The Rise of the Empire

In the end, the meeting between Prince Ruprecht and the future Admiral of the Fleet came to a successful conclusion. Tirpitz said that he will try his best to let the German Navy pass the new armored cruiser design plan, and looks forward to the Bavarian Ship Design Bureau coming up with a better plan! The prince naturally said that he would contribute to the development of the German navy. The two parties also agreed on the specific departure time and arrangements. Then Tirpitz left the palace under the guidance of the waiter.

Looking at the time, it was time for lunch in a while, and the lazy prince decided to start his own lunch early, but at this moment, Earl Schelling expressed a request for a visit from Viscount Aiden representing the German government. If Tirpitz is the representative of William II, then Eden is the representative of the German government! In other words, it is the representative of Bismarck. The prince naturally cannot underestimate the prime minister who holds the power of Germany! Helplessly, he glanced at the hour hand pointing to 11 on the clock, and the traveler decided to meet him first.

The living room still looks like Tirpitz’s living room. Aiden did not meet Tirpitz when he came in, but as soon as he entered the door, the large-scale model of the cruiser appeared in front of his eyes, and Tirpitz’s excitement Unlike Gao Xing, Viscount Aiden, who is cautious about the expansion of the navy, has some plans for this. He is too good, like a drug, to attract the imperial government to invest more funds in the navy!

"His Royal Highness seems to be very interested in the navy. I remember that the Kingdom of Bavaria should be more concerned about land affairs." Baron Eden said cryptically.

"Germany will inevitably embark on the road of a colonial empire, and the status of overseas interests in the empire will become higher and higher. All attempts to hinder this will be crushed, whether it is an individual or a group. On the one hand, the economy and The needs of social development, and on the other hand, the support of His Royal Highness, and all we do is to keep up with this trend and get a share of it! My father and grandfather are very supportive of my idea, because this It will bring a better future to Bavaria!"

What Prince Ruprecht said is the truth! In history, the Kingdom of Bavaria did obstruct the navy's military expansion plan, but it failed in the end. Since it cannot be changed, it can only take this ride! That's why the prince spent several years poaching people from Krupp, Rheinmetall and other companies to do research! Bavaria needs development, the government needs more revenue, and the royal family needs money. The basic industry Bavaria cannot compete with other places, so it can only use the power of the government to build a batch of tall things to accumulate capital.

"I'm just doing it for money, do you have an opinion?" Baron Aiden's words made the prince very dissatisfied! If he and Tirpitz are considered comrades-in-arms, the two sides have differences in philosophy, but they are still allies for mutual assistance under the naval order, then Baron Aiden in front of him and the iron-blooded prime minister behind him are somewhat dissatisfied with Ruprecht! The prince knew what Bismarck was worried about. In fact, strategically, he does support Bismarck's current policy. The expansion of the navy is okay, but it must not be too fast, but you can't influence me to make money! I make a fortune by farming at home, what do you care about Bismarck?

"Your original intention is very good, but it may be better if the funds are invested in Bavaria's agriculture or transportation. Although Bavaria occupies one-eighth of Germany, its agricultural output and area are very mismatched. And The same is true for transportation. I have already talked about these things with His Royal Highness the Regent, and the Prime Minister can provide help in this regard!" The baron sensed the hostility on the other side and immediately explained.

"It turned out to be an exchange of interests, to support Bavaria's agricultural and transportation development in exchange for the Bavarian government's support for the prime minister's policies, and may even limit the scale of naval armor production. Well, Bismarck's abacus is really good! Because he really hit The weakness of Bavaria! The food production is too small!" The prince had to admire the skill of the prime minister! This condition of his is almost irresistible to the traverser!

Travelers who have a certain understanding of the economic situation of the Second German Empire know very well how big the food gap will be in Germany in the future.

Taking 1911 as an example, Germany needed to import 2.08 million tons of wheat, 3.3 million tons of barley and 3 million tons of oats within a year! In the same period, the corresponding crop output in Germany was 4.21 million tons of wheat, 3.32 million tons of big sales, and 8.1 million tons of oats! At the same time, the price of a ton of wheat is around 170 marks! Among other things, Germany needs to pay 35 million marks for importing wheat in one year!

Germany as a whole needs imports, and the situation in the Kingdom of Bavaria is worse than that of Germany as a whole! Bavaria's land area and population account for one-eighth of Germany's, but the grain yield per mu is at the middle and lower levels! Taking Mecklenburg as an example, we can know the gap in unit production capacity between the two sides!

In hectares, the average Mecklenburg wheat yield is 2370 kg. The average wheat yield in Bavaria is only 1,600 kilograms! The ratio of barley yield was 2240 kg to 1710 kg! Oat yield was 2120kg vs 1560kg! Potato yield is 14160 kg vs 11690 kg! Only rye yields come close at 1790kg vs 1580kg!

And once it enters a state of war, as a large number of laborers are recruited, the agricultural situation in Bavaria can be described as a sharp deterioration! The food gap will only get bigger! The only way to alleviate this problem is to strengthen the agricultural infrastructure and carry out soil remediation projects. From a historical point of view, the effect of agricultural construction after World War II is still very good. But now, for the future of the Kingdom of Bavaria, this work needs to be carried out in advance, and the key to the early start is the prime minister of the empire! If the German Central Committee is willing to help, or if Bismarck is willing to help, Bavaria's agricultural production will be much better!

"Your idea is very attractive and very much in line with the basic situation of Bavaria. I have almost no reason to reject it. But at the same time, I must consider that the development of agriculture is conducive to the improvement of the people's living standards in the Kingdom of Bavaria and the increase in fiscal revenue. And the expansion of the navy can play the same role! As long as we have money, food is not a problem, and agricultural infrastructure improvement is not a problem."

"I think you didn't get a satisfactory answer from my grandfather and father, otherwise you wouldn't come to me. As the eldest grandson of the Bavarian royal family, I have to decide which of these two things is more beneficial!" Prince Ruprecht Said with a smile on his face. The calm language implies pressure!

"The navy won't have too many orders. Like the 7,000-ton cruiser you designed, the navy can purchase no more than 4 ships at most, and the order you can get is only 20 million marks, and it's still an order within a few years. If you consider the infrastructure costs you need to invest in this business, you may not earn a penny in a few years!" Baron Aiden said with a smile. "And the kingdom has invested a lot in this project, if you don't see the benefits in a few years, you may be embarrassed!"

"Can I understand that this is a threat?" As a self-important time traveler, as a noble person who has lived in the royal family for 10 years! The other party is only a baron, thinking that with Bismarck's banner, he can be a tiger skin? That's ridiculous!

"I didn't mean that! I really didn't!" The prince's cold, almost scum-like tone made Aiden a little panicked. He didn't expect that a little bit of probing by himself would cause such a fierce reaction from the other party!

"I will personally discuss this matter with the Prime Minister. We have sufficient time to discuss this matter. If necessary, my father and the Prime Minister will discuss this matter in the Federal Parliament! Well then, Now you can leave, I need to rest." The traveler issued an order to evict the guest!

Thanks to the book friend zhouyu1976 for the reward~~~, the new book issue is not recommended, and the author is running naked--! Ask for favorites, clicks, and recommendations~~~.