Fleet

October 8, 1866, Venice.

Hechingen Shipyard.

Today was Ernst's second visit to Venice. Unlike last time, it was now October; the weather was transitioning from hot to cold, making the temperature rather cool and pleasant.

He had received word the day before yesterday that the fifth new ship had been completed. All the vessels Ernst had ordered had now been finished in the docks, merely awaiting launch.

Ernst had therefore come to attend the launching ceremony for his own fleet. Hechingen Shipyard had always taken other orders as well, so it could not devote itself wholeheartedly to building ships for Ernst. Each production cycle could only reserve one dock for his company; after all, that was the only way for the shipyard to operate steadily.

Led by the employees of Hechingen Shipyard, Ernst made his way familiarly to the shipyard docks, accompanied by the vessel's designer and technical supervisor.

A huge ocean-going vessel stood beside the dock. The wooden framework around it had already been dismantled. As the channel was sealed, water flowed from the pipe passages on both sides toward the center. Slowly, the great ship rose and floated with the water level.

"There are currently five ships of this kind. They are all wooden-hulled sailing vessels fitted with steam power, and their structures were completed by experienced naval designers..."

Standing on the shore, Ernst listened to the technicians' explanation. The technology of these five wooden ships was fairly sound. After all, the experience behind them was mature, and they would be easy for sailors to handle at sea.

"If these ships are going to the Far East and drifting at sea all year round, is their safety reliable?"

"Boss, rest assured. Our workers have made their living from this craft for years. We would never dare be the slightest bit careless with workmanship or material selection. As for the design, it draws upon the most mature and reliable plans, with only a few minor improvements that will not threaten the safety of the ship's main structure."

Though the staff's assurances might not have been worth a penny, they still gave Ernst some comfort. He feared they might make a mess of things; every year, there were ship accidents caused by designers boldly pursuing innovation.

As long as the shipyard staff followed the mature practices of the current era and worked steadily, safety would be somewhat better.

Now that the ships were ready, it was time to put them to work and have them generate profits for him. First came recruiting personnel for the fleet.

Ernst instructed his new assistant, Erik.

"Erik, begin preparing the recruitment of sailors for our first ocean-going commercial fleet the day after tomorrow. You can post recruitment advertisements throughout Venice."

"We must find veteran hands who have sailed ocean-going routes before to lead the way. The other sailors can be recruited from the locals."

"Yes, Boss!" Erik replied.

"Also, these five ships can conveniently solve the problem of transporting a batch of our equipment to East Africa first. Make sure to coordinate everything properly."

Ernst planned to order a batch of machinery for the colony: sisal-weaving machines, threshing machines, and some basic equipment.

Some materials could still be processed locally before export, which would yield higher profits and make loading cargo more convenient.

While Ernst was making plans for the ocean-going fleet, Prince Constantin was pulling strings everywhere in search of a marriage alliance.

Prince Constantin's desk was piled with information on various families, much of it concerning nobles from the German territories. In this era, the German territories were Europe's incubator of nobility. Many European aristocrats had emerged from the German territories, so Prince Constantin's selection focused on Germany as well.

Aside from Germany, certain nobles from Sweden in Northern Europe, France, and Russia were also under consideration.

"This one won't do, she's too young. This one is too old. This family's status is too low. This one has an illness..."

After picking and choosing, Prince Constantin finally settled on three families. After some thought, he decided to wait until Ernst returned before making the final decision.

After attending the ships' launching ceremony, Ernst registered all five vessels under Hechingen Overseas Trading Company.

Their main purpose was trade from Europe to East Africa and then to the Far East. Whether they made money was secondary; the current goal was to reduce costs. The Dutch did not charge cheaply, after all. More importantly, this would make it easier to control the colony.

The Suez Canal had not yet opened. For now, he would let these sailors familiarize themselves with ocean-going routes while continuing to expand the fleet and waiting for the Suez Canal to open.

Once the Suez Canal opened, the distance from Europe to East Africa would be cut by more than half.

As long as one departed from the Mediterranean Sea, passed through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea, and crossed the Strait of Mandeb into the Indian Ocean, one could sail all the way south along the coastline to East Africa.

In the Gulf of Aden maritime territory, the fleet could choose whether to head east toward the Far East or south toward the colony. Fleets returning from the Far East or the East African colony could dock at ports along the Mediterranean coast, then transport their cargo overland from Austria back to Prussia.

For now, though, they could only continue along the long western coastline of Africa. That was fine too; it would allow the newly recruited sailors to familiarize themselves with their work and surroundings.

"Erik, there is one more thing. Go investigate the market and see whether there are any secondhand ships for sale. Five ships are still too few. We need to speed things up and see if we can expand the fleet to more than ten vessels."

"Yes, Boss."

Erik recorded everything, preparing to complete the tasks one by one.

The five ocean-going sailing ships conducted their sea trials on the Adriatic Sea. Ernst stood at the bow, feeling the sea wind batter him. Ships came and went across the Adriatic, their various whistles constantly ringing in his ears.

The sea was relatively calm, tiny waves quietly lapping against the ship's outer hull. Ernst could not feel any violent shaking, and his first experience aboard an ocean-going vessel was rather comfortable.

In the future, this fleet would sail for long periods along the route to the East African colony. Europe and East Asia were merely the two ends supplying manpower and material resources for the development of the East African colony. East Africa was Ernst's true priority.

Sorry, everyone. Yesterday, the haters pissed me off so badly I shut down, and that left me in poor condition today. It took me several hours to grind this chapter out, and the result is not very good either. I truly have no mood to revise it anymore.