Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 239 Zheng, can you build an atomic bomb?

"You want to make Hantaro Nagaoka the president of the University of Singapore? A Japanese? What do you think?"

Inside the Allied Headquarters, Marshal Mai asked Zheng Yi in disbelief.

"Yes." Zheng Yi nodded. "You Americans may not think highly of him, but Mr. Nagaoka Hantaro is a top-tier education expert and physicist in Asia. He's known as the father of Japanese physics. Yoshio Nishina and Hideki Yukawa were both his students. He has considerable experience."

"He was the founding president of Osaka University and has extensive frontline education experience. He is the only education master in Japan who has built a world-class university from scratch. Whether it's his scientific ability or his educational administration skills, he is a rare talent for us at Nanyang. There is no more suitable candidate than him."

Mai: "But he is already eighty years old this year."

Zheng Yi smiled and said, "Yes, but that's actually exactly why I want him to be the principal. Although he's quite old, he's still very strong. He was even able to participate in the research and development of nuclear weapons in the later stages of the war. I think, at least with the help of the administrative vice-president, he should be able to do the job."

"Because he's old enough, even if he can only live for ten years at most, he'll be ninety in ten years. The principal will have to be replaced anyway. I don't need to worry about him and his faction becoming an unstoppable school clique."

"After all, to be honest, he is a Japanese, and we are still wary of them."

Marshal Mai nodded, expressing his understanding.

Nanyang’s foundation is too weak, and sometimes using the Japanese is a helpless move.

Zheng Yi is a typical science and engineering man. He obviously emphasizes science over liberal arts in university education. Apart from pure mathematics, science is nothing more than physics and chemistry. He plans to personally lead the establishment of two world-class universities in the Nanyang region, namely the University of Penang and the University of Singapore.

The relevant majors of the University of Penang are mainly chemistry, supplemented by physics. It will offer courses such as applied chemistry, energy chemistry, biopharmaceuticals, materials science, etc. Zheng Yi himself can be named the president, and there are also Chinese chemical experts such as Hou Debang. Penang's petrochemical industry has been operating for so long, and it has more or less cultivated some chemical talents of its own.

Of course, Japanese talents are also needed, such as Kotaro Honda, who invented KS steel. Zheng Yi plans to let him serve as one of the vice-presidents of the University of Penang. He is a world-class materials scientist. After all, the distinction between chemistry and physics in the application field is not so clear.

But generally speaking, the Southern Alliance itself has enough talents. With the relationship between Zheng Yi and the Seven Sisters, they can also get some experts, scholars, professors and the like from Europe. There is no need to let the Japanese take the lead.

However, SAARC's foundation in physics is too weak. The professional settings of the University of Singapore are mainly physics, supplemented by chemistry. SAARC really cannot find anyone who can take the lead.

Of course, you can also recruit professors from Europe, but these world-class ones, who are, to put it bluntly, national treasures in every country, cannot be obtained by spending money.

Of course, it is impossible for Hantaro Nagaoka to teach in person at his age, but he has a large number of students behind him, including three Nobel Prize-winning professors. This is the fundamental reason why he became the president.

Besides, to be honest, SAARC currently does not have many students who can take their courses.

For example, Hideki Yukawa studied theoretical physics and particle physics, and was also the Nobel Prize winner in 1949.

Of course, if he had joined Zheng Yi's National University of Singapore, he probably would not have won the Nobel Prize. That thing is actually highly politicized, or extremely xenophobic. Japan was not in the circle at all before the war. After the defeat, this guy was sent to the United States to atone for his sins and only then entered the circle. He joined Princeton in 1948 and won the prize in 1949.

The scientific research was done at Osaka University, but the fruits were picked by Princeton. This is essentially what the Nobel Prize is. Japan did not have one before its defeat, but it got one immediately after the defeat, and one every few years. First it was Hideki Yukawa, and then it was Shin'ichirō Tomonaga. What's more, they won the Nobel Peace Prize twice, in 1974 and 2024.

