The Shadow of Great Britain

505: Chapter 268: The King’s Power (4K6)_2 505: Chapter 268: The King’s Power (4K6)_2 Heine asked, “Why do you all want to leave Germany?”

They answered, “The land is good, and we really want to stay there.”

“But we can’t stay any longer.”

These honest farmers, fleeing from Germany, of course did not possess Heine’s flamboyant rhetoric; they simply used plain language to tell Heine of the hardships of living in Germany, to tell of all the schemes of the German rulers.

An eighty-year-old man explained to Heine that they left their homeland for their children, who were still young and more adaptable to life abroad, possibly finding happiness there in the future: “Otherwise, what do you expect us to do?

Start a revolution?”

Their narrations and lamentations nearly tore Heine’s heart apart, making him feel both angry and somewhat sorrowful.

As he wrote in his soon-to-be-published “Travel Sketches”, “I would swear in front of all the gods in heaven and earth: the one-tenth of the suffering that these peasants endure in Germany would be enough to provoke thirty-six revolutions in France, leading to thirty-six kings losing their thrones and heads.

Sadly, not even one such revolution has occurred in any of the thirty-six states of Germany.”

Louis always felt a certain heaviness in his heart whenever he thought about this.

On one hand, he empathized deeply with Heine’s words, but the issues he pondered clearly veered in a different direction.

As a young man holding liberal views, Louis could very well understand Heine’s feelings.

However, as a proud Bonaparte, he found it difficult to agree with Heine’s readiness to talk of beheading kings.

Louis shook his head and said, “I don’t dislike Mister Heine.

However, in my view, his demands might be somewhat excessive.

He believes that Germany needs not only an open atmosphere like Paris but also a parliamentary system like that of London.

But all this, in my view, is almost impossible.”

Arthur, upon hearing this, did not deny it.

He was not very willing to disclose his own opinions to others, and instead of stating his own, he preferred to listen.

Moreover…

Arthur always maintained a rather high priority observation of his own Emperor’s secretary.

Arthur just smiled and asked, “Then, what do you think Germany needs?”

Louis placed his hands on the windowsill, staring at the cold rain outside, and answered decisively, “I think the answer is very simple.

What Germany needs most at this moment is a Frederick the Great.”

“Oh…” Arthur drew out his words, seemingly teasing Louis’s mood, “Are you referring to that tyrant from Prussia?”

In the face of the nickname Arthur gave to Frederick the Great, Louis did not deny it but defended Frederick by quoting Voltaire: “As Voltaire said, ‘A democracy of a thousand mice is not as good as the autocratic rule of a single lion.’ From the death of Socrates too, we can see that so-called total democracy is merely a dreadful folly.

Thus, since the time of Plato and Aristotle in Ancient Greece, people have continuously sought the existence of the philosopher-king.

As long as one can implement religious tolerance, reform education and the legal system, rationalize administration, and improve the people’s standard of living, then he is a philosopher-king who aligns with the national interest, and Frederick the Great undoubtedly achieved this in Prussia.”

Although due to the obstruction by nobility, Frederick could not abolish serfdom throughout Prussia, at least in his direct territories, he succeeded.

Indeed, his military regulations were very strict, and he waged many wars, many of his actions could be deemed tyrannical, but we must not forget, he was the first in Europe to achieve limited freedom of publication, thus an enlightened tyrant.”

Seeing his firm attitude, Arthur had no interest in engaging him in a heated debate on this topic.

While Arthur did have some minor disagreements with Louis on this issue, he did not plan to make a big fuss about it.

Just as another good friend of Arthur’s, Mister Disraeli, had said—If you wish to win a person’s heart, whether in friendship or in love, the simplest way is to allow them to refute you.”

Arthur nodded slightly and said, “There are indeed many commendable points about Frederick the Great, and in my view, at least he did far better than his father.

After all, his father spent seventy percent of the fiscal revenue on expanding the army, and what’s more unbearable, he not only liked kidnapping healthy young men from all over Europe to serve in the Prussian army but also frequently kidnapped tall women to breed with them in the same way, hoping to create a military force as indestructible as the Cyclopes from Greek mythology.”

At these words, Louis’s just-rising spirits were instantly dampened, and his expression turned odd, caught between wanting to laugh and feeling it inappropriate to do so.

Louis asked, “Is this what they teach you all day at the University of London, these obscure and quirky bits of knowledge?”

Arthur shrugged and said, “No, Louis, this knowledge is hardly obscure.

The obscure stuff, I haven’t mentioned to you yet.”

“Hmm?” Louis asked curiously, “Is there something even more bizarre?”

Arthur took a sip of tea, “Because of my ties with the Royal Society, I’m able to access some of their lesser-known archival materials.

I just happened to come across some articles there that were compiled under Sir Isaac Newton’s presidency, attacking Mister Leibniz.

There it was mentioned that during the reign of Frederick I, Frederick’s father, he severely scolded Leibniz, saying he was ‘utterly useless, not even fit to stand guard.’”