“Your Highness, thank you so much for such immense support!
From now on, I will do my utmost and never fail your trust and investment!”
Dr.
Hantzsch, along with Landsteiner, bowed deeply to Karl, his face brimming with the joy of having secured the funding.
His previously trembling and nervous appearance had vanished without a trace.
Rather than being grateful for Archduke Karl’s wise decision, it seemed he simply loved seeing the research funds arrive.
Truly a bunch of people who only care about money…
Karl grumbled internally.
However, this time, he hadn’t hesitated for long on the decision to allocate the funds.
Since they had already grasped a clue for large-scale production, additional investment was a natural choice.
Would penicillin only bring him monetary returns?
No, its value went far beyond that.
Penicillin could also bring him—the future Habsburg Emperor—unparalleled personal prestige and the devotion of his people.
Would all problems be solved just by ascending the throne?
Of course not.
If he were to shout “I am your Emperor!” in the future, the people might clap and cheer “Ohhh!” out of tradition and inertia.
The Habsburg Family and the title of Emperor were already absolute symbols for this multi-ethnic empire.
But in an era where nationalist sentiments were gradually being ignited everywhere, how long could such prestige last?
In that case, he had to show the subjects of the empire, and even the European world, that the Habsburg Emperor was “proactive” and “capable.”
What exactly makes our Emperor different from those other guys in Europe!
penicillin might be the very answer.
Once penicillin was released, the first place for large-scale application would surely be within the borders of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the blessing of saving lives would first benefit his people.
To the north, “Wilhelm II, overshadowed by Bismarck,” after dismissing his capable Chancellor, was provoking trouble all over Europe like a restless youth craving attention; This story is hosted at g.com.
Next door, Tsar Nicholas II was also about to use the sabers and bullets of the Cossack cavalry to create a blood-stained Sunday in front of the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg, ruthlessly trampling the petitioning working class.
This would be the brutal suppression later known as “Bloody Sunday.”
In a world dominated by such arrogant or conservative emperors, what if there were a young emperor who vigorously promoted the research and development of antibiotics for his people?
Even if the people were eating, upon hearing the news, they would surely put down their utensils and rush into the streets shouting, “Long live the Emperor!
Long live His Majesty Karl!”
Between an emperor dedicated to saving lives and those who readily shed their subjects’ blood or dragged them into wars, who would be more popular?
Does it even need to be asked?
Moreover, many young and middle-aged people who wouldn’t have to die from diseases would survive, translating into the nation’s strength and productivity.
penicillin would certainly bring unimaginable benefits to him personally and to the empire.
“Director Hantzsch.”
Karl spoke in a tone different from his usual one, lowering his voice with the dignity unique to royalty.
Dr.
Hantzsch immediately restrained his joy and responded with a solemn expression.
“Yes, Your Highness!
Please give your orders!”
“No matter how difficult the process is, I need a definite timeline.
Complete clinical trials within three years and achieve large-scale industrial production within five years.
Can it be done?”
This was the bottom line in Karl’s heart.
Judging by his father Archduke Otto’s chaotic private life, he could contract syphilis at any time without knowing it; medicine had to be available as soon as possible;
And Karl himself had to gain huge financial returns through the mass production of penicillin within five years to lay a solid foundation for his grander plans after reaching adulthood.
“Please believe me, Your Highness!
I guarantee it with my reputation and career—within five years, I will definitely resolve everything for you!”
Director Hantzsch exchanged a firm look with Dr.
Let’s hope so, Karl thought.
If successful, he really intended to fully support these researchers, allowing them to freely engage in the research they wanted to do.
But if it failed and the massive amount of invested capital went down the drain…
He would use the crimes of defrauding royalty and wasting national funds to quietly sink them into…
Of course, it was just a joke.
But this was enough to show just how important the penicillin project was in Karl’s blueprint for the future.
Just like that, studies, film production, additional support for the research institute…
Karl made decisions on them one by one, filling his time and resources to the brim.
Meanwhile, the Spanish-American War in the distance was gradually drawing to a close.
The outcome of this unequal contest between the emerging power, the United States, which originated as a colony, and the established colonial empire, Spain, was never in doubt.
Initially, some European observers thought that even a withered camel is bigger than a horse and that Spain might put up a fight, but the United States, relying almost entirely on its emerging industrial strength and navy, dealt a one-sided blow to this long-declining former hegemon.
Although the Spanish fleet rallied briefly, it was not enough to change the overall state of the war.
The United States seized command of the Caribbean Sea with its rapidly expanded massive fleet, landing ground troops in Cuba and Puerto Rico, and completely taking the initiative in the war.
After gaining control of the Caribbean, the United States took the Philippines in one fell swoop to advance into the Pacific, and the war was finally settled.
Spain was stripped bare and eventually had to sign a humiliating peace protocol in Washington, ending all hostilities.
Meanwhile, in Vienna, Karl had been patiently waiting for a suitable opportunity to erase the “yellow card” the Old Emperor had shown him—the order that he “must not leave Vienna without permission.”
Until September of that year, the opportunity seemed to have arrived.
A tabloid from Switzerland published a piece of seemingly gossipy news:
“Shocking!
On the beautiful shores of Lake Geneva, a seemingly ordinary noble lady has quietly checked into a luxury hotel.
And the true identity of this lady is—!”