Courtyard House: I Rely on Time-Space Trade to Build a Nation

In late July, the night in Beiping was deep and dark.

Zhao Ping'an sat in his makeshift office, a progress chart of Northeast China's industrial construction spread out before him. His pen glided across the paper, marking the goals for the next month: Ansteel's monthly steel production would exceed 500,000 tons, the fertilizer plant would complete its final commissioning, and the second exploratory well at Daqing Oilfield would begin drilling…

The pen suddenly stopped.

A cold, mechanical voice suddenly echoed in my mind:

[The system's current experience meets the upgrade requirements. Task 2 is now available. Please complete Task 2 at your current level to upgrade your system level.]

A semi-transparent system interface appeared before my eyes. Lines of blue text were displayed:

[Upgrade Quest: Steal the Sky and Change the Sun]

[Qian Lao, the father of many fields of aerospace and missile in the People's Republic of China, has just received a letter from Leader Zhou Enlai, expressing his desire to return to China. Please personally travel to the United States to help Qian Lao return to China before the founding of the People's Republic.]

[Reward: System upgrade, unlocking some key military core technology data]

[Punishment for failure: Qian Xuesen was forced to remain in the United States for 5-10 years]

Zhao Ping'an clenched his fist tightly, and the pen drew a deep ink mark on the paper.

Mr. Qian.

That name struck him deeply. The soul from 2026 naturally knew who it was.

— Qian Xuesen, a master of aerodynamics and founder of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Caltech, was once described by the U.S. military as "worth five divisions."

A "true" joke circulating online originally thought that Qian Xuesen was really amazing, that he was worth 5 divisions, but you should know that at that time, the United States only had 10 divisions.

Now I think America is really awesome, 13,5 divisions can be worth one Qian Lao.

The importance of Qian Xuesen goes without saying.

More importantly, if this person returns to China, with the help of his own system, the cooperation will not be a simple matter of 1+1=2, but will help the Republic accelerate its progress by at least twenty years.

Missiles, rockets, aerospace... these fields will all have their true founders.

Zhao Ping'an put down his pen and leaned back in his chair. Outside the window was a summer night in Beiping in 1949, with the faint sound of a train whistle drifting in from afar.

Bringing people back from America. In this day and age, how tight would the United States be in monitoring Chinese scientists, especially those of Qian Xuesen's caliber? He could almost imagine it: FBI surveillance, immigration restrictions, and possibly special attention from the military.

But the mission reward... is crucial core military technology data.

This could be missile technology, nuclear physics, aerospace, or satellite communications—all things that the republic urgently needs and is least likely to obtain from outside.

The punishment for his failure kept Qian Xuesen in the United States for five to ten years.

What does that mean? It means that the Republic's missile program will be delayed by at least five years, and its aerospace development will be a whole generation behind.

"This mission..." Zhao Ping'an muttered to himself, "must be completed!"

The next morning, in Haili's office.

Leader Zhou looked at Zhao Ping'an standing in front of him, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

"You're going to America? Now?" Leader Zhou put down the documents in his hand. "Comrade Ping'an, do you know what era we're in? The new Republic is about to be established, everything in the country needs to be rebuilt, and there's a whole mess waiting for you in the Northeast..."

"I know," Zhao Ping'an said, standing ramrod straight. "But this person is worth the trip."

He placed a prepared document on the table.

That was something he had compiled overnight, about Qian Xuesen's background, achievements, and the potential impact if he returned to China.

Leader Zhou flipped through the documents, his expression growing increasingly serious.

"His status in America...is that high?"

"The U.S. military believes he is worth five divisions," Zhao Ping'an said.

"And this is because he is Chinese and has been underestimated."

To be precise, I seriously suspect that he was the one who developed America's aircraft, missiles, wind tunnels, and other technologies, and that others were just there to assist him.

If we let him return to China, we can avoid taking twenty years of detours in the fields of missiles, rockets, and jet aircraft.

"But is he willing to come back?"

"I'm willing." Zhao Ping'an said, "After receiving your letter, the other party is preparing to return to China. However, because he has too many research projects on hand and is a responsible person, he can't finish them in a short time."

"The Americans won't release him easily," Leader Zhou said, looking at Zhao Ping'an. "They know his value."

"So we can't go through the normal channels," Zhao Ping'an said. "We have to use some... special methods."

"How special is it?"

"So much so that they thought this person was no longer alive."

The office was quiet for a long time. The cicadas outside the window chirped louder and louder.

"How confident are you?" Leader Zhou finally asked.

"Eighty percent," Zhao Ping'an said. "I will prepare a legal identity to enter the United States. I will need you to write a personal letter to prove my credibility. In critical moments, I may need the cooperation of comrades in the United States. I will handle the rest myself."

Leader Zhou stood up and walked to the window. With his back to Zhao Ping'an, he looked out at the courtyard for a long time.

"Is this person really that important?"

"It's important enough to change the fate of a country," Zhao Ping'an said.

"Leader, do you know what we lack most right now? It's not steel, not oil, not even guns. I can get those through special channels, but it will only cost me more gold. And the newly developed gold mines in the Northeast are more than enough to meet these needs."

What we lack most are brains that can lead us to catch up with the world's advanced levels.

That's the kind of mind Qian Xuesen had—and a top-notch one at that.

Another silence followed.

"Okay." Leader Zhou turned around. "I'll arrange your status. I'll inform your comrades in America to fully cooperate with you. But Comrade Ping An—"

His voice became exceptionally serious: "You must guarantee two things: first, Comrade Qian must return to China safely. Second, you yourself must also return safely. Neither of you can be missing."

Zhao Ping'an stood at attention and saluted: "I guarantee I will complete the mission."