Munitions Empire-Chapter 999 - : 921 one star

Chapter 999: 921 one star

How do you hide a drop of water? By submerging it in a torrential downpour. If there is only one airplane flying in the sky each day, then people on the ground will keep watching that one airplane. But if there are ten or even twenty airplanes flying overhead every day, then no one will bother to look up at these things that have become commonplace.

Thus, when the larger, more capable, and even safer C-130 transport planes began their transport missions in the sky, nobody realized that the Great Tang Empire had begun using more advanced transport planes on a large scale.

However, it is regrettable that these planes are actually not qualified “personnel” transport planes; their base is that of a transport plane, not like the C-47, which was developed from the DC-3 passenger plane conversion.

Therefore, the 130 model transport planes of the Great Tang Empire are mostly used for cargo missions, and only carry a large number of people during paratrooper airdrop and special personnel transport missions.

Xiong Xiao was actually very nervous on his first flight in the 130 transport plane; it was his first time seeing such a huge transport plane and also his first time seeing a low-bodied, single-wing, four-engine heavy transport plane.

Even though the interior of the plane seemed a bit rudimentary, and even the seats were temporarily arranged, Xiong Xiao was still very proud; after all, he might be one of the first foreigners to officially know about the 130 transport plane.

The journey was not comfortable because the transport plane was not specifically designed for carrying people, but its formidable carrying capacity still shocked Xiong Xiao.

The entirely transparent cargo hold, after simple modifications, was able to accommodate close to 100 passengers. Compared to the DC-3 passenger plane that could only carry about twenty people, this was a leap forward.

What thrilled Xiong Xiao even more was that his trip was not to inspect the 130 transport plane; his mission was to attend an important observation.

Yes, he was here to attend the observation. After spending more than two years in the splendor and dazzle of Chang’an, he finally got the opportunity to leave Chang’an, albeit a brief departure for Dragon Island.

It wasn’t easy to look down at the sea through the portholes because the 130 had fewer windows and they were uneven in height.

Compared to the windows of the 47 transport plane, the windows of the 130 seemed randomly placed—as if having them was enough.

He didn’t know why he was invited to this observation; he had only vaguely heard that the Great Tang Empire was planning something big.

It wasn’t a secret because someone had already semi-publicly told him: the Great Tang Empire was preparing to launch a star into the sky!

After hearing this, Xiong Xiao thought the other party was joking with him: he had never heard of stars being launched into the sky by someone.

So he didn’t believe it—at least not until he heard more and more people discussing similar topics, making him feel uncomfortable.

That’s right, uncomfortable: all his past living knowledge seemed to crumble under the challenge of the Great Tang Empire, as if he finally understood why so many emperors of other empires hated the Great Tang Empire.

But soon, he became excited again: he felt that such a Great Tang Empire was worth following for their Chu Country, worth being revered!

Only if the Great Tang Empire became stronger would their Chu Country appear more dignified when kneeling before the Great Tang… This was a very logical thought that satisfied Xiong Xiao once it occurred to him.

Indeed, our Chu Country has knelt, but you… do you even have the chance to kneel?

…

In the middle of Dragon Island, inside a vast base, everyone was busy in apprehension. The spaceflight department of the Great Tang Empire was checking the second launch rocket, which would send the Great Tang Empire’s first practical artificial satellite into space.

The first experimental launch had been successful for several months now: after all, with completely mature design drawings, everything went smoothly.

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A few months ago, an experimental satellite had already been launched into space by the Great Tang, and it began playing music constantly in the sky.

That satellite had no practical use; it was just a test subject to validate various parameters. The satellite that Dragon Island’s launch base was preparing to send was another practical artificial satellite.

The purpose of this one was quite different; it carried an ultra-high-resolution camera and had a very precise positioning system.

This spy satellite could fly over Dahua, Qin Country, Poplar Empire, the Southern Region of Ice Cold Empire… and then precisely locate almost all the cities in these regions.

The image data that a spy satellite like this could obtain would be more than what could be gathered by flying planes 200 times, not to mention that aircraft cannot cover such a vast area in their range.

Without the need for any nearby airports, without having to risk entering the airspace of certain countries, and even if it failed, no responsibility needed to be taken… This brand-new spying and surveillance method was simply perfect.

