Chapter 173: You Don’t Get To Decide, No, He Does
The golden light cascade of the crystal chandelier enveloped the Cathay Hotel Peacock Hall, and the floating cigar smoke and champagne bubbles in the air suddenly froze at this moment.
Princess Aisha stood in the center of the banquet hall, having just announced with a volume clear enough to pierce through the lingering notes of the jazz band: “The transfer fee for the penicillin patent is one billion pound sterling.”
This number was astronomically high in the world of 1938.
At that time, the most advanced B-17 bomber in the United States cost only $200,000 per unit, and one billion pound sterling could assemble a strategic air force of two thousand aircraft.
Placed on the China battlefield, it could beat the Japanese devils until they doubted their existence.
Meanwhile, the UK’s national fiscal budget that same year was only 630 million pound sterling.
One billion pound sterling nearly took up half a quarter’s fiscal budget of the empire on which the sun never sets.
More crucially, penicillin was still just a mysterious substance in the laboratory at this time. Although Fleming had accidentally discovered the bactericidal effect of the penicillin strain in 1928, the research was shelved due to inability to purify it.
It was not until April 1936 that Professor Flori and Chain at the University of Sheffield restarted the project, and there was still a huge gap to mass production.
A medicine about which no one knew the future was priced like this, and everyone thought Princess Aisha was crazy.
Even Chen Yang was shocked by her quotation—one billion, and in pound sterling. Except for the Sichuan-Chongqing region of China, when had he ever seen a one followed by so many zeros…
Of course, Aisha’s confidence came from that confidential document numbered “U-38-09-14”.
The Utrecht laboratory in the Netherlands had meticulously tested the latest strain samples sent by Taylor. After assessment, the high-yield strain cultivated by Professor Flori’s team had a purification efficiency 300 times that of Fleming’s original samples.
In other words, this drug had already broken through the bottleneck period, and the current research direction was large-scale cultivation and mass production technology.
This required the report from Dr. Chain.
But because the University of Sheffield had cut the research and development fund for penicillin.
Chain’s work was also shelved.
After studying the evaluation report, Aisha deeply knew that what she held at this moment was not a drug patent, but the “life pricing power” on the future battlefield…
You know, during the Normandy landings in 1944, 100,000 doses of penicillin reduced the death rate of Allied wounded soldiers by 35%.
The silence in the room seemed to last a long time, but it was quickly broken by a voice: “God, this is simply robbery!”
Sir Carl, the British Consul General in Shanghai, shouted involuntarily, whiskey soaking his white gloves along his trembling fingers.
The annual budget of the British Empire Medical Research Council was less than one million pound sterling, and as a British subject, Fleming’s discovery should rightfully belong to the empire.
What angered him even more was the princess’s betrayal. The Dutch Royal Family and the British Royal Family were connected by blood, and such a major discovery should be shared with the British Royal Family.
But now she was jacking up the price on the spot, even wanting to sell it for the astronomical sum of one billion.
Despicable Dutchman…
Carl quickly composed himself, slammed his wine cup heavily onto the waiter’s tray, stepped forward, and the empire medal on the front of his tailcoat clinked lightly: “Does Your Highness remember that Sir Fleming’s paper is quietly lying in the archives room of St. Mary’s Hospital?”
“Without the foundational research of British scientists, those molds in the University of Sheffield laboratory are just moldy melons!”
“That should have been our achievement, moreover, the heritage of the civilized world should not become commercial chips.”
“The Royal Navy of the Great British Empire will absolutely not allow a single strain to leave British soil.”
Sure enough, scientific ethics was just a decent fig leaf; the Royal Navy gunboats of the North Atlantic were the ultimate bargaining chips.
The cigar ash of Asia Oil Company director Medillen scattered rustlingly.
This tycoon who controlled the lifeline of Far East energy had “oil field equity conversion formula” racing through his mind at this moment, not the penicillin patent.
“One billion pound sterling?” His Adam’s apple rolled as he forced out a cold laugh. “This money is enough to buy 147 newly discovered oil wells of Shell in Myanmar and Indonesia!”
“However, Your Highness, I think you have overlooked a very key issue.”
Medillen said word by word: “Production capacity.”
As a businessman, Medillen instantly saw through the fatal flaw in the princess’s layout: patents have a price, capacity is priceless.
In 1943, the United States poured all its national strength, yet the annual output was only enough to treat 150,000 people, while World War II battlefield daily casualties exceeded 7,000.
Medillen stubbed out his cigar, his fat fingers slicing through the air: “Respected Your Highness, what you’re selling is not medicine, it’s alchemy.”
“But please tell me…” He deliberately drew out his tone, “How many factories does the Netherlands have that can produce 10,000 liters of fermenters per day? And how many cargo ships can evade U-boats to transport medicine out of Europe?”
Medillen’s questioning went straight to the core.
At this time, the Dutch homeland was already within the range of German bombers. If not cooperating with Germany, the consequences…
And if abandoning the homeland and setting up base in the Dutch colony Java?
The rubber plantations there could never abandon rubber, such a strategic material, to transform into biopharmaceuticals.
Medillen’s sarcasm drew a nod from Wall Street representative Semps, after all, capital only believes in miracles that can be realized.
Once this issue was raised, everyone immediately woke up: yes, patent does not equal capacity. Having a patent but unable to realize it means this patent is clearly not as valuable as imagined.
Aisha’s face suddenly turned pale. She seemed not to have considered this issue, but none of those present were shallow thinkers; they were all business tycoons.
Chen Yang stepped forward, patted Aisha’s hand, and said: “Your Highness, no need to panic. I’ve already solved this problem for you.”
“However, I also think your one billion pound sterling is unreasonable.”
“I suggest you sell patent authorizations for penicillin to all countries, with a contract period of five years, annual fee of two million pound sterling.”
“If buying out the patent authorization for twenty years at once, then we can give a 25% discount: thirty million pound sterling.”
Medillen glanced at Chen Yang and couldn’t help sneering: “Who are you? You say thirty million and it’s thirty million? This is business, not child’s play.”
Aisha smiled lightly in response: “Exactly, he says thirty million and it’s thirty million.”
“Gentlemen, I forgot to introduce him to you. This is Mr. Chen Yang.”
“He is my partner, and also my…”
“Advisor, private advisor.” Before the word “boss” could come out of Aisha’s mouth, Chen Yang had already interrupted her.
“Yes, private advisor.” Aisha looked at Chen Yang with a charming face, seeming to have the happiness of a little woman.
The men present were all extremely surprised. Was this a proper private advisor? Look at him, with red lips and white teeth, fair and tender skin—was he not Princess Aisha’s little boy toy?
You know, Queen Wilhelmina keeping male favorites was not unusual, and this Princess Aisha having an Eastern male pet seemed acceptable too.
German consul Fellman said coldly: “Mr. Chen, is it? I want to know what gives you the right?”
Chen Yang raised his hand to check the time: “Mr. Fellman, I think it’s about time.”
“The distinguished guest I invited should have arrived.”
As soon as the words fell, the banquet hall doors suddenly opened, and several figures hurried in…
