Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 812 American Feng Shui Theory, Progress in Nuclear Physics Research

A slight chilly mountain breeze blew inside the Lao Jun Temple.

When Fang Wen asked the old Taoist priest to tell his fortune, the priest, who had been smiling leisurely, suddenly narrowed his eyes when his gaze returned to Fang Wen's face, and dropped his whisk to the ground.

He sat up abruptly, his expression changing drastically, now showing a hint of awe and fear.

Then, he quickly made hand seals with his fingertips while chanting incantations.

After a while, the old Taoist suddenly opened his eyes:

"How strange! How wondrous! How terrifying! I originally only saw that your fate had reversed and that you were blessed with good fortune, but upon closer inspection, I found that within your life palace, there was a hidden omen of thunder from the heavens and the destruction of mountains and seas!"

His tone gradually became serious.

"You carry a tremendous karmic connection, not related to a single city or battle, nor to a single dynasty or soldier, but to the destiny of an unparalleled weapon capable of splitting the earth and shattering the sky, melting gold and stone! Once this weapon is unleashed, the land will be scorched for thousands of miles, all spirits will fall silent, and cities will be reduced to dust. Even a thousand armies and ten thousand horses will be no match for its power!"

The old Taoist priest's expression grew increasingly astonished as he spoke. He rose and bowed to the statue of Laozi in the hall. When he turned back, his tone was filled with reverence:

"This is a weapon of destruction, the source of calamity, its killing intent soaring to the heavens! I have cultivated for a lifetime and have only heard of the saying 'Heavenly fire descends upon the world, and all laws are destroyed' in ancient books and prophecies. I never thought that I would witness it with my own eyes in your destiny!"

He looked at Fang Wen again, speaking each word clearly:

"If you forge this object, it will surely bring about a calamity for heaven and earth and a blood debt for all living beings. Its merit can shake the universe, and its sin can move even the netherworld. The magnitude of the karma is beyond what I have ever seen! Once this artifact is created, the sun and moon will lose their color, and rivers and seas will be reversed. For thousands of years to come, all will have to leave their mark on this!"

He hadn't finished speaking.

The old Taoist priest sighed deeply, flicked his whisk, and recited a Taoist verse:

"Your destiny is imbued with heavenly fire that shakes the three realms, and wields thunder to pacify the eight wastelands. Once this artifact is completed, heaven and earth will be altered, half a blessing and half a tragedy. Benefactor, your destiny is too heavy, too intense, and too perilous. This humble Daoist has never seen such a terrifying and awe-inspiring fate!"

Only Fang Wen knew the meaning behind his words.

The power of the atomic bomb—doesn't that prove the old man's words true?

However, Gong Xiuneng and the two Eighth Route Army soldiers could not understand it.

The soldiers didn't understand and didn't take it seriously, but Gong Xiuneng, being a Taoist priest, was terrified by the old Taoist's divination.

"Taoist Master, you can't just say things like that!"

The old Taoist priest replied angrily, "I did not speak nonsense. If a single word is false, may I be struck by lightning."

He looked at Fang Wen, whose face remained calm, and said meaningfully, "I know you don't believe me either, but this is fate. I just want to ask you one question. If you really created a world-destroying weapon, how would you use it?"

Fang Wen thought to himself, "Then how else can we use it? It must be like the US military did back then, dumping it on the Japanese mainland. That way, we can end this war faster."

But you can't say that out loud.

He replied, "If that day ever comes, I will never use it on Chinese soil. As for the Japanese, that's another story."

The Taoist priest nodded in satisfaction: "That's good. I hope you can keep your word."

Fang Wen replied, "Definitely."

In his heart, however, he was thinking that the old Taoist priest seemed to have some skills, so he might as well take advantage of the time today to ask him some questions about his supernatural abilities and secret treasures.

My superpowers are fundamental to me, so I'd better not ask about them.

They asked about the secret treasure.

He then gestured for Gong Xiuneng and the two soldiers to leave temporarily, as he wanted to speak with the old Taoist priest alone.

Gong Xiu and the soldiers went out and stood guard outside the Lao Jun Temple.

Fang Wen then took out a small bronze cauldron. "Daoist Master, I have something here for you to take a look at."

