CHAPTER 532: CHAPTER 227: THE ADVENT OF THE STEAM ENGINE, A NEW ERA OF CULTIVATION? (PART 2)

In fact, in the previous life, there was also the issue of silt accumulation when building the Three Gorges Dam.

But how was it resolved?

Engage in large-scale infrastructure construction.

Because large-scale infrastructure consumes a massive amount of silt, the silt accumulation problem caused by the dam naturally disappears.

The people of this world probably can’t imagine that silt can be sold for money and make a fortune.

"The Ministry of Industry is already researching cement, but who knows when they’ll achieve results. Even if they do, excavating large amounts of silt requires mechanisms, as relying solely on manpower is too costly." Xu Qing could only be thankful that there are still soul stones.

Using soul stones to power the mechanisms of the Fang Immortal Dao could also replicate the effects of some machines from his previous life.

However, soul stone veins are scarce, making it inevitably difficult to develop and transform this world on a large scale and sustainably. Fortunately, as a preliminary step towards industrialization, they are sufficient.

He now gradually feels a peculiar force being born.

"Cultivation through mechanisms?"

The combination of Dao skills, mechanisms, and physics could give birth to who knows what kind of cultivation era.

Xu Qing is quite looking forward to it.

Creating a new era, this sense of achievement is indescribable.

In front of this huge sense of fulfillment, the illusion of life and death actually fades quite a bit.

Living in the present world, one really needs a career to support and fill the emptiness and void of life.

In the previous life, power was the best longevity medicine.

Many old men, even at seventy or eighty, could still run for president, and be full of vigor.

Now to Elder Gu here.

Elder Gu was extremely excited, "Xu Gongming, I’ve made it."

He pointed at a well, next to which there was a strange mechanism continually pumping water, powered by the burning of Immortal Coal.

"This thing can pump water from a depth of three zhang, and in the future, it can be used in mines."

The prototype of the steam engine, which Xu Qing and Elder Gu had long researched, was further improved this time to have practical use.

Three zhang deep is still too shallow.

But this is a crucial step.

Elder Gu took out a blueprint, constantly gesturing.

"What a pity, my array skills are not very strong; when a few of my fellow disciples come over, we can calculate together to further improve this thing."

"Currently, the place where array skills are strongest is not in Central Earth, but in the Extreme West." Elder Gu sighed.

Xu Qing rolled his eyes, you overseas barbarian, how long has it been, and you’re already calling yourself a Central Earth person.

Regarding array skills, in his previous life, Xu Qing was a humanities student, naturally not very strong. He vaguely remembered some formulas and handed them all to Elder Gu, but the actual understanding and digestion of applications naturally required further study.

Xu Qing’s time is very precious, and naturally, professional matters are handed over to professionals.

In fact, as long as there is motivation and financial support, people of Central Earth can also excel in array skills.

What is most important now is that with soul stone mechanisms and the initial state of the steam engine, coupled with cement and various things, Xu Qing has the capital for the most basic industrialization.

To industrialize, there must be primitive capital accumulation.

So sea transport must be expanded sooner or later to facilitate deeper plundering of overseas resources.

One more point, overseas also has various supernatural powers, so if things are to be accomplished, training cultivators in Central Earth is indispensable.

A series of operations are bound to make this world increasingly competitive and more interesting.

Xu Qing naturally had an enlightenment, as if he had a higher-dimensional perspective.

His mind was a bit dazed, then quickly returned to reality.

Bang!

Old Gu’s steam engine exploded.

Old Gu’s smile came to an abrupt halt.

"Accident, accident!"

Xu Qing smiled.

Dreams are beautiful, but reality is cruel.

Development is still very difficult.

He immediately said, "It must be a materials problem."

In the previous life, materials science was even joked as alchemy.

This also falls under Fang Immortal Dao’s expertise.

Xu Fu also had a great talent for alchemy, so Xu Qing also brought him to the Ministry of Industry to put his talents to use.

Old Gu nodded, "We still need to keep trying."

Working with materials is like alchemy, both are money-burning activities, and they cannot be skimped on.

Luckily, the Great Yu Dynasty is vast and resourceful, having much more advantage in this regard than the Fang Immortal Dao.

Additionally, Xu Qing and Elder Gu are targeting specific clients for their physics mechanism projects, namely finding the sons of aristocrats and scholars as their patrons.

To be honest, no matter in the north or south, besides the heirs who keep the lineage, other aristocrats’ sons are very bored, apart from playing with women and fighting crickets, they listen to opera...

