Chapter 26: Though the Tides of the World Rise and Fall, I Remain Unmoved

Another factor was that he was a fresh face in Hong Kong. It would be inappropriate for renowned Chinese mathematicians like Hua Luogeng or Su Buqing to go to Hong Kong. However, a young man like Chen Jingrun, under the age of thirty, attending a seminar at the University of Hong Kong would neither be abrupt nor suspicious.

As for the fact that the University of Hong Kong's mathematics department had no one by that name, Lin Ran could simply request that the university organize a mathematics seminar open to all of Hong Kong, requiring interested parties to register and pass an entrance exam. This was not a difficult task, and having a threshold for entry would actually be beneficial. It was incredibly easy to manipulate. It was even possible for China at the time to arrange for Chen Jingrun to be registered as a student in the University of Hong Kong's mathematics department.

In the timeline of March 1960, China was already making preparations for July. Beyond selecting the personnel, they had to arrange various forms of training for Chen Jingrun, which required time, especially since Hong Kong was not currently under their control.

Meanwhile, apart from attending classes at Columbia University and occasionally publishing papers, Lin Ran spent his time interacting with John Morgan. The day after Lin Ran laid out his terms, John Morgan accepted them, promising to spin off General Electric’s aerospace division as quickly as possible.

Initially, John had been conflicted. It wasn't until he was at home that evening that his mother, Katherine Frances Lovering Adams, enlightened him: "Thirty percent is certainly a lot, and for a behemoth like General Electric, thirty percent of the aerospace division is an astronomical figure. But if he can truly secure the NASA moon landing contract for you and make GE’s aerospace division the lead on the project, then the deal is not a loss. More importantly, you must realize, as a man of Chinese descent with no background or family pedigree, how long can he hold onto that thirty percent? If Morgan could drive Edison—a man as powerful as him—out of General Electric, can Randolph Lin be more formidable than Edison? Even if you couldn't oust him while he's alive, what about after he dies? Could his descendants remain on the board of GE Aerospace? Over a long enough timeline, you will find that Morgan remains Morgan, while all other prominent figures fade away with time."

John Morgan's mother, Katherine Adams, was the eldest daughter of Secretary of the Navy Charles Francis Adams III. Her advice carried the imperious air of someone who viewed the shifting tides of the world with unshakable composure. The remark was arrogant, but it successfully swayed John Morgan.

He reasoned that if the old Morgan could push Edison out of the company they founded together, then even if he granted Lin Ran shares, could a Chinese man truly hold onto that thirty percent once his technical advantage waned? An innocent man is guilty only of possessing a treasure. By that time, as the head of the Morgan family, he would have a hundred ways to deal with Randolph Lin.

...

In a General Electric conference room in New York, Lin Ran couldn't help but lash out: "You fool! Your design calls for a single super-heavy rocket—have you considered that it would require 40 million pounds of thrust? With current technology, it is flatly impossible to build such a massive rocket in the short term. The materials, the propellants, and the structural integrity are all immature. Think about how long it would take to research such a rocket. The White House needs political achievements, and two terms combined give us at most eight years! If you can't build this rocket in eight years, how can they possibly approve your proposal? Can you show some political sensitivity?"

Lin Ran served as a consultant, while the project lead was George Arthur. Arthur had previously been a departmental manager for GE in Philadelphia and had been transferred to New York to kick off the entire plan. John Morgan participated in every step, personally attending every meeting while simultaneously pushing for the split of the aerospace division within Morgan. From the beginning to the end, George Arthur was the target of criticism, and Lin Ran never spared his feelings.

"Let's put it this way: your direct ascent proposal has no flexibility. Do you remember the launch of the Vanguard TV3 satellite in November 1957? The entire American public, Washington, and the White House were watching the live broadcast, only to see the rocket ignite, lift off, and then explode. Your proposal has one fatal flaw: it is an all-or-nothing approach with no room for error. How can you even dare to present such a plan? In my view, manned lunar landing falls into three modes. Direct ascent, which is what you’ve proposed, involves putting the entire landing craft and return module into one complete vehicle. The second is Earth orbit rendezvous, where different modules are launched separately, assembled in Earth orbit, and then sent to the moon. The third is lunar orbit rendezvous, similar to the second, but the final assembly is completed in lunar orbit. I am telling you, only the second and third are possible, and the third is more viable than the second."

After the project team left, Lin Ran spoke directly to John Morgan: "George Arthur is no good. He treats the moon landing like a setting in a science fiction novel, assuming that if it’s theoretically feasible, it’s practically possible. He doesn't treat this as a goal we need to achieve in the next few years. He is more of a science fiction writer than a competent aerospace engineer."

John Morgan was anxious. While he lacked the technical judgment, he knew to ask other engineers on the project team, all of whom agreed that Randolph’s insights were incisive, while their opinion of George Arthur was difficult to state politely.

"Randolph, the problem is that every capable company is currently preparing for the NASA tender. It is very difficult for us to find someone more suitable than George Arthur right now," John Morgan said. He had already invested all his resources; if they failed to stand out in the NASA tender, the value of the GE aerospace division he had spent so much effort to spin off would shrink significantly, and his influence within the Morgan family would wane accordingly. They were now in the same boat, and he had already developed a preliminary trust in Lin Ran’s professional expertise.

"Could you take over as the project lead instead of being a special consultant? Randolph, you own shares in GE Aerospace, too," John Morgan proposed.

Lin Ran shook his head: "I’m sorry, I have teaching obligations at Columbia University."

John Morgan replied: "I can help you negotiate that. You can continue to collect your salary without having to teach classes."

Lin Ran continued to refuse: "No, I enjoy teaching young people. It’s a pleasure, John. You cannot deprive me of my joy."

This was, of course, a setup for going to Hong Kong. If he didn't even teach at Columbia, it would look far too strange if he suddenly traveled all the way to the University of Hong Kong to teach.

"I have a great idea that can solve all the problems you're worried about once and for all," Lin Ran said.

"What is it?" John Morgan asked.

"Acquire the Glenn L. Martin Company."