Courtyard House: A Major Power's Heavy Industry, Hand-Crafted Nuclear Fusion

The success of the automated production line in the steel rolling mill was like a depth charge, creating a huge wave in the long-dormant industrial sector.

"One day equals a month", "unmanned workshop", "99.8% yield rate"... These keywords were sent to the desks of higher-level leaders along with that top-secret report and quickly spread to various ministries.

Su Zheng, this name, became synonymous with "miracle" overnight.

Therefore, when the plan to manufacture the "Spark" brand world-class luxury car was presented, no one thought it was a pipe dream. On the contrary, it was seen as a clarion call for industry to advance from "raw material breakthroughs" to "high-end manufacturing."

"Approved! Specially approved!"

The superior's instruction consisted of only three concise and powerful words.

What followed was an unprecedented mobilization of resources.

In the spring of 1963, in the western suburbs of Beijing, at a top-secret research base codenamed "001".

This area was originally an abandoned cluster of air-raid shelters, but it has now been urgently transformed. Armed sentries stand guard every three or five steps. Trucks covered with tarpaulins are loaded with sophisticated equipment and—personnel—drawn from various locations.

Late at night, the lights in Conference Room No. 1 at the base were still on.

A dozen top internal combustion engine experts, urgently "borrowed" from various universities, research institutes, and automobile factories, were sitting around a huge drafting table. They had only recently arrived and hadn't even unpacked their luggage when Su Zheng summoned them here.

"Dear seniors and teachers."

Su Zheng stood in the main seat, wearing his signature blue overalls, his expression humble but his eyes firm. "I've invited everyone from all over the country here, just for one thing."

He turned around and suddenly pulled back the curtain on the blackboard behind him.

A huge assembly diagram of an engine, full of industrial aesthetics and complex structure, was presented to everyone.

"Build it."

A collective gasp filled the conference room.

"V...V12?"

An elderly man with gray hair took off his glasses and, with trembling hands, approached the blueprints. He was Professor Wu, a leading figure in the field of internal combustion engines in China, who had led the surveying and mapping work for the first domestically produced truck engine.

"6.0-liter displacement, 60-degree V-shaped engine, double overhead camshafts, all-aluminum alloy cylinder block... and it even has electronic fuel injection?"

Professor Wu whirled around, staring at Su Zheng with disbelief in his eyes. "Dean Su, I know you've mastered automation at the steel rolling mill—that was a stroke of genius. But building engines… that's a completely different matter! Isn't this a bit too ambitious?"

"Yes, Engineer Su."

Another chief engineer from a northern automobile factory also looked distressed. "Our current limousines use V8 engines that are still copied from foreign ones. Due to issues with materials and manufacturing precision, they frequently overheat and even seize up. And you're going to go for a V12 right off the bat? And an all-aluminum one at that? In the West, that's a forbidden zone that only top-tier luxury cars dare to touch!"

Questions and criticisms arose one after another.

It's not that people don't support it, but rather that the plan is simply too ahead of its time. In an era when even tractors are considered heavy industrial products, a V12 engine seems like something out of science fiction.

It represents the ultimate power, but also the hellish difficulty of its manufacturing process.

A single crankshaft must withstand the impact of 12 pistons like a storm.

The two cylinder heads must accommodate 48 valves that open and close with the precision of a clock.

Not to mention the complex cooling system and the electronic control system I'd never seen before.

"Everyone thinks it's difficult, right?"

Su Zheng wasn't angry; he simply picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"I know it's difficult. If it were easy, I wouldn't have invited you all here."

Su Zheng put down his teacup, his voice rising a few decibels, "But why do we need to build cars? Is it for transportation? No. If it were just for transportation, a tractor with a few wheels would also work."

"We created 'Spark'."

"It will be the official vehicle representing this country in the future, used to welcome foreign heads of state. It will be a calling card that travels along the ten-mile-long street, showcasing our industrial strength to the world."

"If this car shakes like a leaf the moment it starts, spews black smoke when accelerated, or breaks down while driving... then what's the point of building it?"

Su Zheng walked to the blueprints and gently tapped the huge heart with his fingers.

"The V12 is the only engine architecture that comes with a 'natural balance' attribute. Its ignition interval is 60 degrees, and the power output is as smooth as silk. This is a gift from physics, and it is also a high ground that we must conquer."

"As for the difficulty..."

Su Zheng's lips curled into an arrogant smile.

