Iron Dynasty

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A top-secret experimental explosion transports Xiao Ming to a parallel world resembling ancient times.

In this hostile land, he is the most unfavored prince, given the most barren fiefdom.

Fortunately, however, a mysterious item from the experiment—the Technology Crystal—comes with him, granting him the ability to upgrade a technology tree.

Thus, he begins a leisurely life in his fief, farming and developing industry.

In the face of his unfriendly brothers and sisters, he has always followed the motto- friends come and get wine, jackals come and get shotguns.

Associated Names
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鋼鐵皇朝
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Latest Release

Date Group Release
07/22/25 Gravity Tales c348
07/22/25 Gravity Tales c347
07/21/25 Gravity Tales c346
07/21/25 Gravity Tales c345
07/20/25 Gravity Tales c344
07/20/25 Gravity Tales c343
07/19/25 Gravity Tales c342
07/19/25 Gravity Tales c341
07/18/25 Gravity Tales c339
07/18/25 Gravity Tales c340
07/17/25 Gravity Tales c338
07/17/25 Gravity Tales c337
07/16/25 Gravity Tales c336
07/16/25 Gravity Tales c335
07/15/25 Gravity Tales c333
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3 Reviews sorted by


keykay
New keykay rated it
June 28, 2025
Status: c667
I have had a great time reading this novel, though like all other media, it is not for everyone.

  • The main character is not immediately proactive as his circumstances do not suit it; he governs an impoverished fief bordering a hostile and immensely powerful nation, while his own nation is extremely fractured and corrupt, moments from bursting with each of its remaining princes vying for supremacy---and he, as a son of the emperor, no matter how unfavored, is an obstacle to the throne. More importantly, he has 300 years of future knowledge and would be a fool to take any rash actions without first making the most of his means.
  • I am unsure what that other review is complaining about "tropes" for. Tropes exist for a reason, and this story is literally historical in nature, even if an alternate history. I would in fact just say that these are not tropes at all, and calling them tropes is like calling using swords in medieval warfare tropes.
  • As a story spanning an entire nation, empire, region, and later, presumably the entire world, there is an enormous cast of characters and nowhere near enough time to develop all of them; the main character and his close advisors and military commanders receive lots of attention and a decent amount of development, but may leave those that prefer more character driven stories. The main character is also quite an enigma in this world, not to mention, literal royalty; that is to say, it is difficult for other characters to actually become close with him, as they are either his subordinates or obstacles.
  • Readers need to understand that s*avery is required in this story. The economies and societies of the entire world depend greatly on s*ave trade, and s*avery is still deeply entrenched into society. Even if the main character wanted to, he could not repeal s*avery. Yes, s*avery is bad. Yes, the main character is supporting s*avery, which is a bad thing, but as it turns out, the ruler of any nation in this time period does exactly the same, and must do exactly the same. It is simply not viable to abolish it; doing so would simply slow down his fief's progress, allowing enemies to catch up.
  • I did get a slight racist undertone from the story, though not nearly as bad as the other reviewer suggested. Maybe I did not read clearly enough, but what I saw was only enough for me to harbor some suspicions regarding the author's actual worldview. It is very important to mention that racism and nationalism are obviously, in story, unavoidable features and even good tools for rulers to wield against their foes. Regardless of what the main character truly believes, if he decides not to engage in the African s*ave trade or does but humanizes the s*aves, it will only slow his progress.
  • I would also like for the main character to suffer more real setbacks. He is often dealt a bad hand or let down by those meant to aid him, but none of his loyal men have died in war, he has not lost any valuable resources or battles for that matter, and his failed experiments at worst end in injuries, not deaths or disfiguration. The loss of some of his generals, troops, weapons, ships, facilities, cities, or really just anything strategic would do well to ground the story and raise stakes.
  • However, the pressure is real and mounting on the main character. Stakes are not low, and I am still very engaged with the story at present. It is my hope that the main character will actually suffer some large losses in the near future, and given a recent conflict from a few chapters ago, I think that may just happen.
I would highly recommend this story to anyone that enjoys kingdom building and does not mind a main character that is initially rather passive or a cast that is not well developed. The story is fairly grounded and (despite the sheer amount of death involved---it is dynastic China, after all)... more>> seems somewhat light hearted. I would have preferred it to be a bit darker, though I also think that about most stories I read.