The Taoist priest took the small cauldron and played with it in his hands.

"Did you see anything, Taoist Master?" Fang Wen asked.

"No," the Taoist priest shook his head.

Fang Wen was somewhat disappointed. This Taoist priest was very skilled in fortune telling, but he was not as good as Taoist Jingyuan when it came to secret treasures. He couldn't even detect the peculiarity of the bronze cauldron.

Since even the small bronze cauldron that foresaw danger couldn't see it, he didn't intend to show the Taoist any other treasures.

Just as he was about to retrieve the treasure, the Taoist saw the inscription on the small cauldron.

"There are inscriptions on this bronze artifact?" she exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, but it's so blurry, you can't tell at all."

"Could you tell me about its origin?"

“I found it in the United States when we dug up the ancient Native American altar platform and found this thing underneath.”

Fang Wen recounted his treasure hunting adventures in the United States, which amazed the old Taoist priest.

Then, Fang Wen took out a map of the United States and pointed out the location where the treasure was found.

He also asked, "Looking at the map, this is the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, the two largest rivers in the central United States. The ancient Native Americans chose to build their cities in this location. What do you think of the feng shui?"

Upon hearing this, the old Taoist put down the small bronze cauldron in his hand, leaned forward slightly, and looked at the map that Fang Wen had spread out. His fingertips slowly traced the lines of the two rivers, and his expression gradually changed from surprise to solemnity.

"Does the benefactor know that when Taoists discuss the geomantic veins and feng shui, they prioritize the 'convergence of qi and the gathering of wind and water'? The place where two rivers meet is the 'hub of qi' between heaven and earth, where yin and yang are hidden and spiritual essence is gathered, making it the best choice."

He pointed to the point on the map where the two rivers meet and said, word by word, “The Missouri River is Yang, rushing and turbulent like a dragon rushing to the sea, carrying the energy of thousands of miles of mountains and rivers; the Mississippi River is Yin, meandering and long like a snake coiling on the ground, gathering the spirit of water and soil from all directions. When the two rivers meet, Yin and Yang complement each other, and their energy flows together, forming the pattern of ‘two dragons embracing a pearl.’ This kind of terrain, which shelters from the wind without stagnation and gathers water without overflowing, is the perfect place for the ancients to build cities and altars, and to calm the spirit and stabilize the pulse.”

Fang Wen listened attentively and followed up with a question: "What you say is very true, but this is, after all, an overseas land. Does it have any connection with the feng shui techniques of our Chinese land?"

The old Taoist stroked his beard and chuckled, shaking his head: "Heaven and earth share the same origin, and their energy flows together. The principles of feng shui transcend geographical boundaries. China has sacred sites where rivers converge, and overseas, there are also places where spiritual energy gathers. Look at the confluence of these two rivers: to the left, the Missouri River acts as the 'Azure Dragon,' and to the right, the Mississippi River guards the 'White Tiger.' The area embraced by these rivers is a place of open 'bright hall.' The ancients chose this place to build their city, both to facilitate transportation to all directions and to ensure the well-being of their people through the spiritual energy. It is evident that the ancestors of the Native Americans also understood the principle of 'following the natural flow and using the land to nurture people.'"

After saying that, he picked up the small bronze tripod again, tracing the blurred inscriptions on the tripod with his fingertips, and frowned slightly: "Although this place is a feng shui treasure, there is an anomaly - the confluence of two rivers makes the energy too strong, which is prone to 'clashing evil'. It is fine for ordinary people to live here, but if an altar is built here, it must be suppressed with heavy objects, otherwise the energy will be disordered, which will easily bring disaster and turn prosperity into decline."

Fang Wen's heart stirred, recalling the ancient tribe that had built the Indian altar, which had indeed declined long ago.

He replied, "When I found this small cauldron, it was buried deep at the bottom of the altar, presumably to suppress the energy flow and protect the treasure?"

The Taoist priest nodded: "I think that's how it should be, but I just don't understand why our Chinese bronzes would end up in America."

