Chapter 533 Sausage Tactics

Although the University of Göttingen is famous throughout Europe, Göttingen, where he lives, is not a big city.

Although Göttingen has attracted many scholars, students and intellectuals to live here with its outstanding academic atmosphere and relatively quiet pace of life, its scale and development speed are relatively slow in terms of industrialization and urbanization.

The population of this city is only about 10,000 to 12,000 people, and such a population size naturally cannot support a few decent pubs.

The oldest pub here is the Ratskeller, the cellar pub in the city hall that Heine mentioned to Arthur before. Its history can be traced back to the 13th century. It was once a place for city government officials and VIPs to dine and drink, but it was gradually opened to the public in the 17th and 18th centuries. The iconic ancient vaulted buildings and traditional German court dishes are the pride of Ratskeller.

As for Zum Schwarzen Bren (Black Bear Pub), where the beer hall riot just happened, it is not only a place where students often go to party, but also a place frequented by tourists.

The tavern that Bismarck brought Arthur to today is located in the center of Göttingen. It is a place where residents near Göttingen often come to have a drink - Paulinerkeller, the Pauline wine cellar.

As the name suggests, this is a tavern founded by Pauline monks or admirers.

The full name of the Pauline Order is the "St. Paul Hermitage", a Catholic monastic order founded in the 13th century and originated in Hungary and Poland.

This monastic order is named after the first hermit in Christian history, "St. Paul of Egypt".

The Pauline monks are known for their strict monastic life, emphasizing prayer, meditation and solitary life.

Although the Pauline Order is not as well-known as the Benedictines and Franciscans, its influence in Central and Eastern Europe cannot be underestimated.

The Pauline monks usually live in monasteries in remote areas and live a simple life. Therefore, it is not surprising that the Pauline Order appears in a small place like Göttingen.

Arthur followed Bismarck down the steps and just as he entered the cellar tavern, he saw the Paulinist's iconic 'Black Madonna'.

The Virgin Mary wore a red robe decorated with gold edges, a dark blue cape on her shoulders, a golden crown on her head, a solemn face, and eyes slightly closed, showing deep mercy and maternal love. In her arms was the newborn baby Jesus.

However, unlike the Madonna statues Arthur had seen elsewhere, the skin color of the Madonna statue in the Paulinist wine cellar was a dark brown that was almost black, and it looked like it had been stained by candle smoke or oak.

However, although the Black Madonna statue enshrined here was very exquisite, the decoration of the rest of the place was very rough.

The wooden long table and stools occupied most of the space. The tabletop was mottled due to years of use and exuded the aroma of ancient pine.

The floor was paved with stone slabs, which had been worn smooth and slightly uneven by hundreds of footsteps.

There were a few murals on the walls, which were either depicting scenes of peasants working or some common religious themes such as the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, the Baptism of Jesus, and the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

There were a few barrels in the corners, with corks and wine utensils piled up randomly beside them.

Because the lighting conditions in the cellar were poor, a few small and narrow skylights were opened in the pub to get light. Judging from their size, it was estimated that only during the day could a few rays of sunlight be allowed to shine in obliquely.

But apart from these unpleasant places, Arthur felt quite good here.

Because the atmosphere here was very much like the countryside of York, completely unlike the coldness of London and the impetuousness of Paris.

The air was filled with the aroma of malt and hops, mixed with the smell of tobacco and barbecue, forming a unique atmosphere.

In the evening, the pub was filled with all kinds of sounds: the rough laughter of men, the sound of dice rolling on the wooden table, the crisp sound of beer glasses colliding, and the busy movements of the proprietress behind the counter. A shaky kerosene lamp hangs under the narrow skylight, and the dim light makes the whole room look warm and a little dim.

Most of the customers here are farmers, craftsmen and vendors in towns and villages. They are simply dressed, their skin is rough due to years of labor, and their faces are ruddy and frosted by the sun.

Men usually wear linen or coarse work clothes and wide-brimmed felt hats. Perhaps because it is cold at night, some people can be seen wearing woolen cloaks to keep warm.

They sit at a long table, drinking locally brewed beer in big gulps, discussing crops, livestock and this year's climate.

