The train driver in the courtyard

"Patriotism? You want to make weather forecasts?"

Inside the conference room of the Red Star Computing Institute.

Professor Xia Zhongsu and Professor Gillotti were both quite excited after hearing Li Aiguo's idea.

Technology is not about fancy tricks or steps to the podium; it is meant to serve people's production and daily life.

The researchers clenched their fists with excitement at the thought that they might be the ones to build the world’s first weather forecasting network.

Ideals are beautiful, but the road is difficult.

Professor Gillotti rubbed his temples and said, "Patriotism, our Red Star computer is indeed the most advanced computer in the world, but there are just too many parameters involved in weather changes, so it will be very difficult to implement the model."

Professor Xia Zhongsu was also a little uneasy at this moment: "I agree with Lao Ji's point of view. This thing is really too complicated."

"What we need to do now is to build a standard weather forecasting model and use the model to predict weather changes."

Li Aiguo looked at them, then turned to Peng Yunyou and shouted, "Old Peng, could you please push the blackboard up here?"

Peng Yunyou, accompanied by two staff members, pushed over a blackboard made of wooden planks.

Li Aiguo picked up the chalk and began to write quickly on the blackboard.

"Vertical motion equations and thermodynamic equations. Ah, Patriot neglected secondary processes such as radiation transfer, which is a good approach, as it significantly reduces the computational load."

"Wow, the exact rotation approximation can be used like this! But the calculation difficulty seems to have been reduced quite a bit."

The researchers below initially didn't seem to care, but now their mouths are slightly open and they can't quite close them.

Professor Gillotti had already taken out a pen, placed paper on his lap, and started calculating rapidly.

"Genius, is this the true power of a mathematical genius?"

These researchers, who are computer experts, are all highly accomplished in mathematics, and this is the first time they have seen a mathematical model used in this way.

Professor Xia Zhongsu has had a bit of a cold these past couple of days and is currently suppressing his cough, afraid of accidentally interrupting Li Aiguo's train of thought.

Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer, coughing and slapping his thigh: "Cough cough... Old Ji! In the step of coupling the vertical motion equations with the thermodynamic field, he completely ignored the vortex perturbation! This audacity... cough... this boldness!"

"In conclusion, we can use this numerical model to predict the weather."

Although the model was simplified, it still filled the entire blackboard. By the time Li Aiguo put down the chalk, his mouth was dry.

Peng Yunyou promptly brought over an enamel mug of cooled boiled water, which Li Aiguo took and drank a few sips of.

At this point, the researchers below finally understood completely.

"More than two thousand equations have been reduced to just over one hundred. It's truly ingenious."

"The country is divided into fifty regions, and multiple computers are used to perform calculations in a time-sharing manner to reduce the difficulty of calculations."

"In particular, the model adopts a fuzzy grid design, which widens the original 9 kilometers to 550 kilometers and reduces the number of grid points by at least 2000. Although the accuracy is reduced, it can still meet the needs of weather forecasting."

"The concept of the Lorenz 'butterfly effect' was introduced, and by manually fine-tuning the initial parameters (±0.1 hPa) multiple times, a preliminary ensemble forecast of 3-5 possible scenarios was generated."

"I never expected that Consultant Li would actually be a meteorologist!"

"With this mathematical model, all we need to do is convert it into a computer program, which makes the work much simpler."

Wow!
There was warm applause.

The researchers all stood up.

Although Peng Yunyou couldn't understand the equations on the blackboard, she could still glean clues from the researchers' reactions.

"It seems the Red Star Computing Institute is going to accomplish something big again!"

However, Peng Yunyou, as an experienced veteran, still had some concerns.

After the meeting, she spoke with Li Aiguo alone.

"Patriotism is based on models, but its flesh and blood are in the data."

Our work here is relatively easy to handle. As long as the researchers work together, they will definitely be able to overcome this challenge.

The local weather station is notoriously stubborn, and the hydrological bureau's officers in their uniforms are extremely particular about "rules"... I'm afraid that just coordinating with them could derail the entire project.

"Old Peng, the procedures need to be followed, and the obstacles need to be removed. There are really some blind fools." Li Aiguo nodded gratefully to Peng Yunyou, and didn't continue speaking.

