Before leaving, Bismarck took out a package and handed it to Alfred Krupp, who opened it with curiosity and doubt, and then stood on the spot.

When he came to his senses, Alfred pulled a hammer out of his pocket in the nearby pantry, tried to gently hit the mysterious object up and down a few times, and then took out a chisel and hammered it vigorously.

Watching Krupp pull out one tool after another, Bismarck wanted to say something and stopped.

"What's wrong? Isn't it normal for me, as a steel merchant, to carry some tools with me? ”

The former could only nod heavily.

After some probing, Alfred Krupp wiped his handkerchief against the black iron, and then sniffed it vigorously with his nose.

"It seems to be the taste of manganese, which is truly a magical masterpiece. Not even the best craftsmen in my factory could make such a perfect piece. No, not even the factories of the British. It's like God made it with His own hands!"

The agitated industrial tycoon is obsessed with steel and has always admired the spirit of excellence, which is an important reason why Krupp Steel continues to grow and develop, so it is not surprising that he has no hesitation in complimenting the sleek crafts in front of him.

"Otto, where did you get this treasure? Is it a relict from a museum, or a meteorite from heaven, or the latest product from a laboratory? ”

Bismarck shook his head and couldn't help but sigh.

"You would never have imagined it. I found it from one of the trash cans of the Austrians. ”

"What?!" Alfred Krupp's eyes widened, and his expression of disbelief seemed to question the other party's lying.

"A few months ago, when I was on my way to the G-5 meeting, I passed by a newly opened department store in Vienna; The item you have in your hand is a construction waste that a scavenger picked up and they threw away, and I thought it was interesting to bring it back. ”

Bismarck's trip to Austria did not follow the usual sightseeing and eating and drinking of other Prussian officials, but he did his best to investigate in Vienna.

In fact, this kind of steel has nothing to do with garbage at all, but is the most critical material to support the ceiling. It is used to complete a special structure that requires high strength.

It is clear that the scrap was not recycled after it was used up, but ended up in the hands of the scavenger. After some consideration, he found the piece of iron to be very handy, and decided to use it for himself to smash nuts and deal with stray dogs.

Later, Bismarck, who was "wandering around", accidentally saw that his knowledge was naturally much higher than that of the scavengers, and he immediately noticed the difference.

So Bismarck paid for it, and today he brought it to this steel-obsessed friend, just to test his judgment.

"It's incredible! It's the most perfect steel I've ever seen in my life! Its hardness and impact resistance are unmatched! Otto, do you know what a wonderful day it would be if we Prussia could one day make guns out of this steel? It's unimaginable..."

"I wish the Austrians would only build houses with them." Bismarck said worriedly.

Vienna, Schönbrunn Palace.

"Ahh Franz sneezed heavily.

"Archduke Franz, is Archduchess Carolina thinking about you again?" Adjani quipped.

"That's my aunt."

"So what? Didn't your grandfather marry his cousin in the first place?" In this era, there was no concept that close relatives were not allowed to marry.

Although some nobles will try to avoid marriage between close relatives, as long as they are related to each other for more than three generations, they will not care about such a thing. Historically, Carolina married her cousin and belonged to the Habsburg tradition of self-production and self-sale circulation.

And Franz's meeting with Carolina's cousin was a complete accident. The reason is that the latter wants to play with her third brother, Archduke Friedrich, and this thing, as an incompetent brother, can be said to have reached the limit.

"Brother, brother, I want to ride a horse!" Carolina said.

"My dear sister, horseback riding is not as interesting as taking a boat, and I will take you for a walk around Africa when I have time. Go out to sea with my new steam warships and enjoy the unique scenery. The cannon of the giant ship is a man's dream! Friedrich did not hide his pride in his heart.

However, this remark left Karolina with black lines.

"My dear brother, God has given you the skill of the sea, but you have become such an incomprehensible person.

I don't know if I'm happy or disappointed to be a great addition to the empire, but it's taken away from a new member of the family. She said in a tone of tease and a hint of sarcasm

"You girls are so hard to understand! Forget it, it's easier to deal with sailors. Friedrich said with a look of disgust.

"Why, do you deliberately find a lame excuse to prevaricate without knowing how to ride a horse?" Karolina couldn't help but laugh, she is sixteen years old this year, and unlike Friedrich, she inherited her mother's blonde hair, and her dark blue pupils made her an iconic German beauty.

In addition, this younger sister is also ten centimeters taller than her brother, so she likes her little brother very much, especially the expression of unwillingness to admit defeat and competitiveness after being teased by herself.

"Humph! I don't know how to ride a horse? You're underestimating me! I've even ridden dolphins in the sea! ”

Obviously, Friedrich was the trick again this time.

"What is that dolphin?" A girl of Carolina's age really wants her family to pay more attention to her, so she said cutely in casual clothes.

"Haha, ridiculous land creatures, even dolphins don't even know what they are. Next time I'm in Venice, I'll take you to see it myself. ”

Friedrich then took Carolina into Schönbrunn Palace on the grounds that it was too dangerous to ride on the road. After marching to a large open space in front of the palace gate, he asked one of the guards accompanying him to bring a white horse.

He felt that not only was it very wide around it, but there was also a meadow not far away, which was perfect for running horses.

But as his aggressive sister said, he really doesn't know how to ride a horse and doesn't know how to lead it. After slipping away with Carolina for a while, both sides felt a little bored.

So the two were going to play something exciting, Friedrich slapped the horse's butt hard, and the horseman under Carolina's crotch stood up, his front hooves were in the air, and he began to run wildly, but instead of being thrown off, the latter galloped with the horse.

At this time, Franz was discussing buoyancy with a group of friends, watching the frightened horse under Carolina's crotch quickly rush to her side, everyone avoided it, and she was also shouting "Get out of the way!" Get out of the way! ”

Seeing that the white horse was about to have a "fierce collision" with Franz, it suddenly stopped, and Carolina on horseback flew directly into the artificial lake.

"Wind? Why are you here? ”

Franz stretched out his hand, and the white horse licked his master's palm very obediently, and then snorted twice at Carolina, who was still struggling in the lake.

At this time, everyone after the shock reacted, it turned out that this was Franz's mount, and it was also a birthday gift from Franz II.

Although Franz's friends did not "fall into the water", they were all frightened by the scene just now, and at this time they came to their senses and spoke viciously to the unlucky man who fell into the water.

He sighed, worried about his buddies' IQ. They all seem to have overlooked a crucial point, the only people in Schönbrunn Palace who could ride horses were royalty.

(End of chapter)