Chapter 195 Visit
"Yes, Your Majesty, you are still as energetic as before. This is Charlotte," Maximilian I introduced to Constantine.
Charlotte greeted Prince Constantine: "Hi, Your Excellency! Thank you for the help from the Hechingen Royal Family."
"Hahaha, we are family and shouldn't have different opinions. This is what Ernst should do." Constantine said with a smile.
Constantine and Maximilian I were reserved for a while, and then officials from East Africa came to pay them a visit.
"Grandpa Constantine!" A young officer gave Constantine a standard military salute.
"Who are you?"
"Hans Zhang, Class 6, Second Phase, Hechingen Military Academy, currently the highest military commander of Dar es Salaam, the East African royal territory of Hechingen. I met you before, Grandpa Constantine, and you spoke to us." Hans Zhang said.
Hans Zhang was one of the commanders who led the Battle of Zanzibar together with Felix. Felix was later transferred elsewhere, and Hans Zhang became the military chief of Dar es Salaam.
"I see! Well, this is what a soldier should be like!" Constantine said.
After knowing that Hans Zhang was a graduate of the Hechingen Military Academy, Constantine was no longer surprised why this man called him grandpa.
Ernst founded the Hechingen Military Academy, but Constantine spent much more time at the Hechingen Military Academy than Ernst. After all, Ernst was busy and often traveled between Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The students of the Hechingen Military Academy were all teenagers and orphans, so Constantine asked them to call him Grandpa Constantine.
After chatting for a while, Constantine let everyone go. They were still a little tired after getting off the boat.
"Your Excellency, Grand Duke, I will have to trouble you for a while from now on!" Constantine said to Maximilian I.
"Charlotte and I are the guests in East Africa. We should be the ones thanking you as the host. Besides, I just happen to have something to advise you on," said Maximilian I.
The staff has introduced Constantine to the residence in Dar es Salaam, which is the royal palace of the former Sultanate of Zanzibar in Dar es Salaam.
Maximilian I's status was already top-notch in this world. After all, he was the emperor. The only residence in East Africa that matched his status was the Royal Palace of Dar es Salaam.
After a large-scale renovation by the East African government, the Dar es Salaam Palace has a brand new look and some of the cultural flavor of German palaces.
Constantine was about to ask for some advice when he heard Maximilian I say, "But these are all trivial matters. You must be tired after traveling all the way from Europe by ship. It is better for you to go to your residence and rest for a few days. We can talk about these later."
"Okay, but I have a lot of people accompanying me this time, so I need to arrange their accommodation first!" Constantine said.
At this time, an East African official who had not left said, "Your Excellency, you don't have to worry about such trivial matters. His Highness Ernst has already arranged it in the telegram. We have already prepared accommodation for them near the Dar es Salaam Palace. We have also prepared basic daily necessities, and the dining problem can be solved in the cafeteria."
"This kid! He arranged everything very clearly for me." Constantine said happily.
…
May 23, 1869.
Sigmaringen.
A few days before Prince Constantine arrived in East Africa.
"Your Highness Ernst, you are here!" Schneider saw Ernst walk into the door with familiarity.
"Butler Schneider, is Uncle Karl home?"
"His Majesty the Prince is meeting guests in the reception room. Your Highness Ernst, I'm afraid you will have to wait for a while. Is there anything important you need me to report to you?" Schneider said.
"Oh! There's no rush for my business. I'll just walk around the castle first. You can come and call me after Uncle Karl finishes meeting the guests." Ernst said.
"Okay, Your Highness Ernst, do you need me to find a servant to accompany you for a while?" Schneider asked.
"I'm just taking a walk. I'm familiar with this place. No need to bother you. If you have something to do, go and do it first!" Ernst said to Schneider.
Hearing this, Schneider didn't say anything. He didn't doubt that Ernst would do something wrong because Ernst was a frequent visitor here.
Sigmaringen Castle is the residence of Prince Karl Anton. Compared with the newly renovated Hohenzollern Castle, Sigmaringen Castle has a more ancient flavor.
The castle houses a large collection of weapons, hunting specimens, and murals. The interior decoration is magnificent, fully reflecting the power and wealth of the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen family.
Ernst strolled in the castle and gradually recalled his childhood memories. Since the two families lived so close and were closely related, they had a very good relationship and visited each other frequently.
Constantine used to bring little Ernst here often. At that time, Ernst had not yet awakened his past life memories. Now visiting Sigmaringen Castle again has a completely different feeling. When I was a child, I was really only concerned with playing! I didn't pay attention to the scenery and culture here.
Ernst climbed up the observation tower and had a panoramic view of the entire Sigmaringen. Unlike the Hohenzollern Castle which was far away from the town of Hechingen, the area around the Sigmaringen Castle was where the population of Sigmaringen was concentrated.
The castle was built on the south bank of the Danube, and the Danube surrounds the town of Sigmaringen on three sides. This layout reminded Ernst of Paris, which is also surrounded by the Seine on three sides. It was a place that was easy to defend and difficult to attack in medieval Europe.
A large number of fortifications were built here, and Sigmaringen Castle is one of them. Hohenzollern Castle was built on the top of a mountain (not high in altitude) and is surrounded by forests, so it is lonely. Sigmaringen is a large group of castles and is surrounded by residential houses.
I don’t know how long it took…
"Your Highness Ernst, His Majesty the Prince has sent away the guests and is waiting for you in the reception room!" Butler Schneider came to Ernst and said.
"Okay, I'll go right away." Ernst replied.
Walking down the spiral staircase and across the corridor, I came to the reception room where Prince Karl was sitting on the sofa.
"Ernst, how come you have time to come here today? Since you went to Berlin to study, you have come here less often." Prince Karl said happily.
"Uncle Carl, people always have to grow up, but I was also tied up in a lot of things later. I want to go back to the carefree days of my childhood." Ernst said.
"It seems that your generation has grown up. Leopold is now serving in the army, Carol has become king, and now you have your own life plan." Prince Karl Anton said with emotion.
"It's all thanks to your good education that my two cousins have achieved such success," Ernst complimented.
"Hahaha, it's just luck. In my opinion, their abilities are just so-so. They just happened to be in luck at the right time." Prince Karl Anton said with a smile.
This statement is not false. Prince Karl Anton himself has been a de facto king, Prime Minister of Prussia and Commander-in-Chief of the Army. His abilities are indeed full.
"How come you have time to come to me today? Is there something you want me to help you with?" asked Prince Karl Anton.
"You figured it out, Uncle Karl!" said Ernst.
"Hehe, from the moment you walked in, I had a feeling that nothing good would happen today. Tell me, what is it that you want me to settle?" said Prince Karl Anton.
Prince Constantine entrusted Ernst to the care of Prince Karl Anton, and Prince Karl Anton naturally did his best. This was nothing, as the two families often helped each other.
Ernst was not polite. He said, "Uncle Karl, I know you have great powers, so I want to know the specific situation of the railway business in the entire German region."
(End of this chapter)
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