Agriculture Maniac

Chapter 497 Three Systems: Aerospace and Capital Wars

In the early stages of the Cold War, North America and Russia proposed a strategic weapon concept almost simultaneously.

Just as a strategic nuclear submarine can stay at sea for months, it can fly in the sky for a long time and even deliver munitions at cosmic speeds via space orbit.

Therefore, in 1951, North America began developing the 'NB-36H nuclear-powered aircraft', with General Electric responsible for developing the airborne nuclear reactor and Convair and Lockheed responsible for developing the airframe. Between 1955 and 1957, 47 test flights were completed.

In 1955, the Soviet Union developed the Tu-119 based on the Tu-95, with four VVR-C nuclear reactors mounted externally, and conducted more than 60 flight tests.

Later, with the advent of relatively simple, inexpensive, and effective intercontinental ballistic missiles and the launch of artificial satellites, North America's and Russia's nuclear-powered aircraft programs were shelved due to excessive budgets.

Later, the Soviet Union dissolved, and North America completely abandoned the project.

And then we entered the new century.

The space race has led countries around the world to focus on the aerospace industry.

Such a distorted product as 'powerful brick-flying', which disregards costs, can only be mastered by a collective.

In order to reduce launch costs, capitalist countries have begun to develop reusable spacecraft.

Never imagined.

Before North America could even unload its long-dormant nuclear-powered aircraft from the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, the nuclear-powered spaceplane from Sanyuan Agriculture had already taken off.

···
This is a steel-paved airstrip.

It is 3000 meters long and 500 meters wide, with 20-meter-high steel walls on both sides and three 2-meter-wide and 1-meter-deep trenches in the middle.

At this moment, the 'Wonder Nuclear-Powered Spaceplane,' measuring 320 meters long and 145 meters wide, the largest aircraft in human history, detached from its special tractor and emitted eight streams of distorted hot air from its tail and wings.

At the same time, its front and rear wheels got stuck in the ditch, and a warning screen was immediately erected on both sides of the track:

[Electromagnetic push system is ready.]
next moment.

hum~~~
With the thrust generated by the heat flow, the electromagnetic accelerator in the trench suddenly moved forward, and the huge machine tilted back slightly, instantly increasing its speed to over 100 km/h.

At 1000 meters on the runway, the speedometer reads 280 km/h.

At 2000 meters on the runway, the speedometer reads 350 km/h.

At the 2500-meter mark of the runway, the behemoth raised its head, its support wheels lifted off the ground, and the six nuclear thermal thrusters on its wings spewed even more intense heat, while the two tail thrusters turned a vibrant orange-red...
"It's flying!"

The thousands of employees of Sanyuan Heavy Industry were excitedly dancing and gesturing.

Even the factory's nannies, breastfeeding room staff, and nursery children stood by the window, waving their little hands and making cooing noises.

Meanwhile, reporters from Shanghai Oriental Television, carrying cameras, shouted as they chased after the large plane.

"Dear viewers, this is Oriental Channel 1. The super aircraft in front of us is my country's first nuclear-powered spaceplane, which is also the largest aircraft in human history."

"It is constructed using ternary composite metals and ternary radiation-proof and nuclear explosion-proof materials, equipped with one large and seven small ternary micro nuclear reactors (eight units in total), and employs a centralized fuel supply and distributed reaction structure..."

"Its runway has electromagnetic propulsion capabilities, similar to the yet-to-be-released electromagnetic catapult system for ships..."

"It can cover tens of thousands of kilometers in just 20 minutes..."

"This time it will go to the third space station, make a short stop, be airdropped at the West African Benin airport, return to space, and then land here, taking a total of 40 to 50 minutes."

The camera pointed to the sky, but in just a few minutes, the spaceplane had already disappeared into the clouds.

However, the airport's large screen displayed the view from the spaceplane.

The ground grew smaller and smaller, and the bustling Shili Camp gradually transformed into a 3D map...

Soon, the spaceplane arrived in outer space.

The third-system space station has been completed, and hundreds of engineers wearing third-system spacesuits are building the "Tiangong" and "Xiaofusi".

Upon spotting the large flying creature, they all stopped what they were doing and turned to look at it in unison.

