Writer 1978: I Need to Give the Literary World a Lesson

Chapter 480: Global Scope of Strike
In the study of the courtyard house in Ji'an, the old leader brought a lot of materials for Liu Yimin to refer to, as well as some correspondence.

"You stay here and watch, I'm going to practice some Tai Chi, and when I come back we'll play a few games of chess." The old leader smiled and left the study, leaving Liu Yimin alone.

Secretary Li poured Liu Yimin another cup of tea and then left the room, saying, "Comrade Yimin, call me if you need anything."

After thanking him, Liu Yimin carefully examined the documents. The documents included information about the formation of the "596" team, as well as emergency decisions made in the 24 hours leading up to the first nuclear test.

The above content is more detailed than the previous article "The Emergence of a Giant," and it includes materials about the exchanges between the old leader and several other leaders with Deng Xiaoping in their work and life.

Liu Yimin read quickly, his heart pounding with excitement, as if he were part of the plan, about to accomplish something that no one in the world believed in.

"The Birth of a Nation" focuses on a grand historical narrative, taking into account the struggles of researchers and soldiers at the base, but paying particular attention to the process from the development of the atomic bomb to its detonation.

"Deng Jiaxian" focuses on Deng's life, or rather, his life dedicated to the country after returning from his studies abroad. It portrays Deng's spirit of relentless scientific research and also includes his daily life with his wife, Xu Luxi.

The script for this film was reviewed by Yang Zhenning to ensure that its content conformed to historical facts.

After reading only a few pages of the thick document, the old commander returned, wiping his sweat, and said, "I'm getting old, and my health is getting worse."

“Old commander, you look quite energetic,” Liu Yimin said.

The old commander handed the towel to Secretary Li: "Sigh, I'm eighty-six now, and eighty-seven by the end of the year. From the last three days of the 19th century to 86 in the 20th century, I've spanned two centuries. Compared to my comrades, I'm lucky to have never been wounded in my military career."

The old leader slowly strolled around the study, and after his breathing calmed down, he sat down formally. Secretary Li quickly brought over the chessboard.

"When you get old, you should play chess more. In a couple of years, when you're fully retired, you'll have even more time to play chess." The old leader seized the opportunity and moved his "horse" to the opposite side, posing a threat to Liu Yimin's "cannon" and "chariot" at the same time.

"I think Secretary Li's chess skills are also very superb."

Secretary Li quickly replied, "I learned everything from the old leader, but I'm just a novice. When playing chess with the old leader, I often have to think for more than ten minutes before I can make a move."

Liu Yimin withdrew his hand that was about to make a move, pretending to ponder, realizing that he hadn't had enough time to think.

During a break in Liu Yimin's thoughts, the old leader asked him if he had written any popular literary works recently. He said that such things were the best way to pass the time when he was bored, but unfortunately, after reading "Huo Yuanjia", he felt that other domestic works were not quite up to par.

Someone sent me a few books about gold.

Secretary Li immediately said, "Jin Yong!"

"Yes, I don't really like reading Jin Yong's martial arts novels. I prefer something more realistic," the old commander said with a smile.

After making his move, Liu Yimin turned to the old commander and said, "You have sharp eyes, don't you know I had it with me?"

"Did you really bring it? Whose name is it?"

"Brotherhood of Blades"

"Brotherhood of Blades?" The old chief pondered for a moment after placing his piece. "The Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Mantis Leg, the Embroidered Spring Blade?"

“Yes, it’s about the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) at the end of the Ming Dynasty. It’s mainly about three Jinyiwei who chased after Wei Zhongxian but got caught up in a political vortex. It has descriptions of human nature and politics.” Liu Yimin briefly told the old chief about Ip Man’s information.

"Brotherhood of Blades" is an extremely classic film, and it becomes more classic with each viewing, especially the line "These are my dearest friends and family, my brothers and sisters, you have to pay extra," which has created a classic memory for the audience.

The old leader suppressed his eagerness and only took the manuscript from Liu Yimin's bag after finishing the game with him.

This wasn't a script, but a novel. After seeing it, the old leader praised Liu Yimin again, saying he was very considerate.

"Is the movie 'Fearless' still not ready?"

"Filming is finished. It should be almost done in another week or so. If you'd like to see it, I'll have them send it over for you to review," Liu Yimin said.

