Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

Nanjing, the Supreme Scientific Coordination Committee for National Defense.

The fully enclosed meeting room contained no unnecessary furnishings.

A ten-meter-long oval mahogany table was filled with high-ranking military officials and several top scientific luminaries dressed in gray Zhongshan suits.

A PowerPoint presentation was humming softly in front of the conference table.

A beam of cold white light shone on the white curtain.

A science and technology officer wearing the rank of major general, holding a baton, gave a top-secret report to the assembled military and political leaders in a crisp and rapid voice.

"Gentlemen, the overseas top talent introduction program codenamed 'Phoenix Returns to Its Nest' has achieved decisive results in this phase."

"Over the past decade, our country has successfully repatriated 327 top Chinese scientists and senior engineers from countries such as the United States and France through secret channels."

The clerk pressed the slideshow switch button.

On the screen, a series of densely packed research codes and extremely impressive interim results appeared.

"Under the guidance of these national-level scholars, we have broken through the so-called technological blockade by the West in several core areas."

He tapped the screen repeatedly with his baton, launching more than ten groundbreaking scientific research initiatives that could transform the nation's foundation.

"First, in the defense industry. The lightweight 107mm multiple rocket launcher system has completed its live-fire test and is inexpensive with extremely fierce firepower coverage. It will soon be deployed on a large scale to rapid reaction forces."

"Second, a major breakthrough has been made in aerodynamics. The high-temperature resistant blade material for China's first domestically produced turbojet engine has been successfully developed, and our aviation industry has completely broken free from the backward situation of relying on the imitation of propeller fighter jets. This is a small step for the aviation industry, but a giant leap for the entire defense industry."

"Third, the basic theoretical verification of medium- and long-range surface-to-surface ballistic rockets has been completed, and the calculation data has been delivered to the General Administration of Military Industry."

"Fourth, in the agricultural field, substantial progress has been made in the theory of three-line hybrid rice for high yield. The yield per mu in the preliminary experimental fields has broken the historical record. With the addition of fertilizer plants in various places, it is optimistically estimated that within five years, the problem of food that has plagued my country for thousands of years will be fundamentally alleviated!"

"Fifth, a major victory was achieved in geological exploration. Several world-class oil fields with extremely large reserves were discovered in the Songliao Basin in Northeast China and in the depths of Northwest China, and the label of 'oil-poor country' has been removed in a short period of time."

"Sixth, the large-scale vacuum tube computer was successfully lit up and put into operation, with a computing speed of 10,000 times per second, and has been fully used for defense data simulation."

"Seventh, in the fields of medicine and biochemistry, the project to artificially synthesize bovine insulin has been officially launched and has achieved early purification results."

"eighth."

The voices of the staff were like a barrage of bullets, and each achievement was like a heavy hammer blow, striking the hearts of the military and political officials present.

"Tenth, the basic extraction experiments of the antimalarial drug 'artemisinin' are being carried out in secret. Once mass production is achieved, the malaria ravaging Southeast Asia can be effectively contained, which will benefit our further development of the region."

Report complete.

The meeting room was so quiet that only heavy breathing could be heard.

This is not just a scientific victory; it is the absolute backbone that supports a strong nation to stand up completely!
"it is good!"

The newly appointed Minister of National Defense, Lin Wei, who was seated to the right of the head of the table, slammed his hand heavily on the oak table.

He suddenly stood up, his eyes burning with unprecedented fervor and ruthlessness.

"We have the machines, we have the food, and we've found the oil."

Lin Wei placed her hands on the table, her cold gaze sweeping across the room.

But that's far from enough!

"Comrades, colleagues!" Lin Wei's voice suddenly turned cold, carrying a suffocating sense of oppression. "Look at the current international situation!"

"The Iron Curtain has fallen over Europe."

"The Americans and Soviets, armed with special bombs capable of instantly destroying a city, swaggered across the world map!"

Lin Wei gritted her teeth and said, word by word, "They keep brandishing the 'nuclear stick' at us, trying to bend our newly straightened spines again with a few atomic bombs!"

"A newly emerging power that has emerged from more than a decade of bloodshed!"

Lin Wei slammed his fist on the table, making the teacup rattle loudly.

"We absolutely cannot be intimidated by these foreigners who wield such powerful weapons!"

"We must have what others have!"

Lin Wei turned her head and looked at Zhan Shuai, who was sitting in the main seat and had been silent all along.

"Your Excellency!"

Lin Weili stood at attention and saluted: "The Ministry of National Defense proposes to immediately mobilize all available funds, electricity, and top scientific research personnel nationwide."

"The top-secret national project codenamed 'Peaceful Force' has been officially launched!"

"Even if it means cutting the salaries of all officers and soldiers across the country for several years, we must still build our own nuclear weapons!"

"Without this, we can never stand tall at the negotiating table!"

Zhan Shuai slowly stood up: "Project approved."

