Chapter 2 Ernst’s Change
In the early morning, the ancient and fresh air fills the land of Hechingen, and the traditional agricultural manor landscape shows full of vitality.
Green tree-lined paths, slow streams, busy farmers working in the fields, the towns and pastoral landscapes of Heisingen are naturally and harmoniously connected.
Ernst sat in the carriage and leisurely admired the beautiful pastoral landscape. Although the Industrial Revolution was vigorously unfolding in the hot soil of Europe, the remote and secluded Hechingen was not affected much. Tall black chimneys rising from the ground and the roar of machinery.
The population of Hechingen is neither large nor small. The streets are neat and clean. People come and go on the streets but not crowded. Small vendors set up small sheds facing the street sell vegetables and vegetables freshly unearthed from the fields. Fruits from other places and industrialized daily necessities appeared in some shops, but the types were single.
There are also small newsstands on street corners selling news. The introduction of compulsory education in Germany made newspapers popular among the public. Of course, it was also the contribution of Ernst’s grandfather. Ernst’s grandfather, Prince Frederick, was an enlightened monarch. Although he was politically incompetent, He made no achievements, but he really opened up the cultural and educational undertakings in Hechingen. He was very concerned about culture and art.
Many German literati praised him. At least the intellectuals in Hechingen benefited from it. Hechingen also has a relatively strong cultural atmosphere.
Today is the first day of Ernst’s recovery, and it is also the first time Ernst walks out of the castle to see this new world.
"Tom, stop for a moment and get today's newspaper." Ernst ordered his servant.
"Yes, Master!" The servant named Tom responded respectfully.
The coachman slowly parked the carriage in front of the newsstand. Soon Tom got out of the car and went to buy the newspaper. Ernst began to read the information in the newspaper.
"Stuttgart Weekly" (fiction)
Hmm...
Stuttgart is an important city in southwestern Germany. Newspapers are not new, but Germany at this time It has not yet been unified, and the newspaper and periodical industry is very chaotic. There are small local newspapers everywhere.
However, Ernst still felt that the newspapers of this era were relatively novel. They were different from the colorful newspapers of later generations. The contents of this kind of newspapers were diverse and densely packed with text. They lacked pictures and were not intuitive enough. Look, Ste was dazzled.
There are some municipal discussions above, which I won’t elaborate on here. Ernst didn’t have much idea about these, and he was new to it and found it difficult to resonate with them. Let’s read on.
"New King William I appoints Prussia's new Prime Minister, Bismarck may change Prussia", such a simple and unpretentious title.
At this moment, Hechingen has already been integrated into the Kingdom of Prussia, but it is still too early for Prussia to unify Germany. Hechingen and Sigmaringen next door belong to the Hohenzollern branch. In the early years, Prince Constantine and Prince Karl next door jointly promoted the two princely states to join Prussia, which could be regarded as two tentacles of Prussia in the less influential southern German region.
The newspaper briefly described Bismarck's resume. On April 14, 1847, the Prussian Federation Parliament opened and he was elected as an official member of the Berlin State. In 1851, he served as a representative of the Kingdom of Prussia at the Frankfurt Confederation Conference. He was soon promoted to ambassador and served for 8 years. In 1857, he was appointed ambassador to Russia. On September 23, 1862, he became Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary.
Then he analyzed the character and remarks of the new Prussian Prime Minister, and finally predicted that Prussia will undergo great changes.
The writing makes sense...
At least Ernst thinks so. Bismarck was indeed the leading figure in the unification of Germany. He and William I could be described as monarchs and ministers working together to create a unified and powerful Germany.
After all, Hechingen has already bought its future ship ticket and is on the side of Prussia, which can be regarded as contributing to the great cause of the unification of the German region.
However, these are too far away for the young Ernst. In fact, his own destiny is not controlled by himself. He did not become the helmsman when the wave came, and he was destined to be a lonely boat drifting with the tide.
Fortunately, my identity is different from what it used to be. I don’t have to struggle to survive in the cruelty of this era like ordinary people. Maybe I can go one step further and become a trendsetter of the times.
Although the current era is turbulent, the opportunities are beyond imagination. Having some information about the future is a natural way to take a step closer.
Of course, the premise is to integrate into the background of the times, otherwise good resources will be wasted, then there is nothing to complain about.
Ernst believes that no matter how capable you are, you can only eat a few bowls of dry rice. For yourself, you should cultivate your own abilities and grasp the pulse of the times, rather than having unlimited imagination.
Just like in the previous life, Ernst sneered at the remarks of many key government officials that they could do whatever they wanted. If the key government officials traveled through time and were in high positions, how could they govern the country well?
Facing the history that you know well, you can speak freely on the Internet, but when you are in it, you will find that things are not simple.
For example, in a country, if you accidentally know some information about the future, it is unrealistic to expect that your subordinates will obey your orders just by talking.
Faced with various complex situations, it is difficult to face them without systematic learning, such as those processes and rules.
If you become a leader, what should you do on the first day? Who is your own person? Whether those known geniuses will do things according to your own ideas is uncontrollable.
......
Ernst was an engineering consultant in his previous life. He had never been in a high position. He had almost no experience in commanding others, and he had no knowledge of official documents. Even a minor official at the village chief level may have more experience than myself.
Fortunately, I am young and can still learn. Now that we have the conditions, we naturally have to take the initiative to integrate into the new identity.
