Chapter 1520

As the saying goes, people should not be judged by their appearance. I have always thought that they are dispensable in the exploration team, and they are indispensable telegraph operators. This really surprised me.

Seeing my surprised expression, lavrinko asked with a smile, "Comrade oshanina, do you think it's a bit unexpected? A young man who looks like a handyman is an indispensable operator in the team? "

"That's right, that's right," I nodded as fast as I could after hearing what lavrinko said. "It's really my fault that we didn't know there was a telegraph operator in your team after we've been together for such a long time." After that, I told bukov, "major, go to the radio operator immediately and take him to our radio station."

Looking at bukov leaving, lavrinko stopped him. "Comrade major, please wait. I'm afraid you don't know. I'd better send someone to go to our operator with you. " He called the older players and gave them a few orders in a low voice. The veteran nodded and left the tent with bukov.

When there was only me, lavrinko and another team member left in the tent, I could confidently and boldly continue to ask, "Comrade lavrinko, what are your plans for the next step?"

"Although an associated uranium deposit has been found today, it is a poor one." With a sigh, lavrinko said regretfully, "we can't meet our basic needs of building atomic bombs."

Although I'm a complete layman in uranium mining, I still have some suggestions for lavrinko. So as soon as he finished, I asked tentatively, "Comrade lavrinko, I don't know what other mines are easy to produce associated uranium besides tin mines?"

On hearing my layman's question, lavrinko didn't show any impatience. On the contrary, he popularized science for me: "uranium ore usually has phosphorus, nonferrous metals and rare metal minerals associated with it. There are four types of uranium deposits: granite type, volcanic rock type, sandstone type and carbonaceous siliceous mudstone type

When his popular science was over, I asked tentatively, "do you know if there are uranium mines in coal mines? If so, can we focus on Donbas, an important coal producing area in the Soviet Union? "

However, after hearing this, he shook his head and replied, "although dunbas also has prospecting potential, it's a pity that uranium deposits in coal bearing strata, alkaline rocks and other types of uranium deposits account for a small proportion of proven reserves. Even if they are found, they are still depleted uranium deposits."

After recalling the contents of his popular science, I put forward my own viewpoint again: "what about volcanoes? I remember you just said that one kind of uranium deposit is volcanic rock type

After listening to what I said, lavrinko and the team members standing next to him looked at each other. After they had a heart to heart smile, he turned to look at me and said, "Rita, your learning ability is very good. You can remember what I just said. Yes, according to the theory we have now, after the eruption of ancient volcanoes, low-quality uranium deposits would also be formed. "

Seeing that lavrinko repeatedly denied my two proposals, I knew in my heart that the knowledge I was learning and using now was just like a teacher in front of them, and it didn't mean much to go on. Thinking of this, I switched the microphone in time and asked, "Comrade lavrinko, where are you going tomorrow?"

Lavrinko put a geological exploration map on the table, pointed to me and said, "Comrade oshanina, you see, we have searched more than 300 square kilometers from Rovno. In order to find more abundant uranium deposits, I think it is necessary to expand the scope of the search. From tomorrow on, we'll go south and keep looking in this direction. "

Although he used the geological exploration map, it was almost the same as my usual military map. Therefore, I quickly judged that in order to complete his prospecting work, we should expand our active area to more than 4000 square kilometers, and it would be impossible to complete it in a few months or even half a year. When I think of spending half a year wandering in this ravine, my heart is very heavy. This means that whether it is the attack of Belarus or the liberation of Ukraine, I may not be able to participate in it.

"Comrade oshanina," seeing me staring at the map in a daze, lavrinko quickly called me twice. When I turned to look at him, he then said, "if we want to search for minerals in such a vast area, we may not have enough materials now, and we may need to supplement them."

"Don't worry, comrade lavrinko." I thought that if I went further south for more than 100 kilometers, there would be cities occupied by our army. It was very convenient to replenish materials there, so I gave him a reassurance: "the areas where we are now operating belong to the defense areas of the first front army of Ukraine. As the deputy commander of the front army, it is not difficult for me to complete the supply of exploration teams."

"That's good," lavrinko said, immediately relieved. "If the shortage of materials affects the prospecting work, it will greatly delay the development of the atomic bomb."

Hearing that he mentioned the atomic bomb again, I can't help thinking that in another year, that is, July 16, 1945, the United States will successfully test explode the first atomic bomb in human history in the alamogodo desert of New Mexico. In August, they will drop one in Hiroshima and one in Nagasaki to raze these two Japanese cities. On August 29, 1949, the Soviet Union successfully tested its own atomic bomb and became the second country with nuclear weapons.

I was just thinking about it when I heard the rest of the team member say to lavrinko: "Comrade lavrinko, I'll go to the mine and ask the comrades to come back for dinner. They should be hungry now."

Although it's exciting to find a uranium mine, it's obviously inappropriate for the team members to stay in the mine hungry again. Therefore, lavrinko immediately nodded his head and agreed to the team members' proposal.

When the team members left and only me and lavrinko were left in the tent, I couldn't help asking curiously, "Comrade lavrinko, since we have found enough uranium, when do you think we can build an atomic bomb?"