"If there aren't enough funds, I'll find them. If there's no equipment, I'll build it myself."

“The ‘peaceful force’ project is not hampered by any department.”

"We must raise our own mushroom cloud in the shortest possible time and at the most suitable testing site!"

"Yes!"

……

The gears of time turned wildly under the Iron Curtain of the Cold War.

Five years later, in the 44th year of the Republic of China.

Pearl City, the gateway to the Strait of Malacca.

The hot sea breeze, carrying the strong smell of heavy oil and spices, caressed this completely transformed international metropolis.

Under the iron-fisted military control of the Chinese Expeditionary Force's Zhennan Army and subsequent massive infrastructure investment, in just over a decade, Pearl City has shed its old colonial cloak of the declining British Empire and transformed into the most dazzling pearl in Southeast Asia, and even the most prosperous and central deep-water port city in East Asia and the world.

Every day, it provides the country with a massive influx of foreign exchange earnings and customs revenue, like a never-ending river.

The top tower of the Pearl City Customs Building.

Zhou Baoguo, the head of the Customs Inspection Section, was wearing a snow-white summer customs uniform and holding a high-powered telescope, scrutinizing the extremely busy dock berths below.

Hundreds of massive ships, each weighing tens of thousands of tons, entered and exited in an orderly manner, guided by pilot boats.

The mountain of containers was being loaded and unloaded continuously by more than a dozen huge gantry cranes.

"Section Chief, here is today's berth list and customs clearance documents."

A young customs officer strode up to the control tower and handed over a thick document.

Zhou Jianguo put down his binoculars, took the list, glanced at it, and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Berths 12 through 18 are all booked by bulk carriers flying the Indian flag?"

“Yes, section chief.” The young customs officer nodded. “It’s all imported coarse cotton and iron ore from India. Our industrial zone has a huge appetite. In the past six months, the trade volume between China and India has more than tripled.”

Zhou Jianguo's finger slid down the list.

His expression gradually turned cold.

"Has the number of American merchant ships decreased again?"

"The decline is severe." The customs officer lowered his voice. "This month, only three American cargo ships applied for port entry permits, and they were all carrying some insignificant agricultural and sideline products. Even Australian ore carriers have been blocked by them; not a single one has come this month."

Zhou Jianguo snorted and threw the list on the table.

"It's choking us."

He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked at the vast Strait of Malacca: "The Americans are really desperate. Their international trade embargo and high-tech blockade against China have been completely brought into the open."

"They think they can strangle us with an embargo on a few dilapidated ships?" A hint of arrogance flashed in Zhou Jianguo's eyes: "They underestimate our domestically-reliant military industrial enterprises. Even if they don't sell to us, we'll still build our own 10,000-ton ships like dumplings!"

The young customs officer was also indignant: "The Americans have double standards. When they were fighting Japan, they begged us to send troops. Now that we are strong, they not only interfere in our UN seat, but also threaten our surrounding strategic security with nuclear weapons every day."

"Their smugness won't last long."

Zhou Jianguo patted the customs officer on the shoulder: "Go and get me a copy of the Central Daily News that was delivered today."

A moment later, a copy of the overseas special edition of the Central Daily News, still smelling of fresh ink, was delivered to Zhou Jianguo.

Today's newspapers are completely sold out. All because of the headline on the front page.

A lengthy editorial, personally signed by the Commander-in-Chief of the Central Military Commission, was prominently published!

The article's title consists of only seven large, concise characters, yet as sharp as a dagger:
Goodbye, Mr. Stilwell!

Zhou Jianguo unfolded the newspaper and read the momentous article, which was destined to be recorded in history, word by word.

The article begins with Zhan Shuai's extremely profound writing, carrying a sense of solemnity and remembrance among soldiers.

He recalled how he met Stilwell, a newcomer to North China, during the most difficult years of the War of Resistance against Japan.

At that time, Stilwell, though hot-tempered and stubborn, was a pure soldier and a pragmatic commander who truly longed to defeat the Axis powers on the battlefield.

"In the muddy jungles where the expeditionary force was formed and the Burma Road was opened."

In the article, Zhan Shuai wrote: "We have slammed our fists on the table because of tactical differences, and we have argued over the allocation of aid."

But when faced with the bayonets of the invaders, soldiers from both China and the United States entrusted their backs to each other.

"It was a deep friendship built on equality, respect, and working together."

however.

The article takes a sudden turn in the next paragraph.

From gentle remembrance, it instantly transformed into a cold, piercing battle blade!

"But Washington today no longer has the pragmatism and rationality of General Stilwell."

"He was replaced by a group of arrogant politicians, blinded by hegemony, sitting in the White House and the Pentagon!"

The editorial was extremely sharp, mercilessly tearing off the hypocritical mask of the United States' attempt to dominate the world.

"The United States today is trying to block China's path to great rejuvenation by using a few pieces of embargoed paper and a few cruisers and aircraft carrier fleets."

