Chapter 369 Farewell
Ernst was completely unaware of Rosens's behavior. If Ernst knew that there was such a talent under his command, he would definitely reward him greatly. At this time, Ernst finally finished his visit in Germany and took a train from Berlin to Austria. Ernst booked two carriages. In addition to himself, there were also security personnel and a think tank team.
"Your Highness, your tea."
"Well, put it aside. Don't splash the tea onto the table and wet the manuscript." The train was rumbling along, and the bumps were very strong. This was common for Ernst, who often traveled by train.
"Your Highness, why do you have to personally go to fight the Boers? You should know that it is thousands of kilometers from Dar es Salaam to the Matabele Plateau (Zimbabwe), and you may not be able to adapt to the African environment."
Ernst: "It doesn't matter. I know Africa pretty well, especially East Africa. It's just like going home."
His subordinates thought Ernst was just bragging. In fact, Ernst had been to many countries not only in East Africa, West Africa, but also in South Africa, but he just didn't stay there for long.
"Your Highness, the main reason is that you have never been to Africa. Even if you study the map every day, I am afraid you cannot intuitively feel all aspects of Africa. The environment in Africa is not as good as that in Europe."
Apart from anything else, the two-dimensional map in Ernst's hand was not very intuitive, but Ernst did not feel unfamiliar using it, as he had studied the terrain of East Africa thoroughly in his previous life.
The first thing Ernst had to do when he went to East Africa this time was to command the war against the Boers. When he arrived at the Matabele Plateau, it was almost the beginning of the year, just in time for this war.
The so-called "I am in command and I am present" is also the case when Ernst goes to the Matabele Plateau. This matter is just a little bit difficult, but there is no possibility of danger. Ernst goes to the front line not to charge into battle. His main responsibility is to supervise the battle and make decisions on some major events in the battle direction on the spot.
This is how serious the war against the Boers was. First of all, the Boer regime was a white regime, which was completely different from the enemies East Africa had faced in the past. The annihilation of ten thousand indigenous forces would not shock the East African people as much as the annihilation of a small white country.
At the same time, the situation in the Transvaal Republic is very complicated. The black Zulu Kingdom, the Orange Free State which is of the same origin as the Transvaal Republic, the British, and Mozambique all need attention. Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, is in the south, not far from the influence of these countries, so Mozambique's strength should not be underestimated.
Maputo and Pretoria, the capital of the Transvaal Republic, are both located near 25 degrees south latitude, so the battlefield area designated in East Africa is just west of the core of Portugal's Mozambique colony.
For example, the situation in the north of Mozambique bordering East Africa is very different. This is why Mozambique watched the Germans annex East Africa but was powerless to do anything. Mozambique is long and narrow from north to south, stretching for two thousand kilometers from north to south, which is exactly the distance from Maputo to the northernmost tip of Mozambique.
However, in the southern region headed by Maputo, the situation was quite different. The Portuguese dared to strike hard against the British who were plotting against Mozambique. Even if the British moved a little south, Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, might be in danger. There was a Zulu Kingdom between the two sides.
In addition to the above forces that need attention, there is also a Swaziland Kingdom in the east of the Transvaal Republic, which is also an indigenous kingdom.
After three days of travel, Ernst and his party arrived in Vienna, where Ernst prepared to say goodbye to Rudolf, as they had agreed before. After Rudolf knew that Ernst was going to East Africa, he wanted to see his elder brother off.
The train slowly pulled into Vienna Railway Station, preparing to complete maintenance work in Vienna. In addition, Vienna is a large station, so the stay time will be longer.
Ernst got off the carriage, and Rudolf was already waiting there: "Ernst, here."
"Rudolf, did you tell His Majesty the Emperor when you came here?"
"Of course he doesn't know. He and his mother had another fight recently, so I sneaked out."
"Ah! Aren't you afraid that Emperor Franz will settle with you later?" Ernst was worried for him, but he was the instigator, so it was difficult to preach to him.
"At most I'll just be beaten. I'm not afraid. Compared to being stuck in the palace, I feel happier outside." Now Rudolf has completely turned into a naughty boy, trying every possible way to escape from the palace, and it is impossible for Franz to keep an eye on him every day. Franz also has a lot of things to do. Just the recent alliance between Germany, Austria and Russia has made him overwhelmed.
In fact, Rudolf had lived under the care of his mother and grandmother most of the time before, and was less influenced by Franz. But later, his mother and grandmother had a falling out, and he was completely assimilated by his grandmother.
If Rudolf had always been under the control of Queen Elizabeth, it would at least be certain that he would live a happy life, because Queen Elizabeth herself was a person who could not sit still and did not have strict requirements for her children.
Later, Ernst took Rudolf to Berlin under the pretext of taking him to Prussia to study. In Berlin, Rudolf finally found a confidant, William II, who shared the same suffering.
The source of William II's pain came from his mother, Princess Victoria. Princess Victoria was similar to Queen Elizabeth in that they were both isolated by the court. The only difference was that Victoria had a good husband, and Crown Prince Frederick had a good relationship with Victoria.
Because his mother felt guilty about his physical defects, she constantly asked William II to exercise more, which led to a very bad relationship between him and his mother. Because his mother was born into the British royal family, she often instilled in him the concept of the supremacy of Britain and insisted on calling him by his English name, which made William II have a very complicated feeling towards Britain since he was a child, which also affected his future foreign policy towards Britain.
Therefore, William II's childhood experiences can be said to be similar to those of Rudolf, and the two later took different paths. However, judging from the results, William II was obviously more optimistic in character than Rudolf, which is worthy of Rudolf's reference.
"Forget it. I'm afraid I won't be back for a year or two this time when I go to Africa, so I won't have an excuse to take you out to play. You should take care of yourself and don't argue with your father. If you were in his position, you would probably understand his difficulties.
Don't think that Hungary is a good thing. They are just a small group of people who are using the whole of Hungary as a bargaining chip to threaten your father to compromise and make concessions in order to gain privileges. In fact, your father also hopes that all ethnic groups can live in harmony and integrate at best. However, the Hungarian nobles also know this. They will not let it go. Instead, they will oppose Austria everywhere to continue to maintain this status. Believe it or not, Austria just can't do without Hungary.
Losing Hungary would trigger a chain reaction. Czechoslovakia, Croatia, Slovenia... would all do the same. Austria would immediately fall from the top of the list of powers. Anyone in your father's position would be caught in a dilemma."
Rudolf: "I know this. Friedrich (Wilhelm II) also told me about this. He also thought so about the Hungarian issue. I used to think that the Hungarian issue was just a national issue."
Ernst nodded and said, "Very good. Sometimes, it's good to be clear about politics. You don't have to worry too much now. You still have a long way to go. Anyway, your father is in front of you. You don't have to express any opinions. Just do everything according to your father's ideas."
Franz's standby time is quite long, and the history of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is basically the history of Franz's rule, so Rudolf does not need to be anxious at all.
"Okay, the train is about to leave, I'll say goodbye to you here!" said Ernst.
Rudolph: "Well, see you in two years."
(End of this chapter)
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