Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Conference Call

The Iron Lord's hatred of Dr. Sarrazan was well known.Everyone knows that he came to build a city to rival the city of France.However, people did not expect that he would ravage a peaceful city and destroy it by force.However, the article in the "New York Herald" clearly stated so.The journalists of this authoritative newspaper have found out about Mr. Schulz's plot, and, they have said, action must be taken at once! The venerable doctor was at a loss at first.He, like all righteous men, has difficulty immediately in believing in evil.He thought it was impossible, how could anyone be so crazy that he wanted to destroy a city that could be said to be the common wealth of mankind for no reason, or purely for self-promotion.

"Think about it, our average death rate this year will be less than 1.25 per cent!" he exclaimed innocently. Not a single murder or robbery has been committed since its creation! And yet some savages have come to destroy this very useful experiment, which has just begun! No! I cannot believe that a chemist, a scholar, even if he is a German through and through , will do such a thing!" However, this newspaper fully supports the doctor's cause, and its reports cannot be disbelieved, and corresponding measures must be taken immediately.After the first shock had passed, Dr. Sarrazan collected himself, and said to his friends:

"Gentlemen, you are members of the Citizens' Committee, and you share my duty to do whatever is necessary to save this city. What should we do first?" "Is there any possibility of reconciliation?" asked Mr. Lentz. "Is it possible to avoid war with dignity?" "That's impossible," said Octave. "It's clear that Mr. Schultz wants war at any cost. He hates us to death and won't agree to a settlement!" "Good!" cried the doctor, "we'll do something about him. Colonel Hendon, do you think there's any way to deal with the Stalstadt guns?"

"Any man-made power can be effectively defeated by another man-made power," replied Colonel Hendon, "but never try to defend ourselves by the same means that Mr. Schultz used against us. .It will take a long time to make a weapon that can compete with his weapon, and I don't know if we will be able to make it, because we lack special factories. Therefore, we have only one chance of salvation, and that is to prevent the enemy from approaching us so that they cannot surround us." "I am calling a Citizens' Committee immediately," said Dr. Sarrazan. The doctor led the guests to his study.

It was a simply furnished room with shelves full of books on three walls, and on the other side, beneath a few paintings and some artwork, a row of numbered loudspeakers, resembling old-fashioned hearing aids. "Thanks to the telephone," he said, "we were able to hold a meeting in the town of France, each in his own home." The doctor rang the bell and immediately communicated the meeting notice to the homes of all committee members.In less than three minutes, the voices of "Here!" came from various lines one after another, indicating that the meeting had started.

Dr. Sarrazan went to his receiver, rang the bell and said: "The meeting is now . . . I give the floor to my esteemed friend, Colonel Hendon, who will report to the Citizens' Committee a most serious matter." The colonel also went to the microphone, and after reading the New York Herald article, he demanded immediate preliminary preparations. As soon as he finished speaking, Unit 6 asked him a question: "If the methods the colonel intends to use to prevent the enemy's attack fail, do you think you can stand it?" Colonel Hendon answered in the affirmative.This question and answer, like the previous speech, was conveyed to every invisible committee member at the same time.

Machine No. 7 asked the colonel how much time he estimated the people of France would have to prepare. The colonel could not estimate this, but he said that preparations must be stepped up as if he would be attacked within half a month. Machine No. 2 asked: "Do you think it is better to wait to be attacked, or to preemptively strike?" "Every effort should be made to pre-empt the strike," replied the colonel. "If the enemy lands from the sea, we will torpedo and sink Mr. Schultz's ship." On this suggestion of the Colonel, Dr. Sarrazan proposed to call a conference of the best chemists and the most experienced artillery officers, and ask them to study carefully the plan that Colonel Hendon had handed them.

Unit 1 asked: "How much will it cost to start preparing for defense immediately?" "Fifteen to two million dollars must be prepared." Machine 4 asked: "I propose to call the general assembly immediately." Dr. Sarrazan said: "I propose a vote on this recommendation." Two rings from every telephone signaled that the bill had been passed unanimously. It is half past eight.The Citizens' Committee had been in session for less than eighteen minutes and did not disturb anyone. The assembly of the people is held with equal simplicity, and almost with the same rapidity.As soon as Dr. Sarrazan informed the City Hall of the results of the committee's vote, the electric bells erected on the top of the pillars at 280 intersections in the city immediately rang in unison.There is a luminous disc at the top of these columns, and the electric pointer immediately stops at 8:30—the time for the meeting.

