Seven Seas Beacon Fire

Under the watchful eyes of countless people, Zheng Qinguo finally revealed an attitude that the Song Prince's Mansion had never shown before in public. He bowed deeply and prostrated himself on the ground, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" which can be considered as a complete acceptance of Li Zongdi's current status.

After Zheng Qinguo had already bowed twice, Li Zongdi seemed to wake up from a dream and quickly stepped forward to help him up: "Why does the King of Song need to do this? Today, on this dock, there are only the three former kings, not the emperor. Even if the King of Song sees me in the future, he will not need to pay such a grand bow."

Zheng Qinguo snorted inwardly, "But you didn't help me up before I kowtowed for the first time. I've already kowtowed twice before you remembered this."

Otherwise, how could you possibly be the emperor? With your cunning and shrewdness, it would be a waste of your talent not to sit on the dragon throne.

However, since you did a pretty good job, I won't hold it against you today.

The Prince of Song cupped his hands in greeting: "I am the former Prince of Song of the Ming Dynasty; I dare not claim such a title in the new dynasty..."

"The Tang and Ming dynasties are connected, nominally two dynasties but in reality one. The three princes were once closely connected, and now they should naturally visit each other more often." Li Zongdi warmly grabbed one of the princes' hands and led them to the carriage that had been prepared outside.

Following behind Li Zongdi, the other entourage, including Li Che, naturally followed suit. However, Li Che wondered if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Zheng Qinguo seemed to have glanced at him several times earlier.

He was quite certain that he was not familiar with this Prince Song, because he was too young to have met him before. He was curious as to why his grandfather was being followed by such a young military officer.

What? You've never seen a consultant before? A consultant can naturally appear in any situation at any moving average level.

Of course, what Li Che probably didn't expect was that, thanks to a sketch drawn by a certain Ms. Zheng who wished to remain anonymous, the Song King knew his identity. The look he had just given him probably meant more than anything else—I want to see which pig has managed to steal the Ming Dynasty's "Jade Cabbage." Oh, it's you, kid.

Li Che followed behind, straining his ears to listen carefully to the conversation between the three people in front of him.

"Your Majesty, the military song I heard at the dock just now was really good, very powerful and spirited! I've never heard this song before. Did the new dynasty commission some famous composer to write it?"

Li Zongdi turned his head and glanced at Li Che. The music that had been played on the dock just now was actually "The March of the Steel Torrent." The symphony that sounded so impactful at that moment was naturally composed by Li Che and then selected as a military song.

As for giving this song, originally intended for the Army, to the Navy... there's nothing wrong with that. These days, the Navy is more in line with the meaning of "steel torrent" than the Army, so there's absolutely nothing wrong with giving this song to the Navy.

“I’ll introduce the composer of this song to you personally later. I know you like music. There are a few other songs as well, and I’ll play them for you then.” Li Zongdi smiled smugly. He then pointed to the female student who was squeezed at the front among the people’s representatives: “Qin Guo, look at these people. They are so full of vitality and life.”

Chapter 281 Traditional Chinese Medicine, Special Effects Drugs

"The arrival of Prince Song in Songjiang Prefecture means that the largest local power left over from the previous dynasty has resolved the main contradictions and differences between the two sides with the current court. Originally, such contradictions were almost irreconcilable, but now... thanks to the common enemy, the grassroots officers, soldiers and people on both sides have developed a deep friendship, and regional differences have been minimized."

Therefore, the current King of Song has no choice but to personally come to the mainland to bow down to the new emperor. This country is about to usher in a future full of hope and beauty, a future that we could have also had…”

Alexander (the title of the fearless general in the previous text has been changed, and the content of the previous article will be gradually replaced later) put down the newspaper in his hand and looked at the spontaneously organized parade and celebration in the street outside. His gaze, with a hint of resentment, turned to Ivanovich, who was wearing a loose hospital gown but whose spirits had obviously recovered.

“Your remarks will only bring unnecessary trouble to the Tsar’s family.” Ivanovich put down the newspaper in his hand and sighed softly. “General Alexander, everything is already set in stone. Going back on our word will only plunge the Ursus Federation into a terrible civil war, which will kill many people and destroy the vitality of our country.”

"I don't want to say things that are detrimental to unity, but the country we are in right outside our window seems to reflect another side of Ursus in the Tang Empire. If we hadn't withdrawn from the war, even if we had suffered repeated defeats on the front lines, even if we had been fighting a lot of bad battles... as long as we had persevered, we could have gained half of Europe after the collapse of the Letanian Empire and the Allied Group! We just needed to hold on for another year!"