"The purpose of the 001 Research Institute is to solve difficult problems."

"No aluminum alloy? We'll smelt it ourselves! No crankshaft grinding machine? We'll modify it ourselves! No fuel injectors? We'll hand-make them! No computer control? We'll build it using transistors!"

"Gentlemen, we can build automated production lines on the scrap heaps of steel rolling mills. Surely 001, a team comprised of the industry's elite, wouldn't be intimidated by a mere lump of iron?"

The conference room was deathly silent.

After a moment, Professor Wu took a deep breath and abruptly rolled up the blueprints in his hand.

"Damn it! Dean Su is right!"

The old professor, his eyes red, swore, "We're no less stupid than those foreigners! If we're going to build it, we'll build the best! I'm entrusting this old body to you!"

"Count me in!" the chief engineer from the north gritted his teeth and said, "For this pride, we'll fight to the death!"

"And me!"

Looking at these faces, though tired, they were full of fighting spirit, Su Zheng nodded.

"it is good."

"Then let's give this country's automotive industry the most powerful heart!"

The first obstacle was more ferocious than anyone imagined.

Material.

Su Zheng didn't require a bulky cast iron cylinder block, but rather a lightweight aluminum-silicon-magnesium alloy cylinder block. This was absolutely cutting-edge technology at the time.

Aluminum alloys are lightweight and have good heat dissipation, but they have a fatal weakness: they are soft.

If the wear resistance problem is not solved, the piston will not be able to run in the cylinder for more than a few revolutions before the cylinder wall is worn through.

"Formula No. 108 failed."

In the makeshift materials lab, Ye Xinyi looked at the cracks under the metallographic microscope, her voice a little hoarse. She had already stayed up for three consecutive nights with Su Zheng.

"When the silicon content exceeds 12%, the crystals become extremely brittle and break easily during processing. However, if the silicon content is insufficient, the hardness will not meet the requirements."

Ye Xinyi raised her head, her beautiful face smudged with soot, making her look somewhat haggard. "Engineer Su, according to conventional smelting methods, this contradiction seems irreconcilable."

Su Zhengzheng squatted beside the crucible, holding a stirring rod in his hand, staring at the churning aluminum liquid inside.

The Eye of Truth is opened.

The door to the microscopic world opened before him. He could clearly see aluminum and silicon atoms undergoing intense arrangement and combination at high temperatures. Silicon crystals, like sharp knives, were cutting through the aluminum matrix, causing the material to become brittle.

We must find a way to "passivate" the silicon crystal.

"Add strontium."

Su Zheng suddenly spoke up, "Use a modifier to refine the grains. Also, try that batch of titanium-containing scrap I found in the steel rolling mill's waste pile."

"Titanium?" Ye Xinyi was taken aback. "Titanium has such a high melting point..."

"Trace amounts of titanium can form dispersed strengthening carbides, which act like nails to lock the aluminum lattice and prevent crack propagation," Su Zheng explained. "This is called 'grain boundary strengthening'."

For the next two weeks, the two practically lived in the smelting workshop.

Temperatures reached 1200 degrees Celsius. Acrid, toxic fumes filled the air. Dust filled the sky.

Like ancient alchemists, they searched for the perfect balance among countless combinations of metallic elements.

Failed. Try again. Failed again. Try again.

Until the 365th trial.

"when!"

A crisp metallic clang.

Ye Xinyi looked at the cooled test bar in her hand and struck it hard on the anvil. The test bar did not break; instead, it produced a melodious sound like a bell.

With trembling hands, she placed the test rod under the hardness tester.

"Hardness HB120...Tensile strength 350 MPa...Coefficient of thermal expansion...Perfect!"

Ye Xinyi turned her head abruptly, tears welling up in her eyes: "Engineer Su! We've found it! We've found it!"

This is a completely new type of aluminum alloy.

As hard as steel, as light as aluminum, and as wear-resistant as a diamond.

Su Zheng looked at the test bar, a tired but gratified smile on his face.

"Let's call it... 'Sparkling Aluminum'."

With the materials in place, the next step is the skeleton—the crankshaft.

The V12 crankshaft is 1.2 meters long and has 7 main journals and 6 connecting rod journals. It is slender and has poor rigidity. During machining, it is extremely prone to bending and deformation due to cutting forces and internal stress.

Once the bend exceeds 0.01 millimeters, it becomes a vibration source when rotating at high speed, capable of shaking the entire car apart.