"Could it be that one of our ancestors migrated to North America?" Fang Wen asked. He asked this because he knew a little about the origins of Native Americans; they all migrated there a very, very long time ago, even before the Bronze Age. The old Taoist closed his eyes in thought, and after a while, he opened them.

“When I was young, I read an ancient book that mentioned the ‘Eight Migrations of the Pre-Shang Dynasty.’ Qi, the ancestor of the Pre-Shang Dynasty, moved north to present-day Hebei to avoid the Xia Dynasty. Later, Qi’s son Zhaoming moved north to western Liaoning. There are also records of several more northward migrations after that. Could it be that one of the tribes migrated north to the Americas? I’ve heard that when it’s very cold in the far north, the two continents are connected by an ice bridge, so it’s possible to cross.”

Fang Wen was surprised that the old Taoist priest would think of this.

It is indeed possible that long ago, an ancient group of people carried bronze artifacts across the Bering Strait, then traveled south from Alaska through Canada, eventually migrating to the temperate climate of the American Midwest.

Then this group of people merged with the local natives, and eventually their own civilization disappeared, leaving only small bronze tripods to prove their existence.

Shaking off his thoughts, Fang Wen did not tell the old Taoist that the bronze cauldron could foresee danger, nor did he take out any other secret treasures.

He put away the small cauldron, stood up and took his leave: "I am fortunate to have received guidance from the Taoist priest today, and I have benefited greatly. However, I have important matters to attend to and cannot stay here to talk with the Taoist priest by candlelight. If I can come here again next time, I will definitely visit again."

The old Taoist returned the greeting: "We were not destined to be together, but we are connected by that world-destroying object. We will never meet again."

Fang Wen didn't know what to say, so he bowed again, turned around and went out, leading Gong Xiuneng and two soldiers down the mountain.

The old Taoist priest stood behind him, watching his departing figure for a long time.

Fang Wen and his group descended the mountain in the twilight, and by the time they returned to Longxing Village, it was already dark.

The village was sparsely lit, but the soldiers guarding the graphite remained steadfast at their posts, patrolling vigilantly.

The officer led Fang Wen and Gong Xiuneng to a vacant house to rest.

Silent all night.

As dawn broke, Fang Wen got up and headed to the banks of the Shili River.

Morning mist lingered among the Hengshan Mountains, the Shili River flowed quietly, and the gunboat's fuselage was covered with a few drops of morning dew, which rolled down the fuselage and into the water.

He boarded the gunboat, started the engine, and the fuselage slowly drove away from the shore, glided into the air, and flew towards the Yanchuan sea airport.

In less than two hours, we arrived at Yanchuan Water Airport.

Twenty seaplanes, which had been waiting at the airport, were neatly parked on the water, with all crew members ready to depart.

Fang Wen controlled the plane to circle in the air, picked up the microphone and ordered the planes below to take off in batches.

After all the planes took off, they flew to Mount Heng under his command.

The two-hour flight, led by Fang Wen, did not encounter any danger and safely arrived in the airspace over Hengshan.

The aircraft then landed one after another on that wide expanse of water.

Since there was no dock, Fang Wen picked up the microphone and ordered two planes to dock first, following his instructions.

After the plane landed, the cabin door was opened, a ramp was set up, and loading began.

Meanwhile, in Longxing Village, the Eighth Route Army soldiers neatly packed bags of graphite, loaded them onto wheelbarrows, and pushed them briskly along the riverbank path to transport the graphite to the shore where the planes were parked.

The soldiers had a clear division of labor: some pushed carts, some unloaded cargo, and others were specifically responsible for carefully carrying graphite onto the plane.

The graphite was fine-textured and heavy. As the bags were carried down, the soldiers' shoulders turned red from the weight, but they still gritted their teeth and persevered.

One after another, seaplanes docked at the shore to load cargo, soldiers shuttled back and forth, wheelbarrows lined the shore in an endless stream, and graphite piled higher and higher inside the aircraft cabins.

With the concerted efforts of Fang Wen, the soldiers, and the crew, nearly 10 tons of high-purity graphite were finally loaded, and the cabins of 20 seaplanes were filled with graphite bags.

Fang Wen shook hands with the Eighth Route Army officers stationed in Longxing Village to say goodbye: "Thank you for your hard work. I hope we will have the opportunity to cooperate again in the future."

