Whether it's the United States or the German Empire, to take a step further, they must first face the shadow of the British Empire. The world at the end of the 19th century was different from what it would be more than a hundred years later. There were several challengers during this era, and the United States was just one of the less noticeable ones, while the German Empire was the most prominent.
Who says the United States can't be friendly with the German Empire? Given the current strength of the United States, no matter how much they perform, they won't be more noticeable in the eyes of the British than the Germans. With such a natural shield, not taking advantage of it would be foolish.
"The lands under the sun are so beautiful, but they all belong to the British Empire. They don't belong to the United States, nor to the German Empire. Although the United States is weak, in the eyes of the British, the German Empire isn't much stronger!" Sheffield's tone was very flippant, as if he genuinely believed that the United States could be compared to the German Empire.
But in the eyes of the British, perhaps it really was like that. Friedrich Bayer remained silent for a long time and finally said insincerely, "I am just a businessman; I only think about my enterprise."
"A businessman who doesn't cooperate with the government is never a big businessman." Sheffield chuckled, pointing out the insincerity in the other party's words.
The so-called lands under the sun originated from Wilhelm II's global policy. At the Berlin Conference ten years ago, the last vast unclaimed land, Africa, had already been divided among various countries. The so-called lands under the sun in today's world actually all have owners. The largest portion belongs to Britain, and the second-largest to France.
At this time, Wilhelm II's promotion of the global policy naturally made these two countries the biggest victims. It's unclear whether, historically, during the Venezuelan crisis, the United States ever specifically came to Germany to demonstrate against Britain, but this time they indeed did.
Sheffield expressed full approval of this, even admiring President Cleveland's bold actions. Naturally, the German Empire was such a good country for attracting hatred; not using it would be a waste.
More selfishly speaking, even if it caused the British to suddenly lose their minds and beat up the United States, it wouldn't matter. After all, Britain was only strong in its navy, which could only beat up the U.S. Navy. As everyone knows, the current U.S. Navy had nothing much to lose. If it got annihilated, it could always be rebuilt.
Getting wiped out might even let Sheffield benefit from some blood-soaked steamed buns. The Rifle Association desperately needed this kind of boost. Perhaps Sheffield's shipyard in Houston could use this opportunity to upgrade and open another industry.
"Mr. Bayer, I still need to visit other companies. You can take your time to consider." Sheffield slightly bowed his head. This wasn't pressure; everything was pre-planned.
"I... need to deliberate on this." Friedrich Bayer opened his mouth, unwilling to let such an enticing offer slip away. Influenced by rumors from roadside tabloids, he wasn't entirely ignorant of the astonishing wealth across the ocean in the United States.
Who would disdain having more money? In fact, this wasn't without benefits for him. Sheffield could freely seek partners from the entire Ruhr region and help them out for the sake of the party-state, thus creating competitors for Bayer. After all, Bayer wasn't yet the entity that would acquire Monsanto and become immensely powerful in later years.
"Then, this is my temporary residence. You can send someone to find me, and I will also visit again." Sheffield turned to leave, and a delicate hand had already hooked onto his arm—he almost forgot that the French girl was still with him.
Without looking back, Sheffield left to look for other companies. Siemens, Krupp, Mauser—all were within range. Was Krupp the richest man in Germany at this time? But certainly at the beginning of the new century, he was. That the richest man in a country was the leader of a military-industrial enterprise showed how crazy Germany had become—cannons were more important than butter, and the Germans had personally practiced this.
The Krupp family was in Essen, also part of the Ruhr region. Krupp and Mauser, one relying on cannons and the other on rifles, built the German Imperial Army of this era.
"In fact, I plan to discuss agricultural cooperation with the Germans. They may not know that the weakness of their country isn't in the industrial sector. Industry is certainly crucial, but exposing weaknesses in agriculture could be fatal." Sheffield boiled water and spoke to John Connor, who had just returned.
During World War I, Germany experienced a food crisis in the second year. Despite insufficient domestic grain production, the German army endured for more than three additional years. This was certainly admirable, though also quite tragic.
Speaking frankly, Sheffield's inner admiration for Germany was triggered, hoping to help the Germans address their weaknesses. German territory wasn't as fertile as French land, but it wasn't too far off. By tapping into potential, it wasn't impossible to support warfare on two fronts.
Who was the world's largest agricultural exporter at this time? Naturally, it was the United States. Sheffield's family background destined him to have a say in this field, thanks to the fifty million cattle in Texas alone and a quarter of the world's wheat production. In the agricultural field, Sheffield could confidently speak loudly to anyone.
"When do we set off for Berlin?" John Connor calculated the time and asked Sheffield how to meet with the Secretary of State.
"After Anne gets better!" Sheffield carried the kettle, wearing a sour expression as he entered the room. The room setup was decent in Sheffield's eyes, but Anne, being Parisian, naturally didn't appreciate German taste.
"Coming to Germany and getting sick delayed my itinerary!" Sheffield called Anne to get up, smirking. He arrived a few years early; Bayer's aspirin hadn't been invented yet, and regarding the efficacy of other drugs? Just take them for now; they're surely better than American medicine.
Speaking of this, for a long time, the United States imported medicine from Europe. On this matter, the imperialist countries of Europe were truly heartless, often adulterating imported drugs with fake ones. They practically treated the United States like modern-day India—selling expensive and adulterated products. Under these circumstances, patriotic capitalists in the United States naturally couldn't tolerate it, so they massively copied European medicines, ready to overtake them at any moment.
However, now there was such a rule-abiding and intellectual property-respecting Sheffield around. Once back home, it would inevitably be time for the patent stick to come into play. "It's because of the bad air in Germany!" Anne pitifully leaned on Sheffield, weakly accepting the water and medicine, not forgetting to complain.
In fact, I suspect you're pretending to be sick, but I have no evidence! Sheffield patted the girl's back comfortingly, humming, "You shouldn't have come. Now that you're sick, you're causing trouble."
"So what if I'm the daughter of a countess? You need to take care of me..." Anne clung to Sheffield, persistently demanding, "Stay with me for a while."
"What does being a countess's daughter matter? Don't you know that my family holds titles in some countries too." Sheffield helplessly replied, "If I go to Istanbul, I'd definitely be an Askari, respectfully called Wilhelm Pasha. Who isn't a noble?"
(End of Chapter)