The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 546 Victoria: To my dear little brother, Prince Luo Yaoguo.
The Huangpu River was iron-gray in the early morning, and the newly built laboratory building of the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau was lit up by oil lamps as bright as day.

James Williamson, a member of the Royal Society of the United Kingdom and chief alchemist of the British Magic Council, had his tortoise-shell glasses fogged up. The surging Coptis chinensis extract in the test tube in his hand was blending violently with alcohol.

Luo Yaoguo stood with his hands behind his back in the laboratory with a blue brick floor, tightly grasping his "magic mirror" in his right hand, trying to suppress the anxiety in his heart - if Williamson, a British genius chemist in his early thirties, could not extract berberine, an "antibacterial magic potion" that was very effective in treating diseases such as intestinal infections, from Coptis chinensis under the guidance of his "prophecy", then his Taiping Heavenly Kingdom-style magic industrialization would be in trouble!
After all, it seems that it is relatively easy to extract berberine by traditional methods. After an in-depth discussion with Williamson and Pasteur, two great chemists, Luo Yaoguo temporarily gave up the more difficult allicin and chose the slightly simpler berberine as the breakthrough direction for the "magic potion industry".

If this berberine could succeed, with its killing power against Shigella dysenteriae, Escherichia coli and other bacteria that had not yet fully evolved in the mid-19th century, and the magical halo bestowed by the prophet Luo Yaoguo, it would surely be sold at a high price in Europe and the United States and would be in short supply!

China is the world's most important producer of Coptis chinensis. If berberine can become a world-famous "magic potion", it will not only bring in a large amount of hard currency and boost Shanghai's "magic potion industry", but will also increase the income of herbal farmers in Huguang and Sichuan. It will definitely be a great good deed that benefits the country, the people and oneself!

"Forty-five degrees Fahrenheit." Pasteur, a professor at Napoleon I's Magic Academy in France, tapped his fingertips on the brass thermometer, causing the mercury on the dial to tremble slightly.

Williamson wiped the sweat from his forehead. The reserved attitude of a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry in London had long been shattered by the bubbles churning in the condenser. He hunched over to adjust the valve, and the back of his flannel suit was soaked with sweat, like a torn map of Britain.

Pasteur suddenly sneezed three times, shaking the microscope used to observe microorganisms next to him. He took out a handkerchief to wipe the alcohol mist on his goatee and muttered in French with a Marseille accent: "This bitter taste can simply awaken the taste buds of the dead."

"It worked!" Williamson suddenly straightened up and pulled off his mask. The pale yellow crystals in the test tube glowed with amber under the gas lamp. He looked at Luo Yaoguo, who was standing aside and pretending to be an expert, and said, "Your Highness, it worked. This should be the berberine you predicted. Louis and I have tried it dozens of times. This is the third time we have successfully extracted this kind of crystals in the laboratory. Now I don't know how effective they are?"

Standing with Luo Yaoguo, Faraday, the psychic director of the British Magic Committee, made a cross on his chest and murmured, "If it really works, the research funding will be settled next year."

Luo Yaoguo took a breath of air mixed with the bitter taste of coptis root and alcohol, turned around and told Xu Yuegui behind him: "Yuegui, go arrange for the monkeys and humans to test the medicine!"

"Woo."

The Pacific's whistle pierced the morning mist, and Hong Daquan's palms, which were holding the teak railing, were covered in cold sweat. The straw doll floating on the river suddenly turned over - it turned out to be a floating corpse with bloating, which was hooked by the collar by the bamboo pole of the corpse-recovery boat and dragged to the shore. Grand Duchess Natalia's French perfume mixed with the stench in the river breeze, making Major Orlov frown beside him.

"That's the factory of the Jiangnan Arsenal," Wu Jianzhang, who had just boarded the Pacific, pointed to the rows of chimneys on the North Bund that were spewing black smoke, and said to Hong Daquan mysteriously, "King Luo Wu should be in the experimental building of the Arsenal now. I heard that he is making some magic potion with a few foreign wizards."

Chiba Sana's pupils suddenly contracted: several strong men wearing masks and cotton clothes were driving a horse-drawn carriage through the Bund street near the dock. There seemed to be more than a dozen cold corpses piled on the carriage. Was it the corpse collectors in Shanghai collecting the bodies of the beggars who froze to death last night? How could the richest city in the "heaven" also have frozen corpses on the road like Osaka and Edo?
Rinko counted the number of "piglets" on the dock with an expressionless face. The coolies wrapped in tattered cotton jackets were queuing up at a dock by the Huangpu River. Several hooded human traffickers were writing Arabic numerals on the backs of the workers with red paint, from 1 to 300.

"I heard that Shanghai transports 3,000 people every day!" Hong Daquan, who was standing next to Rinko, moved his Adam's apple. "They go to the west coast to dig for gold, go to Southeast Asia to grow sugarcane and rice, and some go to the northeast to reclaim wasteland, build roads, and build cities for King Yang."

Rinko nodded slightly: "Living in this era, it's good enough to be alive!"

At this time, Wu Jianzhang took a note from a lawyer, read it, and then smiled and said to Hong Daquan: "Bishop Hong, General Manager Xu already knows that you have come to Shanghai. Let you stay at my house first. I will arrange for you to meet the emperor tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. By the way, in addition to Bishop Hong and Special Envoy Wu, there are two more places. You can discuss it!"

