Sky Curtain: My Great Qin must have an aircraft carrier!

"It doesn't feel that simple..."

Hua Tuo squatted by the wall in the backyard, fiddling with the wings of a dead duck.

After the video was played on the screen, Hua Tuo immediately sent his disciples to the market to buy more than a dozen injured chickens and ducks.

According to Tianmu, he would collect various molds and apply them to the wounds of those animals.

However, the result was that the injury not only did not improve, but became even more ulcerated.

"It seems that only a very small number of, or even only, penicillin has a killing effect on bacteria."

Despite the failed experiment, Hua Tuo was not discouraged; on the contrary, he remained in high spirits.

He has deciphered the origin of pathology!

The "evil spirits" that have plagued the body for thousands of years are actually caused by bacteria.

The discovery of this secret alone is priceless.

It should be noted that it took more than a thousand years for later generations to unveil this mystery.

And taking advantage of the east wind in the sky, he had already foreseen the secrets of heaven.

"Take notes, write it all down."

Hua Tuo turned to his disciple and instructed him in a somewhat urgent tone, "These are all priceless treasures. I will compile them into the 'Qing Nang Shu' (Book of the Green Bag)."

"Even if we can't create penicillin, future generations will build upon our work and one day develop this miracle drug!"

[When we get to World War I, you might not imagine that one in every two wounded people died from bacteria.]

It wasn't being shot, it wasn't being bombarded, it was an infection.

At that time, people desperately needed a drug that could be mass-produced and effectively combat infection.

After the war, a German military doctor named Gerhard Domark accidentally discovered an antibacterial substance while conducting dye research.

He named this compound Prontosil, which later became the famous sulfonamide.

For the first time, humanity possesses an antibacterial drug capable of defeating bacteria.

"Another German?"

When Emperor Kangxi saw this name, he was truly taken aback.

Fritz Haber was just one step ahead, having invented industrial synthetic ammonia, which has fed billions of people for generations to come.

Then a warmonger with a small mustache appeared and drove all of Europe into a panic.

Even the first people to discover the miracle antibacterial drug were Germans!

How come these Western geniuses are like leeks, one crop after another sprouts up after being harvested?

Why?

Emperor Kangxi muttered to himself, feeling a tightness in his chest.

He previously thought that he had the script in his hands, and as long as he worked steadily, he might not lose to those Westerners in the future.

But now it seems...

Kangxi let out a soft breath, and his hoarse voice echoed in the hall.

"What's the progress on the steam engine being built by the Ministry of Works?"

Li Guangdi remained silent for a moment before bowing and replying, "Your Majesty, the craftsmen are working diligently on the research, but it will take some time."

Kangxi raised his voice, "I'm asking you, how much longer?"

Li Guangdi kowtowed on the gold brick and replied through gritted teeth, "In my humble opinion, it will probably take another ten years or so."

More than ten years.

Upon hearing these three words, Kangxi closed his eyes, feeling a profound sense of powerlessness.

In the past, if they couldn't make it, they couldn't make it; the Qing Dynasty had no shortage of such ingenious skills.

But that's not possible now.

He witnessed firsthand the powerful ships and cannons of later generations, and saw those humiliating treaties that ceded sovereignty to the nation.

By the time the steam engine was invented, the foreigners would have already stormed Dagu Port with their ironclad warships!

"We're all human, so why are Westerners considered smarter than the people of the Qing Dynasty? Where exactly does the problem lie?"

Emperor Kangxi paced slowly, his gaze sweeping across the study before finally settling on the Kangxi Dictionary.

As he gazed at the four large, gilded characters, Kangxi's pupils suddenly contracted.

He understood! He understood!

The Qing Dynasty held imperial examinations to select officials, testing them on the Four Books and Five Classics and the eight-legged essay.

From the Sui and Tang dynasties to the present, the talents selected through the imperial examinations have all been scholars who are most skilled at writing and most knowledgeable in Confucianism.

Does this have anything to do with science? Not at all!

But can it be changed? No, it can't be changed!!

Hundreds of thousands of scholars, including those who passed the imperial examinations at the county level, the provincial level, and the metropolitan level, devoted their entire lives to the Four Books and Five Classics.

If you suddenly tell them that they will be tested on science instead of academic subjects, not only scholars, but the entire court of officials will not agree.

The entire bureaucratic system was a product of the imperial examination system; overthrowing the imperial examination system was no different from overthrowing the Qing Dynasty!

"Haha, hahahaha!"

