Siheyuan: I eat melons while doing scientific research

Chapter 1368 Let's Do Something Else (5k)

Kao Chen-tung has absolutely no interest in developing neutron bombs, but he still needs to explain the situation to the National Defense Commission.

His words pleased the defense committee leaders; they were indeed effective. This kid is quick-witted and always manages to surprise people.

"Neutron bombs? There are such things?" The leader felt as if he had opened the door to a new world.

“Yes, looking at weapons derived from the hydrogen bomb, theoretically, only neutron flux has the capability to achieve the effect you just described. The theory behind this isn’t complicated; just tell the comrades working on it, and they’ll definitely understand,” Gao Zhendong said with a smile.

There are actually quite a few weapons derived from the hydrogen bomb, but of course, the core of them all is fusion. Without fusion to power them, everything else is nonsense.

"Hmm... do you think this thing has potential?" the defense commission leader asked with a smile, somewhat tempted. Which leader could withstand such a test—the ability to control the throat of a steel torrent?

Moreover, this thing can capture enemy equipment intact, which is incredibly tempting for us, who are always shrewd and often try to take advantage of the enemy.

Surprisingly, Gao Zhendong didn't seem interested in what he was saying.

"Personally, I don't feel there's a great need to do this right now."

Knowing that Gao Zhendong was eager to bring out all the good things, the leader knew that he must have his own ideas.

"Why? Tell me."

"I think our most urgent task right now is to make the hydrogen bomb smaller so that our various delivery vehicles can deliver it to farther places. This kind of thing costs money, and I think we should use our best resources where they are most needed." Although our first one was a combat-ready one, it's still not quite small enough. As for Russia, it's even further behind.

"Hmm, so you want to establish a reliable deterrent capability first?" The leader understood his thoughts from his words.

"Yes. Moreover, from a usage perspective, neutron bombs, regardless of their power, are more of a tactical nuclear weapon, which is not very meaningful for our policy." Our policy is to use them only to maintain strategic deterrence, and we have committed to no first use and no use against non-nuclear states, so the significance of tactical nuclear weapons is really not great for the time being.

This thing can't be said to have no deterrent effect, but if it only deters the enemy's armored and defensive capabilities, then it's far less useful to us than strategic deterrence.

"Your line of thinking is quite interesting." The leader's mind stirred; this was indeed a problem.

"Moreover, in terms of effectiveness, we already have a relatively effective means of dealing with armored formations using conventional methods. The threshold for using neutron bombs is actually a very awkward issue, as it could lead to an escalation of nuclear war, which would seriously limit its use and effectiveness."

When Gao Zhendong mentioned this, the leader remembered that this kid had also led everyone to develop a terminally guided missile. That thing posed a significant threat to armored formations, and it could be used whenever needed. It seemed to be more effective than this thing that usually needed to be kept under reserve.

"The Kingdom is developing this because the Western Union is directly threatened by the armored formations of our Northern comrades, and in reality, the Kingdom doesn't have a good way to offset this advantage. The Antrie Pact may seem like a lot of countries, but in reality, only a few are truly effective. However, we have the capability to use conventional weapons to contain the attack of any force's armored formations."

Gao Zhendong still saved face by not directly saying "the North".

"Hmm, your consideration makes some sense in the short term. But what if our competitors develop this technology if we don't study it?" the leader pondered.

Whether they are visible or invisible adversaries, since some have begun research and others have obtained intelligence, the likelihood of them acquiring this weapon is inevitably very high.

Gao Zhendong laughed: "This is one of the reasons why I don't approve of it. It sounds powerful, but it's not a direct attack. The principle is ingenious, but ingenious things often have a weakness—that is, they are easy to target."

"Being targeted? You mean there's a way to protect yourself?" The leader laughed. So, part of the reason was that it wasn't working properly, huh?

"Yes, you forgot, the control rods in the reactor absorb neutrons. For neutron bombs, which use neutrons as their primary means of destruction, protection is not that difficult as long as they are within a certain distance. Installing a neutron-resistant liner in tanks, armored vehicles, and defensive fortifications can be very effective, and the cost of this liner is actually not high."

Neutron-proof lining is a layer of protection that all modern main battle tanks must have.

Neutron jets are not light radiation or shock waves, and they do not have the ability to overpower other methods. They are very easy to counter.

"That's all?" The leader was a little confused. Such an amazing thing, could it really provide such good protection so simply?

"It's that simple. So in the end, this weapon will most likely end up in an awkward situation where it has limited effectiveness against its original targets and has to rely on the old function of nuclear weapons. On the other hand, the harm it causes to civilians is very direct, since civilians don't have anything like neutron shielding."

This is quite awkward; what was supposed to be an armored vehicle target has become a civilian target.

"This... um, I understand."

"So my view is simple: if there's definitely the capacity, then it's fine to do it, it's better to be prepared. But if there's no capacity..."

Gao Zhendong didn't mean he deeply hated neutron bombs, but he just felt that the current economic conditions were not suitable for developing them, so he left it as a loose end.

At this point, Gao Zhendong's heart stirred.

