Chapter 6 chapter Five

That was in 1987.The preparations for the celebration of Wang Ganchang's 80th birthday were unanimously advocated and initiated by a group of senior Chinese scientists from the China Association for Science and Technology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the China Institute of Atomic Energy, as well as friends and students of Wang Ganchang who participated in the development of the "two bombs".But Wang Ganchang, an outstanding scientific master who has made such great contributions to the country and the nation, seems really sorry that no "national-level" organization came forward to celebrate his birthday.

"How about, let's hold a beautiful and lively birthday party for Mr. Wang?" "Still asking? I've waited for your brother's words!" Several leaders of the China Institute of Atomic Energy, the Ministry of Nuclear Industry, the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the China Nuclear Society discussed over the phone, and a "private" Birthday parties became "official".In the end, the private and official opinions were unified. On May 28, the Beijing Science Hall was full of spring and laughter.A group of well-known scientific leaders and scholars at home and abroad entered the venue excitedly in twos and threes. The "birthday star" Wang Ganchang specially wore a light gray suit, a purple tie, and black-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose, which made him look radiant, not like an 80-year-old man at all.I saw the image of the "old birthday star" from the photos later.Most of the people who participated in the birthday party were Wang Ganchang’s seniors, colleagues and close friends when he was engaged in scientific work. They were Yan Jici, Zhou Peiyuan, Zhao Zhongyao, Qian Xuesen, Qian Sanqiang, Zhu Guangya, Zhou Guangzhao, the National Defense Science and Technology Commission, the Second Ministry of Machinery, and the Ministry of Nuclear Industry. The leaders Liu Jie, Jiang Xinxiong, Wu Shaozu, etc., and a special person, he is Professor Li Zhengdao, a student of Wang Ganchang who came here specially from the United States.

Before Jiang Xinxiong, the Minister of Nuclear Industry, presided over the birthday congratulatory speech, Wang Ganchang received several extremely precious and special gifts, among which was a congratulatory poem written by the Minister of National Defense, General Zhang Aiping: "Fighting hard in the grassland and Gobi, the first nuclear bomb triumphant song. Cultivate, decorate mountains and rivers and add splendor.” Wang Ganchang’s family members told me that he especially appreciated this congratulatory poem during his lifetime, and it often reminded Wang Ganchang of those unforgettable years when he concealed his country and nation.

"Selfless devotion to the country with one's body. The pioneer of nuclear bombs is a model for future generations." Comrade Zhang Jinfu also wrote a congratulatory message. These 16 words aptly evaluated Wang Ganchang's scientific pursuit spirit and brilliant career throughout his life.It is said that when they heard that Wang Ganchang, the "father of the two bombs", was going to celebrate his 80th birthday, the Beijing press really went "crazy" for a while, and many journalists flocked to the Science Hall. How is the "birthday" celebrated? Previously, these state-level "top-secret figures" were rarely allowed to publicize.However, as soon as the reporter entered, he found: what kind of lively celebration is this? In the Science Hall, there was silence, and all the audiences were staring at the podium—"Dear teachers, leaders, colleagues and friends, Mr. Ladies and gentlemen: After listening to everyone's speeches just now, I feel very ashamed in my heart. In fact, I have many shortcomings. Academically speaking, I am not thorough in doing things and doing research. Secondly, I have learned too little theory, which is far inferior to my student. I am not familiar with electronics, let alone computers. This is a great obstacle to my scientific research work. I have a deeper understanding of the old saying "the young do not work hard, the old is sad". I hope young people Take me as a reference, do more work than me, do better than me..." If someone hadn't pointed out that the person speaking on the stage was Mr. Wang Ganchang, the reporters would not have believed a world-renowned scientist The master would actually analyze his shortcomings so frankly in front of the public at the celebration of his 80th birthday! "Next, I will report to you the recent excimer laser research work with some comrades. The title of my report is "Excimer KEF and XEP Intense Laser"..." Seeing this scene, the reporters suddenly realized: the original science The "birthday" of the masters is so unique!After the academic report meeting in the Science Hall, a buffet party was held at Beijing Institute of Technology for Mr. Wang Ganchang's 80th birthday, mainly for students from Zhejiang University during the Anti-Japanese War.Almost all graduates from the Department of Physics and Chemistry of Zhejiang University in Beijing in the 1940s were present.Li Zhengdao asked to be the master of ceremonies that night. His opening remarks made many people shed tears. Many successful scientists present were determined to "save the country with science and revitalize China with science" under the influence of the professionalism of the mentor Wang Ganchang. road, and achieved great success later.

