Shadow of great britain

Steel and weapons are symbols of a country's strength. Only the strongest steel can forge the most powerful weapons.

——Alfred Krupp

The quarrel in the corridor soon attracted the attention of Arthur and Disraeli.

Mr. Disraeli, who came from London, sneered and said, "Arthur, did you hear that? This kid actually wants to sell German industrial products to a school with a British as the supervisor."

Perhaps more than half a century later, German manufacturing will be labeled as the world's best products.

But in 1833, industrial products in the German region were cheap and inferior.

In the divided German states, the companies here could neither find high-quality iron ore nor master the advanced industrial technology like Britain. So in most cases, they can only rely on protective tariffs and lower labor costs to compete with the surging British goods.

However, even in Germany's home field, their products are actually not competitive. Any slightly richer family will tend to choose British manufacturing when buying goods.

In the export market, German manufacturing has almost become a synonym for counterfeit and shoddy goods.

For the same two items, the one with the label ‘Made in Germany’ is generally more than 30% cheaper than the one with the label ‘Made in Britain’.

But even so, there are still more customers who choose to buy ‘Made in Britain’.

In order to find a way out for their own products, cunning German businessmen usually label their products ‘Made in Britain’ against their conscience.

What makes British manufacturers most angry is that these self-proclaimed rigorous Germans have to make a full set even if they make counterfeit goods.

Not only will they label their products ‘Made in Britain’, but they will also go to Britain in person and visit the British manufacturers they benchmark in the name of travel. Even if they can’t catch up with British products in quality, they will at least imitate the appearance of their products exactly the same.

In this regard, Sheffield’s knife industry, Manchester’s textile industry, London’s instrument and watch industry, etc. have all suffered greatly.

As for why Disraeli was so disgusted with German manufacturing?

This is all due to the Tory Party's disastrous defeat in the election.

Since the Tory Party currently has only a little over 100 seats in the House of Commons, even a political rookie like Disraeli, who is still young, has been entrusted with important tasks by the party.

Mr. Benjamin Disraeli is not only a member of the House of Commons, but also one of the ten members of the House of Commons Railway and Industrial Infrastructure Special Committee.

Given that Britain currently does not have a government agency specifically responsible for industry and railways, Mr. Disraeli's position in the House of Commons is essentially equivalent to the top ten seats in the Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

Although he is not a minister, he is better than a minister and has to deal with representatives of the British industrial sector every day.

In the process of dealing with them, Disraeli often heard complaints about those "small commodities" from Germany.

However, no matter how much the industrial representatives complained, Disraeli could not help them solve the problem.

After all, there were no anti-counterfeiting trademarks or inventions such as barcodes that could help distinguish between true and false in these days. Therefore, Disraeli could only watch German fakes run rampant in the market.

For a young man who had just been elected as a member of parliament, nothing could be more annoying than such a troublesome thing that he could not solve.

However, although Disraeli did not give Krupp a good face, Arthur became interested in this young salesman who looked like a college student.

There was no special reason for this interest, just because the young man's surname was very special.

Just like Ohm who studied electricity and Bismarck who raised wolfhounds. In Arthur's memory, Krupp, who made steel in Germany, was also a very interesting surname.

"What happened here?"

Arthur walked towards Krupp.

When the office administrator saw Arthur coming, he immediately reported to him: "Sir, this liar wants to sell his fake products to our laboratory at the University of Göttingen."

Krupp couldn't help but retort when he heard this: "Sir, I must emphasize that I am not a liar, I am a factory owner, and Friedrich Krupp Steel Foundry is my family business. And we don't produce fake products. Although Krupp Steel Foundry is just a small factory, our products are no worse than British products!"

"Oh? Really?"

When Arthur saw Krupp's face flushed with anger, he just thought this young man was quite interesting.