The old leader waved his hand and said, "No need. I'll go to the cinema in Zhonghai to watch it. These kinds of movies are more fun when there are more people watching them."

The craze for the movie "The Battle of Taierzhuang" hasn't subsided yet, and "Fearless" is about to be released, making the domestic film market incredibly hot.

After its release in Fragrant Hills, "The Battle of Taierzhuang" earned millions of Australian dollars at the box office.

Needless to say, in China, every screening is packed. The total number of viewers is probably similar to the population of the country. After all, there are still screenings of "Guerrilla Warfare" in the countryside, where several large groups of people watch a single screening together.

After leaving the manuscript, Liu Yimin took the materials and left the old leader's home. Liu Yimin will next interview some veterans who worked at the Ninth Academy. Deng Lao led the Ninth Academy for a long time, which was one of the most important chapters of his life.

Secretary Li compiled a list of experts recuperating in Beijing. Liu Yimin only needs to contact him before conducting interviews, and Secretary Li will accompany Liu Yimin on these interviews.

Liu Yimin focused on learning about Guo Yonghuai. Guo was a close comrade-in-arms of Deng Xiaoping and had very strong scientific research capabilities. He was also a student of Theodore von Kármán. At that time, Guo was studying in Toronto, Canada. When he went to the United States, Qian Xuesen personally went to pick him up.

Unfortunately, his plane crashed later, and he died in 1968.

To understand Mr. Guo, Mr. Qian is the key figure. When Liu Yimin talked to Mr. Qian about Mr. Guo, Mr. Qian's expression clearly became sad: "Yonghuai, he was a bookworm. I used to love taking him for drives. Sometimes he was too dull."

When discussing his achievements in aerodynamics, Qian Xuesen said emotionally, "I will always remember him. His achievements in aerodynamics far surpass mine. He was on his way back to Yenching to report on his major discovery when the accident happened."

Seeing that Professor Qian was too excited, Liu Yimin stopped talking and started discussing lighter topics. Liu Yimin asked how far a missile could fly at its fastest speed and what Professor Qian meant by the wave-rider trajectory.

"Fastest? This not only relies on the missile's own power, but also utilizes atmospheric lift for gliding. We Chinese like to say 'taking advantage of the situation,' and this is taking advantage of the situation. You don't understand? How can you not understand such a simple question?" Old Qian looked at Liu Yimin, who seemed a little confused, and was so anxious that he wanted to scratch his head.

"Professor Qian, I'm a liberal arts student," Liu Yimin said helplessly.

Professor Qian gestured and said, "This has nothing to do with arts or sciences. It's a simple question, common sense!"

Liu Yimin couldn't help but roll his eyes. If this were common sense, missiles would be flying all over the world.

Liu Yimin posed a question: "Professor Qian, let me give you an example. Is it possible to achieve a speed where I'm in Washington, D.C., and I call the owner of the burger shop next door to order a pizza? At the same time I'm making the call, the missile is launched in China. The burger hasn't arrived yet, but the missile has."

Mr. Qian laughed when he heard the analogy. After thinking for a while, he said, "Theoretically speaking, it is possible. It mainly depends on the shop owner's baking speed, but I can guarantee one thing: the missile will definitely be hotter than your hamburger."

After Mr. Qian finished speaking, the two men burst into laughter in the study, and Mr. Qian's mood improved considerably. Liu Yimin took the opportunity to bring up Mr. Guo's issue with Mr. Qian again.

Mr. Qian talked a lot this time. He learned that Liu Yimin was going to write a documentary literary work about Mr. Deng, and he also told stories about Mr. Deng.

"Old Deng and Yonghuai have similar personalities; they're both rather introverted. As for me, as you can see, I'm more extroverted and enjoy communicating with people. I research missiles, while Old Deng researches nuclear weapons. Our goal is to mount nuclear weapons onto missiles."

During the 1984 military parade, you saw the Dongfeng-5, which was the result of the integration of two bombs.

Liu Yimin said with a smile, "I paid special attention to it at the time. The Dongfeng-5 is very large, and I gave a detailed explanation of it."

"Yes, it is a vital national asset," Mr. Qian said solemnly.

"Actually, after all that explanation, I think one sentence is enough."

"What did you say?" "The strikes will cover the entire globe."

Mr. Qian was satisfied with this introduction, but still said, "It's not good enough now. The range is 12,000 kilometers, which can only cover most areas, but it's enough to hold the Americans at the throat."