If Zheng Yi could be brought to Singapore, he would definitely be allowed to continue his physics research. But to be honest, among the people in Nanyang who take his courses, there are probably no more than three people who can at least understand what he is talking about.

Everyone has their own expertise, and even Zheng Yi may not be able to be his student.

We can't let such a top physicist go to Nanyang to teach undergraduates or even high school students.

So if these people bring a PhD in Nanyang, there is a high probability that he will be a Japanese.

They are nothing more than Japanese nationals who joined the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and renounced their Japanese citizenship.

The most taboo thing in science is for laymen to command professionals. The teachers and students in this university are Japanese. If Zheng Yi were to find a Chinese who knows nothing to manage it, he would feel very uncomfortable.

He now only hopes that Nagaoka Hantaro will not die too early, so that he can build the framework of the University of Singapore before he dies; he also hopes that he will not die too late, so that these Japanese will become academic cliques that cannot be shaken by the Southern Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

What they hope even more is that there will be a few geniuses among the Chinese in their Southern Alliance, who can be trained before Nagaoka Hantaro's death. Even if they cannot stand on their own, it would be best if they can compete with this academic faction in the future.

Marshal Mai frowned and said, "If you only want Nagaoka Hantaro, then that's fine. He's an eighty-year-old man after all, but what about his students? Do you still want Nishina Yoshio?"

Zheng Yi: "Yes, Yoshio Nishina will become the Vice-President and Dean of the School of Physics of the University of Singapore, and Director of the Institute of Physics of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation."

Marshal Mai: "Yoshio Nishina was the mastermind behind Project Ren. You know, they were just one step away from making an atomic bomb. This man is a war criminal among war criminals."

Zheng Yi quickly said, "You're joking, Marshal. Are these scumbags from Japan even qualified to research atomic bombs? They've only dabbled in physics, and it's all just nonsense. How much money and manpower did the United States spend on the Manhattan Project? How could Japan possibly have that kind of national strength? Their 'Ren' Project didn't even produce enriched uranium, let alone an atomic bomb."

"As for the war criminal claim, here's what I think. As for scientists, I've already spoken with Yoshio Nishina. Nishina's expertise is relatively simple theoretical physics, and he's more adept at cosmic rays."

Marshal Mai interrupted, waving his hand. "Zheng, you and I are brothers. The Southern Alliance also made a significant contribution in the war. As the victor, we should have the power to judge and punish the losers. There is no problem with that."

"Moreover, there are many American companies in SAARC itself, and there will be more and more in the future. Helping SAARC is also helping the United States. During the war, you were our most important ally in Asia. Now that the war is over, this relationship remains unchanged."

"As for any other request, as long as you make it, I will definitely do my best to help. You know, I have never refused you. But now you want a war criminal who led Japan's atomic bomb program to be the vice president and director of the institute of the Southern Association for Regional Cooperation?"

"Zheng, you are a political idiot who only knows research and doesn't understand politics. How could I possibly release a war criminal like this to you?"

To put it bluntly, whether they are war criminals or not is just that, what the Americans really care about is the word "nuclear".

Although the atomic bomb actually only played a minor role in the entire World War II, its enormous power still scared the whole world. Even the Americans themselves did not expect that this thing would be so powerful.

Of course, this is actually also related to the fact that the urban buildings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki are almost all made of wood, which is essentially an excellent testing ground for the power of nuclear weapons.

But in short, people have clearly overestimated the power of nuclear weapons, and generally believe that whoever controls nuclear weapons can truly control the world.

Now, it is still the period of the United States' exclusive nuclear monopoly, and there is an extremely clear consensus throughout the United States: no other country except the United States will be allowed to possess nuclear weapons.

Every nuclear physicist, even if he or she is only slightly involved in the field, will be brought to the United States and monopolized as much as possible.

Even if these people are of no use to the United States, even if they are brought to the United States and do nothing every day and are kept there, they cannot be allowed to go abroad to research atomic bombs.

This is a very serious political issue and also a very serious issue of principle.