The bell announcing the opening of the meeting rang for more than a quarter, and all the residents heard it. They all hurried out of the house, looked up at the nearby electric clock, and knew that something urgent was calling them, so they all rushed to the city hall. rush to. When it was time for the meeting, that is to say, in less than forty-five minutes, all the residents attending the meeting were present.Dr. Sarrazan had already taken the main seat, and all the committee members sat on either side of him.Colonel Hendon waited under the podium to speak. Most of the citizens already knew why this meeting was called.It turned out that the discussion of the citizens' committee was automatically recorded by the city hall's phone, and it was immediately sent to various newspapers. In the form of a bulletin, it was issued and posted.

The city hall is a hall with a glass roof, which is ventilated. Rows of gas lamps are installed on the roof, which illuminate the hall brightly and brightly, and the sharp ridges of the vaults are clearly illuminated. The participants were all standing, very calm, no noisy, everyone was smiling.They were in good health, always leading a full, regular life, full of self-confidence, so no one was agitated by nervousness or anger. At 8:30, as soon as the chairman of the meeting rang the bell, the audience immediately fell silent. The Colonel stepped onto the rostrum. Colonel Hendon at once spoke in a concise, powerful language, without rhetoric or exaggeration--the language of those who know what they are going to say, and who know the nature of things so well that they can explain clearly and clearly. —recounting Mr. Schultz's deep hatred for the City of France, for Sarazan and its cause, and for Schultz's appalling preparations for war to destroy the City of France and its inhabitants as published in the New York Herald.

