Chapter 6 War Approaches
January 14, 1864.
Recently, Ernst has begun to restrain himself, because Prince Constantine is coming to Berlin.
Prince Constantine came to Berlin from Hechingen for business. Constantine rarely left the countryside. Every time he left, something big was about to happen.
Ernst was busy with the great cause of industrial expansion every day, going back and forth between factories and schools. The study tour he had promised at the beginning turned into a permanent residence in Berlin, so he still felt guilty and lacked confidence.
Of course, Ernst knew that these "little things" of his were not worthy of Constantine coming to Berlin in person. They must be important military affairs.
Prince Constantine had the same status as a prince in Prussia. Although the princely state of Hechingen was merged into Prussia, his status was retained.
The Hechingen line basically has the traditional rank of field marshal. Constantine also held the false post of field marshal and served in the General Staff Headquarters.
This time I came to Berlin to participate in discussions on major events and prepare for war.
Ernst’s grandfather participated in the war against Napoleon. Of course, Hechingen participated in the war as one of the many German states at that time. Hechingen had previously been a member of the Confederation of the Rhine, a puppet regime supported by Napoleon.
Seeing the strength of the anti-French alliance in Europe, the old Margrave of Hechingen, Frederick, jumped in time and joined the victors' camp.
Later, after the war, Marquis Frederick turned around and devoted himself to education until his death.
Constantine later joined Prussia after a joint decision with Prince Karl, the speaker of Sigmaringen. After all, they were both members of the Hohenzollern family. There was no need to respond to Prussia's "call" to unify Germany. objection.
If you succeed, you will be considered a hero of the empire in the future. If you fail, the worst you can do is maintain the status of a vassal state.
Both are members of the Hohenzollern family. In Europe, a place where blood origin is valued, natural interests have brought the two branches closer to the increasingly powerful Prussian main line.
The New Hohenzollern Province where Hechingen is located is located in the southwest of Germany. There are many princes here. To the east is an important German state like Bavaria. To the west is very close to France. It is surrounded by Baden and Württemberg. It has a very prominent strategic position. .
As the birthplace of the Hohenzollern family, it is itself an important military fortress. It is also located in the South German region where Prussia has weak influence. Prussia attaches great importance to the Hohenzollern province.
As far as Ernst is concerned, the future war between Prussia and Austria will have no impact on his family. Hechingen is surrounded by Württemberg on three sides and the Principality of Baden on the other side. The main battlefield is in Bohemia borders the Prussian and Austrian empires. Even if Austria and Prussia do not follow the script for sneak attacks, Württemberg and Baden will be beaten first.
As expected, the Franco-Prussian War that followed was mainly in France, so our country basically suffered no losses in the series of German unification wars.
Before Ernst started his business, Hechingen was a traditional combination of military landlords. The main industry was agricultural rent collection and real estate income from various places, as well as Prince Constantine’s salary in the army. Even if a war broke out, It does not threaten any important industries.
Moreover, Ernst's own factories were all in Berlin. As long as there was no world war, Berlin would not have fallen.
As for the future, moving the industry to a safe zone before the outbreak of World War I will not be affected. The great changes in the world will not affect the wealth of the Hohenzollern in Hexing.
As for the big talk about saving Germany, Ernst said that he couldn't afford it. Europe is so busy and there are so many capable people.
If you want to have fun in Europe, you must have top-level resources and IQ. Small places like Hechingen cannot afford it. Small countries like Bavaria and Belgium have a certain influence and size on the European continent. Just got the admission ticket.
Only by relying on Prussia can Hechingen make big profits and accumulate capital in the future.
Ernst thought about historical events. It was probably that the Prussian-Danish War was approaching (the Second Schleswig War), and he wanted to speed up the construction of tobacco and lighter factories.
The military is a large consumer of tobacco, not to mention lighters, a sacred weapon of war. Thinking about the popular matches now, Ernst feels that there is still a market for kerosene lighters.
