Shadow of great britain

The police are not here to create chaos, nor to end chaos, they are here to maintain chaos.

——Richard J. Daly

"Write me a letter of recommendation?"

Bismarck was full of suspicion, he didn't believe the words of the man in front of him at all.

If you ask who is the most outstanding student at the University of Göttingen, the answer will not be unified in the eyes of different colleges and different professors.

But if you ask who is the most troublesome student at the University of Göttingen, everyone will say in unison: Otto von Bismarck.

Moreover, even if this fact is excluded, Bismarck does not think that this British guy has any reason to help him.

On the first day this guy took office as the school supervisor, Bismarck challenged him to a duel in front of Professor Herbart, the dean of the School of Philosophy. In the next few days, Bismarck also took advantage of his off-duty time to launch several sneak attacks on him from the bushes.

If ordinary people are treated like this, it is enough to be called profound if they can not get angry.

And Sir Arthur Hastings was not only not angry, but even offered to help him pass the Prussian National Judicial Examination.

In Bismarck's view, this was a manifestation of ulterior motives.

He remained silent, just looking down at the half-drunk glass in his hand.

He was waiting for Arthur to speak first, he wanted to know how high a price this guy was going to sell the recommendation letter for.

Arthur leaned sideways, one hand on the bar, he looked at this little adult who was only 18 years old this year, and he just thought it was a bit funny that he pretended to be deep and sophisticated.

He was not worried that Bismarck would refuse his request, because among the German college students, school recommendation letters are always a seller's market.

Because the situation in Germany is different from that in Britain. In Britain, there are always too many jobs and too few college students. In Germany, there are many universities here, but there are few jobs that college students can look up to.

These days, Arthur has been collecting information about the German education system from various channels.

Since they had never been baptized by the Great Revolution and had never experienced the constitutional monarchy and parliamentary system like Britain, the aristocracy in the German states was very stable.

The aristocratic titles here could neither be bought and sold through interests like in France, nor could individuals move up and down the class frequently like in Britain, and wealth itself was enough to become the capital to enter the upper class.

Therefore, the social status and mentality of the German intellectual class were different from those in Britain and France.

They were called "educated citizens" by public opinion and their monarchs, but they never enjoyed the corresponding economic status and social respect. Such a situation caused a huge gap in the mentality of the German intellectual class.

When people of all classes in Britain moved up and down through various glorious or dishonorable means, the number of newly-crowned nobles in France increased sharply, and the civilian middle class became the main force participating in British and French politics, the aristocratic status of the German states became more and more consolidated, and the phenomenon of class solidification became more and more obvious.

It was precisely because of this contrast that Germany encountered a special situation that neither Britain nor France had ever encountered.

On the one hand, the states led by Prussia have vigorously promoted education, and the number of intellectuals is increasing day by day.

On the other hand, those government civil servants and military officers positions that intellectuals covet have long been controlled by traditional nobles who are loyal to the king.

And the words that Bismarck accidentally revealed to Arthur before basically confirmed this fact.

Bismarck's family background is actually not bad. Even if he can't compare with the top Prussian nobles, at least he can mix well in the huge Prussian noble group.

But even so, if he wants to be a court juror, he still has to take the Prussian National Judicial Examination, which is a single-plank bridge for thousands of troops.

And those so-called foreign nobles who were hated by Bismarck can get a well-paid, decent and comfortable diplomat position just because they are valued by the king and just because they can speak French.

Perhaps it is precisely because of this that the student movement in Germany is the most intense in the three regions of Britain, France and Germany, and German literati are willing to sing praises for Napoleon.

Hegel, who has always been a big mouth, praised Napoleon as "the soul of the world, the absolute spirit of the world", Muller praised Napoleon as a "modern hero", and Ranke believed that Napoleon's life was "full of sacred missions".

Even Heine, who has always been talking about "German hemorrhoids", would not hesitate to praise Napoleon as "one of the greatest figures in human history" as long as he talked about Napoleon.

As the saying goes, there is nothing difficult in the world if you are determined.

Although the German student movement sounds awe-inspiring and makes people feel overwhelmed, as if they are fighting for some unspeakable lofty goal. But after peeling off the silk and pulling out the cocoon, the demands of this group of young people are actually very simple. They want to work in a place that matches their expected goals and obtain a social status that matches their knowledge level.

Or, to put it more bluntly, in a relatively underdeveloped region like Germany, they should either be given university teaching positions or be allowed to work in government agencies.

This is the dilemma that all German college students will face when they graduate.

Whether to support or oppose the student movement is a question of political stance and an ideological issue.

In other words, it’s no big deal if you support it today and oppose it tomorrow.