"Finally, I propose: We students of Mr. Wang Ganchang here should work hard until we grow old like Mr. Wang!" Li Zhengdao picked up his glass and was the first to drink the wine. "Learn from Mr. Wang and make more contributions to the country!" The students of Wang Ganchang, who is already an academician or well-known in the academic field, shouted in unison. "Interesting and interesting! Reminds me of my days in Meitan, Guizhou..." This night, Wang Ganchang smiled like an old urchin.He told his students "the most dangerous thing". "...In the spring of 1952, one day, Comrade Ding Zan, Deputy Secretary of the Party Group of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, called me over. At that time, I was the deputy director of the Institute of Modern Physics, and Comrade Sanqiang was the director. Comrade Ding Zan said that according to information from the volunteer army who went to North Korea The U.S. imperialists used a kind of cannon on the Korean battlefield, which was extremely powerful. Comrades in the Volunteer Army suspected that the Americans used atomic cannons? Therefore, the superior ordered the Chinese Academy of Sciences to send people to the battlefield for on-the-spot investigation. The academy decided to send me to... I I readily agreed. On the one hand, I was attracted by the Korean battlefield. More importantly, on the other hand, I really wanted to see if the Americans really used atomic weapons. My first task was to go to the battlefield to test the radioactivity produced by the atomic bomb. , that is to understand the impact of the atomic bomb on the war, especially on our army. At that time, there were no testing instruments in the country, so I had to do it myself and made a portable tester. Even the "Walkman" that can be bought for tens of dollars today Not as good.

"I went with Xiao Lin, an assistant researcher from the same institute, Professor Huan Xing from Ritan Hospital, and a comrade from the army... After field testing, we did not find any spallation of atomic weapons. Volunteer comrades reported that The most lethal cannon may be a new type of "air wave bomb" artillery, but it is definitely not an atomic cannon or something. In fact, our knowledge of atomic weapons was very poor at that time, and now it seems very naive. Because even if the equivalent is small Due to the high temperature after the explosion, it is impossible to leave massive shrapnel. Why do our comrades suspect that the Americans may have used atomic weapons? There are reasons for this. Since the Americans dropped two bombs in Japan during World War II After the first atomic bomb, especially after the start of the Korean War, the Americans repeatedly threatened to use atomic bombs to bomb important cities in North Korea and China. Decades later, according to the Pentagon of the United States, the United States did indeed bomb North Korea and China many times. China’s plan was put forward, but it was shelved for fear of a new world war. But the hegemonic face of the Americans after they mastered the atomic bomb became more and more clear. My personal experience in the Korean War made me understand to a certain extent The importance and necessity for China to have its own nuclear weapons.”

Following the instructions of the central government, the atomic bomb test that Wang Ganchang and his colleagues had hoped day and night for several years was about to enter the final stage.Ah, Lop Nur, "Sea of ​​Death"!In Wang Ganchang's mind, Lop Nur is a "sea of ​​hope" and "sea of ​​life".In order to let the "little sun" he personally researched be born and burn in Lop Nur, Wang Ganchang, who is used to playing the march of life with numbers, hums a few times from time to time, "Lop Nur, Lop Nur, you are the sun in your heart, the Venus in your dreams... "Why did you choose a "sea of ​​death" like Lop Nur for the world-renowned atomic bomb test?Wang Ganchang just smiled lightly at my almost naive question, saying that there was no one there, and it wouldn't hurt anyone if it exploded.Coincidentally, the first American in the world to successfully test the atomic bomb chose the "Sea of ​​Death" as the test site.Wang Ganchang is very clear about the "Manhattan Project" carried out by the Americans. In order to make his country the number one country to dominate the world after World War II, American General Groves asked Oppenheimer to lead hundreds of thousands of people to develop the first human The first thing a nuclear warrior can accomplish is to be able to afford and endure the suffering of the "sea of ​​death".

