Munitions Empire-Chapter 1224: Major Development of Civil Aviation in 1144

Actually, in the early days of modern aviation, airplane meals were incredibly sumptuous and delicious. This is not an exaggeration—it’s a fact. And it wasn’t just the meals; every part of the service was exceptionally high-end.

During the era of prohibitively expensive airline tickets, every flight attendant was meticulously selected by the airlines—their quality far surpassed some of today’s so-called pop celebrities. Every one of them was gentle and alluring, ensuring that passengers had pleasing sights throughout their flight.

Moreover, the supporting facilities at airports at that time were definitely superior to those at train stations. Even ticket sellers were often retired flight attendants.

As for the food served on airplanes—it was even more outrageous. Many people may find it hard to imagine that smoking was allowed onboard in those days, and the planes even offered champagne, red wine, beer, and even Maotai! Yes, you heard it right—Maotai!

Airline meals on various flight routes included lobster, sashimi, escargot, steak… Some flights even served exaggerated meals complete with appetizers before the main course and dessert afterward. I’m not joking—many of the ingredients were freshly prepared. To ensure high-quality dining for passengers, some planes even made stops at airports just to maintain food stability for onboard meals.

Indeed, dining onboard during that era was truly an enjoyable experience. Today’s airline meal services, which are often reserved only for VIPs and first-class passengers, were accessible to everyone who took a flight back then!

The problem arose when airlines began cutting costs, slashing additional services—the easiest expenditure to trim. Since then, flying became no different from taking a train.

In reality, the cost reductions enabled ordinary citizens to afford flights. With discounted tickets now comparable to train fares, it’s no wonder more people in modern times opt for air travel.

Nowadays, with airplanes costing more than 20 million Gold Coins, service onboard must naturally match the price tag. Tang Country’s jetliners are excessively expensive—so much so that ordinary people certainly cannot afford to ride them.

If ordinary people can’t afford the tickets, why not set the ticket price even higher? That way, service quality can be improved, and the actual consumer base will truly feel they’re getting their money’s worth.

No one could have imagined that a civilian airliner’s price could rival a warship. But in reality, when journalists saw that plane, their first reaction was surprisingly, "It’s not expensive!"

Yes, indeed, the plane was stunningly designed. Its creamy white body complemented by two gigantic jet engines, swept-back wings, and a row of circular windows—it resembled a swan gracefully spreading its wings before the audience, majestic and proudly lifting its head high.

It was vastly larger than the 47-model aircraft, so much so that a specialized boarding ramp was required. Its sheer enormity left everyone in awe, and the journalists even forgot to lift their cameras.

When people entered the plane’s interior, they realized just how advanced it was: it had a standalone kitchen, staffed by five well-trained flight attendants providing full-service throughout the journey. Each seat was extraordinarily spacious, making the experience purely indulgent!

Compared to enduring hours in a noisy, drafty fuselage in the past, flying on such an aircraft was undoubtedly blissful and filled with novelty.

Besides, it was fast! Riding this plane could reduce what would take a full day into just a morning’s journey. It could fly at altitudes above 8,000 meters—a height unattainable by most current fighter jets.

The new plane was equipped with advanced search radar, altitude radar ensuring safe flight levels, and sophisticated radio navigation systems capable of achieving a certain degree of "automatic flight."

Its technology was so advanced that it seemed worlds apart from the previous cheap-looking 47-model aircraft.

Indeed, they weren’t products of the same era! The new plane was none other than Boeing Company’s most successful project—the "737" narrow-body jetliner. From the moment it was born, it was far more mature and safer than other companies’ offerings.

In those days, Boeing’s airliners were unparalleled in strength, and until the arrival of Airbus, they virtually had no competitors!

Unfortunately, later on, to compete with Airbus, Boeing Company followed McDonnell Douglas’s path—cutting costs and modifying mature designs. Ultimately, they transformed the reliable 737 jetliner into a "suicide plane" with plummeting safety standards.

However, this didn’t imply that the early models of the 737 jetliner had issues. In fact, the early models of the 737 remained incredibly safe and classic airplanes.

How does one use a seemingly straightforward plane crash incident to market their product? The Great Tang Group appeared to excel in such matters.

Airlines adopting the new planes would be first in line to receive the Great Tang Group’s Civil Aviation Division Award for industry excellence, granting them safety certification.

Only airlines with such certification could retain routes to airports in the Great Tang Empire. Put differently, within three years, only jetliners would be permitted to operate within the Great Tang Empire.

Because failing to actively purchase advanced, safe, new aircraft essentially meant neglecting passenger safety! Companies that disregard such responsibilities have no right to operate within the Great Tang Empire.

