On July 29, Peiping and Tianjin fell one after another.
Peiping is the ancient capital of China and plays an important role in the hearts of the Chinese people. Tianjin is the second largest industrial and commercial city in China, with an economic status second only to Shanghai. The occupation of these two cities by the Japanese army shocked the whole country, and the call for national resistance to Japan became even higher.
Four days later, an ocean-going cargo ship from the United Kingdom finally arrived at the Shanghai pier.
Wooden boxes filled with goods were carried into the warehouse by porters and piled up densely.
Zhou Hexuan picked up the crowbar, opened one of the boxes, and said, "Brother Du, please take a look!"
Du Yuesheng picked up a packaging box in the box. The box was printed in English. Naturally, he did not understand English, but he recognized a few abbreviations. He was surprised: "Are they all sulfonamides?"
Zhou Hexuan nodded and said: "Eighty percent is sulfa powder used to treat wounds, and the remaining 20% is sulfa tablets for oral administration."
"How much does this cost?" Du Yuesheng looked at the boxes of goods in the warehouse.
Zhou Hexuan said: "Purchased at a slightly higher cost price, and including shipping costs, this batch of goods is worth about 3 million pounds."
"Now that we are in war, the price of these drugs when sold in China is at least ten times higher," Du Yuesheng exclaimed.
Zhou Hexuan suddenly clasped his fists and said seriously: "Brother Du, I have an unkind request."
"But it doesn't matter." Du Yuesheng said with a smile, looking forward to Zhou Hexuan's next words.
"I plan to donate these medicines to the soldiers of the Anti-Japanese War," Zhou Hexuan explained in detail. "According to my estimation, the South is about to go to war, and the war in the South will definitely start in Shanghai. I hope Brother Du can take good care of the medicines. Once the Songhu Anti-Japanese War begins,
In the event of an outbreak, please deliver them to war hospitals."
Du Yuesheng originally thought that Zhou Hexuan was going to join hands with him to do business and take advantage of the national crisis to make a fortune from the war. Unexpectedly, Zhou Hexuan donated medicines worth hundreds of millions of French currency at his request, and also entrusted him with full authority. Du Yuesheng felt ashamed at the same time.
, felt very frightened again, and said: "Brother Zhou, these medicines are too expensive, you should donate them yourself."
Zhou Hexuan shook his head and said: "I will leave Shanghai soon and have no time to keep it properly. The Nanjing Central Committee is preparing to hold a national defense conference. Military officials at all levels must make major adjustments. It is not good to hand over the medicine to anyone now. The corruption of the Kuomintang
You know that if you give the medicine to them early, some people will definitely resell it for profit. After thinking about it, entrusting the medicine to Brother Du is the best choice."
Du Yuesheng was hesitant about this. Although he had made a lot of dirty money and was jealous of sulfa drugs worth hundreds of millions, he valued commitment and loyalty more. Once he agreed to help Zhou Hexuan keep the drugs, he must be responsible for it, otherwise his
The reputation will be completely ruined.
This is a hot potato. If the information is leaked, not only the Japanese will be targeted, but some officials of the Kuomintang will also be targeted. If you are not careful, something will go wrong.
It was so hot that Du Yuesheng didn't dare to pick it up.
"Please, Duke Du!" Zhou Hexuan suddenly bowed his head to the end. This is a traditional Chinese gift.
Seeing the internationally renowned scholar bowing to him, and thinking that this was about the lives of countless soldiers of the Anti-Japanese War, Du Yuesheng suddenly felt a surge of heroism in his chest. His blood surged, and he gritted his teeth and said: "Sir, please don't worry, as long as I Du Yuesheng
Unless someone dies, no one can even think about taking these medicines! If a war really breaks out in Shanghai, I will definitely pack a lot of sulfonamides in a box and send them to the wartime hospital! If you break this promise, you will be punished by heaven and earth, and you will not die a good death!"
"Thank you!" Zhou Hexuan said, clasping his fists.
