Siheyuan: I eat melons while doing scientific research

Chapter 1367 A Kind-hearted Northern Comrade (4k)

AOD (Argon-Oxygen Refining), a refining process that was originally planned to be put into production in the Kingdom a few years later, was developed by Gao Zhendong long before urea steel was produced.

However, in order to keep the urea steel production process a secret and ensure its export, this process was not made public but was strictly limited to a small number of factories that produce urea steel.

It's likely that the factory they found perfectly avoided these other factories.

"Really?" The comrade in charge of shipbuilding couldn't quite believe it; this happiness not only came quickly, but also came in abundance.

Gao Zhendong nodded and smiled, "Don't worry, your problem is obvious at a glance. It's a technological issue, and we've had that technology for a long time. It's just that we haven't publicly promoted it because of the special type of steel we use to produce it."

The comrades nodded in agreement. "That's right, that's right. Special steel isn't just for our own use; other places use it too. The level of secrecy for our use is high, but the level of secrecy for other places isn't necessarily low. No wonder."

The comrades from the National Defense Commission were even more embarrassed, as they were the ones to blame for the whole thing.

Actually, we can't entirely blame them. They've solved many problems in this area through technological intelligence sharing and the convenience of the internet. However, things like AOD production processes are difficult to explain clearly through these channels, not to mention that this stuff is kept secret!

Back then, we didn't have many good things, so we always tried to keep them to ourselves. Now we're much more generous.

"That's great!" They naturally had complete faith in Committee Member Gao, who was involved in wholesaling new materials. They hadn't expected that this problem, which had been troubling them for so long, would be solved so easily here.

"Committee Member Gao, I'll go and get the paperwork done right away and find the comrades at the 17th Ministry of Machine Building to resolve the issue. As for the rest, we'll think of a solution later."

It's already a stroke of luck that things went so smoothly; the comrades weren't greedy enough to want to solve everything at once.

Gao Zhendong smiled and said, "Keep the rest here for now. I'll take a look and think of a solution for you. But if you want the best results, you should label where each material will be used and what its purpose is. The same material may require different heat treatment and processing methods depending on its intended use."

He wanted to know the part of the material to use so that he could compare it with the book in his hand, which also mentioned the material and clearly marked the part of the material to use and its purpose.

He was even willing to take the initiative specifically for this matter? The comrades working on the ship pile were overjoyed.

"Isn't this... taking up too much of your time?" This made him feel genuinely embarrassed.

In a sense, the amount used here is small, and its application is relatively narrow. In terms of its significance to the national economy and people's livelihood, it is undoubtedly not as significant as some bulk steel products.

Unfortunately, these things are niche and obscure, with high requirements and difficulties, and there are many categories, making them very time-consuming to develop. After all, the time required to develop a new material is not shortened just because the usage is small; it may even be longer because of the high requirements.

There is no doubt that this Committee Member Gao has undertaken a lot of work in this regard. It takes up his time just for a few ship piles, which makes his comrades feel a little uncomfortable.

Gao Zhendong shook his head: "It's alright, it's alright. Some things are similar. I should be able to get things done faster than the other comrades. Your work is also very important, so try not to delay it if possible. Besides, I know my work arrangements, I have a plan, it's okay. Of course, I can't guarantee that everything will be done well, hahaha."

His words deeply moved his comrades. What other options did Committee Member Gao have? He simply had to squeeze in time, sacrificing his energy and health for technological advancement. After all, no matter how capable a person is, they still need to spend time to get things done.

“This…” The comrade in charge of ship stacking hesitated.

However, the comrades in the National Defense Committee knew that once Gao Zhendong made a decision, it couldn't be changed. Moreover, this comrade was quite remarkable; he always managed to produce results far exceeding the workload of a normal person.

"Don't hesitate any longer. Commissioner Gao is just concerned about the development of your project. Let's do as he says," said the comrade from the Defense Committee.

"Alright, I'll go back and complete the formalities right away, and send you the more detailed information about these materials as soon as possible." Even though I knew this matter would definitely get approval, the formalities still had to be completed; I couldn't break the rules.

