บท 109: Chapter 187 Krupp
In the afternoon, Wilhelm arrived at the Krupp arms factory.
Krupp's founder was the venerable Alfred Krupp. The artillery he produced had led Bismarck to victories over Austria and France in the mid-19th century, solidifying Krupp as a pillar of Germany and earning the attention of the highest national authorities.
However, the male lineage of the Krupp family was not robust. When Friedrich Alfred Krupp, the second-generation president of Krupp, committed suicide after a scandal exposed his homosexuality, the vast industrial empire could only be inherited by Alfred Krupp's granddaughter, Bertha Krupp.
To prevent the Krupp family's business from falling into the hands of political adversaries, Wilhelm II personally arranged Bertha's marriage. He had diplomat Gustav marry this "Queen of Artillery", allowing Gustav to add the prestigious surname Krupp to his own (in simple terms, he became a son-in-law). Later, Bertha gave birth to little Alfred Krupp.
Now in charge of Krupp is Gustav Krupp. By this time, he had already waited with his men at the factory gate. Seeing Wilhelm descend from the car, he quickly approached. "Your Highness, your arrival truly brightens this place."
"Mr. Gustav, we seem to be in a good era, don't we?" Wilhelm said something that left Gustav inexplicably puzzled, then looked at little Alfred Krupp behind Gustav. "Oh, Alfred, long time no see."
"Your Highness." Little Alfried Krupp was two years younger than Wilhelm, a stylish young man.
"I heard you went to Poland, how was it there?"
"To be honest, not very good, Your Highness." Little Alfried Krupp smiled wryly. "The facilities there are somewhat outdated, and most of them need upgrading."
Wilhelm chuckled. "Being outdated is normal; if they were more advanced than us, then we'd be in trouble. Upgrade as quickly as possible and start production promptly. After all, the use period for those prisoners of war is only three years."
This time, they captured over a million Polish soldiers. Wilhelm certainly wouldn't let them sit idly in POW camps wasting precious food. He distributed these prisoners to factory companies whose owners were willing to engage in production in Poland.
Little Alfried Krupp hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, forcing prisoners of war to engage in heavy physical labor violates the Geneva Conventions."
Wilhelm dismissed it. "I didn't force them; they volunteered. They enjoy an eight-hour workday just like German workers. We provide their meals, accommodation, and pay them. How is this different from normal employment?"
Little Alfried Krupp couldn't help but be stunned. "Your Highness, are you asking us to pay them a regular salary?" What kind of prisoners were these? They seemed more like hired workers.
Wilhelm nodded. "I was just about to discuss this matter with you. Yes, I intend for you to pay those working prisoners a salary. However, the wage standard will be only a quarter of that of regular workers." Currently, the minimum wage for German workers was 200 Reichsmarks per month, so the prisoners' wages would be approximately 50 Reichsmarks.
In the original timeline, after the Soviet Union and Germany divided Poland in 1939, the outbreak of the Soviet-German War in 1941 resulted in Germany fully occupying Poland. By 1944, the average monthly wage for Polish laborers was 20 marks. Moreover, the price of black market pork was over 200 marks per kilogram, meaning a Polish person's annual salary could buy only two pounds of pork.
Not only that, but in a restaurant of a torpedo manufacturing plant outside Warsaw, there were separate passages for Germans and Poles. Being late, leaving early, dropping tools on the ground, chatting or smoking during working hours would immediately lead to being beaten and kicked, followed by being locked in solitary confinement for more than 24 hours.
Polish farmers were forced to give up their land to their German neighbors, and 160,000 ethnic German immigrants from Ukraine also arrived. When they reached Warsaw, they were nearly naked. However, after a few months, they acquired hundreds of acres of land and a group of laborers. The former Polish landowners had to squeeze into the dilapidated houses where the German farm laborers used to live. They had to work 12 hours a day, and any unauthorized outings would result in the harshest punishment. One day, a German suddenly remembered a sentence from his Polish neighbor many years ago: "Why do you keep speaking German? You're not in Berlin." So, he sent the neighbor to the Dachau death concentration camp.
The Poles were prohibited from entering shops, parks, and gardens. They were not allowed to ride trams on weekends, and at any time, they were forbidden to use cars. Most of the Polish schools were closed. The then Governor-General of Poland remarked, "Their children only need to learn how to count to 100."
In Wilhelm's view, such a ruling method was simply brain-dead to the extreme, likely to provoke rebellious thoughts in anyone subjected to it. Since he couldn't solve all of them, waves of resistance would become more frequent, uprisings would occur one after another. This was simply creating trouble for oneself.
"This is the empire's century-long plan. Anyone who thinks highly of themselves and dares to deceive, feign obedience, or disobey my orders can gladly move their entire family into a concentration camp to continue serving the empire." People are generally easy to satisfy; as long as their basic needs are met, they won't harbor thoughts of rebellion.
Gustav Krupp, who was beside him, hurriedly spoke, "Your Highness, please rest assured, the Krupp family's loyalty to you is evident. We will absolutely not discount your orders in the slightest."
"Of course, I am aware of that. Alfried, do you know Marx?"
Little Alfried hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Are you referring to Karl Marx, the one who wrote 'Capital'?"
"Yes, that's the one. I remember there's a line in 'Capital': 'If there is a 100% profit, capitalists will risk anything; if there is a 200% profit, capitalists will disdain the law; if there is a 300% profit, then capitalists will trample on everything in the world!' I've already given you enough profit. I hope you won't be greedy and attempt to swallow an elephant."
Father and son both nodded in agreement hastily, and Wilhelm continued to instruct, "The wages of those prisoners of war cannot be delayed or deducted. If they fall ill, provide them with medical treatment. Each factory will have the Guard Regiment stationed for supervision. If there are troublemakers among those prisoners who don't obey or incite unrest, hand them over to the Guard Regiment. Reward those who perform well. For example, arrange for them to meet their families."
After giving these instructions, Wilhelm brought up the purpose of his visit, "I won't waste any more words. Are the things I want to see ready?"
"Everything is prepared and can begin at any time," Gustav hurriedly replied.
"Good, no time to waste. Let's go see it now!"
"Your Highness, please."
The group arrived at a spacious testing ground, ascended an observation platform to see a 88mm caliber anti-aircraft gun not far away. A standard artillery squad was busy around the cannon.
Gustav respectfully asked, "Your Highness, may we begin?" Seeing Wilhelm nod, he turned and waved his hand below.
"Load the shell!" With the loud command of the artillery squad leader, an armor-piercing shell was pushed into the cannon's breech.
"Aim at the target!"
"Fire!"
"Boom!"
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