Chapter 42

New book uploaded, seeking favorites and recommendations.

March 15, 1843.

Two black carriages, pulled by high horses, were heading straight for Windsor Castle in Berkshire, southeastern England. These carriages, after leaving the city of London, passed through areas filled with European pastoral charm. On both sides of the smooth, hard road were tender green lawns, where groups of cattle and sheep grazed leisurely. Further away, there were scattered beautiful houses, some of which were churches, tranquil small towns, or villas belonging to wealthy nobles.

In short, it was a picturesque scene, no different from the European landscape 170 years later in Zhu Jishi's memory, and it seemed like a completely different world from the workers' districts of London and Manchester, which to Zhu Jishi looked more like the slums of India.

At this moment, Zhu Jishi was in one of the carriages, lost in thought.

This carriage was borrowed from Lady Isabelle, as Zhu Jishi had left his own carriage in Manchester. In the leading carriage sat Sir Reed. This gentleman still seemed to dislike Zhu Jishi, and when they met in Manchester, he had only spoken a few cold words. If it weren't for Isabelle mediating, they might have even argued.

However, Sir Reed brought the goodwill of the Royal Society of Medicine. Their charges against Zhu Jishi had been dropped, and they had sent him an invitation to speak at the physicians' guild meeting in May—this was no longer an honor for Zhu Jishi. The third week of March was when the Royal Society held its annual election meeting, and if everything went as expected, Zhu Jishi would be elected as a member of the Royal Society. In June, the French Academy of Sciences would also hold an election, and he would most likely be elected as a member.

Therefore, the British Medical Association should be honored to invite Zhu Jishi to speak. However, the invitation from Prince Albert, which Sir Reed also brought, could not be taken lightly.

After all, he was the husband of the British Empire, the one who had impregnated Queen Victoria. If Zhu Jishi wanted to continue living in Britain, it would be best to maintain a good relationship with him; otherwise, he might have to pack his bags and move to France.

As for the connection between Prince Albert and the First and Second Opium Wars, it was best to pretend not to see it. After all, Zhu Jishi did not recognize the Qing Dynasty as representing China...

However, every time he thought about the Qing Dynasty, which was still half-asleep, he couldn't help but sigh. Although Engels' analysis that day had not come true historically, it was not entirely without merit. The Qing Dynasty actually had a good hand, and temporary backwardness was not a big issue. In reality, the backwardness was not significant. The Second Industrial Revolution was still two or three decades away, and what did the British Empire have now? They could build large sailing ships, steam engines, and a few hundred miles of railways, along with a bunch of sweatshops. That was all.

The muskets they used in the First Opium War, according to Will Heming, were over a hundred years old, and most blacksmith shops in Europe could make them!

As for cannons, they were not much different from those of the 18th century, just metal cylinders that fired iron balls and shot, mostly products of handicraft workshops. The technology was not secret and was very easy to learn.

Moreover, Europe was sitting on a volcano of revolution. The working people here had been swayed by the theories of democratic constitutionalism and blamed their suffering on the bourgeois dictatorship rather than looking for problems within themselves. Chaos was inevitable, the only question being whether it would be major or minor. Even if Zhu Jishi did not remember what happened in Europe during this period, the frequent street protests by the British working class and the inflammatory articles in radical newspapers made it clear that the next few years would not be peaceful.

In his memory, the Second Opium War seemed to have broken out in 1856 or 1857, and it was likely related to the tense situation in Europe. If the Qing Dynasty could seize this rare "historical opportunity," even a partial reform like that of the Ottoman Empire or some Indian principalities, focusing on the military, training a new generation of officers, and forming a European-style army of ten thousand, would probably be enough to resist British and French aggression. Even Russia, before the completion of the Trans-Siberian Railway, would not have the strength to defeat a European-style army of ten thousand in the Far East...

Well, once this busy period is over, he should hurry to write several books introducing Western politics, geography, military, economy, law, and cultural history, and then find a way to get these books published in the East.

The carriage had been running for some time, and the speed suddenly slowed down, eventually coming to a complete stop. Then came Lady Isabelle's sweet voice, "Jason, we have arrived."

Zhu Jishi pushed open the carriage door and got out first, then, like a true gentleman, stood at the door and helped Lady Isabelle down—she was not on Prince Albert's list of invitees but could accompany Zhu Jishi into Windsor Castle and guide him on British court etiquette, which was quite complicated. There were rules about when to speak, when to remain silent, who to bow to, and who to kneel to, but at least there was no kowtowing.

Sir Reed had already gotten out of the carriage and, after giving Zhu Jishi and Isabelle a cold look, lightly coughed and walked toward the Norman Gate.

However, Zhu Jishi did not mind. He just looked up at the luxurious and grand castle. In terms of luxury, this British royal residence was no less than the gardens of the Qing emperors, though it was not as large and cost much less. Windsor Castle underwent a large-scale expansion and renovation from 1824 to 1830, costing 300,000 pounds, while the other royal residence, Buckingham Palace, cost about 453,000 pounds, equivalent to over a million taels of silver. He wondered how the Qing Dynasty's gardens, which cost several million or even tens of millions of taels, were spent.

As soon as the three of them entered the Norman Gate, a Scottish man in a kilt quickly walked out from the open gate and greeted Sir Reed, "Baron, you have finally arrived. His Royal Highness is getting anxious!"

Sir Reed did not dare to be negligent and introduced the Scottish man, "This is Mr. Zhu, and the lady beside him is Mrs. Deneuve (her title as a lady is not recognized)... This is Mr. Brown, the steward of Windsor Castle."

Brown glanced at Zhu Jishi and Isabelle and said coolly, "The audience will take place in the audience hall. Sir Reed and Mr. Zhu, please follow me. Mrs. Deneuve, please wait a moment; someone will take you to the waiting room."