But getting a school recommendation letter is a practical issue, related to a respectable life and social status.

If you miss it today, there may not be such a good thing tomorrow.

As a graduate of the University of London, Arthur knew all too well what students like Bismarck wanted.

It's just that most young people have not experienced society. Sometimes, for the sake of so-called dignity, they will stiffen their necks and say that this is not in line with their principles. They will not do those despicable things for the sake of a position as a jury in the court.

Because of this, Arthur was the first to find Bismarck. Because this guy is one of the few Göttingen college students who opposed the Frankfurt garrison incident, his thoughts are in line with what Arthur is about to do, so there is no issue of principle.

What Bismarck has to overcome now are at best some moral concerns.

But fortunately, Bismarck now faced not only pressure at home, but also deep financial difficulties.

Even more fortunately, these two problems are not a problem at all in Arthur's eyes.

Seeing that he was as silent as a dull gourd, Arthur did not take the initiative to speak. Instead, he chuckled softly, and then took out a golden ducat coin from his jacket pocket. He tapped it with his fingernail and the gold coin was released. It flashed past Bismarck's eyes and fell into the hands of the tavern owner.

Arthur took the last sip of beer, put down the glass and stood up: "There is absolutely no reason in this world for students to hire teachers. Otto, you have chosen a good restaurant. The wine here is good. I have something else to do so I won't stay with you."

Arthur picked up the coat on the back of the chair, put on his hat and was about to go out, when he heard Bismarck's urgent roaring voice behind him.

"That, Professor Hastings!"

A playful smile appeared on Arthur's face. He turned half his head and asked, "What? Is it possible that Germany also has the custom of drinking to pass the customs? Are you taking me to the second game?"

"Drink to pass the customs?" Bismarck was stunned for a moment: "What is that?"

"A game invented by drunkards in London." Arthur turned around and said: "To be precise, the drunkards randomly select a street, and when they see a pub, they go in to have two drinks, and drink from street to street like this. The last step is to drink to pass the level.”

Bismarck laughed dumbly and said: "I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint you. There are only a few taverns in Göttingen."

"Hmm... That's right." Arthur took out his pocket watch from his pocket, opened the cover and took a look: "Not only that, there are not many courts in Prussia."

When Bismarck heard this, he knew that Arthur was trying to manipulate him, but his desire for a court position left him unable to do anything.

He stood up, took the initiative to move the stool for Arthur, and asked him to sit back: "Are you in a hurry? I know you are a professor of electromagnetics, but there is not even an electromagnetics course in the school. You usually What are you busy with?"

Bismarck, who had always been unruly, suddenly made a 180-degree change and became respectful of his teachers.

As an educator, Superintendent Hastings couldn't help but be delighted with the students' rapid progress.

He sat back on the stool, and before he could speak, Bismarck raised a hand and shouted to the boss: "Sir, please have two more beers. Yes, one each of black lager and cider. Mr. Professor, what do you think?" The homemade wine is very good.”

Arthur took off his gloves again and put them on the bar: "Indeed, due to the issue of departmental settings, I have not yet started a separate class in the school. However, the academic committee is currently studying whether to add more classes in the School of Philosophy and the School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. A natural magic class taught by me.”

When Bismarck heard this, he almost spit out the wine he drank in his mouth: "Ahem...natural magic class? What are you going to teach in that class? Turning stones into gold, or rubbing fireballs or something?"

Arthur had already guessed this boy's reaction, because when he heard the name of this course, he didn't feel much better.

Arthur explained: "Natural Magic is actually the name of the University of Bologna. They were the first university in Europe to offer this course. In the 16th century, their seminary offered this course. But although it is said to be natural magic , but in fact this course does not teach you how to rub fireballs or ride a broomstick. This course mainly teaches experimental science, showing students the reflection and refraction of light, free fall experiments, inertial experiments, etc.

When I was in London, I studied under Mr. Michael Faraday and did many experiments with him as an assistant. Among them are electromagnetics, electrochemistry and optics. If I were simply asked to explain theories, firstly, I am not good at that, and secondly, it would be very boring for students to learn, so I think it is a very appropriate choice for me to offer a natural magic course at the University of Göttingen. "

Bismarck took out his handkerchief and wiped his wine-stained chin: "In that case, why don't you just call it experimental science? The name natural magic is really misleading. At first glance, it sounds like learning this course is enough. It’s like being burned at the stake.”

"You don't understand, Otto, this is a gimmick."

Arthur crossed his fingers and held his chin: "I am the proctor of the University of Göttingen, and helping the school develop is also one of my responsibilities. The name Natural Magic is simply a genius creation. I don't know how the University of Bologna came up with this idea. The name sounds gimmicky, which is definitely good for recruiting students.”

