Chapter 4: Boast

  Yang Feng also let out a sigh of relief, relying on the 100 francs given by Raviel to get through these days. For him who was used to luxury, it was truly like living in poverty, and now he could finally enjoy himself properly. First, he had to tidy up the yacht, which was absolutely empty at this point.

  He was counting his money with relish, and said to Huang Zunxian: "Mr. Huang, this is what they call 'heavenly water', it can cure many of the most stubborn diseases nowadays, except for a small number of people who may be allergic to it, there are almost no side effects. If someone in our embassy gets sick with something like pneumonia, tetanus or relapsing fever, just let me know and we'll give them a free treatment."

  He remembered that Xue Fucheng died of relapsing fever. To say the least, this old man was a rare clear-headed person in the Chinese officialdom at that time. If he could live, Li Hongzhang would not have lost so badly in the Sino-Japanese War.

  "Why must you have a sign for an ancestral divine medicine?" Huang Zunxian asked in puzzlement.

  "I'm saying this is what our Chinese scientists invented, now those foreigners dare to use it? Give them some mysterious color as a gimmick, and these guys are even more at ease." Yang Feng said with a smile.

  Penicillin is something that was meant to be sold in high society in Europe and America, those dukes and earls looked down on Chinese scientists, but they often flocked to things with a bit of magical color.

  Huang Zunxian was a bit hard to understand, but that had nothing to do with him. He mainly came to visit Yang Feng's yacht and told the guy that there would be a dinner party held by the French Foreign Ministry tonight, and he would attend as Xue Fucheng's translator, so it's better to change into another set of clothes, what he was wearing now was a bit too sloppy.

  Yang Feng looked at the black windbreaker on his body, shrugged indifferently, and wondered if changing into a golden dragon standing collar would scare Old Xue to death. But thinking about it, he decided not to, although this was Paris and no one would care even if he wore a five-clawed golden dragon, he still had to think about the future.

  He found a clothing store, picked out a decent evening dress, dressed up and went to the embassy. He was introduced by Huang Zunxian to Xue Fucheng, and that night he attended a dinner party with the plump old Xue in a horse-drawn carriage. This was actually a farewell dinner hosted by the French for Xue Fucheng, although he served as minister to four countries, his main post was in Britain, so he would be based in London.

  Yang Feng's performance at the banquet was quite eye-catching. He has been accustomed to socializing in high society, so he naturally felt like a fish in water in this setting. His attire was elegant and refined, his demeanor warm and courteous, and his conversation was full of witty remarks. Moreover, his knowledge was relatively extensive, leaving a group of foreigners stunned and speechless, with some even thinking he was an ambassador!

  However, as he became more and more noticed, the French people who attended the dinner party suddenly realized that Yang's translator was wearing a very beautiful watch on his wrist. It should be known that it is still the era of pocket watches, and although there are wristwatches, they are combined with bracelets, similar to jewelry, specially worn by those top-level noblewomen, such as queens and princesses.

  "Yang, is that a wristwatch you're wearing?" asked a French diplomat who had been chatting with Yang Feng.

  "Ah, is this what you're talking about?" Yang Feng casually raised his hand and showed off his seagull-shaped hollowed-out tourbillon in front of him. The guy's eyes immediately widened, as if he had just seen a beautiful woman open her chest in front of him.

  "Automatic winding, tourbillon, with calendar, and also waterproof, even if you swim in the Seine River, it's no problem." Yang said proudly.

  "This is impossible!" The diplomat could no longer maintain his composure, and he exclaimed without hesitation. The guests who were attending the dinner party immediately gathered around.

  "Mr. Pierre, are you doubting my integrity?" Yang Feng said with a displeased face.

  Xue Fu Cheng, who didn't understand French, looked at him in confusion and to be honest, he was very satisfied with Yang Feng as a translator. Although this guy had somewhat stolen the show, as an Chinese diplomat unfamiliar with Western society, such an assistant could be said to be his most anticipated.

  "It's nothing, sir. Mr. Pierre just doesn't believe that my watch is so extraordinary." Yang Feng explained to him with his head down.

  "Yang, please forgive my rudeness, it's just that what you said is really hard to believe. Such a small watch can't possibly contain a tourbillon, let alone an automatic winding mechanism, and as for being waterproof, that's simply unthinkable." Pierre apologized without any sign of remorse.

  With a calendar, there's no need to doubt it, the calendar on the dial is clearly displayed there. The earliest calendar watch was first exhibited by Audemars Piguet last year.

  Yang Feng glanced at him, then looked around at the suspicious eyes of the onlookers, and under their stunned gaze, he smiled faintly as he took off his watch and casually dropped it into Pierre's wine cup.

