The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 498 Magic will help France become great again! (Subscription, votes required)
The sapphire seal ring on Queen Victoria's finger rippled in the morning light, and the gilded dome of the Malachite Hall flickered. When Viscount Palmerston opened his briefcase, a breath of mysticism from the East came to his face - on a lead-sealed document bag used exclusively by the British Cabinet, there was a dragon wax seal with bared fangs and claws, which was the emblem chosen by the Cabinet Magic Conference for the British Magic Committee.

"Your Majesty, this is the draft charter of the British Magic Council." The parchment that the Prime Minister unfolded rustled. Prince Albert put on his glasses, took the document, read it carefully, and then handed it to the Queen, nodding slightly. The Prime Minister continued, "Since modern magic originated in China, Article 13 states that the candidate for the chairman needs to be able to master Chinese quickly; secondly, he must have sufficient scientific literacy - the members of the Royal Academy of Sciences believe that there is no boundary between magic and science; finally, he should also be a devout Anglican believer, preferably proficient in theology."

The Queen's scepter tapped the ground, and the bells of Westminster Abbey rang through the stained glass windows. She stared at Michael Faraday, who was at the top of the list: "Faraday? What does he do?"

Palmerston's cigar smoke condensed into a "lucky cloud" in the air that seemed to come from the mysterious East, and then slowly dispersed: "Your Majesty, he may be the person in the whole of Britain who is closest to mastering magic!"

"Why do you say that?" asked Prince Albert.

"Because Wang Libin, the representative of the Prime Minister of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, once ordered a generator in London whose use was unknown, and repeatedly asked the British officials accompanying him about Faraday, who discovered the law of electromagnetic induction, and even wanted to invite him to China to give lectures when it was convenient. According to the recollections of our former Minister to China, Wen Xian, the generator ordered in London and made by the French was later installed in the palace of the Prime Minister of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in Suzhou. Therefore, the cabinet's meeting on magic issues speculated that the mysterious electrical energy might be a kind of spiritual energy. Professor Faraday is an expert in this field, so I put him first on the list of candidates for chairman. At the same time, he is also the only candidate for the Director of Psychic Powers of the Magic Committee."

The Queen pointed her finger at George Stokes, the second candidate on the list: "What does this Stokes do?"

"He is a mathematician and a master of logic." The Prime Minister took out a piece of paper filled with formulas and long paragraphs from his file bag and handed it to Prince Albert. "He used mathematical calculations and logical deductions to analyze prophecies, magic, and curses, and gave relatively reasonable explanations. He also believes that the combination of mathematics and divination may unlock the secrets of prophecy, and prophecy is the door to the magical world! In addition, he is also the number one candidate for the Director of Mathematical Divination of the Magic Committee."

The Queen's eyes swept over the name of Lord Bonham, who was third on the list of candidates for Chairman of the Magic Committee and was also the number one candidate for Director of Oriental Mysteries.

The Prime Minister took another puff of his cigar. "Sir Bonham's scientific literacy is slightly inferior to the previous two, but he is already fluent in Chinese, has done a lot of research on the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, is familiar with all of Luo Yaoguo's works, and is also a devout Anglican."

The Queen was not moved by Palmerston's words. Instead, she looked at the last person on the list, and her eyes lit up: "Arthur Richard Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington? Is he also proficient in science and Eastern mysticism?"

The Prime Minister smiled and said, "Your Majesty, he is a Wellesley, one of our own! He is also an excellent soldier and loyal to the royal family." The Queen nodded, and the Prime Minister continued, "In addition, he is a member of the Freemasons and the British Hermetic Society."

Prince Albert interrupted, "The Hermetic Society? The one that specializes in alchemy, crystal balls, and tarot cards? I didn't expect the second Duke of Wellington to be interested in these things."

The Queen finally showed a satisfied smile: "Isn't this exactly the talent we need? I believe that under the leadership of the second Duke of Wellington, Britain will continue to lead in the Age of Magic, just as it did in the Age of Industry!"

As the dusk on the Seine River condensed into a mist, as if obscuring the future direction of history, Napoleon III was using a letter opener inlaid with scraps of Waterloo iron to cut open the express letter sent from the Crimean front by General François Celtin Canrobert, commander-in-chief of the French expeditionary army. As the French general described the smoke, epidemics and long and difficult winter of the Crimean battlefield, all appeared in the mind of the French emperor, and of course the bleak figure of his uncle Emperor Napoleon when he retreated from Moscow.

