Teil7
Hi!
Here comes the next part of the new version of "Eisen,Blut und Fernhandel". Enjoy, have fun and if you like to, post a comment.
SMS Thetis, southern side of the Shandong peninsular, 1861
Commodore Eduard Jachmann shook his head while watching the coastline with his looking glass. The shrunken Expedition he was leading had actually reached China on Silvester 1860, which had been not really expected.
But their fast travel between Korea and China would find no continuation. When Jachmann and his entourage had finally arrived in Beijing they had no idea that their enemy would not be named "rifle" or "army", but "calcified traditions" and "overboarding bureaucracy".
Despite their bad experiences with for example the British, the Chinese government was not completely against making a friendship treaty with the German states. What Eduard found baffling was the mixture of arrogance, infighting and this airy-fairy outlook of the Chinese capital.
The commodore could clearly see that China was punching well below her weight class and his Expedition suffered from this. The amount of Red tape, byzantine offices and gridlocked traditions was astounding.
Being from German lands, the Expedition members were used to a large bureaucracy. But not on this scale or better, not a misfiring one on that scale, slowly pulled down by the own weight.
It had taken nearly half a year to make a friendship treaty and some trade negotiations. This friendship treaty was only for Prussia, but Jachmann knew that he could not pressure or seduce the Chinese capital to ratify treaties with all Zollverein states.
China had too many other things on the plate and since foreigners, especially the British at the moment, had much to do with said problems, it was clear that a treaty for one State was the max.
While the trade negotiations bare fruits for all States represented, these were small fish, barely worth the hassle. But then again treaty was treaty and Eduard Jachmann hoped to return home with something to show. Being another big one or many smaller ones.
Next stop would be Saigon, another field already occupied by a competitor of the German states. In this case the arc-enemy, France. They were well on the way to make southern Vietnam a colony.
Still it would be nice to throw a log between the Frenchies legs, at least for some years. The German States neither had the punch nor the wish to really meddle in Vietnam. But some trade as long as it could go on would be nice.
But before all that, they would make a stop in Singapur, another place already under the eyes of a western Power, the British again.
Krupp Steelworks, Essen, Prussia 1861
The perky whistle of a train engine could be heard as the freight train gained speed and started the voyage towards Bremen and the waiting ships. Alfred Krupp himself, the patriarch of the firm, was among those watching the train leave the Steelworks.
The American Civil War had put a krimp in the planning of Krupp. The US had been a major buyer of his railway products, especially an invention of the firm, the seamless railway wheel.
Since the outbreak of that war, trade with North America had been massively lowered. It was an irony of the times, but Krupp, one of the rising stars among the industrialists, was trying to outpace bankrupcy in the early 1860s. Alfred was innovative and invested big time into the firm, but this meant he always needed a ton of money for that.
The recent and needed enlargement of the home factory in Essen had been expensive and Krupp was in substantial debt. Something he despiced, but it was not circumventable.
Now one of the main markets for his products had become problematic, that was not good, tamely spoken. A positive development, but not enough in the current situation, was that the Prussian Army had finally decided to order a batch of his new breech-loading steel cannons. They were a totally new design and most armies around the world still swore on muzzle-loading bronze cannons.
Alfred hoped the army would see the advantages of the new design, but admitted that improvements on the cannons would be made in the future. Still, this was music of the future, for now Krupp Steelworks needed new customers.
Alfred Krupp was the unopposed leader in his firm and demanded loyalty and serious work ethic, but rewarded such traits nicely as well. In a time of cutthroat industrialisation Krupp workers enjoyed more benefits than many others.
They could buy or rent houses for cheap, had pensions and other perks. And the "Chef" (Boss) did not consider himself different when it came to hard work. It was his duty to make sure the corporation moved in the right direction and had customers.
While the American Civil War had impacted Europe with rather few forewarning, it was just the topping of problems for Alfred. So already in winter 1860 he had planned a voyage of "Klinkenputzen" (lit. handle cleaning = bell ringing) around the major capitals and trade fairs of Europe to beat the drums for his products, the starting civil war in America came after this.
The news that the German States had unexpectedly invited Japan, an exotic, unknown land in the Far East, into the Zollverein had inspired many reactions among the German populace, with curiosity at the top.
But for Industrialists like Alfred Krupp these development inspired further reactions. A whole new market suddenly opened up, with known benefits and limitations as far as Zollverein business was the topic.
