1840 Indian Rebirth

Chapter 206 [Awarded Knight]

Under the watchful eyes of many social celebrities, the canonization ceremony of Mashao officially began.

Much of the ceremony consisted of formalities which, in his opinion, meant little.

until the point of the shoulder.

The so-called shoulder tap means that the queen holds a sword and taps twice on the shoulder of the conferee who is kneeling on one knee with the blade of the sword.

This process is very short and light, but it is the stage with the most emotional ups and downs for the horse whistle.

When he nodded, the sword in Queen Victoria's hand was only a few centimeters from his neck.

Kneeling down on one knee and willingly letting someone put a sharp knife to your neck-there is probably no more obvious gesture of submission in the world.

Therefore, even though this was just a common etiquette in the British canonization ceremony, there was still a feeling of humiliation in Ma Shao's heart.

Of course he won't express this emotion in his heart, but he may never forget this short moment.

Accompanied by Queen Victoria's praise and words of encouragement, Mashao received the Knight of Honor medal from her and officially became a knight.

From today on, he is the lord of the British Empire.

Although only the lowest Sir.

After the canonization is over, the horse whistle still needs to participate in a series of social activities, entertain the celebrities and nobles of Great Britain, and make more friends.

The first point of contact is Dickens.

Dickens' influence is huge, not only in later generations, but also in the present.

In the 21st century, Dickens is a monument in the literary world. In the [-]th century, he is one of the best-selling authors, with fans all over the English-speaking world and even the world.

This can be seen from the rampant pirated books in the United States.

Dickens was clearly a man of first-rate intelligence, with a keen curiosity and a wide range of opinions, and he soon discovered that the horse post could give him far more pleasure than anyone he had ever seen before.

Although he was not a scientist, he was full of interest in science and technology, especially new gadgets like mechanical computers, which is why he and Babbage got along well.

Therefore, Horse Whistle and Dickens communicated happily.

Horse Whistle and Dickens told many Indian stories and realities, and invited him to visit Apache in the future, and Dickens readily agreed.

There are also less pleasant things.

At a banquet, during the exchange of cups and cups, the topic of discussion gradually led to the telegraph. As the chief designer of the trans-English channel telegraph project, Horse Whistle naturally became the focus of everyone.

"The trans-ocean telegraph is indeed a remarkable achievement, but I still want to say that General Electric's transatlantic plan is impossible...the English Channel and the Atlantic Ocean are completely different." A middle-aged man with a scholar appearance said.

His remarks aroused heated discussions among people, with some agreeing and others opposing.

Horse Whistle certainly does not agree with this point of view, whether it is from a scientific point of view or from a profit point of view-he wants to use the name of the transoceanic telegraph to raise funds.

The money brought from the United States has almost been spent, and he must raise a large sum of money as soon as possible before he can continue with the next step of the plan.

Holding half a glass of wine, he said slowly: "Some people used to think that a one-kilometer telegraph communication was impossible, but the reality is that telegrams have spread all over the big cities in the UK and are penetrating into every corner of the world."

"It is true that the telegraph expands rapidly, but it has an end." Someone said, "Thousands of miles of underwater cables are needed to cross the Atlantic Ocean—we don't even know how deep the Atlantic Ocean is."

Ma Siao looked at the man: "Sir, so you think this project will never be realized?"

The other party hesitated for a moment: "That's not true, but I think it should take a long time to realize it, such as... 100 years."

Ma Whistle smiled: "I have to say, this estimate is too pessimistic. In my opinion, telegrams in Europe and America can be connected in about five years, at most no more than ten years."

"Five years!" People exclaimed.

"Nothing to say, Sir Horsewhistle, and though you are a formidable scientist, I think there is no basis for that statement."

Ma Shao said: "Then why not make a bet, I bet it will definitely be realized within ten years."

"What's the stake?" many asked.

The horse whistle looked around, and said slowly, almost word for word: "All property, lifelong honor, and only one life."

"hiss--"

The crowd took a deep breath.

Dickens next to him was also taken aback, and then he couldn't help asking in a low voice: "Are you serious?"

"Of course it's serious." Ma Shao's reply did not deliberately lower his voice, and he asked again, "How about it, is anyone willing to bet with me? We can sign a written agreement."

Everyone present looked at each other in blank dismay, no one dared to bet.

After all, the people who appear here are either rich or noble, with a lot of wealth, honors, and high net worth, so they dare not gamble like this.

And even if someone really dared to gamble, the horse whistle is not afraid.

It may be difficult to realize the transoceanic telegraph in five years, but ten years is definitely enough, and he doesn't even need to make a move. Others may complete this goal within ten years.

So as soon as this remark came out, no one dared to question the feasibility of the transoceanic telegraph.

People were amazed at the courage of the horse whistle.

Of course, some people cursed in a low voice: "This madman!"

After the incident, Mashao officially released news of the sale of part of General Electric's stock, which attracted greedy people.

But not everyone is qualified to buy stocks. After all, Ma Shao knows the value of his company. If it is not for the immediate financial and political considerations, he would not be willing to sell these stocks.

Those who actually bought GE shares were all the dignitaries and celebrities in the UK, even the Queen.

By bundling interests with these dignitaries, Horse Post has gained stronger political support and about £30 in funding.

This money made his economy extremely rich in an instant.

Horse Whistle then set up another company: General Dynamics.

As soon as the company was established, he took out all the inventions he could come up with - such as the new sewing machine, the Jane's coupler, the phonograph ... all registered for patents, and then hired a group of people to register patents in other countries.

In the past in the United States, the horse whistle could hardly enjoy the protection of the patent law. It was almost the limit to barely get the patent on jeans. As for the more valuable inventions, don’t think about it, as long as you take it out, you can make a wedding dress for the Americans.

When he first arrived in the UK, he didn't dare to take out inventions like the sewing machine. After all, it was too easy to make money with this thing, and it would be troublesome if someone was jealous.

Now that he has become a knight canonized by the queen, and has completed the bondage of interests with some dignitaries, at least within the sphere of influence of the British Empire, these problems no longer exist.

In other places, including the United States, it is more or less effective to register patents in the name of British companies as soon as possible, as long as the registration is successful.

General Dynamics, which accommodated and applied the various practical inventions of the horse whistle.

Of course, having a patent is not enough. Ma Shao also needs to recruit a large number of engineers and workers to perfect and produce his many inventions.

After some inquiries, he heard about an outstanding mechanical engineer named Joseph Clement, so he planned to visit him sometime.

Unexpectedly, before he could go to Clement, someone else came to him first.

"Mr. Babbage?" Horse Whistle looked at the hurrying Charles Babbage in surprise, almost thinking that he was here to inform him of the news of the end of the world.

"I heard that you are going to hire Clement as an engineer?" Babbage stared at him.

Horse Whistle nodded: "Yes, as far as I know, he is an excellent mechanical expert."

"Perhaps." Babbage took a deep breath, and then said with some excitement, "But what is more certain is that Joseph Clement is a bastard, a real bastard, and a complete liar! If If it wasn't for him, my difference engine wouldn't fail at all!"

(End of this chapter)