"If you don't have the spare energy, you might as well do something else," he laughed on the phone.

"What else?"

“Yes, let’s do something else. Although I don’t think the neutron bomb is very cost-effective or necessary right now, it has a very useful concept: catching mice in a china shop without breaking the china.” Gao Zhendong said.

His words reminded the leader of many things. Wasn't Jin Chen trying every means to persuade the enemy to surrender in order to avoid damaging the porcelain? And how many sacrifices were made because Shu Jiang couldn't even use heavy artillery in order to avoid damaging the porcelain?

"Tell me more, tell me more." The leader's interest was greatly piqued at this point.

After all, there are still quite a few "porcelain shops" to deal with later.

"For example, to sabotage the enemy's power facilities, you don't necessarily have to blow up the power plant. We still need to use it ourselves. We can use some special bombs to short-circuit and burn out their power systems, or burn some transformers. That's much cheaper than a power plant. And the collateral damage is minimal, so it won't have much impact on ordinary people." When it comes to imagination, Gao Zhendong admires Wang Guolao. Before the dawn of time, Wang Guolao's imagination was truly boundless.

"Such a weapon exists?" The leader racked his brains but couldn't fathom the existence of such a capability. As someone who had come from a background of traditional warfare, the leader's thinking about weaponry was still, "Open fire with the cannons, blast them to smithereens," and if that wasn't enough, just get an even bigger cannon.

"Yes, for example, if you drop a bomb filled with copper wire from the sky, the copper wire can short-circuit the enemy's power system. Of course, this is just an example; the actual situation is much more complicated."

This is just an example, but the effect was very good; the leader understood Gao Zhendong's idea almost instantly.

"Haha, your idea is brilliant, a bit underhanded." You know what, this thing might actually have unexpected effects in certain situations.

"Boss, we're developing these unconventional things. The enemy won't expect it, and they'll likely suffer heavy losses at first. Our most pressing objective is that the enemy probably only has one chance to suffer a loss, which is perfect. Besides, this thing is much cheaper than developing neutron bombs."

"Hmm, that's an interesting idea. I'll have someone come and learn from you later." After learning of Gao Zhendong's idea, the leader was genuinely intrigued. On this point, most people think similarly: I may not use it, but I can't be without it.

Gao Zhendong chuckled and said, "No problem, don't worry, boss. I'm always thinking of these kinds of clever ideas, and I have even more than just this one."

"Anything else? Then we have to take this lesson. Even if we don't continue, getting the ideas and keeping them is a good idea. It also allows us to gain experience in dealing with the enemy from various angles and make predictions in advance. Who knows, maybe some enemy can pull off some tricks like Gao Zhendong. It's always good to be prepared."

After hanging up the phone, the leader called back to the desert.

"Neutron jet? Hmm... Let me think about it. Hmm, indeed, that's a viable approach. Theoretically, it could achieve the same effect as your last phone call."

Upon hearing the explanation of the principle relayed by the Defense Commission leader, the comrades in the desert were greatly surprised. Who had the leader contacted? Why was the response so fast? Had they poached the nuclear scientists from the Kingdom of Laos? "It can be achieved, right? Then if you have the spare capacity, send people to study it. We may not use this, but we cannot be ignorant of it. At least we must understand the killing mechanism and how to protect against it, to see if it is really true that only a single layer of neutron-resistant lining is needed to weaken its killing capability."

The leader's words surprised the comrades in the desert even more. Had they really poached the Wang Guolao's people? Why were they already starting to consider protection?

He thought for a moment before speaking: "Theoretically, a neutron-resistant liner can indeed achieve this effect, but we need to think carefully about how to do it."

How high should the intensity of the neutron jet be? What materials should be used to achieve the best effect without incurring too much cost? What should the effective range be? All of these things will take time, but this approach is definitely viable.

"Yes, that's what I mean. If you have the time and energy, then take some time to study it. It doesn't necessarily have to be a physical prototype, but you should understand the theoretical aspects first. The comrade I consulted said that, theoretically, the neutron bomb is a derivative of the hydrogen bomb... Oh dear!!!"

He exclaimed in surprise before he could finish his sentence.

He suddenly realized something: this kid's words were loaded with meaning, he was hiding something!

His exact words were, "Theoretically, only neutron bombs can achieve the same effect as hydrogen bomb-derived weapons." That "only" seems to imply a lot more! I wonder what else he's thinking. I have to ask him!

"Alright, you guys get ready to start the project. I have something else to do!"

His words surprised his comrades in the desert as well. So, the comrade who found the clue in such a short time was actually from back home?
And the fact that he hung up the phone so hastily suggests he's made some new discovery.

Anyway, another job has come up, and the comrades in the desert are thrilled.

When Gao Zhendong's phone was reconnected, the leader's first question was: "Have you considered other derivative types of hydrogen bombs?"

Gao Zhendong was taken aback. "How did you know I knew?" After carefully recalling his conversation from the last phone call, he realized he had slipped up.

But this isn't a big deal; perhaps the comrades in the desert have already considered it. Besides, "analyzing from a theoretical perspective" is precisely what the comrades consider my strength.

