Militarized Management

"Everyone stand at attention, don't move! Third from the left in the second row, I'm talking to you!" the drill instructor roared. This was truly the worst batch he'd ever trained.

Although most of them understood the meaning of "stand at attention," once the instructor said it, they were supposed to freeze and stand perfectly straight. Yet, there were always some who couldn't quite grasp it.

After severely punishing the unlucky fellow with a ruler, the instructor glared fiercely at the formation. He paced back and forth within the ranks, his sharp gaze like a hawk searching for prey in the sky. The moment he spotted anyone fidgeting or slacking off, the ruler in his hand would land squarely on the offender.

This ruler was made of dense mulberry wood, exactly one meter long. After processing, it was incredibly resilient, leaving a red mark on the body the instant it struck.

This was Hechingen Military Academy, and the cadets were undergoing morning drills. All the instructors at the academy were veterans from the army, having undergone rigorous training and experienced the baptism of war.

They had brought the army's regulations and systems into the academy. The army of this era largely relied on corporal punishment. For the safety of these half-grown children, Ernst had replaced the rods with rulers; they would only injure the skin and flesh, not the bones.

"Dong, dong, dong..."

The bell rang, and the cadets sat in the classroom. Because they had already been "educated," they now sat perfectly upright on their stools, hands placed straight and close, palms of their right hands resting on the backs of their left hands, elbows bent at sixty degrees on the table, heads held high and chests out.

Ernst entered the classroom with his lesson plans and walked directly to the podium. He pointed to the student on the far left of the first row. "Now, let's start the roll call! Report the numbers starting with you."

"eins, zwei, drei, vier, fünf, sechs, sieben... einhundert." There were exactly 100 students in one class, and five classes in total.

For the convenience of early instruction, everyone was assigned a number instead of a name. All of them had to memorize their number first.

This made it easier for the German instructors, who didn't speak Chinese, to manage them. Over the past few days, these cadets had learned some simple vocabulary, mostly military commands.

So, even if they didn't understand what the instructor was saying, they could guess what the instructor was going to do based on these words.

"Now, open your textbooks to the fifth page," Ernst said in Chinese, which the cadets could understand.

The fifth page of the book was filled entirely with German. Of course, they weren't meant to read it now; they only needed to listen to what Ernst said. Someone else was responsible for teaching German; Ernst's main focus was ideology.

But the rules couldn't be broken, so Ernst also required everyone to protect this German textbook, which they couldn't understand yet. Of course, even if it were written in Chinese, these students probably wouldn't understand it either, as there were too many illiterates in the East during this era, and ordinary people couldn't receive an education.

"This lesson will primarily cover the House of Hohenzollern," Ernst said sternly. "You might ask, which family is the House of Hohenzollern? What does Hohenzollern mean?"

The cadets below began listening to Ernst's story. They truly didn't know what Ernst was talking about, but the lessons he taught were about German common knowledge and German cultural traditions. These cadets listened as if hearing a story. After all, in an era without media or social media for entertainment, hearing about these foreign things felt quite novel.

"You should all know what a family is – it's a group formed by people with blood relations, like your parents, brothers, and sisters..."

Ernst tried his best to use simple, easy-to-understand language to instill ideas in these students: "We already know what a family is. Now, let's explain what Hohenzollern means. In German, 'Hohen' means noble, and 'Zollern' is a place name as well as a family name. You look at that castle in the distance every day, Sigmaringen Castle. Put together, it means the noble House of Zollern."

Ernst spoke eloquently: "So, what does 'noble' mean? It's like the high officials and royalty in your hometown, meaning officials with high positions and those related to the imperial family. In short, it means 'aristocracy'."

"And Zollern is my family's name. My family originated from the place called Zollern, so we use the place name as our family name. Coupled with our family's extremely prominent status in Europe, we prefix our name with 'Hohen,' meaning noble. Do you understand now? If you don't, you can ask."

Ernst looked at the students. Clearly, no one wanted to be the first to speak up. Ernst simply called on someone directly: "sieben (Seven), do you understand? Don't pretend to understand if you don't."

Cadet number Seven, upon being called, replied somewhat timidly, "Report, Principal, I don't fully understand."

"Which part don't you understand? You can state it directly. Don't worry, I won't blame you," Ernst asked kindly.

"Report, Principal, you said 'Hohen' means noble, but I'm not clear on how noble it is. Could you use something from our hometown as a reference?"

Ernst was pleased with this answer. "Very well, let me put it this way: Who do you think has the most power in your hometown? Who is the most formidable person in the world?"

"Report, Instructor, I've heard my master say that officials are the most powerful. Among officials, the most powerful is the Emperor residing in the Forbidden City in the capital," replied Number Seven.

Ernst nodded and said, "That's right. In your East, the highest and most noble status belongs to your Emperor. You can think of the highest-ranking member of the House of Hohenzollern as an Emperor as well – that would be the King of the Kingdom of Prussia. Of course, you don't need to know what Prussia is. Just understand that the House of Hohenzollern is equivalent to royalty."

Ernst continued, "And I, your Principal, am a member of this royalty. My father, in your East, is a Prince. I believe you know what a Prince is – someone whose status is just below the Emperor."

Although his explanation was somewhat jumbled, Ernst's intention was to emphasize the nobility of the House of Hohenzollern and instill the power of the House of Hohenzollern in these young, impressionable minds.

Ernst went on: "Furthermore, starting today, you must remember one thing: the Emperor of the East, your Emperor, is no longer your Emperor." He looked at the bewildered, ignorant youths before him.

Ernst amplified his persuasion: "Starting today, you have a new identity: you are Germans. Because you are now citizens of Germany, the Emperor of Germany is your Emperor."

Ernst had carefully considered this approach. He had to instill a new sense of identity in these students, to change their worldview, their outlook on life, and their values, so to speak.

After all, Ernst intended to use these individuals to maintain his rule in the future. He couldn't have them espousing ideas like "Are kings and generals born, or made?"

Russia had once implemented a Yellow Russia Plan. Ernst was now planning a Yellow Germany Plan, but with a difference: Ernst genuinely wanted to integrate two different peoples.

Therefore, the Eastern immigrants Ernst selected were mostly illiterate farmers. He didn't want "reactionary" groups like intellectuals. Of course, he also strictly screened for "religious" and "clan" affiliations, ensuring none of them could infiltrate.

In the future, East Africa would have a unified nation with a pan-German cultural identity. Everyone would belong to a single ethnicity: German. This was determined by Ernst's background. Those who betray their own class often meet a bad end – this was Ernst's deep-seated belief.

Completely deviating from the textbook, Ernst furiously injected his own agenda into the minds of these ignorant youths. It could be said that Ernst wasn't here to teach; his purpose was to brainwash these cadets.

This was done for the sake of harmony and stability in the future colonies. Ernst could not tolerate any factors that might cause instability in the face of future global trends.

To all the book friends, the author is terrible at naming things, so I am now soliciting backgrounds and names for the cadets of Hechingen Military Academy. If they fit the story, they may be adopted in the future. Please post them in the book club.