"Okay, then I'll wait for your news."

Gao Zhendong then saw the two comrades off.

"He said he'd figure something out?" The defense committee leader was preparing to sign the relevant documents. There weren't many documents, but they were quite thick, since there was already a considerable amount of material prepared.

"Yes, but I don't know where he got so much time. To be honest, the current findings alone have already delighted the comrades studying the ship piles, and they've been very excited the whole way," reported the comrade in charge of related work from the Defense Committee.

"Hmm... Since he said that, he must be confident. He's confirmed this many times before, so there's no need to doubt it. All you need to do is two things: ensure safety and ensure health." It's really strange, Comrade Zhendong's body is like iron. With this kind of work intensity, he's completely fine, and he hasn't even seen the stomach problems that are common among researchers. His public medical insurance booklet has been as clean as if it were brand new all these years.

Moreover, he had absorbed the latest graphite-based cold reactor design from Luo Guo, and perhaps he had developed new ideas about materials based on that. Others might just be laymen watching the spectacle, but for someone like Comrade Zhendong, he could see the intricacies at a glance and develop his own ideas.

"Good leadership."

Watching his comrades leave with their paperwork, the leader stood up, looked towards the shallow sea, and muttered to himself, "I hope everything goes smoothly. But at least for now, it doesn't seem as difficult as I imagined."
-
In Lubyanka, a man in charge of the kingdom's affairs hurried into his superior's office.

"Comrade Branch Chief, I think you need to take a look at this news."

He was unusually out of control, which piqued the curiosity of the branch director.

"What news?" The branch chief took it, glanced at it carefully, and frowned.

“If this is true, and they succeed completely, then our steel torrent will be seriously threatened in the direction of the Southern Federation.” He stood up, then sat down again.

"You can go out first, I need to make a phone call."

Only after the visitor left did he pick up the phone and make the call.

The news quickly reached the people in charge of armored equipment research and production.

"The Kingdom is researching a nuclear weapon that uses neutrons as a means of destruction? What is a neutron?" he asked the nuclear weapons expert in front of him. He understood atoms and atomic bombs, but neutrons were somewhat unfamiliar to him.

"Neutrons are actually a type of particle that sustains fission reactions. Before this, no one had considered using them as a primary means of destruction," said a nuclear weapons expert.

"What's so special about it? Why do the people of Lubyanka say it poses a huge threat to armored forces?"

"Theoretically speaking, this particle stream can directly penetrate steel and kill personnel hiding behind it. In other words, it can cause widespread damage to armored forces even when tanks and armored vehicles are intact. Moreover, because it specifically enhances the generation of neutron streams, its destructive effect on armored forces may be stronger than that of atomic and hydrogen bombs. After all, we have conducted experiments, and for sufficiently robust tanks, the effects of light radiation and shock waves are greatly reduced, and the survival rate is actually quite high at a certain distance."

Romania's Nuclear War Tank Project 279 is the kind that's really designed to charge forward under the threat of an atomic bomb. Have you ever seen a tank with four tracks?
The nuclear weapons expert's explanation was so detailed that those responsible for the research and production of armored equipment immediately realized the seriousness of the problem.

This weapon is specifically designed to target armored forces.

"This is really bad news. The Southerners have conventional weapons that can effectively deal with armored formations, while the Kingdom is researching nuclear weapons to deal with armored formations." They have seen the effectiveness of our terminally guided missiles on the test range, and it is not an exaggeration to say that they are still "terrified".

They are also researching similar weapons, but progress is not promising.

This time, even the Kingdom of Romania has joined in the fun, making itself capable of both nuclear and conventional warfare. This is not something to be happy about for Romania. Having two major powers serving them is quite a blessing.

"Lubyanka's intelligence indicates that the Kingdom has confirmed the theoretical feasibility of this weapon last year and is conducting research on its practical application. We believe they have a high chance of success, and we should also do something in this regard."

