Chapter 18

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Chapter 18: The Beginning of a New Era

Many times, humans are not rational.

In the middle of Frederick Square, there was a bright red guillotine where one after another, prisoners were brought forward and… off with their heads.

The rebel soldiers from the National Army stormed the parliament, captured 204 parliament members, and rounded up over a hundred Junkers, nobles, and factory owners from all over the city to Frederick Square.

The crowd below was passionate, waving their fists and shouting "Kill! Kill! Kill!"

In just one day, over three hundred nobles were taken to the guillotine, all executed without a fair trial. By nightfall, the bloodstains had not dried, and in the eerie twilight glow, there hung a lingering scent of blood and death.

It wasn’t just Berlin, the same scenes were playing out all over Prussia – lawmakers, nobles, and Junkers were all bewildered.

Leader One didn’t even need to get his hands dirty, he simply sat in Redel-Catherine Palace and everything outside was taken care of.

"The confiscated property documents have filled up a warehouse, it’s estimated to take half a year to tally and transfer the assets to state ownership. I believe this haul is worth at least one billion pounds," reported Anna.

"Oh, good then."

Prince Regent Redel, with a cigar between his fingers and smoke curling around him, focused on a painting in the corner of his office – Durer’s "Hands in Prayer."

In the office, there were Anna, Ron, Moltke, Hans, and Catherine.

Everyone noticed that the prince regent looked a bit sad, and no one had ever seen him smoke before. A few people looked at each other, not really understanding.

The lower-class people who revolted across the country carried out righteous judgments. From the end of January to the middle of February, it was estimated that seven thousand people were sent to the guillotine. These dead were local leaders who disobeyed orders, the Grand Aristocrat Jungerherr. Under the guidance of a mysterious power, those who used to manipulate the prince regent have mostly died, and their properties were confiscated.

People shouted for the return of good governance, political purity, and support for the king against corruption…

The once arrogant noble class hid in their ancestral castles, trembling in fear under heavy guard. The wave of the Liberal Revolution swept everything away, leaving the old powers with severe psychological trauma.

Those who once opposed Leader One have died. The surviving old noble powers have become Leader One’s loyal followers, hoping the prince regent can quickly restore order.

What was the original intention of the Liberal Revolution? To promote freedom, democracy, oppose feudalism, advocate for constitutional monarchy, and limit the power and privileges of the nobility…

But what has it evolved into now?

Prince Regent Redel’s personal prestige reached its peak. Regardless of social class or group, everyone saw Redel as the great father of the nation, elevating Prussian monarch’s power to unprecedented heights.

Local powers were completely abolished, and the phenomenon of all orders coming from Berlin never returned. The Junker aristocracy had to rely on the prince regent to survive. The people no longer called for limiting the king’s power, but instead wanted to strengthen it. They believed the prince regent was all-powerful and could solve all problems, bringing them the best life.

The events of the 29th marked a crucial turning point. In the eyes of the people, corrupt ministers sidelined the prince regent, liberal MPs elected by the people betrayed them by passing a law that abolished workers’ rights protections.

It was the people’s resistance that restored power to the prince regent. His Royal Highness Redel vetoed the law, ensuring the existence of the Prussian Workers’ Rights Protection Act.

It is now February 23rd, and the people are demanding that the Kingdom of Prussia officially start drafting the first constitution. They want to grant the prince regent unlimited power through the constitution, to prevent him from being sidelined and to prevent a repeat of the events of the 29th. They hope that once the prince regent gains unlimited power, he will transform the country.

All of this was Leader One’s trap, a long-planned conspiracy.

Before becoming the prince regent, he had built an image of kindness and compassion, and had been carefully maintaining it.

No matter what decree is announced, he would first reach an agreement with the nobility before announcing it. He would also release messages saying that the prince regent wanted to fight for the people, but due to various obstacles, it was difficult to achieve, implying that the prince regent was gradually being sidelined.

Later, Leader One opposed the monarch-style propaganda created for him by the Minister of Propaganda. He asked for more propaganda resources to be given to others, relinquishing many decrees, achievements, and opportunities to take the limelight, further deepening the people’s illusion of being sidelined.

