First of all, I would like to thank the two brothers of the user 05492126 and FVGVC who rewarded yesterday, and I would like to thank the Chinese pastoral cat brothers in this chapter.

[202] Priceless

Zeldovich, head of the theoretical group of thermonuclear weapons at the Institute of Chemical Physics of the USSR Academy of Sciences, has been thinking silently for more than an hour in front of a thin stack of papers on the table, and the information in front of him, which is said to have been obtained by the Chinese, has made him feel a huge shock.

After experiencing the expression on his face from doubt to surprise, from surprise to joy, finally, Zeldovich figured it out!

He held his head in one hand, squeezed an ordinary piece of paper tightly in the other, and said loudly: "These materials are too important!" Yes! That is true! I need to calculate, calculate now! ”

Bakorov, a senior KGB officer on the side, asked: "How much do you think this information is worth?" You know, I need to report the value of this information to the central government. Please give me a preliminary estimate. ”

Zeldovich frowned and said, "How much?" If this line of thinking is correct, then our current two scenarios are proved wrong. And we are preparing to experiment with these two schemes one by one, and if they fail, the money wasted alone will be two billion rubles. But more importantly, the precious time we lost will be irreparable. It seems that the Americans are already experimenting with radiation implosion, and we must immediately calculate and verify the feasibility of this idea. ”

The reason why the Soviet Union's hydrogen bomb research took a detour was because they were superstitious about the superbomb configuration diagram obtained from the American scientist Foss.

Foss was a communist scientist who had served Manhattan for a long time, so his intelligence was highly valued by Soviet scientists.

This configuration picture, which has been declassified by later generations, is very simple, mentioning that the thermonuclear charge of the hydrogen bomb requires a high compression ratio, but God knows how such a high compression ratio can be achieved. Soviet scientists had no clue at all.

Although Foss also initially proposed many false ways to achieve it in intelligence, among them was the idea of radiation implosion.

But there are too many ways to make illusions, so that Soviet scientists have no way to judge which is correct, Zuihou, Soviet scientists abandoned several illusions of Foss, and only developed them with the help of Foss's simple and crude "super bomb configuration diagram", which is a big detour.

Soviet scientists came up with a way to provide a high compression ratio for hydrogen bomb ignition through detonation instead of radiation implosion, for which there were also two detonation schemes, one called "tube" and the other called "sandwich cake", the name is derived from the way of detonation, one is the liquid deuterium in the tube in the detonation of the atomic bomb, and the other is the interlayer of uranium-238 and lithium deuteride wrapped in the detonation outside the atomic bomb.

However, these two methods are the so-called dry hydrogen bombs in later generations, which are single-stage hydrogen bombs, and the yield of hydrogen bombs created by this way is small, only a few tenths of the yield of radiation implosion. It cannot be compared with a hydrogen bomb that uses the principle of radiation implosion.

It was only after the Soviet Union finally created the "sandwich cake" and exploded the "sandwich cake" after the Americans realized that it was impossible to achieve the yield achieved by the hydrogen bomb exploded by the Americans with this complex and inefficient configuration. Only then did he realize that using radiation implosion to build a multi-stage hydrogen bomb was the correct configuration.

The information provided by Xiaoqiang to the Soviet Union was that at the end of 1950, American scientists had just realized that the classical configuration of Foss was not feasible. In this top-secret report from American scientists, it is mentioned that the fatal problems of the Foss classical configuration are:

First, the ignition temperature of the deuterium-deuterium reaction is too high due to its almost transparency to X-rays.

Second, second, the ignition temperature of the deuterium-tritium reaction is slightly lower, but the use of tritium in large quantities is too expensive to afford.

Thirdly, the dissipation rate and hydrodynamic scattering rate of energy after local ignition of thermonuclear materials are much faster than the energy release rate of fusion, so the conditions of thermonuclear reactions cannot be transmitted to the surrounding thermonuclear materials and self-sustaining reactions cannot be realized.

As soon as these three points were raised, the United States had to abandon Foss's "classical configuration" and find another way, and finally embarked on the correct line of cheap and high-quality radiation implosion. And the hydrogen bomb exploded earlier than the USSR.

