Shadow of great britain

For Europeans, the imperial system of weights and measures can be said to be an extremely anti-human conversion system.

But if there is anything in Europe that is more extreme than the imperial system of weights and measures, it must be the monetary system of the German states.

If a businessman sets out from Switzerland to Berlin to do business, he will pass through ten German states, exchange ten different currencies and pay tariffs ten times.

Although the number of tariffs has been greatly reduced after the establishment of the North German Customs Union, there has never been a unified currency exchange.

In this era, if you don’t have 20 or 30 currencies in your pocket, you are embarrassed to tell others that you are doing business in Germany.

But it is worth noting that even though there are still dozens of currencies popular in the German region, this is the result of Napoleon’s unremitting efforts. Before Napoleon completely disintegrated the Holy Roman Empire, there were about 6,000 types of currencies in the German region at its peak.

However, for tourists like Arthur, collecting different German currencies is also a good pastime during the trip.

When he ate at small inns along the way, he often exchanged currency with local Junker nobles and farmers.

In just ten days, his pockets were filled with gold and silver coins made in various states and historical periods.

For example, the 1735 Brandenburg half-thaler silver coin, which was engraved with the king's feathers flying to the sun to commemorate the death of the king.

The 1 kruz gold coin issued by the Free City of Frankfurt in 1744, engraved with the city scenery and the Roman eagle flag. The quarter-ducat silver coin issued in 1792 to commemorate the accession of the last Holy Roman Emperor Franz.

The 6 kruz large silver coin issued by the Free City of Hamburg to commemorate the demise of the Holy Roman Empire.

Of course, Arthur's favorite coin was the 1 ducat gold coin issued by the Austrian Empire in 1826, with the head of Franz I printed on it.

As a gold coin as famous as the florin, the name of the ducat gold coin often appears in various historical records and novels.

The gold content of both gold coins is about 3.5 grams, so they can be exchanged at the same price.

In the 17th century, a 12-pound falconer cost 190 ducats, while a 3-pound eagle cost 97 ducats.

If you look at the numbers directly, you can't imagine whether the cannon is expensive or cheap. However, when the standard outfit of the knights at that time is put together with them, you can compare them.

Arthur clearly remembers that the price of a full set of knight armor in the same period was only 35 florins, and a warhorse cost 30 florins.

In other words, you only need 227.5 grams of gold to buy the basic equipment of a cavalryman. However, the minimum price of equipping an artilleryman is as high as 654.5 grams of gold, because in addition to the cannon, you also need three horses to pull the cannon forward.

However, the fun of collecting these currencies is limited to the boredom of the journey. When Arthur stood down to earth on the land of Germany, he finally felt how troublesome the currency chaos was.

Although the Kingdom of Hanover and Great Britain share a king, the two countries are not close enough to share a currency.

Therefore, Arthur and his party went straight to the local bank in Göttingen to exchange currency as soon as they got off the car.

According to the currency system of the Kingdom of Hanover, 120 pfennigs = 60 groschen = 10 guilders = 5 thalers = 1 ducat.

Since the gold content of 1 ducat gold coin is 3.5 grams, it is roughly equivalent to half a pound.

But don't think that there are only five currencies because there are 5 monetary units, because the thaler silver coin alone includes at least three types, including half, quarter and sixth thalers.

Although the British are no less troublesome in this regard, the Hanover brothers still let Arthur understand what it means to be a small witch in front of a big witch.

However, the trouble in Arthur's eyes is a different feeling in the eyes of others.

When you see a small cloth bag of gold and silver coins walking out of the bank with a small cloth bag in each hand, and even the sound of jingling when walking, it is really hard not to suspect that this guy is actually showing off his wealth.

Clara felt the same way at the moment. She sat in the carriage and watched Arthur walk out of the bank. She felt that the nouveau riche aura was about to cover up the original British gentleman temperament of this young man.

Arthur boarded the carriage and gently closed the door. As soon as he got on the carriage, he heard Clara muttering: "Oh my God! Are you really a British noble?"

"Huh?"

Arthur looked back at Clara, took off his hat politely and smiled: "Although not a noble, but indeed a knight. I'm sorry to have deceived you before, Miss Clara. Let me introduce myself again, Arthur Hastings, a junior knight of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. If you don't mind, you can call me Sir or Arthur. If you mind, you can continue to call me a college student. After all, this is not wrong, because I did go to college, but I have graduated for several years."

After speaking, Arthur also put one of the two bags in his hand into Clara's hand, and the heavy weight made the girl unable to get up.

"What are you doing?" Clara asked in surprise.

Arthur said: "Although I don't know how you got involved with the royalists, but since we meet again, it is a kind of fate. I brought you all the way from the colorful world of Paris to Göttingen In this kind of rural town, I always feel sorry for myself. Besides, you have to use money when you go out. There are one hundred thalers and thirty ducats in it, and there is a Rothschild Bank note at the bottom. One hundred pounds cashier's check. If you don't want to stay here, you can use this money to settle down and start your life again. Or, if I have the honor, I'd like to hire you to help me with some household chores. This money is regarded as a signing bonus.”

Thirty ducats and one hundred thalers, plus one hundred pounds, if converted, this is equivalent to 2,500 francs. No matter where in the world, this is not a small amount of money. Even in a place like Paris, this amount of money is enough for a girl to live decently for three or four years.

However, this young man didn't seem to care at all. He was completely different from his performance in the pub that day.

How rich does a person have to be to spend as much as he does?

Or is he just pretending to be fat?

It is not impossible, because Clara has seen too many such guys in Paris.

But Clara thought to herself that she had always had a good eye for people. Even if this young man was a British lord, he could not be the wealthy kind, because his performance in the tavern that day was so natural and not like him at all. Someone who has not experienced it can express it.