Throughout the Liberal Revolution, Leader One used a series of tricks to successfully divert attention, altering the nature of the revolution, eliminating dissidents, eradicating local powers, suppressing all old nobility and Junker class, gaining limitless support from the people, and achieving absolute royal power.

Originally going forward, now turning backward.

Actually… Leader One prepared a lot for this great revolution, with fourteen sets of strategies. He has only used two sets so far, but his goal has been achieved smoothly. Leader One did not expect the lower-class people of Prussia to respond to the call so enthusiastically.

Is he happy? A bit, but mostly feeling sad.

The seed of the Liberal Revolution was noble, but the soil nurturing it was wrong. It absorbed nutrients of darkness and evil, yielding a grey fruit, which Prince Regent Redel took away.

Leader One carefully set a trap, ensnaring everyone, including himself.

Now he has no way to escape, only being swept along by the tide, as people believe he can hear everyone’s voices and fulfill each person’s vision.

People want sunshine, and the prince regent will issue decrees to restrict capitalists and nobles, improving people’s living standards.

People want land, and the prince regent will carry out land reforms, weakening the Junker landlords and promoting state-owned farms.

People want land in the sunlight, what should the prince regent do then? War, war, war, and then destruction.

From this moment on, Prussia’s path was set, and all Leader One could do was choose sensible people to guide the country forward. As long as they kept winning and surpassing their opponents, the outcome would be successful.

The cigar had gone out.

Leader One stood up, the somber expression on his face disappearing as he looked at his trusted followers.

"Let’s go to Brandenburg Gate, and officially begin a new era."

On the afternoon of February 23, 1839, Prussian Prince Regent Redel delivered a public speech in front of Brandenburg Gate on Unter den Linden Street. This famous address was later named:

One Nation, One Monarch, One Voice.

The prince regent promised the people to establish a constitution, limit noble privileges, reorganize the parliament and government agencies, improve the standard of living, raise wages, enhance social welfare, reduce living costs, develop the entertainment industry, implement land reforms, and fully liberate the serfs…

And most importantly, officially make the unification of Germany the top national policy.

The people were satisfied and dispersed.

In the next week, the prince ordered the army and knights to go out and restore order by force, completely crush the rebels, stop crimes, and make the Kingdom of Prussia work properly again.

Talking about rebels and bandits, they were also used by Leader One and then discarded. The civilian army rebelled, Leader One guided them to eliminate dissenters, and then got rid of the civilian army completely to remove this system from the Prussian military.

Last month, a mob looted the military depot outside the city. It was also Leader One who signaled the guards at the depot to let the mob have weapons. After they were used, he declared them as criminals.

By March 1839, Prussia had completely restored normal social order. It didn’t mean the Liberal Revolution was over, but the most intense armed rebellion had ended, and peace talks were coming.

The German princes in the region were in chaos, and the fighting competition in Germany was escalating. Many small princes couldn’t handle the pressure anymore, so they handed over power to the liberals.

What about the rest of Europe? Denmark, the Nordic countries, and the Benelux countries also ended armed rebellion and entered a peaceful phase.

Austria, France, and England were still in turmoil. Especially England, where Queen Victoria was in a fierce feud with the Duke and Duchess of Kent. On top of that, the economic crisis remained unresolved.

Russia and the Ottoman Empire were calm, whether there was a Liberal Revolution or not. They were always in chaos. If Russia and the Ottoman Empire stopped having internal issues one day, that would be abnormal.

The Liberal Revolution even affected North and South America. The whole Western world was caught in the wave of change.

The Apennine Peninsula was the most severely affected during the wars for Italian unification and independence. Italians were fierce fighters, both in civil and foreign wars, and were harsh even towards their fellow countrymen.

In Italy there were eight states, with the Kingdom of Sardinia under French influence, and the other seven being under Austrian control.

The Liberal Revolution had a huge impact on the Apennine Peninsula. The people rose up, opposing feudal powers and Austria, leading to many bloody battles between different factions resulting in tragic massacres.

Austria was in the midst of internal turmoil, unable to control its puppet states in Italy, and was on the verge of being completely expelled.

As a result, the local feudal nobles in Italy turned against the revolutionary forces, leading to a chaotic situation in the region with civil wars, external conflicts, and the Liberal Revolution. When France and Austria resolve their internal issues, both countries will intervene, making the situation even more unfortunate.

