Technology invades the modern world

Chapter 441 We hope to talk to the professor
After carefully reading the letter, I found there was another piece of paper.

Then I looked at "Descendants of the Dragon," and the dragon, the dragon, opened its eyes wide, forever and ever, we are descendants of the dragon.

Upon seeing this sentence, the man couldn't help but sigh deeply.

Then I quickly composed myself.

At this time, China and Singapore did not have diplomatic relations, nor did they have formal official diplomatic ties.

However, for a long time, the two maintained close trade relations.

Since its independence from Malaysia in 1965, Singapore has maintained a non-aligned stance in the diplomatic arena.

For China, Singapore holds an extremely special position in Southeast Asia. For a long time, it was the only remaining branch of China Bank in Southeast Asia.

Between 1965 and 1975 in the original timeline, only Singapore continued its trade with foreign countries, which is quite remarkable.

Therefore, Singapore provided almost every possible convenience for Kissinger's negotiations with China, including allowing Chinese representatives to enter the country under aliases.

"Mr. Kissinger, please give my regards to the professor and wish him good health so that he can lead humanity into the universe and show us different landscapes."

The Chinese representative was filled with mixed emotions, but had to pretend to be nonchalant.

Kissinger nodded and said, "Of course, I will."

The Chinese representative then said, "The chairman asked me to convey his greetings. He believes that although we have had differences in the past, the people of our two countries are friendly, and that our ability to resume cooperation and improve our relations is crucial to world peace. We hope to find common ground through frank dialogue."

Kissinger said, "Yes, President Nixon also asked me to convey his respect for China."

He believes the Chinese are a great people and that improving our relationship is of paramount importance.

Professors alone helped America win the space race, and China, starting from nothing, independently developed an electronics industry that rivals Silicon Valley.
This fully demonstrates the wisdom of the Chinese people. The war that took place in Korea in the 50s proved the bravery and fearlessness of the Chinese people.

We greatly admire China and hope to restore good relations, hoping to find common ground through frank dialogue.

The initial pleasantries quickly ended, and Kissinger got straight to the point: "Our last meeting in Hong Kong proved that there is room for negotiation."

But now the Annan issue is the biggest obstacle standing between us.

China's presence in Annam, the stalemate on the front lines of the Vietnam War, America's rising death toll, and the heavy costs incurred by our pilots by the air defense system are all major obstacles to the further development of relations between the two countries.

The quagmire of the Vietnam War left us with no choice but to concede on this point.

We believe that China can cause us greater trouble on the front lines of the Vietnam War, but we can also inflict unbearable losses on China elsewhere.

for example"

Kissinger dipped his finger in the tea and drew a circle on the coffee table between them, which looked more like the shape of an island than a circle.

The Chinese representative's eyes sharpened: "Mr. Kissinger, it's good that you speak frankly."

But we need to clarify the facts.

The truth is, we did not provide aid out of ideology or out of opposition to America; our aid to North Vietnam was based on principles of justice and humanitarianism!

Those air defense systems were designed to help North Vietnam defend itself; the focus was on air defense.

America's invasion of Annam was the root cause.

Your bombing of villages and the use of Agent Orange have caused countless civilian casualties and will even cause irreversible damage to the future of this land.

As I said last time in Hong Kong: Why should we stop providing aid if America doesn't completely withdraw its troops?

Annam is their homeland, not your battlefield!

Your attempts to influence trade over the past six months have failed to force us to compromise, and this latest threat will not make us compromise either.

We have our own principles. If you choose to provoke a larger conflict, we will retaliate accordingly. Please trust our resolve and will!

Kissinger remarked that China was a truly formidable opponent, and he was not afraid of them at all.

The reason for this sentiment is that, despite being Chinese, ROC seems to lack principles.

As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has veto power.

The ROC only exercised its veto power once, in 1955, against Mongolia's accession to the United Nations.

The reason given is that Mongolia is part of China.

However, under pressure from America in 1961, the ROC was forced to accept Mongolia's independence.

