African Entrepreneurship Record

Trieste.

Entering June.

A shipload of grain brought from East Africa was unloaded at the dock of the Port of Trieste, and then transported via a dedicated railway to the Vienna Food Company's factory on the outskirts of Trieste.

"In the past two months, everyone must work harder. We will increase production capacity by 60%." The supervisor said in the factory.

It's dark now, but the electric lights illuminate the entire factory, making the night shift and day shift seamlessly connected.

It's summer, the weather is very hot, and the baking oven evaporates this heat to every corner of the factory.

"Francis, keep filling the boiler."

"Mars organized people to take the finished products out of the oven immediately, dry them quickly, and then package them."

"Larry vacated the warehouse for me, and I must keep it dry."

…

at the same time.

Factories in Hechingen in Germany are increasing their efforts in production, especially military supplies, grain processing, wine, etc.

Even the factory that specializes in producing monkey-style East African militia military uniforms has begun mass production of exquisite Prussian military uniforms. They are now storing them and will ship them directly in two months.

Prussia deliberately wanted to go to war with France, especially those daring people like Bismarck and the Prussian Army.

The start of the Franco-Prussian War was inseparable from these gamblers, the so-called Ems secret telegram incident. Bismarck modified William I's reply to Napoleon III without authorization, which caused the French's anger to soar and finally triggered a war between the two countries.

If this kind of thing happened in East Africa, Ernst must let such people who think they are who they are know what the iron fist of dictatorship is. In Eastern thinking, Bismarck's behavior is seeking death.

However, this was Prussia's internal affairs, and there was no need for Ernst to expose this matter. At the same time, the Prussian Prime Minister deliberately incited war, and the even larger Junkers aristocratic military group probably had the same mentality.

This is the will of the entire Prussia, so the Franco-Prussian War will be fought sooner or later. It is just a matter of sooner or later. Coupled with the blind and confident victory next door, the two sides really achieve mutual success.

In the previous life, Prussia mobilized nearly one million troops in order to fight this war. With so many people, all young and strong, being suddenly recruited would inevitably affect the autumn harvest that year, so Ernst decided to fill the gap himself. At the same time, we can help East Africa find more markets for its food.

The Franco-Prussian War was carried out in a very hasty manner. In fact, both Prussia and France were not fully prepared. However, after the reform, Prussia had a very complete mobilization system and its response speed was faster than that of France. Coupled with perfect railway transportation, the advantage was even more obvious.

Mobilizing millions of troops greatly increases the winning rate, but things like food and consumables required on the battlefield will still put pressure on the Prussian government, which mobilizes a large number of troops in a short period of time. At this time, the Hechingen Consortium, which has hoarded a large amount of goods, can ask Prussia The military dumps its own wares.

There is no need to increase the price, just sell it at the usual market price. The Hechingen Consortium, which is operating at full capacity two months in advance, will win as long as it has enough supply when the Prussian military starts to purchase supplies.

With the help of massive raw materials from East Africa and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, as well as the two newly built comprehensive grain industry zones, costs can be kept to the lowest level.

At the same time, the half-year-long war will also drive the development of related industries, which is a good time to make war fortune.

In fact, Prussia won the final victory, and no matter how much it lost, it could be made up for by the French, so the industrial and agricultural losses caused by the war were completely negligible.

…

"Your Highness, this is the compressed biscuit military ration we developed according to your request. However, the flour in East Africa has a somewhat bad taste. In order to improve the taste, we added ingredients such as corn flakes and ghee to make it more fragrant. But this thing I don’t know if I can sell it.”

"As long as it can be eaten, the most important thing is that it is easy to carry and has a long shelf life. It would be better if it can improve the taste."

Ernst directly picked up a piece and put it in his mouth to try it.

"Well, it tastes pretty good, but the saltiness is a bit bland."

"Too salty is definitely not a good thing for the military. The problem of salt is easier to solve. It doesn't take up too much space like dry food."

"Well, how to solve the packaging problem?"

"We wrap it with oil-coated paper and put it into a wooden box containing desiccant. The wooden box can be recycled. At the same time, the box is easy to stack and can be quickly transported to the front line by rail."

"Very good, I wonder how your other products are doing?"

"Your Highness, look here, these are the latest results of our research and development. They are all cooked food products, especially meat. They can be stored for up to half a year."

"What is this jar?"

"Beef and Potato Stew, this can can solve the problem of one meal for a class. After opening it with a can opener, you will find beef, potatoes and butter inside. It smells very fragrant, and it can be eaten directly without heating."

"What's this jar?"

"This one's got green beans and ham."

“How much do these cans cost?”

"Your Highness, don't worry, a lot of minced meat and scraps are used here, so the cost won't be too high."

Ernst then began inspecting alcohol production.

"The cheapest Wrangler vodka is needed. Cheapness and strength are the biggest competitiveness. Waiting on the battlefield, what the soldiers drink depends on what the quartermaster purchases. So the low price can reassure the military, and the high strength can satisfy the soldiers. .”

"Well, we have also stepped up efforts to produce lime soda. The temptation of sweet water to soldiers is endless, especially in July and August, which is the height of summer. The dry taste of lime will definitely make them like it."

"Your Highness, the sales volume of this soda is indeed good in the market, but I'm afraid it's not as competitive as wine and coffee."

"It's summer, and the power of this sweet water has just begun. Last year we produced this drink at the end of summer, so we couldn't see the effect. However, its sales have soared in the past two months, especially the taste after being chilled. The market response is very good. ." said a sales department manager.

"Okay, you still have to keep working hard, especially on the convenience, taste, and cost-effectiveness of food."

"Yes, Your Highness, our R\u0026D department will definitely make more good products that are convenient for people's lives and of high quality and low price according to the needs of the market people."

"Not only that, we still need to do more advertising, especially to grasp social public opinion, and don't let others set the pace for us. Although industrial food is low-cost, large-volume, convenient and fast, it may not be recognized by everyone, especially those in families. Housewives are the most picky, so they should also promote our food in terms of nutrition."

Although Ernst said this, in fact, the next few months were all about logistics for the Franco-Prussian War. Ernst was even thinking about how to eat both ends and how to transport military rations to France.

If you want to do business with the French, you must plan in advance. First set up a leather bag company in France, and then buy a few warehouses. When the French react and start mobilizing the country, they will sell these things through the French nobles who have connections with their own family. Sell ​​it, eh! It seemed feasible, and Ernst planned to consider it carefully after returning.