In the midst of global chaos, Prussia seemed like a beacon of hope.

The Prussians united around the beloved prince regent, developing new national policies and ushering in a new era for Prussia.

After the parliamentary reforms of 1839, the upper and lower houses of the Prussian parliament were established.

The upper house, also known as the House of Lords or Senate, consisted of members appointed directly by the monarch, mainly comprising nobles and landed gentry known as Junkers.

The Upper House has the power to make laws and to reject bills, theoretically it is the highest level of parliament, it feels like they have a lot of power, but in reality they don’t have much power, and members of the Upper House cannot hold other government positions or military roles.

This is a retirement home prepared for fallen nobles by Your Highness the Regent.

The Lower House, also known as the House of Commons, all members are elected democratically, have Prussian nationality, possess tax certificates, are male, and have the right to run for election and vote.

The Lower House has the power to propose laws, financial and administrative supervision, similar to the former parliament’s powers, when a bill from the Lower House is set aside or rejected by the Upper House, it can be appealed to the monarch for a ruling, bypassing the decision of the Upper House directly.

Prussia practices absolute monarchy, the king or prince regent is the main controlling figure in administration, finance, judiciary, and military, all laws, bills, and decrees must be formally implemented with the consent of the monarch, the monarch has the right to appoint or dismiss Cabinet Ministers, Chief Secretaries, Chief Justices of the highest court, Archbishop of the Protestant Church, and the Speaker of the Parliament, can dissolve the parliament and local councils, and is the supreme commander of the armed forces.

European countries were amazed, weren’t they talking about the Liberal Revolution? Prussia, why did you bring this out? Are you going straight back to the Middle Ages?

European monarchs began to want to imitate, they also wanted to use the strategy of shifting conflicts and fooling the people to sour the Great Revolution, but the revolution became even fiercer… Prussia’s unique characteristics are not something everyone can learn, Leader One has been preparing for this day for many years.

He was able to steer the direction of the Liberal Revolution back in time mainly due to extreme popularity among the common people, the people felt the Cabinet was unreliable, and the elected members might also be unreliable, and the prince regent is the Regent King of the People, only the prince regent having power can ensure the people’s demands are met.

Leader One’s absolute power comes from the people’s hearts, although he has unlimited power and can to some extent manipulate public opinion, when the tide of history comes, he cannot forcibly reverse it, at those times, he must follow the will of the people.

And the Liberal Revolution in Prussia was not a complete failure, but achieved many successes, overall looking like a step forward and backward at the same time.

In mid-March, the plan for creating a constitution in Prussia began, led by the new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Savigny. The Cabinet and Parliament participated to form the Constitutional Assembly, and Your Highness the Regent occasionally visited the Parliament to hear about the progress.

This was the first constitution in Prussia’s history. In theory, it was a constitution representing the will of the people, but in reality, it was an agreement between the monarch and the will of the people.

Chief Justice Savigny cleared his throat, sitting at the highest position in the entire Parliament, which was usually the seat of the Speaker of the Lower House. He tapped a small gavel, signaling for everyone to quiet down.

For a legal scholar, the highest honor is creating laws, and drafting a constitution would make a legal scholar ecstatic. Savigny had been jubilant at home for days, and even at the meeting, he couldn’t contain his excitement, still wearing a joyful expression.

"Article 1, Section 1 of the draft constitution of the Kingdom of Prussia states: The Kingdom of Prussia is a monarchy, following a path of capitalist development with Prussian characteristics, aiming towards the unification of Germany."

"Please begin voting."

"655 in favor, 39 abstained, 6 opposed."

Savigny nodded in satisfaction, doubly joyful, and put a checkmark on his draft. The first section of the constitution was approved.

The Constitutional Assembly continued its meeting in the far corner of the hall, where Cabinet members and military representatives gathered together. Anna and Catherine still sat closely beside each other.

Anna was very happy. Both personally and publicly, she believed that the first article of the constitution was perfect, stating that a monarchy is the best system for a country.

Catherine, on the other hand, had a sour expression on her face as she craned her neck around.

"I will see which cuties dared to vote against us earlier. I’ll find a chance to send them away."

Today, the Parliament hall was packed with seven hundred representatives. When Savigny was speaking on the stage, it was very quiet below. Catherine bluntly voiced her thoughts, which reached the ears of most representatives.

