What the hell is a private enterprise?

Let's explore the map before Chapter 622 later (3200 monthly votes in July)

Everyone thought Tang Wen was troubled by the problems with Zhuawa, but in reality he simply left the matter to others and waited for news, while also getting to know Qian Lin'an better about Project 640.

During the conversation, Tang Wen asked whether the firing of rockets from artillery needed to be kept secret, but Qian Lin'an simply smiled and shook his head, explaining why:
As domestic understanding of artillery-launched rockets deepens, their advantages are gradually being recognized:
For example, the Long March 7 rocket can send a maximum payload of 150 kilograms into low Earth orbit, which means it can send a warhead with the same payload anywhere in the world.

The Long March 7 rocket weighs no more than 6 tons, which is the size and price of a heavy cruise missile, yet it directly achieves the deterrent power of an intercontinental ballistic missile, and its cost is dozens of times higher!
The DF5, currently the most usable rocket in China, is a modular liquid rocket that can only be fixed in the launch silo and cannot be moved. It also requires refueling, which is expensive, has low production volume, and complex operating conditions. There are concerns about a series of issues such as liquid fuel refueling, storage, and corrosion.

Solid-fuel missiles like the US Minuteman and Trident series are much better; they can be mounted on vehicles, but they are also quite expensive.

The combination of a giant cannon and a cannon-launched rocket is different. It is inexpensive and quick to manufacture. The No. 7 rocket can easily produce dozens of rockets a month in China. You can fire as many as you want, and they can be stored at will.

The super cannon can replace a silo or be deployed in specially constructed caves, combined with railways, to move and hide within a certain range like the Gustav cannon, and has the capability for a second counterattack.

Qian Lin'an: "If the Long March 7 rocket launch is successful, we will consider releasing some details to the public, which will be of great benefit to enhancing our deterrent capabilities."

例如原本他们的估计是我们有150枚洲际火箭，每年增加10到15枚，但有了7号火箭这个数字就将提升到20、甚至50枚以上，等同于核威慑等级大幅度上升。

In addition, it is also very useful in the civilian field. Now that the chips are mature, satellites weighing 150 to 300 kilograms are sufficient for reconnaissance, meteorology, communications and other fields. Launching them with a regular rocket would be too wasteful, and it would take a long time to wait for other satellites to be assembled together to reach the required launch weight.

"If rockets were launched from artillery, one satellite could be launched at a time, saving both time and cost."

"But giant cannons are very expensive to build, and each cannon must be equipped with multiple shells, so their ability to withstand risks is probably very poor, right?"

Tang Wen raised a question, to which Qian Lin'an responded with a knowing smile:

"So it will coexist with regular missiles, and if a giant cannon is actually discovered in wartime, it will have at least 20 minutes before it is destroyed. During that time, it would be worthwhile to fire 5 shells. Don't forget that the gun mount you gave us is a naval gun design that can manufacture an automatic loader, not a muzzle-loading cannon like the Gustav. Maybe we can find a way to fire one shell within 2 minutes."

Even if frequent launches damage its lifespan, it doesn't matter; once it's launched, it has completed its mission.

The cost of a single giant cannon and 10 artillery-launched rockets, no matter how high, would not exceed the deployment of 20 intercontinental ballistic missiles. Of course, this requires the support of the government. Domestic metallurgical companies say that building a 1000mm giant cannon is too troublesome, and even if it were barely manufactured, the production time would be too long.

"piece of cake."

Tang Wen could understand the reason for purchasing instead of developing it himself. Building the giant cannon would consume a lot of resources, but the demand was not that high. Purchasing directly from Gaijin was both cost-effective and risk-free.

Furthermore, given the current situation, strengthening deterrence is quite necessary.

After a day of touring Base 640, Tang Wencai, while having dinner there that evening, asked about the weather for the launch the following day. This reminded him that he had almost forgotten something important, so he decided to start with the Amazon rainforest fires:
"This year's climate is very abnormal. The strong El Niño phenomenon in the southern Meizhou region has led to the most intense fires in recent years. We have also discovered a new air mass in the western Pacific, which may lead to extreme weather this year."

If someone had said that at a regular dinner table, Qian Lin'an wouldn't have taken it seriously, but since Tang Wen brought it up, he immediately pressed for details:
Is it a weather forecast for Southeast Asia?

Tang Wen: "We predict that a very strong storm may ravage the South China Sea and coastal areas in two months. As a result, the mainland may experience a significant increase in rainfall. It is best to prepare for flood prevention and disaster relief in advance."

Two repeated reminders jolted Qian Lin'an awake:

"The impact is widespread?"

Tang Wen nodded:

"My suggestion is that the whole country should make some preparations. Of course, this is just a guess and may not be accurate."

But at this moment, neither Qian Lin'an nor the leaders of the base at the dinner table remained calm. You are so serious that you are almost telling us how serious the disaster was. Who would dare not believe you?

