African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 128: Chapter 122: Abduction_2

Rudolph is completely different; his father is rigid but indecisive when it comes to family matters (politically, he was also like this, but he was basically qualified for the environment at the time), and his mother, Princess Sisi, does not fit in with the court, resulting in a tense relationship between daughter-in-law and mother-in-law.

In any case, Rudolph is destined not to feel a harmonious family environment, so he is somewhat timid. Faced with the differing personalities of his parents, he naturally becomes more influenced by his mother.

Ernst’s eyes lit up when he saw little Rudolph; wasn’t this one of his targets?

Ernst reached out his hands, pinched little Rudolph’s chubby cheeks, and said, ”Ah! Who is this? So adorable!”

Ernst wasn’t just talking nonsense; in his previous life, he had a preference for young children, putting aside the unruly ones.

Currently, little Rudolph and Karina are clearly in the good and obedient child category, a personality type that most adults typically like.

”Ernst, I remember you’re not much older than these siblings, right? You act like a grown-up.” Empress Dowager Sophie said happily as she watched Ernst play with Rudolph.

In fact, this behavior made Empress Dowager Sophie feel more satisfied with Ernst. At eighteen, Ernst was considered an adult in his previous life.

In this era, adulthood comes even earlier because people need to take on responsibilities sooner; a farmer’s son needs to work the fields, and a nobleman’s son must start learning to be a mature successor.

At present, Ernst certainly meets the qualifications of a successor, with a good background. There’s no doubt he’ll be a Prince in the future, and on top of that, he successfully started his own business, is very self-disciplined, and has no scandals. In the eyes of someone like Empress Dowager Sophie, who is a traditional person, naturally, he is seen as excellent in various aspects.

”Empress Dowager, no matter how old I get, I’ll always be a child in front of elders like you.” Ernst said.

Ernst was thinking of Empress Dowager Sophie’s grandson, unbeknownst to her.

Rudolph’s suicide in his previous life as one of the Habsburg tragedies is indeed regrettable, and Ernst, as Rudolph’s future brother-in-law, naturally wanted to lend Rudolph a hand.

Of course, Ernst also wants to see what the future of Austria-Hungary would be like if Rudolph did not die! There’s also Franz’s unfortunate nephew, Grand Duke Ferdinand, who was solved with one shot by a Serbian youth; would his fate be different?

As for the butterfly effect, Ernst isn’t worried at all right now. Looking at Franz’s extended lifespan from his previous life, even if Rudolph is alive in this lifetime, he would have to wait until after 1916 to gain power.

By 1916, the opportunities would have cooled, and at the current speed, the East African colonies would already be developed, being far away from Europe.

As long as no premature stance is taken, the two world wars would not affect the mainland of East Africa at all, and unlike America, East Africa will be an important power near the Indian Ocean; by then it would be a target for contention by both sides (after all, it can threaten two important maritime routes: the Suez Canal and Cape of Good Hope).

So Ernst isn’t worried about World War I or World War II; the real concern is the initial stage of starting the colonies in East Africa.

Right now, the risk is the greatest; other great powers indeed have the ability to interfere with African affairs, but fortunately, the capitalism in Europe hasn’t reached the stage of capital export (where they search for raw materials and markets worldwide).

That is to say, the current focus of colonizers is mainly on the plundering of raw materials, with all industry remaining domestic. Ernst doesn’t publicize East Africa’s resources, naturally not drawing attention.

Once the capital export stage comes, the great powers complete their domestic industrialization, saturating domestic markets and profits. Therefore, capital will go worldwide, conquering and plundering.

After 1880, Europe and America began a frenzy of dividing the world, and within mere decades, more Asian countries became colonies or semi-colonies; Africa was divided up; Latin America virtually became semi-colonies, and by the late 19th century, the colonial system of the capitalist world had finally formed.

So East Africa must, before 1880, reach a size sufficient to protect itself, and by the end of the 19th century, have the ability to achieve independence.

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”Rudolph, would you like to come live in Prussia with me for a while?” Ernst asked half-jokingly.

The little guy didn’t say anything but turned his head to look at his grandmother.

”Ernst, are you joking or what! Even if you like kids, Rudolph is the future emperor of Austria-Hungary and has no time to play with you. If you really want a child to hold, why not wait till you marry Karina and have one yourself?” Empress Dowager Sophie quipped.

Ernst, however, said seriously, ”Empress Dowager, I’m not joking, but I believe that as a future emperor, he should see more of the world. Especially now, with rapid development and accelerated industrialization, many things are different from before, and an emperor must keep up with the times, or he risks falling behind.”

”Isn’t that a bit of scaremongering? Franz came through in a similar way, so why can’t Rudolph go out to see the world when he grows up?” Empress Dowager Sophie retorted.

Ernst wouldn’t give up his goal easily and continued to persuade, ”Empress Dowager, letting Rudolph go out early to see the world isn’t a bad thing. Those who become emperors are isolated; apart from the experiences passed down by their predecessors, they have no other reference channels. After all, worldwide, there are only a handful of people who can be monarchs. I plan to take Rudolph to the Prussian royal family for exchanges with Crown Prince Frederick, Prince William, and other future Prussian monarchs.”

Ernst continued to entice, ”Empress Dowager, Prussia’s development over the years has been visible to everyone; others may not know, but I am very clear on the industrialization in Prussia. I can say without exaggeration that Prussian industry has currently surpassed France, and the speed of Prussian development is increasing, soon overtaking France. From my personal interactions with the heirs of the Prussian royal family, they are outstanding young people of the era, so having Rudolph interact with them will help improve his abilities.”

”But Prussia’s development is built on Austria’s temporary defeat; otherwise, Prussia could never have achieved such success, Ernst!” Empress Dowager Sophie fiercely opposed.

”Empress Dowager, Prussia indeed had opportunistic aspects, but the last war was no accident. Regarding the application of technology, Prussian firearms last time were at the forefront in Europe, and technologies like railways and telegraphs played significant roles.”

”This suffices to show that understanding industry and technology will be a required course for future monarchs. Among European countries, the Prussian royal family definitely leads the way; of course, Vienna is one of Europe’s cultural and artistic centers, but industrial and scientific standards can directly enhance national power.” Ernst didn’t forget to give Vienna a title.

”But can’t we just hire teachers in these fields?” Empress Dowager Sophie said.

”It’s like comparing looking at a landscape painting and visiting a real landscape; the impact is different. Take Mei Quan Palace, for instance, Empress Dowager, looking at it through paintings would never be as profound as living here. To understand the times, feeling the developments in industry and technology firsthand is more impactful.”

This saying is quite reasonable, with well-chosen and simple examples, making it easy to understand. Empress Dowager Sophie showed some wavering but still said, ”But Rudolph’s studies can’t be delayed!”

Ernst took advantage of the situation, ”We can have palace instructors accompany him, integrating learning with interactions among those princes while exploring various locales.”

”For a monarch, the most important quality isn’t academic performance. There were many monarchs in the Middle Ages who couldn’t even recognize characters, yet some of them still ruled well, while some learned monarchs may not have governed well. After all, Rudolph will be an emperor, not a scholar.”

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After a series of verbal bombardments from Ernst, Empress Dowager Sophie reluctantly agreed that Rudolph could go with Ernst to see the world, but she must first discuss with Franz.

(Why there isn’t much focus on Karina for now is because they haven’t married and they are too young. This could be discussed again in a few years. As for Rudolph, being a boy, it’s inconsequential.)