In the room were only two women, both favored mistresses of "Your Highness the Regent," and they were not to be messed with.

Especially Catherine, who absolutely could not be provoked. She was the spokesperson of Leader One’s will. If the prince regent commanded something, no matter how outrageous, Catherine dared to do it. She would even dare to drag out and punish those who opposed them.

No law, no morals, no traditional beliefs, or even considerations of interest or life and death could limit Catherine, except for Leader One. In the eyes of the representatives, Catherine was considered a thousand times more ruthless than Bismarck.

The first article of the constitution consisted of 14 clauses, all related to the monarchy. It legally established the absolute power of the monarch. After thirteen subsequent votes, no one dared to oppose anymore, and the number of abstentions decreased to single digits.

In the provisions relating to the monarchs, there is an additional rule stating that if a prince regent has a direct bloodline from the Hohenzollern family and is the son or daughter of Frederick Wilhelm III, their succession position moves to the top, above the heir apparent. In the unfortunate event of the king’s passing, if the prince regent meets these conditions, they automatically succeed the throne as king.

This special provision was tailor-made for Leader One, as no one else could make use of it.

Today, the first item of the constitution draft was finalized. Media received news about a big story in it and rushed to the palace in Potsdam City to interview the heir apparent, who is Leader One’s older brother.

The heir apparent (with a serious face), "I fully support the constitutional assembly. In fact, I have been considering abdicating the throne to my younger brother… Respectful Your Highness the Regent."

Among the group of reporters, upon hearing the heir apparent’s response, they all bowed down to take notes. However, a few burly soldiers who did not seem like journalists smiled and sheathed their long swords.

It is well known that the prince regent cares for the common people, is obedient to his parents, and respects his older brother. His Highness Redel has been deeply troubled by the assassination of his second brother and has vowed not to allow the rioters to harm members of the royal family anymore. Therefore, he made special arrangements to protect his other family members.

The first day of drafting the constitution went exceptionally smoothly, as the monarch and the legal rights of the royal family were unanimously approved. However, the second day… the assembly reverted to its chaotic state resembling a market.

The second major item of the constitution elaborated on the rights of citizens, the positions of various social classes, and provided legal explanations regarding the nobles and landowners.

The constitutional assembly included representatives from the upper house, the military, and the cabinet, with a significant number of members from the nobility and landowners. Naturally, they would not approve of the overly strict constitution, even with the strong popular support. These traditional powers would resist any such changes.

Because Savigny’s proposal was too extreme, it completely destroyed the nobility and Junkers.

In the corner of the meeting room, Anna quietly drank red wine, not intending to join the argument. She didn’t pay attention to what the parliament was saying, her lips slightly curved upwards, almost like a smirk.

The military representative symbolically expressed dissatisfaction, and the one in charge was Lieutenant General Catherine.

Catherine, despite being from a pure military noble background, was a very special person. She didn’t care about noble privileges or class rights at all.

Someone once asked, "You seem to not care about anything, why do you even live?"

Catherine replied, "Everything is for Your Highness the Regent."

The person asked again, "What about besides that?"

Catherine answered, "For the honor of the Bittenfeld family!"

In her personal beliefs, there was only Leader One and honor, nothing else like noble privileges, hereditary territories, family wealth, or class friendships mattered.

The military’s decision to let Catherine express dissatisfaction already shows their attitude. We may not be unhappy, but we have to go along to keep up appearances with the nobility and the Junker class.

Let’s shift our focus away from the noisy market and go back a few days to the prince regent’s office.

Wow, even a few days ago, the prince regent’s office was like a market.

Leader One held a small meeting to discuss how to limit the powers of the nobility and Junkers in the constitution and its practical implementation. Anna, Catherine, Ron, Moltke, and Hans argued loudly from different viewpoints.

Anna, "It’s okay to trim the nobility, especially those old-fashioned ones, but as for the Junker class, I admit they have their problems like controlling military and agriculture, being exclusionary and blocking other classes from entering relevant fields…"

"But, Prussia can’t do without Junkers. Prussia’s strength comes from them. If Your Highness the Regent wishes to suppress them, I suggest weakening their privileges accordingly, compensating them, addressing their flaws, and making them serve the country better."

