Ming Dynasty, New Rome, and Infinite Divine Machine

The two ships were the bread ships that had carried the Vulcan device before and that the chef had sent. According to Shangluo's request, the command of these large ships had been completely transferred to Shangluo. There were more than 30 ships in total, and these were two of them.

"So what are we going to do?" Wen Yuan was called over early in the morning to carry out the mission. Lu Huaiyang was coordinating at the bow, while Wen Yuan was standing next to Shangluo.

"We need to do something big. We need to go to heaven!"

"Wait. Is that why you sent me in a stealth suit? Wait, wait, how are you going to get this thing up in the air? It's not going to have enough power, is it?"

Lianshan is a super battleship. Although the two ships sent by the chef are quite useful, the Vulcan devices they carry are only civilian versions after all.

"How can the Vulcan device on this ship send the Lianshan into the sky?"

"Of course I couldn't do that - so I got two."

Also participating in the operation was Ryugu.

Ao Zang never refused such requests. When the Lianshan came to a stop, the two breadboats were connected to the back. A water dragon sprayed foam on the joints of the hull, which were "welds" made of mirage.

In a way, this can be called cold welding. Under the action of the mirage, the two giant structures were bonded together. The structural strength of the objects made by the mirage can be customized. Even if the total weight is hundreds of thousands of metric tons, these mirage cold welds can ensure the rigidity of the joints.

After everything was completed, under Shangluo's order, the two breadboats at the back began to fill with water - the two ships directly opened the sea valves to allow seawater to pour into the cabins. The combined body of the three ships began to tilt due to the increase in weight at the rear, and the Lianshan at the head slowly rose up.

"Hey hey hey!" Wen Yuan said in astonishment, "Are you serious?! Shouldn't we get off the boat first?"

"Of course I'll get off the boat. Of course I'm afraid of death."

"I was so scared! Why did you make me wear this? I thought I was going to be catapulted into the sky along with the ship."

"Isn't it because we are worried about a sudden discharge? Okay, that's enough, let's go down."

Riding on the sea dragon that came to pick them up, everyone found a good observation position beside the ship.

At this time, the bow of the Lianshan was raised high, like the Titanic that had hit an iceberg. The two breadboats behind it sank to the bottom of the water, and the Vulcan devices on them were also running.

Soon, after receiving a report from the technician, Shangluo took out a red button.

"Attention all units! Stay away! Prepare to fire! Ten! Nine!"

When the countdown reached 0, Shangluo pressed the red launch button.

The launch was a "cold" launch. Without any sound, the huge warship suddenly disappeared from everyone's sight, but a dark shadow was cast. Everyone looked up and saw that the huge composite structure had been launched into the sky. The ship at the tail had fallen off because it was red and hot. The second stage continued to activate the Vulcan device and jumped again before the bow was aimed at the ground.

Chapter 1320 Track Construction

Perhaps it was due to the protection of the dragon egg, or perhaps Shangluo was particularly lucky today, the firecracker plan was successful.

"Wow!" Wen Yuan looked up at the sky. "What the hell is this? Where did this boat go?"

"It was launched near the space station and docked with it."

"Wait a minute." Wen Yuan asked, "Based on my high school physics knowledge, this thing has no speed, so it will fall down even if it is launched, right?"

"So I sent it to the vicinity of the space station in high orbit. When it was attracted back by the Earth from high orbit, the space station used the 'rotation' property of the Vulcan core to make it fly past the Earth, using the Earth's gravity as a gravitational slingshot to regain the time to accelerate, thus slowly rounding the elliptical orbit."

This process is pure magic. Shangluo had already calculated that there is nothing in the world that can put a battleship of nearly 0 tons into orbit. Just as Wen Yuan said, there is no zero gravity in space, and things without speed will fall even in space.

But in the process of falling, the speed is accelerated by the gravity acceleration of the earth, that is, 9.8 meters per second. If you want to enter orbit, you have to reach the first cosmic speed, which is 7900 meters per second.