The footsteps of the royal secretary shattered the illusion in the emperor's mind. The blue seal of the telegram in the man's hand actually exuded the breath of Russian ice. The emperor quickly opened the telegram and read it carefully, then showed a surprised expression: "The British have set up a magic committee. This time their efficiency is really high. They are one step ahead of France!"

"Call Archbishop Paul!" The emperor suddenly pulled open the scarlet velvet curtain. In the twilight of the Place de la Concorde, a team of the emperor's guards were conducting a routine patrol. The setting sun fell on the shiny bayonets, reflecting a golden light. It was almost dusk.

France has fallen behind Britain in the age of industrialization, but it cannot fall behind again in the coming age of magic. With the help of magic, France will surely become great again!

"Use my royal carriage to pick her up!" the emperor shouted, "and call the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professors Frullon and Bernard, and hurry!" Seeing the royal secretary running away, the French emperor took out a piece of royal parchment from the drawer of his desk, and wrote on it with a quill pen in beautiful cursive script, starting with: My dearest Mathilde.
When the emperor's carriage brought Archbishop Paul, Foreign Minister Alexander Walewski, and two members of the French Academy of Sciences, Professors Frullon and Bernard, to the Tuileries Palace, the emperor had already written a long letter to Princess Mathilde and had it sent to China by the fastest steamship. Although Mathilde and Luo Yaoguo were not familiar with each other, it seemed that the ancestor of Li Hongzhang was also a great magician in ancient China. People respected him as Taishang Laojun. He should know some secrets of magic, right?
"Archbishops, dukes, and gentlemen of the Academy of Sciences!"

The emperor sat on the velvet cushion of the throne, his expression extremely solemn: "I just received news that the Queen of England has signed the decree to establish the British Magic Council. Britain has once again walked ahead of France and entered the era of magic first!"

"Your Majesty!" Archbishop Paul reminded in a low voice, "In fact, Britain was not the first country to enter the magical age. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was the first!"

Napoleon III's expression became even uglier: "Then we will lag behind even more! France must be ahead. She cannot become a backward, mediocre country! Now, please tell me, how can I use magic to make France even greater?"

Hearing this question, the two academicians of the French Academy of Sciences were a little dumbfounded. Professor Frullon and Professor Bernard were engaged in medicine, physiology, and biology, which were far from magic, but they no longer doubted that humans had entered the era of magic.

The reason is simple. The British, who have always been ahead, have established a magic committee! France must catch up no matter what. Since the defeat of Napoleon I, France's national policy has been to "keep up" with Britain, not only in international politics, but also in all other aspects. Let the British explore the way ahead, and France will follow as the second. This way, France will not lag behind Britain too much, but also save the cost of exploring unknown areas.

Exploring the newly emerged magic is undoubtedly risky and costly. If Britain does not do this, then France should not follow. Now that Britain has begun this exploration, France must follow suit.

"Your Majesty," Professor Frullon adjusted his monocle and said seriously, "We should take advantage of the French education system and establish the world's first magic school!"

Professor Bernard added: "The British Magic Committee has set up three directorates: psychic power, mathematical divination, and oriental mysteries. So the French magic academy should set up corresponding departments to conduct systematic research and exploration of psychic power, mathematics, and oriental studies."

The French Foreign Minister immediately suggested: "Your Majesty, I suggest that this magic school be named after your great uncle, Napoleon I, and called the Napoleon I Magic School."

Archbishop Paul took the opportunity to suggest, "Your Majesty, I think that if we let the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's army fight together with the French army in the Crimean battlefield, it will definitely help the French magic experts to get a glimpse of the secrets of Eastern magic!"

Napoleon III was quite satisfied with the suggestions made by the four people in front of him. He exhaled a puff of cigar smoke and watched it slowly dissipate in front of him. It seemed that the future also appeared in front of him at the same time: "Very good, France must lead the world in establishing a magic school. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom has not opened a magic school yet, right?"

"No." Archbishop Paul shook his head. "In fact, there are only a few people in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom who truly master magic."

Napoleon smiled and said, "This is Eastern conservatism. We in France cannot do this. It will only lead to the loss of magic. I will immediately allocate funds to establish the Napoleon School of Magic to carry out systematic and comprehensive magic research and education. Magic will surely make France great again! In addition, France welcomes the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom to send troops to the Crimean Peninsula as an ally. Alexander, you are responsible for negotiating with the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's delegation!"

"As you command, Your Majesty the Emperor."

(End of this chapter)