Autumn is getting stronger, and the temperature is still very high in the fertile fields at dusk, and there seems to be no autumn chill. At the end of a day's intense work, Ouyang Jian was still full of energy. He was dressed in a white lab coat like a staff member. After dinner in the cafeteria, Ouyang Jian invited Qian Xuesen and his wife to his residence as guests. After two days of familiarization, we need to discuss the professional aspects with each other. Walking into the living room and finding a girl tidying up the room, just when Ouyang Jian was surprised, Jiang Ying was puzzled: "Sister Yaqiong, why are you here?" "Report to the Chief of the General Staff, my name is Wu Yaqiong, and I am the English editor of the base. Before Commander-in-Chief Xu leaves, arrange for me to temporarily manage your internal affairs! ”

"Chief of the General Staff, Wu Yaqiong is an overseas Chinese in Nanyang, and he came back from the United States this time. It was I who invited her to come to the base and currently work as an English compiler. "Welcome to Miss Wu!" Ouyang Jian nodded angrily. "Chief of the General Staff, Wu Yaqiong has another identity." "What identity?" "He is General Tao Yong's fiancée!" Jiang Ying briefly described the process of their acquaintance and love. "Haha, I didn't expect Tao Yong to have two strokes, and he finally got the hang of it. But I'm afraid this kid is in a hurry, because your coming here means that you will be completely cut off from the outside world until the nuclear weapons test is successful, and Tao Yong will not get any news from you. ”

"Chief of the General Staff, when we parted, we agreed that we would hold a wedding after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War!" "Let the sea be the matchmaker, it is very romantic, it can be said that it is fated to meet thousands of miles away, Tao Yong, this kid is blessed." "Chief of the General Staff, I would like to inquire about someone?" "Tell me, who do you want to inquire about?" "How is Mei Ting, since entering the base. I don't know anything about the news outside, Mei Ting and I are good friends! "She worked as a military doctor in the medical team of the Independent Tank Brigade of the Eighth Route Army, and she didn't hide it, and we never met each other." "Knowing that she's fine, I'm relieved!"

Wu Yaqiong lacquered tea so that Jiang Ying could go to the courtyard to avoid suspicion, so as not to restrict the conversation between men. "General Ouyang, our preparations are ready, and if we want to achieve the conditions for atomic fission, the biggest problem is how to purify and decompose uranium. The amount of uranium ore raw materials we collect is too small, and the second is associated ore. According to what I know, uranium ore is mainly distributed in the Baotou area, which is an extremely poor mine. If you want to obtain the enriched uranium isotope 235 with high purity, you must have enough uranium ore, but our reserves are only more than 500 catties, which is far from enough! ”

"Mr. Qian, Baotou has been recovered by us, and the problem of insufficient uranium ore will be solved soon. At present, the professional geological exploration team is in the Baotou area, and the uranium ore mined will be continuously sent, you don't have to worry about this," "General Ouyang, the abundance of the isotope uranium-235 in natural uranium ore is only 0 and 72 percent, and the design requirements must be increased to more than 90 percent. According to what we know, the United States usually uses gas diffusion, electromagnetic and thermal diffusion methods to obtain high-purity enriched uranium after repeated research and comparison. ”

"Mr. Qian, I know that it is very difficult to obtain high-purity isotope 235, and isotope 235 is known as nuclear fire and cannot be replaced. In particular, the isotope 235 in the uranium atom is negligible and mixed with the isotope 238. According to what I know, only one of the 140 uranium atoms is uranium-235 atoms, and the rest are isotope 238, which belong to isotopes of the same element, and their chemical properties are almost indistinguishable, and their relative mass is also very small, so it is impossible to separate them by ordinary methods. ”

Qian Xuesen's eyes widened in surprise when he heard this: "General Ouyang, your professional knowledge has reached the level of an expert, it's unbelievable. "Mr. Qian, I have read a lot about high-energy physics and spent a lot of energy. Since I am in charge of this unprecedented project, there must be outsiders who become insiders. "General Ouyang, I seem to know how much relevant knowledge you know?" "Are you testing me?" "That's not what it means, if your expertise is not a problem, we can save a lot of intermediate links in the communication!"

"Since Mr. Qian tested me, it is necessary for me to answer. The energy released by atomic fission is often compared to the most powerful explosives of the world, the TNT explosives. For example, the energy released by a kilogram of TNT explosion is about 4, 19x10 joules, and according to nuclear physicists, the energy released by the full fission of one kilogram of uranium is about 8x10 joules, a difference of nearly 20 million times. What is this concept, if human beings master the technology of atomic fission, they can not only destroy themselves, but even destroy the earth. Therefore, the use of the atomic bomb is a check and balance, and it is necessary to rise to this level to understand it. ”

"If we have an atomic bomb in our hands, we will stop the enemy from starting a nuclear war, and this is called countering violence with violence. In addition, if we use nuclear energy peacefully, its enormous energy will bring great benefits to mankind. Mr. Qian, the topic is far away, as mentioned earlier in isotope 235, it is a simple and easy choice to use gas diffusion method to separate and obtain highly enriched uranium. According to scientists' experiments, the atom of isotope 235 is 1 or 3 percent lighter than that of isotope 238. What is the concept, that is, they are in a gaseous state, uranium-235 will move slightly faster than uranium-238, thus creating conditions for the separation of 235. ”