At that time, there were no dedicated crankshaft grinding machines in China.

"Use that 'Tiangong' machine tool," Su Zheng decided. "It's a lathe and grinder combo, a hard lathe!"

This is a surgery that's like dancing on a knife's edge.

"Old Zhang, your hand needs to be steady, and your mind needs to be calm," Su Zheng said in a deep voice, standing beside the machine tool. "With every cut, you need to consider the rebound after the stress is released."

Old Zhang took a deep breath, gulped down a mouthful of strong tea, and firmly gripped the control lever.

"Sizzle—"

First cut, rough shaping. Peeling and setting.

The second cut, semi-finished.

The third cut, the fine turning.

That's the hardest part.

Su Zheng activated the [Eye of Truth]. In his vision, the rotating crankshaft transformed into a dynamic thermodynamic model. He could see the heat generated at each cutting point and the microscopic creep of the metal lattice under stress.

"stop!"

Su Zheng suddenly shouted.

"What's wrong?" Old Zhang was startled and quickly withdrew his knife.

"The fourth journal was too hot, causing a 3-micrometer thermal expansion." Su Zheng pointed to the middle spot. "If it doesn't cool down, this cut will cut too much. Once it cools down, the size will decrease, and it will be ruined."

"What should we do then? Let it cool down naturally?"

"No, use ice water."

Su Zheng brought over a bottle of specially made chilled coolant, poured it onto a towel, and carefully applied it to the journal.

"Sizzle—"

White smoke rose.

"Test again."

"Amazing!" the inspector exclaimed, holding a micrometer. "It's back! The dimensions are perfect!"

And so it went, one cut, one pause; one cut, one test.

For seven days and seven nights in total.

Su Zheng and Lao Zhang took turns guarding the machine tool, not daring to slack off for a moment.

When the final grinding was completed, the crankshaft surface displayed a mesmerizing mirror-like luster.

Su Zheng placed the crankshaft on a simple dynamic balancing machine for testing.

The pointer...did not move an inch.

"0 grams per centimeter!"

"Perfect balance!"

A cheer erupted in the workshop. This crankshaft was an industrial marvel, handcrafted and a testament to human skill pushing the limits of physics.

The mechanical parts are 90% complete.

What remains is the soul—ignition and fuel supply.

What Su was about to do was something earth-shattering: manually develop an electronic fuel injection system.

In those days, cars still used carburetors. The system designed by Su Zheng had no microcontroller or chips; it relied entirely on transistors to build the logic circuits.

This is a crazy "electronic maze".

Dozens of thermistors were converted into temperature sensors, and pressure diaphragms were converted into intake pressure sensors.

The most difficult part is the fuel injector.

The atomized gasoline needs to be precisely sprayed within milliseconds. The gap of the needle valve must be controlled within 2 micrometers.

Under a microscope.

Su Zheng was holding a grinding rod about the thickness of a hair, and slowly polishing the needle valve of the fuel injector.

Once, twice, a hundred times.

My eyes are blurry, so I use eye drops. My hands are sore, so I soak them in ice water.

Ye Xinyi watched from the side, her heart aching so much that tears streamed down her face. She wanted to take his place, but Su Zheng refused.

"Only I know what this feel is like."

Finally, the moment the power was turned on.

"laugh--"

A perfect, cone-shaped mist of oil was ejected. The particles were fine and uniform, resembling a rainbow under the light.

"It's done!"

Su Zheng connected the original, brick-sized "ECU" to the wiring. Dozens of LEDs began to flash, as if they were breathing.

This is our first onboard computer. Though rudimentary, it gave this steel behemoth the ability to think.

Three months later.

Final assembly workshop.

For the assembly of this engine, Su Zheng specially set up a "clean room". Everyone who enters must take a shower, change clothes, and wear white gloves.

This is a ritual.

When the last part—the cover engraved with "V12 - 001"—was installed, a massive, silver V12 engine was fully revealed to the audience.

It resembles a sleeping lion.

"Test drive."

Su Zheng's voice was a little hoarse.

Cooling water pipe connected. Oil pipe connected. Exhaust pipe connected.

"start up."

Su Zheng pressed the red ignition button.

"Sizzle sizzle—"

The sound of the starter motor rotating the crankshaft.

One second. Two seconds.

"boom!!!"

A deep, guttural roar, seemingly from the depths of the earth, exploded out instantly.