If you prefer more character driven stories where the protagonist's choices completely dictate the events of the story from the start, I would not recommend this story, as it would take quite a while to reach the point of the main character's active development.

I would also like to shout out the translator for this story, as he releases a whopping 10 chapters a day and has responded quickly to feedback on his patreon. <<less
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digitalzombie
digitalzombie rated it
May 15, 2025
Status: c123
As of Chapter 123, I'm surprised there aren't any reviews on this.

The novel is okay, nothing great.

Sticking points:

  • characters aren't developed and it's mostly driven by events; He's reawaken in a new world and his past life is glossed over. Other novel have thing such as MC last life was bad because he had no parent or lack of love, so this is why MC is like this. Showing us this is what motivate MC or how it make MC tick.
  • lots of s*avery. Didn't sell it well enough. Other novels take a different approach and have MC get outcasts or poor beggers instead of using s*ave route. S*avery comes up every now and then, to the point that this is one of the main engine that drive MC empire growth.
  • tropes, certain things are overly use like selling stuff towards the empire harem for money. Or creating soap and such. There's no twist or even better way of retelling these tropes.
  • the writing is ok
  • the politic stuff isn't sold well. There's this underlining theme of oppressed common folks vs noble, so vigilante is encouraged by MC. The problem is the author is saying instead of showing the readers. I'm not sold on the reason to take this path if you're going to hand wave because the noble stole land from the common folks. Author need to show me how despicable those villains are. I personally don't like vigilante but Judge Dredd and Punisher can sell that concept well. This author does not.
  • There's no real sense of tension and rush. Supposedly MC is fighting with other rival princes, barbarians, and corrupt nobles; but MC got all the time in the world to solve those things by building all these wonderful stuff. I understand the concept of, "Suspension of disbelief" for the sake of enjoyment but author kinda failed to make it entertaining. There aren't any real setbacks.
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Masbayu11
Masbayu11 rated it
June 22, 2025
Status: c120
Review – A Massive Letdown in Disguise

This novel had everything it needed to be great — a reincarnation into 16th-century China, modern knowledge at the protagonist’s fingertips, and even a detailed guidebook to revolutionize the world. It promised a rich blend of kingdom building and historical transformation. As a fan of those themes, I was genuinely excited. But what I got instead was a shallow, frustrating mess.

The plot is flat and uninspired. The protagonist doesn't lead the story — he just reacts passively to whatever happens, like a leaf in... more>> the wind. There’s no tension, no real struggle, no intelligent strategy — just a mechanical progression from one event to another with no real heart behind it.

And then there’s the racism. The author chooses to highlight s*aves not just as a part of the setting, but repeatedly and unnecessarily emphasizes their race — describing them as "dark-skinned Southeast Asians" or "Black Africans" being sold as s*aves. Why? It adds nothing to the story and only makes the narrative feel needlessly prejudiced and tone-deaf. Saying “s*aves” would have been enough — unless the author had a deeper reason to explore race, which clearly they didn’t.

Set during what seems to be the late Ming or early Qing dynasty, the historical setting had so much potential. But the writing feels incredibly rushed. While there’s almost no filler, it’s so barebones that nothing is developed. The industrial revolution the author tries to introduce happens with almost no explanation, no depth, and zero believability. It feels like they googled a few things and called it a day.

In short, this novel is a massive disappointment. A fantastic idea utterly wasted by poor execution, shallow writing, and an uncomfortable layer of unnecessary racial commentary. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for thoughtful kingdom building or meaningful historical fiction — there are far better stories out there. <<less
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