Training the Heavens

Chapter 342: Porthos

This time he won more than one award. Millikan of the California Institute of Technology has proved the photoelectric effect theory proposed by Zhang Xingjiu through experiments. The Nobel Committee really cannot ignore this achievement and can only award Zhang Xingjiu again.

At the same time, Zhang Xingjiu's influence on the precise measurement of atomic weight is growing. Today's physicists and chemists cannot avoid the precise atomic weight measured by Zhang Xingjiu when studying atoms. The Chemistry Prize Committee can only award him this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Zhang Xingjiu thus became the second person after Marie Curie to win both the Nobel Prize in Physics and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and he won the prize in the same session. If the Nobel Prize in Physics he won in the first session is added, Zhang Xingjiu has won three Nobel Prizes.

Looking back at the more than 100-year history of the Nobel Prize, there are four people who have won the Nobel Prize twice, namely Marie Curie, Linus Pauling, John Bardeen and Frederick Sanger.

There has never been anyone who has won three times, and Zhang Xingjiu has many achievements that qualify him for the Nobel Prize. He still has the opportunity to win the prize in the future. Apart from anything else, in the fields of physiology and medicine, he has already made preparations to be the first to come up with sulfa and penicillin. With these two achievements combined, even if the Nobel Prize Committee is reluctant, they can only give him the prize with a pinch of their nose.

At the same time, Zhang Xingjiu's previous preparations also played a role. During the Spanish flu not long ago, the many prevention methods proposed by Wu Lien-teh during the Northeast Plague period played an important role, and he himself also made outstanding contributions to China's resistance to the Spanish flu.

These deeds were published in many important international media under the influence of Zhang Xingjiu. Wu Lien-teh also published heavyweight articles in journals such as The Lancet. With the recommendation of the academic circles in Britain, France and other countries, Wu Lien-teh finally got what he deserved and became the winner of this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

"Haha, Xinglian, we can go to Sweden together to receive the award this time!" Zhang Xingjiu was very happy. Wu Lien-teh's achievements definitely qualified him for the award, but it was a pity that no one helped him fight for it in the original history. Now he can finally make up for this regret.

"If it weren't for your help, Zhou Ping, it would have been very difficult for me to get this award!" Wu Lien-teh knew the ins and outs of this matter very well. When he attended the International Plague Conference in Northeast China, he once talked with the Oriental scholar Kitasato Shibasaburo. Kitasato Shibasaburo missed the Nobel Prize because of the discrimination of white people against yellow people. Now that Zhang Xingjiu can push him to the Nobel Prize podium, he must have paid a lot of favors.

"Actually, I haven't given much. Needless to say, I've also nominated quite a few people for France over the years. As for the UK, I've only agreed to nominate some scholars from Cambridge and Oxford as candidates. These people are already eligible for the award, so it would be a waste if I didn't use my nomination rights. Giving them away might even earn me something! And the most important thing is that your achievements definitely qualify you for the award."

Reporters in Shanghai quickly rushed to the scene upon hearing the news. Aurora University quickly cleared out the auditorium and held a press conference for Zhang Xingjiu and Wu Lien-teh, allowing them to talk about the details of the award.

Zhang Xingjiu excited the reporters present with just one sentence. "The award Xinglian and I received proves that the Chinese are no less intelligent than Westerners. Our previous backwardness was simply due to the corrupt rule of the Qing Dynasty, which stifled the people's thirst for knowledge. As our national strength grows, we will surely see more scholars win international awards in science, art, and even other fields!"

These words quickly spread throughout China through newspapers and telegrams, and many people were inspired after reading them. Since the dream of being the Celestial Empire was shattered, inferiority complex has gradually given way to pride. Many people are so inferior that they cannot raise their heads when faced with the advanced technology of foreigners.

Some people even believe that China's backwardness is due to its inferior human race. Now the achievements of Zhang Xingjiu and Wu Lien-teh have directly shattered this fallacy and greatly boosted national self-confidence.

When Zhang Xingjiu won the prize twenty years ago, the Nobel Prize wasn't as influential, newspapers weren't as plentiful, and information wasn't as easily disseminated, so it only caused a small stir. Now things are different; the news spread quickly throughout the country, and even the Beiyang government issued a pretentious telegram commending them. Suddenly, a constant stream of officials, wealthy individuals, journalists, and students flocked to Aurora University to pay them a visit.

The reputation of Aurora University also reached its peak at this time. Many young people who were interested in studying at university regarded Aurora University as their first choice for admission and were willing to leave their hometowns and go to Shanghai to apply.

Those who come from poor families or have no confidence in their academic performance will deliberately choose to apply to schools where graduates from Aurora University teach. The number of applicants to schools such as Peking University and Jimei University has also increased significantly.

Seeing this phenomenon, many universities quickly contacted Aurora University, hoping to recruit teachers from there to enhance their own teaching capabilities and attract more students to apply.

For a time, teachers and students of Aurora University became popular, and people from all over the country scrambled to recruit them. When these teachers and students arrived at their new schools, they would also spread the fine traditions of Aurora University, which was also very beneficial to the development of higher education in China.

It was really hard to refuse many social engagements, and the affairs of Aurora University also took up a lot of time. Zhang Xingjiu and Wu Lien-teh were busy until early November. Seeing that it would be too late if they didn't leave now, they hurried away.

In this case, there was no way to be picky about passenger ships, and they could only take whichever ship they came across. Coincidentally, a French mail ship "Bordeaux" carrying German prisoners of war from Qingdao was docked at the Shanghai wharf to refuel with coal and water, and there were some empty seats on the ship, so Zhang Xingjiu and Wu Lien-teh quickly bought tickets and boarded.

There were also many young passengers boarding the ship with them. Like Zhang Guoqiang, they all planned to study abroad in France. The main mission of the Bordeaux was to transport prisoners of war. The ship owner had already made a lot of money just by this, and taking passengers on board was a way to earn extra money. Therefore, the tickets were slightly cheaper than other passenger ships, so it became their first choice, and many students squeezed on board.

Zhang Xingjiu and Wu Lien-teh occupied the best cabin on the ship. They put their luggage in the room and when the ship started, they went on deck like other passengers to get some fresh air.

Upon seeing Zhang Xingjiu and Wu Lien-teh, these young people were overwhelmed with excitement. They quickly surrounded them to greet them and then curiously asked them what it was like to study abroad. Zhang Xingjiu and Wu Lien-teh answered their questions one by one.

"Mr. Zhang, how did you feel when you first went to France?" asked a young man with a Huai'an accent.

Zhang Xingjiu looked up and saw an extremely handsome face.

(End of this chapter)