Chapter 429 Limitations, Tinderbox and New Era

Ye Zhou's decision was quickly reported to his superiors. In just two hours, in an office that had almost become a discussion room dedicated to "Suiren"-related matters, several of the most critical scientific research and decision-making personnel came to were summoned to discuss issues related to international cooperation.

The man in Chinese tunic suit sitting in the middle was still the first to speak. After looking around for a week, he spoke:

"The purpose of today's meeting is already clear to everyone. It is mainly to discuss whether the Shenguang 5 project and the Xihe project need to introduce international cooperation."

"We have received a large number of applications for international cooperation before, but these applications have been temporarily shelved by us."

"There are several reasons for this, and we need to discuss them one by one."

"According to the report, it is known that Ye Zhou has a positive attitude towards international cooperation, but he may not necessarily be able to imagine the possible impact of such cooperation. Therefore, our discussion today needs to ignore his opinions and start from a purely rational perspective. Judgment from this perspective.”

"Okay, now, let's move on to the first question: If international cooperation is introduced, how much impact will it have on confidentiality? Can we bear the consequences of possible leaks?"

After hearing what the man in Mao suit said, one of the scholars wearing glasses raised his hand and said:

"First of all, I want to correct a misunderstanding among you."

"In the field of basic science, there is actually no such thing as 'confidentiality'. This is completely a cognitive misunderstanding."

"In fact, for humans, all theoretical obstacles to controllable nuclear fusion have been cleared. There are two reasons why we have not achieved controllable nuclear fusion until now."

"First, the uncertainty of the prospects; second, the non-urgency of energy substitution."

"Everyone knows very well about the latter. At the current stage, fossil energy and new energy represented by some solar and wind energy are enough to meet the short-term development needs of human society. Therefore, the driving force for developing revolutionary technologies like fusion energy is relatively weak."

"But how to explain the former, I need to introduce a concept, that is, 'technology cannot transcend the curse of the times.'"

"We have known since childhood that Edison invented the electric light, but in fact he was only the 24th person to invent it. Before him, there were 23 available filament materials.

"We think radio was invented by Marconi, but in fact, Tesla and Popov also independently invented radio two years before and after his invention."

"Google was born in 1996, but there were more than a dozen similar things around 1996."

"Any one of these inventors is great, but none of them is unique and indispensable. Their success only proves one thing: the era they live in is ready for this invention to appear. All conditions.”

"So, the question we face now is: Are we convinced that the era of nuclear fusion is here?"

"No one knows what we are lacking now. Maybe it's materials technology, maybe computer technology, precision machining technology, or even communication technology. The research and development of nuclear fusion is a big step for the world. It’s a blind box, so no one is willing to put all their money into it and go out of their way to protect others.”

"It is precisely for this reason that technological breakthroughs in nuclear fusion have never been achieved quickly."

"But now, we have a definite judgment, and the basis for this judgment is Suiren, Ye Zhou."

"Just like what he has done before in the field of aerospace development, the technological breakthroughs he provides will accurately eliminate a difficulty, or hidden mine, in nuclear fusion technology every time. Based on this, we can be convinced that the era of nuclear fusion has arrived .”

"Therefore, we will invest a lot of money and resources in the research and development of related technologies. Likewise, our opponents will simply come to the same judgment as us after noticing our trends."

"They may not have a single person to help them navigate minefields, but as long as they determine the prospects of this technology and maintain the same investment as us, they will still achieve a breakthrough in nuclear fusion - as I said at the beginning, There is no theoretical difficulty in nuclear fusion, all that is needed is the investment of time and resources."

"To sum up, the conclusion about the first question is very clear: there is no need for confidentiality in nuclear fusion technology. As long as we start investing, it means that the whole world will follow, and they do not need to steal our technical intelligence at all. "

"In this case, instead of draining our own resources and slowing down the progress of research and development, we should simply introduce cooperation in a generous manner and compress the practical process as much as possible."

"Of course, key technologies such as special materials technology must still be in our own hands - it is not difficult to keep this part secret."

After listening to the scholars’ analysis, everyone nodded in agreement.

This is actually a very simple logic. When the possibility of a technology being implemented is 100%, then cooperation or not is actually not that important.

If you don't cooperate, the other party may be a few years behind you, but this is the same result as "limited cooperation".

