn promotions, because technology accounted for far too much of their assessment scores.

Interrogations revealed that over those eight years, the dwarves had killed tens of thousands of Xia Dynasty commoners.

Those were only the victims the dwarves could remember. Who knew how many more innocent people they had forgotten?

Xuanyuan Huangdi summoned all his officials to discuss the matter. Tears streamed down his aged face as he declared himself unfit to remain Human King and sought to surrender the throne.

The Xia Dynasty officials vehemently dissuaded him, threatening to die rather than permit it. Zhuanxu also refused, and in the end, the matter was dropped.

After deliberation, they decided that the dwarves must repay their blood debts in blood. Simply executing them would be letting them off too easily.

September, year 37.

Large numbers of dwarves who had colluded with one another were sentenced to death, and their families would share their punishment. Those who wanted their children to survive could choose to atone through meritorious service.

That meant teaching human craftsmen every skill they possessed within seven days. Otherwise...

Technological progress, which had ground to a halt, suddenly surged forward. Batch after batch of dwarves was killed.

Dwarves seeking redemption scrambled to offer ideas, and one technological hurdle after another was overcome.

At last, in December of year 37, the humans developed a Steam Engine of their own.

According to later historical accounts, in Xia Era year 37, during the latter part of the Yellow Emperor's reign, the dwarves conspired to obstruct human technological development. Meanwhile, their elevated status allowed them to persecute large numbers of human commoners.

The Yellow Emperor was enraged. In just three months, slaughter reduced the dwarf population from over 1.5 million to fewer than 900,000.

More than 600,000 dwarves were slaughtered.

That did not even include the human officials who had rebelled.

The killing left the dwarves trembling to their very souls and utterly submissive. They never again dared harbor crooked intentions.

That same year, the Yellow Emperor ordered a census. All humans and dwarves had to obtain something called an Identity Card, which recorded their race, name, occupation, address, and other information. Anyone who needed to change their occupation could have it updated at a government office.

An Identity Card was required to pass through the gates of major cities. It was also required to attend school, enlist in the military, become an official, or buy alcohol.

The dwarves were an exception. Every dwarf's Identity Card listed their occupation as "craftsman," and no changes were permitted. In other words, dwarves could only work as craftsmen for the rest of their lives. They were also forbidden to travel between provinces, with violators sentenced to beheading.

Immediately afterward, the Alcohol Restriction Order was issued. Private brewing was strictly prohibited, and the Xia Dynasty Shops handled all sales. Violators faced severe punishment. Buyers had to present their Identity Cards, and the more they bought, the higher the price became.

Just like that, another three years passed.

By Xia Era year 41, a full ten years had passed since the Star War ended.

Humanity finally stepped out of the Iron Age and into the Steam Age.

Unlike the dwarves, human craftsmen used Blue Star's coal as their primary energy source to power machinery.

Humans improved many dwarf technologies, making them better suited to human use.

On the military front, the Xia Dynasty's forces also received a new generation of equipment. Large numbers of Muskets, Cannons, Multi-Barrel Steam Muskets, Steam Airships, Bombs, and other weapons entered service. They even developed a Steam War Chariot, astounding the dwarf craftsmen.

On the civilian front, the Steam Engine underwent continual improvements, shrinking in size and increasing in efficiency. Humans developed large numbers of semiautomatic machines.

These included the Steam Spinning Machine, the Textile Machine, and the Steam Car. From then on, humanity gradually moved away from manual production and entered the age of mechanized production.

After the Star War ended, Zhang Yang had felt somewhat tired and taken a short nap. When he woke and looked toward humanity, he was immediately startled. "Huh? Steam Engines? How long was I asleep?"