Another document provided by Xiaoqiang was even more shocking, which was the internal paper "OnHeterocatalytic Detonations I" jointly published by Taylor and Ulam in March 1951, which if you insist on translating it as "The First Chapter of the Explosion under Heterogeneous Catalysis". The paper was the number one state secret in the United States at the time, and anyone who read it at the time had to be archived and monitored by the CIA.

This secret paper, which was later declassified, proposed a new scheme for a hierarchical hydrogen bomb, which came to be known as the "Teller-Ulam configuration", and its main points were:

1) The hydrogen bomb consists of two separate parts (primary and secondary);

2) Thermonuclear materials should be cold compressed first, and then hot fire;

3) The energy generated by the primary (atomic) explosion is conducted by X-ray radiation to the secondary inward compression (i.e., "radiation implosion").

There is no doubt that for the scientific giants in the field of nuclear physics who have already developed the configuration of the dry hydrogen bomb and have already begun to build it, just reading this paper is equivalent to pushing them into the right track, and half a foot has stepped into the threshold of the radiation implosion hydrogen bomb.

This part of this paper, which was later declassified, was enough to completely push the Soviet Union, which had already developed a model of a single-stage hydrogen bomb, into the right track. However, in the opinion of Xiaoqiang, who sorted out the information, the Soviet science and technology liliang in this year is really good enough, and if you go wrong, you can still drill the tip of the horns to make a dry hydrogen bomb, and there are two dry configurations.

Bakorov, an officer from the KGB, waited for a long time on the side, sitting dryly in front of the white walls of the USSR Institute of Chemical Physics, almost going crazy. He continued to ask depressedly: "Dear Mr. Zeldovich, do you mean that this information is worth two billion rubles?" ”

Zeldovich was so excited by these materials that he couldn't choose to say anything at this time, he glared and scolded: "You fool from the intelligence bureau! Science cannot be measured in money! It's priceless! Invaluable! Now you get out of me quickly, and don't interfere with my work! I would immediately convene a meeting of the Group on the Theory of the Principles of Thermonuclear Weapons to study and calculate this information. It's so important! It's so important! ”

In desperation, Bakorov had no choice but to leave Zeldovich's office, return to the bureau to write a report on today's events, and truthfully hand it over to the KGB Central Committee.

A few days later, the appraisal of these materials and the appraisal of the value of the small electron tubes by the various institutions of the Soviet Union were all submitted. It was placed on the table of the Central Committee of the CPSU.

Stalin sat in the chairman's seat without saying a word, and when he listened to the report of the chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Midin, he said in great surprise: "Priceless? How can this information be so important? It's going to be difficult......"

Molotov said solemnly: "The cost of a graphite pile is 12 million US dollars, and it is not impossible for us to provide complete free assistance, but the financial pressure is too great, so I think we should charge according to the cost." ”

Stalin had a headache, and since the aviation experts sent by the USSR returned from China, he has been shouting that this is a terrific improved design for the MiG-15! It has important reference value for the development of the MiG-17, an improved version of the MiG-15 in the Soviet Union! In any case, it is suggested that the J-5 must be bought back from China.

What made Stalin even more troublesome was that the Soviet electronics experts, after looking at the samples of Chinese tubes, also strongly demanded that a batch of these tubes be imported for experiments and research; When the armament department of the Soviet army learned of the news, it strongly demanded the assembly and production of lighter radio equipment from small tubes; The Ministry of Communications of the Soviet Army also seconded the proposal and requested that a batch be imported for use; Several aircraft design bureaus heard the news and demanded a batch of small electron tubes for the development of electronic equipment for new aircraft.

Originally, in Stalin's view, according to the assessment of Soviet experts, China's miserable industrial base was placed there, and even if an experimental graphite pile was exported to China, it was estimated that it would take several years to build, and few people would use it when it was built, and the Chinese would let them spend money if they wanted to. The Soviet Union could have slowly delayed the construction period, because the Chinese did not understand it at all, and it would take a long time just to train scientific and technological personnel to operate and maintain the reactor, right?

But here comes the problem, China has given too much of this great gift, which choked Stalin, and in the face of such sincere friendship, the Soviet Union has no possibility of perfunctory at all. This is also not in line with Stalin's straight-to-go, soft-to-hard-tempered.

Stalin complained: "These fools in the ravine are really stupid to eat dirt." Don't buy an aircraft production line, don't buy a gun and tank production line, but buy an experimental graphite reactor ......"