As the spaceplane came into view, hundreds of faces, some surprised, some astonished, and some bewildered, were seen inside the highly transparent, yet radiation-proof, goggles and helmet.

When they spot the five-star red flag and the four-leaf clover with three reds and one green, the crowd might wave their welding torches or cutting tools, letting out a silent cheer.

Switching to the perspective of the third-generation space station.

Laboratory technicians, busy cultivating fruits and vegetables and monitoring various animals, peer through the panoramic skylight at spaceplanes. Some wave radishes, some wave documents, and some jump so hard they crash headfirst into the dome…

At this moment, even the space sheep smiled.

Immediately.

The spaceplane traveled in orbit for several minutes before plunging into the atmosphere.

Soon, the African continent came into view.

The landscape resembles a gradually enlarging map, pinpointing the Benin Air Force Base in West Africa.

8 minute later.

The nuclear-powered space shuttle executed a beautiful tail sweep and descended as lightly as a falling leaf.

Once at a suitable altitude, they dropped boxes of supplies, and before the supplies could deploy their parachutes, they accelerated and ascended.

25 minute later.

The smoke-filled spaceplane landed steadily at the Sanyuan Heavy Industry-Aerospace Base.

In an instant.

Colorful ribbons burst open, and fireworks soar into the sky.

The banners, which had been prepared in advance, covered most of the sky as they were pulled by the hot air balloons.

[Warmest congratulations on the successful maiden flight of the three-series nuclear-powered spaceplane!]
····
Sanyuan Heavy Industry, Aerospace Zone.

Outside of the dedicated take-off and landing platform for nuclear-powered spaceplanes.

Reporters from all over the world crowded together, eager to interview Chairman Yu through the factory gate.

"Chairman Yu, does the success of the nuclear-powered spaceplane mean that Sanyuan Heavy Industry has the capability to build nuclear-powered aircraft carriers?"

“My family has long been capable of building any nuclear power plant, but what my family wants is something better, namely a nuclear fusion engine. However, due to increased international competition, at this stage we can only offer a nuclear fission airborne reactor.”

"Mr. Yu, has Sanyuan Agriculture already launched its lunar exploration program?"

"We will achieve a soft landing on the lunar surface before 07, send architects to the moon, and build a lunar industrial base before 08."

"Chairman Yu, the West African 21 Group has declared war on North America. What actions will Sanyuan Agriculture take?"

"Sanyuan Agriculture is just a company. We will follow the instructions of our superiors and choose to conduct business with external parties."

"Chairman Yu, is your company expanding its nuclear-powered spaceplane fleet? And is it selling this model to other companies?"

"As I just said, the nuclear fission engine is an emergency product. Once the nuclear fusion engine is developed, we will mass-produce a better model, which may take about 10 to 20 years."

Some reporters also noticed Old Bu and Old Smith following behind Yu Yang.

"Mr. Bush, is your visit here to witness the maiden flight of the nuclear-powered spaceplane, or to negotiate the conflict between the G21 in North America and West Africa?"

"I'm sorry, I've already retired. I'm here to handle matters related to the Titan Group."

"Mr. Smith, with US stocks falling continuously, the Federal Reserve still chose to raise interest rates. What effective measures will you implement?"

"I'm sorry, I've already retired. This trip is also to handle Titan Group affairs."

Yu Yang led Old Bu and Old Smith through the crowd and into the Sanyuan Heavy Industry - General Affairs Building.

In the hall.

A waterfall screen covering three walls is playing footage of the war in West Africa.

After the West African Group of 21 declared war on North America, the two sides engaged in cyber warfare.

Now, nearly two hours later, both sides are vying for air superiority.

North America deployed 62 F-15s for the main attack and 120 F-16s for harassment from multiple directions.

西非21囯集团出动30架J14主攻，150架J11B pro和max负责拦截F16。

Because both sides knew each other well, they were extremely cautious in this air battle.

The F-15 and J-14 always maintain a distance of 200 kilometers and never enter the attack range. If you intercept, I will detour; if you chase, I will withdraw.

The F-16 and J-11 series are playing hide-and-seek, separated by more than 600 kilometers. When one tries to intercept the other, the other scatters like birds and beasts. When the other chases, the other goes home. When the other climbs up and flies at supersonic speeds, the other cuts off the other's range and descends, even flying close to the ground (below 10,000 meters, the engine cannot provide enough thrust to support higher speeds, making it difficult for fighter jets to break Mach 3, so 'high speed' and 'high altitude' are equivalent. The higher the flight, the faster the speed, hence the name 'high-altitude high-speed fighter jet').

