Chapter 172 The Secret of Greece

"Woo-woo", with the whistle sounding, a ship approached the dock of Piraeus Port.

After landing, Kemal, wearing a suit and carrying a suitcase, followed the crowd and got off the ship.

As a student of Istanbul Military Academy, Kemal planned to take advantage of the holiday to visit Athens.

How did Greece, a small country that had only been independent from the Ottoman Empire for a few decades, do it, and how did it defeat the Ottoman Empire?

Although the Ottoman Empire had failed in foreign wars one after another before, those countries were old European powers, such as Austria-Hungary and Russia, which were old opponents of the Ottoman Empire.

Although the failure of the war was not glorious, the Ottoman people could still comfort themselves that the enemy was too powerful.

Only the defeat to a small country like Greece made the entire Ottoman Empire feel heavy humiliation, and there was no reason to prevaricate.

After getting off the ship, since Piraeus Port was still some distance away from the center of Athens, they took a public carriage at the dock to the center of Athens.

Kemal was riding in the same car with a young man wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a thick mustache. He was well-dressed and looked gentle, like a teacher.

"Sir, I am Kemal from Thessaloniki. I am glad to meet you," Kemal extended his hand and greeted him.

"Mr. Kemal, Hans, from Germany," Hans extended his hand.

Looking at the bookish Mr. Hans, Kemal asked curiously, "If you don't mind, sir, can I know why you came to Athens from Germany?"

"Oh, it's okay. I was a lecturer at Heidelberg University before. This time I came to Athens because I accepted the invitation of Princess Sophie and came to the University of Athens for academic exchange." Hans did not hide it and directly stated his purpose.

Academic exchanges are very common between European universities, and talent exchanges between countries are also frequent. Many British people come to Germany or France to work. Similarly, it is also common for Germans or French people to go to Britain.

Then, it is natural to go from Western Europe to Greece.

Moreover, in order to attract high-quality talents from Western Europe, Greek universities have tried their best to pay all the expenses and corresponding remuneration for the scholars who come.

"Oh, so that's the case, a lecturer from Heidelberg University, so great," Kemal complimented.

"However, since you are a lecturer at Heidelberg University, why did you come to Athens? Isn't Heidelberg University, such a famous institution of higher learning, a better platform for development?" Kemal asked curiously, has Greece's higher education developed to this level?

"That's not wrong, but precisely because it is a famous institution, the competition for teachers at Heidelberg University is very fierce, and it is very difficult to get promoted," Hans said with a sigh.

The personnel system of German universities is mainly based on the professor system, which is known as professors governing the school, but the disadvantages are also obvious. The professors have great power, and young teachers are almost working for professors for nothing before becoming professors.

In the traditional scientific research workplace in Germany, there is no clear upward track from getting a doctorate to becoming a professor.

The German system is jokingly called "all or nothing", that is, either become a professor or nothing.

In Germany, the average age of being hired as a tenured professor is 4 years old.

If you can't get a tenured professorship, you can only run around between various assistant contracts, or do administrative work in universities or research institutions.

After explaining these things to Kemal, Hans said: "I am only 25 years old now. Even if I am really lucky and my academic level is good enough, I have to wait until I am in my 40s to have the opportunity to become a professor, but I can't wait that long."

"Later, my teacher Professor Schmidt suggested to me that if I don't want to work hard to gain experience in Germany, I can also think of ways to study in foreign universities, so I personally wrote a letter of recommendation to Princess Sophie." Speaking of this, Hans looked fortunate.

"Princess Sophie?" Kemal heard this name twice in a row, but he didn't understand who it was.

"Oh, Princess Sophie is the sister of the current emperor. She married the Greek Crown Prince Constantine. She has been working at the Greek Education Foundation and is the president of the foundation. In fact, I should call her Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess."

"After receiving the recommendation letter from Professor Schmidt, Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess personally wrote a reply letter and invited me to the University of Athens for academic exchange." Hans, who is only 25 years old, said this with a proud look.

"Before, some young German teachers were hired by Greek universities with high salaries during their exchange in Greece. Professor Schmidt told me that Greek universities have developed rapidly in recent years and there is a large gap in talent. If you have good knowledge and scientific research ability and can be recognized by the university, it is not a problem to be promoted to professor in a few years. If it is in Germany, this is completely impossible."

Hearing this, Kemal had complicated emotions and thought of the current situation of the Ottoman Empire. Except for some universities founded by foreigners, the Ottoman Empire actually had no higher education institutions to show off.

In a feudal autocratic country, it is also difficult to imagine what it would be like for a sultan or a royal noble to personally write a letter to an unknown young teacher.

The emphasis on education from top to bottom is probably the key to Greece's victory, Kemal concluded in his mind.

The carriage carried two people, driving on a flat asphalt road. The farmland on both sides of the road was endless, and it was the farming season.

Kemal looked through the car window at the machine emitting black smoke in the farmland, pointed at it and said to Hans: "Is that a tractor?"

Hearing this, Hans turned his head to look, and it was a tractor turning the soil. Where the machine passed, the land rolled, revealing the black wet soil under the ground.

"Tractors are actually the most popular among farmers in the United States. Recently, some farmers in Western Europe have also used tractors for agricultural farming. As far as I know, some smart people have bought tractors. During the busy farming season, those landowners with smaller land areas will hire tractors," Hans said.

"The labor efficiency of tractors is very high. Speaking of which, my invitation to Greece to exchange academics this time is actually related to tractors."

"What does it have to do with tractors?" Kemal was confused for a moment.

"Recently, Greece has also been promoting the use of tractors. I heard that the government has taken action to provide subsidies for the purchase of tractors. When I was studying for my doctorate, I studied mechanical engineering. Princess Sophie made it very clear in the letter that she invited me to the School of Mechanical Engineering to teach courses related to internal combustion engines," Hans explained.

The future of staying in Germany was uncertain, the competition was fierce, and the invitation letter was personally written by the princess. What he had learned was indeed useful in Greece, and the salary was also generous. Hans naturally agreed to the invitation.

Moreover, it was only an academic exchange in the early stage. If the university environment and development prospects in Greece did not satisfy Hans, he could return to Heidelberg University at any time.

Kemal listened to Hans's plan, but his heart was gloomy. Thinking about the backward farming methods that could be seen everywhere in the Ottoman Empire, and looking at the tractors working in the fields outside the window, he was confused about this trip to Athens and didn't know if he could achieve his wish.

Now, before even entering the city of Athens, the secret of Greece's defeat of the Ottoman Empire has been seen through.

The haze in his heart became heavier and heavier. He gritted his teeth and made up his mind. After returning from the trip, he would investigate the mysterious organization that had been circulating among his classmates in the military academy. The Ottoman Empire must make changes.