To reach this speed, the uniform acceleration formula shows that if an object wants to enter orbit, it needs to accelerate at the standard gravitational acceleration of the Earth for 807 seconds, which is about 13 minutes.

This is impossible to achieve because the direction of the Earth's gravitational acceleration must point to the Earth's center of mass. If the spacecraft is allowed to fall, then even if it reaches the first cosmic speed, it will only hit the Earth at the first cosmic speed.

So another kind of magic of Vulcan Core is needed here - rotation.

The Vulcan core can make the warship rotate. Not only does the warship rotate itself, but its forward direction also "rotates", so that after getting enough gravitational acceleration for free, it can turn the bow and let the ship fly past the earth, converting the speed pointing to the earth into the speed around the earth.

After that, jump back to the original height and you can fall down again.

In fact, if the Vulcan device is powerful enough, this rotation can achieve a right-angle turn. But the Vulcan device now tied to the back is only a civilian version and does not actually have enough direct orbital capability.

In order for this behemoth to reach a speed fast enough to orbit the earth, and in order for the battleship to effectively accelerate for 807 seconds in the gravity field, the battleship also needs to change its trajectory frequently in the universe, including using a gravity slingshot to extend the opportunity for acceleration.

During this process, the Vulcan device can only concentrate energy on rotation and cannot provide excessive propulsion, so the main force of acceleration is still the gravity of the earth itself.

Although 807 seconds is only about 13 minutes, considering various reasons, such as the fact that the gravitational acceleration decreases when moving away from the earth, the entire orbit entry and subsequent orbit change actually takes more than ten hours. Within a dozen hours, many places on the earth can see a huge object flying around the edge of the earth.

“This is too thrilling!”

"So this is why the moon is so important. To launch such a large structure on the moon, you don't need to use this kind of tricks with firecrackers and gravity slingshots - but then again, this is also because the ship itself is so big."

"By the way, can you see that ship if you look up?"

"I haven't really calculated where I can see it. But the scheduled orbit is on the path of Lan Fang's lunar cannon. After a series of equipment is launched, the battleship will also be equipped with more powerful Vulcan devices, and then we will be able to move forward more freely."

"This is really...totally magic! Is this magical space travel?"

"This seems to be a Roman concept as well. However, the Vulcan device was previously unreliable in such situations, and they had no way to guarantee the safety of the ship during this series of operations—but well."

Shangluo shook his head.

This reminded him of the many weapons that had a bad reputation in history, but they shined in video games. This was because the tanks and light weapons in video games would not malfunction. In this case, even the Saosha machine gun would look handsome.

Under the protection of the dragon egg, the Vulcan device will no longer collapse and can perform its mission completely.

"Shangluo." Wen Yuan looked at the sky. He had noticed that the warship appeared above his head.

It was a high orbit far from the ground, and a huge object visible to the naked eye was heading straight for the ground. However, before entering the atmosphere, the entire ship strangely and firmly made a big turn, with the bow pointing upward, and then jumped to a high orbit again, and fell again.

The battleship was bouncing back and forth on the border between reality and magic. It would be successful in a dozen hours.

"Should we also prepare?" Wen Yuan asked, "This time, the Lianshan will be our base of operations, right?"

"Yes. But we won't take the jump device. We can just take a regular rocket."

According to current plans, there are three launch methods that serve the goal together.

One is the pure magic launch just now by Lianshan. This can only be used by Lianshan, because it is impossible to jump so many times in a row without exploding in other places.

The second is the cargo lunar cannon.

The third is the manned Water Dragon.

All three methods were huge, working together for a grand goal. At this point, the advantages of the planned route also emerged - the carrying capacity of these three methods was extremely large. Even the slowest water dragon could launch 400 metric tons at a time after a preparation period of more than ten days.