"They have even repeatedly wielded the big stick of nuclear weapons at the international negotiating table to interfere in our most sacred internal affairs!"

"An attempt to prevent the Chinese from possessing the military force to defend themselves!"

"This is utterly ridiculous and a ridiculous daydream!"

When Zhou Jianguo read this, he felt his blood boiling and his breathing became heavy.

The final paragraph of the editorial, like the clash of metal, resoundingly revealed the most resolute bottom line of a major Eastern power.

"General Stilwell left this world forever, taking with him his objectivity and pragmatism toward the Far East."

"And the era of the Alliance that he represented, which still had some sense of reason, has been buried by the politicians in Washington today."

"Goodbye, Mr. Stilwell."

"But those politicians across the ocean, please listen carefully!"

Nuclear blackmail cannot intimidate Chinese soldiers who have fought their way through countless battles!

"Economic blockades cannot kill the independent and self-reliant Chinese nation!"

"What do the Chinese want to build, and what kind of military force do they want to develop to defend their territory?"

"In the past, I didn't need anyone's approval; now I don't need it; and in the future, I certainly won't need it!"

"Any conspiracy that attempts to stop the rise of the Eastern dragon will ultimately be crushed to pieces before the Great Wall of Steel built by 600 million people!"

Zhou Jianguo put down the newspaper and clenched his fists tightly.

Outside the control tower.

The sun blazed fiercely over the Strait of Malacca.

A domestically built ocean-going freighter with a displacement of up to 20,000 tons sounded its deep horn and fearlessly cleaved through the waves towards the vast deep blue ocean.
-
Five years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Ten years have passed since that border conflict with the Russians.

Deep in Lop Nur, on the northwestern frontier.

A fierce wind whipped up yellow sand, obscuring the sky and the sun.

This uninhabited area, known to the world as the "Sea of ​​Death," is now teeming with thunder that could shake the entire Earth.

Inside a fully enclosed underground observation fortress tens of kilometers away from the epicenter.

The countdown on the loudspeaker echoed coldly and mechanically: "Five, four, three, two, explode together!"

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

No sound.

A beam of light, more dazzling than a thousand suns, instantly tore through the dark sky of Lop Nur!
Even through the thick, specially made light-proof glass and goggles, people inside the observation room could still feel the devastating heat.

Immediately afterwards, the earth trembled.

A dull, deafening roar, like the splitting of the heavens and earth, rolled in.

A massive, suffocating reddish-brown mushroom cloud, carrying destructive heat and shockwaves, is churning and rising wildly into the stratosphere!
Inside the observatory, silence lasted for a full ten seconds.

Then, like a long-suppressed volcano erupting, a heart-wrenching cheer and wailing burst forth!
The scientists, dressed in faded gray Zhongshan suits, embraced each other without hesitation.

Some of them had completely white hair, some coughed up blood, and tears streamed down their faces, washing away the sand and dust.

"We did it! We really did it!"

A top nuclear physicist with gray hair ripped off his heavy goggles.

His legs gave way, and he knelt in front of the bulletproof glass, sobbing uncontrollably as he pounded the ground.

Five years. A full five years.

"We relied on that one computer and thousands of abacuses to figure out how to make this 'giant fireball'!"

Defense Minister Lin Wei, with tears in his eyes, strode forward and forcefully helped the national treasure-level scholar to his feet.

His hands, which had held countless gun barrels, were now trembling violently.

"It's too difficult."

"Codenamed 'Peaceful Force,' this top-secret project has been far more difficult than we imagined."

"For the past five years, we've endured the hardships of eating yellow sand and drinking icy water, a period more brutal than fighting a major battle!"

"But that one sound made it all worth it!"

Lin Wei wiped away his tears, his back straight as a drawn sword: "From today onwards, we officially become a world power with nuclear weapons!"

At the very front of the crowd.

Zhan Shuai stood with his hands behind his back, like a towering iron tower in front of the blast-proof window.

His deep, dark eyes clearly reflected the enormous mushroom cloud that soared into the sky.

Unlike the others, his face wasn't filled with tears, but his taut jawline and clenched fists betrayed the intense turmoil deep within him.

"Looking at China today."

From the snow-capped peaks of the Pamir Plateau to the deep-water ports of the Strait of Malacca;

"From the shipyards on the coast of the East China Sea to the long boundary markers north of the Greater Khingan Mountains."

"The people of 1430 million square kilometers will all be under the protection of nuclear weapons!"

"Previously, the Americans and the Soviets would threaten us with nuclear weapons at the drop of a hat, trying to strangle our nascent power in its cradle."

"But now, it's ringing."

"I'd like to see."

"After today."

"Politicians in Washington across the ocean, and the commander-in-chief in the Kremlin in Moscow."

"When they face us Chinese at the negotiating table, will they still dare to bang on the table so loudly?" (End of Chapter)