Greece to roman road

"Woooo", with the sound of the whistle, a ship approached the dock of Piraeus Port.

After landing, Kemal, wearing a suit and carrying a box, followed the flow of people and got off the ship.

Kemal, who was a student at the Istanbul Military Academy, planned to take advantage of his vacation to come to Athens to take a look.

How did this small country, Greece, which had only been independent from the Ottoman Empire for a few decades, do it? How did it defeat the Ottoman Empire?

Although the Ottoman Empire had suffered successive defeats in foreign wars before this, those countries were all established powers in Europe, such as Austria-Hungary and Russia, which were old rivals of the Ottomans.

Although the defeat of the war was not glorious, the Ottoman people were able to comfort themselves after losing to a big power. The enemy was too powerful.

Only the defeat to a small country like Greece made the entire Ottoman Empire feel a heavy humiliation, and it could no longer find any reason to prevaricate.

After disembarking, since Piraeus Port is still some distance from the center of Athens, take a public carriage at the pier to the center of Athens.

Riding in the same car as Kemal was a young man wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a thick mustache. He was well-dressed and looked gentle, like a teacher.

"Sir, I am Kemal from Salonika. Nice to meet you." Kemal took the initiative to extend his hand in greeting.

"Mr. Kemal, Hans, is from Germany," Hans said, extending his hand.

Looking at the bookish Mr. Hans, Kemal asked curiously: "If you don't mind, sir, can you tell me why you came to Athens from Germany?"

"Oh, it's okay. I used to be a lecturer at Heidelberg University. I came to Athens this time because I accepted Princess Sophie's invitation to come to the University of Athens for academic exchanges." Hans did not hide his intention and directly stated his intention.

Academic exchanges are very common among European universities, and exchanges of talents from various countries are also very frequent. Many British people come to Germany or France to work. Similarly, it is also common for Germans or French people to go to the United Kingdom.

Then, it is naturally possible to go to Greece from Western Europe.

Moreover, in order to attract high-quality talents from Western Europe, various universities in Greece have tried their best to pay all the fees and corresponding remuneration for the scholars who come.

"Oh, that's it, you're a lecturer at Heidelberg University, you're so awesome," Kemal complimented.

"However, since you are a lecturer at Heidelberg University, why did you come to Athens? Isn't Heidelberg University, such a famous institution of higher learning, a better platform for development?" Kemal asked curiously, could it be that Greek higher education has developed to this point? Equal level?

"That's true, but because it is a famous university, the competition among teachers at Heidelberg University is very fierce and promotion is very difficult," Hans said with a sigh.

The personnel system of German universities is based on the professor system. It is said that professors run the school. However, the disadvantages are also obvious. Professors have great rights. Before becoming professors, young teachers almost work for free.

In Germany's traditional scientific research career path, there is no clear upward trajectory from getting a doctorate to being promoted to a professor.

The German system is jokingly called "all or nothing," which means you either become a professor or you become nothing.

In Germany, the average age for being hired as a tenured professor is 4 years old.

If you can't get a tenured professorship, you can only juggle various teaching assistant contracts, or do administrative work in universities or scientific research institutions.

After explaining these things to Kemal, Hans said: "I am only 25 years old now. Even if I am really lucky and academically qualified, I will have to wait until I am in my 40s to have the opportunity to become a professor. But I can’t wait that long”

"Later, my teacher Professor Schmidt suggested to me that if I didn't want to study hard for qualifications in Germany, I could find a way at a foreign university, so I personally wrote a letter of recommendation to Princess Sophie." When he said this, Hans looked happy. .

"Who is Princess Sophie?" Kemal heard the name twice in a row, but didn't understand who it was.

"Oh, Princess Sophie is the younger sister of His Majesty the Emperor. She is married to the Crown Prince Constantine of Greece. She has been working at the Greek Education Foundation and is the president of the foundation. In fact, it would be more appropriate for me to call Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess."

"After receiving the recommendation letter from Teacher Schmidt, Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess wrote a reply personally and invited me to come to the University of Athens for academic exchange." The 25-year-old Hans looked very proud when he said this.

“Before, some young German teachers were hired by Greek universities with high salaries during their exchange in Greece. Mr. Schmidt told me that Greek universities have developed rapidly in recent years, and the talent gap is relatively large. If knowledge and scientific research are If you have good abilities and can be recognized by the university, it will not be a problem to be promoted to professor in a few years. If you were in Germany, this would be completely impossible."

Hearing this, Kemal had mixed feelings, thinking of the current situation in the Ottoman Empire. Except for some universities run by foreigners, the Ottoman Empire actually had no worthy institutions of higher learning.

In a feudal autocratic country, it is difficult to imagine what it would be like for a sultan or a royal noble to personally write a letter to an unknown young teacher.

Paying attention to education from top to bottom is probably the key to Greece's victory, Kemal concluded in his heart.

The carriage carried two people on a flat asphalt road. The farmland on both sides of the road stretched as far as the eye could see, and it was the farming season.

Kemal looked through the car window at the machines emitting black smoke in the farmland, pointed at Hans and said, "Is that a tractor?"

Hans turned his head and looked sideways when he heard this. Wasn't it a tractor plowing the ground? Wherever the machine passed, the ground rolled, revealing the moist black soil underneath.

"Tractors are actually the most popular among farmers in the United States. Recently, some farmers in Western Europe have also used tractors for agricultural farming. As far as I know, some smart people have purchased tractors. During the busy farming season, the land area Smaller landowners, they hire tractors,” Hans said.

"Tractors are very efficient. Speaking of which, the fact that I was invited to Greece for academic exchanges actually has something to do with tractors."

"What does it have to do with tractors?" Kemal asked in confusion.

"Recently, Greece is also promoting the use of tractors. I heard that the government has taken measures to provide subsidies for the purchase of tractors. When I was studying for my doctorate, I studied mechanical engineering. Princess Sophie said it very clearly in her letter. , invited me to come to the School of Mechanical Engineering to teach courses related to internal combustion engines," Hans explained.

The future of staying in Germany was uncertain and the competition was fierce. At the same time, it was a personal invitation letter from the princess. What he had learned was indeed useful in Greece, and the salary offered was also very generous. Hans naturally agreed to the invitation.

Moreover, the early stage is just for academic exchanges. If the university environment and development prospects in Greece cannot satisfy Hans, he can return to Heidelberg University at any time.

Kemal listened to Hans's plan, but felt sad in his heart. He thought about the backward farming methods that could be seen everywhere in the Ottomans, and then looked at the tractors working in the fields outside the window. He was originally confused about this trip to Athens and didn't know what to do. Whether or not.

And now, even before entering the city of Athens, the secret of Greece's defeat of the Ottomans has been revealed.

The haze in his heart was getting thicker and thicker. He gritted his teeth and made up his mind. After returning from the trip, he would investigate the mysterious organization that had been circulating among his classmates in the military school. Osman had to make changes.