If the lunar cannon keeps firing continuously, it can launch hundreds of tons of materials into space every three days. Both of these conventional methods can project huge masses into orbit in a short period of time.

The track construction of Lianshan will also start accordingly, and many automatic machines and manual operators will go to Lianshan to install them.

A temporary dock will be built near the space station so that equipment and supplies can be gathered and distributed there.

"We just need to eat well and sleep well." Shangluo replied, "These are all automatic. The preliminary work has been handed over to the automaton and Tianyi Guiren. We will join the action after the preliminary environment is built. When we join, the plan will begin."

"Are you planning on launching some escort ships or something?"

"I actually applied for two Shuilongs. By then, there will be two 2-ton Shuilong-modified frigates next to us. Well, it looks like we have a fleet."

Chapter 1321 The Launch of Lianshan

The Lianshan successfully entered the geosynchronous orbit at about 5 pm that day and docked over Yingtian. All Yingtian citizens looked up and could see the -ton giant ship docked in high orbit.

Next to the giant ship is the wheel-shaped space station, a creation of the Columbian Automata. Human technology is flying in tandem with human technology. After being briefly surpassed by Ironhead, humans followed closely behind, launching spacecraft of the same magnitude and regaining balance.

The good news for the public is being edited. Even if we ignore the news about the Columbian Automaton Nation, which is not suitable for publication, this is a great victory for mankind. Just like other victories thousands of miles away, this victory will appear on the front page of Yingtian’s newspaper that evening, allowing everyone to share in the glory.

Although the popular watermelon-flavored salty soda can no longer be distributed to Yingtian citizens for free this winter due to the production line being oversupplied, everyone will feel as proud as if they were drinking watermelon soda when they think of the huge battleship floating overhead.

And the shorter message had already spread to the ears of all those who knew about it.

Zhu Xianxin stood on his balcony and witnessed the scene. He had actually been watching the big ship jumping back and forth in the sky since the morning. Although the final stage of the orbit change had changed the orbit from ellipse to circle, so it no longer needed to jump around, it was a magic ship after all.

A strange thing powered by magic and taboos flew over his head, making him exclaim "Wow."

He didn't feel relieved until everything was settled. Because in the end, the warship passed through Yingtian more and more frequently, and he was afraid that the warship would smash down directly. At that time, he might have to use some backup hidden energy to intercept 100,000 tons of steel in the sky above Yingtian.

But in the end, Shangluo succeeded.

Soon after, two Water Dragons would be launched into the sky. The Water Dragons would carry the materials needed to transform the Lianshan—mainly those that were not suitable for being launched by cannons, such as some huge machines that could not be disassembled.

The hulls of the two Water Dragons will also be used to build frigates later.

"Should I design the uniforms for the Space Force?" Zhu Xianxi pondered.

Although the Thunder Department Heavenly Army was formed by Shangluo, it will take some time before it is truly merged.

During this period, the imperial court did need some space power of its own, because it could not just sit on the earth and not look for Shangluo for everything related to space.

But then again, there still needs to be a division of labor.

In the evening, Shangluo, who came to report the good news, sat in front of him.

"By the way, Shangluo, I think we need to divide up some work regarding aerospace. Because not all matters in the sky belong to the heavens."

"Ah, like satellites, right?"

Zhu Xianxun nodded: "Since it is running so smoothly, we can try to launch our communication satellite. You still remember that overseas calls are expensive, right? Because they are all transmitted through submarine cables. The channels of submarine cables are quite limited, and our communication with the New World is becoming more and more frequent. Including, long-distance communications in the capital are becoming more and more tense."

"Wait a minute, Brother. I think it's a bit too early for us to study communication satellites when we haven't even figured out integrated circuits yet?"

"We can put the Tianyi nobles into the satellite, and then let them provide switching services like the Jinyiwei's switching station. I think this is a good project for cooperation between heaven and earth, and it can increase the funds of the heavenly court. After all, the heavenly court still has to pay coins to buy soda, right?"

