Hohenzollern Castle

April 13, 1866.

Today marks the day Hohenzollern Castle was completely finished, and Prince Constantin had specifically invited some important family members to celebrate here.

Hohenzollern Castle is the birthplace of the House of Hohenzollern and its spiritual symbol.

The castle was built in the 11th century. Its founder, Burchard I, was enfeoffed as Count of Zollern around 1100 (his territory was between the present-day Upper Neckar, Swabian Jura, and Upper Danube). He began construction of the castle, but the old castle was later destroyed.

The family reinforced the castle and added fortifications, making it a retreat for the House of Hohenzollern during times of war. Due to its strategic location, it was a vital military stronghold contested by France and Austria. There was a brutal battle where enemy forces besieged it for nine months, and the defenders inside starved to death. During the war, the castle was not completed as planned. After changing hands several times, it was eventually abandoned.

In 1844, King Wilhelm IV, who inherited the Prussian throne, mentioned in a letter the fond memories he had of this castle when he was 19, especially gazing out at sunset. Rebuilding the castle thus became a dream of his youth.

The current Hohenzollern Castle began reconstruction in 1850, funded jointly by Prussia and Hechingen. Historically, it was set to be completed in 1867.

However, after Ernst made money through industry, the finances of the Hechingen royal family became much more abundant, so Ernst decided to accelerate the castle's construction.

After consulting with the Prussian royal family, Ernst sped up the construction of the new Hohenzollern Castle. Workers put in overtime every day, allowing the castle to be completed a year ahead of schedule.

At the same time, Ernst increased the Hechingen royal family's ownership of Hohenzollern Castle to fifty percent by repurchasing the Prussian royal family's share.

After all, this was their home, representing not only the glory of the House of Hohenzollern but also the prestige of the Hechingen line.

King Wilhelm I of Prussia, troubled by war funds, was happy to sell part of the ownership. Although royal finances were separate from state finances, it was cheaper for the royal family to invest money in kingdom construction than for commercial banks to acquire government bonds, as intermediaries would also charge a fee.

Today, the attendees at the castle's completion ceremony were all prominent figures within the House of Hohenzollern. From the Hechingen line, only Prince Constantin and Ernst were present.

Due to King Wilhelm I's preparations for war, the Prussian royal family sent Crown Prince Frederick (Frederick III, the Hundred Days Emperor, succeeded by Wilhelm II after his death) to represent them at the ceremony.

There were also many members from the Sigmaringen line, including Prince Karl Anton and his two sons. The elder son, Prince Leopold, was a candidate for the Spanish throne in 1870, and Leopold's claim to the Spanish throne was one of the direct causes of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871.

As for Prince Karl Anton's younger son, Karl (the future Emperor Carol I of Romania), Ernst envied him. He was currently in Romania, on the verge of ascending the Romanian throne, and thus could not attend.

Among the Hohenzollern family members present, only Ernst and Leopold had uncertain futures. Leopold had a chance to become the King of Spain, but he was blocked by the French. As for Ernst, he only had the position of Prince of Hechingen to inherit.

Ernst's advantage over Leopold lay in the East African colony. Therefore, after the First World War, Ernst could still escape to East Africa and continue to live extravagantly. Poor Leopold's descendants could only rely on their ancestral property on the European continent.

However, in this regard, his brother's descendants and the Prussian royal family were even more pitiable. One lost the Romanian throne, and the other lost the German Empire's throne. Perhaps comparing them this way would make Leopold feel a little better. (Wicked smile)

Ernst vowed that if East Africa developed well in the future, he would help these relatives. This was sincere. For example, the Prussian royal family had provided Ernst with considerable support. Otherwise, it would not have been so easy for Ernst to obtain military orders and access to armories; this was the benefit of a strong family.

As for Ernst's deceased mother, Eugénie de Beauharnais, she was the daughter of Duke Eugène de Beauharnais of Leuchtenberg. Duke Eugène de Beauharnais had many children, and the only one still alive was the former Queen of Sweden, Josephine.

The above were roughly Ernst's important relatives. Currently, the House of Hohenzollern was Ernst's true support.

"...The reconstruction of Hohenzollern Castle marks another step forward for our House of Hohenzollern. May it stand forever on German soil, accompanying the House of Hohenzollern."

After the Prince of Hechingen finished his speech, applause erupted from the audience. Then, Crown Prince Frederick and Prince Karl Anton delivered speeches representing the Prussian royal family and Sigmaringen, respectively.

Night, the reception.

"Hi, Cousin Leopold, why are you drinking alone?" Ernst greeted him.

"I'm mainly worried about whether Karl is doing well in Romania. After all, Romania is not a safe place right now. Although he has the family's support, the tragic experience of the previous Grand Duke of Romania shows that the situation in Romania is unstable."

"Don't worry. Setting aside Karl's other abilities, his experience leading troops is excellent. As long as Karl can establish contact with the Romanian military, those Romanian opposition figures will definitely not dare to act rashly," Ernst reassured him. He had a basis for saying this, as Karl had spent years in the army and had even participated in the Second Schleswig War.

"Alas, I hope so! I heard you've been doing well recently. It seems Uncle Constantin didn't consider a military career for you."

Ernst replied with self-deprecation, "My cousin, I know nothing about military affairs. I can't compare to you brothers, so I won't bring harm to the kingdom's army."

"Father mentioned you acquired a colony in East Africa. Is it going smoothly?" Leopold changed the subject.

"Haha, East Africa really can't be compared to Europe. Right now, I'm mainly involved in some agricultural cultivation there, producing raw materials for my own factories in the future. It's just a small business," Ernst said with a smile.

"What are you two talking about?" Crown Prince Frederick walked over.

Crown Prince Frederick was the oldest among the three. He and Leopold had both served in the Prussian army and had only met Ernst a few times, so they knew very little about him.

"Your Highness, Ernst and I were discussing some minor matters. I was just curious because I heard Ernst developed a colony in East Africa," Leopold said.

"Colonies are indeed good places. The British relied on their vast colonies to maintain their maritime hegemony. Unfortunately, Germany has never been unified, wasting opportunities for overseas expansion. Now, those wealthy colonies have already been divided up by countries like Britain and France, and what's left are probably just scraps," Crown Prince Frederick lamented.

Ernst seized the opportunity to say, "Therefore, our current focus should be on completing the cause of unifying Germany. Only a strong Germany can compete with those great powers."

Leopold and Frederick nodded in agreement.

Frederick said, "This is Prussia's destiny, to complete the unification of Germany. We, the House of Hohenzollern, bear this responsibility without fail."

This statement was filled with a sense of impending conflict, clearly aimed at the Austrian Empire. It seemed that the top brass in Prussia had reached a consensus to go all out against the Austrian Empire.