Siheyuan: I eat melons while doing scientific research

Chapter 1351 Steadfast Warrior and Idealist (4k)

With everyone agreeing, the matter was settled, and the next step was to decide which one to sell.

As Chief Engineer Gao just mentioned, we currently have at least two or three different generations of this product. So, which generation should we sell?

Gao Zhendong had already thought it through: "My suggestion is a semi-automatic 10mPMOS. This will basically meet their requirements without being too excessive, and the semi-automatic design will also show our sincerity."

However, he couldn't make the final decision on this matter. After discussing it, the comrades unanimously decided to use manual mode for 10 meters and skip the semi-automatic mode.

Gao Zhendong didn't insist on his own opinion; this matter was up to everyone. He could try his best to get the most crucial decisions made, but there was no need to worry about these trivial matters. Besides, in these small details, he might not actually understand them as clearly or handle them as well as his comrades.

As everyone began to leave, Gao Zhendong saw the leaders of the National Defense Commission walking out. He quickly caught up with them and stopped them in their tracks.

"Boss, there's something I'd like to discuss with you," Gao Zhendong said with a smile.

The leader, who knew him well, smiled and said, "Come on, let's go to my office."

The two sat down in the office. Before Gao Zhendong could speak, the leader spoke first: "You want to discuss whether you can get something in return, right?"

Gao Zhendong gave a thumbs up: "Great! You even answered the question first!"

"You little rascal, I know what you're up to the moment you stick your butt out. Tell me, what are you interested in?" The leader laughed heartily, with a sense of pleasure at seeing through his junior's little tricks.

Gao Zhendong smiled slightly and said something that the leader thought was an outrageous demand: "A reactor, for submarines."

With the model sponsored by that foreign patron, and the anechoic tiles, floating valve vibration isolation, seven-bladed tilting propellers that he and his comrades had tinkered with, as well as the acoustic homing torpedoes sponsored by Gaul, Gao Zhendong felt that this was all that was missing.

Although the biggest criticism of our first-generation blackfish reactor is its excessive noise, Gao Zhendong believes that, in any case, Romania's reactor is more mature than ours and can further accelerate the maturation of our marine reactors.

It's okay if we don't get it; it's all about taking a chance, whether we get it or not.

"Hiss... You really dare to think of that..." The boss felt his teeth were not just hurting, they were about to fall out.

Gao Zhendong was overjoyed. There were very few things that could move these seasoned leaders.

"There's nothing we wouldn't dare to think about. Since they dared to provide fusion bombs and graphite reactors before, this matter is not monolithic." The graphite reactors used to produce Pu-239, whether the first one that has already been put into operation or the second one that is still pending, are indeed closely related to the country of Romania.

That seems to make some sense? But something still feels off: "The situation back then is different from the situation now."

The different statements from the leaders reflect the different environments and attitudes of both parties.

Gao Zhendong laughed: "The situation now is different from that time."

He didn't spell it out, but the leader understood what he meant: now people need our help, but they didn't back then.

"You really know how to cover up your mistakes," the leader laughed again.

Gao Zhendong said, "Actually, that's not the real purpose. This matter is something that's just a matter of luck. If we get lucky and find it, that's a good thing. If we don't agree, it's okay. What I really want is something else."

I knew this kid always had a backup plan: "What is it?"

So he first asked for an exorbitant price for the marine reactor, and then settled for the actual target on the spot.

Comrade Linochka from the North: What a coincidence! No, that's what I thought too.

Gao Zhendong smiled and said, "Actually, we discussed something like this not long ago."

The leader thought for a moment and then realized his tooth was hurting a little again.

"Graphite piles? Isn't that unnecessary? Our graphite piles are already in normal production."

Gao Zhendong shook his head: "No, I want more than just their graphite reactor; I also want their power generation part! To be precise, I want the complete technology of their most advanced graphite-cooled reactor."

