The Water City of Venice

The weather in Venice in December was rather bleak. In the early morning, the comings and goings of people along the banks were sparse, and the water was shrouded in mist. The Gothic-style buildings on either side of the canals were picturesque in the fog, like stepping into a dreamlike world.

What Ernst found most interesting were the occasional arched bridges that spanned the water, connecting the two banks. They reminded him of the small bridges and flowing water in the Jiangnan region from his past life's literature. Venice's arched bridges had their own unique charm, yet shared commonalities that resonated with him.

Sitting in a "gondola," a boat unique to Venice, Ernst admired the ancient city, which retained a strong medieval character. The buildings on either side of the canal rapidly receded as the boat glided forward.

These exquisite houses, nestled closely together and arranged in a staggered fashion, along with elegant and magnificent churches, towering, weathered bell towers, and resplendent palaces... all spoke of its past glory.

Medieval Venice possessed an incomparably glorious history in Europe. Its advantageous geographical location and natural, excellent harbor shaped the character of the city. The Venetians of that era, like the Dutch today, were filled with a desire and pursuit of wealth.

By monopolizing the maritime trade routes between East and West, and along the Adriatic Sea, the Venetians established a prosperous commercial republic. Eastern goods were transshipped in Venice, and the footprints of Venetian merchants spread throughout Europe, with wealth flowing into the pockets of Venetian merchants.

The prosperity of commerce led to the flourishing of the city of Venice. The Venetian merchants, who became wealthy first, successively built churches and palaces. Many of the buildings Ernst saw could be traced back to that period.

Economic prosperity drove cultural prosperity. With the rise of citizens and the gathering of literati and artists, Venice became one of Europe's important cultural centers.

A large number of writers and painters used words and paintings to record Venice's wealth and freedom. Shakespeare, a contemporary Englishman, also used Venice as a backdrop to create classic works like "The Merchant of Venice."

However, ever since Europe entered the Age of Discovery, with the continuous opening of new sea routes, the shift in major global trade routes accelerated the decline of port cities along the Mediterranean coast, and Venice was no exception.

Even a starving camel is larger than a horse. The declining Venice could not escape the covetous eyes of ambitious powers, and it successively fell into the hands of France and the Austrian Empire.

Currently, as one of the many regions under the rule of the Austrian Empire, Venice had clearly not received enough attention. Continental hegemony was the main focus of the Austrian Empire, and Venice was more like a buffer zone managed by Austria.

In fact, Ernst also felt regret for the history of the Austrian Empire. The Habsburg family's centuries of efforts on the continent, producing countless heroes and geniuses, and nurturing infinite culture and art, ultimately could not withstand the progress of the times. Faced with the tide of nationalism, they failed to adjust their direction in time, leading to their eventual fragmentation. Success and failure turned to dust.

Ernst believed that Austria had paid too many ineffective costs for continental hegemony. As a typical "sandwich cookie," Austria was feared by Britain, France, and Russia. While Prussia was ambitious, it could not restore the glory of the Holy Roman Empire because Austria's size was too great. They could only exclude Austria, and a Germany without Austria would not be complete.

If Austria had unified Germany, it would have created a terrifying nation stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean, bisecting Central Europe, and the whole of Europe would have trembled.

Therefore, Britain, France, and Russia would rather the Prussians achieve the "Lesser German" plan than make any concessions to Austria.

If Austria had aimed to maintain the balance of power in Europe and participated in colonization, it would have been much more comfortable than it was now. A maritime outlet like Venice could also have benefited from this.

It was also unfortunate for Austria. If the Suez Canal had opened ten years earlier, with Austria's size and Venice's geographical location, Venice, not to mention restoring its ancestral legacy, could at least have developed into Austria's largest port city.

But history does not allow for "ifs." In the future, Venice would return to Italy, and the Austrian Empire would become the Austro-Hungarian Empire until its demise.

Compared to Venice returning to Italy, Ernst was more optimistic about Venice remaining within the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After all, Italy was surrounded by the sea on three sides and had over a hundred ports, while the Austro-Hungarian Empire would only have one outlet on the Adriatic Sea in the future.

Italy was also fortunate to have come at a good time. Just a few years after regaining Venice, the Suez Canal opened, and the Mediterranean's importance increased again.

At the Martin Shipyard in Venice, Ernst had now taken over. It was a family shipyard with a long history, but in recent years, it had been poorly managed and was in a state of loss. The heir, Fortez Martin, was looking for a buyer, and Ernst had funded the purchase.

As for Fortez Martin, he intended to use the money from selling the shipyard to invest in the textile industry. He had made a considerable profit in textiles in recent years and was looking to increase his investment. Coincidentally, his shipyard was constantly losing money, a definite negative asset, so he sold it to Ernst for cash.

Ernst planned to upgrade the shipyard and expand the dry dock. Once the Suez Canal opened, he could establish his own ocean-going merchant fleet.

This family shipyard didn't have any particular advantages, but it was old and had a group of experienced shipbuilding workers. Its land area was also quite substantial, placing it in the upper-middle tier in the Venice region.

This provided convenience for Ernst's shipyard upgrade. Ernst intended to recruit some Austrian workers to work in the shipyard, to buffer the number of Italians.

Of course, he also planned to train a group of German workers as technical and employee reserves for the future Hamburg branch. Ernst couldn't possibly lure a bunch of Italians to work in northern Germany, and Austrians were themselves of German ethnicity, so there would be no significant psychological pressure for future personnel transfers, making things run smoothly.

Since he had acquired the shipyard, he naturally couldn't use the old name. Following the usual practice, the Hechingen Shipyard was established. Ernst disliked using people's names for factories and companies, so he often used the place name Hechingen.

As for the shipyard's management personnel, in addition to continuing to employ the original management, Ernst would transfer some capable individuals from Berlin to assist with management and supervision.

The small Hechingen, a rural area deep inland in Europe, unexpectedly possessed a seaside shipyard, as well as a bank, a company, and a research center in Berlin.

Hechingen was his own; this concept had already taken root in Ernst's mind. Influenced by Prince Constantin, Ernst had independently taken on the role of Hechingen's representative.