Chapter 347 Why War
The air is particularly fresh at night after the rain. The temperature is not high after the sun goes down in late spring and early summer, so walking by the river is quite pleasant.
Frederick found a maza and sat by the water. He had just made a nest with wheat that had been fermented in water for two or three days and had become stinky. He was hanging bait and preparing to go into the ditch.
Around and on the other side of the river, the guards commanded by Tony have dispersed, and the originally lively buzz of insects has become sparse.
As the commander-in-chief, he has less time and opportunities to go to the battlefield personally than before, and now he focuses more on strategizing.
Now that the dice has been thrown, the next step is the stage for the soldiers to perform. Only unplanned events will find Frederick.
But this does not mean that he can ignore it. As long as he does not sleep, the staff will send battlefield reports every half an hour.
Tony came over, bent down and whispered to Frederick: "Your Excellency, Paul, the editor-in-chief of "White Stork Times" asked if he could interview you now."
Frederick He curled his lips, these reporters really knew how to exploit every opportunity.
Today, the most influential newspaper in Wessen is the official "Wessen Daily". In the past two years, "Carpenter's News", "Sewing Needle", and "Primary School Student's Daily" have appeared for specific groups of people. 》 and other newspapers, as well as various tabloids, just a month or two after publication, the water meter was checked because they did not apply for a license.
"White Stork Times" was founded two months ago by a group of students who just graduated from Weissenburg University this year. Its main readers are citizens in the city. Its content mainly focuses on market trends and policy interpretations. It has already gained a certain reputation. Influence.
In this war, reporters from several newspapers were allowed to interview in the army. Some were waiting for big news at the headquarters, and some carried their bags and followed the army and squatted on the front line to eat bricks and biscuits.
Where there are people, there are rivers and lakes. These reporters tried their best to get big news, and they even went to great lengths to interview Duke Wesson.
Paul saw that the guards were not there, so he took the initiative to find them.
Frederick thought for a while, nodded and agreed to let him come over and ask someone to bring another horse over.
Paul was a handsome-looking young man, and he was accompanied by Frederick's secretary, who would record the conversation between the two.
Frederick looked at Paul for a while and asked: "You are one of the first batch of local students admitted to Weissenburg University, right?"
"Yes!" Paul looked Very excited, "I didn't expect the principal to remember me."
Frederick smiled politely and said: "You can ask three questions, don't be too loud, it will scare away the fish."< br>
Paul opened his notebook, took the pen, and asked seriously: "There is a saying recently that this war can be avoided. What does the principal think?"
Frederick replied: "The apparent cause of this war is that the son of the Grand Duke of Franconia committed intentional homicide in Wesson and is about to be sentenced to death. But regardless of this incident, the war will come. It's just time." That’s all.”
Paul’s eyes were bright, and he felt like he was going to get lucky today. No one had ever mentioned this argument before, and the person who proposed it was Duke Wesson, so no one dared to despise it.
At the same time, he mourned for the juniors who were still in school. The final exam that was about to begin had to increase the number of test points urgently.
Frederick looked at the slightly swaying buoy on the river and said: "'The economic foundation determines politics, and war is the continuation of politics.' I think this sentence should appear in the entrance examination for civil servants."< br>
Paul began to mourn in his heart for the candidates who took the civil service entrance examination this year.
Frederick continued: "The development of Wesson is different from any period in history. This difference is essential."
"Outsiders only see the advanced machines in our factories. This is It is obvious, but we fail to see where our real strength lies, which is a heart containing fraternity, equality, unity, and openness.”
“In this land, people can be independent regardless of their origin. Being discriminated against due to appearance, belief, and wealth, you can rely on your own intelligence and hard work to obtain the wealth you deserve."
"As we all know, Metzger used to be a pig butcher, and his wife is the daughter of a hotel owner. No one in the army looked down upon him because of his humble background. Through his own efforts, he made achievements worthy of being recorded in the history books. Because of his diligence, he ranked no lower than the top five in the military academy. Now he is about to become a knight. "
"Huo Zhenploz, who caused a lot of trouble some time ago, used to be a big thief who could scare children so much that they didn't dare to cry. He came to Weisen State with the victims. I was like that at that time. Knowing his identity, I saw that he still had kindness in his heart, so I decided to give him a chance. He has lived up to my expectations and has grown up from nothing to a family through his own hands. The owner of the factory. He also helped many people and is now elected as a city councilman and has become a respected gentleman.”
"Hoffman, who was secretly envied by many people, was a serf who could be seen everywhere in the village ten years ago. He didn't know the alphabet as many as his fingers, and he only had one piece of clothing to wear at home in the winter. People said he relied on He got what he has today because of my appreciation, but has anyone ever thought about why he stood out among so many workers in the carriage factory? And who has ever thought about why he could only be a tolerant before coming to Wesson? The hungry and frozen serfs lived an enviable life after coming to Wesson?"
"The answer is obvious. Our land of fraternity, equality, unity and openness provides great benefits to those who work hard. A stage to display your talents.”