As for my question, lavrinko thought for a long time, and finally shook his head and said, "Comrade oshanina, I don't think I can answer your question. As far as I know, the United States began to implement its plan to develop an atomic bomb using nuclear fission reaction two years ago, and we are far behind them. If we want to have an atomic bomb, we have to wait at least three to five years after the U.S. atomic bomb is put into operation. "

When I saw that his analysis and the actual situation were closely related, I went on to ask, "Comrade lavrinko, do you think that after we are equipped with atomic bombs, we can catch up with the use in war?"

After listening to my question, lavrinko laughed. He said to me with a smile, "Comrade oshanina, are you a soldier or a senior commander? You know more about military affairs than me. How long do you think the German army can sustain under our strong offensive? I estimate that in two or three years or less, Germany will be completely defeated by us. Maybe our nuclear weapons have not been developed yet. "

After he finished these words, he seemed to be aware of something and quickly closed his mouth. After a while, he said to me with a bitter smile: "Comrade oshanina, it's all the drunken words I just said. Don't take them seriously, and don't tell others, otherwise you and I will cause unnecessary trouble."

"Don't worry, comrade lavrinko." I knew that he might have been drunk and excited for a while, so he said something he shouldn't have said, so he quickly comforted him and said, "we're just chatting. It seems that we didn't talk about anything confidential, so you don't have to worry about it."

Seeing me say that, lavrinko's face also showed a relaxed expression. Just as he wanted to say something more, the curtain of the tent was suddenly lifted from the outside. Then bukov came in quickly, approached my ear and said, "Comrade commander, I have just received a telegram ordering you to return to Moscow immediately."

"Comrade major, what did you just say?" I thought that bukov was wrong, and specially reminded him to say, "did the superior let me go back to Rovno or Kiev?"

Bukov shook his head vigorously, then took out a telegram and handed it to me, saying: "the telegram was sent by the deputy chief of general staff in person. He asked you to return to Moscow as soon as possible and report to the general staff."

"What the hell are you doing back in Moscow at this time?" This urgent telegram calling me back to Moscow made me feel puzzled. You should know that the May Day parade is over, and it is meaningless to return to Moscow. But since it was Antonov himself who sent me the telegram, it must be something important. It's just hard to write in the telegram, so I can only vaguely ask him to return to Moscow as soon as possible.

"Major, show me the map." I didn't have a briefcase on my back, so I didn't have a map on my back. I had to look for bukov, so I told him, "I want to see where the nearest city is."

Bukov simply tidied up the things on the desk, took out the map in the briefcase, spread it on the desk, pointed to it and suggested to me, "Comrade commander, from our present position, you can choose to go to shepetovka to take the train, or dubno to take the plane."

I think about it. It takes two days to get to Moscow by train from shepetovka; And to dubno to take a plane, up to three hours, you can reach the destination. Just when I was about to go to dubno, I heard bukov say, "Comrade commander, it's a hundred kilometers' mountain road from here to dubno, and it's not safe in the mountains. I suggest you take the train to shepetovka."

"It's not safe on the way to dubno," I said, looking at bukov. "Is it safe on the way to shepetovka?"

"The safety factor to shepetovka should be much higher." Bukov confidently replied: "my troops have been suppressing bandits there for a period of time, and they are very familiar with the terrain there. After our attack, there are basically no organized bandit units in that area. Moreover, you only need to walk more than 40 kilometers to shepetovka, and you can get there in one day and one night. "

Bukov's last two words moved me. It takes at least two or three days to walk to dubno by more than 100 kilometers of mountain road, and the road is not peaceful. And to shepetovka by train, it only takes one day, and the safety factor is much higher. Thinking about this, I immediately made a decision: "OK, that's it. I'll go to shepetovka and take the train to Moscow."

When I heard that I was going to Moscow, bukov suddenly got excited like a chicken. He straightened up and asked me, "do you want me to accompany you to Moscow?"

"No, comrade major. You can't accompany me to Moscow this time." After I had said this, I saw the dejected look on his face and quickly explained to him, "it's very important to protect the safety of the geological exploration team. I need a trustworthy department to do it, and you are the best person." After listening to my explanation, bukov knew that he could not accompany me to Moscow. Although he was very disappointed, he still tried to ask me in a smooth tone: "Comrade commander, how many people are you going to take to shepetovka this time?" Considering the current strength, we should not only ensure the safety of the exploration team, but also shoulder the heavy responsibility of transporting materials. Too much will affect their security work. So after thinking for a moment, I replied, "well, comrade major, just give me a platoon. You can't protect the safety of the exploration team by escorting me. " At noon the next day, escorted by the guard platoon, I arrived at shepetovka smoothly. I found the military representative at the station. With his help, I got on the freight train with the soldiers in the guard platoon and set out on the journey to Moscow in the last empty car. After two days, the train arrived at the central railway station in Moscow. After getting off the train, I found the station master and military representative in the station. With their help, I took the guard platoon to the general staff headquarters in the center of the city by jeep and truck. When we arrived outside the courtyard of the general staff, the motorcade was stopped by the soldiers on duty. I pushed the door open, got out of the car, showed my credentials to the soldiers who were interrogating, and then said to him, "Comrade soldier, I am the deputy commander of the first front army of Ukraine, and I have been ordered to report to deputy chief of staff Antonov." The soldier took a look at me and then said, "Comrade General, please wait a moment. I'll call to check it."