After pondering for a while, Stalin clapped his hands and said: "Well, I agree, these stubborn Chinese...... We can sell the latest experimental graphite stack currently being developed by the Soviet Union to the Chinese comrades at cost price, and it will be worth 10 million dollars after deducting labor. This graphite pile will be built and completed simultaneously with the current new reactor in the Soviet Union! The Soviets will not treat the real socialist brothers badly! ”

Stalin's boldness and generosity caused the members of the Central Committee of the CPSU to burst into warm applause.

Then Stalin complained:

"There is no doubt that they can't even come up with construction materials, all materials can only be shipped from the Soviet Union, and this freight and the salaries and additional subsidies of the experts we send must be paid by the Chinese side."

Molotov added: "The Chinese side also hopes that we can provide them with information on the establishment of a complete set of uranium mining, smelting and purification processes." Including drawings of a gas diffuser, they want to produce their own diffuser for uranium enrichment, to provide uranium feedstock for the graphite reactor that will be built. ”

Stalin sighed:

"Alas, these stubborn fools, this is a costly thing, too expensive...... Well, the Soviets will provide experts to help China get this graphite pile up and running, and they will also provide them with blueprints for the gas diffuser plant. ”

Then, Stalin concluded:

"We will provide all the materials required for the operation of the graphite reactor and the production process materials of various materials required for the construction of the graphite reactor, including the design drawings of the gas diffuser to the Chinese revolutionary comrades free of charge, as a response to the free provision of two Jian-5 aircraft and important intelligence materials to the Chinese comrades. The Soviets were generous to their allies! In addition, the Chinese comrades should be urged to dig up as much intelligence as possible from the West, and we should let the Chinese understand that if they do a good job, the Soviets will be equally rewarded! They will never be treated badly. ”

Molotov said: "The Chinese side hopes to be able to repay this transaction with tubes, even including the last loan of 100 million US dollars." ”

Stalin said: "You can promise them, just now Chairman Miding said that the current price of ordinary American tubes is $10 each, and I think the price of these small tubes is $15." ”

The chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Mitin, said with a black line on his face: "Dear Comrade Stalin, the estimate of the Academy of Sciences is that if we force the production of this small electron tube by ourselves at present, it can only be made by hand in the laboratory, and it is estimated that the monthly output will only be about ten. The cost of each small tube produced is about $500 or more. The Chinese explained that their smuggling price was $30 a piece, which, in our estimation, should already be the ex-factory price of the British factory. The Chinese may have added half a dollar to each tube, but that doesn't offset the enormous value of the small tubes. ”

Stalin frowned and compared the two tubes in front of him, one was the most advanced tube in the Soviet Union, and like the American goods, it was the size of a No. 1 battery and looked like a light bulb. The other is a small electron tube smuggled by the Chinese, which looks like a pencil head and is about the size of a miniature bulb in a small flashlight.

Stalin made a decision. "It seems that the Chinese comrades are still very honest and did not deceive us with a price increase, so let's count it at 30 dollars."

Stalin thought for a moment and said: "If the Chinese comrades can get their hands on NATO's military deployment map, they must have an unknown intelligence channel. The authenticity of these deployment maps remains to be verified, but there is a lot of overlap with the information we have received before. The General Staff of the Soviet armed forces Liliang believes that the authenticity of this information is very high!

In addition, the previous report of the MiG Design Bureau fully affirmed the drawings of the F-80 and F-86 provided by the Chinese comrades, believing that this information is true, and that the F-86 is a new jet aircraft that was only put into service by the US military in 1949, and the intelligence officers of the Chinese comrades can even get this top-secret drawing, which is very remarkable. That's why I weishenme have to be generous to them, and they have proven their worth. ”

The current top leader of the KGB, Semenovich Abakumov, said with a twinkle in his eyes: "After research, our KGB Intelligence Analysis Department has preliminarily judged that the Chinese comrades are likely to have rebelled or bought off a certain core figure of the US military, and if this is true, it is the biggest spy of our socialist camp in the West!" ”

Stalin nodded and said: "This is the reason why I think that the importance of China to the Soviet Union has been raised to the first place among all the fraternal countries of the Soviet Union, and in the future we must pay more attention to relations with China, and we must ensure that they will always maintain the same frankness and loyalty to the Soviet Union as they are now." ”