At the beginning of the 20th century, Germany was the center of international scientific activity, especially before the First World War, when 14 of the 42 Nobel Prizes in the natural sciences were awarded to Germans, and Germans were present in every field of study.

Even before Britain entered the First World War, the British "Times" directly expressed pessimism about Britain's entry into the war, and specially published an article "Protest by Scholars Against the War against Germany", in which physicist Joseph Thomson and chemist William Rahm directly warned:

"We see Germany as a leading country in science and art, and we have all learned from German academics and are still learning from them. It would be a sin against civilization to wage war against Germany in the interests of Serbia and Tsarist Russia. ”

Unfortunately, with the official entry of Britain into the war, this kind of moral blowing disappeared, and they began to oppose each other.

The first wave of the Spanish flu pandemic has now begun, with nearly 500,000 German soldiers infected with the flu. Although the Entente were also affected, their soldiers were better supplied and fed, and therefore more resistant to epidemics.

Now Germany is in a difficult situation both internally and externally, and it looks like it will not be able to hold on.

It was in this context that Cheng Nuo dressed up as a sheep and quietly entered Berlin, Germany with the image of a Japanese.

A closer look reveals that he is dazzled by the various scientific research institutes inside.

What Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry, Rovinj Animal Station, Institute of Experimental Therapy, Institute of Brain Sciences, Institute of Aerodynamics and Fluid Dynamics, Institute of Hydrobiology, etc.

Counting the more than a dozen large research institutes like this, distributed at the forefront of various disciplines, I don't know where to start.

However, thinking about the previous agreement with Planck, Cheng Nuo decided to try his luck at the University of Berlin first.

"You're saying you're looking for Professor Planck, I'm sorry, Professor Planck is currently in a meeting at the Royal William Society, and he is not at the school for the time being." The student looked up and down, and asked, "Yellow skin? Asian? Is this where you can come? Does the professor know you? ”

Cheng Nuo immediately took half a step back and smiled contemptuously: "Germans? It's just a defeated general under the hands of our Yamato nation, do you need me to repeat what happened on the battlefield in the Far East? ”

After saying this, he immediately stepped on the clogs and turned to leave.

With this arrogant appearance, Cheng Nuo himself felt that he was underbeaten, not to mention that he was a hot-blooded young man from the "defeated side" Germany.

The student immediately caught up and beat Cheng Nuo.

It's a pity that Cheng Nuo's physical fitness is not comparable to ordinary people, and the students have used all their strength to feed, but they can't catch up, watching the distance between the two sides getting farther and farther away, but there is nothing they can do.

I thought about it, but I didn't expect that the "Japanese" at the corner behind him would actually make a head-cutting action, which was extremely arrogant.

"Auntie is bearable, uncle is unbearable." The student was so angry that he took off his shoes and threw them at the "Japanese", but unfortunately the opponent was agile and finally failed to hit the target.

"Japanese, don't be too complacent, we are belligerents at the moment, and the outcome of the war is still unknown until the end, I will make you pay the price."

The more the student thought about it, the more angry he became, and the more he thought about it, the more he couldn't bear it, so he secretly made a decision in his heart, and then turned around and rushed in a certain direction.

Cheng Nuo on the other side was amused by this scene, maybe he laughed too exaggeratedly, or maybe his makeup methods needed to be improved, and the mustache on his lips was crooked.

That is, Cheng Nuo is thick-skinned, and when he saw the strange eyes of passers-by, he immediately took off his hat and covered the lower half of his face.

In this way, Cheng Nuo inquired all the way, searched all the way, and finally found the Prussian Academy of Sciences, but he didn't expect that there was a good show waiting for him inside.

"President Hanak, I hope you will understand this, the first task of our institute is to meet the practical and scientific needs of the war situation during the war, and nothing else is for us to consider, and our main funding comes from war funds!"

[The problem of slow update of new chapters has finally been solved on the app that can change the source, download it here.]

In the auditorium, two people with different opinions were arguing with each other.

On the stage, the president of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society, the theologian Hanak who personally created the peak of German science, had a serious face.

Looking at the already tumultuous venue, thinking of the terrible situation of the First World War, Hanak was physically and mentally exhausted, but as the helmsman of the Royal Society William, he still got up from his seat and tried his best to calm everyone's emotions: "Professor Haber......"

