Courtyard Houses: Starting with Li Yunlong's Comrades-in-Arms

After exchanging greetings, Lao Sun invited everyone to sit down. The translator poured a cup of tea for each of the experts, then returned to his seat and opened the folder in his hand.

The leading expert stood up, bowed slightly to the crowd, and then spoke a string of words in Russian.

The translator spoke immediately after he finished speaking, her voice clear and crisp: "Comrades, based on preliminary geological data, the expert team has preliminarily selected four candidate sites for on-site investigation. I will now introduce the basic information of these four sites to you one by one."

As the scientist spoke, he took a map from his folder and unfolded it on the table. Liu Yuheng picked up a pen, found a blank sheet of paper, and began to draw a simple topographical map on the paper, following the translator's instructions.

"The first alternative site is located about 40 kilometers west of Yumen Pass." The translator pointed to the map. "The area is flat, with an average altitude of about 1,200 meters. The geological structure is stable, and it is a typical Gobi desert. The surface is mainly composed of gravel and sand, and the groundwater is buried at a depth of more than 150 meters, making it suitable for large-scale engineering construction."

Liu Yuheng drew a small circle on the paper, marked it with a "1" next to it, and wrote a line of small characters below it: "West of Yumen Pass, the terrain is flat, the geology is stable, and the underground is deep."

The scientist pointed to the second location on the map and moved it: "The second candidate site is located deep in the Gobi Desert north of Guazhou, more than 60 kilometers from the nearest settlement. There is no vegetation cover in the area, the annual rainfall is less than 50 millimeters, and there are more than 180 days of strong winds throughout the year, which is conducive to diffusion and purification."

"The third alternative site is located about 80 kilometers southeast of Dunhuang, adjacent to a low hilly area. The terrain is relatively complex, which is conducive to concealment and protection. There are no permanent settlements in the vicinity, only a few seasonal herders' nomadic routes."

"The fourth alternative site is located on the southern edge of Lop Nur, more than 100 kilometers away from the nearest road. It is geographically extremely remote and has the best security conditions, but logistical support is difficult, requiring the construction of more than 200 kilometers of dedicated roads."

"We suggest that we begin examining each of the four candidate sites tomorrow, starting with the first one, focusing on assessing their topography, geological conditions, and logistical feasibility. Based on our preliminary data analysis, we believe these four sites meet the basic requirements, but on-site verification is needed to make a final decision."

After the scientist finished speaking, he closed the folder and sat back down in his original seat.

The meeting room fell silent for a moment. Old Sun, holding his enamel mug, remained silent. Several military personnel exchanged glances, while Old Zhang from the Science and Technology Commission looked down at his notebook, his pen scratching names across the paper.

On the simple map in front of Liu Yuheng, four circles were neatly arranged, the ink still wet. His gaze lingered on the third circle for a few seconds, then he put down his pen, looked up, and gazed at the older expert.

"I have a few questions I'd like to ask," Liu Yuheng said.

The translator immediately relayed his original words. The expert listened, nodded slightly, and gestured for him to continue.

Liu Yuheng picked up the simple map he had drawn and showed it to everyone, pointing to the third circle with his finger: "Isn't this location, about eighty kilometers southeast of Dunhuang, too close to Dunhuang?"

There was a moment of silence in the conference room.

Liu Yuheng continued without pausing, "Dunhuang is not an ordinary wasteland. It has the Mogao Caves, with millennia-old murals and sculptures—a legacy and cultural heritage left by our ancestors. We can't just conduct nuclear tests right next to it without any regard, can we? And—" He turned to the older expert, "We're not conducting conventional weapons tests, we're conducting nuclear tests. Can we really guarantee that the cultural relics of Dunhuang, the lives of the people in Dunhuang city, will be completely unaffected at this distance?"

The translator translated his words verbatim. The expert listened without any noticeable change in expression, remaining silent for two or three seconds before responding.

The translator immediately translated: "According to our calculations, the radiation range of a 20,000-ton atomic bomb is approximately several tens of kilometers. At a distance of 80 kilometers, neither the shockwave nor the radioactive fallout will have any real impact on the city of Dunhuang. Considering the confidentiality requirements and construction conditions of the test site, this location is the optimal one among the current options."

Liu Yuheng didn't reply immediately. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down, his tone still calm, but the weight in his words noticeably increased: "Then I have a question: if we were to conduct nuclear tests of 100,000 tons or even hundreds of thousands of tons in the future, would 80 kilometers still be considered safe?"

The atmosphere in the entire conference room froze for a moment after those words were spoken.

The senior expert's brow twitched slightly, as if he hadn't expected Liu Yuheng to jump directly to this level. He was silent for a moment, then spoke, his tone lower than before, but still clear.

The translator then spoke up: "You don't need such a large yield atomic bomb. A 20,000-ton bomb is perfectly sufficient, and subsequent research and development can be optimized based on this. There's no need to pursue a larger yield. You don't need to consider this issue."

As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of the experts from the Science and Technology Commission next to him darkened almost simultaneously.

When Old Sun put down his enamel mug, it made a soft thud on the table. He licked his lips, as if he wanted to say something, but then swallowed his words.

The meeting room remained silent for a while, with no one speaking first.

Seeing that no one responded, the older expert stood up, nodded to everyone, and said something else.

The translator immediately translated: "Then we'll conduct the site visits according to the order of these four candidate locations. It's getting late, everyone please get some rest, we'll set off early tomorrow morning."

After he finished speaking, he turned and walked out of the conference room with the technicians, the translator following behind, and the door closed gently behind them.

The footsteps faded into the distance in the corridor and then disappeared completely.

There was a silence in the meeting room for about four or five seconds. Old Sun was the first to swear: "Damn it!"

His curse was like a match thrown into a pile of dry wood. Old Zhang put down his notebook, sighed heavily, and said with barely suppressed resentment, "They underestimate us. What do they mean by 'we don't need such a large yield'? What do they mean by '20,000 tons is more than enough'? Are they helping us, or are they making the decision for us?"