Catherine proposed completely cutting off the privileges of the nobility and Junkers, abolishing hereditary titles. Those capable can continue to excel through various means, while the rest can live as wealthy individuals without involvement in politics and military affairs.

Ron believes that weakening the rights of the nobility and Junker class will weaken Prussia’s military strength and morale, affecting loyalty to the prince regent. Any reforms should not be too extreme to ensure the defense forces are not damaged by internal conflicts.

It’s a critical time for military reforms, any disruptions now will delay the establishment of the new Prussian army. If the prince regent truly wants to weaken the nobility and Junkers, they should do it slowly, gently, and gradually.

Moltke had a special opinion. He said we shouldn’t weaken the noble families and landowners in Prussia. After we conquer other countries, then we can weaken the old noble families and landowners from those countries to fully integrate them.

Hans didn’t care about noble families or landowners at all. He just wanted to fight for rights for ordinary people. Ordinary people need a way to move up in society. Many talented individuals shouldn’t be overlooked because of their humble backgrounds, especially in the unwritten rule of the Prussian army where the highest rank for civilians is only a second lieutenant. This made Hans very dissatisfied.

How many talented ordinary people are denied opportunities? How many ordinary people can’t even attend military academies, even if they could be great commanders?

Five individuals argued loudly from different perspectives from nine in the morning until after four in the afternoon. They found some common ground, but conflicts were everywhere.

In the prince regent’s office, there were five individuals arguing passionately with flushed faces, and two people chatting calmly.

Leader One and Schultz.

"Baron Schultz, you represent both traditional noble families and emerging noble capitalist. Why don’t you share your demands?"

"Respected Your Highness the Regent, I believe that any laws and policies should be carefully considered and thoroughly examined to ensure they reflect the actual social situation and address the interests of all social classes within the country…"

"Spit it out."

"I support you."

The prince regent glanced at Schultz, who immediately stopped his sarcastic tone and began to respectfully talk about the core demands of the noble group.

In the past, nobles had three economic privileges: exemption from land tax, inheritance tax, and reduced taxes on industry and commerce. These privileges have been abolished by the prince regent during the Great Judgment.

Now, the privileges of the nobles include hereditary estates and titles, noble subsidies, combining the powers of the police, judiciary, and administration within their territories, maintaining a guard of 5-30 people depending on their title, inheriting familial connections, reputation, social status, receiving priority in government institutions or military schools, and having the right to purchase industrial and agricultural production materials and legally merge land.

Baron Schultz said to the prince regent, "Your Highness, if you want to weaken them, there’s not much left to weaken except for the power over the police, judiciary, and the right to merge land. Anything more will lead to conflict."

Leader One asked in confusion, "If I revoke the nobles’ right to merge land, will they agree?"

Baron Schultz explained, "With the arrival of the industrial age, agricultural land is no longer the primary means of production; industrial land is. The Ruhr-Rhine Industrial Zone that you are developing is all state-owned land or land belonging to the Hohenzollern family. The nobles cannot purchase it; they can only lease the land to build factories."

The old Silesia industrial area is entirely controlled by the Junkers, who are the most brutal and greedy. Most capitalists do not want to go there and prefer to go to your generous Ruhr-Rhine Industrial Zone.

There are still many conservative nobles who focus on agricultural interests, but they are no longer consolidating agricultural land. Farming doesn’t make much money these days; they just manage their existing lands and those who have the resources may take on a contract for state-owned farms.

The nobles no longer see land consolidation as their top priority. The prince regent is fine with abolishing the consolidation privilege symbolically compensating the nobles.

When it comes to the privileges of the police and courts, it is usually difficult to abolish them. The nobles will resist strongly. But with the momentum of the Liberal Revolution now, the prince regent can persuade the nobles to give up these privileges.

Baron Schultz openly discussed the current conditions of the nobles in Prussia with the prince regent.

The first type is the reformist nobles. They transform feudal privileges into modern ones, using their inherited wealth, reputation, connections, and skills to enter the modern business world and become powerful capitalists. Money becomes their new privilege. The prince regent wants to weaken their feudal privileges, a gesture of compromise should suffice.

The second type is the conservative nobles. They resist all reforms. Those who are not powerful are marginalized in the Great Judgment, while the influential ones are eliminated in the revolution. The remaining stubborn nobles are relatively weaker, making them easy targets for the prince regent to weaken.

