African Entrepreneurship Records

 Chapter 438 Countdown

"Well, why do I feel that what you are wearing is not much different from usual? There is no highlight!" Archduke Ferdinand looked at Ernst and commented.

 Because Constantine was in East Africa, the marriage was mainly handled by Archduke Ferdinand.

“There is no difference from usual, which is also one of the biggest highlights. This does not mean that my usual clothes are still up to standard.” Ernst said while standing in front of the mirror.

Ernst wears a suit every day and rarely wears other clothes, so when he changes into a dress, he looks not much different from usual.

This is not because Ernst likes suits, but because the clothes in this era are really not as comfortable as in the previous life, suits are the most suitable. Of course, the experience of wearing military uniforms is also good, but Ernst does not lead soldiers, so there is no need to be so Wear it, that is, wear it for a period of time while commanding operations in South Africa.

 Ernst, wearing the groom's attire, looks pretty good, which is enough. After all, the factor considered in marriage has never been about appearance. In terms of politics, economy, status, and strength, Ernst was considered the best choice for the Habsburg family.

If Franz's daughter got married, the Habsburg family would definitely have to carefully select her, but naturally they would not pay that much attention to Archduke Ferdinand's daughter.

Therefore, the impact of the attention on this marriage on the international community was actually relatively ordinary. In Austria, the publicity was relatively good, because in 1873, there were a lot of bad things and bad news. Both the Habsburg family and the Austrian government were very busy. .

 At the moment, Princess Karina's wedding is considered a rare happy event, and it is not a bad ending to the tragic year of 1873.

 In order to organize this wedding, Ernst was also willing to spend money. This was the first time Ernst got married in his two lifetimes, so it was rare for him to be extravagant and wasteful.

 In order to prepare for the wedding, Vienna, which has just concluded the World Expo, continues to maintain the number of police officers to ensure security in the capital, and the streets remain clean and tidy.

The colored lights of the Hechingen Electric Company are placed on the streets of Vienna, preparing to open the eyes of Viennese citizens at night.

The armed forces of East Africa have also completed their training in the military camp near Vienna. This is one of the biggest highlights of this wedding, fully demonstrating the national strength of the East African kingdom.

 In Europe, although it is not as densely populated with countries as in previous generations (mainly the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Yugoslavia, and the disintegration of the Soviet Union), the number of countries is actually more.

For example, there are many states in Germany. Although they have lost their sovereignty, the name of the country continues to be retained. The same is true in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

 Three kingdoms, seven principalities, one vassal state, one region and one province. However, Franz held many positions, so the Habsburg family was the link that maintained the empire.

Of course, the status of these countries in the Austro-Hungarian Empire today is inseparable from the efforts of their ancestors. They all helped the Habsburg family. For example, Hungary, they only opposed Austria, but Nothing against the Habsburgs.

Of course, there are still differences between today's Habsburg family and the previous Habsburg family. The current Habsburg family should be more accurately called the Habsburg-Lorraine family. On October 20, 1740, the original Habsburg family became extinct. At that time, the eldest daughter of the Habsburg family, Maria Theresa, inherited the throne of the Archduke of Austria, Bohemia and Hungary. Her husband, Duke Franz of Lorraine, was not elected Holy Roman Emperor, which means that the paternal line of the Habsburg family is now the Lorraine family.

 The contribution of the Lorraine family to the Habsburg family may be to improve the genes of the Habsburg family, so the members of the Austro-Hungarian royal family all look pretty good.

There are more than ten members of the German royal family and princes who are clearly going to attend Ernst's wedding. In addition, people from foreign countries, such as Sweden, Romania, Russia, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, etc., will come. There are even more wedding venues in Austria. However, except for Franz, no monarchs from major countries were present in person, but many crown princes from various countries came. For example, Prussia sent Crown Prince Frederick, Crown Prince of Tsarist Russia Alexander III, etc.

 Aristocratic weddings are an important social platform, but also a less important platform for political exchanges. The crown princes of the three countries who have secretly allied themselves get together to exchange feelings. Rudolf is the youngest.

To be honest, there is definitely no problem with the abilities of only Frederick among the three crown princes. As an important participant in imperial politics, he assisted William I all year round and had a deep foundation among Prussian officials and the army.

 Alexander III was far behind. Originally, the position of crown prince was not his turn, but his eldest brother Nicholas accidentally fell off his horse in 1865 and died of serious illness, so Alexander III became the first heir to the throne.

As for the youngest Rudolf, the situation was much worse. Only Ernst knew that Rudolf's position as prince was still far away.

Although he was young, Rudolf was not at all inferior to the other two imperial crown princes. They had a heated discussion on the world structure.

“In the current world, the most powerful countries are Britain and France. The international order they established is still in effect. Although all three of our countries are not weak, our geographical location is in a very embarrassing state.” Alexander III spoke eloquently.

"In the final analysis, it is a geographical issue. The European continent is too narrow, and we are located in the hinterland of Europe. The space here is far less wide than that of the entire world. However, the ocean is already controlled by Britain and France. From this perspective, Americans are worse than We have many advantages, but now Americans are suppressed by Britain and dare not act rashly. But once someone loosens the restrictions on the United States, the United States will become the enemy of the entire Europe!" Rudolph slapped the United States when he came up, and he didn't know if he was influenced by it. Whose influence was it?

At this time, the veteran Frederick said: "Hahaha, today is Ernst's wedding day, let's not discuss these topics. Changes in the international order have both their own laws and surprises. These issues are still far away from us. Far."

"Furthermore, it is best for the relations between our three countries not to be affected by foreign public opinion. Only by pointing our guns at the outside world can we have a chance, so unity is very important. It is impossible for any of us to be dominant in Europe, because this is something that countries such as Britain and France cannot I hope to see an imbalance of power among any of our three countries."

Although he said this, in fact, Frederick was the only one among the three who was deeply involved in international affairs. He knew very well that the current size of Germany, Austria, and Russia was already the limit that Britain and France could tolerate. Who wanted to go further? , then we have to rely on our fists to solve the problem.

Frederick concluded: "When the external environment is harsh, competition among us is of no use, so we must put aside our disputes and stay together for warmth."

Frederick also hoped that there would be less disputes between Austria-Hungary and Tsarist Russia. Although the Balkans were important, he should be more careful about the snipe and the clam fighting, and the fishermen benefiting. Although Alexander III and Rudolf are only the crown princes of the two countries now, when they become emperors in the future, Frederick hopes that they will remember what he said today.

 (End of this chapter)