Several young people gathered together to play cards or dice, occasionally cheering or sighing in disappointment.

The tavern owner is a middle-aged man who doesn't talk much. He has a thick beard. He just silently accepts customers' orders and serves them silently. In his spare time, he takes a piece of white cloth to dry the beer cups that he has just washed.

If he paused while wiping the cup, it must be that a new guest pushed the door open to enter the pub.

The pub owner watched the two guests sit down, put down the cup in his hand and asked, "What would you like to drink?"

Bismarck placed his hands on the bar and ordered skillfully: "A bottle of white wine from the Rhine Valley, a roast pork elbow with potato dumplings."

After speaking, he turned his head and said to Arthur, "The beer here is good, you can try it."

Arthur asked, "In that case, why don't you order beer?"

Bismarck deftly took out the cork of the wine and poured himself a full glass: "My mother was afraid that I would get into the habit of alcohol addiction in college, so she forbade me to drink beer. I was a good boy, and she wouldn't let me drink beer." If I drink it, I won’t drink it. Wine and soju are the same anyway.”

Arthur glanced at the rebellious boy, shook his head and laughed twice, then pointed to the wooden menu hanging above the boss's head and said: "A cup of dark lager, a plate of steaming white sausage with sauerkraut."

After hearing this, the boss turned around and took out sausages and sauerkraut from the rolling cauldron behind him and placed them in front of Arthur.

Arthur was about to start, when suddenly, the boss handed over another small plate, with two dark green pickles neatly placed inside.

Then, he poured Arthur a small glass of light yellow cider on his own initiative.

Before Arthur could ask, the boss, who didn't say much, said, "I think you're a newbie. It's probably your first time in Göttingen, right? These pickles are a gift from me. As for the cider, it's ours." If you don’t try the specialties here, your trip will be in vain.”

When Arthur heard this, he knew that his previous feeling was indeed correct. This place is indeed similar to a country pub in York. Although it is a bit rustic and looks a bit backward, it has a strong human touch.

In such rural pubs, wine is not just a drink, and eating is not just a meal, it is more like a social tool among neighbors.

People use wine glasses to celebrate, express friendship, and even resolve disputes.

In this kind of place, news in the village always spreads the fastest. Whether it is a neighbor's marriage or a new policy in the city, it will always be discussed enthusiastically in the tavern.

Religious belief is also an indispensable part of this kind of tavern. There are crosses and saints in the corners, although I usually don't pay much attention to them. But every religious festival is often the busiest time in the pub.

Arthur smiled and raised the glass of cider and shouted to the boss: "Cheers, sir, to the Virgin Mary and to Göttingen."

Several red-faced drinkers sitting next to Arthur also laughed and raised their glasses: "That's right! To the Virgin Mary and to Göttingen, I wish we all have a good harvest this year. !”

When the boss saw this, he smiled shyly and nodded slightly in response to the guests' toasts.

Bismarck saw that Arthur was getting along with the guests in the tavern so quickly, and he couldn't help but give the British knight a high look.

He said: "I heard that you are from London, but I didn't expect you to be so comfortable in the countryside."

"Is it weird?" Arthur took a sip of beer and let out a sigh of satisfaction: "I have to correct you. I'm not from London. I'm an authentic country bumpkin. Of course, I don't mean that I'm an American. Man. I'm a proper English Yorkist, not some American New Yorker."

"Of course I know." Bismarck replied sourly: "If you are not an Englishman, how can you become the proctor of the University of Göttingen at this age? A German philistine professor like Dahlmann, he even You can never become the president of the University of Göttingen if you spend your whole life hanging around.”

"Um?"

Although Arthur had been communicating with Bismarck in depth for several days, this was the first time he heard true words from this guy.

Arthur asked: "Otto, I don't agree with your point of view. Although I have not disclosed this point of view to outsiders yet, as the special national representative of the University of Göttingen, I am actually considering recommending Frederic. Professor H. Dahlmann becomes the new president of the University of Göttingen. If he performs well in this position, I would not be surprised if he is elected to the cabinet of the Kingdom of Hanover in the future. "

When Bismarck heard this, he felt tingling all over his body: "Really? Dalman is very lucky, but I still don't think he can make any great achievements in the future. German affairs, politics here, you are a foreign country People simply don’t understand.”