The office administrator was obviously irritated by Krupp's words, but because the school supervisor was present, he could not get angry directly, so he could only suppress his anger and asked: "Do you know what experimental equipment we want to order? Astronomical telescopes, theodolites, sextants, total stations and levels, these equipment can only be made by the most professional manufacturers. Are you going to tell me that your products are better than those made by Troughton \u0026 Simpson and Peter Dollond Optical Instrument Company!"

Troughton \u0026 Simpson's name is well-known in the European astronomy and geographic surveying circles.

They are famous for their precision mechanized metal processing technology, and the precision of their instruments is the best in the world in both astronomical observation and geographic surveying.

Because of this, Troughton \u0026 Simpson was able to become an instrument supplier to the Royal Society. Not only that, they also provided a number of famous astronomical telescopes to the Royal Greenwich Observatory, including the first equatorial mount telescope in history.

As for the Peter Dolond Optical Instrument Company, this time-honored company founded in the 18th century is currently the world leader in optical instrument manufacturers. Their sextants and other navigational instruments are deeply trusted by the Royal Navy, and many well-known British astronomy I am also a big fan of their company.

The British astronomer William Herschel and his son John Herschel, who discovered Uranus, were particularly fond of Dolond's products.

In addition, Mr. Elder Carter, the legendary draftsman of the Royal Navy who was rigorous and rarely gave high praise, also rarely praised the company's instruments.

According to Mr. Carter, Dolonde's improved sextant is hundreds of times better than the traditional sextant in latitude positioning.

Although Krupp did not want to admit it, as a small Prussian steel factory, he certainly knew that he could not compete with the two British scientific instrument manufacturing giants.

When the office manager saw that he was silent, he snorted again: "Maybe this standard is too high, but if you can produce the quality of Lerbul \u0026 Sekretan, I think Mr. Gauss and the others should also do the same. Don’t care.”

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help but laughed and said: "Karl, you are too mean to say that. The products of Lerbour \u0026 Sekletin are no worse than the first two companies, and their status in the French instrument manufacturing industry is It is also very important. When I visited the Paris Academy of Sciences before, more than half of the precision instruments used there were manufactured by them.

If I remember correctly, there should be a refracting telescope produced by them in the school observatory. And the spectrometer in the optical laboratory seems to belong to them, right? I heard Mr. Gauss say that it seems that both of them are antiques bought during the Napoleonic Wars? "

The office manager pursed his lips when he heard this: "Sir, you have a good memory. But now is not the time to study history. You don't understand, if I don't make my words clear, this guy won't give up. This This is always the case with salespeople. Before you place an order, they can promote the product to the sky, but as soon as it arrives, they disappear without a trace. "

When Krupp heard this, his face turned red and his neck thickened with anger.

He had known that it would not be easy to get an order from the University of Göttingen. After all, this was one of the best universities in Germany, and their purchase orders were the meat that all major European instrument manufacturers were eyeing.

If anyone can win orders from Göttingen, they will be able to live without opening in the next few years.

After all, whether it is an astronomical telescope, a spectrograph, an electrostatic machine or a biological microscope, none of these instruments are cheap.

If Krupp can win this order, even if it is just a small bite, it will be enough to bring his 60-person steel foundry on the verge of bankruptcy back to life.

In other words, if Krupp had not been facing a crisis of bankruptcy, he would not have come to Göttingen to try his luck.

Arthur didn't know what kind of medicine was sold in Krupp's gourd. Although he didn't mind taking out a few orders and throwing them to Krupp, but the premise was that the quality of the other party's products must meet the standards.

After all, purchasing scientific instruments was different from the Italian Revolution. Mazzini and Garibaldi could not guess how much money the British Foreign Office allocated to them, but scientists such as Gauss and Weber could tell at a glance whether the instruments they received were useful or not.

When it comes to purchasing instruments, Arthur would rather spend more money to buy reliable products. He doesn't want Gauss and others to change jobs while he is the superintendent.

Although Krupp is young, he is a businessman who inherited a steel factory at the age of 14. This is already his eighth year in this business.