As Ernst thought about it, the carriage returned to the castle unknowingly, drove into the courtyard along the bluestone road, got out of the carriage, and was greeted by the old housekeeper.
"Master, I asked you to go to his study when you come back and discuss something with you." "I understand, Butler Keno." Ernst replied.
Following the instructions of his memory, Ernst walked towards the study on the second floor, stepped onto the wooden stairs, and came to the corridor on the second floor.
At the end of the corridor is His Highness the Prince's study. This study has an independent balcony with pleasing green plants and flowers. From the balcony, you can overlook the manor outside the castle. There is a wicker chair on the balcony. Every time Prince Constantine takes a break, he will lie on the chair and enjoy the sun to relieve fatigue.
Ernst walked to the door unhurriedly and knocked on the door of the study, knock...
"Come in!"
Twist the handle When he opened the door, he saw Prince Constantine sitting at his desk, flipping through the documents of the territory. When Prince Constantine saw his son walking in, he took off the glasses from his face and put them on the table.
"You're here, Ernst, how are you doing?" Constantine asked.
"Much better, father." Ernst stood aside respectfully.
"Well, I called you here this time to ask if you have any plans or ideas for the future."
"Uh..."
Enns Te thought for a moment and then said: "Father, I want to study on the mainland."
Hearing Ernst's answer, Constantine showed an imperceptible smile on his lips. I was very pleased with my son's idea, but I still pretended to be stern and asked: "As a nobleman from the German region, the Hohenzollern family has always focused on the military. Why do you want to learn from the British?"< br>
Ernst was a little nervous, but calmly explained slowly.
"Father, in fact, in my opinion, times have changed. In the past, the nobility was the most dominant party in Europe, but now with the development of industry, the power of capitalists is growing stronger in Europe. The French Before there was even a republic I guess what gave him. I think their encouragement and courage are capital, and why capitalists have accumulated huge amounts of capital in a short period of time is due to large-scale mechanized production..."
"Excuse me, they are just clowns. , Ernst, you think too highly of them!" Constantine said disdainfully.
"Father, please listen to me. The capitalists are indeed not strong enough to change the situation at present, but they are expanding too fast, such as the British Bill of Rights and the previous turmoil in France... In the future we The same will be true in the German region. Capitalists have more advanced production methods than ours, and industrialization has intensified the growth of capital. The accumulation of family wealth, if allowed to develop, will directly threaten the aristocratic rule in the future. How long has it been since the last Frankfurt Conference? "Constantine Mianwu will continue to do so in the future. He listened to his son's alarmism with an expression on his face and said, "Then what do you think?"
Hooked! Ernst explained to his father happily.
"I once heard an old saying in the East, if you can't beat it, join it. Why can't we nobles also use the capitalist model to accumulate wealth."
"Then you are not afraid of leaving the aristocratic group. What? You must know that as a noble, the most taboo thing is to lower your status. ”
"Father, please listen to me. The bustling world is all for profit, and the bustling world is all for profit. We nobles exist as a whole with common interests. As long as the family is prosperous, people will naturally come uninvited. .…”
After a long speech, Constantine seemed to be convinced. In fact, His Royal Highness the Prince, who has always been in a high position, doesn't care about this at all.
With his own huge business, Ernst could enjoy it for the rest of his life. It was better to be a second-generation man just waiting to die than to commit suicide.
You say this, but in fact Prince Constantine did not want Heixinggen to exterminate his heirs. It is strange to say that Heixinggen is the only seedling in the Heixinggen lineage, but the result is that his son is still the only seedling, and he still has a son in his old age. , Constantine’s biggest vision at present is that Ernst will grow up quickly, marry a wife and have children, and have grandchildren himself.
As for the glory of the nobility and the like, it is nonsense. Constantine’s father, Count Frederick, actually experienced the war against Napoleon, and he relied on the fact that he finally jumped to the rebel camp and gained the status of a winner. Although he himself also He works in the kingdom but has little practical experience.
The son's health is not very good (Constantin thinks so.) It is better to let him inherit the family business honestly. Of course, he would not speak out these inner thoughts to damage his authority as a father.
The influence of the Prussian boss mentality of this era still existed. The Junker nobles in North Germany, especially those in Prussia, left a deep impression on people. The nobles were indeed keen on serving in the army. develop.
Of course, more and more nobles began to pay attention to cultural education, but most of them actually invested in literature and art, and paid little attention to practical subjects. Some traditional conservative nobles even thought that practical subjects were those studied by the bourgeoisie. of.
Communication is the most important thing among nobles. In order to show their elegance and cultural literacy, most of them will learn these cultural and artistic things, and even fund and encourage artists in order to highlight their appreciation of art (they themselves have no level) The phenomenon of creating.
In this way, throughout Europe, the cultural and artistic centers most respected by the nobility were Paris and Rome.
But who was Ernst? Isn't it difficult for a former science and engineering boss to deal with these things? Moreover, influenced by society in his previous life, he also felt that the so-called liberal arts were indeed useless.
Of course it is different now. You must dabble in these things. After all, if you want to integrate into the aristocratic group, these things are dragon slaying skills. He thought so, but Ernst mainly wanted to go to Berlin to realize some of his fantastic ideas. But I definitely can’t say that myself.
(End of this chapter)