Chapter 278 Allicin
Franz came to his laboratory, with garlic already prepared. Of course, these garlics are strictly selected. They are undoubtedly mature, dry, free from insects and mildew; and they have been removed from the stems, divided into sections, peeled off the inner bark, washed with clean water, and removed from impurities.
It is first mashed into a paste and then dehydrated at low temperatures.
(Low temperature dehydration does not mean below zero, but below a certain critical value. For example, 50-60 degrees is suitable for garlic.)
After grinding it into powder, add absolute alcohol, then seal it with a lid to allow the allicin to fully release and dissolve in 24-48 hours.
Pour it into the filter to obtain relatively pure allicin, pour it into a chicken heart bottle, and heat it to 78 degrees to allow the alcohol to evaporate. The chemical properties of allicin will not be destroyed until it is above 80 degrees.
Then it is filtered again, and the purity of the allicin is greatly improved. After low-temperature dehydration, it is ground into powder and put into special seaweed capsules. The outside is sealed with a metal hose and can be stored for up to 6-12 months.
Of course, this is just a laboratory method. In fact, the procedures and methods of industrial production will be slightly different. However, this was Europe in the 19th century, not the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Mass production of such a simple drug was still possible.
After mass production of this thing, a considerable number of quack doctors in the Austrian Empire will be laid off. Of course, it will also lead to the problem of misuse of antibiotics, so the price can only be raised to limit this situation.
Since the production cost of this drug is very low, profits will be very high. However, its popularity was not very obvious in the early stage, so the main targets for procurement were still the military and government officials, as well as overseas colonists.
Of course, Franz has no intention of promoting this drug on a large scale in the early stages. There is no doubt that its biggest beneficiaries will be Britain, France and the United States.
The consequence was that the colonial efficiency of these countries skyrocketed. Coupled with the existing quinine, there was no need to go through a long process and the carving up of the world could be completed within just ten years.
For Austria at this time, the colonies it owned had reached the limit that it could support. Building more territories would not only prevent development, but would also increase defensive pressure, so it was meaningless.
The most deceptive thing about this thing is that the technology content is extremely low, and it is effortless to copy. Even with the Qing's technological level at this time, it is only a matter of time before it can be copied.
Therefore, even if Franz gave up 99% of his interests, it would be impossible to slow down the pace of Britain and France. It would be better to directly register a patent and then desperately raise the price so that everyone cannot afford it.
So a drug that cost only a few pfennigs was suddenly raised to 20 florins. (1 florin equals 120 pfennig)
But its appearance directly revitalized the vitality of the Austrian colony. Together with quinine, it could resist almost all disease threats at that time.
Especially in the hot and humid Indochina, the combination of allicin, quinine and bleaching powder has greatly reduced the local mortality rate and the spread of the disease.
In the Jiulongjiang Plain, those liberated slaves felt as if they had stepped into the paradise world; as long as they were diligent and worked hard, not only would they not enjoy the treatment of whips, but they could also have three meals a day and even have private property. Not a problem either.
The introduction of various medicines and treatment methods made the locals awe of the mysterious country of the Austrian Empire.
Almost all of the spies sent by Emperor Shaozhi to the Zhenla ecclesiastical area to inquire about intelligence were instigated by missionaries to rebel. Naturally, these servants of God would not give up on these lost lambs.
So they were sent to Vietnam after receiving some training and education. These spies also successfully developed downlines, and their tentacles even extended to the Royal Palace in Hue.
The results of the First Austro-Vietnamese War also reached Siam (Thailand) at this time. As a peerless wise king, Rama III generously sent a horse, gold, silver, jewelry, and beauties to his powerful neighbor in the east in a timely manner, as well as a series of unparalleled gifts. Treaty of equality.
Even the iron ore that Franz had always coveted was given to Austria, leaving no one with any reason to find trouble.
At the same time, due to the deepening of trade between the two countries, war has gradually become an option with negative returns. In order to ensure that other powers cannot annex Siam, Austria regularly sells weapons to it at low prices.
Although Rama III always appears to be at the mercy of others, the equipment in his hands can already equip him with a considerable army.
At the same time, because the great powers made money from Siamese people, those civilians had always firmly supported the royal family to fight against foreign invaders. Franz didn't know whether a country with the ambition to monopolize Thailand would be attacked by a group of powerful powers, but it was true that they would most likely not be able to take over this country at all.
In fact, the great powers came here to colonize for the purpose of seeking wealth. As long as you can make money, who cares who owns the land. Franz is naturally no exception. The only previous excuse for war to fill the gap in iron ore no longer exists, and there is no reason to adopt the approach of fishing for all the benefits.
Moreover, if you are bitten by a fish or hurt yourself while frying fish, it will be even worse than the loss.
Let us turn our attention to Africa. The entire Austrian West Africa, except Namibia, has fallen into cotton fever. Due to the unprecedented development of the textile industry in the Austrian Empire, which not long ago dominated the entire Central European market, the demand for raw materials has naturally increased exponentially.
At this time, only cotton income was stable in its West African colonies. For other commodities, either the price fluctuates greatly or the demand is unstable, making it impossible to judge the expected returns. In fact, when he visited chiefs in West Africa before, Franz also gave suggestions on promoting coffee, cocoa and rubber there.
However, in view of the long growth cycles of those crops (coffee takes 5 years, cocoa takes 4 years, rubber can take up to 8 years, and cotton takes up to 5 months), we finally gave up on this idea temporarily. After all, economic benefits and the laws of crop growth It cannot be changed artificially.
As mentioned before, before ending his journey to West Africa, Franz gave the local chiefs, or more precisely the future planters, two options. One was to trade in the traditional barter mode, and the other was to exchange Anticipate banknote purchasing patterns for transactions.
The former is mainly about obtaining cheap industrial products and weapons. This model is very familiar to the indigenous people, and they are happy to accept it. In this model, the empire can not only make huge profits, but also dump some of its goods.
Few tribes would choose the latter, after all, they did not understand the actual function of these pieces of paper. However, as the first chief who dared to eat crabs appeared, other onlookers discovered that the purchasing power of this expected currency was completely beyond their imagination.
Don't underestimate this thin roll of paper. With just this piece of paper, tribal members can go to Austria to freely purchase the supplies they want. The only drawback is that you can only hire Austrian boats, and you have to pay a portion of the cost for the round trip.
But these indigenous leaders, who were initially skeptical, saw that this was a perfect opportunity. If they grasped it well, it would be an opportunity for them to leave Africa and join the European Union.
Although the direct profits generated by the empire will be slightly less under this model, once those tribes adopt the second model, they will be unknowingly included in the Austrian economic system.
In the long run, it is obvious that the latter has higher returns, will have more significant control over the colony, and can also cultivate a group of "elite elements" for free.
When all the elites of a country or a nation betray, the success rate of its own resistance is almost zero. This evil balance can only be broken by a stronger external force.