You could call this hegemony or unreasonable conduct, but industry standards are what they are! Without the Great Tang Group’s safety certification, you’re simply not recognized within the industry!

Top-tier companies set the standards! Regrettably, nearly all industrial standards were being formulated by the Great Tang Group, and Tang Mo was the benchmark for the entire industry. Only companies endorsed by him could continue to survive within specific sectors.

...

On New Island, the bulldozers hadn’t yet departed. At a freshly constructed launch site, five Scud missile launch vehicles were raising the missiles they carried.

The plan was to transport 200 Scud missiles to New Island for battle, but it was unlikely they’d wait for every single missile to be in place before launching the attack.

In fact, once 10 missiles and five launch vehicles reached land, the Great Tang Empire had already begun preparing to use these missiles to strike the capital of Mirage Country.

"Coordinates confirmed!" Frankly, operating Scud missiles in this era was still extremely cumbersome. The Great Tang Empire clearly had no intention of wasting further time on this outdated missile model, so investments in it were minimal.

After painstakingly determining the missile coordinates, missile operators wearing gas masks began injecting liquid fuel into them.

It was already a hot day, making it incredibly uncomfortable to wear biochemical protective suits and gas masks. However, there was no alternative; refueling the missiles was a hazardous job, and these suits provided the soldiers their final layer of protection.

The first batch of Scuds were equipped with Fuel-Air Explosive Bomb warheads—massive, devastating bombs known as the "Mother of All Bombs."

Before the advent of nuclear weapons, these were likely the most powerful bombs out there. Five missiles with such warheads were nearly ready for launch at that moment.

A few hours later, General Feng Kezhi received the report that the missiles were ready, and he gave the attack order. The five Scud missiles roared to life, shooting flames as they left the launch vehicles and soared toward the horizon.

Soon, the coastal radars of Mirage Country’s main island detected these fast-moving targets. Their speed was extraordinary, and their trajectories were previously unseen.

Detecting these high-altitude ballistic targets was relatively easy for radar, but what Mirage Country could do about them remained to be seen.

The Zero Fighter units, which had always attempted to intercept the Great Tang Army’s jet bombers, received notification, but before they could approach Shen Capital, they were informed that the operation had been canceled.

This was because the missiles had struck Shen Capital, and Mirage Country already knew what needed to be intercepted. Hence, the fighter jet interception mission was promptly called off.

Five enormous Fuel-Air Explosive Bombs landed within Shen Capital, instantly destroying buildings through sheer impact alone. The detonation of the warheads obliterated entire blocks, turning flimsy civilian structures into rubble amidst the tremors.

The unluckiest victim was Mirage Country’s Admiral Shen Haiping’s mansion: it took a direct hit from one of the bombs, killing his entire family in the explosion.

Shen Haiping himself, however, had escaped the calamity, as he was attending meetings in his headquarters and planning suicide-speedboats in the command center during these days and hadn’t returned home.

But aside from him, his elderly mother, wife, concubine, and seven or eight children were all buried beneath the ruins, discovered lifeless.

Later that evening, the second wave of Scud missiles struck, further devastating Shen Capital as if it were entirely unguarded. Five more Fuel-Air Explosive Bombs flattened the area yet again.

The colossal explosions caused the ground to quake, and even within underground bunkers, the Shen Emperor and his ministers could vividly feel the formidable power of the new bombs.

As Prime Minister, Shen Wen Dabo strongly urged the Shen Emperor to relocate the command center to a more secluded countryside area, far from Shen Capital, which presented a large, obvious target.

Considering safety, both Shen Haiping and Shenwu Ke supported this suggestion. However, the Shen Emperor remained deeply hesitant: if he fled, military and public morale would utterly collapse.

If the King ran away, what would happen to the Princess and the Royal Family? Should they follow him or stay behind? If they followed… what about the ministers’ families?

In past times, taking everyone along wouldn’t have been much of an issue—it was merely more troublesome. But now the situation wasn’t so simple: the Great Tang Air Force was constantly conducting reconnaissance. Escaping with families would essentially expose themselves instead, turning the situation against them.

Fortunately, later in the evening, the anticipated third wave of attacks didn’t arrive, sparing the Shen Emperor from the dilemma of deciding whether to flee.

However, the broadcasted news about the Great Tang Group’s commitment to civilian technology development and its reluctance to prioritize military applications still infuriated the Mirage Country King.

He smashed his radio in a fit of rage, hurling profanities. By the time he stopped cursing, he was almost drained of energy.