On Qian's desk, there is also a letter of suggestion, which is a "suggestion on tracking and studying the development of foreign strategic high technologies" put forward by Wang Ganchang, Wang Daheng and other scientists. Because it was put forward in March 1986, it is known as the "863 Program".

The 863 Program, with its focus on key areas and early planning despite limited national funding, led to a surge in technological development, gradually transforming China from a follower to a leader.

Liu Yimin's next interviewee is Wang Ganchang, a close comrade-in-arms of Deng Xiaoping. In 78, Wang Ganchang was transferred back to Yanjing from the Ninth Academy and worked in the Second Ministry of Machine Building. However, he resigned from his position in 82 to engage in laser nuclear fusion research.

In the afternoon, Liu Yimin went to interview Professor Wang without stopping. Professor Qian also offered to come along, so they could talk to Professor Wang about the initiative to track advanced foreign science.

Liu Yimin felt a great sense of urgency during the interview. According to history, Deng Xiaoping's deeds were declassified in June 1986, and Deng Xiaoping passed away at the end of July.

Professor Wang lived in a "special building" in Zhongguancun, officially named the Zhongguancun Academy of Sciences Keyuan Community. The core of the building consisted of three buildings—Buildings 13, 14, and 15—where Professor Qian also once lived. These three buildings were known as the "special building," and housed eight recipients of the Two Bombs, One Satellite awards and more than sixty other scientists.

The security here is very tight, and not far across the street is the staff dormitory building of Yenching University.

The building is a three-story red brick building with a sloping roof. The stairwell is not spacious, but rather very narrow. The outside is very green, but at this time of year, the trees are all bare.

“Yonghuai lived in Building 13, and his wife, Comrade Li Pei, is still alive. Sigh, whenever I see her, I think of Yonghuai.”

These three buildings were later preserved as cultural relics, thanks in no small part to Li Pei's tireless efforts and appeals.

Old Wang was waiting for them at the entrance of Building 15. When he saw Old Qian, he immediately came over and extended his hands. Old Qian pointed to Liu Yimin and said, "This is Comrade Liu Yimin."

“Comrade Yimin, I’ve heard of you for a long time. We’ve all read your ‘The Birth of a Nation,’ and I can sing your ‘The Motherland Will Not Forget.’ I’m looking forward to listening to your radio program with Mr. Qian.” Mr. Wang said warmly.

Mr. Qian said with a smile, "He has a great influence on young people in China today."

Liu Yimin quickly said, "In front of you two scientists, I'm like someone showing off my skills in front of Guan Yu. The audience is mainly here because of Qian Xuesen. Many scientists' achievements cannot be revealed, otherwise our country could have produced several more Nobel Prize winners."

Mr. Wang said easily, "Nobel Prize? It's not a problem if we don't win it. The most important thing is the trophy that history and the people have given us."

The three entered Old Wang's residence, which had five bedrooms and a living room. The house was quite spacious and simply decorated.

Sitting in the study, Professor Wang first talked to Professor Qian about the proposal. Professor Wang felt that foreign science, based on hundreds of years of accumulation, had a leading advantage over domestic science and technology, and was still developing rapidly.

If we don't keep up, how will we be able to catch up in the future?

"Our science cannot develop steadily; we must run faster than them to have a chance to catch up. Otherwise, we will only ever be able to pick up scraps from others' work," said Old Wang.

"You're right. It's not just military technology; we must catch up in civilian technology as well." After a pause, Qian Xuesen said, "Actually, where is the boundary between civilian and military science? The boundary is far too blurred."

Mr. Qian then talked about the grass industry he wanted to develop, believing that if the grass industry were developed well, it would be of great significance to the country.

Old Wang looked at Liu Yimin and laughed, "I forgot, Comrade Yimin has made great contributions to forestry work. He brought in a lot of money from the United States. Some old friends in the United States have written to me and even sent me American newspapers, wanting me to see Yimin's eloquence."

Then Liu Yimin talked to Wang Lao about Deng Lao's past. The two worked together at the Ninth Academy. Deng Lao was always meticulous. The data he calculated never needed to be recalculated. He couldn't possibly make a mistake.

"Comrade Jiaxian truly risked his life for the nuclear cause. Yimin is right, if Jiaxian's scientific discoveries were published, winning the Nobel Prize would not be an exaggeration."