  The surroundings immediately erupted into an uproar.

  Pierre raised his glass, through the crimson wine in the cup, that seemingly strange watch, the pointer was quietly moving without any abnormality. Some guests had already taken out their own pocket watches and were watching the rotating pointers to synchronize time. The entire banquet hall was silent, with only the sound of countless watch hands moving, especially the tourbillon in the wine glass, which seemed to be mocking faintly with a ticking sound that became clearer and clearer as time passed.

  "Mr. Pierre, aren't you tired?" Yang Feng said with a sincere face after nearly half an hour had passed.

  Pierre gazed at him with a vague look, holding his wine glass like a statue.

  Yang Feng reached out and took his watch from his wine glass, then wiped it with a napkin before putting it back on his wrist under countless shocked gazes.

  "As for automatic winding and tourbillon, I think it's unnecessary to show off." Yang Feng shook his watch slightly and said calmly.

  This guy did a great job advertising tonight, and the Seagull Flying Wheel appeared in Parisian newspapers the next day. The legend of this magical watch unfolded rapidly across the European continent, while its owner had already set off for Britain.

  The Black Arrow, Yang's private yacht, newly decorated inside, sped along the Seine River carrying the Chinese legation to Britain including Xue Fucheng and Huang Zunxian. Yang stood in the wheelhouse humming a tune while admiring the scenery on both banks.

  "Fengsheng, what kind of machine is this? Why not use coal?" Xue Fucheng and several others were indeed very interested in his diesel engine, one by one they went to the stern power room, looking at the two diesel engines with admiration.

  Feng Sheng is a pen name given by Yang Feng to himself. Since this kind of thing was quite popular at that time, he also created one for himself.

  The Westernization Movement is now in full swing, and old Chinese officials have long regarded these ingenious devices as fashionable. Especially for Westernization activists like Xue Fucheng, they are even more aware of the importance of technology.

  "That's called an internal combustion engine, it's different from a steam engine, it burns oil. Now the ones made in Europe burn gasoline, but mine burns diesel. I plan to apply for a patent for this design at the patent offices of various countries, and later when I have money, I'll open my own factory to manufacture them." Yang Feng said casually.

  He was really preparing to produce diesel engines, of course not the 500-horsepower tank engine, which is also a bit too sci-fi for this era, but the hand-held tractor engine is possible. The computer on his shuttle machine stored countless data, let alone diesel engines, even turbojet engines were available.

  So after arriving in London, he prepared to apply for patents in various European countries. As for whether or not he could get them, that was another matter. Anyway, he wasn't in a hurry, and at this time, no one was competing with him. Diesel didn't apply for a patent for his engine design until 1892, and it wasn't until 1897 that he built the first machine. He had no pressure on him.

  "Feng Sheng, my younger brother, are you interested in going back to our country to manufacture this thing? You don't need any investment, I can recommend you to Li Zhongtang, and at that time, a separate factory will be opened for you. Not only will you be the general manager, but also given a sixth-rank official hat. When the factory makes money, you can even get dividends." Xue Fucheng said.

  This old man's idea is quite good, with fame, benefits and power, without spending a penny. If Yang wasn't so ambitious, he might have considered it, but unfortunately the person he was trying to deceive was an old oil slick who knew the ins and outs of officialdom.

  "Youma, this old guy is too sinister. If he really makes a diesel engine, Li Ergouzi will kick me away with one foot. Who can I cry to at that time?" Yang Feng thought secretly.

  "Mr. Xue, this thing is not just about having a design, it must also have a matching industrial foundation, and it also needs excellent workers." He said hastily.

  "These are not lacking in our country, we can even build ironclad warships ourselves, and yet we can't make something as small as this?" Xue Fucheng said with a hint of desperation. He wasn't speaking falsely, the Westernization Movement had brought China's industrial level to a point where it was no longer low, and could be said to have formed a system. Not only could they build their own steam engines and ironclad warships, but in this very year, the Jinling Machinery Bureau had already begun manufacturing 120mm quick-firing guns. It could be said that China at this time had already possessed modern industry, unfortunately it was all destroyed in the First Sino-Japanese War. Just thinking about this made Yang Feng let out a small sigh.

  "Mr. Xue, I actually had a plan for this matter long ago. First, I will set up a factory in Europe and wait until the product is normally produced. Then, I will bring a batch of workers from home to learn while working here. After they are trained, I will build a factory at home, which can avoid problems." Yang Feng said, now he could only appease the old man first.

  Xue Fu Cheng didn't say another word, he was an old fox and naturally understood that Yang Feng was fooling him.