The expeditionary force began to dominate Southeast Asia by recruiting defeated soldiers

There is no doubt that General Dai is an ultimate patriot.

All for the glory and continuation of Gaul.

"Nanyang-Gallic cooperation..." he muttered to himself, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the windowsill.

The conditions for relaxation were clear: Gaul would provide Niger with rich uranium ore and share some theoretical physicists.

Nanyang provided the "transistor computer" they were developing, which was said to be much faster than existing computing devices, as well as some early theoretical research results. Scientists from both sides jointly studied atomic energy and shared the results.

As for waiting for the White Eagle's help and using the protection of the White Eagle's atomic bomb to maintain peace in Gaul?

General Dai didn't even think about it.

He finally understood that the Anglo-Saxon father and son, White Eagle and John, could be closer and share atomic energy with each other.

As for Gaul? It must possess independent nuclear capabilities. Otherwise, it won't even have the chance to be a conjugate father and son, and may directly become a follower of the White Eagle.

The research and development of atomic energy cannot be delayed.

Zhang Chi's conditions seemed very good. At least judging from the various formulas and data in the intelligence, General Dai judged that in terms of the theory of nuclear weapons, Nanyang was far ahead of Gaul.

This cooperation between Nangao is nothing short of a gamble.

What is being gambled is Zhang Chi's integrity, the potential of the Nanyang scientific research team, and whether Gaul can secretly accomplish this great feat that can change the country's destiny despite the blockade of the White Eagle and the obstruction of domestic political enemies.

"We have no choice..." De Gaulle closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, he was determined.

"In reply to the Nanyang side, we agree to the terms of cooperation, and the first batch of uranium ore will be shipped today. Our team of scientists, led by Professor Pierre, will depart for Nanyang immediately.

Our only request is that the highest level of confidentiality be maintained to safeguard the safety of our scientists."

He knew that he had to grab this life-saving straw now.

Even if this straw comes from the far east and carries unknown risks, it is better than sitting still and waiting for death, lingering under the shadow of future nuclear weapons.

The dignity of Gaul must be defended by the Gauls themselves with wisdom and strength.

Vive la France!

-----

Back in White Eagle, the Oval Office was filled with a strong smell of medicine and an indescribable atmosphere of oppression.

Commander Luo sat in a wheelchair, his face pale, his eye sockets sunken, and the huge dark circles under his eyes showed that he was suffering from physical pain that ordinary people could hardly imagine.

The victory in his just-concluded, extremely fierce election for his fourth term as president seems to have exhausted his last bit of strength.

Secretary of War Stimson and General Leslie Groves, head of the Manhattan Project, stood before him, looking at the supreme ruler who seemed to be dying, and reported with solemn expressions.

"Mr. President." General Groves, a sturdy man with a background in civil engineering (another civil engineering veteran), delivered a clear and organized report. "The uranium enrichment plant at Oak Ridge is operating stably, but we've hit a bottleneck in improving efficiency..."

Plutonium production at the Hanford facility is proceeding as planned... At Los Alamos, Dr. Oppenheimer reported that the theoretical model and detonator design are essentially complete, but final engineering assembly and live-blast testing are unlikely until July of next year (45) at the earliest...

Roosevelt raised his hand wearily, motioning Groves to stop.

He coughed a few times, his voice weak but still full of control and majesty: "Progress... is slower than expected. Groves, I need it... as soon as possible. The war... will not wait for us."

"Yes, Mr. President, we are doing our best." Groves straightened his back and assured.

Secretary Stimson hesitated, then added:

“Also, Your Excellency, the Grand Commander, regarding the elected Deputy Commander, Mr. Harry Truman…according to the plan, he will officially take over the position of Deputy Commander after you take office.

Regarding the Manhattan Project, does he need to be briefed... in advance?"

Roosevelt's cloudy eyes suddenly became sharp. He looked at Stimson fiercely, his gaze like that of a wounded but still majestic lion: "No!"

"No word about the Manhattan Project to Truman... until it succeeds, or until I deem it absolutely necessary."

Stimson and Groves were startled and quickly agreed.

They understood the commander-in-chief's concerns. This plan was too important and involved too many people. Before it could ultimately succeed, the scope of those who knew about it had to be controlled within the smallest core circle.

Just then, the President's personal doctor hurried in and whispered a few words in his ear.

His expression grew even uglier, and he waved his hand, signaling Stimson and Groves to leave.

The two men respectfully exited the office.

The moment the door closed, Groves couldn't help but whisper to Stimson:

"Mr. Minister, your concerns are correct... The commander-in-chief's health... We must speed up the process."

Stimson nodded gravely. "Push Dr. Oppenheimer again. We must get this thing into our hands, and quickly. Furthermore, we must keep it secret. Not only must we not let that giant red bear know about it, but we must also keep it secret from our allies!"

-----

At the same time, in the towering mountains north of Pegu.

A large secret experimental base has taken shape and is still expanding.

The security here was far more rigorous than that of the Nanyang National Defense University. Several seemingly ordinary factory buildings were hidden deep within the mountain, yet inside, lights blared and machinery hummed.

The air was filled with the smell of motor oil, metal, and a faint hint of ozone.

The atmosphere in a conference room separated by a heavy lead door was extremely warm.

Several huge blackboards were covered with densely packed formulas and diagrams.

Professor Pierre from Gaul, Chen Jing, the talented nuclear physicist whom Zhang Chi bought from the system at a high price, several locally trained masters, a doctor of theoretical physics who returned urgently from White Eagle, and several young scholars and lecturers who came south from the United Nations, were having a heated discussion around a metal cabinet that occupied several square meters and had countless tiny indicator lights flashing and making slight buzzing sounds.

These metal cabinets connected by wires are the first generation transistor computer prototype produced by the newly established Nanyang Institute of Computer Technology - "Pangu-1".

Its computing speed was simply alien technology in this era when computers were still using relays and vacuum tubes!

Even White Eagle's ENIAC is still under construction and will not be completed until 46.

The computing speed of Pangu-1 is dozens of times faster than that of ENIAC.

"Oh my God...this...this is impossible!" Professor Pierre looked at the calculation results output by "Pangu-1" and his beard was shaking with excitement.

A set of complex fluid mechanics equations that would have taken them weeks to calculate using a hand-cranked computer and might not have been accurate were answered to six decimal places in less than ten minutes on this machine.