Chapter 556: Be Prepared
The young eagle will always spread its wings and fly high, and Annie has already been mentally prepared.
But flying so high all of a sudden was beyond Anne's expectation.
If there was no such thing as Valdemar, Polis would most likely have stayed with George and Anne throughout his life and would not have traveled far away.
At the age of 17, he was pushed to the position of king, which was a blessing and a disaster for Polis.
Valdemar is the perfect example.
If Valdemar had not been invited to be King of Bulgaria, Valdemar would not be so miserable now.
Polis looks pretty good now.
But as he grows older, Polis will taste the sweetness of power sooner or later. Will Polis develop greater ambitions like Valdemar?
Anne is worried that Polis will make the same mistake as Valdemar.
George was actually worried, but he didn't show it in front of Anne. Valdemar's resources were not at the same level as Polis's. As long as Polis didn't fall on the wrong team, Polis's king would be as stable as a rock.
Valdemar's biggest mistake was that he thought that with the support of William II, he could use the strength of the Kingdom of Bulgaria to leverage the political structure of Europe.
This is not ambition anymore, it is purely a dream.
Polis is very pragmatic. He knows what he can and cannot do. Since what Bulgarians need most now is to recuperate, Polis will simply do what he is best at: spreading money.
After all, Polis is not like someone who knows the future historical direction and can make the most correct choice at every key historical node.
Polis's greatest luck is that he has such a person by his side.
After recruiting pilots in Varna, Polis visited veterans and issued pensions to the families of fallen officers and soldiers.
Like the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Bulgaria has not established a comprehensive veterans' security system. Not only are the pensions for fallen officers and soldiers pitiful, but veterans who are injured and disabled cannot even live a guaranteed life. Many people Because he didn't want to drag his family down to wander outside, he even committed suicide.
Pollis kept George's reminder in mind, and while paying attention to the disadvantaged groups, he did not forget his basic base.
Polis’s base is not the disadvantaged groups, but officials and gentry.
This sounds a bit rebellious, but in an era when disadvantaged groups did not even have the right to vote, officials and squires, or the aristocracy, were the king's base.
30 years after the founding of Bulgaria, two kings were deposed.
The Kingdom of Bulgaria had only two kings before, and the dethronement rate was 100%.
Being kind to the disadvantaged groups can help Polis win the support of the lower class civilians.
Protecting the interests of the aristocracy and sharing the world with the scholar-bureaucrats is Polis's talisman.
Brusinov went on a killing spree in Burgas, which made the Bulgarian aristocracy fully realize that King Polis was completely different from the two previous kings who were not very capable and ambitious. The guns of the Kingdom of Bulgaria, In the hands of Polis.
Fully aware of this, the Bulgarian aristocracy is reasonable and law-abiding.
In the six months since arriving in Bulgaria, Polis has visited all cities in Bulgaria and finally has a general understanding of the situation in Bulgaria.
As a standard agricultural country, the wine industry is the economic lifeline of the Kingdom of Bulgaria. Although the quality of Bulgarian wine is good, there is still a big gap compared with French wine.
When George and Anne passed by Constantinople, Polis took the initiative to ask George this question, hoping that George could help with suggestions.
"Simple, send a telegram to your uncle and ask him to buy all your wine."
Anne's way of solving the problem is simple and crude. If Mario is willing to help, he can indeed give Polis a good price. . Last winter, Mikhail was hospitalized due to illness, and George's eldest cousin Mario temporarily took over Mikhail's job.
This spring, Mario officially took over and became the helmsman of Amur.
“This does not fundamentally solve the problem.”
Polis did not want to go through the back door. It is better to teach people how to fish than to teach them how to fish.
"What the French sell in wine is not the quality, but the French culture and lifestyle. Are you sure you want to compete with the French?"
George is not optimistic that Bulgarian wine will beat French Champagne.
As the same saying goes, it is a good thing to have ideals, but ideals must be based on reality.
George still wants to sweep across Europe today and star in the sea tomorrow.
"I hope that the United Academy of Sciences will improve grape varieties and brewing methods. Even if it cannot compete with French Champagne in high-end red wine, Bulgarian wine can gain more share in the mid- to low-end wine market."
Polis's words made George very happy. It was important to recognize himself.
The pillar industry of the Kingdom of Bulgaria is not only red wine, but also cigars.
When it comes to cigars, many people’s first reaction is Havana cigars.
The quality of Bulgarian cigars is also very good. Although they are not as famous as Havana cigars, they are not as expensive as Havana cigars. The sales volume in Europe is quite good.
George reminded Polis that if we want Bulgaria's agricultural products to gain better profits, we must change the current situation of Bulgaria's agriculture and use groupization and scale to compete with other countries.
Bulgarian agriculture has great potential. French businessmen often go to Bulgaria to purchase wine, bottle it after returning to France, and sell it all over the world under the name of French wine.
If Bulgarian wine wants to become famous, it must build its own brand, establish an agricultural product federation, and compete with French wine.
However, George's focus is not on Bulgaria's economy, but on the increasingly tense situation in Europe.
Polisi's ideals are good, but when a world war is about to break out, everything must serve the military, and Bulgaria is no exception.
Even if Bulgarian wine can compete with French wine, when the world war breaks out, all countries will focus on their military and all economic activities will be controlled. No matter how good the quality of Bulgarian wine is, it will be useless.
George reminded Polis that he could not focus all his energy on cash crops and fill the belly of the Bulgarians first before talking about other things.
With the support of the Russian Empire in peacetime, Bulgaria's food supply will not have any problems.
But if the Russian Empire no longer exists, where will Polis get food?
The Bulgarians cannot be allowed to eat grapes every day.
"Is the situation so serious?"
Polis was a little hit. During this time, his energy was in Bulgaria and he neglected to pay attention to the situation in Europe.
"Be prepared. As a king, you cannot place all your hopes on the Russian Empire."
George reminded Polis, don't think that everything will be safe if you rely on the Russian Empire. .
(End of this chapter)