If they were European scientists, it would be fine. As long as they did not explicitly state that they really wanted to research atomic bombs, they would not have to force their allies to hand over the scientists.

But Japan.

How could Japan's nuclear scientists be released?

Although Zheng Yi also explained to him that Japan's "Jin Plan" was actually still far from success, Marshal Mai obviously did not think so.

People in later generations also generally believed that Yoshio Nishina had the ability to lead a nuclear project, but Japan did not have the national strength to allow him to realize this ambition.

This person proposed a nuclear weapons development plan in 1940, which was about the same time as the Manhattan Project in the United States.

However, after a year of research and discussion, Yoshio Nishina came to the conclusion that Japan's national strength was insufficient and the resources it could invest were not enough for it to complete its nuclear weapons research.

In fact, Yoshio Nishina's conclusion was very correct. The cost of the Manhattan Project was a bit too much for the industrial Cthulhu of that era, the United States. Japan was so poor that it was struggling to maintain the scale of the war. It simply did not have the money to develop an atomic bomb.

Although in Showa Japan, officials were generally mentally ill and believed in the so-called "man can conquer nature", and did not give up the nuclear program. They still carried it out and actually got some uranium for Yoshio Nishina, but it was still a drop in the bucket compared to enriched uranium.

Moreover, during the heavy bombing in March 45, laboratories in Japan were destroyed.

In short, Yoshio Nishina was a world-class physicist who recognized nuclear weapons and attempted to manufacture them almost at the same time as the Manhattan Project. If it were not for Japan's insufficient national strength and the fact that it had not found uranium mines in the occupied territories such as China and North Korea, or in Japan itself, he would have very likely possessed the ability to manufacture nuclear weapons.

What Marshal Mai meant was: What are you thinking, brother? How could I let you take away such a person, and even his entire team?

You want to build an atomic bomb?
Although you are my brother, and although your SAARC can be regarded as the most staunch ally of the United States.

But if you dare to think about the atomic bomb, you are really crazy.

Coach Mai is not particularly knowledgeable about technology, but he will not listen to Zheng Yi's nonsense.

In his heart, Zheng Yi is already a top scientist, and is recognized worldwide as the world's number one applied scientist. Although he has no background in theoretical physics, science is interconnected after all.

It is recognized worldwide that scientist Zheng Yi is quite evil.

Yoshio Nishina was another person who almost developed an atomic bomb.

If these two people join forces, who knows what kind of chemical reaction will occur?
For a moment, Marshal Mai shook his head like a rattle.

Zheng Yi had no choice but to explain, "Although the atomic bomb is powerful, the cost of producing it is too high. Even with the heavy taxes and levies of Showa Japan, there were far too few resources to complete it, let alone the Southern Alliance."

"Marshal, you are well aware of the situation in the Southern Alliance. It is essentially a commercial alliance. I do not have sufficient dominance in the Southern Alliance. Your American companies also have a large share in the Southern Alliance, and I am sure that this share will only grow."

"Unless I'm crazy, how could I possibly develop an atomic bomb? Can the Southern Alliance come up with so much money? Even if it can, the Southern Alliance is not my sole decision-maker. How could others agree to it? We are a business alliance."

"If I really want to build this thing, with such a huge amount of money and such a large project, it will take at least several years. Can I possibly bypass the board of directors? Even if I go crazy, will the board of directors go crazy with me?"

"We only do things that make money. How could we possibly do something that loses money? If I had an atomic bomb and was ambitious, then this might be beneficial to me, but not to others."

"Although the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) possesses a certain degree of military power, it is essentially a kind of merchant war. Because we are a colony and operate internationally, there is no one to protect our commercial interests. Do we need atomic bombs to protect our commercial interests?"

General MacArthur: "Then why are you taking these...war criminals with you? There are many Japanese experts, professors, and scholars. As far as I know, the vast majority of them are very interested in joining SAARC universities. You're even taking students with you. Are these few who have experience with nuclear weapons, and dare to do so, the only ones missing?"