That evening, the information was sent to the capital, and the next day, as soon as the meteorological bureau opened for business, they were notified of a new task:
Based on this year's unusual weather, it is predicted that large-scale flooding may occur between May and July.

……

Standing at the launch site of the super cannon for the first time, Tang Wencai truly felt the awe-inspiring power of the 1000mm cannon.

To accommodate this giant cannon and its elevation mount, Base 640 constructed a closed circular railway with eight parallel tracks in a desolate wilderness, pulled by electric locomotives, allowing it to fire in any direction.

This mobile platform is comparable in size and weight to a rocket launch pad. The 60-meter-long cannon, plus its mount, is nearly 80 meters long. When it is erected, one has to look up to see its full size.

If converted to rockets, 80 meters would be considered a super-heavy rocket, taller than the Space Shuttle and slightly shorter than the Saturn V. As a giant cannon, it constantly showcases humanity's most extreme violent aesthetics, a pillar pointing straight to the sky and into space.

"This is a real space cannon... I suggest going into the observation room; you'll really get deafened outside."

The base leader kindly reminded him, but Tang Wen didn't insist on staying. He followed and entered the embedded bunker built halfway up the mountain. The glass in the observation room looked almost a meter high in terms of its reflectivity.

The giant cannon was loaded with rockets and underwent intensive testing last night. The launch angle is now fixed, and all personnel have evacuated. "5, 4, 3, 2... Fire!"

The instant the command ended, Tang Wen felt the heavy bunker and the entire mountain tremble violently. The next second, a dazzling flash of fire appeared at the towering cannon muzzle, and a white columnar object could be vaguely seen flashing by.

The 3.5 tons of specially formulated nitramine propellant was equivalent to more than 4 tons of TNT. The explosion directly pushed the muzzle velocity of the No. 7 rocket to more than 1.6 kilometers per second, twice as fast as the Gustav Cannon.

With such a high initial velocity, the process of the No. 7 rocket's first-stage engine starting was not even visible. By the time everyone recovered from the huge explosion, only a long white trail remained in the sky, with a tiny firefly-like dot faintly visible climbing in the heavens.

"This is another advantage of cannon-launched rockets. Conventional rockets take at least 3 to 5 minutes to climb to the Karman line and enter space, while with the acceleration of the giant cannon, it only takes 45 seconds!"
If this thing is a missile… no, I think the Empire's radar stations in Luzon and Hawaii have already detected it. Our colleagues must be shocked!

Qian Lin'an watched Tang Wen pat his chest, still shaken, talking to himself, unaware that the latter had almost developed PTSD from the shock of the giant cannon, recalling the familiar feeling of the sonic attack during the Christmas campaign.

Of course, the shockwave inside the bunker was just scary; Tang Wen quickly recovered and picked up the conversation:
"This is probably more than just a minor shock. If you have time, keep an eye on the order numbers at the pizza shops near the Prism Building. You might even find out how many people are working overtime because of this!"

The others quickly grasped the appeal of pizza and working overtime, and burst into laughter in the control room.

At this moment, Tang Wen was also quite excited. In the map in his mind, the unmanned submarine was rising at an astonishing speed, and the map rapidly zoomed up until... it plunged into darkness.

[Note: The current ship cannot exist on the current map.]

【-twenty four】

[Class 1 submarine "Exploration One": 0/510]

Our submarine is sinking? ...sinking!

[Environment Error: 000X8UK7]

[WARNING: Map does not exist]

[Reloading resources...]

The system will restart.

[Re-entering the environment, loading configuration]

You have an unread message.

[Urgent Notice: "Space" is an advanced map; low-level warships cannot enter. Forcibly entering will result in destruction.]

The wreckage of the submarine "Exploration 1" has been forcibly transported back to port.

A series of pop-up windows flashed by like flowing water, and when Tang Wen finished reading the last sentence, a gasp rang out from the control room:

"The rocket has shifted! Its trajectory has deviated from the expected path!"

The tracking and control station in Beijing was the first to detect the anomaly. The disappearance of 80 kilograms of mass from the warhead of the No. 7 rocket caused the rocket, which was accelerating, to immediately experience acceleration and anomalies at its center. Although the chip corrected itself in time, it still missed the opportunity to enter orbit, automatically shut down, and sent back an error signal.

Qian Lin'an's face immediately showed doubt, and he asked:

"Is the engine malfunctioning? Why do I see a sudden increase in acceleration, and the gyroscope is also reporting errors?"

After saying that, he looked at Tang Wen apologetically:

"We will compensate you for the cost of your payload, and we will definitely investigate the cause of the rocket malfunction to the end!"

The leaders of Base 640 also hurriedly echoed:

"I'll have someone check the second-stage rocket's test records immediately. Damn it, I told you we had to improve reliability! The transport process also needs to be checked!"

Faced with this situation, Tang Wen wanted to explain, but he couldn't very well say that the payload had already flown back to Earth, could he?

Now that things have come to this, he can only let others take the blame first... He silently apologized in his heart.

(End of this chapter)