"We look forward to fighting the Japanese together again next time," the officer said, raising his hand in salute.

After returning the greeting, Fang Wen boarded his gunboat, sat in the cockpit, and issued a command in a deep voice through the onboard communicator: "Attention all crews, check aircraft status, prepare for takeoff!"

"Received!" all crew members responded in unison.

Subsequently, 20 seaplanes took off from the water and flew towards Yanchuan, led by Fang Wen.

The aircraft maintained a neat formation as they flew over the airspace of northern Shanxi without being intercepted by any Japanese planes. They simply left the Japanese-occupied airspace and successfully arrived at the Yanchuan water airport.

After a brief rest and refueling in Yanchuan, the aircraft took off again and followed the pre-set route, passing through Chengdu, Guiyang, and Kunming, making four transfers. After a day and a night of travel, they finally arrived safely at the base in northern Myanmar.

After the aircraft landed, the base in northern Myanmar was already prepared to receive them. The base's security personnel and workers assisted the crew in unloading the graphite from the aircraft and carefully transporting it to the Taishan Research Institute's dedicated warehouse for proper storage and moisture protection.

Before all the graphite had been unloaded, Fang Wen went straight to the Taishan Research Institute.

After entering the research institute, he went directly to a newly built two-story building, which was a dedicated research building prepared for the newly established nuclear physics research group.

There are also two guards downstairs.

Upon seeing Fang Wen, they immediately saluted and let him pass. Fang Wen nodded and walked into the laboratory building.

He arrived at the research group's laboratory, which was bustling with activity. More than a dozen researchers were gathered around the lab benches, some fiddling with instruments, some recording data, and some discussing in hushed tones. The air was filled with the faint smell of chemical reagents and metal. The walls were covered with densely packed formulas and nuclear fission diagrams, and the tables were laden with various experimental equipment, notebooks, and graphite samples.

Upon seeing Fang Wen, the research group leader, Jiang Wenjin, immediately put down the experimental equipment in her hands and quickly stepped forward to greet her.

"Mr. Fang, you've arrived."

“I brought the graphite back. How’s it going on your end?” Fang Wen asked.

Jiang Wenjin replied, "Two weeks ago, the African branch delivered a piece of high-purity uranium ore. We then began research on establishing a safe and reliable nuclear fission model, but progress has not been smooth, and we have encountered several difficult problems."

Fang Wen glanced at the records and calculation drafts on the lab bench, his expression calm: "It's alright, take your time. If you encounter any difficulties, we'll figure them out together."

Jiang Wenjin led Fang Wen to a laboratory table, pointed to the graphite sample and recorded data on the table, and explained in detail:

"General Manager, as you know, the core of nuclear fission is to use neutrons to bombard uranium nuclei, causing them to split and release a large amount of energy. The model we need to build is to precisely control this process, ensuring that fission continues to occur and generates enough energy, while preventing it from getting out of control and causing an explosion. This is our current biggest dilemma."

He paused, then continued, "The first problem is the insufficient neutron moderation efficiency. We tried using high-purity graphite as a moderator. Theoretically, graphite can effectively slow down fast neutrons, turning them into thermal neutrons capable of initiating uranium fission. However, in actual experiments, the moderation effect of graphite was far less than expected. Some fast neutrons were not effectively slowed down and directly penetrated the uranium nucleus, failing to initiate sustained fission; others were absorbed by the graphite, resulting in insufficient neutrons participating in fission, making it difficult to maintain the fission reaction. It either stopped midway or the energy output became extremely unstable. We repeatedly adjusted the thickness and purity of the graphite, and even changed the way the graphite was placed, but we still couldn't solve this problem. Our initial speculation is that there may be subtle defects in the crystal structure of the graphite, or that we miscalculated the neutron energy loss during the moderation process."

Fang Wen frowned, pondering. He recalled that during the early stages of the Manhattan Project in the United States during World War II, they had also encountered the problem of insufficient graphite moderation efficiency. It was later discovered that impurities such as boron were mixed into the graphite, causing a large amount of neutrons to be absorbed. It seemed the problem here might be similar. (End of Chapter)