When it comes to getting things done, you have to be tough.

If there really is some troublemaker who doesn't know his place, Li Aiguo wouldn't mind using Lao Mao's resources.

Of course, an old cat is a sharp sword; once it's drawn, it will always draw blood. It's best not to use it if possible.

Seeing that Li Aiguo was prepared, Peng Yunyou didn't say much, but asked again, "Shouldn't we report this to the Academy of Sciences?"

"Write an application report; the necessary procedures still need to be followed."

Peng Yunyou nodded: "Understood. As for the Academy of Sciences, I will personally draft the report, and the wording will mainly focus on 'fully respecting the guidance of higher authorities'."

These coordination tasks were assigned to Peng Yunyou, and Li Aiguo then threw himself into the work.

"Pfft!"

Inside the Academy of Sciences.

Mr. Guo, who had just been discharged from the hospital, almost choked on his tea after receiving the application from the Red Star Computing Institute. "Doesn't the Red Star Computing Institute know that the weather forecast is a misreport?"

No wonder Mr. Guo was so shocked.

In fact, since the 1950s, when the United States began using computers to predict the weather, the Institute of Computing Technology under the National Academy of Sciences also began similar work.

From exploring numerical weather prediction in 1955 to starting to conduct numerical weather prediction on computers in 1959, China has never given up on catching up with foreign countries.

However, just like in the United States, the weather forecasts produced by the computer system under the Academy of Sciences are extremely inaccurate and are known by the public as "weather misreports".

Because of the excessive investment and lack of results, the Institute of Computing Technology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences has stopped this work.

"This is a waste of money," Mr. Guo said, but he couldn't say anything more.

Unlike other research institutes in China, the funding for the Red Star Computing Institute came from the railway department and had nothing to do with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

"This is a waste of human resources! The Institute of Geophysics and the Jinling Astronomical Observatory helped the Red Star Computing Institute with weather forecasting without submitting an application, which violated organizational procedures."

Mr. Guo reacted quickly, coughed twice, and found the entry point.

Seeing that he had conjunctivitis, Vice Dean Zhang helplessly reminded him, "Meteorological work is under Junwei's management. Junwei has now established a weather forecasting project command group, and the commander-in-chief is Li Aiguo. We should give it our full support."

The implication is clear: this matter has little to do with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The Red Star Computing Institute was simply going through the motions when it submitted its application to the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The leaders of the Academy of Sciences were also aware of this, and they exchanged glances and smiled knowingly.

"I wholeheartedly agree? Of course I agree! It's a good thing that young people are ambitious."

Seeing that he couldn't get support, Mr. Guo knew that things were hopeless. He then said with a quick thought, "Old Zhang, the reply should emphasize the Academy's 'full support.' Oh, by the way, the Red Star Institute has limited resources. If necessary, our Academy can 'selflessly' provide equipment support."

This is actually telling Vice President Zhang that he is only in charge of the work of the Academy of Sciences, while he is the real president.

Having worked at the Academy of Sciences for so many years, Vice President Zhang was well aware of Mr. Guo's intentions. Considering the unity of the leadership team, he nodded in agreement without saying anything.

"The meeting is dismissed!"

After the meeting, Mr. Guo returned to his office.

Deputy Director Chen from the subordinate Computing Institute rushed over upon receiving the news.

Since the Red Star Computing Institute developed the railway network, it has become a top-tier computing institute in China.

With these incidents occurring one after another, the position of the Institute of Computing Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences became awkward.

Despite being affiliated with the Academy of Sciences, it is not valued by higher authorities, and its annual budget is cut by more than half.

In particular, several senior experts from the Institute of Computing Technology were gradually recruited by Xia Zhongsu to the Red Star Institute of Computing Technology.

“Leader, Li Aiguo is really going too far. Such a big project should be reported up first and then coordinated and arranged by the Academy of Sciences. He is just being individualistic and factional.”

"Xiao Chen, our patriotic comrade is just trying to get things done; there's no need to make a mountain out of a molehill."

Seeing Mr. Guo's attitude change drastically, Deputy Director Chen sighed inwardly. Li Aiguo had made numerous contributions and was already on the official list. Even Mr. Guo had to give way to him.

