Frederick the Great, a military genius on a par with Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Hannibal, and Napoleon, succeeded him as King of Prussia in 1740 and immediately launched a war against Austria, bringing Silesia into Prussia. The Seven Years' War in 1756 led to the complete subduion of Austria and the consolidation of control of Silesia.
Frederick the Great
Frederick the Great laid the foundation for the later unification and rise of Germany, but this great journey was initially related to potatoes, and this article conceives the story of Frederick the Great's promotion of potato cultivation according to the historical background.
Immediately after Frederick II ascended to the prussian throne, a royal council was convened.
"Ministers, this winter is about to launch a war against Austria, what about the food supply?" Frederick the Great sat on his throne, his eyes burning with two fires.
The Minister of Logistics and Supply took the lead in speaking: "Your Majesty the King, potatoes are easy to grow, the yield is large, it is not easy to promote, Spain, Portugal, Britain, Russia have all failed." ”
The commander of the First Army of the Army took over with a straight face: "That is not simple, please issue an order directly from Your Majesty to forcibly plant." ”
The ministers were caught in a heated quarrel.
Frederick the Great found that the Minister of Agriculture did not say a word, and asked by name: "Lord Schmidt, as Minister of Agriculture, do you have no opinion?" ”
"Your Majesty, how dare you, according to your personal opinion, first issue a planting edict by Your Majesty himself, see how the people react, and then find a good strategy." Schmidt finished and bowed.
The room fell silent, and Frederick the Great pondered for a few seconds before speaking: "Well, do as Schmidt said, and adjourn the meeting." ”
On the same day, a potato planting order was issued to the whole country, and in the planting order, the potatoes were concisely outlined, but the people obviously rejected the promotion of potatoes with actions.
Some people say, "You can't eat it, it grows underground, it's the ration of the devil, and it's not mentioned in the Bible." I'm afraid I won't be able to go to heaven after eating. ”
Some say it's poisonous: "Yes, that thing is poisonous, it's the poison that Columbus brought back from the Americas." ”
Frederick the Great's order to promote potatoes fell short, and he fell into confusion and embarrassment, but the preparations for the war and the reduction of wheat production had to find a way out, and potatoes were the only chance.
During his thoughts, he saw the bird cage hanging outside the window, and suddenly a flash of inspiration appeared, "It is only when it is closed that the nobility of the bird is highlighted." He immediately issued a second potato planting order:
The right to grow potatoes belongs to the royal family and nobles, and the people are not allowed to steal seeds and steal food in private;
The royal nobility planted potatoes exclusively for royal ingredients, and were not allowed to sell them to the people privately;
The fields planted by the royal nobility were guarded by full-time soldiers to prevent digging.
Order, the people are very curious, before the planting is still allowed, how now only the royal family and nobles can grow, but also become the royal family's special food, is the potato really good? The people gradually changed their view of potatoes, and had the courage to hide from the guards to dig them up and eat them, but frederick the Great deliberately made the soldiers turn a blind eye. The people ate it and thought it tasted good, but they didn't eat dead people, and they completely changed their view of potatoes.
As a result, slowly some people stole potatoes and traded on the black market, more and more people accepted potatoes, and potato cultivation was promoted in the "ban". Frederick the Great seized the "pursuit of superiority" mentality in human nature and successfully promoted potato cultivation, providing the best guarantee for his subsequent victory in the Silesian War and the Seven Years' War.
Today, in the frederick the Great cemetery in Potsdam, just outside Berlin, Germans who come to visit him bring potatoes to honor the once mighty Prussian Emperor.