CHAPTER 505: CHAPTER 499 LAYOUT IN WEST AFRICA

"Mr. Louis Pasteur, you did very well!"

For Jerome Bonaparte, the cholera vaccine produced by Louis Pasteur was not just a vaccine, but a significant network of connections.

If Jerome Bonaparte’s memory hadn’t failed him, a new wave of cholera would begin to spread at the turn of spring and summer this year.

At that time, the French Army fighting in the distant Near East would inevitably be affected by the cholera virus, and the vaccine in Louis Pasteur’s hands would become a sharp tool for Jerome Bonaparte to win over the troops.

Imagine, an officer who, unfortunately, got infected with cholera during battle and could only lie despairingly on a hospital bed waiting for death, suddenly received a vaccine graciously sent by the Emperor from faraway Paris.

In their desperation, they would surely beg the medical staff to administer such a vaccine, and for every life saved, Jerome Bonaparte himself would gain the loyalty of another officer.

Gradually, this accumulation would make Jerome Bonaparte’s position in the army more and more stable.

The First Division, Second Division, and Third Division would be more loyal to Jerome Bonaparte than ever before, and those ambitious individuals lurking in the shadows would have no choice but to continue to show loyalty to Jerome Bonaparte.

Thinking of this, Jerome Bonaparte felt he must secure the naming rights of the vaccine; he wanted the soldiers surviving cholera to instinctively remember him, Jerome Bonaparte, after getting vaccinated.

If it wasn’t possible, he would at least want to add the Bonaparte surname before the vaccine’s name, for example: Bonaparte-Pasteur vaccine, or Napoleon-Pasteur vaccine.

In order to achieve the goal of having his surname placed first, Jerome Bonaparte showed a warm-hearted expression and asked Louis Pasteur, "Mr. Pasteur, I think since this vaccine was developed by you personally, it should be called the Pasteur vaccine!"

Jerome Bonaparte understood that for someone like Louis Pasteur, who had very high moral standards, it was an indelible "stain" in his scientific career to be involved in cholera treatment and prevention.

If possible, Louis Pasteur would rather the entire world not know that he developed the cholera vaccine.

In such a situation where he couldn’t avoid it, how could Louis Pasteur allow Jerome Bonaparte to add his name to the cholera vaccine?

"Your Majesty, absolutely not! You promised to keep this a secret for me!" Louis Pasteur decisively refused Jerome Bonaparte’s proposal, and he earnestly begged Jerome Bonaparte.

"Then what do you think we should name this vaccine!" Jerome Bonaparte feigned indifference and asked Louis Pasteur, "An invention shocking enough to shake the world, worthy of ensuring the name of the christener is immortalized! I really can’t think of anyone else besides you who deserves such an honor!"

Louis Pasteur, after a brief silence, replied to Jerome Bonaparte, "Your Majesty! Since you say it is something that can immortalize a name, then I’d like to name it after your surname! Only the Bonaparte surname is worthy of matching it!"

The development was exactly as Jerome Bonaparte expected, with Louis Pasteur pleading for Jerome Bonaparte’s surname to add glory to the vaccine.

"This... I’d rather not!" Jerome Bonaparte showed a restrained yet rejecting expression to Louis Pasteur and said, "This is the result of the collective effort of your entire research institute, I did not participate! If I rashly add my surname to it, I’m afraid people will gossip about me trying to take credit for my subordinates’ achievements."

"Please don’t say that! If it weren’t for you, the vaccine would not have been developed! Everyone in our research institute can see your contributions to the vaccine, you fully deserve... no, the honor for the vaccine to bear the Bonaparte name is its greatest recognition!" At some point, Louis Pasteur also learned how to flatter, and he respectfully said this to Jerome Bonaparte.

However, Louis Pasteur’s words weren’t entirely off, from the establishment of the institute to its development, Jerome Bonaparte personally oversaw everything strictly, always approving double the requested funds for the institute.

It can be said that the development of the institute and the cholera vaccine was inseparable from Jerome Bonaparte’s support.

"Ah! Since you insist, I’ll reluctantly accept it!" Jerome Bonaparte responded modestly.

As the "cost" of "seizing" the naming rights of Louis Pasteur’s research institute, Jerome Bonaparte also added a bonus of 2000 francs for each person inside the institute.

"On behalf of everyone at the institute, I thank you for your generosity!" Louis Pasteur expressed his gratitude to Jerome Bonaparte.