"That's right." Bismarck rolled his eyes: "This is not only recruiting students, but also recruiting priests!"

Arthur did not refute, he smiled and replied: "Otto, do you know? This is the power of language. Just changing the name can turn ordinary physical experiments into mysterious metaphysical knowledge. Correspondingly, although your current situation is very bad, if you change your name, you will be worth twice as much. "

Although Bismarck was mentally prepared, he still couldn't help but say vigilantly: "Professor, I know that the letter of recommendation is definitely not for free, but if you ask me to do something that goes against my conscience and the spirit of nobility, I will not be able to obey."

"Otto, why do you miss me so much?" Arthur took the cider from the boss's hand and took a sip: "Just because I beat you for a week?"

"I will not be so arrogant." Bismarck said seriously: "But there is a proverb in Germany: Things that cost nothing are worthless. Letters of recommendation are very expensive things, so their prices must be very high."

"Um……"

Arthur casually gave the young man a high hat: "You are very smart, smarter than most people of your age. So I believe that leaving the recommendation letter to you is definitely not a wrong decision, and You also deserve the position of president of the Student Union of the University of Göttingen.”

"Of course, I'm different from those idiots who come from the civil class. I..."

Just in the middle of what he said, Bismarck suddenly frowned: "I'm sorry, did I hear wrongly? What did you just say?"

Arthur picked up the wine glass and clinked it with Bismarck: "I said, I hope you can serve as the president of the Student Union of the University of Göttingen."

"I……"

Bismarck's head was slightly dizzy. He just wondered if he had drunk too much today, otherwise why he heard so many good things.

He pointed at himself and asked: "You mean, I will be the president of the student union?"

Arthur asked for another piece of salty pork knuckle: "What? Do you think you can't take on this position? Is your ability limited to controlling three wolf dogs? If you were asked to manage 800 college students, you would just stare. I'm sorry to say this, but, Otto, if you can't be the student council president, I can't issue you a school recommendation letter, because I don't know what makes you good."

"Of course I don't mean that!" Bismarck's face turned red and hot with excitement, and the young man's vanity once again occupied his remaining high ground of reason: "If, I mean if, you really dare to hand over the student union to I, I will definitely show you what discipline is! Like the Prussian army, iron discipline!"

Bismarck kept talking to Arthur about his ideas and what kind of organization he planned to shape the Student Union into. Under his management, how resolutely the members of the student union will implement higher-level decisions and maintain good order on the Göttingen campus.

It would be fine if someone else said this, but the person who said this happened to be the most troublesome student at the University of Göttingen, which made Bismarck's words not very convincing to ordinary people.

However, before Arthur questioned Bismarck, this guy began to question Arthur hesitantly.

"Professor Hastings, of course, I must first state that I am not saying this to attack you. Because you are from London and have only been in Göttingen for a few days, so you probably don't know the current situation in Germany. How the university is run. Since the Frankfurt Garrison incident, almost all student societies on campus have been banned.

I went to the University of Jena to pick a fight because a Prussian fencing club I joined in Göttingen was shut down. Most people in the school knew how good I was and were unwilling to fight with me in private. Therefore, I could only secretly go to other places to find people to practice. Who knew that the people at Jena University were just bad at swordsmanship, and even had problems with their character.

They couldn't beat me, so they reported me to the school, saying that I went to the University of Jena to stir up trouble. Because of this, the school's disciplinary committee put me in solitary confinement for two weeks. At this stall, the entire Göttingen campus was in complete turmoil, and the slightest movement would trigger an overreaction from the Göttingen Police Department and professors. Are you really saying that there won't be any problems if you want to restore the Student Union, which was expressly banned by the German Confederation Assembly? "

When Arthur heard this, he picked up a piece of salty pork knuckle without caring.

"Otto, this is something I have to consider, not something you have to consider. I am the special national representative of the University of Göttingen. I said that the Student Union can exist, and it can exist.

If professors have concerns, they can always come to me as superintendent.

If the Göttingen Police Department is worried, they can report it to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Kingdom of Hanover, or directly go to His Majesty the Governor at the Reiner Palace, or His Majesty the King at St. James's Palace.

As for the German Confederation Assembly, the powers I exercised are completely in compliance with the amendments to the Carlsbad Resolution. The special representative of the state has the power to review and approve the establishment of student unions.

If the Confederation Assembly is dissatisfied, they can recommend that the Kingdom of Hanover remove me from office. I respect their right to express dissatisfaction, but before that, they must also respect the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Hanover to freely appoint special national representatives. "