He quickly found the key information from everyone's words. The annoying old administrator who kept saying bad things about him was not important at all. The guy who could really talk to him in the school was the young guy. And from what the old man said, it seemed like that boy was a noble?

Krupp stepped forward and stood between Arthur and the administrator, and asked with a smile on his face: "I forgot to ask you just now, who are you?"

Arthur took off his hat and smiled politely: "Arthur Hastings, Chancellor of the University of Göttingen."

"Superintendent?!" Krupp seemed to grasp the core of the problem at once. He quickly took Arthur's extended hand and shook it vigorously: "Nice to meet you! I am Friedrich. Alfred Krupp, proprietor of the Krupp Company, nice to meet you, Mr. von Hastings."

"No, no, no." Arthur waved his hands repeatedly: "Without Feng, it's Hastings. I'm not German."

Krupp smiled brightly, as if he had guessed something: "Ah! Foreigners! Damn it, I should have thought of it earlier! It seems that Hanover, like Prussia, likes to find talented foreign nobles to serve as officials."

After saying this, Krupp looked at Disraeli behind Arthur: "Who is this?"

Arthur introduced casually: "This is my friend, the same foreigner, Mr. Benjamin Disraeli."

Krupp greeted Disraeli warmly: "Hello! Mr. Di Israel, I knew you were Italian as soon as I heard your name."

When Arthur heard this, he corrected him: "It's not Di Israel, it's Di..."

Unexpectedly, before Arthur finished speaking, he heard Disraeli shout: "Damn it! You guessed it right."

As soon as these words came out, Arthur was surprised: "Benjamin, have you changed your surname?"

Disraeli said with a displeased look: "It's not that I changed my surname, but that my original surname was Di Israel. Have you forgotten? I am a second-generation immigrant. My grandfather was born in Venice, the city of wealth in Italy. Authentic Italian Sephardic Jews. You should know that the Italian middle name 'Di' is the same as the German 'von' and the Dutch 'van', which is the true meaning of our family's surname. It's 'from Israel'."

"From Israel?" Arthur counted on his fingers: "It seems that your family has been rooted in Venice for many years."

Agares, who had been leaning on the fence to watch the show, added: "To be precise, it has taken root in Venice for 2,400 years. The Hebrew kingdom established by King Solomon split into the northern Israel after his death. Kingdom and the Kingdom of Judah in the south, Samaria, the capital of the Kingdom of Israel, was conquered by the Assyrian Empire in the eighth century BC.”

Arthur frowned and asked Disraeli: "Benjamin, why did you change your surname when you had nothing to do? Is it because you don't like this surname that has both Italian and Jewish characteristics?"

"That's not true. I'm proud of my Jewish heritage and my family's Italian heritage."

Disraeli said: "But, Arthur, you also know that my father is a well-known writer and historian. Growing up, I was always called 'Mr. Dee Israel's son'. I hate it. I also don’t like being called someone’s son. In my opinion, it’s a disrespect for my hard work all the time. So, I removed the middle part of my surname. From then on, I changed my name. It is no longer someone’s accessory, but the unique Mr. Disraeli.”

When Krupp heard this, he couldn't help but wonder: "You changed your surname. Doesn't your father have any objections?"

"Of course he has objections, and he even made a vow to me."

Disraeli said with a proud smile: "When I first changed my surname, my father was furious when he saw my newly printed business card and scolded me for disrespecting the traditions of the Di Israel family. I told him that only people who have no ability say that. , for someone as capable as me, it will naturally become a tradition for the entire family. I told him that I would definitely be elected as a member of the parliament in the future, and I would also become the prime minister. If he becomes a member of parliament, he will change his surname to be the same as mine.”

Krupp listened with interest: "What's the result?"

"The result?" Disraeli laughed loudly: "Now my father got his wish. Now not only does my father's business card become Disraeli, but even my sister's surname becomes the same as mine!"

