Berlin Energy Power Company.
Ernst returned to Berlin. The military academy could still operate without him; he had personally reviewed and helped compile all the teaching materials. As long as the instructors taught according to them, no major problems would arise.
But he had to personally inspect Berlin Energy Power Company. Ernst had received word that the four-stroke engine had achieved a major breakthrough, and the first prototype had now been built.
It was waiting for Ernst's inspection in the laboratory. The somewhat bulky, crude-looking object before him was the world's first four-stroke engine.
"Start it up and let me see!"
After the staff filled it with gasoline, they brought over a crank from the workbench. Bracing himself with his breath sunk to his dantian and his horse stance firmly planted, a worker began turning the crank with some effort. As the flywheel spun, its speed gradually increased.
"Chug, chug..."
"Rumble..."
A huge plume of black smoke burst from the exhaust pipe. Driven by the pistons' back-and-forth motion, the massive flywheel began turning along with the shaft and gears.
The entire room was filled with thunderous noise, yet to Ernst's ears, it was incomparably pleasing.
Lenoir and his young assistant Benz also wore satisfied smiles. This was unquestionably a great achievement that would transform mechanical power, one destined to be recorded in history.
After leaving the laboratory, Ernst spoke with the technicians. "I'm very pleased with your success. This is a great achievement that will change history. This month's bonuses will be doubled, and once mass production begins, all staff members will share twenty percent of the technical equity according to their contributions."
After offering what he considered substantial concessions, Ernst continued, "I'm satisfied with this prototype, but this initial machine is still far too cumbersome. You need to intensify the improvements, do everything in your power to correct component precision and reduce its size, so that it can be adapted for smaller machinery."
This was preparation for seizing the automobile market in the future. At present, most steam engines and internal combustion engines on the market were used in large objects such as factory machinery and ships, so size requirements were not so stringent.
"No problem, Boss."
Lenoir spoke with complete confidence. Ever since Ernst had found him, he had been provided with sufficient funding and space, allowing many ideas that had once been impossible to realize to become reality.
Moreover, that young man named Benz was quite impressive. Although he had only just graduated, he was highly capable. He often came up with different ideas that compensated for Lenoir's shortcomings, and his hands-on ability was exceptionally strong as well.
The rest of the company's personnel had mostly received a good education. They could understand and implement Lenoir's ideas very well.
As the general manager of Berlin Energy Power Company, Lenoir was more interested in research, but with people Ernst had transferred from Hechingen Bank assisting with the company's concrete affairs, Lenoir could devote more time to research and development.
With all these factors at play, Lenoir was confident that they could accelerate their progress.
"As for putting the product into production, there's no need for you to rush. I plan to carry it out in earnest around 1870," Ernst continued.
"Boss, isn't that a little late? I think that with a few more improvements to the details, this engine could completely seize the market right now," Lenoir asked in confusion.
Ernst naturally knew that the sooner production began, the sooner they could profit. But the four-stroke engine's impact on history was too great. Historically, Otto would not produce the first four-stroke engine until 1876, while it was only 1865 now.
As a transmigrator, Ernst's greatest cheat was his knowledge of certain historical developments. If history changed too drastically, then his advantage would be gone.
The four-stroke engine was directly tied to numerous industries led by the automobile. What if bringing it out early caused history to become utterly unrecognizable? Although Ernst had already changed history, it seemed for now that history's course had not undergone any major changes because of him. Naturally, he wanted to keep history developing along its original track.
Even this four-stroke engine, which Ernst planned to unveil five years later, would still appear six years ahead of history.
Therefore, Ernst still had to be cautious. If history truly had to change, it would be best for it to happen a few years later. Naturally, he would not reveal these private calculations to anyone else. He said,
"Mr. Lenoir, this is actually the company's strategy. After investigating the market, our team discovered that although the four-stroke engine is more efficient, the steam engines and two-stroke engines currently on the market are still entirely sufficient."
Ernst continued, "I think very highly of the four-stroke engine's prospects, so I want to maximize our profits and position ourselves in related industries. That is why I do not want this great invention to appear before its time."
To reassure his employees, Ernst continued, "You needn't worry either. We have held the patent for a long time already, so no one can take it from us. The market that should be ours will still be ours in the future. We are merely delaying this machine's impact on the market for the time being, so that we can better lay out our plans for the future."
Lenoir and the others roughly "understood" Ernst's thinking: cast a long line to catch a big fish. Still, they cautiously asked, "Boss, what if someone else invents a four-stroke engine too?"
Ernst said, "Don't worry. Even if someone develops one, our product will be more refined and advanced. And with the patent as another layer of insurance, we will have no rivals in the market."
To completely reassure everyone, Ernst put on a solemn expression and said, "In truth, the greatest purpose of delaying the four-stroke engine's debut is to develop a product that can change the entire world even more. I have always had an idea—to use something small in size yet greater in power to change how people travel."
Ernst continued, "The appearance of the four-stroke engine is precisely such an opportunity. In the future, we can install this type of engine on carriages. Since it runs on gasoline, let us call it an 'automobile' for now! Think about it—if automobiles appear, that will certainly be another invention that spans an era."
"Of course, I am only telling you this. Today's contents will be covered by confidentiality agreements. After all, this concerns the company's future development strategy. From now on, you must keep your mouths sealed tighter than a drum," Ernst emphasized.
On July 13, 1865, the world's first four-stroke engine was invented. This fact was later made public in declassified documents from the Hohenzollern Conglomerate, leading some people in later generations to say that Ernst had obstructed the development of the times.
If the four-stroke engine had appeared on the market earlier, it would certainly have changed the era. The technological explosion of the Second Industrial Revolution would have been even more violent.
Some unscrupulous media outlets of later generations even used headlines like this: "Shocking! This man was the greatest hidden mastermind preventing humanity from reaching Mars and entering the interstellar age ahead of time..."
Of course, those were matters for later. Ernst could not hear those people's fierce condemnation.