In fact, when the other side actually deployed the neutron bomb, the following year Romania publicly stated that it had also completed its own neutron bomb research. It would be unreasonable to say that Lubyanka didn't contribute to this; otherwise, it wouldn't have been possible to achieve such a rapid pace.

At least for Romanian nuclear weapons experts, it would be enough for the people of Lubyanka to find out about the weapon and its underlying principles; they didn't necessarily have to steal the technology.

As for the United States and us, we completed our neutron bomb research one after another a decade or two later. This is the normal pace, because we hadn't even considered this direction before, so it took time.

As for the Flower Skirt Kingdom... it sits at the children's table in this matter, and with Hans and Lancy leading the way, they can just tag along with the Kingdom and Lancy.

"Comrade, I hope you can start relevant research as soon as possible, at least to figure out its killing mechanism," Luo Guo, who was in charge of armored equipment, said seriously to the nuclear weapons expert.

"Yes, we will submit an application to the relevant committee as soon as possible to carry out relevant project research. Don't forget, this weapon can not only be used to defend against armored onslaughts, but also to attack fortified defenses. Neutron beams can penetrate steel, so they can also penetrate fortifications and buildings."

Unlike the mindset of those in charge of armored equipment, for those working on nuclear weapons, this was a new direction and a new opportunity that they would never let slip by.

After seeing off the nuclear weapons experts, the person in charge of armored equipment sat down, thought for a while, and then made a phone call to Lubyanka.

"Comrade, give half of this information to the comrades in the south. Yes, only reveal its effectiveness against armored vehicles; do not reveal the underlying principles."

Having learned through various channels that the Southern comrades' armored forces also possessed enormous potential and posed a significant threat, he decided to use this information to cause some trouble for the Southern comrades.

Vague and ambiguous messages are more likely to disrupt the other party's plans.

Moreover, the comrades in the South have been making very rapid technological progress in certain areas recently. If they can actually come up with something, that would be great. Maybe the comrades in Lubyanka could even find out some of the underlying principles.
-
"Did our comrades in the north leak this to us?" The leader of the National Defense Commission asked, frowning as he looked at the paper in his hand.

"Yes. But according to them, that's all the information they have."

The defense commission leader patted the paper in his hand: "They're just being mischievous. How much of a use can such a vague message have? I don't believe they only know this much, otherwise they wouldn't be able to determine if it really has a killing effect on armored forces."

The comrade who reported the news laughed and said, "That's just how they are. They seem generous and magnanimous, but they always have the word 'small' etched on their fur coats."

Upon hearing this, the defense commission leader burst into laughter: "Hmm, that makes sense! That makes sense! That's exactly their style. You can go now, I'll make a few phone calls."

There's no need to make a big fuss or hold a special meeting for this kind of baseless information; just call your comrades and ask.

He first made a call to the depths of the desert.

However, they gained nothing from the news. The comrades, who had just received the news, couldn't immediately consider the possibility of neutron damage. Their most important task now was to miniaturize the weapon.

He put down the phone, thought for a moment, and suddenly remembered someone.

Yes, he's a tank engineer, the deputy chief designer of that high-performance second-generation tank, and he's an expert in tank protection and firepower.

Ask him; you might get some good insights. At least he can analyze the possibilities from the perspective of a tank.

And as for nuclear physics... well, let's just say he doesn't understand it. Whether others believe it or not is up to them, but the leaders certainly don't.

The leader picked up the phone and called Gao Zhendong.

After listening to the leader's brief explanation of the situation, Gao Zhendong was a little confused.

Luo Guo is really generous, though not entirely so. According to Gao Zhendong's guess, in his previous life, it's highly unlikely we would have received news about the neutron bomb at this time, not even vaguely.

However, he was familiar with this matter. He had no idea how a neutron bomb was made, but he knew exactly what it was. After all, it wasn't like reciting pi backwards.

"Boss, I guess what it is. I guess it's a neutron bomb... a weapon that uses neutrons to kill people inside bunkers or armored vehicles."

(End of this chapter)