The Rise of the Empire

"As for your question about why we want to do arms business in Bavaria, I said that there is no money to force it, do you believe it?" Ruprecht smiled wryly.

"Among the four states, Bavaria is the worst in terms of the standard of living of the military and civilians. Although our fiscal revenue is second, it is supported by the size of the country. The financial situation of the Royal Government is still very tight. Bavaria is inherently deficient. We lack coal and iron mines, and even the land is barren. In terms of competition for mass goods, we are not only inferior to Prussia, but even Württemberg and Saxony. And we have to support the army independently."

"From the establishment of the empire to 1890, Prussia's fiscal revenue increased by 2.5 times, Saxony's by 2 times, and our Bavarian fiscal revenue only increased by 0.5 times! There are too many industrial capitalists in Prussia, and the Prussian royal family can use shares and Provide convenient ways to obtain extra income, but we can't, let alone compared with giants such as Krupp, Rheinmetall, and Mauser, we can't even find a few companies that make do. We are kings, and we must give The people of the kingdom, and those nobles who surround us and pledge their allegiance to us, find a way out."

"So, we have no choice. We have to produce things that others cannot produce in order to gain benefits. Hardened armor technology, the Kingdom of Bavaria spent 8 years! The research and development of rapid-fire guns took us 5 years! We are poor and forced There is no way! If our technology is not good, there is no way. But if anyone plays tricks on us, then we will never back down!"

"The matter in the Far East has just ended. I almost lost my life during the Toshima naval battle. Then in the land battle, you said let Bavaria go, and we said yes, and then the Blue Legion with the Bavarian army as the main body also fought against the Empire. In the end, not only was there no benefit, but the Japanese came, and you directly transferred the order to Krupp, is this inappropriate? Why do we pay so much and let others take advantage? Do you think this is fair? Is it?" Finally Ruprecht added.

Ruprecht said that this is already a showdown. Ruprecht's hidden meaning is very clear, the royal families of both sides are a family, and everyone is a king. Making money by yourself is because Bavaria is too poor. It is wrong for the Prussian royal family to help a businessman suppress their own people. Don't tell me that Krupp belongs to your family. When something really happened, wouldn't it be the Prussian and Bavarian troops who went out to fight? What is Krupp worth? Without them producing artillery, the empire would have no artillery? What are you kidding? After breaking the monopoly, everyone will do better!

So at the end of this meeting, Frederick III felt that he was becoming more and more unreasonable. In the eyes of outsiders, as an emperor, he could be unreasonable. I have a good relationship with Krupp, so the Ministry of the Navy will naturally send the order to to Krupp. But it is different now, the person sitting opposite is not his servant, but the heir of a country! You can't be unreasonable, but if you are unreasonable, it seems that you really have no reason.

In recent years, the relationship between Prussia and Bavaria has generally been very good. First, the personal relationship between the prince and his son, and then the help and taxation that Bavaria's hardened armor brought to the construction of the Imperial Navy. If these are nothing, then Bavaria's willingness to send troops in the Far East War can be described as an unprecedented show of favor.

Bavaria originally belonged to the kind of thing that has nothing to do with oneself, let alone sending troops on its own initiative. According to the previous temper, even if Prussia asked Bavaria to do this kind of thing first, they would shirk it. After all, Prussia’s military command It is only useful after the country has entered a state of war. If you do not declare war with Japan, Bavaria will not bird you at all. The latter just doesn't go, and Prussia has nothing to do.

It stands to reason that, judging from the current situation, Prussia should be satisfied. After all, Bavaria has released enough goodwill compared to before. In the big picture, Prussia gave Bavaria some benefits,

Then exchanging the goodwill of the other party is a very cost-effective deal. When the relationship between the two sides was not good, didn't Prussia pay a lot of money every year? The reason for this result, Frederick III admitted, is that the root cause is the so-called "kingdom problem." Wearing the crown of the German emperor, but still consciously or unconsciously thinking that he is the king of Prussia, this kind of thinking The time is right, but if you think too much, you will have problems.

But Ruprecht seemed to feel that the fire wasn't hot enough. "If Germany is hit hard one day, who do you think will be the biggest beneficiary in domestic politics? Those kings and nobles who are in danger, or those capitalists who always hold real money?"

"In essence, Germany's political system is closer to the Bourbon dynasty. Isn't the end of the French dynasty's rule because of money? After those capitalists earn enough money, they will inevitably infiltrate into other areas of the country. They Use money to open the way, use interests to draw in. In the end, we will find that the nobles around us have been bribed one after another. The cooperation between them will eventually shake the foundation of the empire. Then other countries will support this kind of action one after another, and We kings will eventually lose our power."

Let’s not talk about whether Ruprecht’s words are objectively correct or not, but they are absolutely alarmist and thought-provoking, especially after doing a lot of foreshadowing—Bavaria did everything for the empire, and the German government ended up in order to let After a certain capitalist got benefits and triggered a series of unforeseen events. The Kaiser must pay attention to this matter. It is not that Krupp cannot live without him, and once something happens in Bavaria, Germany's injuries will be minor!

"Hey, I really seem to have been kidnapped by those guys." Frederick III thought in his heart, but he absolutely couldn't say that. The emperor, it is still necessary to save face. I wrote this down in advance, and I will knock it out again tomorrow.

"That's the end of this matter. You take away your orders, and be honest with me about other things. Also, don't send any wrong signals to Württemberg and Saxony. This is not good for everyone." In the end, the old king emphasized . The conversation has already been said, so let's forget about this matter. Prussia and Bavaria will be quiet first, and the other two kingdoms will naturally be quiet. There's been enough of these annoyances lately. Let's do this first.

"By the way, what are you doing tonight?" Before the end, the old king said one more sentence.

"Uh, let's meet with the representatives of the Austro-Hungarian Empire tonight." Ruprecht said casually.

"Huh?! What do you mean!" Frederick III's eyes bulged, and a terrifying aura emanated from him!

The second is more ~~~, please reward~~~, please collect~~~.