Chapter 14
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Chapter 14: The Gathering of the Gods
Every November, a magnificent stage is set up in front of the Brandenburg Gate. The Regent calls November "Science Month" and holds a national science and technology award ceremony to honor great contributions made by scientists to humanity.
The Prussian State Science and Technology Award, also known as the Redel Prize, is the world’s first nationally recognized highest award in the field of science. It is awarded to members of the Prussian Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Engineering, as well as foreign members, with ten awards given out annually.
The prize money is ten thousand pounds, and the medal is a 160-gram pure gold cross medal. The front features an intricate eagle head carving, while the back displays the recipient’s name and the award date. The ribbon is made of black, red, and gold dyed silk fabric.
The prince regent thought the design of the medal was too simple, but others considered it extremely luxurious. A pure gold cross and an eagle emblem symbolizing royal authority – when have researchers ever been treated like this before?
In addition to the medal, prize money, and a week of newspaper coverage, recipients will have their names forever inscribed on the scientific monument in the center of Frederick Square. Statues of Frederick the Great have been moved to make room for the monument.
In the morning, the prince regent was being dressed by his servants. Today, he wore a brand-new white military uniform, simpler compared to the elaborate royal attire, with just a blue and purple sash added.
Stepping out of the palace, he stood on the steps and reviewed his royal guards.
Catherine had returned from the Apennine Peninsula as the captain of the Royal Guard, leading 24 Magic Energy Knights for inspection. Compared to five years ago, the Royal Guard had doubled in size, with Prussia’s top and most loyal Magic Energy Knights present. The slightly less elite ones would be with the Teutonic Knights.
The Ron Army Reform was in progress. The cavalry units were now dressed in bright white or pure black uniforms, the artillery units in cream color, the infantry in Prussian blue, while the Royal Guard had switched to iron gray, based on a design by Leader One inspired by the German army uniforms.
Today, the Chemistry Award ceremony was related to dyes and military uniforms. A 22-year-old named August Wilhelm von Hofmann had improved Prussian blue, making the dull blue more vibrant. He also accidentally invented the world’s first synthetic dye, Mauveine, earning him the top scientific award of the year.
The most expensive dye in the world was purple, the purer it was, the more costly. Various royal families and Grand Aristocrats could only use small amounts of dark purple, black purple, or red-purple shades. Only the Vatican possessed authentic purple clothing in limited quantities, a color exclusive to the divine realm in that era.
Although Hofmann’s invention, Mauveine, was not as pure or vibrant in color, it was easy to produce and had lower costs. The cost of one gram of Mauveine was equivalent to the weight of gold, only a third of what was required before.
He also improved the production process of Prussian blue, further reducing costs and enhancing its vibrancy from its original dull and dark shade.
These two inventions were enough for Hofmann to win the top scientific award of the year. He made remarkable contributions to the field of chemistry, enabling the Prussian Chemical Complex to dominate the dye market and providing the military with better uniforms.
The military uniforms of various countries in that era were all splendid and beautiful. When future generations saw the red colors of the English infantry, they often ridiculed them as being easy targets on the battlefield, which was not the case at all.
The colors of military uniforms represented a country’s level of chemical technology. The brighter and more beautiful the colors, the higher the technological and financial status of the country and the better the treatment of the military personnel.
Nowadays, why do people join the military? A big reason is that the Prussian army gives out a set of uniforms every year – one for spring and autumn, and another for winter. Soldiers who serve for two years can get four sets of uniforms.
Before that Hoffman guy improved the dye, the dull and rough navy blue military uniform was very popular. Most soldiers kept wearing it even after they retired, whether they were working in factories or farming fields. The Prussian countryside was filled with that blue military uniform.
The reason is simple: the military uniforms soldiers get are the best clothes they can wear in their lifetime for common folks. At least they are sturdy, neat in style, and have blue dye. That’s why they wear them for everything, to keep up their dignity.
Apart from the military uniform, their everyday clothes were very basic – made from whatever color the fabric was, as common people couldn’t afford dye. They couldn’t even afford the cheapest dull gray dye.
Hoffman made two inventions that allowed the Prussian army to update their uniforms. The infantry’s blue uniform became more beautiful, attracting ordinary people to join the military.
Your Highness the Regent decided not to use bright colors for their royal guard, opting for a simple design and iron-gray color. This color looked affordable, showing the prince regent’s thriftiness to the public.
If the whole army switched to iron-gray uniforms, nobody would want to join the military in Prussia… In short, for troops that face civilians, the brighter the uniform, the better. Nowadays, you don’t have to worry about camouflage colors.
Different eras have different tastes; in this era, people found bright colors handsome. Leader One designed the royal guard’s uniform based on the iron-gray uniforms of the defense army, but the guard members complained about it countless times.