But this is not the main thing. The main thing is that scientists give a message to the decision makers who develop nuclear weapons, that is, the power of atomic bombs may completely destroy a certain area in an instant, so it is impossible to conduct tests in any place where human beings live and gather.Of course, keeping a new and powerful scientific experiment in a state of secrecy is also the most important consideration.When the Americans developed the atomic bomb, they did not tell outsiders. They issued a communique when they exploded the first atomic bomb in their "sea of ​​death" - the Alamagore area, falsely claiming that it was "a building equipped with a large number of high explosives and The firework munitions warehouse exploded.” It was not until 20 days later, on August 6, that more than 100,000 people were killed in Hiroshima, that the atomic bomb testing site in Alamagore was no longer a top-secret place that was sealed off.

China is no exception.The choice and secrecy of Lop Nur is the top secret of the Chinese government. Even so, the United States has successively sent U2 reconnaissance planes to invade our airspace through Taiwan Airport, especially to conduct reconnaissance and harassment of the Lop Nur area of ​​our atomic bomb development base. "Shoot down the old beautiful 'Miss Black Cat'!" Mao Zedong became angry and ordered the newly formed missile battalion to kill the U2 reconnaissance plane of the United States.At that time, the air defense force of the Chinese Air Force was too weak, and there was only one missile battalion in the huge airspace, so how to fight?

The Chinese are good at "guerrilla warfare". Sure enough, on September 9, 1964, this time is very close to the time for the official atomic bomb test. We can no longer let the reconnaissance planes operated by the Americans rampage over my "top-secret area"!Yue Zhenhua, the battalion commander of the Air Force Missile Battalion, made a great contribution on this day. Together with his comrades, he "locked" the U2 plane that sneaked into our airspace again, and hit it with three missiles.For this reason, Mao Zedong and Zhu De personally received the heroic missile battalion commander and all officers and soldiers of the missile battalion, and held a celebration meeting for thousands of people in the Great Hall of the People.

After Wang Ganchang left his wife, he was in an unusual mood, because he knew that China's atomic bomb would not be detonated for too long!At a plenum held by the Communist Party of China not long ago, according to Mao Zedong's suggestion, China's atomic bomb testing will be accelerated, because the threat of nuclear weapons in the East and the West is getting stronger and stronger, and Mao Zedong can't stand this cowardice.On the second day after the plenary meeting, Wang Ganchang was called by a call from Zhongnanhai. "Mr. Wang, the spirit of the chairman has been conveyed to you. It seems that the international situation requires us to push forward the '596 Project' plan. I know this will be a heavier burden for you. But this is politics. Politics is often It does not depend on our personal will. I invite you here today, on the one hand, to hear your opinions, and on the other hand, we can work together to think of some effective solutions.” When the Prime Minister said this, he deliberately moved his chair forward for a moment.Wang Ganchang immediately felt the sacredness of his duty. "Please rest assured, Prime Minister and Chairman Mao, we will work hard to speed up the development progress!" Wang Ganchang knew that as a scientist, he must obey the highest interests of the country. Wang Ganchang was almost in a hurry.Because the explosion test of the atomic bomb was basically completed at that time, but some theoretical problems of the nuclear explosion still had to be carefully calculated and verified, but things were progressing extremely slowly in this regard.Wang Ganchang is the one who presides over the overall work among the three deputy directors of the institute. Because the director, Qian Sanqiang, is busy with state affairs, he has a heavier burden on his shoulders than anyone else. "This matter can't hold us back forever!" Wang Ganchang summoned Peng Huanwu, deputy director Guo Yonghuai, director of the theoretical department Deng Jiaxian, and deputy director Zhou Guang together, and the "big five" jointly studied the main direction of attack. "Old Peng, Lao