Training the Heavens

Chapter 364 Mr. Song

Zhang Xingjiu didn't care whether those European and American consortiums could quickly bring penicillin to the market. He was a narrow-minded person and what he cared about most was the safety of the Chinese people. What did the life and death of foreigners have to do with him?

It's different in China. He really hopes to popularize penicillin as soon as possible to save more lives, but those guys in China must regard penicillin as a goose that lays golden eggs. Even with his reputation, he may not be able to keep it.

Those people don't care about laws and morals, they only care about profits. If they are delayed from making money, it is not impossible that Zhang Xingjiu would be shot eight times in the back and then declared as suicide. Anyway, they have long been accustomed to this method. The celebrities who died in assassinations before and in the future are enough to prove it.

Transferring penicillin production technology completely abroad, as Europe and the United States have done, is futile. Why would these idiots even think about expanding production as quickly as possible? They only care about making money and might even sell their technology to the Japanese for money.

Moreover, Zhang Xingjiu also has to do research, manage the school, and help other regions run schools. With so many things to do, how can he focus all his energy on penicillin? So he had to find the right person to take charge of this matter.

This person must have extraordinary influence so that those people dare not act rashly, and also have extremely high moral standards so that he can deliver penicillin to those who really need it. It is indeed not easy to find such a person nowadays, but it is not impossible.

There happened to be such a person on the ship that Zhang Xingjiu was riding on, and he had specially invited her back from Berlin. She was Mr. Yixian's wife. Her influence was self-evident. Her identity as Mrs. Yixian's widow alone was enough to make people fear her. Moreover, her sister was the wife of Zheng Sanfazi. If she were to be in charge of this matter, even Zheng Sanfazi would not be able to act easily.

Her moral level has long been proven by history. She deserves to be called a great patriot. Zhang Xingjiu is completely assured in handing the penicillin to her.

While she was thinking, she also came out of the cabin and went to the deck to get some fresh air. Zhang Xingjiu hurriedly greeted her, "Mr. Song, you have been in Europe for the past two years, away from the troubles at home. I am really sorry to invite you back now."

Nowadays, it is popular to call respectable women "Mr.", so Zhang Xingjiu used this title. However, when she called her that, she always thought of her younger brother, which was really annoying.

After Mr. Yixian passed away, she inherited his will and continued to fight for the revolutionary cause. She criticized the reactionary forces in the country. In the past two years, she first visited the Red Empire and then lived in Europe, staying in Berlin the longest.

Not long ago, Zhang Xingjiu arrived in France and extended an invitation to her. After some discussion, she accepted Zhang Xingjiu's invitation without hesitation. Now, hearing this, she smiled and shook her head, "Even though I'm in Berlin, I'm always concerned about things back home. Even without your invitation, I would probably return to China as soon as possible and continue to fight for your career."

"Now that you and Dr. Tang have developed a miracle drug like penicillin, I can use my influence to make this miracle drug available to the people as soon as possible. I'm sure you would be pleased if you knew about this in heaven!"

Then she talked about her own plans. "Wang Daxie, Yan Huiqing and others called me repeatedly to invite me to serve as the president of the Red Cross, but I refused. Now I can agree."

"The humanitarianism espoused by the Red Cross coincides perfectly with the purpose of penicillin. Furthermore, the Chinese Red Cross is now also a member of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. This way, not only can we use the Red Cross's channels to popularize penicillin as quickly as possible, but we can also leverage the influence of international organizations to make some people wary." Mr. Song not only has good intentions, but his methods of doing things are also very clever.

Those idiots in China are terrified of foreigners these days. The "Friendly Nations' Surprise" theory is all the rage, and being cloaked in the trappings of an international organization might offer some relief. Furthermore, Mr. Song has considerable international influence, having been elected Honorary Chairman of the International Anti-Imperialist League. Having her as President of the Chinese Red Cross would be a powerful addition. "Where are you planning to build this penicillin factory?" Mr. Song asked.

"Wuhan!" Zhang Xingjiu answered decisively.

"Oh? Why not Shanghai? Aurora University is in Shanghai, and the medical school has talented people like Professor Wu and Dr. Tang. There are also convenient sea and water transportation. Building the factory here should be the best choice at the moment, right?" Mr. Song was a little confused for a moment.

"That's true at the moment, but there are some things we have to be prepared for." Zhang Xingjiu knew very well what would happen in the future. Considering this, Shanghai was no longer suitable. In fact, if it were not inconvenient, he would have wanted to build the factory in Chongqing.

"Shanghai is a mixed bag, with forces from all over the world involved. It's difficult to avoid leaks if we build a factory here. Wuhan is relatively better. The National Wuhan University's medical school was also built with the help of Professor Wu. It is among the best in the country. With the help of Aurora University and other universities, we are fully capable of building this factory!" Zhang Xingjiu explained.

"Furthermore, Wuhan is located in the heart of China, sitting on the Yangtze River and serving as a railway hub. It can rely on water and rail transport to quickly deliver products to all parts of the country. In comparison, Shanghai is a bit too remote. Building a factory in Shanghai might be more convenient for Jiangnan and coastal provinces, but it would be troublesome for inland provinces."

Mr. Song agreed with this explanation. "That's true. If it were built in Shanghai, it would be less convenient to ship products to Sichuan, Hunan, Shaanxi, etc. than from Wuhan."

There was another reason that Zhang Xingjiu didn't mention. If the Japanese invaded in the future, it would be more convenient to transfer the equipment from Wuhan to Chongqing, Chengdu and other places. It would be too troublesome to move it from Shanghai. Moreover, once the war broke out, this factory would definitely become the focus of the Japanese attack. It might be destroyed by a few naval gunshots.

Taking this factor into consideration, when building a factory in Wuhan, Zhang Xingjiu would choose a suitable location and put more effort into the construction to reduce the damage caused by the bombing.

They discussed various details of the penicillin factory along the way, and before they knew it, the passenger ship arrived in Shanghai. Zhang Xingjiu escorted Mr. Song to the top of the gangway, and saw that the dock was crowded with people who came to greet Mr. Song. This scene made Zhang Xingjiu feel that it was absolutely right to ask Mr. Song to take on this important task.

Otherwise, if he relied solely on himself, there wouldn't be so many political bigwigs coming to greet him.

The next day, Mr. Song held a press conference and announced two decisions. He was going to take over as president of the Red Cross and at the same time was planning to build the country's first penicillin factory in Wuhan.

When the news came out, many people threw their cups on the spot.

(End of this chapter)