“With the joint efforts of everyone, Weisen’s economic development has reached unprecedented heights.”
“The products we produce are better than others. , cheaper, and Wesson’s products can be seen wherever people live.”
“Wesson’s development is inseparable from the efforts of businessmen, who bring raw materials that can be seen everywhere. The world offers the best goods under the sun.”
"In my opinion, businessmen are to Wesson just like blood is to the human body. They are extremely important and indispensable." "In such a good situation, we should see where there are problems."
“Because our textiles are cheap and strong, people who used to make a living by weaving at home could not sell the cloth. Because of the emergence of the cultivator, farming does not require so many people, and a large number of Farmers were driven out of their farms because ready-made furniture and utensils were cheaper, and the craftsmen's wares were left gathering dust on the shelves."
"This happened all the time in the Franconian Duchy and the Confederation of Legens. , the local lords did not regard the farmers as human beings and drove them away like garbage."
"This is why I ordered the opening of the border a few years ago. We cannot ignore the ignorance of people. They died like wild dogs in the cold and hunger, so just like ten years ago, I stretched out my hand to them and brought them to this land of fraternity, equality, unity and openness, and let them look at my hands. Feed yourself.”
"Our friendliness has been treated with hostility. Greedy careerists regard beautiful people as natural enemies."
"Outlanders working in Wesson will bring a year's labor income with them every New Year. When they returned home to reunite with their families, what they were waiting for was not the smiling faces of their relatives, but tax cards one after another, and tax collectors who were as hungry as wolves. "
"Can you imagine, when Hoffman returned home in the past? There are more tax cards passing by at one time than his wife, and each tax card is drawn at least one out of ten, leaving only half of a year's hard-earned money."
"What's even more chilling is the careerists. ! ”
“To transport our goods down the Elbe River to the city of Hanma, we need to pass through the Principality of Franconia. After transporting them to Bohemia, we need to pass through Tire to be transported further east. The layers of tax cards in these two places have increased the cost of goods by at least five times.”
"The lords in some places even introduced incredible laws, forcing passing merchants to sell one-tenth of the goods they carried at very low prices."
"I went to talk to them two years ago. They punished us a little, but they intensified their efforts while we were out to recover Constantinople."
"In the past two years, the amount of goods exported by Weisen State to these two directions has been cut off twice. , businessmen cannot make money, factories cannot sell goods, and workers have no wages, which has greatly affected the economic order of Weisen State."
"For the sake of businessmen, factory owners, and workers, these things must be eliminated. Greedy people who don’t let us live a good life, this battle is inevitable.”
During his tirade, Frederick caught two fish the size of a finger, and Paul beside him was so excited that his face flushed and he penned his pen for a moment. Never stopped.
It is foreseeable that tomorrow's front page headlines will be so explosive that we have to contact the printing house to print more copies.
After asking the first question, Paul asked the second question: "What contribution does the principal plan to make in this war?"
After asking the question, Frederick had a look on his face. Depressed, he curled his lips and said: "I will not go to the front line anymore. I will just sit in the headquarters and let Franz and the others perform on their own."
"My abilities alone are limited. If I If you do everything, others will not be able to exercise and grow."
Frederick said it grandly, but the real reason is that he is not married yet and has no heirs who can be included in the genealogy, Duke Wesson. There is no heir to the title or the land.
If he accidentally gets "clicked" on the battlefield, the excitement will be huge.
Now a consensus has been reached within the top management of Weisen State that he will not be allowed to go to the battlefield until he has at least two official children. Illegitimate children do not count.
Frederick had nothing to say about this. Although Maria was sixteen years old this year, he planned to wait until the Germain Cathedral was built to hold the wedding there.
During this period, no one can die, and if he does, he will not have the right to inherit, because tradition believes that the child has not been blessed by the God of Light and will bring a curse to the things he inherits.
Normally, people don't pay attention to these things, but it is different when it comes to the inheritance of titles. If it is not handled properly, we will wait for a civil war.
Anyway, it's enough to have participated in the hunt for the Dharma God before. Let's give our subordinates a chance to make contributions.
Paul wrote down the answer to the second question and asked carefully: "Excuse me, Your Majesty the Duke, the wedding of His Royal Highness Prince Rudolf is about to be held. Will you leave the battlefield and go to Cologne to attend the wedding?"
The relationship between the royal family of the Rhine League and Duke Wesson seems to be pretty good. Duke Wesson is also one of the prince’s teachers. At the same time, Wesson serves as the finance minister of the Rhine League, and actually gives all the power to the prince. On the surface, Can't find a problem.
But the men in high positions know very well that the huge gap between the two sides is just a single-plank bridge, which is not as beautiful as it seems.
So people regard Duke Wesson's attitude towards the prince's wedding as a weather vane.
Frederick said calmly: "I am not free, but the gift will arrive."
Then he added: "That is an unprecedented gift."
(End of this chapter)