Guo, what do you think we should do?" Wang Ganchang asked his old buddy. "We already have the preliminary results, and the key to the next step is demonstration." "Doll Doctor" Deng Jiaxian said. Peng Huanwu is straightforward, saying that this is a matter of our science, even if the above does not say anything, we must work hard to speed up the progress. Guo Yonghuai fully agrees. "Then the rest is up to you!" Wang Ganchang looked expectantly at his two capable assistants, Deng Jiaxian and Zhou Guangzhao. Needless to say, Deng Jiaxian and Zhou Guangzhao were super mathematical geniuses in the institute, so it goes without saying that they worked hard and earnestly.One day, as soon as Deng Jiaxian came out of the office, he ran into Wang Ganchang. "Dr. Doll" is a well-known technical top. People in the research institute usually respect him three points, but "Dr. Doll" is only afraid of Wang Ganchang, who is a little older than him and has world influence in academics. "Mr. Wang, what did I do wrong?" Deng Jiaxian felt hairy when he saw Wang Ganchang staring at him without squinting. Peng Huanwu, who was traveling with him, was also confused by Wang Ganchang's strange appearance. "Head! Why do the three of us have different heads?" Wang Ganchang asked Deng Jiaxian and Peng Huanwu as he suddenly touched his "broad daylight" head. Deng Jiaxian was taken aback for a moment, and immediately burst into laughter: "Mr. Wang, you have the head of great wisdom and great understanding, how can we and other juniors compare with you?" Wang Ganchang was still thinking alone, laughing at himself: "It's not the same! "After finishing speaking, he turned to the topic, "How is the argument?" Deng Jia paused first, and said: "Comrades work day and night, and it is estimated that they can be completed within the scheduled time, but everyone already feels a little overwhelmed. My legs are swollen..." "Don't talk about you young people, you can see that Mr. Wang's legs have already been swollen. No, he is still busy contacting the central government in the morning, hoping to help solve the living problems of the staff in the institute." Wang Ganchang showed Deng Jiaxian his trouser legs, but was stopped by Wang Ganchang: "Your old Peng is no better." Wang Ganchang told Deng Jiaxian: "The central government is very concerned about our affairs here. I heard that a special meeting was held. Tell comrades, the state The difficulty is obvious, Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou stopped eating meat, in order to support us in creating a bomb, we must all be considerate of the central government, and use practical actions to do a good job.” "Yes, we must use practical actions to complete the tasks assigned by the Party Central Committee!" Deng Jiaxian swore to Wang Ganchang and Peng Huanwu. Two days later, a car suddenly drove up in the institute, and when the door opened, two burly people walked out.It turned out that these two were none other than Generalissimo Nie Rongzhen and Chen Yi, whom Wang Ganchang and Deng Jiaxian were familiar with. "Hahaha, Mr. Wang, don't take me to the laboratory this time, I want to see your 'ammunition depot' first." Chen Yi said while pulling Nie Rongzhen to the big cafeteria of the institute. "Aha, Comrade General, what are you doing here?" As soon as Chen Yi entered the cafeteria, he saw General Li Jue inside. Li Jue was still in the military style, and stood at attention with a "snap": "Report to Boss Chen, I am ordering steamed buns for the scientists!" "News news, the general ordered steamed buns for the scientists!" Chen Yi was very excited when he heard it, "If you order it, how many steamed buns are enough for each of us comrade scientists?" "This..." Li Jue lowered his head in embarrassment. "Tell me." Chen Yi urged him to answer, and said, "Nie Shuai and I are here today, entrusted by the central government, to check your 'ammunition depot'!" "Report to Boss Chen, less than one and a half each." "What kind of military situation is this? It's an urgent military situation!" Chen Yi waved his hand and pointed at Li Jue and shouted, "You are the dean, and you are still sent by the Military Commission and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to protect our 'national treasures'! Let scientists If you can’t eat enough, how can you make a bomb? You have to write an inspection!” "Yes! Boss Chen." Li Jue stood at attention respectfully again. "Boss Chen, don't