Chapter 118 Beer Hall Party
Just as Prince Constantine had thought, from Christmas to New Year, Prussian officers flocked home to celebrate the holidays.
And Galit sent a telegram to Ernst, asking him to come to Berlin.
…
Berlin, a beer hall that Ernst and Galette frequented during their school days.
"Ernst, I miss you so much!" Garrett howled at Ernst.
"Stay away from me, you look like a lunatic." Ernst said with disgust.
"Alas, you don't understand. Life in the military camp is not a life for human beings. I am almost suffocating in there every day. Now that I have a rare opportunity, I must relax."
"I brought some friends here today. Come on, Ernst, I'll take you to meet them."
Come to the wine table.
"This is Prince Ernst of the Hohenzollern family." Garrett solemnly introduced Ernst's identity to his colleagues.
"Hello, Your Highness," several people greeted Ernst one after another.
"Hello!" Ernst responded.
"These people are all my good friends in the military camp. They all participated in the Austro-Prussian War and worked with me in the general staff. Of course, our fathers were also colleagues who fought in the same trenches," added Galit.
A group of people sat down around the table.
Garrett ordered a few beers, one for each person, and the bartender stood by to refill the drinks at any time.
After a few beers, they couldn't stop talking.
"Ernst, you don't know our new commander, whose name seems to be Hermann, is he brothers?" Garrett asked several people.
"It's Hermann. That's right. I heard that he used to be a staff officer of the 9th Brigade. I heard that he was a traitor when he was young. Later, he was caught by his father and sent to a military school for education. He graduated with honors and first served as a battalion commander. Later, he was promoted all the way. It is said that during the war with Austria, the troops he was in charge of fought their way out of the Austrian position despite the bombardment of Austrian heavy artillery. This former brigade commander is a very ruthless person."
"I heard that he is extremely strict with his subordinates. We are in big trouble this time!"
"Don't be discouraged. The situation in the army is much better now than before. All of you have military personnel in your families. I'm sure you all know what the Prussian army was like in the past."
"That's true. In the past few years, those real second-generation rich people were severely suppressed. Now the kingdom has higher requirements for professionalism. Otherwise, we would have no chance."
This is true, but the family background of Galit and others is actually upper-middle class in the whole of Prussia, and they are an old Junker family.
Aristocrats like Ernst who transformed themselves into businessmen did not fit in with the mainstream. However, before they defected to Prussia, the Hechingen royal family was a genuine South German aristocracy.
In the past, Junker was more like a special noun for Prussia. In fact, Junker means "son of the landlord" in German. However, the deep impression left by the Prussian aristocracy made Junker its unique symbol.
After World War II, the Allies completely eradicated the Junker nobility in Prussia. After the war, the victorious nations jointly divided up the territory of Prussia, drove away the people on these lands, demolished the houses, and even changed the place names. The ancestral graves of some Junker nobility were dug up, and the Junker nobility completely disappeared.
"Well, let's not talk about these annoying things. Ernst, what are you busy with recently? I haven't heard of you making big news for a long time?" asked Garrett.
As a new big capitalist, Ernst was young and rich, and had some fame in the whole German region.
Especially during the period of purchasing Alaska, many North Germans realized that Ernst had been taken advantage of, and many media outlets mocked Ernst for being crazy and buying a piece of rotten land.
In this regard, Ernst wants to say that if he has the money, he would be willing to buy it and leave it there. Even if Ernst cannot get Alaska in the future, hindering the development of other countries is also a good thing. No matter which of the United States and Russia develops Alaska in advance, Ernst will feel that he will lose money.
This kind of behavior that harms others and does not benefit oneself is actually secretly satisfying. Of course, it would be even better if Alaska could be preserved in the future.
"There's no big news about me. You think too highly of me. I've been keeping a low profile recently," said Ernst.
In the past few months, the East African colonies have indeed been busy digesting and have not expanded outward, while the Heixingen Group has also been sorting out its business and has not made any major moves.
"I heard from the old man that the military supply department's purchase of war materials has only increased, and the largest source of orders for daily necessities is the products from your company," said Garet.
Ernst responded: "In fact, we didn't make much money. Many of the military supplies were provided at cost price. Now Hei Xingen Company is mainly targeting the civilian market."
The Invalides did not lie, it was true that they did not make money, but this was part of Ernst's plan to cultivate users and at the same time leave a good impression on the Prussian royal family and government.
Prussia implemented a conscription system, and the soldiers came from all over the country. After they adapted to the convenience of the products produced by the Hechingen company, they would become walking advertisements in the future.
At the same time, it is important to maintain a good relationship with the government. In the future, the government will not be able to demolish bridges after crossing the river. It must first think about returning some benefits to the Heixingen Consortium. For example, the military's tobacco business is very profitable and has emptied the wallets of countless soldiers.
There is still great potential for the development of the civilian market. Currently, the main suppliers of daily necessities in the market are still small workshops, whose productivity levels are not in line with that of Heixingen Company. In the future, more and more cheap and durable Heixingen products will appear on the market.
"Is this true? They're not making any money but are still cooperating with the military!" Galit couldn't believe it.
"Why would I lie to you? Why would I lie to you? Just ask your father and he will know the military's purchase cost," Ernst said.
"You are awesome!" Galite nodded and said to Ernst.
Giving up some benefits in exchange for greater benefits is very worthwhile for Ernst. Unlike some people who really rely on connections to get orders from the troops, it is fine if the quality of the goods is good, but if the quality is not good, in a militaristic country like Prussia, it will be disastrous if it is discovered.
The most profitable industries in Ernst's hands are banking, tobacco, power company, daily necessities, and engines...
Tobacco is a pure critical industry, and as the tobacco growing area in East Africa expands, the cost will be lower in the future.
Power companies are currently making a lot of money from lighting systems, and there are more and more derivative products.
As for the most promising Berlin Energy Power Company, although Ernst suppressed the time for the launch of its products, the company's in-depth understanding of more advanced engines has enabled it to master the improvement of low-performance engines.
Currently on the market, the two-stroke engines produced by Berlin Energy Power Company are of much higher quality than its peers. In fact, this product is already two generations behind within the company.
But it is too tempting to make a fortune in silence. When competitors are about to catch up, Berlin Energy Power can bring out new leading products and create an illusion in the market that Berlin Energy Power's products are cost-effective and have the best reliability. Although they are a bit expensive, you can't go wrong if you recognize the brand.
(End of this chapter)
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