Hohenzollern Conglomerate

Ernst was completely unaffected by the Danish government's distress; in fact, the suffering of the Danes was precisely what brought Ernst joy at this moment.

The Second Schleswig War directly fueled the development of the Hohenzollern Development Company, causing its business performance to skyrocket.

The expansion of the war inevitably led the allied forces to place greater importance on logistics. The daily consumption of supplies for the allied forces, launching continuous and powerful offensives, increased exponentially.

The demand for essential war materials like tobacco continued to rise, and the Hohenzollern Tobacco Company seized the opportunity to ramp up production.

New production lines were already in place, and orders were flooding in. Civilian orders were temporarily put on hold.

The executives at the Hohenzollern Company were all energized by the overwhelmingly positive outlook. The boss had already laid out a grand vision: "We have the advantage. After the war, the Hohenzollern Company will surely reach new heights."

At that time, the well-funded Hohenzollern Company would increase its expansion into other sectors. New factories and divisions would inevitably be established, and new positions would await everyone.

Any capable individual had a strong chance of becoming the head of a new department. Inspired by this grand blueprint, everyone worked even harder to achieve better results and gain the boss's favor.

The workers at the lower rungs were also enthusiastic, and production efficiency significantly improved. The saturation of orders, coupled with the rollout of new machinery, led to a substantial increase in overtime pay.

Nothing motivated workers' production enthusiasm more than increased income. Furthermore, the Hohenzollern Company's industries were primarily in manufacturing, which did not involve strenuous physical labor. Instead, they required skilled operation of machinery and more meticulous work processes.

Compared to heavy labor industries of the same period, many lower-class workers wished to find employment in Ernst's factories.

In 19th-century Germany, the population was extremely large and still growing. The job opportunities created by the advancing industrialization clearly could not meet the demands of the domestic population.

Over the years, Germany had not only been a treasure trove of fresh blood for the royal families of various kingdoms but its residents had also been a major source of global emigration.

Large numbers of German residents expanded their avenues for survival abroad each year, especially in the Americas. German immigrants formed a significant part of the population.

Numerous industrial cities emerged in Germany. Supported by abundant labor and the popularization of quality education, Germany's industrial development advanced. Even with the historical factors that prevented German unification, its economy began to surpass France.

France, constrained by its population and resources, began to fall behind Germany in the industrialization process.

Fortunately, France possessed colonies and a global market second only to Britain, satisfying the raw material and market demands of its industries. Compared to the relatively fragmented German states, France did not yet feel pressure.

However, the development of Prussia in recent years had caught the attention of the French, though the French government believed that Prussia's path to unifying Germany was still a long way off.

Meanwhile, the political chaos in France led to severe internal strife. Royalists and Republicans clashed fiercely, often fighting amongst themselves.

Although Napoleon III was quite capable, he was constantly constrained. He had to guard against the schemes of the Bourbons and Orléans while also preventing the Republicans from causing trouble.

As a former revolutionary hotbed, France also had to be wary of other political factions inciting unrest. A small protest could be exploited by those with ulterior motives and escalate into a riot.

Napoleon III himself had risen to power on the prestige of Napoleon the Great, and his authority was naturally limited. It was difficult for him to adopt strong measures to consolidate France's strength and compete on the world stage.

Even so, France, with its rich political legacy and foundation accumulated over generations, remained firmly in second place among the great powers.

In contrast, although the German states were scattered and fragmented, hindering economic development, German nationalism had surged in modern times.

Discerning individuals in Germany actively promoted unification, with numerous talents emerging and striving towards the same goal.

Although there were debates about different routes to unification, such as the "Greater Germany" or "Lesser Germany" options, the process of German unification actually moved a step closer.

Markets, transportation, and resources were rapidly integrated. Nobles and capitalists with common interests actively promoted the development of the German states, hoping that unification would allow them to participate in global competition.

Ernst was a beneficiary of this trend. Whether a strong homeland could protect him was uncertain, but it was certainly better than being a rootless wanderer.

Ernst was born into one of Germany's top noble families. If Germany unified, his noble status would also increase in value along with the empire's unification.

However, Ernst still needed to address the immediate issues. With the development of his industries, how to manage and deploy his resources more efficiently was a pressing concern.

To firmly grasp current and future markets and strengthen the management of his enterprises, Ernst planned to establish a new business management center to oversee the operations of his companies.

The Hohenzollern Development Company was already showing signs of becoming a large enterprise. With the increasingly complete factory system and hardware facilities for general merchandise, many new product types emerged. At the very least, in terms of basic daily necessities, the Hohenzollern Development Company had formed an operating model driven by three main pillars.

With the help of the war, the Hohenzollern Development Company rapidly recovered its capital. After becoming profitable, factory construction quickly expanded. Concurrently, the commercial outlets and cooperative partners established earlier had formed a mature network, radiating outwards from Germany.

Although the Hohenzollern Development Company also faced resistance from some traditional handicraft industries, during the lull in new product releases, competitors failed to offer products with comparable cost-effectiveness.

This allowed the Hohenzollern Development Company to quickly establish a foothold in the daily necessities sector, expanding its scope and gaining objective influence within the industry, becoming a clear representative of advanced productivity.

This led Ernst to consider establishing a separate subsidiary for the now mature daily necessities sector.

Tobacco was a highly profitable industry. The Hohenzollern Tobacco Company would be spun off by Ernst as an independent division.

Combined with the previously established R&D center, these would form the three pillars of the current Hohenzollern Development Company.

A supreme strategic decision-making body would be established above these three pillars. This new entity would become the core of Ernst's industrial empire.

After repeated research, Ernst formulated the following general plan:

First, establish the Hohenzollern Development Bank. Through sole ownership and controlling stakes, create a Hohenzollern Conglomerate centered in Germany.

Second, establish an independent Hohenzollern Tobacco Company, with Germany as its core base, supplemented by subsidiary brands in other regions.

Third, establish a new Hohenzollern General Merchandise Company, which would take over all factories of the Hohenzollern Development Company except for the tobacco business.

Fourth, establish the Hohenzollern Science and Technology R&D Center to uniformly guide product development and new market exploration for other departments.

Thus, the embryonic form of a Hohenzollern Conglomerate, with the Hohenzollern Development Bank at its core, was born.

In addition to managing its current industries, the Hohenzollern Development Bank would participate in the development of emerging sectors in Germany through investment and equity stakes.

These sectors were the core industries of the Second Industrial Revolution, including electronics, internal combustion engines, and information technology (radio, telephone, etc.), which would become important industries in the future.

At this time, on the eve of the Second Industrial Revolution, Ernst's focus was on the seedlings of scientific and technological achievements that were still in laboratories or in the minds of scientists and engineers, awaiting their chance to flourish.