Deputy Director Chen's eyes darted around, and he lowered his voice: "The director is brilliant! Li Aiguo is acting recklessly because he has connections above him. Weather forecasting involves military matters; failure would be a leak of secrets! In that case... we'll have to rely on you to steer the Red Star Institute out of this mess."

These words struck a chord with Mr. Guo.

He sipped his tea, squinting his eyes: "Little Chen, the tallest tree in the forest is bound to be felled by the wind. Your opportunity is probably coming soon."

"Dean, this is all thanks to your care. Rest assured, if I become the director of the Red Star Computing Institute, I will follow your lead without question."

Mr. Guo smiled and looked out the window.

The big tree was blown about by the strong wind.

Li Aiguo was unaware that the project had been targeted even before it started, and even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared.

At that moment, he and his comrades from the command headquarters were welcoming comrades from Nanjing at the Beijing Railway Station.

Apart from those from the meteorological station, most of the members of the command center came from the meteorological and hydrological bureau.

The meteorological and hydrological bureau is abbreviated as the General Staff Military Meteorological Bureau, and its origins can be seen from its name.

The meteorological and hydrological bureau, led by Director Zou, had some reservations about cooperating with Li Aiguo in weather forecasting.

After all, this matter should have been led by the Hydrology Bureau, but Junwei has started its own separate operation. It's only because of disciplinary requirements that no objection has been raised.

"Comrade Aiguo, when will the comrades from Jinling arrive?" On the platform, Leader Zou asked anxiously.

"It'll be there soon. The station just announced that the train is half an hour late."

As they were talking, a clear train whistle sounded, and a train from Jinling slowly pulled up to the platform. "Brother Xiao, why did the commander send you here?" Li Aiguo was taken aback when he saw the familiar figure, and quickly went to greet him.

"I have two tasks here this time. The first is to help you develop a weather forecasting system as soon as possible, and the second is to help the commander see if your skills have improved." Staff Officer Xiao said with a smile, pulling Li Aiguo's arm.

He glanced at the leaders from the meteorological and hydrological bureau on the platform and raised his chin: "These are the comrades from the command center?"

Staff Officer Xiao was a high-ranking officer who frequently traveled to Beijing for meetings; the leaders of the Meteorological and Hydrological Bureau had all met him.

Leader Zou hadn't quite reacted yet, but when he heard his name called, he quickly stepped forward and saluted: "Staff Officer Xiao! Is Old Xu still in good health? Back in the Battle of Xiaoshanzi, the commander dug me out of a bomb crater!"

"Zou Jieguang? Zou Xiaoge, you're Zou Xiaoge!"

Staff Officer Xiao looked Zou Jieguang up and down, then walked over and patted him on the shoulder: "You're in good shape! I heard you, 'Little Zou,' are in charge of meteorology now? Perfect! Patriotism is Old Xu's last disciple's project, his own kid's project, as his uncle, you have to pull out all the stops, right?"
"Oh my, so there really is such a connection." Zou Jieguang had also heard the rumors, but he didn't take them to heart.

Nowadays, many people spread all sorts of nonsense to deceive people, resulting in a lot of jokes in the local area.

Now that Staff Officer Xiao has personally confirmed it, Zou Jieguang's gaze towards Li Aiguo immediately changed.

"So you're family! Good lad! You've been keeping it a secret! Come on, when we get home tonight... I'll have your wife cook you some good dishes."

"Uncle Zou, you forgot, today is the day Brother Xiao arrives in Beijing. We should have a welcome dinner for him."

"Oh dear, look at my brain, it's all muddled."

The barriers between people often dissolve naturally within a shared circle.

That's the magic of social circles; they can turn strangers into confidants and transform estrangement into intimacy.

Throughout history, social circles have been an important link in interpersonal relationships.

Classmates share the bond of being classmates, friends share the affection of being confidants, and comrades-in-arms share the bond of life and death. These intangible connections form the foundation of our lives.

The key lies in the phrase "shared ideals and beliefs".

A good circle is not about forming cliques, but about the natural gathering of like-minded people.

If used well, it can be an aid on the road to progress; if used poorly, it may become a hindrance to development.