However, such reconnaissance methods are not cheap, and they’re not so convenient to use nowadays: the current spy satellites still rely on returning to the ground to transmit their film, unable to achieve real-time monitoring.

In fact, this is already progress, little did they know that after the success of this spy satellite, the technical department of the Great Tang Empire would embark on a comprehensive development plan for space.

As technology advances, spy satellites will only become more sophisticated, and a succession of various satellites will emerge en masse. Remote sensing, weather forecasting, terrain mapping, image capturing, signal transmission, positioning navigation…

When these satellites begin to roam around this planet, there will no longer be any secrets in this world!

Compared to those initial immature and rudimentary spy satellites, the spy satellites of the Great Tang Empire were very advanced from the start.

They are equipped with two complementary cameras that can identify targets as small as buildings, capable of positioning all the cities they fly over, and the data feedback greatly improves missile targeting precision.

The tall steel launch gantry is ready, and the rocket, which has been completed in the adjacent colossal factory, is slowly rolled out.

It will be mounted on the launch gantry, and then fuel will be filled, preparing for launch into an orbit more than 200 kilometers above the ground.

When Xiong Xiao sat in the Observation Platform in the distance, he felt an unreal sensation: the others seated around him were all generals and dignitaries of the Great Tang Empire, seeming like he was the only “foreigner” here to observe.

However, for the filming of the documentary, there really were a great many cameras and photographers. Everyone was excited, as this type of filming is mostly done in one continuous shot.

Merely looking at that rocket, which was as huge as a bullet, was enough to make Xiong Xiao struggle to contain his excitement.

He did not understand why the Great Tang Empire would make such a super huge shell; subconsciously, he didn’t think it was for launching stars but a super shell that could hit hundreds of kilometers away!

In fact, his intuition was not wrong because if you put a warhead on the rocket, it turns into a missile—but the real missiles are now lying in the missile silos of the Great Tang Empire, what is displayed here is indeed a rocket for launching artificial satellites.

Xiong Xiao was extremely curious, but he really didn’t have anyone to ask about the questions he was curious about. He could only maintain a relatively fixed posture, ensuring that others wouldn’t associate him with anything unsavory when they saw him.

After all, he was merely a prisoner, plainly speaking, a hostage. His safety here entirely depended on his own behavior.

More and more people entered the Observation Platform, periodically rising to applaud—officials from Dragon Island, as well as those who had come from afar, all deserving due respect.

Soon, a attendant brought news, announcing that shortly, His Majesty The Emperor and two Imperial Concubines would arrive.

This news immediately made everyone present tense up, not just Xiong Xiao—as many officials had an unquestionable fervor for His Majesty The Emperor.

With the majestic music playing, everyone rose to their feet and started applauding, while the generals in military uniforms stood at attention to salute, and the atmosphere began to surge.

Through the throngs, Xiong Xiao caught sight of a familiar figure appearing in the front row, flanked by a lady on each side. No need to guess, that was the most powerful man in this world, Emperor of the Great Tang Empire.

Tang Mo turned back to press his hands towards the ministers and guests behind him, and then turned to sit back down in his seat.

Everyone returned to their seats, with Xiong Xiao carefully sitting down with the last batch of people, once again focusing his gaze on the rocket at least twenty meters long.

After waiting for another full hour, the rocket area finally made noise. The steel braces holding the rocket opened gradually, flames spurted from the bottom of the rocket, creating a swirling cloud of white fog alongside the deflectors.

Then a massive roar swept through, stunning everyone present with the spectacle. Accompanied by a slight tremor of the earth, the rocket shot up into the sky, slowly ascending. Its speed was slow, as if it was struggling against the rules and laws of this world.

In the dusty sky, the tail flame of the rocket grew larger bit by bit, moving further and further away. Unconsciously, everyone in shock suddenly realized, the massive “shell” was about to disappear from their sight.

“Report!” After the rocket had completely vanished from everyone’s sight for about twenty more minutes, a technician in a white coat strode directly in front of Tang Mo, lifted his chin, and reported loudly, “Your Majesty! The first stage of the rocket launch was a success!”

“Clap! Clap clap!” Tang Mo slowly stood up, the first to start applauding.

Following suit, everyone behind him stood up and clapped their hands: a brand new era was about to begin!

——–

The second update will be delivered tomorrow morning, no need to wait any longer.