Chapter 380: Chapter 59: Farewell
Ernst was completely unaware of Rosenz’s actions. If Ernst had known he had such talent under his command, he would surely have rewarded him greatly. At this moment, Ernst had finally finished his visits in Germany and was taking a train from Berlin towards Austria. He had booked two carriages, with security personnel and a team of advisors accompanying him.
"Your Highness, your tea."
"Hmm, just leave it aside. Don’t spill the tea on the table; it might wet the documents." The train chugged along clamorously, with a strong sense of bumpiness, but for Ernst, who frequently traveled by train, this was nothing unusual.
"Your Highness, you don’t have to personally engage with the Boers. You must know that it’s several thousand kilometers from Dar es Salaam to the Matebele Plateau (Zimbabwe), and you might not be accustomed to the African environment."
Ernst: "It doesn’t matter; I’ve come to know Africa quite well, especially East Africa, which feels like home to me."
The subordinate thought Ernst was boasting since Ernst had not only been to East Africa but had visited many countries in West Africa and South Africa as well, albeit without staying long.
"Your Highness, the main issue is that you haven’t been to Africa. Just studying maps daily might not give you a direct feel of Africa’s various aspects. Africa’s environment is not as superior as Europe’s."
Leaving other matters aside, the two-dimensional map in Ernst’s hand wasn’t very intuitive, but Ernst used it without feeling unfamiliar, having studied East Africa’s terrain extensively in his past life.
This time, the first thing Ernst would do upon arriving in East Africa is to direct the war against the Boers. He would nearly arrive at the Matebele Plateau by the beginning of the year, perfectly timing the war.
The idea of "I command, I am present" was why Ernst was heading to the Matebele Plateau. Although the task was taxing, it posed no real danger; Ernst’s role on the front wasn’t to charge but to oversee, making crucial decisions on major strategic matters.
The importance of the war against the Boers was indeed this high. Firstly, the Boer government was a white regime, completely different from past enemies in East Africa. The impact on East African citizens of eliminating a small white state far eclipsed that of eliminating ten thousand indigenous forces.
At the same time, the situation in the Transvaal Republic was very complex. The Zulu Kingdom of Black people, the Transvaal Republic’s kindred ally, the Orange Free State, the British, and Mozambique all required attention. Among them, Mozambique’s capital Maputo lay in the south, not far from these national powers, making Mozambique’s strength also significant.
Maputo and the Transvaal Republic’s capital, Pillar, are both situated near the southern latitude of 25 degrees, placing the core of the Portuguese Mozambique colony directly west as a designated battlefield area for East Africa.
Whereas the northern part of Mozambique borders East Africa, it wasn’t remote; this explains Mozambique’s helplessness as Germans annexed East Africa. Stretching across two thousand kilometers from north to south, Mozambique has a compact distribution, which is precisely the distance from Maputo to the northernmost point of Mozambique.
However, in Maputo-led southern regions, the situation is vastly different. The Portuguese dared to strike a heavy blow against the British seeking Mozambique; if the British even slightly advanced south, Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, might find itself in peril, separated only by a Zulu Kingdom.
Aside from these powers needing attention, in the Transvaal Republic’s east, there lay a Swaziland Kingdom, also an indigenous kingdom.
After three days of travel, Ernst and his group arrived in Vienna, where Ernst prepared to bid farewell to Rudolph, a plan arranged earlier. Knowing Ernst would travel to East Africa, Rudolph hoped to send his elder brother off.
The train slowly eased into Vienna’s train station, ready for maintenance and other tasks. Being a major station, the train would stop for a longer duration.
Ernst descended from the carriage, with Rudolph already waiting there: "Ernst, here."
"Rudolph, did you inform His Majesty the Emperor!"
"Of course, he doesn’t know. Lately, he’s been arguing with mother again, so I sneaked out."
"Ah! Aren’t you afraid Emperor Franz will settle scores with you later?" Ernst was sweating nervously for him, even though he was the instigator himself, so criticism was unwarranted.
"At worst, I’ll get a beating; I’m not afraid. Compared to being stuck in the palace, I find the outside much more enjoyable." Rudolph had completely become a mischievous child, endlessly trying to flee the palace, while Franz couldn’t possibly monitor him daily, burdened with affairs like the recent alliance among Germany, Austria, and Russia.
In fact, before, Rudolph mostly lived under the care of his mother and grandmother, with limited influence from Franz. However, after a fallout between mother and grandmother, he was entirely taken over by his grandmother.
If Rudolph were continually under Empress Elizabeth’s care, he would undoubtedly lead a happy life since Empress Elizabeth herself was restless and didn’t impose strict demands on her children.
Later, under the pretense of taking Rudolph to Prussia for learning, Ernst brought Rudolph to Berlin. It was in Berlin that Rudolph found a kindred spirit in William II, equally afflicted.
William II’s suffering stemmed from his mother, Princess Victoria, similar to Empress Elizabeth, was isolated in the palace. The key difference was Victoria had a good husband; Crown Prince Frederick and Victoria shared an excellent relationship.
Out of guilt over his physical defects, his mother persistently demanded William II to train, worsening their relationship. Since his mother came from the British royal family, she often instilled in him the idea of British supremacy. Insisting on using his English name also led William II to develop exceptionally complex feelings towards Britain from a young age, influencing his future foreign policy with Britain.
Therefore, the childhood experiences of William II and Rudolph were strikingly similar though they later diverged down distinct paths. From the outcomes, William II was evidently more optimistic in character than Rudolph, which was worth learning from the latter.
"Never mind, this time I’ll be off to Africa and might not return for a year or two, leaving me without an excuse to take you out to play. You must take care of yourself and argue less with your father. If you were in his position, you’d probably understand his difficulties too.
Don’t think Hungary is good; they merely manipulate Hungary as a bargaining chip to coerce your father into concessions to gain privileges. Actually, your father wishes for harmonious coexistence among various ethnic groups, ideally integration. Even the Hungarian nobles know this, and they won’t sit idly by, instead clashing with Austria at every step to maintain the current state, don’t you believe they would? Austria just couldn’t afford to let go of Hungary.
Losing Hungary would trigger a chain reaction, and then Czechoslovakia, Croatia, Slovenia... would follow suit, causing Austria to plunge from its top-tier power position immediately. Anyone in your father’s situation would find themselves in a dilemma."
Rudolph: "I understand that. Frederick (William II) also discussed this with me concerning Hungary, so I mistakenly thought the Hungarian issue was merely a national problem."
A teachable child indeed! Ernst nodded approvingly: "Good, with political matters, sometimes it’s enough that you understand in your heart. You don’t need to worry too much. Your path is still long ahead anyway, as long as your father takes the lead. You don’t need to express any opinions; just follow whatever plans your father implements."
Franz’s duration, ready for action, is quite long; the history of Austria-Hungary is predominantly Franz’s rule, so Rudolph has no reason to rush.
"Alright, the train is about to depart, so I’ll bid you farewell here!" Ernst said.
Rudolph: "Hmm, see you in two years."