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 of Hechingen and the pastoral landscape 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, and there were no tall black chimneys rising from the ground. and the roar of machinery.
The population of Hechingen is neither large nor small, and the streets are neat and clean. People come and go on the streets but they are not crowded. Small vendors set up in small sheds facing the street sell vegetables freshly unearthed from the fields and fruits from other places. Industrial daily necessities appeared in some shops, but the categories 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 due to the contribution of Ernst’s grandfather. Prince Frederick, Ernst’s grandfather, 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 leaves the castle and sees 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 bought the newspaper. Ernst began to read the information in the newspaper.
"Stuttgarter Weekly" (fictional)
Um……
Stuttgart is an important city in southwestern Germany. Newspapers are not new. However, Germany was not yet unified at this time, and the newspaper industry was very chaotic. There were all kinds of small local newspapers.
However, the newspapers of this era still seemed strange to Ernst. Different from the colorful newspapers of later generations, the contents of these newspapers were diverse and densely packed with text. They lacked pictures and were not intuitive enough. Ernst was dazzled by them.
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 long 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 it. The two princely states joined Prussia, which was Prussia's two tentacles 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.
This is followed by an analysis of the character and remarks of the new Prussian Prime Minister, and finally a prediction that Prussia will undergo great changes.
The writing makes sense...
At least Ernst believed 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 further 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 his previous life, Ernst scorned the remarks of many political leaders that they could do whatever they wanted. If the political leaders traveled through time and were in high positions, how could they govern the country well?
Faced with the history that you know well, you can speak freely on the Internet, but when you are there, 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.
Facing various complex situations, it is difficult to face them without systematic learning, such as those processes and rules.
If you become a leader, you have no control over what 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.
…
Ernst was an engineering consultant in his previous life. He had never held a high position. He had almost no experience in commanding others. He also had no knowledge of interpreting official documents. Even a minor official at the village chief level might have more experience than him. .
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, stepped out of the carriage, and was greeted by the old housekeeper.
"Master, I have asked you to go to his study when you come back and discuss something with you."
"I understand, Steward Kaino." 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 Royal 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, bang, bang...
"Please come in!"
He twisted the handle and pushed open the door, only to see Prince Constantine sitting at the desk, flipping through the documents of the territory. Prince Constantine saw that it was his son who walked in, so he took off the glasses on his face and put them on the On the table.
"You're here, Ernst, how are you doing?" Konstantin 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."
"Well……"
Ernst thought for a moment and then said: "Father, I want to study on the mainland."
Hearing Ernst's answer, an imperceptible smile appeared on Constantine's 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?"
Ernst was a little nervous, but calmly explained slowly.
"Father, in my opinion, times have actually changed. In the past, the aristocracy was the most dominant party in Europe, 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 accumulated huge amounts of capital in a short period of time is because of 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. For example, the British Bill of Rights, the previous turmoil in France... This will be the case in our German region in the future. Capitalists control production methods that are more advanced than ours. Industrialization has intensified the accumulation of capitalist wealth. If they are allowed to develop, they will directly threaten aristocratic rule in the future. Not to mention how long it has been since the last Frankfurt Conference? Will this kind of history happen in the future? Staged.”
Constantine listened to his son's alarmism expressionlessly 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? You must know that as a great aristocrat, the most taboo thing is to degrade yourself."
"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 body with common interests. As long as the family is prosperous, people will naturally come uninvited. ... …”
After a long period of deception, 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.
He said this, but in fact Prince Constantine did not want Heixingen to exterminate his heirs. It is strange to say that Heixingen was the only one in the Heixingen lineage, but the result was that his son was still the only one, and he still had a son at an old age. Constantine is currently the biggest His vision is that Ernst will grow up quickly, get a wife and have children, and have grandchildren himself.
As for the glory of the nobility, it is nonsense. Constantine's father, Count Frederick, had experienced the war against Napoleon, and he finally jumped to the rebel camp to gain the status of a winner. Although he also served in the kingdom, he had actual combat experience. Basically no.
The son's health is not very good (Constantin thinks so). It is better for him to 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 developing in the army.
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.
Nobles attach great importance to communication. In order to show their elegance and cultural literacy, most of them will learn these cultural and artistic things. There is even a phenomenon of funding and encouraging artists to create in order to highlight their appreciation of art (they themselves have no level).
In this way, throughout Europe, the most respected cultural and artistic centers for nobles 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.