Mongolia eventually joined the United Nations.

That's why Kissinger had such feelings.

Simply applying pressure could force the ROC to compromise and abandon its principles and nominal territory, but this has already caused actual losses and still cannot force China to compromise.

"Sir, I understand your position, but reality is cruel."

Even with your support, North Vietnam has no chance of winning.

It merely slows down the war's progress, causing us to pay a higher price to achieve the corresponding results.

This does not change the fact that America ultimately won.

Your assistance has not only caused us greater losses, but also inflicted greater losses on the North Vietnamese army and people, as it has prolonged the war and made the suffering more protracted.

Kissinger's statements and opinions are nothing but robber logic. According to this logic, being invaded by a powerful country should be rare, because it would be painless.

"The radar and missile systems provided by China have caused us to lose hundreds of aircraft, and public opinion in the country is boiling."

If this continues, Congress will increase its support for the ROC and continue to obstruct China's efforts to join the UN.

This time, we are lowering our demands; we are not seeking an immediate halt to China's assistance in the field of air defense.

What we need is for your country to reduce its support for Annam in accordance with the extent of our withdrawal when we withdraw our troops.

If we withdraw all our troops, then your air defense assistance to North Vietnam must also cease entirely.

Kissinger said these are new conditions.

The Chinese negotiators immediately understood the unspoken message: America wanted a complete withdrawal of its troops, and they were no longer willing to invest manpower and resources into this bottomless pit.

Kissinger continued, "If China stops its assistance in the field of air defense, we pledge to withdraw two-thirds of our troops from the ROC after the Vietnam War ends."

Moreover, we may sever official relations with Taipei.

This is a win-win situation for both sides.

Clearly, the real conditions are now in place.

This condition is very attractive to China right now, whether it's withdrawing troops or severing formal relations with Taipei.

The subtext of the latter is to support China's return to the United Nations and to support China as the only representative of China.

The Chinese representative nodded slightly, weighing the options in his mind, but quickly regained his vigilance: "Your proposal is attractive, but the principles cannot be compromised."

China will not abandon its friends.

Last time in Hong Kong, we agreed to explore a peaceful path, but aid is a guarantee of Annan's right to self-determination.

If you truly withdraw your troops and respect the Geneva Accords, we will carefully consider reducing the scale of our aid, including the air defense systems you mentioned.

But this must be mutually beneficial.

Negotiations are lengthy.

No one expects to reach a conclusion in one go.

In the original timeline, Kissinger stayed in Yanjing for three days, the longest of which was on July 10, when his negotiations lasted a full 17 hours.

Kissinger later described it in his memoir as: "The most intense, important, and profound conversation of my White House career."

Similarly, during his visit to Singapore, Kissinger sensed a wavering attitude from China. They demonstrated sincerity by bringing the professor's letter, signaling a potential de-escalation of the Vietnam War.

All of these factors made the negotiations go much more smoothly.

But smooth sailing doesn't mean it can be resolved in just a few words.

The entire negotiation process remains lengthy and sensitive.

On the last day in Singapore, the Chinese representative said, "We hope to speak with the professor."

Kissinger immediately became wary; this was even more alarming than China's offer to intervene directly.

Let's rewind the timeline a bit for now.

When the Soviet rocket was launched, it was still the N1 rocket. Lin Ran watched the entire rocket launch from the Huntsville Space Center.

At the time, he didn't feel much of a difference.

I just felt like I had changed the timeline.

The N-1 rocket technology, which failed to land on the moon and was abandoned, has been revived in this way.

But when more information was revealed, especially when American newspapers and television stations reported extensively that China had played a role behind the scenes, Lin Ran suddenly realized that this was an opportunity.
An opportunity to eat one fish in multiple ways.

What does it mean to eat one fish in multiple ways?
Could someone in the 2020 timeline sell the Apollo moon landing technology back to the American people?
Why not sell the N-1 rocket technology, including the detailed technology of the Soviet-Russian moon landing, to the Russians as a package?
Compared to America, Russia clearly needed a moon landing to boost its confidence and restore its ancestral glory.