embarrass him. Look, the rice porridge is so thin. It's because we didn't do our job well. We are ashamed of Mr. Wang and his scientists." Nie Rongzhen stirred the porridge in the big wooden bucket with an iron spoon Porridge, said not without distress. Chen Yi's face suddenly sank: "Really, is our work not done well?" Chen Yi put one hand on his waist, and the other hand drew a whirlwind in the air, "Boss Nie and I know you are here What you do is the most important job in the country, and your life is so hard. In fact, Chairman Mao and the Party Central Committee know about your situation. Now the people of the whole country are having a hard time, and Chairman Mao doesn’t even eat meat! But no matter how poor the country is, We have to engage in national defense and do not conduct air bomb tests! Therefore, your stomach must be full first, and you can make air bombs when you are full. Let me report a good news to you first, your old minister has just been appointed as the Northeast Bureau General Song Renqiong, the secretary, was thinking about you, so he transferred 50,000 catties of soybeans from the Northeast for you! Soybeans are good nutrition! Mr. Wang, how about you enjoy them first?" Wang Ganchang hurriedly thanked Boss Chen and Boss Nie on behalf of the scientific and technological personnel of the whole institute: "I am very grateful to the central government and the two bosses for their concern, and Minister Song Renqiong." After Chen Yi laughed out loud, he took Wang Ganchang's hand and said softly, "How are you... how are you doing? When will it ring? I can't wait!" "Now we have entered the final stage of data demonstration, and it shouldn't take long!" Wang Ganchang replied very positively. "Okay." Chen Yi held Wang Ganchang's hand tightly, "With your words, I, as the foreign minister, will be much tougher in negotiating with foreigners in the future!" Marshal Nie Rongzhen came over, bent down, and gently pulled Wang Ganchang's trouser legs , pressed Wang Ganchang's leg with his fingers, and said distressedly: "Look, even the legs of a great scientist like Mr. Wang are swollen!" Much more! We can overcome it." Marshal Chen Yi once again squeezed Wang Ganchang's hand tightly, this time he didn't say a word, only the crystal tears rolling in his eyes... Two days later, another phone call came from Zhongnanhai, asking Wang Ganchang, Peng Huanwu, Guo Yonghuai and Deng Jiaxian to come to the prime minister's office.He didn't say anything on the phone, only that he didn't need to bring any documents.Wang Ganchang felt a little strange, because every time Premier Zhou invited them there, he mostly listened to reports and solicited opinions, so he always got some notice in advance, or prepared some materials. "Maybe the prime minister treats us to a good meal!" Deng Jiaxian was the youngest and the most active in thinking. Peng Huanwu gave Deng Jiaxian a sideways look, and said, "The Prime Minister is so busy and still can't forget to invite you to dinner? It's a good idea!" Deng Jiaxian stuck out his tongue in front of the three honored teachers, and no longer dared to speak nonsense. As soon as he arrived in Zhongnanhai, Wang Ganchang found out that besides several persons in charge of his firm, the director Qian Sanqiang was also called, and Qian Xuesen was also called. "San Qiang, Xue Sen, why did the Prime Minister ask us to come here to study today?" Wang Ganchang couldn't help asking. Although Qian Sanqiang is the director of the research institute, his qualifications are a little "younger" than Wang Ganchang, so he usually calls Wang Ganchang "Mr. Wang".So he said: "Mr. Wang, this time I am just like you. I don't know anything. Xuesen doesn't know what it is either." Just when several scientists were puzzled, applause suddenly broke out.Wang Ganchang and the others saw Premier Zhou, Chen Yi, and Marshal Nie Rongzhen walking out of the side door. "Sit down, everyone sit down around the dining table." Premier Zhou shook hands with the scientists one by one, and called everyone to sit down.Qian Sanqiang and Qian Xuesen sat at the left and right hands of the Premier, and Wang Ganchang was next to Marshal Nie Rongzhen, facing Premier Zhou. Premier Zhou Enlai began to speak: "Everyone is invited to come today, and there is only one task, to eat meat! Count it as a piece of gratitude from me and the two bosses." "Hee hee..." As soon as the prime minister finished speaking, Deng