"Brother, did you see it?"

"It's hard not to notice you guys buying hot Coke at the door. Actually, there's another thing going on recently, which is watermelon soda, and that also requires cooperation with the Heavenly Court."

"What's that? Some watermelon soda?"

"Actually, it's like this - you know that Yingtian Prefecture is going to distribute daily necessities, right? It's because the prices in Yingtian are too high, and our supplies are used to stabilize the cost of living, so that we can ensure that the price of living and the price of production run at the same time."

Shangluo also knew that this actually had the effect of restricting urbanization. The household registration system of the Ming Dynasty was tied to welfare, a large part of which was the distribution of materials and subsidies. The court did not restrict people from leaving their registered places, but many things related to citizen welfare were distributed in their original registered places.

The intention of the imperial court was: if citizens could settle down in Yingtian by their own ability, then the imperial court would not care about these things. The opportunities provided by Yingtian also made Yingtian's floating population the largest in the world.

But if you don't have the ability to settle down, at least you won't starve to death if you go home.

Yingtian is already very big, and the local citizens alone have supported a huge city. Among the supplies distributed to the citizens of Yingtian, there is a column of mandatory items.

“That’s watermelon soda.”

"So why watermelon soda?"

"Because watermelon is the specialty of Xiaolingwei. Xiaoling melon is also the face of the entire Yingtian, and it is one of the few specialties here. So every winter, everyone loves to drink watermelon soda."

"Does Xiaolingwei have watermelons in winter?"

"No." Zhu Xianxi answered simply, "In fact, there is no watermelon in the watermelon soda. It is just carbonated water with sugar and watermelon flavoring. But it is produced by the soda factory in Weigang, so everyone just thinks it is a peripheral product of Xiaolingwei watermelon."

"Ah, this. Why do I feel like this is a big deal? Otherwise, you wouldn't have mentioned this to me, brother."

"Because this is everyone's memory of the end of the year, everyone loves to drink this at the end of the year."

"Then why is it gone?"

"It seems like a few months ago, when you were leading the 'giant spirit' into the city, you passed by the Xiaolingwei territory, and then unfortunately, you ran into the watermelon soda factory in the corner. The facilities were too old and there was no replacement, and now the new equipment needs to be debugged. So I thought, you can also take over this deal."

Shangluo understood now - Zhu Xianxi saw that the Thunder Department was getting more and more active, and wondered if the Thunder Department might be short of money, so he wanted to send some orders. Including communication satellites, soda and the like, all of which could be provided by the Thunder Department.

"Will the Xiaoling Guards be angry?"

"No, I've already told him. And the son of the commander of the Xiaoling Guard is your classmate, from your Imperial College. He might even bring watermelon to see you at the beginning of the year. So, do you have a plan for the soda?"

"That's easy. Apart from the flavors which are a bit difficult to deal with, sugar and carbonated water can be produced by automatic machines, which is extremely convenient."

Chapter 1322 Watermelon Flavored Soda

Although the situation was urgent, Shangluo still planned to give everyone watermelon-flavored soda.

This achievement must be completed perfectly - it is a small thing, but it is also a piece of cake for Shangluo.

This is not just reflected in the production of soda, but for Shangluo, the production of these earthly products in heaven has almost entered the realm of freedom.

The bread ships in the Automata country have complex reactors that can toss starch, alcohol, carbon dioxide and other things back and forth. Whether you need one of them or a combination of two, the bread ships can easily complete the task.

The main ingredients of watermelon-flavored soda are water and carbon dioxide. This does not even require the power of a reactor. All you need to do is use the perpetual motion machine on the ship to take water, purify the water, and then inject carbon dioxide from the air into it.

The remaining watermelon essence is too complex to be made by an automatic machine. However, making soda doesn't require much essence, so it can be bought directly from outside.

This seasonal production line can be changed frequently. All large ships can provide services to the entire Yingtian in real time.