"How could we possibly survive a year so easily? Not to mention the Second Leitanian Empire, we were still fighting the Ming Empire at that time. The current emperor of the Tang Empire is the same Ming army commander who fought against us in the Northwest Front. If the war continues, I can't say what will happen in Europe, but in Asia, we might lose half or even most of Siberia!"

“Even if we lose the whole of Siberia, it will be worth it!” Alexander raised his voice slightly: “The collapse of the Allied Powers in 18 has proven the foresight of the Ursus Empire in carrying the war to the end. As long as we Ursus people grit our teeth and hold on for another year, barely maintaining a functioning government, we can go to Versailles as a victorious nation!”

In this situation, even if we Ursus do not receive the compensation promised by the Victorian Empire and the Gallic Kingdom at the peace conference, we will face a completely collapsed Ottoman Empire and Habsburg Empire, as well as Yugoslavia in Southern Europe, which is extremely pro-Ursus and where Pan-Slavism is prevalent!

Mr. Ivanovich, an unprecedentedly powerful Slavic empire was right before our eyes! But we ourselves missed it! And I feel that I will never live to see the day when such a great Slavic empire is established!

History has shown that the rise of a nation and its people often occurs within a short window of opportunity; once missed, it will never happen again!

Ivanovich's forehead wrinkles deepened, because he truly had no way to refute Alexander's words, which in fact was the most unstable factor within the Ursus Federation at present.

"This was all a choice we made together, wasn't it?"

Just as Ivanovic was unable to refute Alexander's earlier remarks, Alexander was also speechless and unable to refute Ivanovic's short sentence.

The new school that now controls the Ursus Federation overthrew the headstrong Tsar and withdrew from the war. At the time, many new nobles, represented by Alexander, felt that the war should be maintained to a minimum while waiting for the allies to make a breakthrough. However, in the end, they did not oppose the new school's withdrawal from the war.

To put it bluntly, the New School was able to seize power because it gained the support of the majority of the National Assembly. They did indeed have the support of most of the Ursus people and represented the voice of the Ursus people—we want to withdraw from the war!

Therefore, it seems that all the bitter consequences now must be borne by all the people of Ursus, at least that's how Alexander himself sees it.

He truly regretted it, but he also knew that there was no turning back now, because there was no turning back.

“General Alexander, our conversation just now was limited to our private exchange. What I said was neither a threat nor a joke, but a statement of an objective fact. If such remarks were to spread further, the Romanov family would likely be in even greater danger.” Ivanovich said sincerely, “I almost died once from the Colombian flu. If I hadn’t happened to visit the East and been able to use their legendary medicine, I would probably be dead by now. Someone who has experienced life and death has no reason to deceive you.”

“I trust your character.” Alexander slowly walked from the windowsill to another single sofa and sat down. He casually picked up the half-empty bottle of wine on the coffee table, poured himself a glass, and, despite it being early in the morning, didn’t stop the Ursus people from drinking wine like water.

"I know there are many fools in the country who are stirring up trouble. These fools don't understand that no matter how much they regret the choices they made in the past, we can't go back to the same path. These guys probably think that Nicholas II's decision was right, so as long as that tyrant is put back on the throne, everything will be fine..."

“General Alexander, you know those guys are fools, and they will only become more impulsive after hearing such remarks. If the former Tsar, who has already abdicated, were to reconnect with these people and develop some new ambitions, then something that none of us want to see might happen.”

Alexander knew that the foolish Tsar simply didn't have the ability to play politics. Getting away from the current chaotic situation was a good thing for him and for the whole country. If he wanted to cause any trouble, then he would probably only face physical elimination.

"Fortunately, I have personally killed that evil monk. However, precisely because of this, I am probably also a traitor in Nawei's eyes. So if you expect me to persuade him to behave himself, you might as well not go at all." Alexander clearly did not want to continue talking about this topic that would upset him, because the more he talked about it, the more heartbroken he would become.

The Tang Empire, once an ally, should have been the one to win this war. Like the Lytanian Empire and the Habsburg Kingdom, it ended the war with a humiliating defeat.

When that time comes, the Ursus Federation might still be able to obtain a long-desired ice-free port in the East. However, the East University, which chose the wrong side, has a powerful figure appearing out of nowhere. When the country is in its most critical moment, he stands up and provides a respectable peace for the country.

On the other hand, Ursus... it's a long story.