The third type is the impoverished nobles, who are even easier targets.

The fourth type is the military nobles, who are not easy to weaken as they rise in the army based on their skills. Those without skills find less demanding roles and later transform into the first three types of nobles.

The noble community in Prussia doesn’t have significant issues; the main concerns lie within the Junker class.

After Baron Schultz discussed the noble issues, he appeared indifferent and enjoyed watching the arguments among the prince regent’s five close advisors.

The five of them really couldn’t come to a conclusion, everyone thought they were right.

Catherine didn’t actually have her own opinion, Leader One told her to start an argument, and Catherine ended up getting into a heated argument.

Leader One listened to his advisors arguing with each other, and accepted all their opinions.

They debated the Junker issue from various perspectives such as the nation, individuals, military, politics, and social structure.

Baron Schultz also occasionally said a few words to Leader One.

The elite in the Junker class are the backbone of the Prussian army. They usually serve as captains or regimental commanders, and the best among them can enter the General Staff Department. These elites are known as the Junker officer group in a narrow sense.

The Junker officer group poses a huge risk, as these clever Junkers have many problems. However, without them, the Prussian army cannot function properly. Leader One wants to make changes, but he can only do so gradually and gently, by increasing the proportion of middle-ranking officers from the civilian class over a long period of time.

The wasted Junkers in the Junker class are a complete disaster for the Prussian state. These incompetent Junkers usually have the following characteristics: they enjoy punishing soldiers as low-ranking officers or non-commissioned officers in the army, they discriminate against women and the French, they disregard knowledge and culture, they are idle, extravagant, and live recklessly.

Unfortunately, the majority of Junkers are wasteful, and these people are like…

"Study? Why bother studying? Work? What kind of work? Those are things only commoners do."

"When my ancestors followed Frederick the Great into battles, they lived their lives to the fullest."

"Since birth, all I did was eat and play, nothing else."

Anna’s father, unlike the simple peasants in the village, didn’t go out carousing much. Mainly because his inheritance was squandered by her mother. Before getting married, Anna’s father enjoyed extravagant pleasures.

Living as if without a care, spending days and nights in dance halls, retired officers’ clubs, and grand bathhouses, enjoying lavish services. Illiterate, vulgar in speech, arrogant in insults, even the rowdiest women respected him, and he felt exceptionally proud of himself.

The majority of the Junkers are wastrels, even more unfortunate is…

These Junkers without much talent who cause trouble everywhere are usually the king’s loyalists, while the elite Junkers with skills serving as senior military officers tend to stir up trouble for the king.

Leader One knew that the Junker issue was a major problem for Prussia, not only military-wise, but also due to the feudal system of the Junker class and its societal impact.

At the same time, it must be acknowledged that Junkers are a strong support for Prussia, as the Junker class has flourished in various fields and their beneficial influence cannot be entirely denied.

The weakened group of Junkers, how to weaken them, by how much, how to completely solve the stubborn problems of the Junkers, if improving and enhancing the contribution of the Junkers… Leader One couldn’t make a decision and he wanted his close advisors to give suggestions.

After arguing all day, his advisors still couldn’t decide on the specific ways to control and solve the Junkers’ issues.

Everyone agreed with the prince regent’s idea, even Anna who came from a Junker landlord background.

Anna, "Let me be clear again, I agree with limiting the privileges of the Junkers, because some of them really need to be disciplined, to prevent them from tarnishing the reputation of the Junkers and causing further harm to the country. But the weakening of the Junkers should be moderate, not too extreme. Radical actions may lead to a big chaos in Prussia."

Leader One looked at her and asked, "What do you mean by moderate?"

Anna hesitated for a moment.

Then she said, "Abolish the special judicial privileges within the territories, end the legal land consolidation privileges, increase the inheritance tax on hereditary agricultural estates of Junkers. In return, the country should heavily invest in developing agricultural irrigation infrastructure, seek affordable sources of fertilizers, and ensure high tariffs on grain imports."

Leader One felt that this was not enough, and Anna’s suggestions did not address the fundamental problems of the Junkers.

Leader One started organizing his own thoughts, saying, "I need to increase compensation efforts and also intensify efforts to limit privileges."