If Romania's graphite-moderated cold reactor continues to develop for some time, the RBMK (Reinforced Bengal Graphite Moderated Boiling Water Reactor) will emerge. This is almost the most advanced graphite reactor in decades, and its application is extremely mature.

Of course, the one Luo Guo bombed was exactly that kind of pile, but as I said before, human error accounted for 90% of the cause of that incident, and Luo Guo's decisive follow-up actions made up for some of their oversights. It was truly the captain who was the first to step forward; the brilliance of an ordinary person shone brightly in this rescue operation.

Therefore, Gao Zhendong had no objection to it. He knew where the problem was, and at least he could apply the patch properly!

Moreover, there are plenty of RBMK reactors in Romania, and the others are all in good condition. Even the reactors at the plant that exploded continued to operate safely until the end of Romania's history before being shut down.

The earliest RBMK began construction a few years later. Gao Zhendong believes that even if there are still 6 years before that, the prototype of RBMK must have been developed to a near-complete stage. After all, there is a time gap between the completion of technology and design and construction. This time difference may require waiting for construction, but for acquiring technology, even if it is 6 years earlier than the start of construction, a lot of good stuff can still be obtained. If it can be harvested, that would be the best.

For us, acquiring a basically mature reactor technology that can both generate electricity and produce isotope raw materials is an incredible windfall. The new U mine on the grasslands is about to begin construction, and countless U-238s are waiting to be burned.

"Sir, when I was reviewing the reactor materials last time, I analyzed that if the technology of our comrades in the north were to develop at a normal pace, their graphite-based cold reactor should be even more mature now."

As for how I actually arrived at this conclusion, that's none of your business...

"Moreover, graphite-based cold reactors have an advantage: theoretically, they can burn nuclear fuel with an abundance as low as that of natural U. In other words, theoretically, as long as we put natural U in, we can obtain Pu-239 and generate electricity. In addition, the refining technology of grassland U ore can increase the U-235 abundance to a certain extent, making it perfect for this kind of reactor."

Gao Zhendong's lengthy explanation hit the nail on the head. This thing is really that effective?
In reality, disregarding the more advanced reactors of later generations, under current technological conditions, the most suitable reactors for producing Pu-239 from U-238 are graphite reactors and heavy water reactors. However, graphite is much cheaper than heavy water. With fewer reactors built, and only a few graphite reactors potentially going into production over a decade, the "20 reactors forever" will remain just a joke, and it's unlikely that such a joke will even ever materialize.

"These two technologies are not on the same level, are they? Is the comrade from the North willing?" The leader was also somewhat tempted, but he believed that the comrade from the North was not a fool.

After all, how can a few chips compare to a nuclear reactor? These days, the global consensus is that nuclear power is everything, it is the future.

A smile appeared on Gao Zhendong's face: "Sir, other things may not be possible, but this is really possible. Let me explain."

Gao Zhendong counted on his fingers, analyzing each point one by one.

There wasn't much content, but it all sounded quite reasonable.

First, the Russians once exported graphite cold reactor technology to us. Although it was a relatively old technology, this greatly reduced their concerns about exporting graphite reactors.

Once you've done it the first time, the second time will be much easier. It's just a pile of graphite, something we've done before.

Moreover, our graphite reactor is already in production. The Russians can deduce this from the fact that we have successfully detonated fusion weapons multiple times. As a result, the other side has even less psychological pressure.

Even if we don't give it to them ourselves, our comrades in the south have it too, so there's no need to hide it. It's just a matter of having some additional power generation technology, no big deal.

Secondly, semiconductor production lines are not only useful in the aerospace field, but in all fields. Gao Zhendong believes that what made Luo Guo decide to make this somewhat far-fetched request to us must not be driven by the limited needs in the aerospace sector.

The wider the application, the higher the likelihood that the other party will be willing to pay a greater price.

The third point that Gao Zhendong made earned the leader's praise. Comrade Zhendong not only focused on technology, but also looked up at the international situation and analyzed it in conjunction with his specific work, which was very rare.