"You know, when it comes to nuclear weapons, the entire American society, everyone from top to bottom, won't take any chances. Even if there's only a 1% chance that you can make an atomic bomb, we will definitely do everything in our power to stop it."

"And from what I know about you, Zheng, whether it's your ability or your ambition, the chances of you possessing an atomic bomb in the future are definitely far greater than 1%."

Zheng Yi: “Ah~”

He leaned back on the sofa, feeling rather tired, and lit a cigar.

To be honest, what he is doing now is indeed a bit like trying to spy on a divine artifact with a mortal body.

It’s really tiring.

Historically, until Zheng Yi traveled through time, any so-called close ally around the world who had the intention of possessing nuclear weapons would be ruthlessly suppressed by the United States, with the only exception being Israel.

What's more, nuclear weapons had spread to such an extent at that time, and the United States still had a nuclear monopoly at that point in time. Naturally, the importance attached to this was ten or even a hundred times greater than in later generations. Even though Zheng Yi was a good friend and a good brother, Marshal Mai still showed no mercy to him.

To be honest, Zheng Yi really didn't have any nuclear-related ideas at all, and he was not trying to fool Marshal Mai. There was really no need for the Southern Alliance to develop atomic bombs.

Even if we take a step back, if Zheng Yi really wanted to get two nuclear bombs to play with, as a treasure to protect the alliance, he could just spend money to buy them.

This thing has been sold in history.

If the Saudi royal family can afford it, why can’t we, the SAARC, afford it?
After all, I am still Chinese.

He actually had never thought about doing any nuclear-related projects. Those war criminals were not just nuclear physicists. After all, the word "nuclear" had only been used in the world for a few years.

These are all the top physicists in Japan, and even the best in the world. He originally wanted to use their talents in other areas.

Furthermore, Yoshio Nishina was truly a man of talent. After concluding that Japan's nuclear weapons were hopeless and that the army's naivete was forcing them to conquer the enemy, he actually built a heavy water plant in North Korea. He used the heavy water not for nuclear weapons but for large-scale production of ammonia nitrogen fertilizer. This adaptability made him a truly first-rate scientific research leader in Zheng Yi's eyes.

He himself is a scientist, so when he sees a big shot who is also a scientist, he naturally feels excited.

If a world-class physicist like this misses this opportunity, he will definitely lose it. It will take at least several decades for him to train himself from scratch.

Yoshio Nishina is indeed the most suitable vice-president of the National University of Singapore and the most suitable director of the SAARC Institute of Physics. His teacher, Hantaro Nagaoka, is naturally the most suitable president of the National University of Singapore.

At first, Zheng Yi simply wanted his university to have the best president and vice president, but in the process of striving for it, Zheng Yi's stubbornness was aroused.

He knew that it would be impossible to remove the war criminal status of these people and take them to Singapore using conventional methods.

Isn't it fucking nuclear?

Since no one would believe him even if he promised that they wouldn't need to do nuclear physics, why not just do it?

But he suddenly said, "I heard that there are two experts in the Allied Command who are investigating Japan's pre-war nuclear capabilities?"

Marshal Mai: "Huh? Yes, that's indeed the case."

Zheng Yi: "I heard from Yoshio Nishina that the US military plans to destroy Japan's cyclotron and sink it into Tokyo Bay?"

General MacArthur: "Indeed, this move is to ensure that Japan will never have the capability to possess nuclear weapons."

Zheng Yi laughed and said, "What the hell is it? I've already demolished all eight universities. Besides the universities, I'm also planning to take away their high schools and even the teachers of elementary education."

"Besides, Japan is now completely occupied. Tens of thousands of people are starving to death. The political, economic, livelihood, and military affairs are all under our surveillance. How could they possibly develop nuclear weapons?"

"If that thing must be demolished, why not let me move it to Singapore?"

General MacArthur: "Are you really going to build an atomic bomb?"

Zheng Yi: "The cyclotron particle accelerator is a magical tool for studying basic theoretical physics. It is not specifically used for studying atomic bombs. All high-energy physics studies rely on it.

