Chapter 904

London, Tulip Palace. This was the palace where Queen Victoria of England lived and worked. Early in the morning, Prime Minister Murphy arri

London, Tulip Palace.

This was the palace where Queen Victoria of England lived and worked. Early in the morning, Prime Minister Murphy arrived here early.

“Lady Millie, please inform the Queen that the guests from the Great Yu Empire have arrived. The parliament members are now waiting for her.” When the palace housekeeper appeared, Murphy said impatiently, for in his opinion, this matter was very important.

Before Millie could speak, a dignified woman in elaborate attire emerged from the room. She was Queen Victoria, who had inherited the throne at sixteen.

“Viscount Murphy, I have not forgotten this important matter. Let us go and see what the scientific level of the Great Yu Empire is like.”

Victoria had pure golden hair, a fair complexion like winter snow, and fiery red lips. Every time Murphy saw her, he couldn’t help but be lost in thought.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Murphy averted his gaze. He now had a family; otherwise, he had no doubt he would succumb to this beautiful Queen, just like many young nobles in London now.

The Queen’s white-domed carriage had stopped in front of the castle gate. Murphy mounted his horse and followed the Queen’s carriage towards the House of Lords on Benjamin Street, where the British royal family, nobles, and parliament members were waiting for them.

“Viscount Murphy, are all the French scholars truly dead?” Upon entering the clean cobblestone streets of London, Victoria recalled the news she had just received.

Britain was too far from the Great Yu Empire. By the time she learned of this, over half a year had already passed.

“I cannot be sure. It’s hard to believe the French, after all, our relationship is not at all harmonious now,” Murphy frowned.

After the French Revolution, French capitalists controlled that country. Using steam engine technology stolen from Britain, French industry developed rapidly, and national strength grew day by day.

And for Britain, this was certainly not good news. Therefore, friction between the two countries was constant. France’s intervention in the North American war during this period brought relations to a freezing point. If not for their common interests in Asia, they would not have chosen to cooperate.

“So, that Great Yu Empire scholar might be alive. That’s truly bad news.” Victoria propped her chin and looked at the black smoke plumes outside London City. These were factories using steam engines in production.

After seven or eight years of concealment, the steam engine was no longer a secret to Europe. Especially after the Dutch purchased reciprocating steam engines from the Great Yu Empire, this made their painstakingly guarded technology cheap.

So, to earn the residual value of the steam engine, Parliament decisively decided to sell steam engines to other European countries. They would get them from the Great Yu Empire sooner or later anyway, so it was better to earn the profit themselves.

And facing the threat from the Great Yu Empire, those who had originally opposed the use of steam engines also fell silent, because Europe had for the first time encountered a true enemy in the world. This country was already using steam engines to build an industrial nation.

So, how could the noble Anglo-Saxons lose to the natives of Asia? They had a more solid industrial foundation, more talented people, and a more open academic atmosphere.

Thus, in this atmosphere, the application of steam engines was unimpeded. Factories belching black smoke appeared in every city in Britain, and the industrial products they produced increased day by day.

The only regret, however, was that they found this was not enough, because the Dutch’s observations in the Great Yu Empire were truly astonishing.

Passing by the River Thames, Murphy glanced at the bustling streets. Britain now was vibrant, like the rising sun, and every Briton felt confident about the future, until they encountered setbacks in Asia.

“This is indeed a very helpless situation, but at least we got the living scholars.” Murphy chuckled.

The two chatted as they arrived at the House of Lords.

At this time, the British royal family, nobles, and parliament members had already taken their seats. In the center of the House of Lords stood two Great Yu Empire men. At this moment, over ten famous British scientists surrounded the two, asking them something.

“Your Majesty, today is truly a good day.”

A slightly older, white-haired noble stood up. He was Duke Paxton, currently serving as Foreign Secretary.

“Indeed, it is a good day,” Victoria smiled. She took her seat. After years of struggle with the Conservative Party since her ascension, she now wielded real power in Britain through the Liberal Party.

Duke Paxton was her uncle. He held an important position in the Liberal Party, and she always valued him highly.

“Your Majesty, a month ago, we gained a clear understanding of the Great Yu Empire’s cannonballs and rifles. I must say their design is astonishing. Just a change in bullet shape gave the rifle even greater power, and this cannonball is even more exquisite.”

After Paxton, a middle-aged man stood up. He was from the British Association for the Advancement of Science. The task of deciphering the technology from the Great Yu Empire was entrusted to them.

“Baron Cordia, I think bullets are one problem, but rifling is another,” Murphy shrugged. Cordia held a high position in British academia. This scientist, renowned as a polymath, designed a series of machines.

“Of course, that used to be very difficult, but with the steam engine, rifling is no longer a problem. I think we should replace the old flintlock guns,” Cordia said.

“We cannot be left behind by France and the Netherlands. It is said that the Netherlands has purchased a large number of firearms from the Great Yu Empire. Most infuriatingly, Great Yu Empire warships have arrived in Europe under the guise of escort, and then returned brazenly. Shouldn’t the ocean be the backyard of our British Royal Navy?” Victoria said with a serious expression.

She looked at Cordia. “I’m afraid we are already technologically behind the Great Yu Empire, but we still have a chance to catch up. This all depends on you, for the sake of the British Empire.”

“For the Empire’s interests!” Everyone said in unison.

Now, they faced a very obvious problem: a powerful Eastern nation was rising, and most critically, they possessed the ability to voyage to Europe.

Victoria nodded slightly. She looked at the two Great Yu Empire traitors before her and said, “As long as you can teach us the technology, I am willing to bestow upon you titles, castles, and estates in the name of the Queen of England. The greater the changes you bring to Britain, the more you will receive.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” the two scholars, one tall and one short, said gratefully. For their own interests, they had betrayed their country. Having witnessed Britain’s prosperity and strength, their sense of shame gradually left them. Now, they desperately wanted to integrate into this new country.

For them, the price of betrayal was sufficient.

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