Chapter 369: Farewell
Regarding Rosen's actions, Ernst had no knowledge. If he had known that such talent existed among his subordinates, he would have rewarded him greatly. At this moment, Ernst had finally finished his visit in Germany, and he was on a train heading towards Austria. He had reserved two carriages, one for himself and the other for security personnel and his think tank team.
"Your Highness, your tea," a servant said.
"Mm, just put it aside, don't spill it on the table or get the documents wet." The train was chugging along with a lot of bumps, but Ernst, who frequently traveled by train, was used to it.
"Your Highness, regarding the Boers, why do you have to take matters into your own hands? You should know that the distance from Dar es Salaam to the Matabele Plateau is several thousand kilometers, and you might not adapt well to the African environment."
Ernst replied, "It's okay, I'm quite familiar with Africa, especially East Africa. It's like going home."
His subordinate took it as boasting, but in reality, Ernst had been to not only East Africa but also West and South Africa, although he hadn't stayed long in some places.
"Your Highness, the main issue is that you haven't been to Africa. Even if you study maps every day, you can't truly understand all the aspects of Africa. The environment there is not as favorable as Europe's."
Apart from that, Ernst's 2D flat map wasn't very intuitive, but he had no difficulty using it—after all, he had thoroughly studied the terrain of East Africa in his previous life.
The first thing Ernst planned to do when he reached East Africa was to oversee the war against the Boers. He would arrive at the Matabele Plateau just in time for the beginning of the year, aligning perfectly with this war.
As for the saying "I'm in charge, I'm on the scene," that was Ernst's approach to the Boer War. The task would be tough, but not dangerous. He wouldn't be charging into battle himself; he was mainly responsible for overseeing the war, and could make decisions on certain significant events during the battle.
The importance of the Boer War was immense. First, the Boer regime was a white government, which was completely different from the indigenous enemies East Africa had faced in the past. Defeating 10,000 indigenous forces wouldn't have the same impact on the East African people as the fall of a small white nation would.
Moreover, the situation in the Transvaal Republic was very complex. The Zulu Kingdom of the black Africans, the Orange Free State (which shared ethnic origins with the Transvaal Republic), the British, and Mozambique all needed to be considered. Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, was located to the south and was not far from these nations, so Mozambique's strength should not be underestimated.
Maputo and Pretoria, the capital of the Transvaal Republic, were both around the 25th parallel south, so Mozambique's core area directly west of East Africa was part of the battlefield.
However, the northern part of Mozambique, which bordered East Africa, was quite different. This was why Mozambique could only watch helplessly as the Germans annexed East Africa. Mozambique was long and narrow, stretching 2,000 kilometers from south to north, which was exactly the distance from Maputo to the northernmost part of Mozambique.
In the southern region, where Maputo was located, the situation was very different. The Portuguese were brave enough to strike hard against the British, who had ambitions for Mozambique. If the British advanced even a little further south, Maputo could be in danger, and the only thing separating the two powers was the Zulu Kingdom.
In addition to the forces mentioned above, there was the Swazi Kingdom to the east of the Transvaal Republic, which was also an indigenous kingdom.
After three days of traveling, Ernst and his team arrived in Vienna. Here, Ernst prepared to say farewell to Rudolf, as they had agreed earlier. When Rudolf learned that Ernst was heading to East Africa, he wanted to see him off.
The train slowly rolled into Vienna's station, where it would undergo maintenance, and since Vienna was a major station, they would stay for a longer time.
Ernst got off the train, and Rudolf had already been waiting for him. "Ernst, over here!"
"Rudolf, did you tell His Majesty the Emperor?"
"Of course not. Recently, he and my mother have been fighting again, so I sneaked out."
"Ah! Aren't you afraid that Emperor Franz will hold it against you later?" Ernst wiped the sweat off his forehead. But since he was the one who encouraged this behavior, he didn't have much room to scold him.
"Well, at worst, I'll just get a good beating. I'm not afraid. Compared to being stuck in the palace, I'd rather be outside. It's more fun."
Rudolf had become quite a playful child, constantly trying to escape the palace. Emperor Franz couldn't watch over him all the time; he had too many other things to deal with, especially the recent alliance between Germany, Austria, and Russia.
Actually, most of Rudolf's life had been spent under the care of his mother and grandmother, with relatively little influence from Emperor Franz. However, when his mother and grandmother fell out, his grandmother took full control over him.
If Rudolf had always been under the care of Empress Elizabeth, he would have at least been happy, because she was a restless person and wasn't too strict with her children.
Later, Ernst took Rudolf to Prussia under the pretext of furthering his education. In Berlin, Rudolf finally found someone who could relate to him—Wilhelm II.
Wilhelm II's troubles came from his mother, Princess Victoria. Victoria, like Empress Elizabeth, was isolated in the court, though the difference was that Victoria had a good husband, Crown Prince Friedrich, with whom she had a good relationship.
Because of his mother's guilt about his physical shortcomings, she pressured Wilhelm II to exercise, which created a very bad relationship between them. As Victoria was from the British royal family, she frequently instilled in him the idea of British superiority and insisted that he use his English name. This caused Wilhelm II to develop a complex relationship with Britain, which later influenced his foreign policy.
Therefore, Wilhelm II's childhood experiences were quite similar to Rudolf's, though they ended up taking different paths. From the outcome, it seemed that Wilhelm II was more optimistic than Rudolf, which was something Rudolf could learn from.
"Forget it. I'm probably going to be in Africa for a year or two, so I won't be able to take you out anymore. You'll have to manage by yourself. Don't argue too much with your father. If you were in his position, you'd understand his difficulties. Don't think that Hungary is such a great place. It's just a small group of people using the whole country as a bargaining chip to force your father to make concessions and give them privileges. Your father actually wants harmony among the nations, ideally with integration, but the Hungarian nobility won't let that happen. They'll always go against Austria to maintain this status quo. Austria can't afford to lose Hungary. If that happens, it will trigger a chain reaction, with countries like Czechoslovakia, Croatia, and Slovenia following suit, and Austria will immediately fall from its position as a great power. Anyone in your father's position would be stuck."
Rudolf: "I know this. Friedrich (Wilhelm II) also told me the same thing. He thinks the Hungarian issue is not just a matter of ethnicity."
"Good. Politics is sometimes just about understanding things clearly in your mind. You don't need to worry about it now. You have a long road ahead of you, and your father is there to support you. You don't need to voice any opinions. Just follow your father's ideas."
Franz's patience was immense. The history of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was essentially the history of Franz's reign. Rudolf didn't need to worry.
"Alright, the train is about to leave. I'll say goodbye here." Ernst said.
Rudolf: "Alright, see you in two years."
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