Yes, there were also substantial risks, like a totally different population, with a wholly different outlook, unknown Japanese products and stuff, but a new, untapped market was there!
Across the German States a lot of bold firms and traders sensed a chance to distance themselves from their more cautious rivals. A risk, but only who dares, wins!
Alfred had chartered 3 ships for the first East Asia convoy, which would soon be loaded with the stuff leaving Essen now. A wide and massive range of products from all Zollverein states was getting on the way to Asia.
The convoy from the easternmost parts of Germany, like Memel or Königsberg, was already at sea towards the west, gaining ships from the main harbours along the way until the last travellers coming out of Emden and Papenburg would meet up at the Frisian coast. Then this combined convoy would travel on towards Japan.
If this first convoy would be a success, which had to be seen, then Alfred Krupp made a mental note that he would be along the voyage for the next one.
Edo, Japan, summer 1861
The two men sitting in a room of the Shogun's residence discussing the situation in Japan over a game of Go disliked each with quite a passion. It was doubtful if they would ever be neutral with each other, let alone friendly. Komei and Iemoshi, being Tenno respective Shogun, were the two most powerful men in Japan, with different points of view on many topics. Maybe time and the coming years might help them find a common ground, even something resembling friendly relations. Still both hoped to secure the most power for each himself, but the situation had thrown them into one boat.
The circumstances left them no choice. The upper echelons of Japan, the people in charge, were picking sides in ever greater numbers as the potential implications of the trade deal were made public. Simply put, after a several months of trying to hold their disintegrating factions together the Tenno and the Shogun had to admit that only by joining forces would they have a majority of the leaders on their side.
The shock of losing support once considered steadfast was not confined to the Tenno alone. Shogun Iemochi had seen the need for some reform too, and he was equally shocked at how strong the isolationist establishment was. Some things felt so normal, only changing circumstances moved them back into focus.
But if Japan did nothing, sticking its head in the sand like many on the side of Matsusaida preferred, Japan would soon be lost.
This duty to Japan, to better her position, was the main glue keeping two sides together which under different circumstances would happily try to undermine the other.
The biggest irony, and on this even these so dissimilar leaders agreed, was that the defenders of the hard-line bakufu now tried for outside help as well. Naturally this was not advertised, that the champions of a gaijin-free Nippon would make common cause with those same gaijin, but there were reports that they stretched out feelers to the French.
The clans and groups loyal to either the Tenno or the Shogun got their help from the provisional "German embassy". That would change when further ships from Europe arrived, but until then those six people, drawn from across the Germanies out of the expedition crew, represented Germany in Japan.
It was not easy for the "Longnoses". The culture was different, in many things very much so and while the progressives among the Japanese were very inquisitive, the anti-foreigner factions in Japan showed subtle and less subtle resentment which often spilled into harassment of the Germans.
For the Europeans it was not only clear that their own behaviour had to be impeccable as much as the culture shock allowed, since they were the face of Germany, but that they had to help the progressives in Japan. Not only for the best of Japan, but for the best of the German states as well.
Foreigners had a mostly bad reputation in Japan for the unfair treaties and coercive methods they had used to force Japan to sign them. The German states had been the lone exception, so if the Tenno and the Shogun won the inevitable confrontation with the hardliner Bakufu side, the German states would occupy something of an exalted place among gaijin in Japan.
Correctly seeing their duty as not limited to being the envoys they were, the small group busied themselves trying to curtail the activities of their competitors. The unknown Herr Krüger (the documents with his given name on it were destroyed during the Kanto earthquake, the German ones during fighting in the World War) busied himself with his official duty, building up the Japanese Zollverein dependence, but he also gave lessons in modern bookkeeping and economic theory, German type.
The leader of the German delegation was often with the Tenno and the Shogun, using his knowledge of law and state theory to give ideas on how Japan could modernize without losing her "soul". Having brainstormed often with Carl Theodor Welcker, Eduard von Simson and Georg Waitz, all reknowned experts of State law, surely helped in that.
If the news that the opposition in Japan was in contact with the French envoys was correct, he hoped that a full "real" group of envoys and advisers would soon come from Germany. Little did he know that while a large merchant convoy from all Zollverein states was nearing Edo Bight, filled with ambassadors and advisers as well as many goods, he would ultimately stay a further five years in Edo. His book on the conflict between reactionaries and progressives during the early Dakyou Era and the German influence in it would become a bestseller.