The Russians don't mind having a Tsar; what they mind is that the Tsar is too useless.

What could better demonstrate the achievements of the Tsar than the successful moon landing using the N1 rocket, a feat that the entire Soviet Union could not accomplish?

Russia's RT television station can then make the most of this opportunity.

Even you, America, need the support of China to restore your ancestors' glory and launch the Saturn V rocket to complete the moon landing.

We are conducting archaeological work entirely on our own technical skills.

Although it also comes from China, as long as you offer a high enough price, we can negotiate, and we can say that it is "self-developed" by you.

Everyone knows that General Aerospace buys from them; if you develop it yourself, isn't that much more impressive?

It could be touted as follows: after China's Apollo technology successfully developed the Saturn V rocket, Russia restarted the N1 rocket project from historical records. After five years of dedicated effort and complete secrecy, the project was finally launched in 2026.

Before, there was the expansion of territory and the restoration of glory; after, there was the N1 moon landing, fulfilling the legacy of our predecessors.

For other countries, N1 has very limited value, but for Russia, it's something that can't be measured in money.

You need to offer something substantial to get it back.

While watching the live stream, Lin Ran only had a vague idea. But when he learned that China was deeply involved and that a Chinese expert was even the chief engineer, Lin Ran realized that this technology was achievable.

Just ask the people of China in this timeline directly and honestly.

As for the Russians keeping it secret, how could such a project be kept secret?

Just like Lin Ran transferred the technology completely to General Aerospace, effectively shutting down the engine, he naturally gained leverage over you.

The Soviet Union had the engines and technology in their own hands; as for the rest, the Chinese could look at it however they wanted.

Moreover, the calculation of many parameters requires the assistance of China's computer clusters.

From the Soviet perspective, China clearly had far superior computer equipment than the Crimson Computers that were being sold abroad, but it was not being sold to foreign companies.

Therefore, Lin Ran immediately made it clear that he wanted to obtain all the N1 and related technologies from China for the Soviet-Russian lunar landing.

This can also be considered a form of technology giving back to the community.

At the same time, it reflects the qualities of Cold War veterans; how could the 2020 lunar race be complete without the Russians?

In the 2020 space race discourse, how could the war of words between Russia and America be absent?

So Lin Ran first sent a letter to Chen Jingrun.

The letter essentially asked China to invite him to negotiations, and also asked China to place the technical data related to the N-1 rocket on the rooftop of an office building in Central, Hong Kong. After placing it there, he was told that he would send someone to retrieve it.

By 1970, Yan Jing and Lin Ran had established a solid foundation of mutual trust.

Although they didn't know why Lin Ran wanted the N-1 rocket technology, they still agreed.

"We hope that professors can participate in the Sino-American Mathematicians Congress to be held in Yenching this year. As the most famous Chinese mathematician in America and even the world, it is a great pity that he is not present at the Sino-American Mathematicians Congress held in China. He is a rare gem.

We hope to have his participation this year, and in the process, we can discuss more specific details of cooperation between our two countries.

Back at the negotiation site, when the Chinese negotiators stated their demands, the room fell silent, the atmosphere even more tense than when Kissinger had asked China to stop its aid.

Even though the Chinese representative did not mention the descendants of the dragon, Kissinger immediately thought of the line: "Wildfire cannot burn out the longing for home every night and every day."

What if you go and never come back?
Now, not sixty years from now, America's means of manipulating China are extremely limited.

Kissinger couldn't imagine what it would be like if Lin Ran returned to China and took the lead in the country's technological development.

Moreover, he was certain that the Soviet Union would not mind Lin Ran taking charge of the Soviet Academy of Sciences and overseeing the development of science and technology in the Soviet Union.

Kissinger is already terrified just thinking about it.

"I'm sorry, the professor is in New York every year at the end of the year, so I'm afraid he won't have time."

(End of this chapter)