Crown Prince of the Empire, I quit!

Qin Ming gazed at the winding Liao River on the sand table. The flames of war in the Western Regions had just subsided, and now the flames of war in the Northeast were rising again. Unlike the Western Regions, which had cities to attack, these tribes were fragmented and moved like the wind. Even more troublesome was that there seemed to be an invisible hand stirring the situation behind them.

"Your Majesty," the new Minister of Revenue hesitated, "Years of war have drained the national treasury..."

"I know." Qin Ming interrupted him, "So this time, there will be no war."

He suddenly grabbed a handful of dominoes representing the Mohe tribe and scattering them on the sand table with a clatter. "Issue an order: Open the Yuguan Pass to trade. The Mohe people will exchange ginseng and sable fur for salt and iron, with prices 30% higher than those in the interior. But—" he pressed a finger heavily, "all transactions must go through the newly established 'Liaodong Market Exchange Office'!"

"Another order: Give the captured Western Region dancers to the eight Khitan chieftains. Tell them that whoever can reveal the military deployment of each tribe will be rewarded with a thousand gold coins and freed from slavery."

"Finally," Qin Ming looked at the Minister of Works, "Send your son-in-law, who is good at building water wheels, to Liaoze. I want him to turn that swamp into a granary within three years."

The ministers were stunned. This was no longer a war, but a vast network woven with salt, iron, beauties, and rice.

With the arrival of spring, the Yuguan market bustled with activity. Mohe hunters' eyes lit up as they traded three sable pelts for a single steel knife. Khitan chieftains reveled in the beauty of the Huxuan dance performed by the Western Regions, their drunken revelry quietly stirring up intertribal conflict. Meanwhile, by the Liaoze Lake, waterwheels began turning, and waves of rice gradually formed on the barren shores.

But undercurrents continued to surge. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, reports emerged from Youzhou that a military horse ranch had been robbed. Mohe bone arrows and Khitan horseshoes were found at the scene—a clear attempt to frame someone. Almost simultaneously, the accountant of the Liaodong Yisi (Economy) office suddenly died, and the account books disappeared.

Qin Ming was fiddling with a Mohe bone arrow under a candle. The arrowhead was gleaming with a faint blue light. "Send the message to Wang Zhongsi," he suddenly said.

The next day, an old soldier with scars all over his face knelt in front of the temple. This was the captain of the Xuanjia Army Scout Battalion who had retired due to injury ten years ago and was most proficient in mountain warfare.

"The Mohe people believe in shamanism." Qin Ming handed him the bone arrow. "Go to Changbai Mountain and find their sacred lake. Bring a team and disguise yourself as ginseng pickers."

Three months later, during the frozen Tianchi Lake in Changbai Mountain, Wang Zhongsi's men "accidentally" rescued a Mohe shaman who had fallen off a cliff. After recovering from his injuries, the old shaman trembled as he pointed to the newly enshrined golden statue on the tribal altar—it was clearly the totem of a Khitan noble!

Almost simultaneously, copies of the Liaodong City Trade Bureau's "accidentally" leaked account books appeared on the desks of various chieftains. The accounts revealed that the Khitan Yaonian clan had stockpiled enough iron to arm 10,000 men at a price 30% below market value!

This winter, the eight Mohe tribes once again engaged in war, this time targeting the Khitan. Standing atop the Chang'an city walls, Qin Ming gazed at the smoke rising from the northeast and said to the crown prince beside him, "Do you understand? Sometimes, a handful of salt is more useful than a knife."

At the beginning of spring, Khitan envoys begged for an audience, offering the head of their defected chieftain. The Mohe elders, in turn, presented a snow-white Saker Falcon with a blood-stained letter of submission tied to its wing.

Qin Ming stroked the falcon's cold feathers and said to the Minister of Revenue, "Next year, the rice in Liaoze should have a good harvest."

Standing atop the towering watchtower of the Taiji Hall, Qin Ming's fingertips brushed against the newly carved star map on the railing. The evening breeze, carrying the scent of fresh snow, brushed past the bronze bells on the eaves. The distant lights of the imperial city shone like stars upon the world. He gazed at the Haidong Qing feather in his palm, a tribute presented by the Mohe elder. The ink on the blood-written mark at the base of the feather had long since dried.

