Chapter 190 Farewell and explanation
"Your Highness, this is an urgent message from East Africa!" The staff in the telegraph room sent a telegram with the latest date to Ernst's office.
Ernst took the telegram and read it: "In March 1869, in the city of Mbeya, the personnel officer Becker and the military commander Merk were sent as envoys... The Yeke Kingdom was basically captured, and a small number of areas were occupied by surrounding indigenous forces. Annexation.—Student, Chief of Staff of the East African Army, Sweet.”
"Okay, it's really rare! I didn't expect that a diplomat would show up so quickly. Tom, how do you think I should reward this Becker?" Ernst asked Tom.
"Your Highness, Mr. Becker was born in the Wallen region of Prussia. He once participated in the Kingdom's army and later retired to participate in the East African colonial activities organized by you. To be honest, Becker is not young and will not stay in East Africa for long. It is better to give him directly. He and his family received two huge bonuses, which were split into two accounts at the Bank of Hechingen," Tom said.
"Let's not talk about anything else, why should we divide it into two parts?" Ernst asked doubtfully.
"Young Master, people's hearts are unpredictable. People like Mr. Becker who work for East Africa live in two places with their families all year round. To be honest, it is difficult for us to investigate their family situations, so we will divide this bonus into two accounts, and we can also use it in the future." Provide an insurance policy for Mr. Becker,” Tom explained.
After listening to Tom's words, Ernst fell into deep thought. He lay on the back of the chair with his head raised and blinked at the light.
"What you said is very good! Tom, families are complicated. Not everyone's family is happy, and the relationship between family members is very good.
At the beginning, the first batch of people who ran to East Africa might have gone to the East African colonies to escape their families, or they might not have adapted to life after retirement.
In any case, they all sacrificed their lives for our Hechingen royal family, and we cannot ignore their later lives.
In this way, you can make statistics on the family situation of the first batch of mercenaries and see if there are any changes. If you have any difficulties, you can record them first. I will come up with a plan to take care of them later. Ernst ordered.
"Yes, Your Highness," Tom replied.
…
"Father, this is the bodyguard captain I assigned you, Anderson. They will be responsible for your safety along the way.
After arriving in East Africa, you should live in Dar es Salaam for a while to adapt to the local climate. Your father-in-law and mother-in-law also live there. You can visit them if you want.
After you adapt to the local climate, you can go to the first town. By the time you arrive in East Africa, the Sweet Palace in the first town will probably be built.
If you don't understand anything, you can send me a telegram. The telegram from the first town can contact me directly.
..." Ernst explained to Constantine nonstop.
"Okay, okay, I got it. My head is spinning. If there's anything I don't understand, can't I just send you a message and ask you? It's so long-winded." Constantine said impatiently. said.
"Oh, aren't I worried about you?"
"Okay, hurry up and help me get everything on the boat. I have never seen any big winds and waves in my life, and I still need your education." Constantine said.
Ping An - a simple and unpretentious name.
This is currently the largest ship under Hechingen. It travels very steadily on the sea. It is also equipped with a steam power system and can maintain a constant speed even when there is no wind.
It was originally positioned as a merchant ship, mainly transporting goods, but in actual operations, it will arrange for mixed loading of people and goods.
This large ship can be regarded as the main force among the East African immigration ships, but it was temporarily transferred by Ernst. After more than ten days of modification, the ship took on a completely new look.
All facilities are fully equipped. In order to strengthen maritime defense and avoid pirate attacks, Ernst specially invited a Dutch ship expert to upgrade the defense system of the Peace.
At the same time, three purely armed ships will be responsible for escort work this time.
The merchant ship originally used for immigration and loading had an extra large space reserved, but this time, in addition to the sailors and security personnel, only a few of Prince Constantine's cronies and servants were temporarily staying on the ship.
"The environment of this boat is not bad. If it were not drifting on the sea, it could rival the manor where I live." Constantine said while sitting on the sofa in the bedroom.
"Father, don't speak too soon. You will have to stay at sea for at least a month. By then you will know how boring it is." Ernst said.
"A month will pass in a matter of seconds. It won't be like what you said." Constantine said.
"I can't help you. I have prepared a lot of wine and drinks for you on the boat, as well as various kinds of food. There are not many people on your boat, so there is plenty of food and drinking water.
There are five shelves of books in your study room, which is convenient for you to relieve your boredom on the road. I also specially equipped a game room for you on the ship. If you want to be bored, you can play cards and chess with your entourage..." Well Str introduced the facilities on the ship in detail.
"Okay, I got it. You don't need to tell me about such small things. Kainuo will arrange it when the time comes. I have a bunch of people here to take care of me, so you don't need to worry about it.
It's you. After I leave, your tasks will be heavier. You have to move around the Prussian royal family more. I won't be able to contact you personally in the future. If there is anything that can't be solved, remember to contact your Uncle Karl. He used to He was the Prime Minister of Prussia and concurrently the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Army. Although he has retired now, his influence in Prussia is still very great. With his presence, William I and Bismarck will also give this young man some face. ” Constantine directly entrusted Ernst’s time in Prussia to Prince Karl Anton.
Karl Anton first worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the annexation of Sigmaringen to Prussia, and later served as Prussian Prime Minister and concurrently Army Commander-in-Chief from 1858 to 1862.
Later, when the old king died and William I succeeded to the throne, Prince Karl retired. After all, once an emperor and a courtier, William I was ambitious and prepared to strengthen Prussia's military power, while Prince Karl opposed Prussia's military expansion.
The reason why Prince Karl is like this is that on the one hand he is relatively conservative, and on the other hand he is a good friend of Napoleon III of France and pays more attention to the relationship between Prussia and France.
This is also the reason why Napoleon III supported Carol I to become the king of Romania. Hechingen and Sigmaringen both belonged to the Rhine League established by Napoleon and were inextricably linked to France.
However, Sigmaringen is obviously more closely connected with France than Hechingen. After all, Constantine faded out of politics early.
At present, it seems that William I and the new government have indeed brought great changes to Prussia. Several successive wars have allowed Prussia to directly annex the entire North German region.
However, William I still respected Prince Carl. In addition to being his father's important minister, he also belonged to the same family.
Bismarck, the current Prime Minister of the Kingdom, was also a subordinate of Prince Karl. Prince Karl also had a strong influence in the military. Both of his sons served in the Prussian Army. Leopold still holds a powerful military position. This is also From the side, it reflects the status of the royal family of Sigmaringen in Prussia.
Various deeds also show that Hechingen is indeed inferior to Sigmaringen now, even if it has two colonies in East Africa and Alaska.
After all, in the eyes of Europeans, a Romanian throne is much more valuable than the so-called overseas colonies.
Ernst had to admit this. If there was a ready-made throne to inherit, Ernst might choose Romania.
The conditions in Romania are really good, especially from the perspective of Romania's historical development. There are several opportunities. If we can make good use of them, we can become a well-known big country, and at best, we can maintain the status of an important European country.
Although Africa has great potential, there are no ready-made cases. Development step by step depends entirely on Ernst's own exploration in this life, which is a coexistence of risks and opportunities.
However, Hechingen has bet on the route of overseas colonial expansion. It is unclear how it will develop in the future, and the future fate of the two royal families is also unknown.
Regardless of the future fate of the two royal families, it cannot change the close relationship between Hechingen and Sigmaringen.
In Europe, Hechingen and Sigmaringen are not only the closest relatives, but also the closest political allies. With the care of Prince Karl, Ernst can still walk sideways in the Kingdom of Prussia.