Here comes the next part of the new version of "Eisen,Blut und Fernhandel". Enjoy, have fun and if you like to, post a comment.
SMS Thetis, southern side of the Shandong peninsular, 1861
Commodore Eduard Jachmann shook his head while watching the coastline with his looking glass. The shrunken Expedition he was leading had actually reached China on Silvester 1860, which had been not really expected.
But their fast travel between Korea and China would find no continuation. When Jachmann and his entourage had finally arrived in Beijing they had no idea that their enemy would not be named "rifle" or "army", but "calcified traditions" and "overboarding bureaucracy".
Despite their bad experiences with for example the British, the Chinese government was not completely against making a friendship treaty with the German states. What Eduard found baffling was the mixture of arrogance, infighting and this airy-fairy outlook of the Chinese capital.
The commodore could clearly see that China was punching well below her weight class and his Expedition suffered from this. The amount of Red tape, byzantine offices and gridlocked traditions was astounding.
Being from German lands, the Expedition members were used to a large bureaucracy. But not on this scale or better, not a misfiring one on that scale, slowly pulled down by the own weight.
It had taken nearly half a year to make a friendship treaty and some trade negotiations. This friendship treaty was only for Prussia, but Jachmann knew that he could not pressure or seduce the Chinese capital to ratify treaties with all Zollverein states.
China had too many other things on the plate and since foreigners, especially the British at the moment, had much to do with said problems, it was clear that a treaty for one State was the max.
While the trade negotiations bare fruits for all States represented, these were small fish, barely worth the hassle. But then again treaty was treaty and Eduard Jachmann hoped to return home with something to show. Being another big one or many smaller ones.
Next stop would be Saigon, another field already occupied by a competitor of the German states. In this case the arc-enemy, France. They were well on the way to make southern Vietnam a colony.
Still it would be nice to throw a log between the Frenchies legs, at least for some years. The German States neither had the punch nor the wish to really meddle in Vietnam. But some trade as long as it could go on would be nice.
But before all that, they would make a stop in Singapur, another place already under the eyes of a western Power, the British again.
Krupp Steelworks, Essen, Prussia 1861
The perky whistle of a train engine could be heard as the freight train gained speed and started the voyage towards Bremen and the waiting ships. Alfred Krupp himself, the patriarch of the firm, was among those watching the train leave the Steelworks.
The American Civil War had put a krimp in the planning of Krupp. The US had been a major buyer of his railway products, especially an invention of the firm, the seamless railway wheel.
Since the outbreak of that war, trade with North America had been massively lowered. It was an irony of the times, but Krupp, one of the rising stars among the industrialists, was trying to outpace bankrupcy in the early 1860s. Alfred was innovative and invested big time into the firm, but this meant he always needed a ton of money for that.
The recent and needed enlargement of the home factory in Essen had been expensive and Krupp was in substantial debt. Something he despiced, but it was not circumventable.
Now one of the main markets for his products had become problematic, that was not good, tamely spoken. A positive development, but not enough in the current situation, was that the Prussian Army had finally decided to order a batch of his new breech-loading steel cannons. They were a totally new design and most armies around the world still swore on muzzle-loading bronze cannons.
Alfred hoped the army would see the advantages of the new design, but admitted that improvements on the cannons would be made in the future. Still, this was music of the future, for now Krupp Steelworks needed new customers.
Alfred Krupp was the unopposed leader in his firm and demanded loyalty and serious work ethic, but rewarded such traits nicely as well. In a time of cutthroat industrialisation Krupp workers enjoyed more benefits than many others.
They could buy or rent houses for cheap, had pensions and other perks. And the "Chef" (Boss) did not consider himself different when it came to hard work. It was his duty to make sure the corporation moved in the right direction and had customers.
While the American Civil War had impacted Europe with rather few forewarning, it was just the topping of problems for Alfred. So already in winter 1860 he had planned a voyage of "Klinkenputzen" (lit. handle cleaning = bell ringing) around the major capitals and trade fairs of Europe to beat the drums for his products, the starting civil war in America came after this.
The news that the German States had unexpectedly invited Japan, an exotic, unknown land in the Far East, into the Zollverein had inspired many reactions among the German populace, with curiosity at the top.
But for Industrialists like Alfred Krupp these development inspired further reactions. A whole new market suddenly opened up, with known benefits and limitations as far as Zollverein business was the topic.
