Expanding Production

Regardless of what Bismarck and Prussia decided, the flames of German nationalist sentiment had already ignited.

The entire German region was swept up in this grand tide, the populace swayed by public opinion. At this moment, every citizen in the German region was a "patriot."

At this point, Prussia's nobles and capitalists would not back down. Prussia's rapid development urgently required new lands and markets.

Schleswig was already economically developed and densely populated, naturally drawing the attention of the Kingdom of Prussia. Not to mention, the Danish government's new bill attempting to annex Schleswig provided the Kingdom of Prussia with a ready excuse.

Mobilizing troops and preparing for war was inevitable. Under Prussia's top-tier mobilization capabilities, the army was already ready for war.

Of course, as part of the fog of war, it wasn't widely publicized. Prussia was already seen as a "soldier state" by Europeans, so troop movements were nothing unusual for other countries.

However, Prussia's armories had secretly begun to ramp up production. Benefiting from this, Ernst's factories also started working overtime.

This time, Ernst directly conscripted Prince Constantin's men, as it was naturally necessary to build connections to promote the newly produced tobacco and lighters to the army.

Ernst detailed the advantages of his products to the Prince, frankly stating that if the Prussian army were equipped with his cigarettes, their combat effectiveness would significantly improve.

Ernst didn't mention the dependency and harm of tobacco, only emphasizing that it could refresh tired soldiers. He also stressed that machine-produced tobacco was inexpensive (compared to handmade) and could be supplied to frontline soldiers in large quantities at low cost.

Constantin didn't pay much attention initially, but as it was their own industry, some consideration was necessary. Supplying it to the royal army within a certain scope was feasible.

When Ernst presented the kerosene lighters, Constantin became interested instead, examining them closely and picking one up to play with.

For ease of carrying, Ernst had specifically produced a batch of small kerosene lighters. They fit perfectly in a pocket and even came with a handy hemp wrist strap that could be attached to a belt.

The kerosene lighters were, of course, intended for "cigarettes," but could also be used to start fires.

Both the cigarettes and lighters were specially made for the war. For example, the cigarettes came in large boxes of fifty, and small packs of five. The lighters were designed in a bullet shape. Ernst had even set up two shell production lines specifically for manufacturing the lighter casings. To differentiate products, Ernst also created a special officer edition.

Of course, the civilian version adopted classic designs from later generations. The military versions were primarily for troop transport and distribution, while the kerosene lighters were purely to save costs.

Prince Constantin believed these kerosene lighters would be highly effective on the battlefield. Compared to matches, which were susceptible to moisture and easily broken, these kerosene lighters would be extremely popular on the battlefield.

The next day, after giving Ernst some perfunctory instructions, Constantin set off again for the Prussian Royal Palace, this time specifically bringing the kerosene lighters and cigarettes.

Indeed, having a father who was a top nobleman as backing was fortunate. Ernst's two new products quickly received new orders from the army.

The cigarettes and kerosene lighters, already in production and stockpiled in warehouses, along with small kerosene canisters, were directly delivered in batches to military camps and logistics depots.

Ernst honestly thought that this was why so many people got rich during wartime – the military paid promptly.

Of course, this was contingent on being in a well-ordered country. Otherwise, forced requisition would leave one with nowhere to turn, no matter how much they cried.

The military orders immediately recouped the invested capital, and now Ernst needed to scale up production.

The war wouldn't end in a day or two. There would be further orders, and sales through other channels would also need to be increased.

As a temporary ally of Prussia, Ernst certainly wouldn't overlook Austria. Building on their previous collaboration, he intended to maintain the relationship.

At Ernst's command, all departments of the Hohenzollern Development Company sprang into action.

The sales department also became busier, with new products being expedited for external sales. Advertising was paramount.

Simultaneously, hired salespeople were organized into a network that radiated outwards to neighboring German states. This scene couldn't help but remind Ernst of the peddlers in his past life who went door-to-door selling water purifiers.

Fortunately, Ernst was selling genuine, high-quality goods. Once people started using them and got accustomed to them, they would fall into the "true fragrance" trap, truly embodying the saying that it's easier to go from frugality to luxury than the other way around. Of course, this excluded poverty.

Ernst's factories were working overtime, but he was still not satisfied. It wasn't that he wanted to further expand production.

Market demand could now be met preliminarily. Ernst primarily wanted to open up more battlefronts.

Capital was no longer an issue; his existing industries were all generating profits and recovering costs. Naturally, he wanted to spend the money.

Ernst decided to establish a dedicated research and development center first, recruiting engineers to tackle everyday items that had been proven effective in his previous life.

No sooner said than done, Ernst quickly selected a beautiful and secluded location on the outskirts of Berlin to build an R&D center.

Unlike factory construction, this was not limited by raw materials, energy, or transportation.

The R&D center would primarily be responsible for experimentation. Internally, it would be divided into small studios, mainly responsible for conceptual architecture, and finally, drawing blueprints and recording specific operational procedures.

Ernst categorized these areas by function: some dedicated to clothing design, some to daily necessities, and others to specialized metal objects...

The Second Industrial Revolution was arriving in full swing, and preparations for the power sector could also begin. Ernst planned to allocate funds specifically to establish a power research institute nearby.

To attract talent, the Hohenzollern Development Company had already begun posting recruitment advertisements in Berlin, Bonn, Stuttgart, Munich...

The Hohenzollern Company was thus taking its first step towards industrial upgrading, developing into a research-oriented enterprise.

As the Hohenzollern Company grew increasingly prosperous, Prussia and Austria also began to strengthen their military forces.

Trains in the German region were frequently dispatched, with horse-drawn carriages and soldiers converging for large-scale drills.

The Jutland Peninsula was already shrouded in the clouds of war, threatening to shatter the peace of the continent at any moment. Ernst had already begun to mourn for the unfortunate Danes in advance, though Ernst's own thought was singular: good riddance.

Without the Danes' unwitting assistance, how would he have gotten rich? War was the best catalyst, and Ernst's enterprises would also get their share from the impending conflict.

Ernst even hoped the Danes would put up a better fight and not lose too quickly, so he could profit more. Such was the cold and ruthless nature of a capitalist.

It was no wonder Americans in his past life loved to start wars. If you truly profited from them, you would also actively push for their outbreak.

This war was essentially the shared aspiration of Prussia's powerful Junker landowners and Junker capitalists. Everyone hoped to get a piece of this feast.