Training the Heavens

Chapter 388 We won

The first thing Yao Tongbin and Chen Nengkuan did when they arrived in Kunming was to take an exam. Even if they were transfer students specially invited by Zhang Xingjiu, they still had to take the exam if they wanted to enter Southwest United University, and they could only enroll if they passed the exam.

The only convenience Zhang Xingjiu gave them was the qualification to take the exam, so as to ensure fairness.

Examinations have never been a problem for them. They get full marks in almost every course, and they have quickly become popular among science and engineering teachers. As a teacher, who wouldn't want to cultivate such a genius?

Zhang Xingjiu selected suitable teachers for them based on their abilities, personalities, majors and other factors, and let them continue to study with these teachers. After they gradually adapted to life in Kunming, they would also conduct some studies and experiments in metallurgy, materials, engineering physics and aerospace physics.

There are several other patriots like them in Southwest Associated University, such as Zhao Jiuzhang, who is currently a professor in the Department of Geology, Geography and Meteorology and the Department of Aeronautical Engineering in the School of Science.

He was originally a student of Tsinghua University. When the war broke out, he studied at the University of Berlin and obtained a doctorate degree. After returning to China, he came directly to Kunming and started as an associate professor. Now he is not only a professor, but also the director of the Institute of Meteorology of the Academia Sinica.

For example, Deng Jiaxian was Yang Zhenning's junior at Chongde Middle School. When Peking University moved inland, Zhang Xingjiu brought his whole family with him. He first studied at the Affiliated Middle School of Southwest Associated University. After graduation, he was successfully admitted to the Department of Physics of the Associated University and received instruction from many masters.

Now he has graduated from undergraduate program and is pursuing graduate studies under his supervisor.

In addition to those who are still on campus, there are several who have graduated from Southwest Associated University and are studying abroad, such as Guo Yonghuai, Chen Fangyun, Tu Shou'e, Yang Jiachi, Wang Xiji, Zhu Guangya, etc.

Southwest Associated University has laid a solid foundation for them. Now they are going to Europe and the United States to broaden their horizons. When they come back with Qian Fukang, Qian Sanqiang, Qian Weichang and others, they will be entrusted with important tasks.

When the Anti-Japanese War is won and all schools return to their original places, Yu Min, Qian Ji and others will be brought over, and this luxurious team will basically be complete. In addition to the talents cultivated and various preparations made by Zhang Xingjiu over the years, China will definitely be able to grow big apples sooner.

In a blink of an eye, time came to early August 1945. That morning, Zhang Xingjiu had just come out of his residence and was about to go to the school cafeteria for breakfast when he heard huge cheers on the campus.

"What happened? Did they win a battle somewhere?" He quickly pulled an excited student and asked.

"The Central Daily News reported on its front page that the United States had used a B-29 bomber to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, completely destroying the city! President Truman delivered a speech: 'The new, exceptionally powerful weapon of our ideals—the atomic bomb—has been used against Japan! This new weapon, said to possess the fundamental power of the universe, is incredibly powerful, equivalent to the energy of over tons of TNT! Isn't the British -ton earthquake bomb powerful enough? This new atomic bomb has a full times more explosive power!'"

"Hiroshima City, apart from a factory chimney still standing, everything else is gone. The whole place has become a charred land."

"Four square miles of the city (Hiroshima) were reduced to ashes. Steel and concrete buildings two miles from the bomb site were reduced to rubble. Even onions in a garden thirty miles away were burnt and dried up."

He read the words from the newspaper aloud, and instantly a large group of students gathered around him. They cheered before he finished reading, because they all felt that this weapon could completely destroy the Japanese's desire to resist, and that victory in the war of resistance would not be far away.

Zhang Xingjiu also laughed, firstly for the impending victory, and secondly for this magical translation. He didn't know who translated it, but Truman's words were translated like this.

After a few words of encouragement, Zhang Xingjiu entered the classroom and started teaching. As soon as the get out of class was over, he saw the secretary standing at the door. "Principal, there's a call from Chongqing, inviting you to Chongqing to discuss important matters. The Air Force has sent a plane. Please leave as soon as possible." Zhang Xingjiu took the telegram and took a look. It didn't say what they wanted to discuss, but just urged him to leave quickly. He guessed that he was being asked to go there to evaluate the power of the atomic bomb.

That afternoon, Zhang Xingjiu arrived in Chongqing. On the way from the airport to his residence, he saw celebrating crowds everywhere. Chongqing had been bombed by the Japanese for several years, and now the Japanese had also been hit by a big bomb. The people felt that this was retribution.

After a short rest, the car took Zhang Xingjiu to Zheng Sanfazi's official residence. He asked the question Zhang Xingjiu had expected, "Mr. Zhang, is the American atomic bomb really that powerful?"

"In theory, that's true."

Zheng Sanfazi's face lit up with joy. "It seems the war will be over soon. Our American allies possess such powerful weapons, and Germany has already surrendered. What else is the Japanese holding on to? Perhaps we can return to Nanjing soon."

You still have the nerve to go back? Zhang Xingjiu cursed in his heart.

He amused himself for a while, and then asked Zhang Xingjiu some other questions about the atomic bomb. He probably didn't understand Zhang Xingjiu's answers, but that didn't stop him from being happy.

Finally, when Zhang Xingjiu stood up to say goodbye, he asked, "Mr. Zhou Ping, does our Republic of China have the ability to manufacture an atomic bomb?"

Zhang Xingjiu didn't answer directly. "Back then, Stilwell asked me how much it would cost the United States to produce an atomic bomb. I estimated it to be $1 billion. Although the Americans haven't announced the exact cost, based on factors like the time of the atomic bomb explosion, they spent at least $2 billion!"

"Now that the Americans have proven that the atomic bomb is indeed feasible, we may be able to save some money, but no matter what, it still has to be calculated in billions of dollars. Can the government afford this?"

Zhang Sanfazi suddenly lost interest. He felt that Zhang Xingjiu's words were too disappointing, so he simply replied, "The United States is our ally. If our ally has it, it's like we have it ourselves. There's no need to rush to make our own atomic bomb."

Zhang Xingjiu left without saying anything. Later, the Academia Sinica also mentioned the idea of ​​researching the atomic bomb, but he only allocated 50,000 US dollars and sent them away.

Now everyone realized that the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression was not far away, but there was still a lot of work to be done after the war. Zhang Xingjiu was left in Chongqing to attend a meeting of the Ministry of Education to discuss the relocation of schools back to their original places after the war.

On August 8, radio broadcasts throughout Chongqing suddenly sounded at the same time, informing the people of the city of the good news that the Japanese had announced their unconditional surrender.

For a time, citizens all over the city ran around to tell each other, hugged each other and cried, celebrating the victory of the War of Resistance.

Zhang Xingjiu walked down the street, and all he heard was one sentence: "We won!"

(End of this chapter)