Junker no longer have the right to go directly into the village council; Junker cannot become military officers or non-commissioned officers directly without going through military school.

To divide and dismantle the Junker class internally, those who like military affairs must focus on military matters, land must be rented to farmers. Those interested in politics must also rent out their land, and the rent prices will be controlled by the government.

The lazy Junker who have been losing money farming for more than ten consecutive years will have their hereditary land forcibly nationalized, and state-run farms will be established and leased to farmers, with a small share of the rent going to the original landowners.

Gradually eliminate class discrimination in various institutions. For example, in the military, the highest rank for civilians used to be Second Lieutenant, now it has been raised to Major, and the upper limit will be raised every ten years. As long as they are capable, civilians should be given opportunities for promotion, while incompetent Junkers and aristocrats should leave.

Leader One hopes that after ten years of military reform, at least forty percent of the officers in the Prussian army will be civilians, with twenty percent being civilian mid-level officers.

Besides weakening, there is also compensation. For Junkers involved in military matters, salaries and pensions will be significantly increased, excellent individuals will be allocated propaganda resources, their social status and sense of honor will be enhanced. After retiring from the military, they will be assigned positions such as military industry consultants, military school teachers, and civil servants in defense functional agencies.

For Junkers not involved in military matters, agricultural subsidies will be increased, promises will be made to quickly build water facilities, develop agricultural machinery, and search for low-cost mass-produced fertilizers.

"Cutting back a lot, but compensating a lot too. Although many privileges have been eliminated, the actual money has doubled. What do you all think, my lords? Let me see who opposes me," the prince regent asked.

Catherine had no objections. Whatever the prince regent said, was final.

Ron and Hans think this plan costs too much money, and the financial pressure could be quite big.

Leader One, "The Finance Chief Secretary, tell them that there is no financial pressure."

"No problem. The national financial income is growing at a rate of over twenty percent each year," Anna said casually, with a thoughtful look on her face.

Ron and Hans thought everything was fine.

Moltke wasn’t sure, but his main concern was about the ability of civilians. The prince regent wants to increase the number of civilian officers and non-commissioned officers in the army. Moltke wonders if civilians can have qualified military skills.

Leader One, "As the national financial income increases, the Compulsory Education System will continue to improve and extend the years. We will add military elective courses to compulsory education and establish new military schools that connect with the Compulsory Education System. People with military interests and talents will naturally be able to enter military schools. Moltke, I’m not trying to force useless people into the army, you know."

Moltke, "Then I’m completely fine with it too."

All four military leaders agreed to the Junker resolution, leaving only Anna.

Everyone was watching her as she sat quietly on the sofa, pondering, as if making a big decision.

Twenty minutes later, Anna stood up and said, "The prince regent has too many tasks to handle. To prevent unpredictable risks from erupting, I suggest dividing the entire Junker reform plan into three steps, to be completed gradually over 6-8 years, with adjustments made as needed."

Leader One had a serious expression while waiting for Anna’s decision. But upon hearing the outcome, Leader One became very happy, which could be described as having a big smile on his face.

Leader One said, "Let’s make this decision then. Notify Professor Savigny to draft the second proposal in the constitution."

Present a radical version for discussion in the constituent assembly, keep revising it using the theory of breaking the deadlock, and eventually get the approval of the nobles and Junker members for the prince regent’s true plan.

Leader One temporarily solved the Prussia Junker issue, but the problem was not completely eradicated. The virus entered a dormant phase. If Prussia’s immunity weakened or if Leader One’s successor decided to change things back randomly, the Junker issue might resurface.

As long as Leader One was alive, everything was fine, but after his death, nothing could be controlled. Leader One had done his best to solve the problem. It all depended on whether his successor would be competent.

The drafting of a constitution, limiting privileges of Junkers and nobles, restructuring the parliament, local councils, and functional agencies, partial land reforms, and partial emancipation of serfs were all steadily progressing. Leader One successfully fulfilled some promises to the people at the beginning of the new era, benefiting the country and its people. These reforms strengthened the nation and also bolstered Leader One’s personal authority.

Next comes the issue of improving people’s livelihoods… right?

Not quite.

The Regent needs to solve Anna’s problem.

"Anna, do you want to have dinner together tonight?"

"Sure."