Chapter 7 Expanding Production

Whatever Bismarck and Prussia decided, the flames of German nationalist sentiment were already burning.

The entire German region was mobilized by this trend, and the people were swept up in public opinion. At this moment, every citizen in the German region was a "patriot."

Even at this point, the Prussian nobles and capitalists would not give up. Prussia's rapid development urgently required new land and markets.

Schleswig itself had a developed economy and a dense population, so it was naturally targeted by the Kingdom of Prussia, not to mention that the Danish government's new bill attempting to annex Schleswig provided an excuse for the Kingdom of Prussia.

It was inevitable to prepare for war, and with Prussia's first-class mobilization capabilities, the army had already prepared for war.

Of course, as a cover-up of the fog of war, it was not widely publicized. Prussia itself was a soldier country in the eyes of Europeans, and the movement of troops was nothing new to other countries.

However, Prussian arsenals had begun to secretly increase production, and to benefit from this, Ernst's factory also began to work overtime.

This time, Ernst directly recruited Prince Constantine's able-bodied men. After all, in order to sell the newly produced tobacco and lighters to the army, it was naturally necessary to build relationships.

Ernst and Father introduced the advantages of their products in detail, and bluntly stated that if the Prussian army was equipped with their cigarettes, their combat effectiveness would be greatly improved.

Ernst did not mention the dependence and harm of tobacco, but only mentioned that tobacco could refresh tired soldiers. He also emphasized that mechanized production of tobacco is cheap (compared to handmade production) and can be provided to frontline soldiers on a large scale and at a low price.

Constantine didn't care much about it, but as it was his own industry, he had to give it some attention. It was also feasible to provide it to the kingdom's army within a certain range.

When Ernst took out the kerosene lighter, Constantine became interested, looked at it carefully, picked it up and started playing with it.

In order to facilitate carrying, Ernst specially produced a batch of small kerosene lighters. They can be perfectly put in the pocket, and are also equipped with a hemp rope bracelet that can be tied to the belt.

Kerosene lighters are of course for "cigarettes", but they can also be used by soldiers to start a fire.

Cigarettes and lighters were specially made to prepare for war. For example, cigarettes were packed in large boxes of 50 cigarettes. Small packages were packed with 5 cigarettes. Lighters were made in the shape of bullets. Ernst even directly introduced two shell production lines to produce lighter shells. In order to grade the products, Ernst also created a special version for officers.

Of course, the civilian version still uses the classic style of later generations. The military version is mainly for transportation and distribution to troops, and the kerosene lighter is simply for cost saving.

Prince Constantine believed that this kerosene lighter could play a big role on the battlefield. Compared with matches that are easily affected by moisture and fragile, this kerosene lighter would definitely be very popular on the battlefield.

The next day, after explaining some insignificant things to Ernst, Constantine set out for the Prussian Royal Palace again, this time bringing a kerosene lighter and cigarettes with him.

Sure enough, it was a blessing to have a top aristocrat father as a backer. Ernst's two new products soon received new orders from the army.

Production had already begun, and the cigarettes and kerosene lighters stockpiled in warehouses were directly transported in batches to military camps and logistics warehouses along with small kerosene tanks.

Why did so many people get rich during the war? Of course it was because the military paid quickly, Ernst thought truthfully.

Of course, the premise is that the country is well-ordered, otherwise if it is forcibly requisitioned, there will be no place to cry.

The military order immediately made the invested capital pay off, and now Ernst is going to increase the scale of production.

The war will not end in a day or two. There will be subsequent orders, and we must also increase sales through other channels.

As a temporary ally of Prussia, Ernst of Austria would certainly not let it go. With the last cooperation experience, he would certainly continue this time.

After Ernst gave the order, various departments of the Hechingen Development Company took action.

The burden on the sales department has also increased, and as new products are sold out faster, advertising becomes a top priority.

The salesmen hired at the same time were also connected to the network radiating to the neighboring countries of Germany. This scene reminded Ernst of the vendors in his previous life who went to the countryside to sell water purifiers.

Fortunately, Ernst sells genuine and good products. When people start using them and get used to them, they will fall into the trap of "really good smell". It really proves the saying that it is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality. Of course, poverty is an exception.

Ernst's several factories worked overtime, but Ernst was still not satisfied and did not want to continue expanding the scale of production.

Now that the market demand can be preliminarily met, Ernst mainly wants to open up a few more battlefields.

Now that funds are no longer a problem and the industries we have are starting to make profits, it is natural for us to spend the money.

Ernst decided to first set up a separate R&D center and recruit some engineers to conquer the well-tested daily necessities of the previous life.

Ernst acted immediately and quickly selected a beautiful and secluded location in the suburbs of Berlin to build a research and development center.

Different from the construction of factories, it is limited by raw materials, energy and transportation.

The R&D center is mainly responsible for experiments and is divided into small studios internally. It is mainly responsible for the principle architecture and finally for drawing drawings and recording specific operation procedures.

Ernst classified these areas according to their functions. Some specialize in designing clothing, some specialize in designing daily necessities, and some special metal objects...

With the arrival of the Second Industrial Revolution, the layout in the field of electricity could also begin. Ernst prepared to allocate funds for a single project to set up an electricity research institute nearby.

In order to attract talent, the Hechingen Development Company has begun posting job advertisements in Berlin, Bonn, Stuttgart, Munich...

Heixinggen Company has taken the first step in industrial upgrading and is developing into a research and development enterprise.

As the Hechingen Company grew stronger, Prussia and Austria also began to prepare for war.

Trains in the German region were frequently dispatched, carriages and horses were intertwined, and soldiers were assembled for large-scale drills.

The dark cloud of war has already shrouded the Jutland Peninsula, which may break the tranquility of the European continent at any time. Ernst has already begun to observe a moment of silence for the poor Danes in advance, but Ernst has only one thought in his mind: good fight.

Without the help of the Danes, how could he have become rich? War is the best catalyst, and Ernst's company will also get a share of the upcoming war.

Ernst even hoped that the Danes would work harder and not lose so quickly so that he could get more. The capitalists' hearts are so cold and ruthless.

No wonder Americans in the past loved to start wars so much. Only if you really make money from it, you will take the initiative to promote the outbreak of war.

This war was actually the common expectation of the Junker landlords and Junker capitalists behind Prussia. Everyone wanted to get a piece of the pie in this feast.

(End of this chapter)