Chapter 49: Can you even calculate this?

Pokrovsky's thoughts drifted to Bangalore, India; compared to him, his colleagues over there had it much easier.

Also in '57, they allowed the Indians to assemble and manufacture MiG-17s themselves, with an agreement to achieve 50% local production of parts within the next three years.

As it turned out, the Indian side couldn't even handle the most basic assembly. Of the 36 MiG-17s assembled locally in India, 27 developed air-intake vibration faults. Three years had passed, and the domestic content of parts hadn't even reached 10%.

Pokrovsky's colleagues in Bangalore were already prepared to take the Indians for a ride. If you can't build it yourself, you can't blame me, right? My parts are very expensive, after all.

The reason Pokrovsky had stayed in Cultural Huaguo until today was with a similar goal in mind: waiting for the Cultural Huaguo side to fail on their own and beg them for help, then, following orders from Moscow, either demand new terms or ruthlessly humiliate their Cultural Huaguo counterparts.

He just hadn't expected that he would be the one humiliated. Pokrovsky felt his Cultural Huaguo counterparts were a bit too friendly; if he were in their shoes, he definitely would have cursed much more filthily.

Yanjing, late July, the weather was scorching. The Science and Technology Commission at the foot of West Mountain had already received a report from the front line in Bingcheng.

The man in the white shirt who had rushed over overnight clapped repeatedly:

"Good, good. We must properly circulate a commendation for Dean Qian and the Fifth Academy internally. Also, make sure this good news is notified to everyone who needs to know.

We in Cultural Huaguo have our own ballistic missiles! Good! Too good!

Also, call Dean Qian back for a meeting; we have many things that still need to be communicated.

Director Wan, help me take note: first, organize experts to discuss the practicality of the DF-1. We must confirm it as soon as possible, and once confirmed, organize for mass production immediately.

Second, after mass production, where should it be deployed, and how should the relevant training be pushed forward?

Third, Dean Qian wrote in the telegram that this technology is world-leading. If the Soviets covet it, what should we trade it for if we decide to sell?

Mainly these three points. Arrange them as soon as possible."

For the national defense industry at this time, the DF-1 was like sweet rain after a long drought; at the very least, it could preserve some people, preserve some teams, and preserve some industry.

Once deployed to the front line, some supporting industrial factories could also be saved.

Regarding the fact that the DF-1 ballistic missile's accuracy had reached a world-class level, Dean Qian, after a brief moment of excitement, calmed down on the special plane back to Yanjing. Instead, he felt that every cloud has a silver lining; from another perspective, this might not necessarily be a good thing.

Because the technological breakthrough proved that Cultural Huaguo possessed the ability for self-reliance, easing security anxieties, which might instead create resistance to academic openness.

If technological breakthroughs could be achieved without academic openness, then the motivation for academic openness would be lost.

And he couldn't possibly attribute all the credit to the Monte Carlo method and calculus of variations provided by Lin Ran.

Dean Qian had been thinking the whole time on the special plane about how to push for the loosening of academic exchanges.

With the Soviet experts withdrawing completely, academic openness appeared particularly important.

The next day, arriving at the office as usual, Dean Qian asked: "Secretary Zhang, where is the latest issue of *International Science Abstracts*?"

He searched his desk but couldn't find it. Usually, it would be translated into Chinese by the middle of the month and placed on his desk.

Zhang Kewen walked into the office and said in a low voice: "Dean Qian, I haven't had a chance to tell you yet. Comrades from the Science and Technology Commission have already notified us: the Soviets have stopped the supply of *International Science Abstracts*.

This includes the *Reports of the Soviet Academy of Sciences* and the *News of the Soviet Academy of Sciences*; all have stopped being supplied.

The Science and Technology Commission told us not to worry for now; comrades in Moscow are trying to find ways to see if they can ship some over."

Dean Qian slammed the table: "Damn Russians!"

When he went to West Mountain for a meeting in the afternoon, Dean Qian's mind was full of how to gain the other party's support when he spoke with the Director of the Science and Technology Commission privately later.

However, when only the two of them were left in the conference room, the other party waved his hand, signaling the secretary to go out and, incidentally, guard the door so no one else could enter.

Then he took a document out of a drawer and handed it to Dean Qian: "Old Qian, take a look."

The words of praise had already been said at the meeting.

Now that it was just the two of them, the other party wanted to talk to Dean Qian about some substantive content.

After reading it, Dean Qian felt as if he were having a conversation across space with Lin Ran, who was far away in Xiangjiang. What the other party said was exactly what he was thinking: Cultural Huaguo ultimately had to rely on itself.

"Well said."

The middle-aged man waved his hand, then took out another piece of paper: "This is a song the other party just published in Xiangjiang not long ago. You can take a look."

Dean Qian took it and looked. Just seeing the three characters "Watching from the Sidelines" caused his expression to change drastically. After reading the full text, he hurriedly explained: "Professor Lin told us the Monte Carlo method; he couldn't possibly be watching from the sidelines.

In my view, this is a stance he deliberately took to dispel suspicion against himself."

The middle-aged man nodded: "Of course, I know that, of course.

Just the technical data he passed to us—if we actively exposed it to the Americans, Lin would be in deep trouble.

I am very clear about his goodwill toward us, but this song has caused a very bad influence in Yanjing. Added to the current climate, Lin can only exist in internal documents in the form of a classified project.

In public, we need to downplay his influence as much as possible.

Furthermore, because of the success of the DF-1, even though the team led by Hua Luogeng hasn't yet deciphered the Monte Carlo method from the three papers Lin Ran mentioned, I have still helped everyone secure unprecedented conditions."

A hint of anticipation appeared in Dean Qian's eyes: "What conditions?"

"Professor Lin is currently codenamed 'Fermat' internally, belonging to a long-term project with the highest security classification.

For a long time to come, Professor Hua Luogeng will stay in Yangcheng to assemble a team, taking a portion of foreign exchange reserves to import academic journals from Xiangjiang, translating them, and sending them back to Yanjing to fill the gap left by the Soviets stopping the supply of academic journals.

After the data returns to Yanjing, citing confidentiality, it will only be provided to a small number of scientists; this can also avoid unnecessary trouble."

It couldn't be said that the middle-aged man hadn't been working during this time.

If the climate in Yanjing is bad, then put it in Yangcheng.

If maintaining academic exchanges with the West is not possible, then use classified projects to package it, turning it into the deciphering of information related to classified projects.

From the moment he returned to the country, Dean Qian had privately mentioned to him whether it was possible to import Western academic journals, whether it was possible to find a way to import them from overseas Chinese.

The Soviet side's perfectly timed cutoff gave him the best excuse.

He had kept this matter in mind the whole time, and this time he finally found a suitable reason and a suitable opportunity.

Lin Ran never expected that his intention to leave behind a spark would be realized in such a way.

After hearing this, Dean Qian felt a chill in his heart, thinking that Lin Ran had calculated everything perfectly, and that even if he didn't return, he could leave behind a channel for academic exchange between Cultural Huaguo and the West in such a way.