Unexpectedly, the inventor of synthetic ammonia, that is, Haber, who had just made a sharp point, did not let the other party finish his words, and directly interrupted him: "President Hanak, I'm sorry to interrupt, I'm now in the rank of captain, don't call me a professor anymore, call me Captain Haber!" ”

Hearing this, Hanak was immediately stunned and speechless.

However, it is not to blame Haber for being so proud, it is precisely because he voluntarily proposed to the Ministry of War to take on the task of solving the problem of raw material supply, and when the Chilean nitrate mine was blockaded by the British and caused a serious shortage of synthetic ammonia in Germany, Haber was temporarily appointed as the head of materials and successfully developed the synthetic ammonia technology.

This technology not only produced ammonia in large quantities, but also alleviated the shortage of ammunition and agricultural fertilizers, and timely relieved the pressure on Germany in this regard, which is considered one of the main reasons for Germany's maintenance in the middle and late stages of World War I.

It is also for this reason that, with its unique intellectual background, the War Department saw the great military potential of scientific research, and the expected quick victory turned into a tug-of-war in the trenches, and the German side was under tremendous pressure economically, politically, and psychologically.

In order to break the situation, Haber led the Institute of Physics and Electricity to develop poison gas warfare experiments, in order to drive the enemy out of the trenches and quickly end the war, after which the military tasks undertaken by Physics and Electricity continued to increase, and Haber began to be fully responsible for poison gas warfare, including the selection and training of officers and soldiers, and the issuance of relevant combat orders.

It was because of this dedication that Haber was trusted by the German military, earning him the long-coveted "rank of captain" and changing the suffix on his business card from professor to captain.

Of course, in addition to the Institute of Physics and Electricity, there were also the Experimental Treatment Institute for Military Research, the Department of Bacteriology for Cholera and Typhoid, the Department of Chemistry for Glycerol and Glycerol Digestion, and so on, and the entire German scientific community served in World War I.

But it's still very rare to be so obsessed with Haber.

Seeing the other party like this, Hanak, president of the Royal William Society, couldn't help twitching his lips, hesitated for a long time, and finally decided to value peace: "Captain Haber." ”

Haber's lips turned up, and the remaining reserve didn't make him laugh too exaggeratedly: "President Hanak, I don't know what you command?" ”

Hanak was expressionless: "I don't know if you still remember the purpose of our Royal William Society?" ”

Haber frowned and thought for a moment, then shook his head helplessly: "Sorry, I don't remember." ”

Hanak cleared his throat, shifted his gaze from Haber's body to the audience, and said word by word: "Autonomy, freedom, basic research, may I ask all of you here now, what has the team behind you done?" ”

As soon as these words came out, the audience immediately fell silent, and everywhere Hanak's eyes went, everyone dared not look directly.

However, the hardliner Haupck was not so easily convinced, and stood up and said bluntly: "Science and military power are the two pillars of great Germany, and I don't think there is anything wrong with the research of our Institute of Physics and Electricity, and I want to announce one more thing here!" ”

Hanak asked, "What's the matter?" ”

Haber pulled out his chair, walked to the rostrum with a document in his hand, placed it in front of Hanak, and then turned around and announced to everyone in the audience: "Today I am here to solemnly tell you that our Institute of Materials and Electricity has officially added the title of 'Royal Prussia' representing the identity of the Empire, and changed its name to the Royal Emperor Wilhelm Institute of Prussia!" ”

After a pause, ignoring the face of Hanak on the stage, Haber continued to say feverishly: "Here I can clearly tell you that blind scientific research autonomy cannot be exchanged for scientific research funds, nor can it be exchanged for bread, as long as everyone joins our institute, manpower and funds can meet everyone's requirements......

"Enough, as the president, I solemnly invite you out now, you are not welcome in the Kaiser Wilhelm Society!" Seeing that the atmosphere of the entire venue was beginning to be distorted, Hanak clenched his fists and immediately snatched the loudspeaker to stop Haber's speech.

"Professor Haber......" Hanak tried to calm his anger.

"Please call me Captain Haber!" Haber didn't care

"Professor Haber, this is a scientific research conference, not a barracks for your military to preach, now please leave immediately, immediately, you are not welcome here!" Hanak's eyes widened with rage.

"Hmph, pedantic to the extreme!" Haber laughed angrily, shook his hand and got down from the rostrum, and did not forget to raise his arms and shout: "My dear colleagues, if you want to have sufficient funds, you can only join our institute this way!" ”

During this period, Hanak on the rostrum did not say a word, and it was not until Haber completely left the venue that he said slowly: "It is undeniable that because of the mediation of the institute established by Professor Haber, a large number of young scientists were able to be safely withdrawn from the battlefield, and we learned to preserve the vitality of the society."

