"As for why you asked us why Bavaria is engaged in the arms business, I said that there is no money to force it, do you believe it?" Ruprecht smiled wryly.

"Of the four states, Bavaria is the worst in terms of the standard of living of the military and civilians. Although our fiscal revenue is second, it is supported by the size of the country, and the financial situation of the royal government is still very poor, Bavaria is congenitally deficient, lacking coal and iron mines, and even the land is very poor. In terms of competition for mass goods, we are not only inferior to Prussia, but even Württemberg and Saxony. And we have to feed the army independently. ”

"From the beginning of the empire to 1890, Prussia's fiscal revenues increased by 2.5 times, Saxony by 2 times, and our Bavarian revenues increased by 0.5 times! There are too many industrial capitalists in Prussia, and the Prussian royal family can obtain additional income by means of shareholding and convenience, but we can't, not to mention that compared with the giants of Krupp, Rheinmetall, Mauser, we can't even find a few companies, we are kings, and we must find a way out for the people of the kingdom, and the nobles who are around us and who are loyal to us. ”

"So, we have no way, we have to produce those things that others can't produce in order to reap the benefits, hardening armor technology, the Kingdom of Bavaria took 8 years! It took us 5 years to develop rapid-fire guns! We are poor, forced to do nothing! If our technology doesn't work, there's no way. But whoever plays yin with us, then we will not back down! ”

"The Far East had just ended, and during the Battle of Toshima, I almost lost my life. Then in the land battle, you said let Bavaria go up, we said yes, and then the blue army, with the Bavarian army as the main body, also played the prestige of the empire. In the end, not only did it not do any good, but the Japanese came, and you directly transferred the order to Krupp, which is not appropriate, right? Why do we give so much to let others take advantage? Do you think that's fair? Finally, Ruprecht added.

Ruprecht said that this was already a showdown. Ruprecht's hidden meaning is very clear, the royal families on both sides are a family, and everyone is a king. Make your own money, that's because Bavaria is too poor, and it's not right for you Prussian royal family to help a businessman suppress his own people. Don't tell me that Krupp belongs to your family, and if something really happens, isn't it the Prussian and Bavarian armies that go out desperately? Krupp top hair? Without them to produce artillery, the empire would have no artillery? Are you kidding? After breaking the monopoly, everyone makes it better!

So at the end of this meeting, Frederick III felt that he was becoming more and more unreasonable, in the eyes of outsiders, as an emperor, he could have been unreasonable, Lao Tzu and Krupp had a good relationship, so the Admiralty naturally wanted to send the order to Krupp. But now it's different, it's not your own servant sitting opposite, it's the heir of a country! You can't be unreasonable, and if you are reasonable, you really don't seem to have any reason.

In recent years, relations between Prussia and Bavaria have generally been very good. First the prince's personal relationship with his son, and then the boost and tax revenue that Bavaria's hardened armor brought to the construction of the Imperial Navy. If this is not a big deal, then Bavaria's willingness to send troops in the Far East War is an unprecedented gesture of goodwill.

Bavaria originally belonged to the kind of thing that didn't concern itself and hung high, not to mention taking the initiative to send troops, according to the previous temper, even if Prussia let Bavaria do this kind of thing first, people would shirk it, after all, Prussia's military command power is only useful after the country enters a state of war, if you don't declare war with Japan, Bavaria will not bird you at all. The latter just didn't go, and Prussia couldn't do anything.

It stands to reason that, as things stand, Prussia should be satisfied. After all, Bavaria has unleashed enough goodwill compared to before. In the big picture, it was a good deal for Prussia to give Bavaria some favor in exchange for the goodwill of the other party. When relations between the two sides were not good, didn't Prussia give a lot of money every year? The reason for this outcome, Frederick III admitted, was the so-called "kingdom problem." "Wearing the crown of the German emperor, but still consciously or unconsciously thinking that he is the king of Prussia, this idea is sometimes correct, but if you think too much, it will go wrong.

However, Ruprecht still seems to feel that the fire is not burning enough. "If Germany were to suffer a heavy blow one day, who do you think would be the biggest beneficiary in domestic politics? Are it the kings and nobles who have power and are in danger, or the capitalists who always have real money? ”

"In essence, the system of government in Germany is closer to that of the Bourbons. And wasn't the end of the French dynasty because of money? After those capitalists have made enough money, they will inevitably infiltrate other areas of the country, and they will use money to open the way and use interests to win over. In the end, we will find that the aristocracy that was originally around us has been bought. The cooperation between them will finally shake the foundations of the empire. And then other nations will support it, and we, the kings, will eventually lose their power. ”

Leaving aside whether Ruprecht's words were objectively true, they were absolutely alarmist and thought-provoking, especially after a lot of foreshadowing - Bavaria had done its best for the Reich, and as a result, the German government had triggered a series of unforeseen events in order to benefit a certain capitalist. The Kaiser must pay attention to this matter, Krupp cannot live without him, and once something happens in Bavaria, Germany will be lightly injured!

"Hey, I really look like I've been kidnapped by those guys." Frederick III thought so, but he could never say so. The emperor, he still wants to save face. This was written down in advance, and I will beat it again in a hurry.

"That's the end of the matter, you take the orders that belong to you, and I'll be honest with the rest, and don't send any wrong signals to Württemberg and Saxony. It's not good for everyone. Finally the old king emphasized. The words have already been spoken, and the matter is settled, Prussia and Bavaria will be quiet first, and the other two kingdoms will naturally be quiet. Enough of these worries lately. Let's do it first.

"By the way, what's there tonight?" Before it was over, the old king said one more word.

"Well, meet the Austro-Crarian representatives tonight." Ruprecht said casually.

"Huh?! What do you mean! Frederick III's eyes bulged, and a terrifying aura emanated from him!

The second is more ~~~, ask for a reward~~~, ask for a collection ~~~.