It wasn't a heart-wrenching scream, but a deep, continuous rumble, like rolling thunder.

The distinctive sound of the V12.

The tachometer needle jumped up instantly and then stabilized at an idle speed of 800 rpm.

"Stable! Absolutely stable!" Professor Wu was so excited that his whole body trembled.

Su Zheng took out a five-cent coin from his pocket.

He walked up to the running engine and carefully placed the coin upright on the flat surface of the intake manifold.

Everyone held their breath.

The coin wobbled.

then……

It stood firmly on its feet!

Even with the engine emitting a deep roar, the coin remained motionless, as if it were soldered onto the surface.

"It's standing! It's standing!"

A thunderous cheer erupted from the crowd.

This represents the pinnacle of dynamic balance. It signifies that this V12 engine, handcrafted entirely by Chinese engineers, has reached world-class levels in terms of machining precision and assembly craftsmanship!

"Accelerate testing."

Su Zheng returned to the control panel and slowly pushed down the accelerator lever.

"Buzz—"

The sound changed. It transformed from a low rumble of thunder into a high-pitched roar of a dragon.

3000 RPM. 4000 RPM. 6000 RPM!

Blue flames shot out of the exhaust pipe.

On the data display screen, the numbers were jumping wildly:

Power: 380 horsepower!

Torque: 550 Nm!

What does this mean in this day and age?

At the time, even the most advanced state limousines had a power output of just over 200 horsepower. This V12, however, doubled that!

"It's done! It's done!!"

Factory Director Yang hugged Su Zheng and wept bitterly, "We have our own hearts now! We no longer have to depend on foreigners!"

Ye Xinyi looked at Su Zheng, who remained upright amidst the roar of the engine, and tears blurred her vision. She stepped forward and, ignoring the stares of the crowd, embraced Su Zheng tightly.

Su Zheng hugged her back and shouted loudly in her ear:

"Did you hear that?"

"This is our voice!"

half a month later.

The first "Spark" prototype equipped with a V12 engine has been assembled.

The black body is long and elegant. It adopts a streamlined design language, with a fastback, a vertical waterfall-style air intake grille, and a red five-pointed star emblem on the front.

In order to test the performance of this car, Su Zheng decided:

Drive the car home.

The moment that black sedan, resembling a Land Cruiser, slowly drove into Nanluoguxiang.

The entire alley was in an uproar.

"My God! What kind of car is that? It's even bigger than that old limousine!"

"Look at that paint, it's so black and shiny, you could use it as a mirror!"

"Why is the sound so faint? It's like there's no fire at all!"

Yan Bugui was wiping his old bicycle at the entrance when he saw this bicycle parked at the entrance of the courtyard house, and his eyes widened.

He couldn't resist moving closer, wanting to reach out and touch the gleaming car emblem.

"Ouch!"

The moment my hand touched it, I was hit by a static shock.

"What? This car bites people?" Yan Bugui was startled.

The car window rolled down.

Su Zheng, wearing sunglasses and with his hands on the steering wheel, glanced at him indifferently.

"Teacher Yan, this car body has an electrostatic dust removal function. Be careful not to get shocked."

"Su...Su Zheng?!"

Yan Bugui was so frightened that he fell to the ground with a thud. "This...this is your car?"

"The test vehicle provided by the company."

Su Zheng said casually, "It only has twelve cylinders, and the horsepower isn't high, only 380."

"How much...?"

Although Yan Bugui didn't understand horsepower, he knew what "twelve cylinders" meant. A tractor only has one cylinder! This vehicle has twelve tractors inside?

At this moment, Sha Zhu, Qin Huairu, Liu Haizhong, and others also ran out.

Looking at the monstrous luxury car, and then at Su Zheng sitting inside with his imposing presence, the bitterness and awe they felt were indescribable.

Qin Huairu looked at Ye Xinyi sitting in the passenger seat, watching her gracefully get out of the car and open the car door for Su Zheng.

At that moment, she felt she had completely lost.

They were utterly humiliated.

While others ride in luxury cars with twelve cylinders, she's still worrying about a pound of cornmeal.

Su Zheng ignored the crowd watching.

He locked the car, picked up his bag, took Ye Xinyi's hand, and walked into the courtyard.

Behind them was the "Spark" sedan, exuding a regal aura in the setting sun.

It stood there quietly, like a monument, suppressing all the evil spirits in the courtyard and heralding the arrival of a new era.