However, it is precisely because of this that our main business, the field of basic research, has been greatly abandoned, and compared with the research in the field of war medicine, pure natural science research has had to take a back seat, and the fields of biochemistry, radioactivity, and organic chemistry have had to be discontinued.

In the long run, we will be farther and farther away from the forefront of international scientific research, and it will inevitably cost more human, material and financial resources to catch up......"

Hanak on the rostrum is trying his best to take the helm, but unfortunately Haber's influence is still remnant under the rostrum.

Cheng Nuo, who quietly came in to listen to the meeting in the last row, heard a few scholars complaining in a low voice, saying that they couldn't get by now, and there was no money to do further research, so how to talk about the next development.

Obviously, he is very envious of the Institute of Physics and Electricity led by Haber.

Although Cheng Nuo did not attend the entire conference, he could still understand that the German scientific community is currently divided into two major factions.

One is Haber, who researches practical science and technology and actively moves closer to the military, and thus obtains huge research funds.

The other is like Hanak, who studies basic science, has little value on the battlefield, and the scientific research funds obtained are very pitiful, and food and clothing have become a problem.

For the outsider Cheng Nuo, he doesn't want to join a certain faction directly, but hopes that everyone will fight as fiercely as possible, so that they can fish in troubled waters.

But at the moment, compared to Hanak who was high on the rostrum, Haber, who had just slammed the door, was obviously more valuable to Cheng Nuo.

Quietly leaving from his position, Cheng Nuo chased in the direction where Haber left.

In fact, in the past few days in Germany, Cheng Nuo has not directly contacted the target person.

First, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the local environment, and if there is an accident, it is better to get out as soon as possible.

The second is to investigate the actual situation of the target person, although there are records in the history books in my mind, but it is inevitable that there are some discrepancies with the actual situation, and blindly copying it will definitely not have a good result.

And it was during this period of investigation that Cheng Nuo's interest in Haber gradually increased above that of other scientific figures, such as Einstein, Planck, Plante and others.

In a society that had traditionally held prejudices about the Jewish people, Haber was not only not keeping a low profile, but was keen to gain scientific and political glory and social identity, a motivation that made Haber more determined than anyone else to devote himself to military research.

"Is this another kind of converting fanaticism in a sense? It's funny, but the great chemist who is so keen on chemical weapons is the only one in the world today, right? ”

Following Haber, watching him hurry, Cheng Nuo was thoughtful.

"But this year is both happy and sad for the great chemist, happy that he will soon win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, sad because Germany is about to lose the war, and there will definitely be some people in Berlin who will be liquidated...... For me, it can be a good thing. ”

After thinking about it, Cheng Nuo had a faint plan in his heart, and began to walk forward quickly and ran in front of Haber.

He bowed solemnly in the standard Japanese 90-degree manner, and then said, "Captain Haber, it's a pleasure to meet you!" ”

With what happened at the venue just now, Haber was in a bad mood, but now when he saw someone stopping him, he was about to get angry.

But when he heard the other party call him "captain", that anger immediately disappeared, and he smiled: "Young man, are you from the Far East?" Don't know what's going on with me? If there is any academic question I don't understand, I can answer it? Even the doubts of life can be answered one or two. ”

The corners of Cheng Nuo's mouth rose slightly, and then he got up and deliberately said with admiration: "Captain Haber, I am Watanabe Kazuno from Japan, and I am bothering you this time purely to admire your great achievements in military scientific research, and I am here to visit you." ”

Hearing that the young man was from Japan, the smile on Haber's face immediately dispersed, and he said bluntly: "Your country and my country are belligerents, I don't welcome you here, for the sake of admiring me, I won't call the guards, for the sake of your personal safety, you'd better leave quickly." ”

The smile on Cheng Nuo's face did not diminish in the slightest, but took a step forward: "No, no, no, Captain Haber, you misunderstood, it is the tradition of our country!"

Unlike those bureaucrats who are vegetarians, we not only don't want to have a bad relationship with your country, but also want to make friends with your country, especially in the chemical weapons that you are currently engaged in. ”

Haber took half a step back, looked up and down at the young Japanese man who didn't know the height of the sky, and said contemptuously: "Young man, you still have a long way to go. ”