Chapter 2： Ernst's change

Chapter 2 Ernst's Change

In the early morning, the ancient and fresh air permeates the land of Hechingen, and the traditional agricultural manor landscape shows vitality.

Green tree-lined trails, long streams, busy farmers working in the fields, the town of Hechingen and the pastoral landscape are naturally harmoniously connected.

Ernst sat in the carriage leisurely admiring the beautiful pastoral landscape. Although the industrial revolution was vigorously unfolding in the hot land of Europe, the remote and secluded Hechingen was not affected much, and there were no tall black chimneys. And the roar of machinery.

The population of Hexingen is neither large nor small, the streets are clean and tidy, the streets are full of people but not crowded, and the small sheds built by small vendors facing the street sell freshly unearthed vegetables from the fields and fruits from faraway places. Industrialized daily necessities appeared in some shops, but the types were single.

There are also small newsstands selling news on street corners. The development of compulsory education in Germany made newspapers popular among the masses. Of course, it is also thanks to Grandpa Ernst. Ernst’s grandfather, Prince Frederick, was an enlightened monarch. He has made no achievements, but he has actually developed the cultural and educational undertakings in the Hexingen area. He is very concerned about culture and art.

Many German literati praised him, at least the intellectuals in the area of ​​Hexingen have benefited, and Hexingen can be considered to have a relatively strong cultural atmosphere.

Today is the first day of Ernst's recovery, and it is also the first time Ernst has stepped out of the castle to see this brand new world.

"Tom, stop and get a copy of today's newspaper." Ernst ordered his servant.

"Yes, master!" The servant named Tom replied respectfully.

The coachman slowly parked the carriage in front of the newsstand, and soon Tom got out of the car to buy the newspaper, and Ernst began to check the information in the newspaper.

"Stuttgart Weekly" (fictional)

Um…

Stuttgart is an important city in southwestern Germany. Newspapers are not new, but at this time, Germany has not yet been unified, and the newspaper industry is very chaotic. There are small local newspapers.

However, the newspapers of this era still make Ernst feel rather novel. They are different from the colorful newspapers of later generations. The content of this kind of newspaper is varied, and the text is dense, lacking pictures, not intuitive enough, and Ernst is dazzled.

There are some municipal discussions above, so I won’t go into details here. Ernst doesn’t have much idea about these, and he’s new here, so it’s hard to resonate with him. Let’s read on.

"The new king William I appointed the new prime minister of Prussia, Bismarck may change Prussia", such an unpretentious title.

At this moment, Hexingen has already been incorporated into the Kingdom of Prussia, but it is still too early for Prussia to unify Germany. Hexingen and Sigmaringen next door belong to the Hohenzollern branch. In the early years, Prince Constantine and Prince Karl next door jointly promoted The two princes joined Prussia, which can be regarded as the two tentacles of Prussia in the less influential South German region.

The newspaper briefly described Bismarck's resume. On April 14, 1847, the Prussian Federation Parliament opened and was elected as an official member of the Berlin State. In 1851, he served as the representative of the Kingdom of Prussia to the Frankfurt Conference of the Confederation, and shortly thereafter he was promoted to ambassador, where he served for 8 years. In 1857, he was appointed ambassador to Russia. On September 23, 1862, he became Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary.

Then analyzed the character and remarks of the new Prussian prime minister, and finally predicted that Prussia will usher in a big change.

Writing makes sense...

At least Ernst thinks so. Bismarck is indeed the leader of the unification of Germany. He and William I can be said to be of the same mind, and they have joined hands to create a unified and powerful Germany.

In the final analysis, Hechingen has already bought a future boat ticket and stood on the side of Prussia, which can be regarded as a contribution to the great cause of the unification of the German region.

However, these are too far away for Ernst, who is still a young man. In fact, his own destiny is not in his hands.

Fortunately, my identity is not what it used to be, and I don’t have to struggle to survive the cruelty of this era like ordinary people. Maybe I can go one step further and become a trend-setter of the times.

In the context of the current era, although the waves are turbulent, the opportunities are also beyond imagination. Grasping some information about the future is a natural way to strive for a step closer.

Of course, the premise is to integrate into the background of the times, otherwise good resources will be wasted, so there is nothing to complain about.

Ernst thinks how capable he is and how many bowls of dry rice he can eat. For himself, he should cultivate his own ability and grasp the pulse of the times, rather than unlimited imagination.

Just like in the previous life, Ernst sneered at the remarks of many Jianzheng answers that I can do it myself. If Jianzheng answered time travel and held a high position, how would he govern the country well?

Facing the history I know well, I can speak freely on the Internet, but when I am in it, I will find that things are not simple.

For example, in a country, you know some information about the future by accident, but it is unrealistic to expect the people under you to obey you with your mouth.

Facing various complex situations, it is difficult to face without systematic learning, such as those processes and rules.

If you become a high-ranking person, what things you should do on the first day, who is your own person, and whether those known geniuses will do things according to your own ideas are all uncontrollable.