If Li Aiguo wants to accomplish something big, he can't detach himself from reality and spout nonsense like "too much clarity leaves no fish."

really.

The directors of the local meteorological stations who had always had grievances against Li Aiguo exchanged glances upon seeing this situation, and all of them saw a hint of shock in each other's eyes.

They had hoped the Hydrology Bureau would stand up for them, but it turns out the other party was a family. What kind of situation is this?

A director at the Tianjin local meteorological bureau whispered, "I reckon Mr. Guo will be furious when he hears this news."

The old cat standing not far away also breathed a sigh of relief.

They could indeed leverage the authority of the Shijingshan Meteorological Station and their relationship with the farmers to safeguard the weather forecast plan, but the effect would be far less than that of Staff Officer Xiao.

Li Aiguo was also aware that Staff Officer Xiao's appearance was due to Old Xu's support, and he was truly moved. This mentor was really helpful.

"This weather forecast plan is going well!"

Things went as smoothly as Li Aiguo had predicted.

With the personal coordination of Staff Officer Xiao and Zou Jieguang, meteorological bureaus in various regions cooperated, and in just over ten days, the meteorological data was transported to the capital.

Professor Huang and experts such as Qi Deming were responsible for selecting data to be used as models for numerical weather prediction.

After several busy days, Li Aiguo returned to the workshop of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot to check on the growth of the corn.

Professor Wu and Professor Zhao are recording data based on sowing, germination, and other conditions for large-scale promotion.

"I'll probably be quite busy these days, so I'll leave the rest of the work to you two."

"As long as we can find the best corn seeds, we'd be happy to do this job, even if it meant sleeping here every day."

Li Aiguo then noticed that the two of them had actually slept on the floor inside the greenhouse.

"This won't do. It's too warm and humid in here; it's easy to get sick. I'll go to the logistics department and find you a dormitory."

The older generation of agricultural experts are all suffering from various ailments as they get older. Why? Because they have worked in harsh environments for many years.

Now that we have better conditions, we certainly shouldn't suffer just for the sake of suffering.

Li Aiguo left the greenhouse and walked towards the logistics department.

I hadn't walked more than a few steps when I saw Liu Qingsong from the rescue team returning from outside. They were all covered in mud, probably because they had just finished a rescue operation.

"What's wrong, Brother Liu? There's been a train accident?" Li Aiguo's heart skipped a beat, and he offered him a few cigarettes.

“It’s Aiguo. This accident has nothing to do with dispatching.” Liu Qingsong understood Li Aiguo’s concerns. He took a cigarette, lit it, and frowned as he said, “It was a loose sleeper in the section near the military grain depot that caused the train to derail. Because the train braked in time, there were no casualties.”

"Really?" Li Aiguo was about to leave when a team member muttered quietly, "This is the third time this month that the sleepers have had problems. I don't know what those track inspectors are doing!"

"Hey, Xiao Liu, the track inspectors have done their best. Such a long railway line, they have to inspect it and repair it. It's not an easy task."

Liu Qingsong reprimanded his team members: "When we came back just now, didn't you hear? The track patrol workers of the twelve shifts in the section have been working for three days straight without a break. The section chief is planning to call on comrades from other workshops to replace them."

The team member was scolded and then fell silent.

Li Aiguo didn't know much about the work of the road patrol workers.

All I know is that, unlike in later generations, in these days, track inspectors were responsible for repairing railway tracks in addition to inspecting the lines and bridges.

All year round, regardless of the severe cold or scorching heat, they work tirelessly on the railway line, which is extremely hard.

With three accidents occurring in quick succession, the pressure on the track inspectors must be even greater.

"Driver Li, are you busy?" Li Aiguo was thinking about his patrol duties as he walked towards the logistics department when a voice came from behind him.

He turned his head and saw a little girl standing not far away.

The girl was very thin, like He Yushui from before. She had a ponytail, wore patched clothes, and carried a schoolbag.

"Girl, who are you?"

I never expected to run into Li Aiguo on Monday. After calling out his name, I didn't know how to greet him.

Her face flushed red, and she stammered, "Driver Li, my name is Zhou Yi. You don't know me, but I know you. My mother works in an instant noodle factory, and I even made hand warmers for you."