"Your Majesty," the new Astronomical Supervisor approached, holding a map of the armillary sphere, "Last night, the Purple Palace moved unusually, and a comet pierced the moon. This is not a good omen. The Imperial Astronomical Supervisor requests that Your Majesty fast for three days..."

Qin Ming suddenly threw the feather into the bronze crane incense burner. As the smoke rose, he interrupted, "Which palace did the comet pass through?"

The Supervisor was startled. "It's shining...it's shining on Taiwei Palace."

"Taiwei is in charge of military affairs." Qin Ming swept his dark sleeves across the star map, then turned and looked south. "Issue an order: Abolish the Imperial Astronomical Observatory's three-day fasting plan and establish a 'Stargazing Banquet' instead. Order officials of the third rank and above to bring their sons proficient in mathematics to the palace. I will personally examine their skills."

The following evening, twenty-seven bronze armillary spheres were set up in front of the Taiji Hall. As the officials and their sons held their breath in concentration, Qin Ming suddenly pointed to a strange red star in the southern sky. "This star appeared in the position of the Quail Fire over a month ago. It moves three degrees south every night. Who can calculate when it will reach the Yizhen constellation?"

The whole room was silent. Only a young man in a blue robe stepped forward, used a sand table to deduce for a moment, then kowtowed: "Your Majesty, according to the Zhoubi calendar, it should enter the Yi constellation at midnight on the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month."

Qin Ming clapped his hands and smiled, "A tribute of astrological crystals from the Western Regions." He then said to the Minister of Works, "From now on, we will establish the 'Heavenly Works Institute', dedicated to observing unusual phenomena and improving agricultural tools. This young man—promote him to the rank of Ninth Rank Attendant."

As dusk deepened, an urgent military report arrived from eight hundred miles away in the south: The governor of Lingnan reported that huge overseas ships had repeatedly invaded the sea borders, and the crossbows on the ships could even shoot rockets, burning down three salt fields.

Qin Ming unfolded a map of the sea under the candlelight, his fingertips tracing the wavy boundary lines. "What's the maximum range of the navy's current tower ships?"

"Your Majesty, the maximum range of a crossbow cannon is three hundred steps, but a large ship overseas can fire flaming arrows from five hundred steps..."

"Issue an order," Qin Ming interrupted the report. "Cancel Lingnan's pearl tribute this year and recruit shipbuilders instead. Order the navy to establish a 'Boat and Route Department' in Minzhou and recruit craftsmen capable of building large, long-distance vessels." He took the astrological crystal lamp from his desk, its light and shadows casting a dazzling pattern on the map. "Tell the Boat and Route Department that the new ships must be able to carry a thousand tons and have triple sails. Also, order the Chief of Construction to build 'Thunderbolt Rockets,' modeled after the fire arrows of foreign countries, with a range of six hundred steps."

After the spring, the sound of hammering continued day and night at the Minzhou docks. But on the eve of the Dragon Boat Festival, the head of the Department of Shipbuilding and Navigation suddenly died while on an inspection tour. Next to his body lay tortoise-shell abacus sticks, commonly used by overseas merchants. Almost simultaneously, the Maritime Customs seized a smuggling fleet, and discovered plans for a thunderbolt rocket hidden in the hold.

Qin Ming was playing with a tortoise-shell abacus in the imperial study when he suddenly said to someone in the dark, "Send the navy captain Lin Polu to see us."

Three days later, a general with half of his face covered by a bronze mask knelt in front of the palace - this was the naval commander who was seriously injured and disfigured in the naval battle three years ago.

"Overseas merchant caravans often use star-pushing for navigation." Qin Ming threw a counting rod onto the sea chart. "You lead a team of people, disguised as silk merchants. Smuggle the newly manufactured 'telescope' of the Tiangong Academy into the fleet."

Mid-autumn, hurricane season in the South China Sea. Lin Polu's fleet "accidentally" rescued a shipwrecked Persian navigator. While recovering from his injuries, the navigator inadvertently revealed that an overseas island nation was purchasing large quantities of sulfur and saltpeter from the Central Plains. Almost simultaneously, copies of the "lost" customs ledgers of the Maritime Customs Office appeared on the desks of major chambers of commerce in Lingnan. The accounts revealed that merchants were reselling military equipment raw materials overseas at prices 50% above market value.