“During your illness, we reached an agreement with the Tang Empire on the procurement of naval guns, and initially finalized the intention to purchase a batch of 330mm gun turrets. However, I now hope that you and I will send a telegram to the domestic authorities to suggest that the procurement terms be revised. We should try to obtain their 420mm naval guns.”

Ivanovich, who had just been looking somewhat melancholic, immediately became alert upon hearing the topic of money. He was all too familiar with this kind of shopping situation; often, buying things involved adding more money for various functions, and the final bill would shock him.

The navy, undeterred, hoped to acquire larger caliber guns; currently, the 420mm naval gun boasts the world's largest caliber.

"Can it even fit? Even a triple-mounted 330mm turret is significantly different in size from a twin-mounted 420mm turret,"

“I know, but our Izmail-class battlecruisers were originally intended to use the Colombian Navy’s 356mm guns with a 50-caliber barrel, in four triple turrets. Now, installing 330mm turrets is our only option at the moment. However, due to the original design, replacing the 420mm twin turrets with triple 14-inch turrets should not be a technical problem.”

As Alexander spoke these words, he was already envisioning a wonderful future—if everything went according to his plan, the Ursus Federation Navy would be able to possess at least two super battleships equipped with eight 420mm guns each.

There's no way around it; the way Alexander looks at the 420mm naval gun now is the same reason why many friends in another world are so annoyed by the price of the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra.

After all, following the destruction of two standard battleships last time, Longyuan has now cleanly and efficiently dealt with two King-class battleships, making his reputation truly terrifying.

The Nevada-class battleships were among the best-protected battleships in the Colombian Navy's arsenal, while the King-class battleships played a crucial role in the Scadrak Sea, enabling them to hold off the spearhead of the Royal Victoria Navy's elite Fifth Battleship Division in the engagements of that time. The reason why the four King-class battleships were able to hold their own against the four Queen Elizabeth-class battleships was precisely because of their heavy armor.

However, both of these battleships, which were known for their excellent protection capabilities, have now been defeated by the Longyuan-class battleships. Although from a professional point of view, these two battles were obviously not qualified artillery battle scenarios, the battle record does not lie, and most people in this world are precisely those who judge by battle record.

Although Alexander had stated that the Izmail-class battlecruisers were capable and had the potential to be fitted with 420mm guns, this statement clearly failed to sway Ivanovich, who was in charge of the finances.

“Alexander, the 330mm guns we purchased are mature off-the-shelf products, and some of them are even backup turrets from our inventory. These 330mm turrets are very cheap. If we were to replace them with 420mm turrets, not to mention whether they would agree, switching to 420mm naval guns would require a much larger budget. We need to save every penny of our precious foreign exchange now, General Alexander.”

“Mr. Ivanovich, money only has value after it is spent. Although the 330mm naval guns we have bought are cheap, from the perspective of the entire life cycle, 420mm guns are the more ideal choice. These guns also make the ships retain their value better.”

Ivanovich nodded realistically, then adopted a "you're right, but I'm not going to take that" attitude, rejecting Alexander's request once again.

“General Alexander, we’re not here just to buy 330mm turrets. There are some more important things that require our precious foreign exchange.” Ivanovic pointed to himself and said, “If it weren’t for that miraculous ‘medicine,’ I would probably be back in God’s arms by now. The Colombian epidemic is spreading all over the world, and these medicines have provided tremendous help to our prevention and control efforts.”

Ivanovic decided to buy a batch of the miracle drug that cured him and bring it back to his country. He believed that this drug could serve as a "bargaining chip" in the current era of rampant pandemic, playing a very important role in both maintaining domestic stability and carrying out diplomatic activities abroad.

Of course, importing can only solve the immediate problem. If this drug is brought back to the country and its components are analyzed by domestic scientists, perhaps the Ursus Federation can produce this drug itself. This is the fundamental solution to the current flu pandemic.

However, Ivanovich probably never dreamed that his idea was already within Li Che's expectations. Sulfonamides are not difficult to extract nowadays, so if you mix them with many Chinese medicines, even if you take the medicine back for testing, it is almost impossible for anyone to find out the main and accurate components of the medicine.

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Chapter 282 Why Not Make Money?

The "Three Kings Meeting" is no longer just a matter of domestic factions paying attention, because it is clear to everyone that this meeting between Li Zongdi and Zheng Qinguo will determine the fate of the country for decades to come. Therefore, regardless of whether the country is a friend or foe of the Tang Dynasty, everyone is watching the progress of the "Three Kings Meeting".