Yes, there were also substantial risks, like a totally different population, with a wholly different outlook, unknown Japanese products and stuff, but a new, untapped market was there!
Across the German States a lot of bold firms and traders sensed a chance to distance themselves from their more cautious rivals. A risk, but only who dares, wins!
Alfred had chartered 3 ships for the first East Asia convoy, which would soon be loaded with the stuff leaving Essen now. A wide and massive range of products from all Zollverein states was getting on the way to Asia.
The convoy from the easternmost parts of Germany, like Memel or Königsberg, was already at sea towards the west, gaining ships from the main harbours along the way until the last travellers coming out of Emden and Papenburg would meet up at the Frisian coast. Then this combined convoy would travel on towards Japan.
If this first convoy would be a success, which had to be seen, then Alfred Krupp made a mental note that he would be along the voyage for the next one.
Edo, Japan, summer 1861
The two men sitting in a room of the Shogun's residence discussing the situation in Japan over a game of Go disliked each with quite a passion. It was doubtful if they would ever be neutral with each other, let alone friendly. Komei and Iemoshi, being Tenno respective Shogun, were the two most powerful men in Japan, with different points of view on many topics. Maybe time and the coming years might help them find a common ground, even something resembling friendly relations. Still both hoped to secure the most power for each himself, but the situation had thrown them into one boat.
The circumstances left them no choice. The upper echelons of Japan, the people in charge, were picking sides in ever greater numbers as the potential implications of the trade deal were made public. Simply put, after a several months of trying to hold their disintegrating factions together the Tenno and the Shogun had to admit that only by joining forces would they have a majority of the leaders on their side.
The shock of losing support once considered steadfast was not confined to the Tenno alone. Shogun Iemochi had seen the need for some reform too, and he was equally shocked at how strong the isolationist establishment was. Some things felt so normal, only changing circumstances moved them back into focus.
But if Japan did nothing, sticking its head in the sand like many on the side of Matsusaida preferred, Japan would soon be lost.
This duty to Japan, to better her position, was the main glue keeping two sides together which under different circumstances would happily try to undermine the other.
The biggest irony, and on this even these so dissimilar leaders agreed, was that the defenders of the hard-line bakufu now tried for outside help as well. Naturally this was not advertised, that the champions of a gaijin-free Nippon would make common cause with those same gaijin, but there were reports that they stretched out feelers to the French.
The clans and groups loyal to either the Tenno or the Shogun got their help from the provisional "German embassy". That would change when further ships from Europe arrived, but until then those six people, drawn from across the Germanies out of the expedition crew, represented Germany in Japan.
It was not easy for the "Longnoses". The culture was different, in many things very much so and while the progressives among the Japanese were very inquisitive, the anti-foreigner factions in Japan showed subtle and less subtle resentment which often spilled into harassment of the Germans.
For the Europeans it was not only clear that their own behaviour had to be impeccable as much as the culture shock allowed, since they were the face of Germany, but that they had to help the progressives in Japan. Not only for the best of Japan, but for the best of the German states as well.
Foreigners had a mostly bad reputation in Japan for the unfair treaties and coercive methods they had used to force Japan to sign them. The German states had been the lone exception, so if the Tenno and the Shogun won the inevitable confrontation with the hardliner Bakufu side, the German states would occupy something of an exalted place among gaijin in Japan.
Correctly seeing their duty as not limited to being the envoys they were, the small group busied themselves trying to curtail the activities of their competitors. The unknown Herr Krüger (the documents with his given name on it were destroyed during the Kanto earthquake, the German ones during fighting in the World War) busied himself with his official duty, building up the Japanese Zollverein dependence, but he also gave lessons in modern bookkeeping and economic theory, German type.
The leader of the German delegation was often with the Tenno and the Shogun, using his knowledge of law and state theory to give ideas on how Japan could modernize without losing her "soul". Having brainstormed often with Carl Theodor Welcker, Eduard von Simson and Georg Waitz, all reknowned experts of State law, surely helped in that.
If the news that the opposition in Japan was in contact with the French envoys was correct, he hoped that a full "real" group of envoys and advisers would soon come from Germany. Little did he know that while a large merchant convoy from all Zollverein states was nearing Edo Bight, filled with ambassadors and advisers as well as many goods, he would ultimately stay a further five years in Edo. His book on the conflict between reactionaries and progressives during the early Dakyou Era and the German influence in it would become a bestseller.
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