Chapter 369 Farewell

Ernst was completely unaware of Rosens' behavior. If Ernst knew that such a talent existed under his command, he would definitely reward him greatly. At this time, Ernst finally finished his visit to Germany and took a train from Berlin towards Austria. Ernst chartered two carriages, and in addition to himself, there were also security personnel and a think tank team.

"Your Highness, your tea."

"Well, put it aside. Don't spill the tea on the table and make the manuscript wet." The train was churning and the bumps were strong. Ernst, who often traveled by train, was accustomed to this.

"Your Highness, why do you have to personally take part in the matter of dealing with the Boers? You must know that there are thousands of kilometers from Dar es Salaam to the Matabele Plateau (Zimbabwe), and you may also be interested in the African The environment didn’t fit in.”

Ernst: "It doesn't matter. I know a lot about Africa, especially East Africa. It's no different from going home."

His subordinates only thought that Ernst was bragging. In fact, Ernst also visited many countries in not only East Africa, but also West Africa and South Africa, but he did not stay long.

"Your Highness, the main reason is that you have never been to Africa. If you study the map every day, you may not be able to intuitively feel all aspects of Africa. The environment in Africa is not as superior as that in Europe."

Apart from anything else, the two-dimensional map in Ernst's hand was not very intuitive, but Ernst didn't feel unfamiliar when using it. He had thoroughly studied the topography of East Africa in his previous life.

The first thing Ernst wanted to do when he went to East Africa this time was to command the war against the Boers. It was almost the beginning of the year when he arrived on the Matabele Plateau, just in time for this war.

The so-called "I command" means "I am present". This is also the case when Ernst went to the Matabele Plateau. This matter was a little bit more difficult and there could be no danger. Ernst did not go to the front line to charge into battle. He was mainly responsible for supervising the battle. At the same time, he could Make up your mind on the spot for some general directional events in the battle.

This is how much emphasis is placed on the Boer war. First of all, the Boer regime is a white regime, which is completely different from the enemies East Africa has faced in the past. The elimination of 10,000 indigenous forces is not as good as the elimination of a small white country to East Africa. Non-citizens were greatly shocked.

At the same time, the situation in the Transvaal Republic is very complex. The black Zulu Kingdom, the Orange Free State, which has the same origin as the Transvaal Republic, the British, and Mozambique all need to pay attention. Among them, Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, In the south, it is not far from the influence of these countries, so Mozambique's strength cannot be underestimated.

Maputo and Pretoria, the capital of the Transvaal Republic, are both near 25 degrees south latitude, so just west of the core of the Portuguese colony of Mozambique is the battlefield area designated in East Africa.

The area bordering northern Mozambique and East Africa is much different. This is why Mozambique watched helplessly as the Germans annexed East Africa but could do nothing. Mozambique is narrowly distributed from north to south, with a length of 2,000 kilometers from north to south. This is exactly the distance from Maputo to the northernmost tip of Mozambique. distance.

In the southern region headed by Maputo, the situation is very different. The Portuguese dare to strike hard at the British who are plotting in Mozambique. If the British move just a little south, Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, may be in danger. , separated by a Zulu kingdom.

In addition to the above forces that need attention, there is also the Kingdom of Swaziland in the eastern part of the Republic of Transvaal, which is also an indigenous kingdom.

After three days of traveling, Ernst and his party arrived in Vienna, where Ernst was preparing to say goodbye to Rudolf. This was what he had agreed to do before. After Rudolf knew that Ernst was going to East Africa, he wanted to send his eldest brother off. Procedure.

The train slowly and leisurely entered the Vienna Railway Station, preparing to complete maintenance and other work in Vienna. In addition, Vienna is a big station, so the stay will be longer.

Ernst got off the carriage. Rudolf had been waiting here for a long time: "Ernst, here."

"Rudolf, did you tell His Majesty the Emperor when you came here?"

"Of course he doesn't know. He and his mother had a fight recently, so I sneaked out."

"Ah! Aren't you afraid that Emperor Franz will settle the score with you?" Ernst was sweating for him, but he was the culprit, so it was hard to lecture him.

"The most you can get is a beating. I'm not afraid. Compared to being bored in the palace, I still feel happier outside." Now Rudolf has completely turned into a brat, trying to escape from the palace all day long, and Franz It was impossible to keep an eye on him every day, and Franz also had a lot of things to do. The recent alliance between Germany, Austria, and Russia alone was a mess.

In fact, Rudolf spent most of his life under the guidance of his mother and grandmother, and was less influenced by Franz. However, later his mother and grandmother had a falling out, and he was completely taken over by his grandmother.

If Rudolf had been under the control of Queen Elizabeth, he would at least be sure to live a happy life, because Queen Elizabeth herself was a restless master and was not strict with her children.

Later, Ernst took Rudolf to Berlin under the pretext of taking him to study in Prussia. In Berlin, Rudolf finally found a confidant in Wilhelm II, who shared the same illness.

The source of William II's pain came from his mother, Princess Victoria. Princess Victoria and Queen Elizabeth were similar in that they were both isolated by the court. The only difference was that Victoria had a good husband, and Crown Prince Frederick had a good relationship with Victoria.

Because his mother felt guilty about his physical defects, she constantly asked William II to exercise more, which led to a very bad relationship between him and his mother. Because his mother came from the British royal family, he often instilled in him the concept of the supremacy of British status. And insisted on calling him by his English name. This also made William II have extremely complicated emotions towards Britain since he was a child, which also affected his future foreign policy towards Britain.

Therefore, William II's childhood experience can be said to be similar to Rudolf's. The two later took different paths. However, from the results, William II is obviously more optimistic than Rudolf in character. This is It is worth learning from Rudolph.

"Forget it, I'm afraid I won't be able to come back for a year or two when I go to Africa this time, so I have no excuse to take you out to play. You should take care of yourself and stop worrying about your father. If you were in his position, you would probably I can understand his difficulty.

Don't think that Hungary is a good thing. They are just a small group of people who use the whole of Hungary as a bargaining chip to threaten your father to compromise and gain privileges. In fact, your father also hopes that all ethnic groups can live in harmony and it is best to integrate. However, The Hungarian nobles also know this. They will not let it go. Instead, they will go against Austria everywhere to continue to maintain this state. Believe it or not, Austria cannot leave Hungary.

Losing Hungary will trigger a chain reaction. Czechoslovakia, Croatia, Slovenia... will all do the same. Austria will immediately fall from its position as the top power. Anyone in your father's position will be in a dilemma. "

Rudolf: "I know this. Friedrich (William II) also told me in this regard that he also viewed the Hungarian issue in the same way. Unfortunately, I used to think that the Hungarian issue was just a national issue."

Children can be taught! Ernst nodded and said: "Very good, sometimes it's good to be clear about political matters. You don't have to worry about it now. You still have a long way to go. Anyway, your father is in front of you, so you don't need to express any opinions. , just do everything according to your father’s ideas.”

Franz's waiting time is quite long. The history of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is basically the history of Franz's rule. Rudolf doesn't have to worry at all.

"Okay, the train is leaving soon, I'm going to say goodbye to you right here!" Ernst said.

Rudolf: "Well, see you in two years."