Krupp originally thought Disraeli was joking, because the other party looked to be in his twenties, but he was actually a British MP. This made Krupp, who was also a young man, couldn't help but be surprised and said: " You...are you really elected as a member of Parliament? And you are a Jew?"

"As a Jew? No." Disraeli tugged on his red tie in a stink: "As a capable person. There are many Jews in Britain, but as far as I know, before me The Jew who was elected to the House of Representatives was called David Ricardo.”

Krupp complimented him in a timely manner: "Although I don't know much about economics, I have heard of David Ricardo. He was a leading figure in British economics. I didn't expect that at such a young age, you could already be like Ricardo. The characters are comparable.”

Although Disraeli tried his best to appear calm, the smile in the corner of his eyes betrayed him.

Although he was elected as a member of Parliament, Disraeli obviously could not play the role of a wily politician in the eyes of visitors. He is born with an extraordinary desire for expression, always likes to stand in the center of the stage, and does not like to keep everything in his heart.

Disraeli turned the conversation to his old friend at the right time. He put his hand on Arthur's shoulder and said: "Not only Ricardo, Sir Arthur Hastings next to me is a disciple of Jeremy Bentham. At the same time, he is also the first person in the UK to be knighted as a policeman. Don't blame me for not reminding you that Arthur is an expert in scientific instruments. If he hadn't been sent to the University of Göttingen as a supervisor. He might have already taken a job in the laboratory of the Royal Society, and he is a master in electromagnetics. "

"Of course, how dare I cheat at the University of Göttingen?"

Krupp's face was full of sincerity, but his eyes kept winking at Arthur and Disraeli: "Isn't it convenient for you two to take a step to talk?"

As a duo who had handled Liverpool's urban renewal project, Disraeli and Arthur knew what the boy wanted to do as soon as they saw his performance.

It seems that things like project bidding and equipment procurement are not only unique to Britain, but also to Germany.

Disraeli glanced at Arthur and said with a half-smile: "It's a bit hot today, why don't I treat you two to a drink?"

When Krupp heard this, his heart was half relieved.

This order is interesting!

He saw the office administrator walking away, and then he asked with a smile: "This is the biggest difference between foreign officials and German officials! No wonder Prussia and Hanover like to find foreigners to serve as officials in Germany. If it were a German who served as the school supervisor, he might have asked me for money by now, and you, you two actually want to buy me a drink!"

The three of them were walking side by side. Arthur couldn't help laughing when he heard Krupp's words: "Are German officials corrupt?"

"Oh! More than corrupt!"

Krupp pretended to grit his teeth.

"Take my hometown of Essen as an example. The local tax officials there were accused of embezzlement two years ago. These bastards not only intercepted the government's tax revenue by falsifying tax accounts, but also imposed many non-existent taxes on local merchants and farmers like me. Others took advantage of their power to buy farmers' land at low prices and resell it to nobles or merchants at high prices to make huge profits.

As for the army, it was even more of a mess. I bid for military procurement contracts before. Obviously, our asking price was lower, but I just couldn't win the bid. Later, I found out that the senior officials of the Prussian army usually only gave military supply contracts to their relatives and friends, and received kickbacks and bribes from them.

The military supplies they supplied were not only of poor quality, but also the military expenditures were greatly overstated. This kind of corruption directly affected the army. 's combat effectiveness and caused huge financial losses. Although the army has conducted several internal investigations and several senior officers involved have been dismissed, due to the nepotism among the top leaders, it won't be long before the offending officials will be re-employed. "

After speaking, Krupp sighed and said, "In comparison, foreign officials like you two are much easier to deal with. There are not such complicated relationships, and they don't beat around the bush. The kings and grand dukes of various states are also very confident in you, and they are not as strict as they are with German officials. I used to wonder why this was the case, but later someone told me that this was because foreigners with outstanding talents like you were personally invited by the kings and grand dukes. Could it be that the kings and grand dukes made a mistake and carefully selected a corrupt official to be an official? "