Chapter 440: The Changfeng Will Break the Waves One Day

Everyone nodded solemnly. In this sensitive Cold War era, technical espionage had become the norm; secrecy was a matter of national security, and not the slightest bit of laxity could be tolerated.

After the meeting ended, Li Mingyuan remained alone in the empty conference room, organizing his notes and thoughts. Department Head Zhang pushed the door open and entered, his face showing exhaustion that could not hide his excitement.

"Just received word," Department Head Zhang said, "the Star-Spangled Country has attempted to launch a satellite for the fifth time, and it failed again."

Li Mingyuan looked up, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly: "Have they started to suspect that we are interfering?"

"There is no direct evidence yet, but they are certainly suspicious." Department Head Zhang sat down and poured himself a cup of tea. "What's more interesting is that the Beijixiong Guo also seems to suspect the Star-Spangled Country of interfering with their launch. The two superpowers are now accusing each other, and relations are more tense than ever before."

Li Mingyuan nodded with satisfaction: "'Mirror Operation' has achieved the expected effect. Let them suspect each other and buy us precious time for development."

"Speaking of time," Department Head Zhang's expression turned serious, "do you really think the first flight test of the 'Changfeng' missile can be completed within four years? This schedule is too aggressive."

Li Mingyuan took a deep breath, his gaze firm: "It must be completed. Not only because it is technically feasible, but because it is strategically necessary."

He stood up and walked to the world map hanging on the wall: "The current international situation is changing rapidly. The Cold War between the Star-Spangled Country and the Beijixiong Guo has reached a fever pitch, and they are both actively expanding their spheres of influence. If Long Country does not have sufficient deterrent power, it will easily become a victim of their power struggle."

Li Mingyuan pointed to several key points on the map: "Look here, the Star-Spangled Country is deploying new nuclear warheads around Asia, and the Beijixiong Guo is also strengthening its military presence on the Eurasian continent. If Long Country lacks long-range strike capabilities, we will always be at a disadvantage at the international negotiating table."

Department Head Zhang nodded, knowing full well that what Li Mingyuan said was the truth: "The 'Changfeng' Project is indeed our most important strategic asset. But the technical difficulty is too great; I worry that it will be hard to overcome all the obstacles in such a short time."

Li Mingyuan smiled slightly, a mysterious light flashing in his eyes: "Some technologies seem out of reach, but in reality, they are only one key inspiration or breakthrough away. Just like Einstein's theory of relativity, a simple equation changed humanity's understanding of the universe."

He did not tell Department Head Zhang that, as a transmigrator, his mind stored countless technical principles and design concepts from later generations. These technologies, which were already mature in the 21st century, seemed like black technology from outer space when placed in the early 1950s.

"Alright, I trust your judgment," Department Head Zhang stood up and patted Li Mingyuan on the shoulder, "you have already created too many miracles; the 'Changfeng' Project might be the greatest one yet."

Li Mingyuan smiled: "No, Department Head Zhang, 'Changfeng' is just the beginning. The true rise of Long Country requires even more and greater breakthroughs."

Three days later, the Long Country Central Military Department special conference room.

Li Mingyuan stood before the projection screen, reporting the latest progress of the "Changfeng Project" to the military leadership. The conference room was packed; in addition to members of the Military Department, there were high-ranking generals from various branches and experts from the National Defense Science, Technology and Industry Commission.

"According to the technical verification results from the past three months," Li Mingyuan displayed detailed data for each subsystem, "all key technologies of the 'Changfeng' Project have broken through initial obstacles and entered the engineering phase."

He switched to the next slide, showing a detailed schedule: "We plan to complete the first test flight of the prototype missile within four years, achieve initial operational capability within six years, and realize mass production within seven years."

"This progress is one year ahead of the original plan," Li Mingyuan explained, "mainly thanks to breakthrough progress in propulsion systems and material technology. The Small Turbofan Engine we developed has a thrust-to-weight ratio that has already reached 8.5:1, far exceeding any known engine of the same type in the world."

Vice Commander Wang of the Military Department nodded, a rare smile on his face: "This news is exhilarating. Especially after our successful satellite launch, if we also master long-range precision strike capabilities, Long Country's status on the international stage will change completely."

"Exactly so," Li Mingyuan agreed, "the strategic significance of the 'Changfeng' missile far exceeds its military value. It will become an important guarantee for Long Country to safeguard national security and sovereignty, and it is also a powerful bargaining chip for us in international negotiations."

He switched to a missile design diagram: "'Changfeng' missile adopts a modular design, approximately 8 meters long, 0.5 meters in diameter, with a takeoff weight of about 2000 kilograms. It consists of four main parts: the propulsion section, the guidance section, the payload section, and the auxiliary system."

Li Mingyuan pointed to the various parts on the blueprint and explained in detail: "The propulsion section includes a solid rocket booster and a turbofan cruise engine. The booster is responsible for accelerating the missile to cruise speed, then it detaches, and the missile relies on the turbofan engine to continue flight."

"The guidance section is the 'brain' of the missile, containing the Inertial Navigation System, Terrain Matching System, and Astronomical Navigation Auxiliary System. These three navigation methods complement each other, ensuring that the missile can accurately find its target even without external signals."

