Expanding Production

No matter what Bismarck and Prussia decided, the flames of Germanic nationalism had already blazed fiercely.

The entire German territories were swept up by this great tide, the people carried along by public opinion. At this moment, every person in the German territories was a "patriot."

At this point, Prussian nobles and capitalists would not stop. Prussia's rapid development urgently required new land and markets.

Schleswig itself was economically developed and densely populated, so it naturally caught the eye of the Kingdom of Prussia. Not to mention that the Danish government's new bill seeking to annex Schleswig had prepared an excuse for the Kingdom of Prussia.

Preparing the troops for war was unavoidable. With Prussia's first-rate mobilization capabilities, its army had long since made its preparations.

Naturally, it was not widely publicized, shrouded as it was in the fog of war. Prussia itself was seen by Europeans as a nation of soldiers, so troop movements were nothing unusual to other countries.

However, Prussian armories had secretly begun ramping up production. Benefiting from this, Ernst's factories also began working around the clock.

This time, Ernst directly pressed Prince Constantin into service. After all, if he wanted to sell the newly manufactured tobacco and lighters to the military, pulling some strings was indispensable.

Ernst carefully introduced the advantages of his products to his father and bluntly declared that if the Prussian Army were equipped with his cigarettes, its combat effectiveness could rise by a great deal.

Ernst said nothing about tobacco's addictiveness or dangers. He only mentioned that it could refresh exhausted soldiers, emphasizing that mechanically produced tobacco was inexpensive compared to handmade products and could be supplied to frontline soldiers cheaply on a large scale.

Constantin did not pay much attention to it, but since it was his family's business, he naturally had to offer some support. Supplying it to the Kingdom's military within certain limits was feasible.

But when Ernst took out the kerosene lighter, Constantin became interested. He examined it closely, picked it up, and began turning it over in his hands.

For convenient carrying, Ernst had specifically manufactured a batch of compact kerosene lighters. They fit perfectly into a pocket and even came thoughtfully equipped with a hemp-cord wrist loop that could be tied to a belt.

The kerosene lighters had naturally been prepared for the "cigarettes," though soldiers could also use them to start fires.

Both the cigarettes and lighters were specially made in preparation for war. The cigarettes came in large boxes of fifty and small packs of five. The lighters were shaped like bullets, and Ernst had even directly introduced two casing production lines to manufacture their shells. To distinguish product tiers, Ernst had also created a version exclusively supplied to officers.

The civilian version, of course, still used the classic style of later generations. The military version was mainly designed for troop transport and distribution, while the kerosene lighters were simply meant to save costs.

Prince Constantin believed these kerosene lighters could play a major role on the battlefield. Compared with matches, which were easily dampened and easily broken, these kerosene lighters would undoubtedly be hugely popular in war.

The next day, after giving Ernst a few inconsequential instructions, Constantin once again set off for the Prussian Royal Palace, this time specifically bringing the kerosene lighters and cigarettes with him.

Sure enough, having a top-ranking noble father at his back was a blessing. Ernst's two new products quickly received new orders from the military.

The cigarettes and kerosene lighters, which had already been produced and stockpiled in warehouses, were hauled in batches along with small kerosene canisters into military camps and logistics depots.

Why did so many people make fortunes during wartime? Naturally, because the military paid without hesitation, Ernst thought frankly.

Of course, that was on the premise of being in a well-ordered country. Otherwise, one forced requisition order would leave you with nowhere to cry.

The military order immediately recouped the invested capital, and Ernst was now ready to expand production.

Wars did not end in a day or two. More orders would come knocking later, and sales through other channels also needed to be increased.

Austria, Prussia's temporary ally, was naturally not a market Ernst would let slip away. With their previous cooperation as a foundation, this time their partnership naturally had to continue.

At Ernst's command, every department of the Hohenzollern Development Company sprang into action.

The sales department's burden grew heavier as well. The new products were pushed outward at an accelerated pace, and advertising was the top priority.

At the same time, the salesmen they had hired were woven into a network radiating toward the countries surrounding Germany. Seeing this, Ernst could not help recalling the merchants from his previous life who went from village to village selling water purifiers.

Fortunately, everything Ernst sold was genuinely good merchandise. Once people began using it and became accustomed to it, they would fall into the "it really is good" trap. It truly proved the saying: going from frugality to luxury was easy, but going from luxury back to frugality was hard. Poverty excluded, of course.

Ernst's factories were producing day and night, yet he was still dissatisfied—not because he wanted to further expand production.

The market's demand could already be provisionally met. What Ernst mainly wanted was to open up several more battlefields.

Money was no longer a problem. The businesses in his hands had all begun turning profits and replenishing his funds, so naturally he had to spend the money.

Ernst decided to first establish a dedicated research and development center, recruiting engineers to tackle those time-tested everyday goods from his previous life.

He acted as soon as he decided. Ernst quickly selected a beautiful, secluded site in the outskirts of Berlin and built an R&D center there.

Unlike factories, whose construction was constrained by raw materials, energy, and transportation, the R&D center was mainly responsible for experiments. Its interior only needed to be divided into small studios, primarily responsible for constructing principles and frameworks, then drawing blueprints and recording detailed operational procedures.

Ernst divided these areas according to function: some specialized in designing clothing, some in everyday goods, and others in unusual metal objects...

As the Second Industrial Revolution arrived with thunderous momentum, preparations in the field of electricity could also begin. Ernst prepared to allocate dedicated funds to establish an electrical research institute nearby.

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

Hechingen Company had also taken its first step toward industrial upgrading, developing toward becoming a research-oriented enterprise.

As Hechingen Company grew stronger by the day, Prussia and Austria also began sharpening their weapons and feeding their horses.

Trains were dispatched frequently throughout the German territories, carriages and horses crisscrossed the roads, and soldiers gathered for large-scale drills.

War clouds had already gathered over the Jutland Peninsula, ready at any moment to shatter the peace of Europe. Ernst had already begun observing a moment of silence in advance for the pitiful Danes, yet there was only one thought in his heart: Well fought.

Without the Danes' assist, how could he have made his fortune? War was the finest catalyst, and Ernst's enterprises would also get a share of the pie from the coming conflict.

Ernst even hoped the Danes would try a little harder and not lose too quickly, so that he could rake in more. That was how cold and ruthless a capitalist's heart was.

No wonder Americans in his previous life had loved launching wars so much. Once you truly made money from one, you too would actively push for war to break out.

This war was, in truth, the shared expectation of the Junker great landowners and Junker capitalists behind Prussia. Everyone hoped to claim a share of the feast.