We must ensure mass production of these two things before the war begins, and then use the natural platform of war to accelerate recognition by the civilian market.
These soldiers come from all over the country, and when they return to their hometowns, they are natural propagandists. While Ernst was still making plans, Constantine had already returned from the palace.
The place where Ernst lived in Berlin was actually the family's ancestral property. After the rise of the Hohenzollern family in Brandenburg, the Hechingen family acquired a manor in Berlin as a liaison office. It is now a hundred years old.
Constantine would stay here every time he came to Berlin. Constantine's carriage was parked in the yard, and Butler Keno urged the coachman to pull the carriage away.
“Ernst!” Constantine greeted Ernst’s name cordially.
"Father, why are you here in Berlin? Has something big happened?" Although Ernst knew in his heart that his father was probably coming to Berlin for official matters concerning the war against Denmark, he still pretended to be confused.
"Well, I came to Berlin to contact the royal family on some matters. Of course, I also stopped by to see my son's career." Constantine said happily.
Ernst felt a little ashamed. He had been busy with business in Berlin and had not gone back to see his old father. Although he usually communicated by letters, he had been away for almost a year, but he had only gone back once last Christmas.
"Father, I will stay with you more in the future. I am too concerned about business that I am a little carried away." Ernst said to Constantine.
"Okay, why do I need someone to accompany me when I'm an old man? Something big is going to happen when I come to Berlin this time, so you don't have to think too much." Constantine stroked his hand. Ste's head then said: "You really gave me some surprises. I didn't expect that our family has a talent for doing business. I am ready to invest in nothing, hahaha..." Constantine joked arrive.
"Father, is the kingdom preparing for war?" Ernst changed the topic.
"Well, yes, but where did you hear the news?" Constantine asked seriously.
This kind of thing was kept secret before the war started, so it was not allowed to be careless. Ernst was still a child, and the royal family would not take the initiative to tell him, so Constantine asked cautiously.
“Father, you also know that the Kingdom’s army is an important customer of mine. Recently they have begun to order new supplies in large quantities, and some factories around Berlin have also begun to work overtime to produce. This is obviously to prepare for the army. ”
Seeing Constantine frown, Ernst began to increase his persuasion.
“Of course, some business owners have business dealings with us, so we can get some gossip. Moreover, the new prime minister of the kingdom is obviously not an ordinary character. When he first became prime minister, he threatened to fight with iron and blood. To solve the major contemporary problems. Now, it is obvious that force must be used to solve the kingdom's troubles."
Ernst said his "guess" in a few words.
Constantine looked at his son with relief and said: "That's right, it seems that the Hohenzollern family has another outstanding person, hahaha..."
Stop laughing.
“The Kingdom is contacting Austria and preparing to use force to force the Danish government to abandon the two German states of Holstein and Schleswig. Currently, the German Confederation has sent troops to Holstein, and Prussia also plans to Promote the independence of the Principality of Schleswig," Constantine continued.
“At present, other countries on the mainland are waiting and watching. The only countries that can really intervene are Britain, France and Austria. The Russians are still licking the wounds of the Crimean War, and the French do not dare to act rashly to avoid When the anti-French alliance reappeared, triggering the Continental War, the British navy had the strength to intervene, but the British preferred to pull the Russians into the water. As for Austria, , this time we will join the Austrian Empire to participate in safeguarding the interests of the German region.”
Constantine talked about it, but in fact this was a gamble. William I and Bismarck used the intrigue among the great powers to achieve international goals. At the same time, the Danish draft of a new constitution aroused the anger of the Germans and found an excuse for this war.
If things like national sentiment are properly used, Bismarck's emphasis on iron and blood can be realized to determine major contemporary international issues.
Bismarck could unite the many states and free cities in the German region by safeguarding the interests of the German region, and unify the forces of the German region with great righteousness.
At least in the North German region, Bismarck could achieve the penetration of Prussian influence to prepare for the future unification of the German region.
(End of this chapter)