Chapter 281: Talent Plan
As Arthur had predicted, all his words were quickly printed and distributed by newspapers and media across the British Empire.
Of course, the first place where the reaction was felt was naturally London. As the capital of the British Empire, the population of London had long surpassed one million, even reaching a staggering 7.256 million.
This means that the population of London was already more than half of the total population of Australasia, which shows just how developed and vast the capital of the world's most powerful nation is.
Given that London had such a large population, Arthur's words in front of the royal tomb caused a massive stir in the city.
In particular, the statement about "here lies my father and grandmother, and now my uncle" immediately placed the high-ranking and influential Arthur into the category of a vulnerable figure.
Additionally, Arthur intentionally made the media emphasize the poverty gap between Britain and Australasia, leading many British people to believe that Arthur still lived in a relatively poor country.
Although many more rational individuals began to explain that Australasia had made great strides in development over the past decade and was no longer as poor, the media coverage had already created an initial impression. Some British citizens, upon learning that the per capita income in Australasia was only 47 Australian dollars—equivalent to just over 23 pounds—found it hard to accept, especially when it was less than half of Britain's current per capita income.
This reinforced the British public's perception of Australasia's poverty, and many began to sympathize with Arthur.
Starting the next day, many British citizens who had received the news began to march on the streets of London, demanding the government increase support for Australasia, not allowing Queen Victoria's beloved grandson to suffer in Australasia.
Arthur had always had a good reputation among the British, and his words had completely set off public opinion across the British Empire.
From June 19 onward, marches were also held around London, with people demanding that the government do more for Australasia.
Seeing the momentum of public opinion growing, Arthur nodded in satisfaction and ordered the media controlled by Australasia to cease further action. He decided to let British public opinion ferment on its own. More interference might make the whole situation seem less authentic.
The rising public sentiment and marches quickly caught the attention of both the British government and reactionary forces.
Aside from the British public's own interests, few individuals were behind these marches, yet with figures like Queen Victoria and Edward VII in the past, Arthur's name was also now among them after just a few remarks.
However, the British government didn't have the time or experience to handle the situation. If they didn't manage it properly, it could serve as an opportunity for the Conservative Party to attack the Liberal Party.
After all, this had stirred up tens of thousands of people in London and the surrounding areas. If left unchecked, the marches might grow to hundreds of thousands or even millions.
People tend to follow the crowd. If public opinion continued to grow unchecked, even if only a few people truly wanted to help Arthur, the crowds would keep growing.
George V, residing in Buckingham Palace, naturally heard about the public outcry in Britain.
He was astonished at how popular Arthur had become in Britain. If Arthur were not already the King of Australasia, George V might have been concerned about his own position being threatened.
The discussions that followed did not require Arthur to be involved directly. The task was entrusted to Prime Minister Walter and Foreign Minister Andrew.
Arthur only needed to receive daily updates on the progress of the talks and express his opinions.
Of course, this did not mean that Arthur would be idle. In fact, David, the European Royal Affairs Manager, sought an audience with Arthur and presented a list of British talents that could be persuaded to join Australasia.
This list had previously contained many names, but David had successfully persuaded a portion of them to join Australasia.
Some had gone to the United States and other regions, while others, still loyal to Britain, were not yet willing to leave the British Empire.
These individuals had already been removed from the list, leaving only a few new names or those whose loyalty was deeply entrenched, requiring Arthur to intervene personally.
Arthur quickly glanced at the list, which contained mostly physicists, chemists, medical researchers, botanists, historians, novelists, artists, and military scientists.
It was a diverse range of talents, with details so thorough that even the talents' parents and children were listed.
Additionally, there were details about where they lived, their food preferences, and their interests. This level of detail proved that David had conducted a thorough investigation.
This was good news as it significantly increased the chances of successfully recruiting these individuals.
Arthur found some familiar names on the list.
Among them was British microbiologist Wright, as well as his disciple, Alexander Fleming.
While Wright's name might not be widely known, Arthur was very familiar with his disciple, Alexander Fleming.
The reason was simple: Alexander Fleming was a famous British microbiologist who discovered penicillin in 1928.
The importance of penicillin cannot be overstated—it became one of the most powerful antibiotics ever found, ending the era when infectious diseases were almost untreatable and sparking a new wave of antibiotic research.
Fleming's discovery of penicillin brought immense contributions to humanity and medicine.
Penicillin, as a drug that could drastically reduce casualties during wartime, was of strategic importance to any country.
Arthur immediately decided to invite Dr. Wright first.
The reason for inviting Dr. Wright rather than Fleming was because of the backstory.
Fleming's academic journey had been somewhat turbulent. At the age of 13, he and his brother went to London to work, and it was only through an unexpected inheritance from his uncle that Fleming was able to attend St. Mary's Hospital Medical School.
After graduating in 1906, Fleming stayed at St. Mary's to assist Dr. Wright in immunology research.
At this time, Fleming was still working in Dr. Wright's lab, where he was Wright's most capable assistant.
The real reason Fleming chose to stay at Wright's lab was because, with his current credentials and reputation, it would have been impossible for him to gain access to a research lab without Wright's help.
Dr. Wright, being a kind and tolerant person, allowed Fleming to pursue his own scientific research independently, as long as it did not interfere with his own work.
This provided Fleming with greater space for independent research and helped him grow significantly during this time.
A year ago, Fleming had independently begun experimenting with immunizing against acne and had successfully improved the complicated testing methods for syphilis.
This earned him a reputation in the academic community and drew David's attention, placing him on the list of talents to be recruited.
Even though Fleming had achieved a lot on his own, he had not left Wright's research scope. Under Wright's guidance, he conducted a series of studies on phagocytes, complement proteins, typhoid bacteria, and many other subjects, significantly expanding his knowledge and skills.
Arthur certainly wouldn't let such a talent slip away.
While Prime Minister Walter and Foreign Minister Andrew were negotiating with the British government, Arthur, guided by David, visited Dr. Wright's laboratory and easily convinced Dr. Wright and Alexander Fleming to accept positions in Australasia.
This success was, of course, the result of Arthur's personal status and a large amount of money.
An invitation from a monarch, along with better salaries and more favorable conditions, made Dr. Wright's decision quite simple.
As for Alexander Fleming, he naturally had no objections to moving to Australasia, especially since the country could offer him better experimental facilities, funding, and support than he had received from Dr. Wright.
This first attempt to recruit talent was a resounding success, leaving Arthur in good spirits.
After reviewing the list, the next person Arthur intended to recruit was Henry Moseley, an exceptionally talented but not widely known physicist and chemist.
Moseley had discovered Moseley's law in X-ray spectra, but he was not very famous due to his decision in 1914 to abandon his scientific career and join the Royal Engineers.
That decision, however, would lead to his untimely death. In August 1915, while serving as a technical officer, Moseley was killed by a Turkish sniper at the age of 27.
Some American science writers had even written that "Moseley's sacrifice was the highest price humanity ever paid," given the groundbreaking achievements he had made in science.
In 1917, based on his research, Charles Barkla was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for discovering X-ray diffraction in various metals.
Ernest Rutherford once said about Moseley: "The first two years of his career were enough to win him the Nobel Prize." Many scientists believed that if Moseley had lived, he would have made even more contributions to atomic structure research.
With Moseley and Einstein's foundation, plus a large number of physicists and chemists, Arthur believed that Australasia could have invented the atomic bomb earlier than in the original history.
(End of Chapter)
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