"General Ouyang, they all say that you are a legendary general, and there is nothing you can't do. I very much appreciate your motto: Don't be afraid of not being able to do it, you are afraid of not being able to think of it, your expertise has reached a very high level. No wonder you visit the gas separation workshop and put forward a lot of professional knowledge about separating diaphragms, it turns out that you have long understood the gas diffusion method. However, this method requires a lot of electricity and time to slowly accumulate the highly enriched uranium required for the test. Moreover, it is unknown whether our purification method can meet the requirements. ”

"That's how Americans get 235, and as long as it's done correctly, we can do the same things that Americans do. Failure is not terrible, what is terrible is not perseverance! "We have already obtained 235 isotopes in the lab, and the next step is industrial purification. I think that continuous improvement through the practice process will speed up the purification of quantities. But this takes time, and the accumulation process is very slow. "Mr. Qian, I also want to be able to make an atomic bomb tomorrow morning, but that is impossible. As long as you aim in the direction and are not afraid of failure, once you get on the right track, it will naturally come to fruition. ”

"General Ouyang, science must not be false. Several nuclear physicists have asked a tricky question, even if we get enough of the 235 isotopes. However, the instability of the isotope 235 is difficult to grasp when it is used directly as a charge. The gun-type nuclear explosion structure is a rapid combination of uranium-235 at the front and rear ends. Due to the long reaction time, the utilization rate can only reach 5%, and it may even lead to the failure of the experiment. Several nuclear experts prefer to use an implosion structure to increase the pressure of the fissile material and shorten the reaction time, so that it can quickly reach the critical point and achieve the purpose of detonation. ”

"However, the implosion type of nuclear material requires ring 239, and although ring 239 is relatively easy to separate from the isotope 235, it is necessary to build a graphite reactor to obtain ring 239, so as to ensure the success of the test." "Mr. Qian, I very much agree with the advice of nuclear experts on the development of implosion structures. I have good news to tell you: At present, an engineering unit is preparing to build a graphite reactor and a supporting chemical plant in southern Lanzhou, which will be completed by the middle of next year. Previously, the first accumulation of uranium-235 using the gas diffusion method was a priority. "General Ouyang is indeed extraordinary, and I don't have any problems."

"Mr. Qian, I heard that you are working on ballistic missiles, is there anything wrong?" "Long-range precision strikes are the trend of future military development, and the United States has already launched a feasibility study in this regard. In the future, after we have successfully developed nuclear weapons, we must consider the issue of delivery, and in addition, the use of ballistic missiles to carry out precision strikes is also a trend in the development of the military field in the future. "Mr. Qian's initiative is so good, I fully support you and boldly practice it!" Ouyang Jian was obviously a little excited. "General Ouyang, this is just an idea, and there are no eyebrows yet." "Where there's a will, there's a way, I believe in you!"

Late at night, when Ouyang Jian sent Qian Xuesen out of the room, he saw the starry sky, and under the reflection of a round of bright moonlight, Jiang Ying and Wu Yaqiong fell asleep on the stone table in the courtyard. In the following days, intense trial production work began. The gas diffusion method is easy to say, but it is even more difficult to practice. No trace of the isotope 235 was found in the steam tower for several days. Everyone is not angry, and if you fail, you will start again. In order to observe the separation, the trial production personnel braved the high temperature, repeatedly searched for the cause, and continuously improved the experimental equipment, almost to the point of forgetting to sleep and eat.

It has been 14 days since Ouyang Jian came to the base, and there has been no progress in the experiment. After repeatedly comparing the experimental data and finding the cause, it was found that there was a problem with the diaphragm layer. After a day of refining the diaphragm, the trial began again this morning. In the underground headquarters, everyone had solemn expressions and extremely nervous expressions. Xu Xiangqian broke the silence and said, "This morning, Lao Jiang called, please be sure to go back." What exactly is not said. "Ouyang Jian knows that Lao Jiang is in a hurry to go to Yalta." Brother Ouyang, if you don't go back, Lao Jiang will be suspicious. You can go with peace of mind, and I'll take the helm. ”

At this moment, a trial production staff ran in excitedly and shouted: "There is, there is!" "Nonsense! What there is, to be more accurate! "Qian Xuesen is dissatisfied." Deputy Commander-in-Chief Qian, we found the isotope 235 in the steam cooling tower." When everyone heard this, they hurriedly ran to the cooling tower workshop??????。 Then everyone hugged each other excitedly. Ouyang Jian looked at everyone's elated appearance, and motioned for Xu Qianqian to leave.

The next day, Ouyang Jian left the base and everyone saw them off. Everyone was reluctant, Ouyang Jian shook hands with Qian Xuesen, Qian Weichang and others: "I am waiting for your good news, and I will come again at the moment when I witness history, and I will say goodbye." "Chief of General Staff Ouyang, we are reluctant to leave you, you are here to fix the sea god needle!" Qian Weichang said emotionally. "I can't bear to leave you!" "Chief of the General Staff, you have left a lot of forward-looking constructive suggestions, and you will avoid many detours. Rest assured, we will never fail to live up to your expectations. Qian Xuesen's expression was solemn, as if he had made a military order.