"The payload section can carry different types of warheads as needed, including Conventional High-Explosive Warheads and... Special Warheads." Li Mingyuan deliberately did not explicitly mention nuclear warheads, but everyone present understood his implication.

"The auxiliary system includes a communication module, a self-destruct device, and a special Stealth Coating, which can reduce the missile's Radar cross-section and increase its penetration capability."

Li Mingyuan paused for a moment, then added: "Most importantly, the 'Changfeng' missile adopts an ultra-low-altitude flight mode, with a cruise altitude as low as 100 meters, and combined with terrain-following technology, it can effectively avoid enemy Radar detection and Anti-aircraft Systems."

The officers in the conference room exchanged surprised glances. The performance of this missile far exceeded any known weapon system in the world at that time.

The Air Force Commander could not help but ask: "Chief Engineer Li, what level of range and precision can this missile achieve?"

Li Mingyuan answered confidently: "The maximum range can reach over 5000 kilometers, enough to cover all of Asia and parts of Europe. In terms of precision, our goal is an error of less than 10 meters, which means it can precisely strike any military facility or command center, or even moving targets."

A low gasp of astonishment erupted in the conference room. Such precision was simply unimaginable at the time. Traditional long-range weapons, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles, typically had precision ranging from hundreds of meters to several kilometers.

"Chief Engineer Li," the Navy Commander asked, "can this missile be launched from a ship?"

"Absolutely," Li Mingyuan nodded, "our design considers multiple launch platforms, including mobile ground launch vehicles, ships, submarines, and even Bombers. This flexibility will greatly enhance our strategic strike capability."

The Second Artillery Corps Commander added excitedly: "If these performance indicators can be achieved, the 'Changfeng' missile will become the most advanced strategic weapon in the world, bar none! It will completely change the existing military balance."

Li Mingyuan nodded in agreement: "Precisely because of this, the secrecy of the 'Changfeng' Project is of vital importance. If the Star-Spangled Country or the Beijixiong Guo discover that we are developing such advanced weapons, they will surely take extreme measures to interfere or sabotage."

Vice Commander Wang of the Military Department pondered for a while, then said seriously: "Regarding secrecy, I have a suggestion. We can launch a 'Smokescreen Plan', deliberately leaking some information about the development of conventional medium-range missiles to divert international attention."

Li Mingyuan's eyes lit up: "That is a brilliant idea. We can create some 'leaks' that appear important on the surface but do not actually involve core technology, letting them chase false targets."

General Wang nodded with satisfaction: "It is settled then. At the same time, we will further strengthen the security measures for the 'Changfeng' Project, establish a multi-factor authentication system, and strictly control the flow of information."

The meeting lasted nearly three hours, discussing every aspect of the "Changfeng Project" in detail, including technical routes, resource allocation, security measures, and strategic deployment. In the end, the Military Department unanimously agreed to increase support for the "Changfeng Project" to ensure it proceeded smoothly according to the new schedule.

Late at night, Li Mingyuan returned to his temporary dormitory at the military base, collapsing onto his chair in exhaustion. Outside the window, the pitch-black night sky was dotted with stars, one of which was moving slowly—that was the "Dongfang No. 1" satellite, the first step of Long Country toward becoming a space power.

He took out a small notebook; this was his private work log, recording thoughts and plans that could not be discussed publicly. Opening the notebook, Li Mingyuan began to write down today's reflections.

"'Changfeng' Project is progressing smoothly, but the real challenge has just begun. The next step requires overcoming the following key technical difficulties:

Engine durability testing—the current Small Turbofan Engine shows slight deformation of the Turbine Blades after 2 hours of continuous operation. Need to improve alloy composition and cooling systems.

Navigation system anti-interference capability—in an electromagnetic interference environment, the precision of the Inertial Navigation System drops significantly. Need to develop more stable algorithms and hardware.

Thermal protection of the missile structure—aerodynamic heating generated by supersonic flight will cause damage to the missile body. Need to develop more efficient thermal insulation materials.

Miniaturization technology—existing electronic equipment and control systems are too bulky; need to comprehensively improve integration."

He stopped his pen, thought for a while, and then continued writing:

"From a strategic perspective, the success of the 'Changfeng' missile will completely change the international military balance. Once Long Country masters long-range precision strike capabilities, the Star-Spangled Country and the Beijixiong Guo will have to re-evaluate their Asian strategies. This will buy us more room for development and international influence.

But at the same time, I must be vigilant about possible international reactions. Once the existence of the 'Changfeng' Project is discovered, the two superpowers might take extreme measures to stop us. Must be prepared to deal with all kinds of interference and sabotage."

Outside the window, the "Dongfang No. 1" satellite had already disappeared below the horizon, but Li Mingyuan knew it was still there, silently orbiting the Earth, symbolizing the first step of Long Country toward becoming a space power. And the "Changfeng" Project would be the second step, a more solid and critical step.

In this Silence of the night, Li Mingyuan's heart was filled with anticipation and confidence for the future. No matter how many challenges and dangers lay ahead, he was prepared to use the knowledge he brought from the future to carve out a brand-new path of rise for Long Country.

"'Changfeng' will break the waves one day, and I will set my cloud-white sails to cross the vast sea." Li Mingyuan recited this ancient poem softly, his gaze firm and confident. The storm was coming, but he was already prepared to ride the wind and break the waves.