"How do you say this?"

Arthur looked at the young man who had just turned eighteen in front of him and thought it was a bit funny how he commented on politics at this age.

Although he was Bismarck, he was still just eighteen-year-old Bismarck. Perhaps his biggest crisis so far has been debt and confinement.

As for politics, if you haven't experienced those magical events firsthand, you will never understand how bad things are.

But Bismarck didn't care what Arthur thought of him, and an eighteen-year-old would never think his political views were bad.

Bismarck said angrily.

"Across Germany, whether in Prussia or Hanover, foreigners have received too much preferential treatment! Our government sincerely believes that foreigners are more talented than Germans. They feel that we, who were born and raised in the countryside, The nobles did not have the talents required for the politics they expected to engage in, and they were not equipped to make up for the existing deficiencies in various departments.

My mother sent me to Göttingen to study law, but what was the use of a university degree? In Prussia, for an appeals court juror or government judge with no connections to cabinet ministers or senior officials, it would be difficult for him if he did not spend decades climbing the monotonous official ladder, attracting the attention of his superiors and getting promoted. There was little hope of participation in Prussian politics.

But in the diplomatic community, some candidates can turn this into a reason for preferential treatment because they are rich and powerful, or they happen to know foreign languages, especially French. Even if their foreign language proficiency is only that of a waiter or waiter in a restaurant, they can easily obtain documents allowing them to hold diplomatic posts in our country.

I'm not kidding you. Because of my grandfather's relationship, I have met many Prussian envoys from the older generation. They know nothing about politics, and in their reports they only talk about things they can talk about fluently in French. But just because they are familiar with French, they get high officials. This is simply ridiculous!

Our distinguished marshals, such as Blücher, Gneisenau, and Copen, were not originally from Prussia. The same cannot be said of Stein, Hardenberg, Motz and Grollmann among the civilian officials. Our politicians are like saplings in the nursery. In order to fully develop their root systems, they must be transplanted. "

Arthur's fingers tapped on the table, and he pondered: "So is this the reason why you caused trouble in school? Do you think studying law in Göttingen is useless and will not be of any help to your future development?"

"Isn't it?" Bismarck rolled his eyes and took a sip of wine: "Most of the professors here are sick, and the students here are also sick! This place is full of the same narrow-minded and mean people as my mother. The philistine point of view, oh, by the way, in most cases, they call this liberalism. Just like the hero here, Heinrich Heine, he is a typical liberal philistine!”

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help but feel that this kid was even more difficult to deal with than he was back then.

When he was studying at the University of London, although Arthur had a bad relationship with his supervisor, he had a good relationship with his classmates, and he also liked the school that was like a construction site at the time.

But Bismarck's object of study-weariness not only included professors, but also classmates and schools.

For a young man who received compulsory education in Prussia, even the University of Göttingen, which Heine considered authoritarian and conservative, was too liberal for Bismarck.

In the University of Göttingen, where everyone clamored to support Frankfurt students, Bismarck was indeed an anomaly.

However, for Arthur, if everyone thought like Bismarck, then the job of the country's special representative would not be so difficult.

Arthur took out the letter Bismarck's mother sent to the school again, and said to him pretending to be serious: "Otto, I think you should probably read this letter carefully. I know you don't like school, but If you continue to treat your studies like this, I'm afraid you will have no choice but to join the army. "

"Join the army?" Bismarck asked suspiciously, "Why?"

"Because your mother asked the school to tell you that you have only two choices now, either graduate from college or join the army to earn some money. However, I also understand your pessimism about the future. You feel that a college degree is useless. To a certain extent, I agree with your point of view. A university diploma alone is indeed useless, but if you successfully graduate from the law major and can do your job well, I can issue a letter from the school to the Prussian judicial department. A letter of recommendation introducing to them Mr. Otto von Bismarck, a distinguished law graduate of the University of Göttingen.”

At this point, Arthur paused. He quietly cut the sausages on the plate, dividing them piece by piece: "As far as I know, in order to work in the Prussian court, you must pass the judicial process twice. Examination, and the passing rate of these two judicial examinations is not very high, right?”