Chapter One Hundred Sixteen: The Electromagnetic Railgun

Jilong Kongde called the command center of Goba Xiaofu. Before long, the call was connected, and it was Chief of Staff Moer Luosi who answered.

Once the connection was established, Moer Luosi spoke first:
"This is Chief of Staff Moer Luosi..."

Upon hearing this, Jilong Kongde immediately said:
"Oh, greetings, Chief of Staff. I have an urgent matter that I need to discuss with the Head of State..."

Moer Luosi replied:
"Tell me, and I will report it to the Head of State..."

In reality, Goba Xiaofu was listening nearby on an extension, though he chose not to speak at the moment. Naturally, Jilong Kongde was unaware of this and said:
"I see. Chief of Staff, although we have put up effective resistance in the Uliastai region and have successfully lured the enemy deep into our trap according to our original plan, and the plan is proceeding basically as expected..."

Moer Luosi said:
"Good, very good. We intend for the enemy to enter and never return. What is the status now?"

Jilong Kongde said:
"However, in this defensive battle in the Uliastai region, we sacrificed nearly 4,000 men, while the number of enemies eliminated was only a little over 2,000. Our losses are far greater than those of the enemy forces."

Hearing this, Moer Luosi exclaimed:
"What? Why is that? You are in a defensive position; normally, such a result should not occur. What is going on?"

Jilong Kongde replied:
"It is like this, Chief of Staff: our troops consist mainly of new recruits, while the opposition is comprised of experienced veterans. Furthermore, because the enemy holds air superiority—especially with their space battleships—they are exerting an extremely unfavorable pressure on our current operations. This is not something that can be easily reversed by numerical superiority alone. It may even have a negative impact on our subsequent encirclement battle..."

After listening, Moer Luosi asked:
"Then what do you intend to do?"

Jilong Kongde said:
"That is why I hope you will hand over command of the electromagnetic railguns deployed in the Altai Mountains to me. I have already had Li Ge'er organize observation and command teams on the front line, which can provide precise coordinates. As long as we can heavily deplete the enemy's air superiority in areas like Otgon, we will certainly be able to gain more advantages in the subsequent fighting."

After listening, Moer Luosi said:
"I will report this to the Head of State!"

Subsequently, Moer Luosi covered the mouthpiece with his hand and looked at Goba Xiaofu, who was standing to the side.

After Goba Xiaofu put down the phone, he immediately said to Moer Luosi:
"Give it to him. We need to eliminate as many enemies as possible right now; as long as we can win, that is all that matters."

Following this, Moer Luosi immediately relayed Goba Xiaofu's words to Jilong Kongde. When Jilong Kongde then reported the matter of the Atlantis reconnaissance aircraft, Moer Luosi replied to him:
"You do not need to worry about the Atlantis reconnaissance aircraft. Just complete your mission; we will dispatch the air force to intercept them."

Upon hearing this, Jilong Kongde immediately replied:
"Yes!"

A special note: The electromagnetic railgun is an advanced kinetic energy weapon that uses electromagnetic force to propel projectiles. Unlike traditional cannons, which use gunpowder gas pressure to act upon a projectile, the railgun utilizes the force of an electromagnetic field within an electromagnetic system. The duration of this force is much longer, which can greatly increase the speed and range of the projectile.

Consequently, it has attracted the attention of military experts worldwide. Since the early 1980s, the railgun has become an increasingly important part of future weapons development programs.

An electromagnetic railgun consists of two parallel rails, with a projectile held between them. The two rails are connected to a power source. Current flows from one rail through the projectile and then to the other, generating a strong magnetic field. The interaction between the magnetic field and the current produces a powerful Ampere force that propels the projectile, allowing it to reach very high speeds (theoretically approaching sub-light speed).

***

Some time later, Zhang Desen and the others began their journey to Bulenai aboard a space transport ship left behind by the ultra-ancient humans, known as the "Crater."

Although this space transport ship possessed plasma stealth technology, in order to avoid detection to the maximum extent, the ship traveled at an ultra-low altitude of only 100 meters above the ground whenever external conditions permitted.

At this time, the space transport ship carried not only the special operations team led by Zhang Desen but also a force of 2,000 family guards from the Zhang and Liu households.

Two hundred of them were equipped with newly manufactured Hanyang-made rifles, while the others carried Hanyang-made rifles retrieved from the warehouses left behind by the ultra-ancient humans.

Of course, they also had new types of grenades. They looked somewhat like the historical German M24 grenade, but they only resembled them in appearance. Because they were mass-produced in such a hurry, their quality and power were not up to the standard of a genuine M24, so Zhang Desen temporarily dubbed them the "M24-Minus 5" model to distinguish them.

At this moment, a guard entered and reported:
"Captain, we are about to reach the Yin Mountains. Please provide instructions!"

After hearing this, Zhang Desen said:
"Good. Tell the main control room to lie low according to plan. In one hour, report the location of the Atlantean reconnaissance aircraft to me. Ask Li Longfang and Zhao Chengming to come over for a meeting."