"Brother Zhou, don't hesitate. I'll go make arrangements first." Du Yuesheng said seriously.
Du Yuesheng pretended to be nonchalant and mobilized reliable youths from the Youth Gang to closely guard the warehouse. He also deliberately leaked the news and claimed that the goods were tinplate imported from the United Kingdom and were to be shipped to Hubei to make military cans.
Tinplate is tin-plated iron. At this time, China could not produce it on its own, so it was a very important strategic material.
Since it is tinplate, it is easy to understand that it is closely guarded. The youths from the Youth Gang have become active, and at the same time, outsiders will not be overly interested in this batch of goods.
Du Yuesheng arranged the matter properly and came back and asked: "Brother Zhou, will the news be leaked to the customs?"
Zhou Hexuan smiled and said: "Don't worry, I have established the relationship a long time ago. The medicines arrived together with Sassoon's cargo. There was only a symbolic inspection when entering the customs, and the box was not even opened."
"That's good." Du Yuesheng let go of his last worries.
Victor Sassoon was the richest man in Shanghai. He believed in both black and white, and had dealings with both China and foreign countries. Customs officers would not carefully inspect his goods unless they deliberately sought trouble.
The Battle of Songhu was about to break out, and what Zhou Hexuan could do was donate medicines to the soldiers of the Anti-Japanese War.
The ex-factory price of sulfonamide drugs is 3 million pounds, which is enough to save the lives of countless wounded soldiers. Especially when the drugs are in short supply, its role on the battlefield is not inferior to that of an integrated division.
You must know that during the Anti-Japanese War, not to mention Chinese officers and soldiers, even the Japanese invaders were in urgent need of sulfonamides. As a result, the Japanese army designated sulfonamides as a strictly controlled military drug, and unauthorized use would be severely punished by military courts.
The British Royal Pharmaceutical Factory, a joint venture between Zhou Hexuan and Ornish, and King George VI, has a drug research and development laboratory that has invited Fillory and Qian to conduct penicillin experiments. However, it will take at least two or three years before the penicillin drug is available.
, it will take longer to truly popularize it. The initial production cost of penicillin is too high.
In the original time and space, penicillin was not completely popular until the end of World War II, and the price was ridiculously high. In China, a penicillin was worth a small yellow croaker (gold bar).
What really saved lives during World War II, whether from China or foreign countries, was sulfonamide drugs.
Some time ago, Zhou Hexuan and Kong Xiangxi went to the UK together, not just to attend the coronation ceremony of the King of England. It took Zhou Hexuan half a month to convince Ornish and King George VI, and the two agreed to allow Zhou Hexuan to open a branch factory of sulfonamide drugs in China.
The prerequisite is that the sulfonamides produced by Chinese factories can only be sold in China.
Of course, Zhou Hexuan can bypass the two partners and go it alone. After all, the drug patent is in his hands. However, opening a sulfonamide factory is too complicated and requires enough professionals who understand the technology, and these talents are all in the hands of Ornish.
It would be difficult to recruit enough manpower just by throwing money at Zhou Hexuan. After all, China was too remote and backward, and war could break out at any time, so it had no appeal to those British elites.
Also, if Zhou Hexuan wants to produce sulfonamides in Chongqing, he must build a raw material factory together. This is a big project, and without the help of King Ying and Ornish, it will be extremely time-consuming and labor-intensive.
Even so, those British elites who agree to work in China are also required to sign a contract in advance. They must be guaranteed to return to the UK for a long vacation every two years, which lasts for half a year, and their family members must be properly arranged. Each person in China must
They have their own high-end residence and their salary is five times what they get in the UK.
In order to support the Anti-Japanese War and develop national industry, Zhou Hexuan agreed to everything.
Zhou Hexuan plans to recruit the top biochemists in the country to study with the British, nominally serving as assistants to the British. Two years is enough for the Chinese to master the technology, and the British who don't want to continue can get out.