He recounted everything from his early days at the Ninth Academy of the Second Ministry of Machine Building. Old Wang was in excellent spirits; he could recount distant events without needing to recall them at length.

"That's all I know. Sigh, I visited Old Deng a while ago, and he looked very haggard," Old Wang said sadly.

When Liu Yimin and Qian Lao left Building 15, they went to see Guo Lao's wife, Li Pei, but unfortunately she was not home, as she was busy with work at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Mr. Qian walked down the stairs with his hands behind his back: "It's better not to see him, so as to avoid sadness."

The next morning, after giving a lecture at Yenching University, Liu Yimin went to the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense in the afternoon and met with Zhu Guangya.

Both Zhu De and Deng Xiaoping graduated from the National Southwest Associated University, which was the starting point for many scientists. After the victory of the War of Resistance against Japan in 45, Mao Zedong sent Zhu De to the United States with several senior scientists to investigate the atomic bomb and learn about related technologies.

Unfortunately, upon arriving in the United States, he was told that the relevant technology would not be shared with the bald man. Zhu stayed in the United States to study physics at other universities, and was eventually able to serve his country.

He said he has only ever worked on one thing in his life: nuclear weapons.

When asked about developing an atomic bomb, Liu Yimin said with a smile, "Nuclear peace, nuclear peace, only with nuclear weapons can we achieve nuclear peace."

"Haha, that makes sense. You need to have a strong backbone to negotiate. This world is a jungle law. When you have power, the other party will smile at you. But when you lose power, they'll smash you with a brick."

"Yes, after our atomic bomb exploded, the whole world calmed down. When we had intercontinental ballistic missiles, the whole world advised us to calm down."

Mr. Zhu was pressed for time, so Liu Yimin stayed in the room for about three hours before leaving the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense with the information he had gathered.

When I left, I met the old leader's daughter. She didn't live in Ji'an and didn't know what Liu Yimin had been busy with lately, so she asked him what he was doing.

“Write a documentary work similar to ‘The Birth of a Nation,’ with autobiographical elements,” Liu Yimin said in a low voice. “Old Deng.”

"Oh, you'd better hurry up and get busy. I went to the 301 Hospital yesterday. My father asked me to visit Old Deng often."

After waving goodbye, Liu Yimin returned to the Overseas Chinese Apartment. Zheng Yuanjie then spoke with Liu Yimin over the phone about the sales figures for this issue of "King of Fairy Tales."

"Sales have increased dramatically, and selling 500,000 copies is no problem at all," Zheng Yuanjie continued. "But piracy has also started to appear. 'Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit Seven Heroes' has even appeared in other children's magazines without paying us any reprint fees."

"The ministry has proposed to crack down on piracy, but it's very difficult to do so now," Liu Yimin said helplessly.

Zheng Yuanjie said, "I'm going to leave Yanjing to pursue the pirates. We can't let them steal our hard work like this."

Liu Yimin tried to calm Zheng Yuanjie down, but Zheng Yuanjie couldn't calm down at all. The more he talked, the angrier he became, wishing he could verbally abuse the other person to death.

Liu Yimin fully understood Zheng Yuanjie, who deeply hated piracy and had suffered greatly from it, especially since protecting his rights was extremely difficult. Zheng Yuanjie tirelessly traveled far and wide, ultimately angrily ceasing publication of "King Tonghu."

"How about this, you find a few more people to go with you. You're just a weak scholar."

“I served in the army,” Zheng Yuanjie quickly replied.

Liu Yimin was very worried about Zheng Yuanjie leaving Beijing and repeatedly suggested that he hire some bodyguards. His wife, Guo Weiwei, was also trying to persuade him, saying that they were both middle-aged and still acting so impulsively.

“Yimin, this is all the result of our hard work!” Zheng Yuanjie said with heartache. “Even if we can’t do anything, at least we have to show our attitude. But even if I’m going to leave Beijing, I have to prepare the content for the next issue first. Don’t worry, I won’t let small things cause me to lose big ones.”

"At the very least, you should take Liang Xiangdong with you," Liu Yimin couldn't help but say.

"Okay, we'll talk about it later. I'll give you this good news first. I'm planning to put it in the newspaper tomorrow and let the editor-in-chief of Children's Literature see whether the American imperialists are afraid of the people, or the people are afraid of the American imperialists!"

(End of this chapter)