"Thirdly, the Northern comrades are now engaged in a space race with the Kingdom. Although the Northern comrades won the first artificial satellite and the first astronaut, this has burdened them with a heavy responsibility. The Kingdom, which is closely following behind and has certain economic and technological advantages, is willing to receive as much help as possible in all relevant areas, even at a premium, in order to maintain this politically advantageous lead."

As the leader listened, he nodded repeatedly: "Hmm...that makes sense, that makes sense. It seems this matter isn't entirely hopeless; at least there's a chance." If there's a chance, it's worth trying.

For Romania, this could be considered a deal with low policy risk, high application demand, and high political returns; it might actually come to fruition.

Gao Zhendong added at the end: "In addition, I have another suggestion, let's give it a try."

"Go ahead," Comrade Zhendong's suggestions were always so interesting, and the leader felt rather reluctant to give up.

"If they reject our first request, which is the one about marine reactors, then we can propose cooperation with them in the aerospace field!"

Cooperation?

I know Gao Zhendong is very good at finding unconventional ways to succeed; he can always find many niche but effective paths. But this path is no longer just niche, it's somewhat unorthodox.

"Are they willing?" Leading in the aerospace field brings enormous political benefits, and the leadership felt that the other party would not be willing to relinquish a portion of it.

"Give it a try, it's free anyway. No matter how great the political benefits are, for our comrades in the North, they are already facing some economic and technological difficulties. Perhaps they also hope that someone can share the burden."

Compared to the Kingdom, a major weakness of the Kingdom of Luo is that, apart from us, it lacks both advanced technology and a substantial economy. While the Kingdom is practically showered with attention and support, the Kingdom of Luo is struggling and trudging along, burdened with its own problems.

Moreover, since the oil crisis has not yet occurred, Romania has not yet enjoyed the good life of having national-level gas stations, making its economy even more difficult.

"Hmm..." The leader also knew that what Gao Zhendong said was not wrong. Others might not know what the situation was like inside Luo, but how could they at this level not know?

"Moreover, in the field of aerospace, we are not without anything; in some aspects, we are even stronger than them. They are still using the satellites we sold them," Gao Zhendong said with a smile. This was the biggest source of his confidence in making this tentative suggestion. Compared to the fact that Luo Guo originally had no need for us in this area, the situation has changed in this world, and each country has its own strengths.

"Moreover, there is another aspect worth considering, namely that the path we are on emphasizes collectivism, advocates unity, and hopes for a world of harmony. In this regard, the results of cooperation are not necessarily a loss for our comrades in the North, but rather a major victory."

Absolutely!

Gao Zhendong's perspective on problems is unconventional, yet extremely sharp!
Regardless of whether the other party thinks the same way, his last statement represents the most fundamental insight based on the theory of strategic direction. If the other party doesn't consider it that way, that's their problem, not that Gao Zhendong's viewpoint is wrong.

Regardless of the means and methods he uses externally, this comrade remains, in his heart, a staunch fighter and an idealist.

"You're right! I'll report this to my superiors as soon as possible." The leader realized that his initial thought was a bit unrealistic; he should fight for what he could.

This isn't something that can be decided in just a few words, but it's a path worth trying. Gao Zhendong made a good point earlier: since there's nothing to lose, how will we know if we don't try?

"As soon as possible?" The leader's words reminded Gao Zhendong of something.

He briefly recalled it in his mind and almost shouted it out.

Holy crap! We need to hurry, something's about to happen.

In terms of our goals, beliefs, and style, dealing with a slightly idealistic person is always a bit more pleasant than dealing with a paternalistic bureaucrat.

"Yes, it really needs to be done as soon as possible. No matter what the outcome, it's best to finalize it within a quarter." Gao Zhendong nodded frantically.

Once it's finalized, there's a possibility of it being implemented. Even though they later clashed on the border, it didn't actually delay the implementation of some of the established arms sales and other agreements between the two sides.

(End of this chapter)