Chapter 51

New book, desperate for support!

As a loud boom echoed, the music in the Blenheim Palace hall abruptly stopped. The gentlemen and ladies who had been dancing gracefully were instantly stunned by the sound and looked towards the door. Outside, it was eerily quiet, the night had grown completely dark, and the sky was dotted with stars, with no sign of clouds. But where did the thunder come from?

"George, how about it? Satisfied with the power of the ammonium nitrate explosive?" Just as the guests were full of questions, Zhu Jishi proudly said to the Duke of Marlborough, "If Emperor Napoleon's Old Guard had been equipped with ammonium nitrate grenades during the Battle of Waterloo, Duke Wellington would have had to flee the battlefield in disgrace, wouldn't he?"

The Duke of Marlborough, however, remained calm, as if he had anticipated the power of the ammonium nitrate explosive, and replied coolly, "Unfortunately, it's not 1815. Otherwise, Emperor Napoleon would have sold the Palace of Versailles to gather enough gold francs to buy ammonium nitrate grenades."

"King Louis-Philippe would also pay a high price for ammonium nitrate grenades," Zhu Jishi continued, smiling. "His army is engaged in a bitter war against Abd al-Qadir in Algeria. I think the French military's order alone would be worth more than 100,000 pounds."

"What if King Louis-Philippe doesn't buy the ammonium nitrate grenades?" Jardine, leaning on a cane, also came down from his office on the second floor to watch the explosion. He said coldly, "I think the French army can defeat the Algerian barbarians with their existing weapons!"

"Then I'll sell the ammonium nitrate grenades to Abd al-Qadir!" Zhu Jishi chuckled, "From what I know, European countries are always extremely sensitive to advanced weapons. If the British and French armies are equipped with ammonium nitrate grenades, I'm sure Spain, Austria, Prussia, Russia, and the Ottoman Empire will quickly follow suit. The appearance of ammonium nitrate grenades will soon completely change the current combat style of European armies. No one will dare to engage in close-range musket volleys anymore. Grenadiers will certainly become the masters of the battlefield."

Duke Churchill lit a cigar and took a few puffs. Although he still had a faint smile on his face, a wave of shock was building inside him.

The British Empire's lobster soldiers were famous for their close-range volley fire. In the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759, James Wolfe's 4,800 British troops fired their first volley at a distance of 18 meters from the French, knocking down 530 French soldiers. In the subsequent two volleys, they knocked down 700 to 800 more, securing victory in the Battle of Quebec.

If the British and French armies had been equipped with ammonium nitrate grenades at that time, could they have closed to a distance of 18 meters? The lines of soldiers would have been shattered by the rain of grenades! The tactic of line infantry firing volleys would likely have disappeared from the battlefield after that battle... because just a few brave cavalry or light infantry throwing grenades could kill them in rows and piles.

Thinking about this, the Duke slowly nodded and said to Zhu Jishi, "Jason, let me think about it for a few days... By the way, the ball hasn't ended yet, has it? There are many high-society ladies waiting to meet you, the great scientist from the East."

A deal worth 50,000 pounds, of course, couldn't be sealed with just a few words. Zhu Jishi smiled and nodded to the Duke, then turned and walked towards Blenheim Palace.

"William, what do you think?" the Duke of Marlborough asked Jardine.

"Incredible, that a Chinese person could be such a genius. Has all of China's wisdom been concentrated in him?" Jardine shook his head and suddenly emphasized, "But I still think that such a person is a threat to our British Empire, and we should eliminate this threat as soon as possible!"

"Threat? William, what do you plan to do? Just find a random charge to lock him up in prison?" The Duke of Marlborough shook his head. "I think you've been in China too long; your way of thinking has changed." He paused and asked, "By the way, Prince Albert seems very interested in this Chinese person. He believes this Chinese person might become a powerful figure in the Chinese government in the future. Do you think this is possible?"

"Why would he have such a strange idea?" Jardine asked, puzzled.

"Strange?" The Duke of Marlborough, holding his cigar, smiled and said, "Isn't it obvious? The Chinese court will soon learn from the Sino-British trade war and start reforms. At that time, they will need people like Zhu Jishi. If I were the Chinese emperor, I would appoint him as prime minister."

Jardine shook his head with a cold laugh, "The Chinese emperor might cut off his head! Duke, I'll bet you 1,000 pounds on this!"

"Cut off his head?" The Duke of Marlborough was taken aback. Jardine continued coldly, "This Chinese person probably hasn't realized that he and the Qing emperor cannot coexist. Either he will be killed by the Qing emperor, or the Qing will be overthrown by him!"

"What? Such a thing could happen?" The Duke of Marlborough stared at Jardine.

Jardine snorted, "It's obvious. Every Westerner who truly understands China would come to the same conclusion. If the latter possibility occurs, Napoleon's prediction might come true! Duke, to avoid this possibility, we should prevent him from going to the East..." He suddenly lowered his voice, as if talking to himself, "But even if he does go to the East, he won't have a good end, because the Tartar dynasty still has a solid power base in China."

The Duke of Marlborough laughed, "William, some things are not for us to consider too much. I think the owner of Windsor Castle has a comprehensive plan."

...

"Jason, how is the preparation for your university? I heard Prince Albert wrote to the Governor of Hong Kong to request land for you."

After the bomb demonstration, Zhu Jishi did not go to the guest room arranged by Duke Churchill to rest. Instead, he met Lady Isabella in the hall of Blenheim Palace. She had participated in today's masquerade ball and danced with Zhu Jishi. After the dance, Lady Isabella took his hand and led him away from the dance floor, finding a seat to chat.

"Thank you, Your Highness, but my university hasn't even started preparation yet." Zhu Jishi waved to a waiter with a tray of cocktails, took two glasses of Seltzer water, and handed one to Lady Isabella. "My main task right now is to make money, a lot of money. After all, establishing a good university is very expensive."

"Oh, you are such a noble person," Lady Isabella smiled at him. "I think every Chinese person will thank you for what you do."

Zhu Jishi took a big sip of the cold Seltzer water and smiled bitterly, "They might hate me..."

"Hate you?" Lady Isabella blinked her large blue eyes, puzzled. "Why would they hate you?"

"Because this wicked person woke them from a beautiful dream. Isn't that hateful?" Zhu Jishi said with a sigh. Even if he didn't fully understand history, he knew the attitude of the Qing nobility towards reform. Even the limited reforms of the Self-Strengthening Movement faced significant resistance. Fortunately, he only planned to be a guide and not to directly participate in the Qing dynasty's reforms; otherwise, it wouldn't just be a matter of being hated!

"Ha ha ha, Jason, you are so amusing." The beautiful lady laughed. "Isn't the British fleet and artillery enough to wake that sleeping nation?"

Zhu Jishi smiled helplessly. Wasn't that exactly what happened in history? The Qing dynasty remained half-asleep even after being hit so many times.