Courtyard House: From Deputy Division Commander to Civilian, Progressing All the Way

Now, all the waiting and all the effort have yielded the greatest reward.

"Why are you crying? Your man is the toughest man in the world, no one can break me." Lin Yang comforted him softly, his fingers unconsciously tapping the table.

"I'm just happy." Tian Yu sniffed, trying to calm her voice. "Everything is fine at home. Wei Dong asked me yesterday if Dad went to pick stars from the sky. I told him that Dad not only picked stars, but also built a sun of his own for the Chinese people."

Lin Yang felt a sudden warmth in his heart.

"How's it going on with your older brother?" Lin Yang asked.

"Brother Lin Fan manages the steel rolling mill very well. Last month, he promoted a group of technicians who are good at doing practical work. Now, the people in the courtyard treat him with more respect than they would their own father."

A few days ago, Yi Zhonghai made a small mistake at the factory and was criticized by his older brother in front of the whole workshop. He was so scared that he didn't dare to go out for several days.

Liu Haizhong is completely finished and can only drift through life in a literacy class now. Jia Zhangshi heard a while ago that you wanted to transfer He Yuzhu back to the Dongcheng branch as deputy director, and she was so frightened that she fell ill. Tian Yu casually reported on the trivial matters at home.

Against the backdrop of the successful development of a major national project, the scheming and fear of those beasts in the courtyard house seem as laughable and insignificant as bedbugs in a sewer.

Lin Yang sneered.

"Those good-for-nothings can't cause any trouble. I'll deal with them properly when I get back."

"When will you be able to come back?" Tian Yu's voice was filled with endless longing.

Lin Yang turned his head and looked through the gaps in the tent at the pitch-black night sky over Lop Nur. Although the first atomic bomb had been successfully launched, this was only the first step. The "two-bomb combination" of missiles and atomic bombs, as well as the even more terrifying hydrogen bomb, would require him to continue overseeing the overall situation.

But he knew that a short reunion was no longer a distant dream.

"At most half a month. Once the data collection here is complete, I will return to Beijing by special plane to report on my work."

Lin Yang's voice was deep and firm, "Tell Wei Dong that when Dad goes back this time, he will take him to Tiananmen Square to fly a kite."

"Okay, I'll wait for you."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Yang let out a long sigh of relief.

He stepped out of the tent, the cold wind dispelling the smell of alcohol from his body.

The campfire in the distance still burned brightly, and joyful songs and laughter echoed across the vast Gobi Desert.

The sleeping dragon of the East, China, has finally opened its eyes amidst the earth-shattering roar of Lop Nur.

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The earth-shattering roar of 1964, though it caused a huge uproar around the world, was, for Lin Yang, merely the first step in a long journey.

Having the atomic bomb merely proved that China possessed the capability for nuclear detonation. In the eyes of those arrogant Western politicians, this nuclear device, which must be transported by iron towers or trains, was at best a powerful "landmine."

If no one steps on it, this landmine will never hit the enemy's heart.

In February 1965, the severe cold of Northwest China had not yet completely subsided.

At a top-secret air force base, a biting wind cut through the silver-gray H-6 bomber on the runway.

Lin Yang, wearing a heavy military overcoat, stood in front of the control tower's glass window. His gaze was like a deep, cold pool, fixed intently on the fighter jet undergoing its final pre-takeoff checks.

"Commander Lin, the H-6 crew is in position. Nuclear bombs are loaded, all systems are functioning normally, requesting permission to take off!" the communications officer reported loudly.

Lin Yang suddenly turned around and strode to the microphone.

"Takeoff approved! Comrades, today is the first time our 'Iron Watermelon' has taken to the skies. Let's show the might of our air force and let the world see that we not only have missiles, but also wings that can drop them over the enemy's heads!"

"Understood! Mission accomplished!"

With a deafening roar of its engines, the H-6 bomber accelerated down the runway, its nose suddenly pulling up like a proud silver eagle soaring into the sky.

Several hours later, over Lop Nur in Xinjiang.

A giant parachute suddenly opened thousands of meters in the air, carrying the nuclear bomb with destructive power, and slowly drifted down.

At the precise height above the ground, a flash of light more dazzling than a thousand suns once again tore through the Gobi Desert sky!

The bomber's test of dropping an atomic bomb was a complete success!

This means that China's nuclear weapons have officially moved beyond the static testing phase and possess preliminary operational air-drop capability. Any enemy armored formations that dare to assemble on the border will face a devastating attack from the sky.

However, Lin Yang did not hold a celebration banquet.

He understood perfectly well that when facing a superpower with a robust air defense network, the success rate of bomber penetration could not be guaranteed. The true ultimate deterrent was an uninterceptable ballistic missile.

The real challenge has only just begun.

October 1965. Shuangchengzi Missile Launch Base, Gansu Province.

The atmosphere here is even more suffocating than when the first atomic bomb was detonated in Lop Nur.

If testing an atomic bomb was like putting your head on the line, then this "two-bomb combination" test was like gambling with the lifeline of the entire nation.

The goal is to mount a live nuclear warhead on a Dongfeng-2A missile, launch it from Gansu, fly it over a vast, densely populated area and several provinces, and finally hit and detonate it at Lop Nur.

If any malfunction were to occur during flight and the missile were to crash on Chinese territory, it would be an irreparable national catastrophe.

At the time, many experts, for safety reasons, recommended conducting a "cold test" or a reduced-equilibrium test.

But at the highest-level military meeting in the air-raid shelter, Lin Yang slapped his hand on the map, overruling all objections.

"If we're going to do it, let's do it with full-scale live-fire exercises! Without live ammunition, the deterrent effect is greatly diminished—just a paper tiger! The US and the Soviet Union are watching us closely, seeing if we dare to unsheathe this real sword. If even we ourselves are afraid, how can the enemy be afraid?"

Lin Yang's words resonated with conviction, carrying the ruthlessness and decisiveness forged in the crucible of war. Ultimately, the Central Special Committee made the final decision: proceed according to Lin Yang's plan! Do something earth-shattering, and remain anonymous!

On the launch tower, the milky-white Dongfeng-2A missile, like a drawn sword, points straight to the sky.

Soldiers, clad in heavy protective suits, were carrying out the final stages of refueling with highly toxic propellant. Every drop of spilled fuel hissed and emitted white smoke as it corroded the concrete.

In the underground command center, the numbers on the countdown clock relentlessly ticked away.