"It is up to the citizens of the City of France to choose what they think is the best course," continued Colonel Hendon, "many who have no guts and no patriotism may prefer to abandon their country to invaders who seize their new country." But my humble self has long been convinced that the cowardice of such a man would find no response among our fellow-citizens. Anyone who has been able to understand the greatness of the goal aspired to by the founders of the Model City, who has been able to accept the People who follow the city's decrees must be brave and thoughtful people. They are loyal representatives and fighters of the cause of progress. They are willing to do their best to save this unparalleled city! To save this city and improve the destiny of mankind Monuments! Their duty is to give their lives for the cause they represent." His words aroused thunderous applause from the audience. Immediately, several people took the stage to speak, and enthusiastically supported Colonel Hendon's speech. Dr. Sarrazan, therefore, at once stressed the necessity of setting up without delay a committee of defense to take all emergency measures and to keep the military operations strictly secret.His proposal passed. At the meeting, a member of the Citizens' Committee suggested that it was necessary to pass a temporary fund of five million dollars to meet the needs of urgent preparations.The proposal was voted on by a show of hands and was unanimously agreed. At 10:25, the meeting ended, and several leaders had been elected in the city of France. Suddenly, an unexpected thing happened. On the rostrum that had been vacant for a while, a stranger with a very grotesque appearance suddenly appeared. This figure seems to have come out of magic.There was an expression of terror in his resolute face, but his demeanor was calm and resolute.His clothes were covered with mud, and were almost wet to his body, and blood was dripping on his forehead, which meant that he had just narrowly escaped death. When everyone saw him, they all stopped.The stranger waved his hand violently, telling everyone not to move around and to be quiet. Who is he?from where?No one, not even Dr. Sarrazan, thought to ask him. However, everyone soon found out who he was. "I have just escaped from Stalstadt," he said, "Mr. Schulz has sentenced me to death. But, God forbid, I have arrived in time to try to save you. There are still people here." Know me. I hope that my esteemed teacher, Dr. Sarrazan, can tell you that although my appearance has become so that even he cannot recognize me, you can all rely on me Marcel Brickmann of!" "Marcel!" exclaimed the doctor and Octave at the same time. The father and son were about to pounce on Marcel... Marcel stopped them again with a wave of his hand. He was indeed Marcel, miraculously alive.When he was almost suffocated, he broke open the iron fence of the water channel, and the current washed his unconscious body out.Fortunately, as soon as he stepped out of the iron fence, he was outside the city of Starstad. Two minutes later, Marcel was washed to the river bank outside the city. If he survived, he was finally free! Hours passed, and the brave young man lay motionless in the darkness of night, in the wilderness where no one could come to rescue him. It was broad daylight when he regained consciousness.He remembered everything at once! … Thank God he has escaped the damned Starstadt at last!He is no longer a prisoner.He was thinking of Dr. Sarrazan, his friends, his countrymen! "They! They!" he called out aloud. With all his might, he finally stood up. It is ten leagues from the city of France.Ten leagues, without roads, without carriages, without horses, and through the deserted wilderness that surrounds this gloomy city of steel!He covered the ten leagues on foot without stopping, and at a quarter past ten he came at last to a place near the town of France. Notices were plastered on the walls, informing him of everything.He knew that the inhabitants were aware of the danger that threatened them, but he also knew that they did not understand the imminent danger, and especially that they did not understand what kind of danger it was. The catastrophe Mr. Schultz has concocted was supposed to take place at eleven forty-five tonight... and it is already a quarter past ten. Just make the last effort.Marcel rushed through the city like an arrow from the string, and at 10:25, just as the meeting was about to adjourn, he rushed to the rostrum. "It's not a month from now, my friends," he cried, "and it's not a week from now that we'll be attacked! It's not an hour from now that a catastrophe like no other, a rain of fire and iron, will fall. In this city of yours. A mighty and terrible weapon, capable of reaching ten leagues, is aimed at this city as I speak. I have seen such a weapon. Therefore, women and children, hurry up and seek shelter in a strong cellar, or go to the mountains for a while! Strong men, hurry up and get ready, and do everything possible to fight against this rain of fire and iron! Now, this is not Your only enemy! The enemy's army has not yet come to you. The enemy who threatens you dismisses conventional methods of attack. You know the viciousness of Schulz. If his plot succeeds, if If he hadn't made a mistake for the first time in his life, the city of France would be attacked in many places at the same time, and it would be a sea of ​​​​fire! The fire will burn if you talk about it. So, anyway, save people, because your houses, you Buildings and even entire cities will be burned down, but with money and time, they can be rebuilt!" In Europe, people would have thought Marcel was crazy.In America, however, even the most unexpected marvels of science are not easily denied.Everyone listened to what Marcel had to say, and, thanks to Dr. Sarazan, everyone believed what he said. Not only were everyone impressed by his words, especially his tone of voice, so they all believed that what he said was well-founded, and no one thought of arguing with him.It was enough that Dr. Sarrazan vouched for Marcel Brickmann. Immediately some orders were issued, and messengers rushed in every direction to convey them. As for the townspeople, some went home and hid in cellars, resigned to the horrors of the bombing, while others, on foot, on horseback, or in carts, took refuge in the country, behind the slopes of the Cascades. In the meantime, the able-bodied man hastened to gather all that was capable of extinguishing the fire--water, earth, and sand--in the Grand Place and in the places Dr. Sarazan had appointed. At this time, in the conference hall, people continued to discuss. However, at this time, Marcel seemed to have only one problem in his mind, and he had no time to think about other things.He said nothing more, but muttered the following words: "Eleven forty-five! Is that goddamn Schultz really going to kill us with his goddamn invention?" Suddenly, Marcel pulled a notebook out of his pocket.He waved everyone to silence, then, pencil in hand, scribbled a few figures on a page of his notebook.Afterwards, everyone saw that his brows gradually relaxed, and his face became beaming. "Ah! my friends!" he exclaimed, "my friends! If these figures are not deceiving, all our fears will pass like a nightmare. The problem of ballistics is very obvious. Well, I've been calculating it before and never found the right answer! Now it's clear that Mr. Schultz miscalculated! The danger he threatens us with is only his dream! He's got it wrong once in science What he declares will never happen, cannot happen! His dreadful shells will fly over the city of France, and will not fall in the city, so if there is any fear, it will be in the future! " What is Marcel trying to say?Can't everyone understand what he said? At this time, the young Alsatian told everyone the result of the calculation he had just finally worked out.His voice was clear and loud, and he explained the process of his calculation in a simple and simple way, even laymen were stunned.This is really seeing the blue sky through the clouds and mist, and the heart is peaceful when the clouds are gone.Not only did the shell fail to fall into the city of France, but it failed to hit "anything".It must have disappeared outside the atmosphere! Dr. Sarrazan nodded frequently, agreeing with Marcel's calculation method.Then, pointing to the clock in the hall, he said: "In three minutes, we'll know whether Marcel Brickmann or Schulz is right! In any case, my friends, we must not regret that we have taken prudent measures to defeat our enemies. We must not relax in the slightest. If the enemy's shells fail to hit us, as Marcel just reassured us, then this is by no means the last shot! Schultz He hates us so much, he will never admit defeat, and he will never let it go!" "Follow me!" cried Marcel. Everyone followed him to the main square. Three minutes passed.The big clock is pointing to eleven forty-five! ... Four seconds later, a big black guy flew through the sky, and in an instant, with a scream, it disappeared far away from the city. "Bon voyage!" Marcel laughed loudly, and shouted loudly, "Mr. Schulz's shell, with such an initial velocity, has now left the atmosphere and will never fall to the ground!" Two minutes later, there was only a loud noise, like a dull sound from the center of the earth! It was the sound of the bull-tower cannon firing, a hundred and thirteen seconds slower than the velocity of a shot at one hundred and fifty leagues per minute.