Why does the royal guard always carry a solemn sword and have a serious expression the whole time? Because they think their iron-gray military uniform is just too ugly.
Only Captain Catherine was feeling happy with a smile on her face, because her custom-made all-black military uniform, dyed with pure black dye and a touch of purple, was absolutely stunning.
"It’s time to set off, Your Highness," said Catherine.
The prince regent gave one last check to his appearance, mounted his horse, and set off towards the Brandenburg Gate surrounded by the guards.
Besides the dye chemistry award, today there will be nine other awards given in various scientific fields. Faraday was awarded the magic energy science prize for his discovery of magnetic induction phenomenon, numerous research papers, and the invention of a magic energy detection device. Next year, the military plans to conduct a nationwide census on magic energy, with hopes to significantly increase the number of magic energy soldiers.
Gauss received the award for surveying and cartography for his meticulous mapping of Prussia over the past two years, including over 100,000 land survey data points. He made significant contributions to the field of surveying and mapping, and even though the Prussia General Staff Department wanted to promote him to the rank of Colonel, Gauss declined the offer.
Minister of Education, Humboldt, was awarded the education science prize for his contributions in establishing compulsory education for all, promoting a new type of university that integrates teaching and research. He also collaborated with Gauss on the precise mapping of Prussia and made strides in meteorology, geomorphology, volcanology, and plant geography.
Schwann was awarded the biology prize for being one of the founders of cell theory, the discoverer of Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system, the researcher of gastric proteases, the discoverer of the organic properties of yeast, and the creator of the term metabolism.
Liebig received the agricultural science prize as the father of organic chemistry. He discovered the importance of nitrogen for plant nutrition and conducted research on nitric compounds, cyanides, chlorides, and various acids. He also introduced the concept of "radicals" and identified the ethyl group in ethanol and diethyl ether.
Ohm was awarded the prize for electromagnetic physics for his paper on the relationship between the heat emitted by conductors and the intensity of the current, conductor resistance, and duration of current flow—known as Ohm’s Law. Although his paper was initially overlooked by the Royal Society in England, upon submission to the Prussian Academy of Sciences, he was immediately appointed as a foreign member and received this year’s top prize.
…
Every time Leader One looks at the award list, the list of candidates, and the list of members of the Prussian Academy of Sciences, he feels nervous. Not only are many important people from Germany gathered here, but scientists from countries like England, France, Russia, and Switzerland have also been recruited.
The Prince Regent of Prussia values wisdom and science, giving scientists a high social status and providing ample funding for research. This has attracted countless people to come and work here. Now, the Prussian Academy of Sciences is a place where gods battle each other fiercely for the top ten awards each year.
The Prussian Academy of Sciences has a partnership with Berlin University and also oversees a science and technology high school and elementary school, where talented young researchers are nurtured. Leader One casually flips through the class lists of these schools:
6-year-old Mendeleev, 7-year-old Lise Meitner and Nobel, 8-year-old Ross August Otto, 9-year-old Maxwell, 14-year-old Riemann…
Every time Leader One sees these scientific geniuses gathered in his academy and schools, he can’t help but show a grin. This is even more fascinating than cute girls. With this group of people, Prussia is bound to soar to new heights.
On the way to Brandenburg Gate, the prince regent instructs his attendants to reinforce security at the academy and its affiliated schools. These are precious treasures that must be protected at all costs. No one is allowed to harm them.
Catherine shakes her head, "Your Highness, you have emphasized the security of the academy countless times. You should pay more attention to those mad scientists so they don’t harm themselves."
Uh… Because there are quite a few chemists at the Prussian Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Engineering, each one is a master of explosions. They have almost blown up the farmland and forests of the Estate of Brandenburg Prince-elector. They should be assigned new and safer locations for their experiments.
If one day there is a sudden explosion accident, oh.. it’s too scary to think about, Leader One might just cry to death.
At ten in the morning, the annual science award ceremony began, with over two thousand people gathered on site, all idle rich middle-class citizens.
The award process was a bit boring, the award-winning scientists were all grateful, but the audience below the stage looked drowsy, people in general were still not interested in science, and didn’t understand the scientific achievements being read out.
The prince regent felt embarrassed, just after presenting awards to two people, half of the audience had already left. This wouldn’t do, they needed to give the scientists more recognition to attract more audience.
Catherine had a clever idea, "Why not change it to a military parade."
Leader One, "Great idea!"
So, Catherine brought her own Royal Guards cavalry over and started a parade at the Brandenburg Gate, the onlookers on the streets increased instantly, and in no time nearly ten thousand people gathered, is this Prussia…
Awards on stage, parade below, onlookers enjoyed the scene, scientists were happy to see such a grand event, everyone was happy.
