In the early morning, the ancient and fresh air wafted over the lands of Heixinggen, the traditional agricultural landscape brimming with vitality.
The green tree-lined paths, the leisurely streams, and the busy farmers working in the fields all blended naturally with the town and rural scenery of Heixinggen.
Ernst sat in the carriage, leisurely enjoying the beautiful pastoral landscape. Although the Industrial Revolution was unfolding vigorously across Europe, the remote and tranquil Heixinggen was not greatly affected. There were no towering smokestacks rising and no mechanical roar.
Heixinggen had a moderate population, with clean and tidy streets. People came and went on the streets without causing congestion. Street vendors sold freshly dug vegetables from the fields and fruits brought from afar. Some shops carried industrialized household goods, but with limited variety.
At the street corner, there was a small kiosk selling newspapers. The development of compulsory education in Germany made newspapers popular among the masses, thanks in part to Ernst's grandfather, Prince Frederick, who was an enlightened monarch. Although he made no political achievements, he genuinely cultivated the region's educational and cultural undertakings and cared deeply about culture and art.
Many German literati praised him. At least the intellectuals in the Heixinggen region benefited, and the area had a relatively strong cultural atmosphere.
Today was Ernst's first day of recovery, and also his first time leaving the castle to view this brand-new world.
"Tom, stop for a moment, and get today's newspaper," Ernst instructed his servant.
"Yes, young master!" The servant named Tom responded respectfully.
The coachman slowly pulled the carriage up to the kiosk. Soon, Tom got off to purchase the newspaper, and Ernst began to browse the contents.
"Stuttgart Weekly" (fictitious)
Hmm...
Stuttgart is an important city in southwestern Germany. Newspapers weren't anything new, but at this time, Germany had not yet united, and the newspaper industry was quite chaotic, with all sorts of local papers.
Nonetheless, this era's newspapers still intrigued Ernst. Unlike the colorful publications of later generations, these papers were filled with all sorts of content with dense text, lacking images and not easy to digest, leaving Ernst bewildered.
There were some municipal discussions here, which won't be detailed, as Ernst had little concept of them and was new, finding it hard to resonate. He continued to read on.
"New King William I Appoints New Prussian Prime Minister, Bismarck May Change Prussia," such a straightforward title.
At this moment, Heixinggen had long been incorporated into the Kingdom of Prussia, but Prussia's unification of Germany was not yet imminent. Heixinggen and neighboring Sigmaringen both belonged to the Hohenzollern branch. Years ago, Prince Constantine and neighboring Prince Karl jointly pushed for the two duchies to join Prussia, becoming two footholds of Prussia's influence in the relatively weaker Southern German region.
The newspaper briefly described Bismarck's career: on April 14, 1847, he was elected as a formal member of the Berlin State during the opening of the Prussian United Diet. In 1851, he became the representative of the Prussian Kingdom at the Frankfurt Confederation Congress, soon promoted to ambassador, serving for eight years. In 1857, he was appointed as ambassador to Russia. On September 23, 1862, he assumed the position of Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
This was followed by an analysis of the new Prussian Prime Minister's character and rhetoric, ultimately predicting great changes ahead for Prussia.
It's quite reasonable...
At least Ernst thought so. Bismarck was indeed a key figure in German unification. He and William I were a harmonious ruler and minister duo, who together forged a unified and powerful Germany.
When all is said and done, Heixinggen had already secured its future ticket, standing on the side of Prussia, contributing to the unification efforts in the German region.
However, these matters were too distant for the still-young Ernst. His fate was not fully in his hands. When the tide came, without being the helmsman, he was destined to be a lone boat drifting with the current.
Fortunately, his identity was now different, sparing him the struggles of the common man in the harshness of this era. Perhaps, he could go a step further to become one of those riding the wave of the times.
Despite the turbulent times, opportunities were beyond imagination. With insider knowledge of the future, one was naturally inclined to strive further.
However, the premise was to integrate into the background of the era; otherwise, the good resources would be wasted, leaving nothing to complain about.
Ernst believed that one's capabilities determined one's sustenance. For him, developing his abilities and grasping the pulse of the times was more crucial than unbounded fantasies.
Just like in his previous life, when many armchair politicians on the internet claimed, "If I were in power, I could do it too," Ernst scoffed at such comments. If these keyboard politicians could travel through time and hold high positions, how would they govern a country?
Faced with familiar history, one could speak freely on the internet, but being in the midst would reveal that things were not so simple.
For instance, if you foresaw some national intelligence by chance, expecting others to obey your words was unrealistic.
In dealing with various complex situations, without systematic learning, it is hard to tackle issues like processes and rules.
If you became a leader, knowing what to do on the first day, identifying allies, and predicting whether known geniuses would adhere to your directives were all uncontrollable.
...
In his previous life, Ernst was merely an engineering consultant, never having held a high position. His experience in directing others was nearly nonexistent, and his understanding of official documents was just as blank. Even a village head might be more experienced than he was.
Fortunately, he was young and could still learn. Now that he had the chance, he naturally wanted to actively integrate into his new identity.
Ernst thought to himself as the carriage returned to the castle unnoticed. The carriage rolled onto the cobblestone path, entered the courtyard, and he got off. The old butler came to greet him.
