Munitions Empire-Chapter 1223 - 1143 New Product Launch Event
Inside an undisclosed castle, a red-haired woman reached out to turn off the radio broadcasting the news of the Chu Country plane crash.
She frowned and looked at the woman beside her, sighed, and said, "It seems our opponent has once again managed to stay ahead of us."
"Their victory is only temporary; we will undoubtedly be the ultimate victors!" The Countess promptly reassured her. She spoke without a shred of hesitation, for the woman in front of her was breathtakingly beautiful—even if she made mistakes, the gods would surely forgive her.
Sofia felt somewhat unwilling to accept the situation, considering that losing someone as experienced as Liu Jing was a significant setback. She glanced at the radio and asked softly, "Can we confirm that Liu Jing is indeed dead?"
"The message from Shu Country indicated that Liu Jing did board the plane that day along with Earl Zhang Han," the Countess replied, lowering her gaze.
Though it couldn’t be fully confirmed yet, the crash and destruction of that plane were undeniable. In all likelihood, Liu Jing was indeed dead; otherwise, they would have gone to Nanshan Port to rendezvous with their contacts.
"Order a password change! Raise the encryption level of all passwords by one!" Sofia commanded.
"Ma’am! There’s no evidence to prove that our codes have been deciphered…" The Countess was momentarily stunned upon hearing Sofia’s order and then opened her mouth to remind her.
Changing the passwords wasn’t just a simple matter of issuing an order—it came with a heavy price.
First and foremost, all bases, contacts, and telegraph operators would have to adapt to a completely new encryption system, which in itself was an enormous undertaking.
Moreover, cryptographic patterns need to be crafted, and those capable of designing new codes are geniuses among geniuses—the most valuable resources for any faction. They require time to develop a new set of rules.
Frequent code changes would not only create problems for one’s own faction but also raise communication costs. Additionally, there simply aren’t enough reliable code variations available for constant replacement.
Hence, changing passwords based solely on suspicion constitutes an extreme waste for any faction—a waste not only of money but also of the time invested in designing the codes!
"I don’t believe in coincidences like this… The plane carrying my most valued talent crashed just like that!" Sofia gave her reasoning.
For her, everything seemed too coincidental. Such coincidence in itself was a dangerous signal—if Liu Jing could perceive danger, so could Sofia.
She had a strong premonition that their communications might have been compromised by the enemy. Excessively frequent telegraph exchanges could have been the sole flaw in Qin Country’s campaign against Shu Country this time.
To facilitate better coordination and adjustments, she had exchanged considerable telegraph correspondence with Liu Jing and held numerous communications with Qin Country, all of which could potentially have been intercepted by Tang Country.
However, she had always been confident in the encryption of her telegraphs, as she had also been studying how to crack Tang Army codes. This effort gave her insight into the immense difficulty of codebreaking.
Many cryptography experts assured her that such needle-in-a-haystack decoding efforts were utterly impossible—or even if possible, it wouldn’t be feasible within operational timeframes.
But this time, she genuinely started to doubt—if the opposition had truly deciphered her encrypted telegraphs, could it be that all her messages were now under their control?
"Change them! I can afford the expense of acquiring another set of codes, but I cannot bear the risk of our secrets being decrypted." Sofia continued when she saw the Countess remain silent.
"Understood!" The Countess finally nodded. Sofia was right; there was no point in stubbornly insisting on her own perspective.
...
"Hmm?" A duty officer in the Tang Country intelligence department responsible for codebreaking saw the report handed to him by his subordinates and revealed an excited smile: "The opponent has changed their password?"
"Yes, sir! The last telegraph sent by the other side appears to use a code for password changes. After that, our deciphering efforts have encountered difficulties," his subordinate replied with a grin.
"So, does this mean we can no longer decrypt their messages?" The officer, having faced similar situations before, appeared exceedingly composed.
His subordinates were equally unfazed. Their department specialized in this work and had the support of an unparalleled secret asset unknown to outsiders.
Shrugging confidently, one of them said, "We’ll need some time to accumulate patterns—about three days, possibly five. As long as we gather enough samples, we can break their encryption again."
They had gone through this process countless times. If they wished, they could even crack their own military’s highest-level encrypted communications.
But so what? The Tang Empire’s military had already begun using computers to design encrypted messages. Changing to a new code was no challenge for them; they even had hundreds of backup schemes and could switch to new passwords daily.