…

Ernst was an engineering consultant in his previous life, and he had never been in a high position. He had almost no experience in commanding others, and his interpretation of official documents was completely useless. Even a small official at the village head level may have more experience than himself. .

Fortunately, I am young and can still learn. Now that the conditions are met, it is natural to take the initiative to integrate into the new identity.

Ernst was thinking, the carriage returned to the castle unknowingly, pressed against the bluestone road, drove into the yard, got off the carriage, and the old butler greeted him.

"Master, the master told you to go to his study when you come back, and discuss something with you."

"I see, Steward Keno." Ernst replied.

Ernst followed the instruction of memory, walked towards the study on the second floor, stepped on the wooden stairs, and came to the corridor on the second floor.

At the end of the corridor is the study of His Highness the Prince. 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 rattan chair on the balcony. Every time Prince Constantine rests, he will lie on the chair and enjoy the sun to relieve his fatigue.

Ernst walked to the door without haste, knocked on the door of the study room, boom...

"Come in!"

Twisting the handle and pushing the door open, I saw Prince Constantine sitting at the desk, flipping through the documents of the territory. Prince Constantine saw that it was his son who walked in, took off the glasses on his face, and put them on the On the table.

"You're here, Ernst, how are you?" Constantine asked.

"Much better, Father." Ernst stood aside respectfully.

"Well, I called you this time to ask if you have any plans, or ideas for the future."

"Well…"

Ernst pondered for a moment, then said, "Father, I want to study abroad on the mainland."

Hearing Ernst's answer, Constantine revealed an imperceptible smile. I was very pleased with my son's thoughts, but I still pretended to be stern and asked: "As a nobleman in the German region, the Hohenzollern family has always focused on military affairs. Why do you want to learn from the British?"

Ernst was a little nervous, but he calmed down and explained slowly.

"Father, in my opinion, times have changed. In Europe before, the nobility was the most dominant party, but now with the development of industry, the power of capitalists is growing in Europe. There was even a republic before the French. I think what gave them such encouragement and courage, I think it is capital, and why capitalists accumulate huge capital in a short period of time, it is the 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 enough to change the situation at present, but they are expanding too fast, such as the British "Bill of Rights", the previous turmoil in France...the same will be the case in our German region in the future, capitalists With a more advanced production method than ours, industrialization has intensified the accumulation of capitalist wealth. If they are allowed to develop, they will directly threaten the aristocratic rule in the future. Not to mention, how long has it been since the last Frankfurt meeting? Such a historical future will continue .”

Konstantin listened to his son's alarming words with a blank face, and said, "Then what do you think?"

Hooked! Ernst was overjoyed to explain to his father.

"I've heard an old saying in the East, join if you can't beat it. Why can't we nobles also use the capitalist model to accumulate wealth."

"Then aren't you afraid of leaving the noble group? You must know that as a great nobleman, the most taboo is to surrender your status."

"My lord father, listen to me. The prosperity of the world is for profit, and the chaos of the world is for profit. Our nobles themselves exist as a whole with common interests. As long as the family is prosperous, people will come uninvited.  … "

After a long speech, Constantine seemed to be convinced. In fact, His Royal Highness, who has been in a high position all year round, doesn't care about these things at all.

Having his own huge family business, enough for Ernst to enjoy for a lifetime, it is better to be a second generation who eats and waits to die than to die.

He said so, but in fact Prince Constantine didn’t want Heixingen to have an heir. It’s strange to say that Heixingen’s lineage is the only one, but his son is still the only one, and he is still the only child. Constantine is currently the oldest My vision is that Ernst will grow up quickly, marry a wife and have children, and have a grandson in his arms.

As for the glory of the nobility and the like, it is nonsense. Constantine’s father, Count Frederick, has experienced the war against Napoleon, and he relied on the fact that he finally jumped into the opposite camp to gain the status of a winner. Although he also served in the kingdom, he has actual combat experience. Basically no.

The son's health is not very good (Konstantin thinks to himself.) It's better to let him inherit the family business honestly. Of course, I will not say these things in my heart to damage my authority as a father.

The influence of the Prussian old and rough thinking mode still exists in this era. The Junker nobles in North Germany, especially the nobles in Prussia, left a deep impression on people. The nobles are indeed keen to develop in the army.

Of course, more and more aristocrats began to pay attention to cultural education, but most of them actually invested in literature and art, and paid little attention to practical subjects. of.

Aristocrats are the most social. In order to show their elegance and cultural literacy, most of them will learn these cultural and artistic things, and even encourage artists to create in order to highlight their appreciation of art (their level is not good).

In this way, throughout Europe, the cultural and artistic centers most admired by nobles are Paris and Rome.

But who is Ernst? Isn't it difficult for a former big boss of science and engineering to fix these things? Moreover, influenced by the society of his previous life, he also felt that the so-called liberal arts were really useless.

Of course it’s different now, these things must be covered, after all, if I want to integrate into the noble group, these things are dragon slaying skills. I thought so in my heart, but Ernst mainly wanted to go to Berlin to realize some of his whimsical ideas. But I certainly can't say that.

(end of this chapter)