Chapter 47 of 100

Chapter 47

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At around 3 or 4 o'clock in the afternoon of April 30, 1843, the sky had already grown dim. A somewhat old and worn carriage rumbled along the streets of Manchester's industrial district. On both sides of the road, factories lined up, mostly textile mills. Even in the current economic downturn, most of the factory chimneys were still spewing thick black smoke, and the deafening roar of machinery filled the air.

After spending a month in the picturesque Windsor Castle, Zhu Jishi felt as if he had stepped into another world when he returned to the industrial district of Manchester, where the air was filled with the smell of coal smoke and manure.

The carriage stopped in front of the only factory on the street that did not emit the sound of machinery. As soon as Zhu Jishi stepped down from the carriage, a familiar voice called out from the shadows.

"Jason! Jason! Is that you? Have you finished your work at Windsor Castle?"

Zhu Jishi looked closely and saw Will Heming walking out of the factory, cane in hand, looking every bit like a factory manager.

"Will, what are you doing here? Are you here for an interview?"

Will Heming quickly walked up to Zhu Jishi, waving his hand and smiling. "No, no, no, I'm not a journalist for The Northern Star anymore. The pay was too low, and if I continued, I would have become a poor man. So, I decided to work for you. Cosper gave me a job, Jason, and now you're my boss."

"Will, you're working for me?" Zhu Jishi was taken aback, looking at him suspiciously. "What kind of work do you do?"

"I'm the factory's security chief, a very important job. Right now, I'm patrolling the factory grounds."

As they were talking, a brand new carriage rattled past and drove directly into the factory grounds. This carriage was far more luxurious than the second-hand one Zhu Jishi had just bought. There were workers guarding the factory gate, but they did not stop the carriage, clearly indicating that it was allowed to pass. Through the glass window of the carriage, Zhu Jishi could vaguely see a foreigner with a large beard sitting inside, eyes closed, resting.

Zhu Jishi hesitated for a moment and asked Will Heming, "Whose carriage is that?"

"It's Mr. Ricardo Don Rodriguez's carriage."

"Ricardo Don Rodriguez? Who is he?" Zhu Jishi asked Will Heming, somewhat puzzled.

Will Heming smiled. "He is the owner of the Spanish Rodriguez Trading Company and a friend of Isabella. He is very interested in our hydrochloride morphine and diethyl X morphine and wants to obtain the agency rights for Spain, Mexico, and Colombia. Additionally, he has brought a strange leaf from South America, which the Incas use to reduce hunger and fatigue. He wants us to see if we can develop any new drugs from this leaf."

The Incas' sacred leaf? This is... coca leaf! A good thing, it can be used to extract cocaine, an excellent stimulant that can be used to produce stimulating beverages and medicinal wines. The original Coca-Cola contained cocaine. Moreover, the Austrian psychologist Freud once published an article titled "On Coca," advocating the use of coca-based drugs to treat asthma, morphine addiction, and various other diseases. Additionally, cocaine is an excellent anesthetic and was widely used for local anesthesia.

In fact, developing cocaine had long been part of Zhu Jishi's plan as a 19th-century drug lord. He was just waiting for the establishment of the Hero Pharmaceutical Central Laboratory to start extracting cocaine and another important drug precursor from the future, M-hydrastine. When M-hydrastine reacts with red phosphorus and iodine, it produces the well-known methamphetamine! This drug has an unpleasant name, B-toxin, but before the 1960s, it was not considered a drug. During World War II, methamphetamine was an important military supply, used by both the Allies and the Axis to boost soldiers' courage. If he could develop this "courage drug," he would certainly receive large orders from the armies of various European countries.

...

Zhu Jishi quickly walked into the office building of his factory on Vincent Street, which was also the headquarters of Jishi Holdings. He also planned to set up the "Jason Central Laboratory" named after his English name here and to buy a residence in Manchester to live with Mrs. Dulan.

Kosper William, Karl Blumstein, Meyer Blumstein, Frank Hahn (the former director of Omen Hospital, now Zhu Jishi's assistant in pharmaceutical research), and Hans Schmidt (the factory manager of Hero Pharmaceutical, who had previously worked as an engineer in a gunpowder factory) were gathered here for a meeting. Ricardo Rodriguez was also in the meeting room, puffing on a cigar and chatting with Kosper William.

Seeing Zhu Jishi walk in, everyone stood up to greet him, all looking at him. After returning from Windsor Castle, Zhu Jishi's status had been elevated. He was now a member of the Royal Society and a baronet of Great Britain, and he had befriended Prince Albert, officially entering the upper echelons of European society.

"Sir, this is Mr. Ricardo Don Rodriguez, the owner of the Rodriguez Trading Company from Spain." Kosper William bowed slightly to Zhu Jishi and introduced the tall, bearded Spanish merchant.

"Sir, it is an honor to meet you." Rodriguez grinned and gave Zhu Jishi a bear hug, showing great enthusiasm.

"The pleasure is mine, Mr. Rodriguez." Zhu Jishi smiled politely, gesturing to a chair for Rodriguez to sit down. Then he walked to the head of the conference table and slowly scanned his subordinates. "Gentlemen, I am pleased to see our business thriving upon my return from Windsor Castle. This is all thanks to your efforts. I have decided to make every senior manager of Jishi Holdings, Hero Pharmaceutical, and Jason-Cosper Rubber Company a shareholder of Jishi Holdings, to align our interests completely."

Applause immediately broke out, and everyone's faces lit up with satisfaction. In this era, there was no concept of stock options or management shareholding, so Zhu Jishi's approach was groundbreaking. According to his plan, all the researchers in the "Jason Central Laboratory" would also receive a small portion of Jishi Holdings' stock.

Zhu Jishi smiled at Rodriguez. "Mr. Rodriguez, I hear you have brought some coca leaves from South America?"

Rodriguez smiled. "That's right. It's a magical leaf that could be a big business, Sir. Our Rodriguez Trading Company wants to partner with you on this venture. Are you interested?"

Zhu Jishi nodded and smiled, thinking to himself that this guy was quite cunning despite his outward warmth. He wanted to partner with him over a few leaves, which were not even monopolized by the Rodriguez Trading Company. However, he maintained a friendly demeanor and nodded. "I wonder how the Rodriguez Trading Company plans to conduct business with the coca leaves?"

Hearing Zhu Jishi's question, Rodriguez chuckled. "We will provide the coca leaves and the information on how the Incas used them to treat illnesses, along with 1,000 pounds, in exchange for half the future profits from coca-related patents."

Zhu Jishi smiled and looked at Kosper William, who shook his head slightly. Zhu Jishi said, "Mr. Rodriguez, I know how the Incas used coca leaves. Extracting alkaloids from coca leaves is not particularly difficult; you could hire a good chemist for 1,000 pounds. But the question is, what can cocaine be used for? As an anesthetic? Can its effects surpass hydrochloride morphine?"

Disappointment flashed across Rodriguez's face, but he quickly recovered. "Alright, let's forget about the coca leaves, Sir. Can we discuss the business of hydrochloride morphine and diethyl X morphine now?"

Zhu Jishi nodded. "Hydrochloride morphine and diethyl X morphine are just raw materials. We also have a highly effective antibacterial drug, berberine hydrochloride. Based on these three raw materials, we have developed several dozen patented drugs... The production rights for these patented drugs can be licensed. I wonder if the Rodriguez Trading Company is interested in purchasing them?"

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