The problem was that their opponents didn’t possess supercomputers, so the speed at which they could decrypt communications couldn’t possibly keep up.
"I need to inform the Director about this. The opposition has become cautious—this intelligence is too vital to miss." The officer stood up, put on his hat, and addressed his subordinates.
They had agents embedded deep within enemy factions and field operatives responsible for tracking and monitoring adversaries. Given the high risks of their work, it was imperative to warn these comrades to exercise maximum caution during sensitive periods.
...
"It’s time for us to revolutionize our modes of travel! Traditional planes, such as propeller-driven aircraft, truly lack sufficient safety… Our Great Tang Group has already devised new solutions to enhance travel safety," the Great Tang Group’s spokesperson addressed reporters confidently.
Recent incidents involving plane crashes in Chu Country had indeed made headlines, bringing aviation safety issues to the forefront.
The Tang Empire wasted no time, seizing this opportunity to unveil an all-new jet-powered large passenger airplane.
The new aircraft could transport over a hundred people in a single flight, drastically reducing ticket prices while providing airlines with significantly lower operational costs.
The planes boasted faster speeds, more comfortable cabin environments, reduced noise, and longer range—all promising passengers an elevated flying experience.
"For the first time, groundbreaking technology is being introduced primarily in the civilian sector! In this case, military aviation can’t even compete with civilian airliners. This represents progress—and our commitment! Technology should serve the public, boost productivity, and address societal issues, rather than only being employed for warfare." The spokesperson’s words received a round of applause.
This world desperately needed peace—it had been perpetually engulfed in war. Ironically, at present, the Tang Empire was still in the midst of a grueling war of extermination against Mirage Country.
The battlefield was simply too distant to remind people that the Tang Empire remained engaged in brutal conflict.
A reporter excitedly asked how much safety the new passenger aircraft could truly improve: "Can the new planes genuinely address safety concerns?"
The Great Tang Group spokesperson confidently provided an astonishing figure: "The new aircraft’s design concept is fundamentally different—it’s one hundred times more advanced than the old 47 model transport planes, with a safety factor increased by the same magnitude! Trust me—this is a revolution in human transportation history!"
When the spokesperson mentioned "one hundred times," everyone reacted with gasps, followed by enthusiastic applause. Frankly, if safety could be improved to that extent, traveling by air could indeed become much more accessible.
The spokesperson continued: "The cutting-edge technology comes directly from the Great Tang Group’s military innovations. This technology allows planes to achieve speeds exceeding 700 kilometers per hour! It’s faster than any propeller-driven aircraft."
His statement surprised the reporters even further—military technology trickling into the civilian domain wasn’t unheard of, but transferring the world’s latest military innovations directly into public use was undeniably headline-worthy.
Aside from the Poplar Empire, already equipped with Type 262 jet fighter jets, and the Great Qin Empire, secretly preparing to mass-produce Tang-designed TA-183 jet fighters, other nations had yet to develop fighter jets capable of such speeds!
"Does this signify that the Great Tang Group is preparing to sell even more advanced jet fighters?" A reporter raised his hand and called out loudly.
"I’m sorry, but I’m not privy to that information. I represent the commercial aircraft division; our Group’s military strategies are beyond my scope," the spokesperson replied officially.
"Is it true that the new passenger aircraft can accommodate over 100 passengers?" Another seasoned journalist, careful not to touch on military matters, shifted back to the topic of civilian aviation performance.
As expected, the spokesperson welcomed such questions enthusiastically and answered comprehensively: "The new plane is designed to carry 104 passengers, and—this is crucial—all seats are far more comfortable than those on the 47 model airliners! Each seat includes individual lighting and independent foldable trays!"
"Passengers will enjoy guest-like treatment! The airplanes feature cutting-edge refrigeration and cooking equipment, capable of serving delicious meals to every passenger!" The spokesperson spoke eloquently, and the journalists below were reaching a frenzy.
Before this news conference, nobody dared imagine sitting on a sofa at 10,000 meters above sea level while dining on delicious food.
"Trust me, ladies and gentlemen! In the future… flying will become a wonderful journey! Safety… will be assured! That’s the essence of technological progress!" As this spokesperson concluded his presentation, thunderous applause erupted, lasting for a long time.
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The next chapter will be released slightly later; everyone can check it tomorrow morning.