Those are still the better ones; bullying men and women and doing all kinds of inhuman things, there’s no shortage of them.

Also, the sons of those big merchants addicted to gambling would be set up and squander the family fortune...

Therefore, some ruthless Family Heads even intentionally let these spoiled sons take Five Stone Powder or similar hallucinogenic things...

This way, at least it’s not easy for them to go out and cause trouble, wasting the family wealth.

Five Stone Powder costs just a few coins, provides a full meal each time, and won’t lead to squandered family assets.

Right now, Xu Qing and Elder Gu are involved in physics mechanisms, and many small gadgets would be very interesting, perfect for consuming the idle funds of these spoiled sons.

There are also people who genuinely have a talent for these aspects, and with no worries about food and clothing, once addicted to this path, it’s very easy to produce results.

Plus, with Xu Qing’s backing of the physics faction, the indulgence of these wealthy sons also wins them the praises of their elders.

After all, it’s Wenqu Star supporting the faction from behind.

Even if these people waste away their lives, by dipping into the cultural essence, maybe it improves the next generation.

This is what the elders in big families think.

...

...

Xu Qing was dispatched from the capital to manage the waterworks under the title of imperial envoy, primarily responsible for supervision.

The former leader in water management, Minister of the Ministry of Industry Zhu Ling and River Director Liu Quan, have essentially become Xu Qing’s assistants.

Su Lianqing met with Xu Qing at this Qingzhou breach.

"Young Master, I have been ordered to investigate the matter of the Weiyang Sword and have heard an unreliable legend."

"Go on."

"It’s said that the Weiyang Sword might be the key to opening Yu King’s Treasure Vault, and the treasure vault is rumored to be located in the sealed place of the Ancient Water Demon," Su Lianqing replied.

Xu Qing, relating to the previous disturbance of the Weiyang Sword, knew that this information was likely not unfounded.

However, whether or not to open Yu King’s Treasure Vault was irrelevant.

The main purpose of this water management was to gain further control over the canal transport.

With control over both canal and sea transport, he could influence beyond Duke Wei, becoming the unchallenged leader among the Jiangnan scholars and aristocratic families.

In Qingzhou, the breach of the Yellow River had already greatly affected the canal transport.

When Xu Qing arrived, he discovered that the canal transport in this area had already been halted for two months.

Deception and concealment!

When Xu Qing’s imperial envoy procession reached Qingzhou, they couldn’t proceed due to the crowd of disaster victims.

He finally arrived at the post station, where local officials came to greet him.

Xu Qing lost his temper and scolded these officials thoroughly.

Xu Qing was not a fool; normally, when an imperial envoy inspects the area, officials would definitely conceal the truth, but by coming down, he was obviously blocked by a crowd of disaster victims, clearly aiming to morally tie him down.

Who called him the Wenqu Star of the present age?

Xu Qing could guess with his toes that Huo Jing and those guys had already instructed the Pure Stream to write memorials impeaching the reform. If not for the reform, how could there be so many disaster victims?

And when Xu Qing returned, he would have to acknowledge the disaster situation in Qingzhou.

As for how these matters relate to the reform.

The members of the Pure Stream would naturally have ways.

After scolding these people, Xu Qing then called upon the accompanying members of the Recovery Society and the students from the physics faction to gather information about this flood disaster.

As for Xu Qing himself, he rested at the post station and directly exited his Divine Soul to observe the specifics of the flood disaster in Qingzhou.

With the Divine Soul’s observation, overlooking the earth, a panoramic view.

Xu Qing quickly gained a general understanding of the flood disaster in Qingzhou.

The entire Yellow River has nine seals, forming a great array, suppressing the Ancient Water Demon.

This is the great array arranged by Yu King during the water management.

Successive dynasties have blueprints, belonging to extremely high levels of secrecy.

Because the Yellow River concerns the fundamental affairs of the world, successive dynasties have never been negligent.

It can be said that even the most incompetent emperor, even at the end of the dynasty, facing great rebellion, would not actively destroy the seals or let the Yellow River breach to solve the rebellion.

The seal in Qingzhou had a large gap, with aquatic monsters constantly appearing.

The seal also had a trend of further expansion.

"It seems like a man-made disaster?" Xu Qing roughly observed and concluded.

...

...

"Young Master, the Duke of Yan is visiting." Su Lianqing reported hurriedly upon seeing Xu Qing’s Divine Soul return.

This Duke Yan was the previous Family Head of South Kong.