This theory is also the reason why countries around the world tend to cooperate in many fields of basic science and basic technology.

Because even if the two countries are completely hostile or even at war, basic technical cooperation is the optimal solution.

"What Comrade Liu said is very reasonable. Our judgment of modern technology cannot stay in the era of handicrafts and agriculture - at that time, technology only came from the inspiration of individual craftsmen rather than organized and systematic research, so it was extremely easy to keep technology secret, but Now, especially complex systemic breakthrough technologies like nuclear fusion, are completely different.”

"Okay, so our first problem has been solved. Now, let's move on to the second problem."

"Can we bear the consequences of the decline in the status of the Middle East and the further deterioration of the situation in the Middle East caused by the development of nuclear fusion technology?"

Everyone in the conference room fell silent after hearing the question from the man in Chinese tunic suit.

Yes, all of them know that nuclear fusion technology will definitely have a major impact on oil-producing countries. The international status of Middle East oil-producing countries will further decline, and the regional situation will further deteriorate. But no one has really thought about this deterioration seriously. What impact will it have on China?

Now, after the man in tunic suit raised this question, after a simple deduction, most people understood the danger contained in it.

Both Israel and Ba Yang possess nuclear weapons.

Once a complete energy revolution caused by nuclear fusion breaks out, they will face major survival challenges. Local wars will inevitably occur, and the intensity will reach the highest level in history.

Because that would be, a fight for survival.

And in order to survive, they will absolutely do whatever it takes - including nuclear war.

After a few minutes, someone in the conference room finally raised his hand and said:

"RSA technology can avoid the ultimate crisis, but it means that we must achieve the first fusion ignition within three years, or even two years."

"We must detonate the explosive barrel in the Middle East before the deterrent of RSA technology wears off, and then use RSA decryption technology to throw this lit explosive barrel into the water."

Hearing his words, another person sitting on the left added:

"There is another way."

"Nuclear fusion technology will be provided to Middle Eastern countries on a priority basis and still ensure their status as an energy center - of course, an energy center under our control."

The man in Chinese tunic suit nodded slightly, and then asked:

"Are there any other solutions?"

"Yes, it's actually very simple. Just make them obedient. As for how to make them obedient, it's not convenient to tell you."

"I understand what you mean. Okay, based on everyone's opinions, in my opinion, the second problem has been solved. Let's move on to the third problem."

"This issue is also what we are most concerned about, that is, the issue of admission tickets. Ye Zhou calls it the ticket of the new era."

"At present, all the forces that have applied for cooperation have not given us satisfactory conditions. Now, we have to discuss one by one what the pricing of this ticket should be."

The meeting lasted for more than eight hours. At 10 a.m. the next day, Ye Zhou received feedback from his superiors.

The feedback report detailed the possible risks of introducing international cooperation and listed solutions one by one.

After reading the report, Ye Zhou realized that his previous judgment on this choice was actually superficial - although he made the correct judgment, the judgment process was not perfect.

But fortunately, he has the talent of "decision maker", so he didn't ignore any of the risks mentioned in the report. At most, he just didn't think about it so carefully.

After signing his name on the report, Ye Zhou raised his head and looked at Qian Lixun in front of him and said:

"Mr. Qian, the superiors' decision has been made and they agree to introduce international cooperation."

"However, the details of the cooperation plan have not been finalized yet. There will be a dedicated person to communicate with you later. Do you think there will be any problem if you are put in charge of this part?"

Hearing Ye Zhou's question, Qian Lixun shook his head and replied:

"No problem. As long as there is cooperation, I should be responsible. I am not only a technical expert, but also a scholar with some authority and reputation. I must stand at the front desk to justify this technology."

"--Of course, this is a choice when you can't show your face. It's definitely not about grabbing credit."

"I understand, I understand, do you still need to say this? Besides, most of the credit should be yours."

The two humbled each other for a while, and before getting up and leaving the conference room, Qian Lixun said with some emotion:

"Nuclear fusion technology will definitely open up a new era. I didn't expect that at this age, I could still see the beginning of this era."

Ye Zhou smiled slightly and replied:

"It's not just nuclear fusion that opens a new era, there are many other things. In short, let's work hard and witness the arrival of this era."