"The problem was fundamentally flawed! This is the limitation of feudal dynasties! What good does it do to know? What good does it do not know?"

Kangxi chuckled softly, the laughter growing louder and louder until it turned into a near-manic laugh.

Li Guangdi felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing the laughter.

What's wrong with His Majesty? Has he gone mad?

Li Guangdi, mustering his courage, repeatedly kowtowed to express his loyalty: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger! Your humble servant will go to the Ministry of Works immediately to personally oversee the matter! Your humble servant—"

"No need to do it anymore, let the craftsmen study glass."

Kangxi's laughter stopped abruptly, and his tone became eerily calm.

After seeing through the true nature of things, he suddenly felt somewhat disheartened.

As long as the Qing Dynasty wanted to maintain its rule, it had to rely on these Confucian scholars and persist in the imperial examination system.

If we persist in the imperial examination system, we will never cultivate scientists like those in the West.

This is an unsolvable infinite loop.

If that's the case, why bother repairing the leaky hole?

The advent of sulfonamides saved the lives of countless soldiers in the early stages of World War II.

However, as time went on, the shortcomings of sulfonamides quickly became apparent.

First of all, it is toxic, and if the dosage is not controlled properly, it can cause severe aftereffects.

If the dosage is not properly controlled, it can cause allergic reactions at best, and even be fatal to the patient at worst.

And bacteria aren't stupid; under the constant attack of sulfonamides, they quickly evolved resistance.

At that time, doctors generally found that diseases that could be cured with sulfonamides last year could not be cured this year.

Humanity urgently needs a stronger, safer, and more effective bactericide.

"Why isn't it working? Just increase the dosage!"

"How can we give up on a miraculous drug that can eliminate infection just because it has a little toxicity?"

Ying Zheng couldn't help but shout it out on the spot.

He looked at the powdered medicine in white paper bags on the sky, his eyes filled with longing.

Not only Ying Zheng, but also Wang Jian, Meng Tian and other generals stared intently at the sky, wishing they could stick their heads inside to see what the powder was made of.

The most frightening thing for an army commander is not the battle itself, but the wounded soldiers that follow.

Any wounds that appeared on their bodies would fester and become inflamed within three to five days, causing the soldiers excruciating pain.

Even with the best efforts of doctors, most wounded soldiers would die in agony.

If we could have this sulfonamide to save those wounded veterans, the Qin army's combat strength could be raised to another level!

As for the toxicity of sulfonamides, since death is inevitable whether you die from injury or from poisoning or disease, what difference does it make?

How can we give up eating because of a minor choking incident?

"Father, since Tianmu said that bacteria can evolve, increasing the dosage is probably not a long-term solution."

"There are better penicillins available, why insist on sticking to sulfonamides?"

Fusu looked at Ying Zheng's expression and carefully considered his words.

Ying Zheng glanced at Fusu, his tone cold and hard: "So what if there are better ones?"

"Even sulfonamides might not be able to be manufactured, so what good would it do even if we could see how to make penicillin?"

In the autumn of 1928, Scottish bacteriologist Alexander Fleming returned to his laboratory after his holiday.

Fleming discovered a patch of bluish mold growing in a forgotten staphylococcal culture dish.

This would typically be considered a failed experiment, and then it would be discarded.

But Fleming discovered that all the staphylococci near the mold had died.

Fleming did not consider this phenomenon to be a coincidence, but instead conducted rigorous tests.

He eventually confirmed that this mold secretes a substance that has a strong killing effect on Staphylococcus aureus.

Fleming named this substance penicillin.

"Is this penicillin?"

"So, after all that, it's just a moldy thing?"

"This thing can really save lives?"

The people looked at each other, their faces filled with disappointment.

The miraculous medicine they imagined, even if it wasn't an elixir of immortality, should at least be some kind of rare herb.

The result was a patch of mold that could be seen everywhere.

Although Fleming discovered penicillin, he was not a chemist and could not purify it.

Penicillin is extremely unstable and loses its activity after a few days.

Fleming tried various methods, but was unable to stably extract the effective antibacterial components from the culture medium.

Ultimately, Fleming reluctantly abandoned his in-depth research on penicillin, shelving it for later use.

"Huh? You're giving up already? If you can't handle it yourself, can't you ask someone else for help?"

Upon seeing this, everyone's mind went blank.

That's a miraculous medicine that can save countless lives!

But this foreigner, after just getting started, quit on his own.

What kind of nonsense is this?!