Even this thing has a huge role in the medical field. You can't say that just because it can be used to make atomic bombs, it is a sin and should be destroyed."

"This thing is very expensive. It's a tool that humans use to explore the microscopic world and advance scientific and technological progress. If it's destroyed just because it can be used to make atomic bombs, will humans never study the microscopic world again, and will science stagnate?"

"It took humans tens of thousands of years to develop civilization, and thousands more to reach the microscopic and high-energy physics. Now that we've opened the door, are we going to stop here after only getting an atomic bomb?"

"The same goes for Yoshio Nishina. Just because he might possess the technology to explore the secrets of the atomic bomb, his research in other fields should be restricted. Is that right?"

Marshal Mai shrugged helplessly and said, "Well, I almost forgot, you are a scientist, and the best scientist in the world. Well... although you understand politics, you also have the stubbornness of a scientist."

"Perhaps you understand politics, but it's more likely that you're more of a scientist than a politician. Unfortunately, in our world, science must give way to politics. Nothing can override politics. Oh, Zheng, what are you writing?"

Marshal Mai was talking to himself when he saw Zheng Yi find a notebook in his office and write down a long list of formulas on it.

"The atomic bomb's explosion principle and fission formula. Aren't there two members of the Manhattan Project in Tokyo inspecting it? Marshal, you can call them over to take a look."

Coach Mac: "Oh my God! You, you, you're a chemist! Can you also build an atomic bomb?"

Zheng Yi: "I just know the manufacturing principles and formulas. Of course, this gives me the conditions to make it, right?
Marshal, the atomic bomb isn't actually that mysterious. As far as I know, the Soviet Union is also researching it, and I'm almost certain they've already succeeded. They just need time to accumulate enriched uranium."

"As far as I know, the Soviet Union had already fully understood the entire progress of the Manhattan Project long before Du was even aware of it. Within a few years, the Soviet Union will definitely have its own atomic bomb."

Mai: "How is that possible? Zheng, are you saying there's a mole inside the Manhattan Project?"

Zheng Yi: "I didn't say it was leaked from the Manhattan Project. As far as I know, the UK also has a new nuclear weapons research program, and their project was even established long before the Manhattan Project. Perhaps the Soviet Union learned this information from the British. You know, the British have always been incredibly poor at keeping secrets."

"Well, the reason I've said all this is to tell you that there are many physicists in the world who have the ability to build an atomic bomb, including me. If the United States wants to control the spread of atomic bombs, the best way is definitely not to block knowledge."

After saying that, Zheng Yi took out another piece of paper and wrote down a longer series of formulas on it.

Marshal Mai: "What are you writing?"

Zheng Yi: "The formula for the hydrogen bomb."

"hydrogen bomb?"

"A new nuclear weapon that requires an atomic bomb as a fuse to detonate. Its power is dozens of times greater than that of an atomic bomb, and it possesses the power to annihilate the world."

Marshal Mai: “Ah???”

Zheng Yi: "You can ask the two Manhattan Project members to come over and take a look. I can discuss this with them and let them decide whether this formula is true or false."

"The Soviet Union will definitely have its own atomic bomb within the next few years, and the UK should have one too. In fact, they were the first country in the world to launch a nuclear program, and the technology is fully mature; it just takes time."

"The atomic bomb alone is not enough for the United States to dominate the world and achieve its strategic goal of nuclear monopoly. Therefore... you actually need the hydrogen bomb, which is what you want."

"I'm writing this to prove to you that I truly understand nuclear physics. If I wanted to build a nuclear weapon, I wouldn't need Yoshio Nishina to lead the effort. I can do it myself. The difficulty lies in the engineering and cost; the theoretical aspects are nothing to me."

Gudong.

Marshal Mai swallowed his saliva.

He was a little intimidated by Zheng Yi.

After all, he was just a soldier. He only knew that the atomic bomb was very powerful and difficult to make, but he had no idea what the principle was or how difficult it was to make.