"Young master, the lord instructed that once you return, you should go to his study. There's something he wishes to discuss with you."
"I understand, Butler Kino," Ernst replied.
Following his memory's guidance, Ernst headed to the second-floor study, stepping onto the wooden staircase and reaching the second-floor corridor.
At the end of the corridor was Prince Constantine's study. This study had a private balcony adorned with pleasant green plants and flowers. From the balcony, you could overlook the estate outside the castle. There was a wicker chair on the balcony where Prince Constantine would lie to enjoy the sunlight and relieve fatigue during his breaks.
Ernst walked unhurriedly to the door and knocked on the door of the study, thud thud...
"Come in!"
Turning the handle, he pushed open the door and saw Prince Constantine sitting at the desk, perusing territorial documents. Seeing his son walk in, Prince Constantine took off his glasses and placed them on the desk.
"You're here, Ernst. How is your health?" Constantine asked.
"Much better, Father," Ernst said, respectfully standing to the side.
"Hmm, this time I called you here to ask if you have any plans or thoughts about the future."
"Uh..."
Ernst pondered for a moment, then spoke, "Father, I wish to study across the continent."
Hearing Ernst's answer, a barely noticeable smile appeared on Constantine's lips. He was pleased with his son's idea but pretended to ask sternly, "As a noble of the German region, the Hohenzollern family has always focused on military affairs. Why do you want to learn the ways of the British?"
Ernst felt a bit nervous but calmed down and slowly explained.
"Father, actually, in my view, the times have changed. In the past, Europe's nobility held the most control, but now, with industrial development, the power of capitalists in Europe is growing rapidly. The French even established a republic. I wonder what gave them such encouragement and courage. I believe it is capital. And why were capitalists able to rapidly accumulate vast wealth? It is precisely because of large-scale mechanized production..."
"Hold on, they're just a pack of upstarts. Ernst, you're overestimating them!" Constantine said disdainfully.
"Father, please listen to me. Capitalists may not yet be able to change the situation, but their expansion rate is too fast. Take, for example, Britain's Bill of Rights, and France's previous unrest... In the future, our German region will also be like this. Capitalists have more advanced production methods than us. Industrialization accelerates the accumulation of capitalist wealth. If we let them develop unchecked, they will directly threaten noble rule in the future. Not to mention, how long has it been since the last Frankfurt Conference? Such history will repeat itself in the future."
Constantine listened expressionlessly to his son's alarmism and asked, "Then what do you propose?"
Ernst was pleased to see his father take the bait and began to explain.
"I once heard an ancient oriental proverb: 'If you can't beat them, join them.' Why can't we nobles also use the capitalists' model to accumulate wealth?"
"Aren't you afraid of leaving the noble ranks? You must know, being a grand noble, one must avoid lowering one's status the most."
"Father, please listen to me. The world is bustling and all for profit. We nobles exist as a collective for mutual benefit. Only when the family prospers will people naturally flock to us uninvited..."
After Ernst's lengthy persuasion, it seemed that Constantine was convinced. In reality, the prince, who had long held a high position, didn't care much about these things.
He had a considerable family estate, enough for Ernst to enjoy for a lifetime. Being a ne'er-do-well heir was better than seeking one's doom.
Though he spoke this way, in truth, Prince Constantine didn't want the Heixinggen line to end. Strangely enough, Heixinggen's lineage had only one heir, and now his son was the same, and on top of that, he had his son later in life. Constantine's greatest wish is for Ernst to quickly grow up, get married, have children, and carry on the family line.
The so-called noble glory is nothing but nonsense. Constantine's father, Count Frederick, had experienced the anti-Napoleon war, but ultimately reaped the benefits by siding with the winning coalition. Constantine himself, although holding a position in the kingdom, had virtually no combat experience.
His son's health wasn't great (in Constantine's opinion), so he thought it'd be better for him to honestly inherit the family business. Of course, these inner thoughts would never be spoken aloud and damage his authority as a father.
In this era, the rough-and-tumble mentality of Prussian nobles still prevailed. The North German Junker nobility, especially those from Prussia, left a profound impression, as nobles indeed preferred to develop their careers in the military.
Of course, more and more nobles began to value cultural education, but in reality, most invested in literature and the arts, giving little attention to practical disciplines. Some traditional conservative nobles even misguidedly considered practical subjects as something the bourgeoisie studied.
Socializing was the most important among nobles. To showcase their elegance and cultural attainment, they mostly engaged in learning cultural and arts subjects. There even appeared phenomena where they funded artists to create art to highlight their appreciation of art, even if they themselves lacked taste.
Thus, in all of Europe, the cultural and artistic centers most revered by nobility turned out to be Paris and Rome.
But who was Ernst? A former science and engineering major. To have him deal with these things was truly demanding. Moreover, influenced by his past life, he believed that the so-called humanities were indeed not very useful.
Of course, things were different now. These subjects had to be explored since integrating into the noble class required such skills akin to dragon-slaying techniques. While thinking this, Ernst primarily wanted to go to Berlin to realize some of his whimsical ideas. However, he certainly couldn't explain it this way.