Thus, nearly 400 fighter jets from both sides chased each other over West Africa, leaving trails of white. Eventually, both sides exhausted their fuel to the warning line, with the F-15s protecting the F-16s and the J-14s protecting the J-11B Pro and MAX, before returning home.

The nations of the world who witnessed this battle could only look at each other in dismay.

Are you two putting on a show here?

Yu Yang led Old Bu and Old Smith into the reception area, where they enjoyed coffee while watching the battle unfold.

After the 21 West African nations declared war on North America, ground troops moved from the north and south into Niger.

The 4th Marine Division of the North American Marine Corps moved south from the north and stationed troops on the border between Niger and Benin. After the air battle, the two sides were 60 kilometers apart.

The battlefront is located far from the Sahara Desert, in a tropical rainforest and plateau environment.

Learning from its defeat in the South Vietnam campaign, North America ordered its mercenaries to advance lightly in North Africa, while its own heavily armed forces were brought back to the rear.

Leveraging the experience gained from the S1 and S2 projects in Africa, the main force of the 21-nation West African group advanced across the entire front with overwhelming firepower.

Finally, the two sides began full-scale contact.

Fighting for high ground, raids through the forest, ambushes in the water, heavy weaponry clashes...
In just half an hour of fighting, the number of dead and wounded on both sides exceeded 10,000.

Another half hour later.

The 21 West African groups advanced 10 kilometers using suppressive fire.

North America immediately launched tens of thousands of suicide drones with lightning speed.

These drones, equipped with AI-powered locking capabilities, surged like a swarm of bees breaking free of their hive, heading in droves towards the vanguard of the Group of Twenty-One in West Africa.

The latter remained unfazed, releasing graphite electromagnetic pulse bombs. Seeing that they had little effect, they all swarmed into various armored units.

Boom boom boom...

The mechanized 21st Army Group in West Africa withstood the first-ever attack by a large number of unmanned weapons in human history, at the cost of 10 casualties.

However, this was just a trial run in North America.

The next second, millions of drones swarmed into Benin like locusts.

But then, from the direction of the Benin air force base, the same locusts swarmed up in droves.

American drones vs. three-series drones.

Both were self-destructing; the instant they made contact, they exploded against each other, the deafening roar sweeping across the land.

Ultimately, the three-series drones achieved a Pyrrhic victory with an advantage of 30,000 surviving units.

Then, under the cover of night, they made the letters S and B in front of the 4th Marine Division.

···
Sanyuan Heavy Industry - General Affairs Building.

Reception area.

Old Bu, with a cigar in his mouth, stared blankly at the battle scene.

North American intelligence has long since determined that the 21st bloc in West Africa does not have a drone production chain.

There isn't even a motor, battery, or electronics production chain.

Because Yu Sanyuan didn't trust the people in West Africa at all, the equipment he provided to West Africa was all outdated products from the Sanxi Enterprises, mainly used for resource extraction.

Or rather, when supporting a force, you must create a weakness in the other side; otherwise, how can you control it?

Therefore, the confidence of the Marine Corps to enter Africa for combat lies in its 200 million drones.

It was just taken out, and nearly a million was already wiped out...
Old Bu suddenly realized that the maiden flight of the nuclear-powered spaceplane three hours earlier was probably to deliver drones to West Africa.

“Yu, you have broken our agreement. We agreed that the West African 21 Group would use its own strength to fight against North America’s military forces in Europe and Africa.”

"What did I do wrong?"

"You sent drones to the 21 Group in West Africa."

"No, don't talk nonsense. What I gave them was a 'flying camera'."

"???"

"It really can take photos, record videos, have conversations, and even fly."

"You are shameless!"

"People should be civilized; how can you swear at others?"

Old Bu gritted his teeth in anger, yet he understood perfectly well.

If Sanyuan Agriculture supports the 21 West African Group and has never considered getting involved in North America within the S3 region of Africa, it will be difficult for it to hold onto its existing territory.

“What the EU can give, we can give too.”