"No problem! This is the reward you deserve for giving me!" Jerome Bonaparte reiterated what he said a few months back, "However poor we are, we can’t neglect education; however difficult things are, we can’t suffer the research!"

Thus, a cholera vaccine named Bonaparte Vaccine was officially produced, and it would be transported in the height of summer, a few months later, to the Near East region for the Allied forces’ use.

Under Jerome Bonaparte’s direction, the institute worked overtime to rush the production of the vaccine, hoping to provide it to every French soldier.

Subsequently, Jerome Bonaparte assigned Louis Pasteur the next task: researching several common diseases spread across the vast lands of West Africa.

Because, before long, Jerome Bonaparte would expand France’s sphere of influence in Africa, and some preparations were better made in advance.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Louis Pasteur responded to Jerome Bonaparte.

This poor scientist didn’t know that every invention he made would become an accomplice to France’s aggression.

Jerome Bonaparte said to him, "I received a report from the troops in the Senegal Region, saying that they are suffering from the diseases of the African land. There has been no progress in the liberation movement for the African people, and they are enduring the oppression of their tyrant rulers!"

As a member of the progressive forces, Louis Pasteur instinctively regarded the members of the African kingdoms as reminiscent of the feudal dynasties before the Great Revolution upon hearing the word "slavery." (In reality, the level of the West African dynasties was indeed that of a true slave dynasty era.)

Endowed with the spirit of national liberation, Louis Pasteur naturally couldn’t turn a blind eye. He promised Jerome Bonaparte that he would quickly develop prevention measures for several common diseases on the West African land, allowing our army to spread the concepts of French democracy, freedom, and liberation to West Africa.

"I thank you on behalf of the French Army!" Jerome Bonaparte expressed gratitude to Louis Pasteur, "If you wish, I will have the army confer upon you the rank of Honorary Major General!"

"No need, Your Majesty!" Louis Pasteur declined Jerome Bonaparte’s suggestion, saying, "What I do is merely my duty!"

"You are too modest!" Jerome Bonaparte continued to shower Louis Pasteur with praise, hoping he would serve the Empire.

Jerome Bonaparte and Louis Pasteur left the storage room, talking as they walked, and soon returned to the classroom.

As a teacher, Louis Pasteur, in a solemn tone, announced the graduation news to everyone present, bringing joy to the faces of the nurses in the audience.

After they each expressed gratitude to Louis Pasteur and left the room, Vilnius, the last one to thank him, came before Jerome Bonaparte and gave him a hug.

Burying her head in Jerome Bonaparte’s chest, Vilnius quietly asked if he had come especially to attend her graduation ceremony.

"Of course!" Jerome Bonaparte promptly responded.

In such a situation, it was only natural to go along with Vilnius’s wishes.

So, under everyone’s gaze, Vilnius took Jerome Bonaparte’s hand and walked out of the institute, boarding the carriage that brought them there.

Poor Mokar was "heartlessly" left behind at the research institute by his master.

The carriage sped towards the direction of the Tuileries Palace, with Vilnius resting her head on Jerome Bonaparte’s thigh, she looked up at him and said, "Thank you!"

"Thank you for what?" Jerome Bonaparte looked at Vilnius with a puzzled expression.

"Thank you for helping me deal with my cousin!" Vilnius said to Jerome Bonaparte.

"Oh, that matter!" Jerome Bonaparte recalled the letter from Cavour given to him by Vilnius’s handmaiden before Vilnius went for further studies.

In the letter, Cavour asked Vilnius to influence people to gain Sardinia a "ticket" to join the Anglo-French Alliance Army, and to help Lombardy and Venice break free from the clutches of power (as detailed in Chapter 447).

Jerome Bonaparte, who had originally intended for Sardinia to join the war, did a favor in return, and Cavour probably thought it was thanks to Vilnius’s influence.

Of course, Vilnius herself might also have believed it was her doing.

"It’s nothing!" Jerome Bonaparte gently stroked the smooth, white forehead of Vilnius.

"Over in Lombardy and Venice, will you help my cousin?" Vilnius asked Jerome Bonaparte again.

"That depends on how things develop! If one day France and Austria are indeed in a hostile relationship, I wouldn’t mind handing these two places to Sardinia! But the condition is that Victor Emmanuel himself must pay the corresponding price!" Jerome Bonaparte gave Vilnius a vague response.

"What price?" Vilnius instinctively asked.

"I haven’t thought of that yet!"

Of course, this was merely a well-intentioned lie from Jerome Bonaparte to Vilnius.