Legendary Story (2) Zhang Baotong 2019.3.12

Built in the northern suburbs of Potsdam, Germany, the Sanssouci Palace in Germany was built by King Frederick II of Prussia in imitation of the Palace of Versailles in France, and has the characteristics of the German royal palace and garden in the 18th century. The name of the palace means "worry-free" or "mochou". Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990, many tourists from all over the world visit every day. There is a large windmill next to Sanssouci Palace, and some tourists will take pictures in front of the big windmill, especially Chinese tourists like to choose to take photos in front of the windmill. Because this is the place where the famous miller fought the king, and this windmill tells that legendary story. This story was once widely circulated in China.

In the 18th century, the German Emperor Wilhelm I built a palace in Potsdam. Once, he stayed in the palace and had a panoramic view of the city of Potsdam, but his view was blocked by a mill. The emperor was disappointed, and felt that the mill was "unsightly", so he sent someone to negotiate with the miller, intending to buy the mill so that it could be demolished. No, the miller resolutely refuses to sell, for the simple reason that he does not sell. This is what his ancestors have left for generations, and they cannot be defeated in his hands, and no matter how much money they have, they will not be sold. When the emperor heard this, he was furious and sent his guards to forcibly dismantle the mill.

However, the stubborn miller filed a lawsuit in court. Surprisingly, the court ruled against the emperor and ordered the emperor to rebuild the mill in its original appearance and to compensate the miller for the economic losses. The emperor had no choice but to carry out the court's decision and rebuild the mill.

Decades later, William I and the miller died. The miller's son was on the verge of bankruptcy due to poor management. He wrote to the then Emperor Wilhelm II, voluntarily selling the mill to him. When Wilhelm II received this letter, he was overwhelmed with emotion. He believed that the mill matter was at stake in the country's image of judicial independence and judicial impartiality. It is a monument that has become a symbol of the independence of the judiciary and the impartiality of the judiciary in Germany and should be preserved forever. He wrote back to him, urging him to keep the mill for his descendants, and to give him 6,000 marks to pay off his debts. When the little miller received the reply, he was so moved that he decided not to sell the mill again in order to remember this past.

As soon as you hear this story, you feel that this should be a monument in the history of justice. It shows that even the poorest man, in his hut, dared to stand up to the authority of the king. The house may be dilapidated, and the roof may be crumbling, but the wind can enter, the rain may enter, and the king cannot enter. His thousands of troops did not dare to cross the threshold of this dilapidated house. The mill is, in fact, a symbol of human freedom, autonomy, security and independence. If a person does not even own a place to live, then where can a person seek and ensure his independence, security, and happiness? Therefore, the laws of Western countries emphasize that financial rights are the basis and guarantee of their civil rights, as well as the foundation of human freedom and dignity. The story is about restricting the encroachment of the government and the king on the rights of individuals.

This story has long been told in China, but it is not recorded in travel books published in Germany. We all know that a tourist landscape needs to have cultural legends and sunny spots to play the effect of "turning decay into magic". If Sanssouci Palace has had such historical traces, not to mention that it will be vigorously rendered, at least it will be recorded.

It was later discovered that the story was told by a man named Haber in a collection of stories published in 1831. However, after Watt built the first steam engine in 1776, the mill and windmill were no longer in use. The fact is that by 1840 there were more than 40 mills around Potsdam, all of which were demolished, and only this one remained.

If this story does not correspond to the facts, then how did this story come down? For this reason, some people have really found historical records. Known to the Germans as the Historical Mill, the mill was indeed demolished by the king in 1787 and then rebuilt again. The mill was demolished because it was about to collapse, and the mill was rebuilt because the king liked it, and the whole demolition was done with royal money. If you compare the facts with the Chinese version of the story, you will find that there are big differences between them.

After research, this story was compiled by a German named Haber, introduced to China by Mr. Yang Changji, and then repeatedly quoted by Professor He Weifang and others, and developed into a story of enlightenment with ups and downs, love and hate. Some of these episodes, if unsightly, were apparently added by the Chinese. The Chinese aim to present this story as a great revelation in the history of justice. And the Germans didn't care about it. Because this story is not included in travel books written in Germany. And only the Chinese have been talking about it all the time.

We know that if a story is told orally, the content of the story will definitely be farther and farther away from the original story. The story of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" has been passed down orally for hundreds of years, so the legend in it is relatively strong, but some plots are far from historical facts. The story of "The Miller Fights the King" must be the same.