"I don't care who occupies North Africa, I only care who gives me resources."

"OK, 30% of the annual output in the FAD-controlled area is yours."

“Then I will definitely help the EU, because they will give me 100% of the production.”

"The EU gives you all the output because of the three-element agricultural aid to Europe, while North America received no aid whatsoever. Now they are sending troops themselves and will also be mining the land themselves. How can they possibly give you 100%?"

"I will provide you with equipment to help you deal with the EU."

Yu Yang originally did not intend to give up on Zaxi Warburg too early.

But Old Smith moved too quickly, having already acquired almost all the major stock exchanges: London Stock Exchange, German Stock Exchange, Paris Stock Exchange, Amsterdam Stock Exchange, Brussels Stock Exchange, Nordic Stock Exchange, Swiss Stock Exchange...
They even plan to integrate the European financial market, merging the stock exchanges of France, the Netherlands, France, and Portugal into a 'pan-European securities' group.

Simultaneously, it integrated the London, German, and Nordic stock exchanges, which were acquired by Nasdaq.

If Old Smith manages to resolve all of this, global finance will be unified, the euro will plummet, and the Hong Kong dollar and the Chinese yuan will be left isolated and helpless.

Normally, we should continue to support Zahi Warburg.

But the other side lacked the courage to launch a desperate, all-or-nothing attack.

Realizing of Old Smith's actions, but unable to transfer his assets to the East, he had no choice but to ally with Old Smith in order to survive.

Therefore, Zahi Warburg has not yet launched an attack on the Marine Corps, which can be considered as a firm commitment to the military-industrial complex.

Of course, Yu Yang did not hate Zaxi Warburg; on the contrary, he felt great sympathy for this old man who was working hard for Europe.

Further cooperation among the three countries means the EU will become the prey.

Old Brooks and Old Smith exchanged a glance, feeling it was well worth it.

First, Africa was never part of North America's territory. If North America took the mines from Fade, the other side would definitely try to sabotage them in the long run. Now, by exchanging Africa for cooperation, North America is making a killing.

Secondly, the EU hardliners are led by Zahi Warburg. Zahi's tough stance is based on the three-element agriculture. Now that he has lost his support, the EU may become a pushover.

Old Bu was just about to agree.

Yu Yang continued, “But the losses I incurred from losing the EU market need to be made up by your federal capital, which means North America needs to further open its market, from daily necessities and light industrial products to industrial electronics, medical devices, and food and meat.”

Although Old Bush cared about finance, he cared even more about the market, knowing that if he agreed, North America would definitely see a new round of dumping of the three-series.

Old Smith, who only cared about finance and not the North American market, nodded first, "I agree."

Old Bu's face darkened. "You traitorous dog!"

Old Smith flew into a rage and swung his cane down.

Yu Yang couldn't stop him in time, and the solid wood handle landed directly on Lao Bu's forehead.

Bong···
Like striking a wooden clapper, it is both muffled and loud.

Old Bu stared blankly, then tilted his head and collapsed.

"Damn it, did you knock it to death?" Yu Yang exclaimed in surprise.

Old Smith's face showed no fear; instead, his eyes revealed a hint of smugness, and...a sense of satisfaction.

at the same time.

Old Bu's personal medical team rushed up quickly.

Yu Yang's personal doctor contacted the central hospital to prepare for comprehensive medical treatment.

Yu Yang had originally planned to go along to join in the fun, but the factory secretary gestured for him to speak privately.

When we arrived at the conference room next door...

"what's up?"

"I just sold intelligence about the three countries' further cooperation to the EU and the U.S. military. Zaxi, Walton Jr., and the U.S. oligarchs made an emergency contact. The content of their conversation is unknown, but the three parties' forces in Europe are gathering in Niger."

"They finally couldn't resist taking action against North America."

"What about us?"

"If we can just watch the show and get the 21 West African nations to withdraw their troops, then my efforts will have been worthwhile."

"Okay, also, Old Ren is critically ill. He's only lucid for one or two hours a day now, and it's estimated that he'll pass away in the next day or two. Unless you have urgent business, don't travel far recently, so as not to miss the memorial service. After all, he was one of my important superiors."

Yu Yang was slightly taken aback and exclaimed, "Time really flies."

(End of this chapter)