He composed himself: "Yes, yes, leader, you know, although I'm not in this field, it's inevitable that I'll have some wild thoughts about weapons with such great power. I recently read the materials on graphite-in-water cold reactors from the northern comrades, and that's why I've been thinking about it a bit more."

Hey, if there's a problem, just push it onto this issue. Gao Zhendong now feels that his move to ask to see graphite-in-water cold reactor materials was truly brilliant.

Theoretical analysis is great because it can be done entirely through verbal explanations and imagination, without the need for experiments; all you need is a pen and a stack of paper. This is particularly suitable for someone like Gao Zhendong.

"Do you have any other ideas?" The leader was delighted; perhaps another reliable suggestion was on the horizon. He trusted Gao Zhendong's abilities, and many of his ideas were quite valuable.

"I've analyzed many possibilities in theory, but ultimately only one seems plausible," Gao Zhendong said with a smile.

Nothing else is interesting, but there's one interesting thing: if our comrades in the desert haven't considered it yet, it's good to say it in advance. After all, our big bombing just succeeded, and it hasn't been that long; our comrades might not have had time to think about so much yet.

There really is one? The leader was incredibly excited. In his view, "one" was much more reliable than "several." This was the one that Gao Zhendong had carefully analyzed theoretically and ultimately deemed reliable, so its significance was immense.

The "reliability" he talks about is different from what others consider reliable.

"Come over here right now." What followed was not suitable to be said over the phone. No matter how advanced the Third Factory's confidential system was, it couldn't compare to the committee's.

Gao Zhendong shook his head and took on the task.

When he arrived at the office of the defense commission leader, only the leader was there waiting for him.

"Come on, write down your thoughts," the leader said with a smile, pointing to a computer. This kind of content was technical, and the leader didn't think his paraphrasing was as effective as Gao Zhendong writing it down himself.

Gao Zhendong sat down and, like a primary school student, began typing text on the computer, word by word.

"Ideas about fission-fusion-fission three-phase nuclear weapons."

"A three-phase bomb? What's the difference between that and a modern fusion bomb?"

"There's not much difference, but with the same fusion charge, adding some other charges can more than double the power." What Gao Zhendong didn't mention was that this bomb was also particularly "dirty," with more radioactive contamination.

"How much?" Isn't that a difference? You're really taking steamed buns for granted.

"About double, just a rough estimate," Gao Zhendong confirmed again.

"Write it down quickly!" The leader was incredibly excited. Adding some other propellants could double the power of the same fusion propellant? If such a thing were possible, he'd be overjoyed.

An hour later, the comrades from the desert looked at the document that they had painstakingly deciphered layer by layer before finally opening it, and their eyes gleamed with excitement.

The document is actually quite short, with not many words, but as the old saying goes, "True teachings can be conveyed in a single sentence, while false teachings can fill countless volumes," and that's the idea behind it.

"Wow, that's a brilliant idea! Take the useless U-238, wrap it in an outer layer, and use the high-energy neutrons from fusion to bombard the U-238 to cause it to fission and release energy."

U-238 does not undergo fission under ordinary neutron impact because the neutron energy is insufficient. However, the neutrons produced by fusion are different; they can directly cause U-238 to fission and release energy.

"Moreover, according to this theory, the fission neutrons of U-238 will bombard lithium-6 in lithium deuteride, turning lithium-6 into tritium, which in turn increases the total amount of fusion material in the fusion reaction."

Lithium deuteride is the main charge in fusion. Normally, the lithium in it is not very useful, but under these conditions, lithium can be converted into tritium, and tritium can fuse under these conditions.

That's killing two birds with one stone! It's absolutely brilliant!

"Moreover, this thing is not difficult to make at all. Theoretically, it does not have high requirements for the configuration. You can just put the whole U-238 shell on it."

If this theory holds true, then it is possible to double the yield with only a small increase in weight using extremely simple methods. What does this mean? It means that, conversely, for the same yield, the explosive charge can be reduced!
There is more than one way to miniaturize, but this can also accelerate the miniaturization process.

What do you think of this theory?

"It seems to be reliable, at least the part about high-energy neutron impacting U-238 fission is reliable. And the increased power mainly comes from this part!"

This means that even if there are problems with the lithium-6 tritium conversion part, the U-238 fission alone can play a very good role.

"Quickly apply to the National Defense Commission for approval. This is much more exciting than a neutron bomb, hahaha." Invisible rays are nowhere near as exciting as bright light radiation and powerful shock waves. Moreover, if the theory holds true, the U-238 of this bomb cannot be completely consumed. This is interesting.

"I guess this idea also came from the comrade who found the route to the neutron bomb," one comrade said with a smile.

Firstly, there aren't many people with this capability. Secondly, he remembered the defense commission leader who hurriedly hung up the phone, and he had even said half of the phrase "hydrogen bomb derivative," which is what this thing is derived from.

I never expected there would be such comrades. Not coming to the desert is quite an anomaly.

Defense Committee: If he comes here, the losses will be huge.

(End of this chapter)