What? You're asking me why everyone is focusing on Li Zongdi and Zheng Qinguo at the Three Kings Meeting, but no one is paying attention to Liu Chang'an, the King of Shu?

emmmmmmm

It's like when Konoha is truly facing a life-or-death situation, if you're calculating top-tier fighting power, you'd definitely look at Naruto and Sasuke. Nobody would actually consider Sakura, right? Really? Really?

The process and details of this historic meeting were not made public. The only thing that was certain to the outside world was that Zheng Qinguo got extremely drunk on the first night after arriving in Yingtian Prefecture from Songjiang Prefecture. Although some rumors circulated that Zheng Qinguo lost control after getting drunk at the banquet, grabbing Zhu Miaoyun's hand and kneeling on the ground, crying and saying that he was ashamed of the late emperor and that he had not taken good care of the princess, causing her to have to submit to a scoundrel, which made everyone quite embarrassed.

However, two days later at the court assembly, Zheng Qinguo finally appeared and accepted the title of Prince of Song that Li Zongdi had once again bestowed upon him by three kowtows and nine prostrations.

This also means that the most powerful local figures left over from the Ming Dynasty have now completely submitted to the current Tang government. This is naturally something that many sycophants in the shadows and wolves from abroad do not want to see. However, both the current emperor and King Zheng Qinguo of Song have already gained widespread support and admiration from the people in the battle against the Western invaders. Now, it is no longer important for the insects in the shadows to sting people.

As a result, these scoundrels actually began to turn their attention to Princess Yongning. They secretly guided public opinion, especially in some foreign newspapers, where they began to attack her from a completely new angle—even if the current Tang royal family and the Song Prince's family have rendered meritorious service to the country, as the descendant of Emperor Hongwu and the only remaining bloodline of Emperor Yongning, others may submit to "traitors," but you cannot submit to "traitors"!

The Li family seized the throne from your Zhu family, and you still submit to them in bed. How can you face the late Emperor of the Ming Dynasty in the afterlife?

Such public attacks would certainly bring enormous mental pressure to an ordinary girl these days.

However, Zhu Miaoyun is essentially a 21st-century beauty from another world, so...........

How have you been lately?

Li Che cautiously observed Zhu Miaoyun's expression. In some foreign newspapers and some privately printed tabloids in China, Zhu Miaoyun was described as almost his female slave, and he himself was portrayed by those newspapers as a villain who forcibly abducted a princess, and that he would torture the princess with a whip and trousers every night. It sounded incredibly evil.

"What could possibly be wrong with me?" Zhu Miaoyun said nonchalantly, holding a financial statement with a gleeful expression. "Or do you want to try what they've been saying about me, and bring candles and a small whip tonight too..."

Our princess, in another world, experienced the intense baptism and online battles of the internet. Whether it was Japanese, Koreans, Indians, or rednecks, Zhu Miaoyun was adept at attacking them with hellish jokes, targeting their most vulnerable points, and in the process, she would also send greetings about their household registration and female immediate family members.

Therefore, Zhu Miaoyun could only shrug at the current attacks against her.

That's it?

The purity of these attack methods is far too low.

She's been in a good mood lately. Money can't solve all problems, but it can solve most problems in any era.

"I never expected our medicine to sell so well. I was worried that the market would accept adding sulfonamides to a fictional traditional Chinese medicine we made up, but it seems to be even better than my most optimistic prediction."

Zhu Miaoyun looked at the encouraging figures on the financial statements. Although this drug was designated as a state-run commodity by the government in the fight against the Colombian flu, and was purchased at a price not much higher than the cost price, with most of the profits going directly to the national treasury, the newly opened overseas market has already brought very substantial profit returns.

Considering the Colombian flu that is currently wreaking havoc globally, and given the drug's outstanding efficacy in treating flu complications, it's only a matter of time before it becomes a global bestseller. Zhu Miaoyun no longer dares to imagine how much money she could make just from this drug.

"Although we added sulfonamides to traditional Chinese medicine for secrecy, it actually became a sales tactic. Medicine in this era is still very primitive in many aspects, and many people, even doctors, still have a high degree of acceptance of some so-called traditional prescriptions." Li Che was not surprised by the results of the traditional Chinese medicines they were selling.

The medical community today is not the medical community of the 21st century. 80 years ago, doctors did not know how to sterilize during surgery. 60 years ago, the medical community began to acknowledge that bacteria and microorganisms may be the cause of certain diseases. 20 years ago, the medical community began to understand that people have blood types.