Li Aiguo didn't pay much attention to her since she was a family member of an employee.

After exchanging greetings, he looked at the plaster in her hand and asked, "Miss Zhou, are you delivering medicine to your father?"

"Hmm." Zhou nodded. "My dad is a road patrolman. He's been busy with work lately, and his old ailment has flared up again. His arm hurts terribly, so I bought some ointment to take to him, but I can't find anyone to help me."

"They should still be working. Come with me."

Li Aiguo led Zhou Yi towards the track workshop on the east side of the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.

The track workshop is also a large workshop. Unlike the maintenance workshop, which has all kinds of machinery, this is the workshop with the most workers in the entire locomotive depot.

When Li Aiguo arrived at the line workshop, Huang Dexing, the workshop director, was holding a meeting with the team leaders, slamming his fist on the table and cursing.

“Three accidents! Aren’t you ashamed? I, Lao Huang, have been humiliated. From now on, all leave is canceled, and all track inspectors will have their working hours increased by two hours. They must inspect the entire line within a week.”

“Director, the track inspectors have been working for several days in a row, and some of them have even collapsed from exhaustion.” A team leader raised his hand.

"Minor injuries won't keep us from the front lines. So what if we're sick? Can't we just keep going?" Huang Dexing said to the squad leader, "If something else happens, if something else happens, it's a small matter if I, Old Huang, lose my job, but if the car is destroyed and I die... who can bear that responsibility?!"

Seeing that Huang Dexing was angry, the team leader didn't dare to say anything more.

"Alright, meeting adjourned!" Huang Dexing turned and left the meeting room, just as Li Aiguo came in with Zhou Yi.

He recognized Li Aiguo and greeted him with a smile: "Li Dache, what brings you here?"

"Oh, it's Director Huang. Perfect timing. This is Zhou Yi, here to deliver the plaster to Inspector Zhou," Li Aiguo introduced Zhou Yi.

"Xiao Wang, aren't you going to the military food station later? Take the plaster to Lao Zhou in the fifth squad." Huang Dexing called over a squad leader and handed him the plaster.

He thanked them repeatedly on Monday and then turned and left.

Li Aiguo, who was also planning to leave, stopped and offered Director Huang a cigarette.

"Old Huang, I heard that the section is asking us to recall those track inspectors who have been working for several days in a row? Is that true?"

Director Huang was taken aback when Li Aiguo raised this question. After a moment of surprise, he slapped his thigh and said, "Comrade Aiguo, it's not that I'm unwilling to withdraw, it's that we can't withdraw!"

"Work needs to be done, but comrades also need to rest." This was a matter for the line workshop, and Li Aiguo couldn't interfere, so he could only offer this reminder.

Director Huang was surprised that Li Aiguo would pay so much attention to this matter. He said, "You are not in my position, so you don't understand my difficulties. Most of the railway lines under the jurisdiction of our locomotive depot are old lines with a history of seventy or eighty years. The sleepers and track slabs are all aging."

The sleepers are relatively easy to replace, but the key is the track treads. To properly compact them, it takes more than ten people and most of the day to complete the task.

Li Aiguo had also seen the work of the track inspectors. In those days, the main tool used to compact the track was an iron roller weighing four or five hundred pounds, with ropes attached to it.

Five workers worked in a group, lifting iron rollers and slamming them heavily onto the loose track slabs until they were firmly set before the rails and sleepers could be re-laid; otherwise, they would loosen again in a few days.

This is really hard work, and only veteran track inspectors can do it. Young men simply can't last two days.

Li Aiguo recalled that in later generations this thing seemed to have been replaced by a railway tamping pick.

The railway tamping pick is similar in principle and structure to the electric tamping pick, but it is equipped with a small gasoline engine and a vibrating rod at the front.

The workshop can now manufacture gasoline engines; the vibratory tamping rod is a very simple device.
It's done!

"If we had new equipment, maybe we could solve these problems."

Director Huang frowned: "What kind of equipment? This is solid track paving. The track paving has to be as solid as tamping the foundation. Four or five people pull those iron wheels, and after one trip, their shoulders are covered in sore flesh! There's no room for sloppiness."

Li Aiguo didn't explain anything further and turned to leave the line workshop.

(End of this chapter)