Clara spoke sarcastically and said in a somewhat mean tone: "Where did you get so much money? Have you paid off your ten thousand franc foreign debt?"

When Arthur heard this, he knew that the girl might be tactfully accusing him of his lies that day.

He joked: "Of course, miss. I went to do a business with someone else."

"Business?" Clara asked knowingly: "What kind of business can a useless college student do?"

"Oh, miss, I'm different from those in college. I've been out there for several years, so I have experience, and my partner is rich."

"Then what?"

"Then." Arthur smiled and patted the money bag in his hand: "Then, I am rich now, and he has experience."

Clara couldn't help but laugh when she heard this, and her face that had managed to remain straight could no longer be serious.

She stretched out her leg and kicked Arthur and said, "You are really a liar."

"Of course, I will remember everything you taught me that day. It is a very useful philosophy of life that can be used for a lifetime." Arthur then continued: "Such an important philosophy of life, I think it is worth it. I paid for it.”

"I think so too." Clara accepted the bag of money unceremoniously: "Do you think I will return the money to you? Young man, girls in Paris are not as coy as women in London. We just have material desires. The embodiment of fine watches, beautiful dresses and satin millinery, we have always pursued these and never intend to change our goals.”

Arthur replied with a smile: "This is the best. Things that can be paid for with money are always the most economical."

Clara opened the purse and confirmed the coins inside, while replying: "It seems that you are indeed not an ordinary college student. At least you are much better than most of the idiots in Paris, much better than me. To be honest, I was I regard you as my younger brother, because you acted so pitifully before."

"Actually, I'm not all pretending. I still told part of the truth."

"oh?"

Clara picked up a gold ducat coin, pointed it at the sun outside the car window and squinted to appreciate it carefully. She liked the taste and luster of the gold coin. This golden little thing was more attractive to her than the one beside the Place des Vosges. All luxury stores combined.

While admiring it, she asked, "Where did your truth begin?"

"Start with 'I'm a college student.'"

"Where does it end?"

"That's where it ended."

When Clara heard this, she glared at Arthur with her blue-grey eyes: "You are really a bastard, there is no difference between you and Thiers."

Arthur shrugged: "I think there is actually some gap. The gap between us is more than thirty centimeters."

"Huh..." Clara narrowed her eyes: "You started to get carried away after leaving France? That's right, the French Minister of the Interior really couldn't arrest you in Göttingen."

Arthur was about to speak, but he saw through the car window that Schneider had finished changing the money and came out of the bank, so he suggested: "Since you don't plan to stay, let's have another meal together before leaving. . I have heard from my colleagues that although German food is not as good as French food, it is still better than London food.”

"Of course." Clara complained: "The French and Germans both have stomachs in their stomachs, and it's not like we have a coal stove or something in our stomachs."

Arthur held Clara's hand and led her out of the driveway: "If you don't stuff some coal into your stomach, how do you know you don't have this potential? Before I lived in England, I thought I couldn't swallow that. Something to do with it.”

"Before you lived in England?" Clara mocked: "Before you came to Paris, didn't you always stay in that kind of provincial place?"

Arthur was not angry after hearing this, but replied seriously: "Madam, although all places except Paris are considered provincial places, not all places have food as bad as England."

Schneider saw the two of them get off the car, took off his hat and waved at them as he walked, saying: "Arthur, Miss Clara, this damn weather is too hot, do you want to go to the pub for a drink first?"

"Of course, we think so too."

Under the leadership of Schneider, Arthur and his party followed the not-too-wide streets of Göttingen and soon found a beer hall on the side of the road.

It was a hot summer day, and there were few people on the street, but the beer hall was crowded with all kinds of people, more than half of whom were young people, and it was obvious that they were students of the University of Göttingen. Because only students have the mood and leisure to come to the beer hall at noon and drink unscrupulously, and the vigorous energy of young people is fully displayed on them.

Before Arthur pushed open the gate of the beer hall, he heard lively cheers coming from inside, followed by a passionate speech in German.

"After the German Confederation passed the amendment to the Carlsbad Resolution, Metternich's big hand is tightening around our throats! The All-German Student Association was banned, and in Frankfurt, our compatriots, young people like us, and those Frankfurt students were executed and arrested!

How long has it been since the breath of freedom emanated from this land of Germany? We have repeatedly given in, fantasizing that the German Confederation, Austria, and Prussia will see our efforts and finally give in. I once called on everyone to fight peacefully and express our demands in a reasonable way.

But what did we get? The only thing left on the land of Germany is humiliation. The reactionaries and Metternich's police are laughing at our weak actions and wantonly trampling on our proud academic freedom and freedom of thought. Get up, students, all German universities are watching us, watching Göttingen.

In this critical moment, only we, the long-standing and unyielding Göttingen, can shoulder the responsibility of leading all German students. Important task. Heinrich Heine, the hero of our University of Göttingen, was persecuted and exiled to a foreign country, lived in the dirtiest and poorest residence in Paris, and ate unpalatable black bread, but all this misfortune could not make him surrender!

Life is like such a glass of beer. You have to know what you want and don't live in an illusory dream all day long! Life is like such a glass of beer. The only difference is what you pour into it, and the only difference is what you want to leave behind! You can choose not to drink, but you must know what you are doing and what you are fighting for!

Decades later, if your children ask you what you did when you were young, I hope we can lie on the sickbed and proudly say: When I was young, I was a hero like Heinrich Heine. In front of the police, in front of the military police, in front of Metternich, your grandfather is still fighting for the happiness of all German people! "

Hearing this, Arthur couldn't help but push open the door of the beer hall, took off his hat and asked: "Sorry, who wants to fight?"