Although the medical field has progressed as rapidly as the scientific and industrial fields over the past 20 years, it is an objective fact that the medical field is still very traditional or even primitive in many aspects. If you were to actually sell sulfonamides, it might not be accepted by the general public so quickly, at least. However, a highly effective drug with official endorsement and certification can easily achieve this.

"How is our current drug production capacity?" Zhu Miaoyun has already begun to consider further expanding into the international market, which naturally raises the requirements for supply capacity to another level.

“Production capacity is steadily increasing,” Li Che said. “In fact, compared to our full-scale expansion of sulfonamide production capacity, if we are to further expand production capacity in the short term, the bottleneck may actually be in traditional Chinese medicine.”

"The problem lies with the traditional Chinese medicine? This kind of placebo doesn't really matter, right? You can just throw in some ginseng or something, can't you?"

"The Chinese medicine in this prescription is not just randomly added. Although our purpose is to cover up sulfonamides and prevent foreign pharmaceutical companies from cracking the secret of our medicine in a short period of time, as the saying goes, to deceive the opponent, you must deceive your own people."

The prescriptions for traditional Chinese medicine, except for sulfonamides, are indeed improved based on some corresponding ancient prescriptions of traditional Chinese medicine. The person in charge of this area is the former president of Yangzhou Medical College, who is a very serious old man. His personality would probably not relax the requirements for traditional Chinese medicine. In your eyes, this may be a placebo, but in the eyes of some people, this is the cause they have devoted their whole lives to.

Furthermore, since we intend to deceive foreign pharmaceutical companies in this regard, we need to strictly control the composition of each batch of drugs to ensure absolute consistency. Otherwise, if we arbitrarily compromise on the ingredients other than sulfonamides, foreign medical companies could likely deduce from the variations in the ingredients of each batch of drugs which components could be overlooked. This would certainly accelerate the speed at which they uncover the secret of sulfonamides.

"Alright, alright." Zhu Miaoyun had to admit that she had been a bit naive: "Then, about our next overseas market..."

"Regarding overseas markets... I actually wanted to discuss this with you, but it might delay your chance to make money and become a wealthy woman."

"Want to discuss this with me?"

"Yes, let's discuss how we can earn a little less money."

"Discuss how to make a little less money? Have you got your head stuck in a door?"

"Of course not, darling. It's just that there are some things in this world that are more precious than money and can't be bought with money," Li Che said with absolute certainty.

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"Using medicine as leverage?"

Li Renchi glanced at his son, then at this little rascal's idea, which he claimed to have just come up with with the princess.

"Who says we don't have the most effective drugs to deal with the various complications of the Colombian flu?"

Li Che spread his hands and said, "I'm just too kind-hearted; I can't bear to see people suffer..."

Faced with his son's flippant actions and tone, Li Renchi couldn't help but frown: "I think using medicine and life as blackmail has nothing to do with being kind-hearted, does it?"

"I was just saying." Li Che waved his hand. "I know that your sense of morality makes it difficult for you to come up with such thoughts, but in this dog-eat-dog world, in this era where people prioritize using animalistic instincts to ensure the survival of the nation and its people, I don't think sacrificing a little humanity is unacceptable. Besides, we even provided them with medicine, didn't we?"

Li Renzhi often felt depressed because his son's moral standards differed greatly from his own.

However, he must admit today that although his son's suggestion was somewhat unethical, it might actually have an unexpected effect.

Li Che's suggestion is actually very simple. It doesn't require US dollars or pounds. Your domestic epidemic is almost overwhelming your hospitals? Well, I have some miraculous medicines for treating complications. Would you like to take a look?

"As for what we want? It's your country's international support, of course. We can take the initiative in voting within the League of Nations."

"Are you trying to use this to force the Victorian Empire or the United States of Colombia to make concessions on the tonnage issue?"

"While I also hope to achieve this, realistically, neither the Victorian Empire nor the United States of Colombia seems like the type of country that would concede to us during the naval treaty signing process due to the unbearable loss of civilian lives. But from the beginning, I never expected to persuade either of them," Li Che said calmly.

"Because maritime interests are far too important to these two major powers, I believe that neither their prime ministers nor their presidents will give up pressuring us on the issue of tonnage because of the death toll of their ordinary people in this disease."

But for some relatively weaker countries, is what we are doing now meaningful?

"When you say 'relatively weaker countries,' you mean...?"

"There are many such countries, such as ABC in South America, the Kingdom of Syracuse, and the present-day Kingdom of Gaul..."

"Let's leave those South American countries aside. Are you sure the Kingdom of Gaul was also a 'relatively weak country'?"