Jiaxian, who was sitting on the other side of Wang Ganchang, suddenly couldn't help laughing. "What's the news about our 'Dr. Doll'?" the Prime Minister asked. "Report to the Prime Minister," Deng Jiaxian blushed immediately, "I, I am excited, Chairman Mao and you and other central leadership comrades are tightening their belts and not eating meat, but you and the two bosses invited us to eat Meat, this...we are sorry." "You 'Dr. Doll' are right. The country is currently facing certain difficulties. The chairman takes the lead in not eating meat, but you are different. The chairman and I, as well as Boss Nie and Boss Chen, hope that you will take good care of your health and take care of your body. Our "strengthening bomb" was developed. At the suggestion of the two bosses, I invite you to have a meal today. First, I apologize to you all, and second, I express my gratitude to you. Come, move your chopsticks..." Wang Ganchang Afterwards, it was the most delicious meal he had ever eaten in his life. "It's not that we haven't eaten meat before, but it's rare for the Prime Minister and the old man to invite us to eat meat in person. Moreover, in the years when the people of the whole country even Chairman Mao didn't eat meat, it's amazing to be able to eat meat for a meal." It is something that will never be repeated in a lifetime.” China’s atomic bomb is about to undergo a live-fire test, and scientists are all ready to “go west” and only wait for the central government’s order. "Comrades, who of you can recite the poem "Send Yuan Er Envoy Anxi" by Wang Wei, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty?" A question for everyone. "I'm coming!" A young physicist responded, "The morning rain in Weicheng is light and the dust is light, and the inn houses are green and willows are new. I advise you to drink a glass of wine, and go west to Yangguan without any old friends." "Okay, I have a good memory!" Zhang Aiping said after applauding enthusiastically, "I want to change this mobilization meeting today to 'Poetry Seminar'. I think there is a word that can be changed in the poem just now. Please feel free to enlighten me now! Who will come first?" The venue, which was still tense just now, suddenly became active. "I said it would be better to change the word 'no' into the word 'yes'." Someone said. "Miaomiao!" Zhang Aiping yelled, "Wang Wei's time in the Western Regions was vast, not to mention finding people, even if you found them, you couldn't drink and be friendly with them. Ethnic conflicts were fierce at that time! It’s different now, we are a big socialist family, people of all nationalities are like brothers, you are a stranger walking around the world, you still feel like you are in your hometown... Now, our technological army is going to the Western Regions to carry out a great cause , that is exactly 'the spring breeze has passed the Yumen Pass'!" The passion of the "poet general" activated the emotions of all the scientists present.So the stage and the audience echoed each other: "Mr. Zhang, I think this sentence should be changed, and it is called 'the spring breeze has passed the Yumen Pass'..." General Zhang Aiping happily pointed to the scientist in the audience and said you stand up Let me take a look and say you can bring students. "That's right, this comrade did a good job just now." General Zhang Aiping suddenly raised a water glass, "Let me say goodbye to you today with tea instead of wine. I don't have a speech, only two poems for you. One is by Wang Changling: "In the Qin Dynasty, the moon was bright and the Han Dynasty was at the pass. The Long Marchers have not yet returned. But let the dragon city flying generals stay, and don't teach Huma to go to the Yinshan Mountains." All of you present are today's Dragon City flying generals. Of course, that 'Huma' is the nuclear overlord who has been threatening us with nuclear weapons. With you dragon city flying generals, the Chinese nation is not afraid of a few 'Humas'! The second song I want to give you is also Wang Changling's " Marching in the Army: "Qinghai Changyun dark snow mountain, isolated city looking at Yumen Pass in the distance. The yellow sand wears golden armor in a hundred battles...'" "If you don't break Loulan, you will never return it!" This last sentence was recited by all the scientists in the audience in unison, and the scene was really shaking. "It's so touching! I'm in tears!" Wang Ganchang has studied