"Yes!"

During this time, Zhang Desen recalled the events before their departure.

***

As it turned out, before this trip to Bulenai, Zhang Chengwei and Liu Youde had come together to discuss a matter with Zhang Desen.

At the time, Zhang Desen was somewhat puzzled, unable to understand what could possibly prompt the two of them to seek his counsel together. Only after they met and he asked did he learn that because of the capabilities Zhang Desen had displayed and the weapons produced by the Liu family during the resistance against the Liao Kingdom's southern invasion, the matter had already been brought up at court that day.

The primary figure to mention it was General Feng Yucai. They had previously assumed that Zhang Desen had used some sort of high-level magic to achieve such great power. It was only after repeated explanations from Zhang Chengwei that General Feng Yucai reluctantly believed these were weapons manufactured by the Liu family firm.

However, Zhang Chengwei could not say too much and could only deflect by saying he needed to return to look into the matter.

Naturally, General Feng Yucai eventually proposed that if these were indeed weapons manufactured by the Liu family firm, the Da Xing army should quickly purchase and equip them, and he requested to see these weapons first.

At that time, apart from officials like Councilor Qian Qiu, almost no one had any objections. Since it involved new weapons trading, Zhang Chengwei, after repeated explanations and guarantees, found his in-law, the wealthy Liu Youde, and they went together to consult with Zhang Desen.

After exchanging greetings, Master Liu spoke first:
"My good son-in-law, what should we do? Much of what we have relies on the stock left behind by the ultra-ancient humans; we cannot yet manufacture them ourselves."

Zhang Chengwei also said:
"Indeed, the ministers are also in agreement that the Da Xing army should immediately employ these firearms!"

After hearing this, Zhang Desen smiled and said:
"That is fine. In fact, I have exactly this idea. We should sell some; that way, our subsequent development will have sufficient financial support!"

The two men were momentarily stunned. Then, Master Liu asked:
"Then what should we do?"

Zhang Desen said:
"Why don't we show them and sell them some things? For example, haven't we already successfully replicated the 'Old Tubular' [Mauser 71/84] and the Hanyang-made rifles?"

Master Liu said:
"Correct!"

Zhang Desen added:
"We have also successfully replicated the M24-Minus 5 grenade..."

Master Liu said:
"Correct!"

Zhang Desen continued:
"Last time, we also successfully replicated and tested the first hand-cranked Gatling machine gun..."

Master Liu said:
"Correct!"

Zhang Desen continued:
"And there are the explosive satchels and Napoleon cannons."

"Correct!"

Zhang Desen finalized the decision, saying:
"Let's go with these items. In addition, include the replica of the 'Constitution' warship and the wired telegraph machine. Let's showcase them to them like this; it would be best to make them all want to buy. We can talk about the rest later."

After hearing this, Liu Youde said:
"That is quite easy to accomplish."

Zhang Chengwei suddenly asked:
"But what about Councilor Qian? If we display these firearms with such fanfare and that Councilor Qian tells the Dinosaurs, that will be a huge problem for us!"

Master Liu shared this concern, but Zhang Desen smiled and said:
"Do not worry. Those Dinosaurs are currently busy with their civil war; I fear they have no extra time to pay attention to Councilor Qian. Moreover, I learned from the Dinosaurs' global network that they have not established a radio communication mechanism with Councilor Qian. To contact each other, the Dinosaurs must send a ship. As long as we strengthen our aerial surveillance and shoot down any unidentified flying objects that approach immediately, there will be no issues."

Zhang Chengwei and Master Liu were deeply convinced. However, Master Liu added:
"My son-in-law, there is one more problem..."

Zhang Desen replied:
"Please go ahead, Father-in-law!"

Master Liu said:
"It is like this: we have a craftsman who says he can completely replicate the Hanyang-made rifle using primitive methods. I am worried that if my business rivals replicate and improve upon them, wouldn't that mean they are taking advantage of us for nothing? How should we handle this?"

Zhang Desen laughed heartily and said:
"As for that, Father-in-law, you do not need to worry at all. If you are truly uneasy, let that craftsman replicate the Hanyang-made rifle using his methods, including the bullets and shell casings—not a single detail missing. Also, prepare a Hanyang-made rifle manufactured by our machines and enough bullets. When I return, I will take them all to the firing range, and I will demonstrate it for you. You will not ask such questions then."

Zhang Chengwei and Master Liu looked at each other. Although they did not know what Zhang Desen meant, they decided to do as he said.

Following this, Zhang Desen and his party set out.

***

After finishing these recollections, Zhang Desen returned his attention to the present. Just as he finished remembering these events, Li Longfang, Zhao Chengming, and others walked into the transport ship's command room. Afterward, the pre-battle meeting began. Once the designated time arrived, the transport ship quietly began its flight toward Zargalant, east of Bulenai, according to the plan.