Zheng Yi will build an atomic bomb...

It doesn’t seem impossible?

After all, he is recognized as the world's number one applied scientist. What a sinister person he is.

Marshal Mai doesn't understand the difference between applied science and theoretical physics.

If Zheng Yi himself couldn't do it, then he had to get someone who could build an atomic bomb to go back to Southeast Asia with him. It was natural for Marshal Mai and the United States to express doubts about his motives and try their best to stop it.

But if Zheng Yi himself could build an atomic bomb, the nature of the situation would be completely different.

After all, the United States cannot take Zheng Yi to the United States just for the sake of nuclear monopoly.

What's more, he also came up with this... hydrogen thing.

In fact, Zheng Yi knew nothing about atomic bombs and hydrogen bombs. His major was applied chemistry, which was a far cry from nuclear physics.

It's just that he came from later generations, and in later generations, the basic principles and formulas of atomic bombs and hydrogen bombs were all public content on the Internet.

After all, as a scientist, I have a rough and basic understanding of these two things purely out of interest.

What a bullshit nuclear expert. He knows nothing about high-energy physics. If he really puts his knowledge into practice, he will be exposed within a day.

But it is definitely enough to fool an amateur like Marshal Mai.

As for the two Manhattan members?

Zheng Yi's status and position are there. We are just two unknown scientists. Can we test Zheng Yi like a teacher tests students?
If you're just chatting, then just kidding.

He could just make some excuses and get by with it. As long as he could make the Americans really believe that he could build a nuclear bomb, then he would face much less resistance when trying to recruit these Japanese physicists to Singapore.

Besides, isn't he getting paid?

Isn’t this hydrogen bomb formula the reward?

At worst, he could agree to help the Americans develop a hydrogen bomb.

will not?

He will continue to deceive people. If that doesn't work, he will be exposed. I guess by that time the Singapore University will have already started school. Can the Americans still arrest his president and vice-president and take them away?
Marshal Mai: "Then... since you already understand high-energy physics, why did you send these people to Singapore?"

Zheng Yi: "I'm really not interested in the atomic bomb, Marshal. Building an atomic bomb is very expensive and requires a huge amount of engineering. But nuclear physics shouldn't just be used to make nuclear weapons, or to bring destruction to humanity."

"I think that when uranium is enriched to over 90%, it can be used to make atomic bombs to kill people. So why can't it be used to generate electricity when uranium is enriched to no more than 5%?"

Marshal Mai: “Ah?”

"Power generation, nuclear power plants. Just think about it. Such a small piece of uranium can unleash such a huge amount of energy. If we humans could use uranium like coal and oil to generate electricity, wouldn't we have an inexhaustible supply of clean energy?"

As he spoke, Zheng Yi's pen kept drawing on the notebook, trying his best to recall the rough drawings of the nuclear power plant design in his mind.

Was he in the oil industry in his previous life? It has nothing to do with nuclear physics, but if you have to say it, he is in the same industry as nuclear power plants.

I definitely don’t understand it, but I have always read some simple popular science materials.

Simply put, it means understanding the basic principles of nuclear power plants.

In actual operation, it can only play a role of a high-level view, but it can fool Marshal Mai and make him stunned.

"In Nanyang, there's not the slightest interest in researching atomic bombs, but there is a lot of interest in researching nuclear power plants."

"But I can't do this scientific research alone. Where in the whole of Southeast Asia can I find a nuclear physicist who can be my assistant?"

"If the United States agrees to let me take these war criminals and allow them to enroll at the University of Singapore, then I can also promise that once the nuclear power plant is successfully developed, I will share this technology with you, the United States, unconditionally. How do you do that?"

It's just a scam.

Anyway, it is almost impossible for Zheng Yi to research it, he knows nothing.

When the time comes, he will use the excuse of being busy with work to hand over all the technical research work to these Japanese.

Who can say anything about him?
Isn't he really busy?

But he was fooled by Marshal Mai and was obviously a little stupid.

The amount of information is a bit large.

(End of this chapter)