Chapter 190 Farewell and Instructions

"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: "March 1869, Mbeya City, personnel officer Becker, military commander Merk, diplomatic envoys... The Yeke Kingdom was basically conquered, and a small part of the area was annexed by the surrounding indigenous forces. - Student, East African Army Chief of Staff, Siweitt."

"Well, that's really rare! I didn't expect a diplomatic talent to emerge so soon. Tom, how do you think I should reward this Becker?" Ernst asked Tom.

"Your Highness, Mr. Becker was born in the Waren region of Prussia. He once served in the royal army and later retired to participate in the East African colonization activities organized by you. To be honest, Becker is not young anymore and he probably won't stay in East Africa for long. It would be better to give him and his family two huge bonuses and divide them into two accounts at the Hechingen Bank." Tom said.

"Let's not talk about anything else, why should it be divided into two parts!" Ernst asked puzzledly.

"Master, human nature is hard to predict. People like Mr. Becker who work for East Africa have been separated from their families for years. To be honest, it is difficult for us to investigate their family situations. So we divide the bonus into two accounts, which can also provide Mr. Becker with insurance in the future." Tom explained.

After listening to Tom's words, Ernst fell into deep thought. He leaned back in his chair with his head tilted back, blinking at the light.

“You said it very well! Tom, family is complicated, not everyone’s family is happy and the relationships among family members are good.

At the beginning, the first group of people who fled to East Africa might have been trying to escape from their families, or they might have been unable to adapt to life in the East African colonies after retirement.

No matter what, they have all fought for our Heixingen royal family, and we cannot ignore their lives in their later years.

So, you go and collect the family situations of the first batch of mercenaries to see if there are any changes. If there are any difficulties, you can record them first, and I will come up with a plan and take care of them later. "Ernst instructed.

"Yes, my lord," replied Tom.

…

"Father, this is the bodyguard captain I arranged for you, Anderson. They will be responsible for your safety along the way.

After arriving in East Africa, you will 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. If you want, you can visit them.

After you have adapted 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 have been built.

If you don't understand something, you can send me a telegram. The telegram from the First Town can reach me directly.

..." Ernst kept on talking to Constantine.

"Okay, okay, I get it. You've been talking so much that it's overwhelming for me. If there's anything I don't understand, can't I just send you a telegram when the time comes? Why are you talking so much?" Constantine said impatiently.

"Ah, isn't this because I'm worried about you?"

"Okay, help me load all the things onto the boat quickly. I have seen all kinds of storms in my life, and I still need your guidance." Constantine said.

Ping An Hao - a simple and unpretentious name.

This is currently the largest ship under Hexingen. It travels very steadily on the sea and is equipped with a steam power system, which allows it to maintain a constant speed even without wind.

It was originally positioned as a merchant ship, mainly transporting goods, but in actual operation, people and goods are mixed.

This large ship is considered the main force among East African immigration ships, but it was temporarily withdrawn by Ernst. After more than ten days of renovation, the ship looked brand new.

All facilities are complete. In order to strengthen maritime defense and avoid pirate attacks, Ernst specially invited a Dutch ship expert to upgrade the Ping An's defense system.

At the same time, there will be three purely armed ships responsible for escort work this time.

The merchant ship, which was originally used for immigration and loading cargo, had an extra large space reserved for it. However, this time, apart from the sailors and security personnel, only a few of Prince Constantine's confidants and servants were temporarily staying on the ship.

"The environment of this ship is pretty good. If it weren't drifting on the sea, it would be comparable to the manor where I have lived for a long time." Constantine said while sitting on the sofa in the bedroom.

"Father, don't speak too soon. You will be at sea for at least a month. Then you will know how boring it is," said Ernst.

"It will only take a month, it will be over. It won't be like what you said," Constantine said.

"I can't argue with you. I have prepared a lot of wine and drinks for you on the ship, as well as various foods. There are not many people on your ship, so there is plenty of food and drinking water.

There are five bookshelves of books in your study, which will help you relieve boredom on the road. I have also specially equipped a game room for you on the ship. If you are bored, you can play cards and chess with your followers..." Ernst introduced the facilities on the ship in detail.

"Okay, got it. You don't need to tell me about this kind of trivial matter. Kainuo will arrange it when the time comes. I have a lot of people here to take care of me, so you don't need to worry about it.

As for you, after I leave, your task will be heavy. You need to visit the Prussian royal family more often. I won't be able to contact them for you in person in the future. If there is anything you can't solve, remember to find your uncle Karl. He used to be the prime minister of Prussia and the commander-in-chief of the royal army. Although he has retired now, his influence in Prussia is still great. With him, William I and Bismarck will also give you a little face. "Constantine directly entrusted Ernst's time in Prussia to Prince Karl Anton.

After Sigmaringen was incorporated into Prussia, Karl Anton first worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and later served as Prussian Prime Minister and concurrently as Army Commander-in-Chief from 1858 to 1862.

Later, the old king died and William I succeeded to the throne, and Prince Karl stepped down. After all, a new emperor appoints new ministers. 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 did so was, on the one hand, that he was relatively conservative, and on the other hand, because he was a good friend of Napoleon III of France and paid 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 Confederation established by Napoleon and have close ties with France.

However, Sigmaringen is clearly more closely connected to France than Hechingen, after all, Constantine withdrew from politics early on.

At present, it seems that William I and the new government have indeed brought great changes to Prussia. Several consecutive wars have allowed Prussia to directly annex the entire North German region.

However, William I still respected Prince Karl. Besides being an important minister of his father, he also belonged to the same family.

The current Prime Minister of the Kingdom, Bismarck, was once a subordinate of Prince Karl. Prince Karl also had a strong influence in the military. His two sons had served in the Prussian army. Leopold still holds a powerful military position. This also indirectly reflects the status of the Sigmaringen royal family in Prussia.

All these events also show that Hechingen is indeed not as good as Sigmaringen now, even though it owns 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 also choose Romania.

Romania's conditions are really good, especially from the perspective of its historical development. There have been several periods of opportunity. If it can be utilized well, it can become a powerful country, or at worst maintain its status as an important European country.

Although Africa has great potential, there are no ready-made cases. Ernst has to develop step by step on his own in this life, which involves both risks and opportunities.

However, Hei Xinggen is betting on overseas colonial expansion, but it is unclear how it will develop in the future, and the future fate of the two royal families is still unknown.

No matter what the future fate of the two royal families will be, it will not change the close relationship between Hechingen and Sigmaringen.

In Europe, Hechingen and Sigmaringen were not only the closest relatives, but also the closest political allies. With the care of Prince Karl, Ernst could still act arrogantly in the Kingdom of Prussia.

(End of this chapter)