several world-class top science and technology in his life, and he can only use a few words "too" in language expression. However, this is the most important thing for his pure heart. A true and candid portrayal.There is no ostentation, no cover-up, only straightforward enthusiasm and frankness, and the persistent pursuit of scientific career. A national leader commented on Wang Ganchang in this way at the scene, saying that there are very few great scientists like Wang Ganchang in the world who only know how to work without paying attention to fame and fortune.We use Wang Ganchang, just like using water and air in nature, and it seems that we have never thought about the cost of a penny. Wang Ganchang is the "air" and "water" God bestowed on China's scientific undertakings. After arriving in the Gobi Desert, Wang Ganchang found that everything here was far more desolate and terrifying than the poems written by Wang Changling.Let’s talk about the place to sleep first. There is no room at all—a place where tens of thousands of people gather does not even have a room.However, in the eyes of our old scientist, New China and Chairman Mao are too great. With an order, the entire "sleepy" Gobi Desert was "woke up", and everyone was "very happy".Wang Ganchang's Changshu dialect is very refreshing to listen to carefully.Based on the experiment at that time of "no birds above, no beasts below, only my heroes and warriors", any thing may cause a lot of joy for everyone. "Old Wang, you have to live in the 'high room'." Once on the plateau, the commander of the base and General Li Jue, who had been there before, took Wang Ganchang into a stone house called the "high-level cadre room" by the base comrades.The so-called "high rooms" are actually three 10-square-meter sheltered buildings built by soldiers with small stones, one bright and two dark, which are specially prepared for the leaders of the Military Commission. Wang Ganchang refused to live in it no matter what. "I'm the same as everyone else. I don't do special things. The tent is very good. If everyone can live in it, why can't I?" One reason, "we can study the problem at any time". The soldiers called Wang Ganchang "Old Man Wang" behind their backs, but Wang Ganchang didn't care, instead he often joked with the little soldiers: "You have to thank me, old man, no, your food has improved since I came here!" It turned out that according to the instructions of Commander Zhang Yunyu and General Li Jue of the base, scientists such as Wang Ganchang should be treated like the top leaders of the base.Therefore, whenever Wang Ganchang went to inspect his work, the leaders of the relevant units brought out good food that he was usually reluctant to eat, and the soldiers could take the opportunity to improve, so everyone especially looked forward to the appearance of "Old Wang".Also, "Old Man Wang" couldn't eat a few mouthfuls by himself, and left all the delicious food for everyone. The main reason why everyone likes Wang Ganchang is not here. Everyone in the base knows when China's atomic bomb will really start to explode. You only need to look at the work of "Old Wang" to understand.Not to mention ordinary soldiers who don't have high-level secrets at all, even the commander of the base has to look at the progress of Wang Ganchang's work to judge when the "strengthening bomb" should tower in the sky. Some people said: "Although there are many secrets in the base, but with the living barometer of 'Old Man Wang', we know as much as the commander." This can explain some problems to some extent. Wang Ganchang's visit to the front line of the base was a matter of Premier Zhou Enlai's personal involvement. "I don't worry if you don't go." Zhou Enlai once explained to Wang Ganchang.With just this sentence, the weight of the burden on Wang Ganchang's shoulders can be seen. At that time, his main work was to grasp the small-scale local aggregation explosion experiment.Due to the special environment of the Gobi Desert base, the various workshops, job numbers, and experimental sites are very far apart. Often, to do something, you have to leave early in the morning and arrive at night. Looking at the Gobi Desert from a distance, it seems like a flat sea, but when you are driving fast in a jeep, your butt feels as uncomfortable as sitting on a washboard.Wang Ganchang, who is nearly sixty years old, has to travel back and forth on the vast Gobi Desert almost every day.