Chapter 95: Resource Distribution Seen from the Polar Bear Country

"So many undiscovered resources..." Li Mingyuan muttered to himself, a glimmer of excitement flashing in his eyes. "If I could tell the higher-ups about these resource locations in advance, how much would that help the country's development?"

He walked back to the table, pulled out a sheet of white paper, and began to draw a rough resource distribution map based on his memory.

"Daqing Oilfield is here... Shengli Oilfield is in this area... the iron ore in Jiuquan... the rare earth mine in Bayan Obo... the vanadium-titanium magnetite in Panzhihua..."

Li Mingyuan's hand moved rapidly across the paper, marking out one place name and mineral deposit after another.

Although he was not a geological expert and his memory was not perfectly precise, for the Long Country of this era, this information was already precious enough.

After finishing the preliminary resource distribution map, Li Mingyuan began to draft a detailed report explaining the importance of these resources to the country's development.

"Modern industrial production cannot function without various metal materials..." Li Mingyuan wrote on the paper.

"Especially in the electronics and aviation industries, the requirements for materials are even more stringent. Copper is the primary material for wires and cables; aluminum is key for lightweight structural components; nickel, tungsten, molybdenum, and others are important additives for special steels; while silicon, germanium, and rare earth elements are the foundation of the future electronics industry..."

Writing up to this point, Li Mingyuan stopped.

He needed to be cautious and could not appear too advanced, or it would arouse suspicion.

He decided to focus on the resources most needed by current industry while moderately hinting at some future development directions.

"Currently, what is most scarce in our country's weapons production is high-quality steel and non-ferrous metals..." Li Mingyuan reorganized his phrasing.

"Especially the production of rocket launchers requires a large amount of steel, while the electronic components in Anti-aircraft Weapon Systems require precision-machined metals like copper and aluminum. At the same time, future technological development trends indicate that high-temperature resistant metals like tungsten and molybdenum will play an important role in Missile technology..."

As he wrote, he pondered how to explain his knowledge of these resource locations.

Saying directly that he was a transmigrator was definitely not an option, so the only reasonable explanation was that he had once come into contact with relevant geological data.

"When I was studying abroad in the Polar Bear country, I learned that the Polar Bear country was concerned about domestic resource conditions, and I had once consulted some public data and historical records from their geological departments..." Li Mingyuan wrote in the preface of the report.

"At the same time, based on analysis and speculation of similar geological structures, I believe that the following regions may contain abundant resources..."

Although this explanation was somewhat far-fetched, in an era where information was not easily accessible, it might still pass.

In the worst-case scenario, the higher-ups would think this was just his guess, and there would be no harm in sending a geological team to verify it.

Without sleeping all night, Li Mingyuan completed a detailed resource distribution report and a hand-drawn resource map.

Although not as precise as a survey by a professional geological team, it was sufficient to guide the next steps of resource exploration.

Just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Li Mingyuan rubbed his sore eyes, organized the materials, and prepared to take them to the factory to give to Lou Changzhang, asking him to forward them to the higher-ups.

"Knock, knock, knock—" A knocking sound rang out.

"Please come in." Li Mingyuan looked up and saw the tall soldier standing at the door.

"Chief Engineer Li, we have received notification that there is an important meeting today. Please prepare as soon as possible; the car is already waiting outside."

Li Mingyuan nodded: "Perfect, I have an important report here to submit." He picked up the materials on the table and followed the soldier out of the Siheyuan.

In the courtyard, Jia Zhangshi was sweeping the floor. Seeing Li Mingyuan being escorted out by a "bodyguard" and getting into that black sedan, the fire of jealousy in her eyes almost erupted.

The car drove straight to the Military Industry Department. Along the way, Li Mingyuan reviewed his report again to ensure there were no obvious loopholes or unreasonable points.

"Chief Engineer Li, did you not rest last night?" The driver, Xiao Liu, saw Li Mingyuan's tired eyes in the rearview mirror and asked with concern.

"I had some things to handle." Li Mingyuan replied with a smile, "It's no trouble."

The car soon arrived at the Military Industry Department building, and Yang was already waiting for him in the office.

Seeing the document in Li Mingyuan's hand, Yang asked curiously: "What is this?"

"A report on domestic resource distribution." Li Mingyuan handed the materials to Yang. "The biggest problem we are currently facing is resource shortages, and this report might be helpful in solving this problem."

Yang took the materials and opened the first page; his eyebrows immediately shot up:

"A resource distribution map? Chief Engineer Li, have you suddenly become interested in geology?"

Li Mingyuan said sternly: "It's not a sudden interest; it's a necessity. As you know, our weapons production is facing a severe shortage of raw materials. If we can find more resource sites, it will greatly alleviate the current predicament."

Yang nodded and continued to flip through the report: "These locations... how did you know about them?"

"I saw them while I was over at the Polar Bear country. You know, they have always had ill intentions." Li Mingyuan replied calmly, "Of course, this is only a preliminary speculation and requires further exploration and confirmation by a professional geological team."

Yang's eyes widened more and more, especially when he saw that Li Mingyuan had marked that there might be a large oilfield near Daqing; he said in near shock:

"If this is true... this will be an incredible fortune!"

"Exactly." Li Mingyuan nodded. "Currently, our country's oil mainly relies on the Yumen Oilfield in the northern land region, and production is limited. If a new large oilfield can be discovered, it will greatly improve our country's energy supply."

Yang continued to flip through, and when he saw the mark for the Bayan Obo rare earth mine, he was startled again: "Rare earth? What is this thing?"

Li Mingyuan explained: "Rare earth is a collective term for a group of special metal elements, including lanthanum, cerium, neodymium, and more than a dozen others. They have extensive applications in modern industry, especially in the manufacturing of permanent magnet materials, fluorescent materials, and high-performance alloys. Future electronics and national defense industries will use rare earth elements in large quantities."

He paused and added: "According to my speculation, the Bayan Obo region may contain world-class rare earth resources, which is worth prioritizing for exploration."

Yang seemed to be stunned by this information. He put down the report and looked at Li Mingyuan deeply:

"Chief Engineer Li, the breadth of your knowledge is truly astonishing. If your speculation is correct, the value of this report is immeasurable."

"I am just doing my small part." Li Mingyuan said modestly. "The most important thing now is to organize professional forces as soon as possible to conduct exploration and confirmation. Time is money, and this is even more true for resource exploration."

Yang nodded solemnly: "I will immediately forward this report to the higher-ups and apply to organize a geological team for exploration. However, this may take some time; after all, geological exploration is not something that happens overnight."