Chapter 26: As The World Ebbs And Flows, I Stand Firm And Unmoved
There’s also the point that he is a stranger in Hong Kong.
Famous Chinese mathematicians like Hua Luogeng and Su Buqing going to Hong Kong would not be very appropriate.
A young guy like Chen Jingrun, who is not even thirty yet, attending the seminar at Hong Kong University would neither be abrupt nor strange.
As for Hong Kong University Mathematics Department not having a character like him.
Lin Ran requests Hong Kong University to arrange a mathematics seminar open to all of Hong Kong, with everyone registering to take the examination, and only those who pass can participate.
This is not a difficult matter.
It is better if it has some threshold to begin with.
It would be too easy to manipulate if wanted.
Even arranging for Chen Jingrun a student identity in Hong Kong University Mathematics Department is not impossible for China at this time.
In the 1960 spacetime, it is just March now, and the Chinese side is already preparing for things in July.
Because besides selecting people, arrangements must also be made for Chen Jingrun to undergo various training, which also takes time, after all, Hong Kong is currently not under control.
And Lin Ran, besides his usual teaching at Columbia University and occasionally publishing papers, interacts with John Morgan.
The day after Lin Ran stated his conditions, John Morgan accepted his request, saying he would spin off General Electric’s aerospace sector as soon as possible.
Originally he had not figured it out, but in the evening at home, his mother Catherine Francis Lovell Adams woke him up:
“Thirty percent of shares is certainly a lot, but for a colossus like General Electric, thirty percent spun off from the aerospace department is also an astronomical figure.
But if he can really help you secure NASA’s moon landing order, letting General’s aerospace department become the leader for NASA’s moon landing, then this deal is not a loss.
More importantly, you have to understand, he is a Chinese descent, and one without background or family heritage, how long can he hold onto these 30% shares?
Even someone as strong as Edison, Morgan could drive Edison out of General Electric, can Randolph Lin be even more formidable than Edison?
And even if he cannot drive him out while he is alive, what about after he dies? Can his descendants continue to stay on the board of directors of General Aerospace?
If you extend the time span, you will discover that Morgan can forever be Morgan, while other outstanding figures will disappear with time.”
John Morgan’s mother Catherine Adams is the eldest daughter of Secretary of the Navy Charles Francis Adams III, and her guidance to John Morgan has the domineering aura of standing firm amid the ebb and flow of world tides.
These words were too arrogant, but they successfully persuaded John Morgan.
Back then Old Morgan and Edison together established Edison General Electric, and in the end didn’t Edison also get rolled out?
So even if shares are given to Lin Ran, after his technological advantage is gone, can a Chinese really hold onto these 30% shares?
An ordinary man without crime holds a jade wall, and thus incurs guilt.
By that time, as the patriarch of the Morgan family, he would have a hundred ways to deal with Randolph Lin.
In General Electric’s meeting room in New York, Lin Ran could not help but directly lash out:
“Idiot! Your proposal directly uses a super-large rocket, have you considered that the whole thing needs 40 million pounds of thrust! With current technology, it is impossible to manufacture such a massive rocket in a short time.
Whether materials, propellant, or structure, none are mature yet.
Think about how long it would take to research a similar rocket, the White House also wants achievements, two terms of White House add up to at most eight years!
In eight years, if you cannot produce this rocket, how could they possibly approve your proposal? Can you have a bit of political sensitivity!”
Lin Ran’s identity is consultant, the head is George Arthur.
George Arthur was previously General Electric’s department manager in Philadelphia, now transferred to New York to start the entire plan ahead of time.
And John Morgan participates throughout, personally attending every discussion meeting, while on one hand advancing the spin-off of General Aerospace within Morgan.
From beginning to end, George Arthur is just a character who gets scolded, and Lin Ran scolds without giving any face.
“Let me put it this way, your direct ascent proposal has no flexibility at all.
The launch of satellite Vanguard TV3 in November 1957, do you still remember?
At that time the entire American public, Washington, and the White House were watching the live broadcast, and the last image seen was the rocket igniting and lifting off, then exploding.
Your proposal, if there is a little problem, it is total failure, with no room for maneuver at all.
You have the nerve to put forward such a proposal?
In my view, manned moon landing is divided into three modes in total.
Direct ascent, that is, putting the entire complete spacecraft including all lunar module and command module together at once, and after moon landing, the command module returns to Earth, which is the proposal you put forward.
The second is Earth orbit rendezvous mode, launching different modules separately, assembling in Earth orbit, then landing on the Moon.
The third is lunar orbit rendezvous, similar to the second, but the final rendezvous is completed in lunar orbit.
What I want to say is, only the second and third are possible, and the third has greater possibility than the second.”
After the project team members left, Lin Ran said directly to John Morgan: “George Arthur is no good, he treats the moon landing as a setting from a science fiction novel, considering it feasible in reality as long as it is theoretically feasible.
He does not treat this matter as a goal we need to accomplish in the next few years at all.
He is more like a science fiction novel writer than a qualified aerospace engineer.”
John Morgan is also very anxious, although he has no judgment ability, he knows to ask other engineers in the project team, and everyone says Randolph’s opinions hit the nail on the head, while for George Arthur, everyone is hard-pressed to comment.
“Randolph, the problem is that now all capable companies are preparing for NASA’s bidding, and it is hard for us to find someone more suitable than George Arthur at present.” John Morgan has already invested all his resources, if they fail to stand out in this round of NASA’s bidding.
The value of General Aerospace spun off at the cost of his resources would shrink dramatically, and his voice within the Morgan family would also weaken accordingly.
Everyone is now in the same boat, and he has already established preliminary trust in Lin Ran’s professional level.
“Can you directly serve as the head of the project team? Instead of special consultant.
Randolph, you also have shares in General Aerospace.” John Morgan proposed.
Lin Ran shook his head: “Sorry, I still have teaching duties at Columbia University.”
John Morgan said: “That I can help you communicate, you can still get your salary without teaching.”
Lin Ran continued to refuse: “No, I like the feeling of teaching young people, it is a kind of enjoyment, John, you cannot deprive me of my pleasure.”
This is naturally laying the groundwork for going to Hong Kong, if he does not teach at Columbia University, then specially going to Hong Kong University to teach would be too strange.
“I have a good idea that can permanently solve all the problems you are worried about.” Lin Ran said.
“What method?” John Morgan asked.
“Acquire Glenn L. Martin Company.”