There was a sudden noisy sound on the Bund Street. Hong Daquan and others looked in the direction of the sound and suddenly saw a group of True Christian preachers in red robes slowly approaching with a cart loaded with two large pots. Ragged beggars gathered around them when they smelled the smell.

Wu Jianzhang smiled bitterly: "Last year there was a drought in Huguang, and this year there were floods in Shandong and Henan. The number of refugees pouring into Shanghai is increasing day by day, and many people have no food to eat!" A cast iron gate of the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau burst open, and eight men from the Sanxin Company led a dozen shivering beggars in a line. The last old beggar coughed up thick sputum with blood, which fell on the tip of the leather shoes of Huang Kuan, who had just received a doctorate in medicine from the University of Edinburgh in the UK. The chief medical officer of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's Army Department wore a white coat and a mask, and the round eyes behind the tortoise-shell glasses glowed with a fiery light - with the help of Luo Yaoguo's "prophecy", he and French chemists are conducting research related to bacteria, and have made a lot of progress. If berberine is really as effective as the "prophecy" says, then countless lives will be saved.
Thinking of this, he waved to the few "poor guys" in front of him and said, "Come, register your name and do some tests before you can try the medicine."

A skinny middle-aged man wrapped in a tattered cotton jacket asked in a hoarse voice: "Master, can you give me something to eat? I have been hungry for three days."

Huang Kuan glanced at the beggar with a Hunan accent and took out a notebook and a new-model British fountain pen. "What's your name? Where are you from? How old are you?"

"My surname is Huang, my given name is Shiren, and I am from Daozhou, Yongzhou Prefecture, Hunan." He then sighed, "I am 38 years old, and no one wants me anymore. No one wants me to work for you, and no one wants me to sell pigs for you."

"Last name Huang?" Huang Kuan sighed softly when he learned that the man had the same last name as him, and instructed a student beside him, "Take him to dinner. Remember, don't let him eat too much, or he'll die of overeating!"

When dusk fell, Luo Yaoguo had already returned to his official residence in Yu Garden in a carriage, full of joy, carrying a glass test tube. British Ambassador Wade and French Ambassador Aitong were anxiously waiting for the arrival of the Prime Minister of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in Dianchun Hall.

They came for the ongoing war with the Russians!
The fighting on the Crimean Peninsula fell into a complete stalemate after the Battle of Kerch Peninsula. Since the British and French forces were unable to cut off the logistics of the Sevastopol Fortress, they were unable to achieve the final result - capturing the Sevastopol Fortress.

At the same time, the situation in the Transcaucasian battlefield was becoming increasingly unfavorable to Turkey! On the Pacific battlefield, the "invincible" Muravyov had established a stronghold in the Fraser River Basin, and the war was burning towards the heartland of the Hudson Bay Company.

Now, Britain and France need Luo Yaoguo to send more troops. It would be even better if Luo Yaoguo himself could lead the army to Europe with the magic potion he had just "invented" - this is also the latest instruction from London and Paris!
Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and Napoleon III all looked forward to meeting the prophet from the East.

In Dianchun Hall, in the test tube in Luo Yaoguo's hand, pale yellow berberine crystals glowed faintly under the oil lamp. British Minister Wade and French Ambassador Aitong stood beside him, both of them staring at the test tube, as if it was the key to open the magic world.

"Your Highness, King Wu," Wade cleared his throat and broke the silence, "Did it succeed?"

"It has been initially successful!" Luo Yaoguo nodded and smiled, "I have tried it on monkeys and beggars. When I left the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau laboratory, all the people and monkeys were in no danger. The condition of the three beggars with diarrhea symptoms was greatly alleviated."

"That's great," Wade said expectantly, "London is looking forward to your visit. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert both hope to meet with you in person to discuss the comprehensive cooperation plan between the British Empire and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom."

Ai Tang stepped forward and said anxiously, "His Majesty Napoleon III attaches great importance to your ability of 'prediction'. He has more important questions that he wants to consult you in person!"

"Go to Europe?" Luo Yaoguo frowned slightly, looking a little reluctant. He had a lot of things to consider now! He had to industrialize, run education, support Zuo Zongtang, Shi Dakai, and Xiao Chaogui in their fight against the remnants of the Qing Dynasty, and fight against Yang Xiuqing. How could he have time to visit abroad? He would be away for a few months. Who would take care of all the things in China? Feng Yunshan or Xiao Chaogui? Don't let Yang Xiuqing take advantage of the situation!
He was just thinking about turning down the invitations from Victoria and Napoleon III, when British Ambassador Thomas Wade said, "Your Highness, King Wu, I remember His Majesty the Heavenly King once said that the Queen of England is his fifth sister in heaven, that is, your fifth sister. Your elder sister invites you to visit her country. Can you not go once?"

As he spoke, he took out a lacquered envelope and handed it over with both hands: "Your Highness, this is a handwritten letter from Her Majesty the Queen!"

Luo Yaoguo took the envelope and saw a line of beautiful English cursive handwriting on the surface of the envelope: To my dear little brother, Prince Luo Yaoguo.
(End of this chapter)