What else can be optimized in the army? The first thing Ernst thought of was the food issue for the East African soldiers. When fighting in South Africa, Ernst noticed that the East African army still used the method of burying pots for cooking, carrying marching pots was quite common among the troops.

This method certainly cannot be said to be bad, but it has considerable limitations. After all, relying solely on a single marching pot is indeed convenient, but compromises must be made in terms of the dishes.

When war breaks out, the quality of food may affect morale at any moment. The ancients understood the principle of feasting soldiers before battle and defeating the enemy army. Allowing soldiers to have a good meal before battle can significantly alleviate their fear of war and boost morale.

After discussing some details with Grand Duke Ferdinand, Ernst began to investigate the catering aspects of the East African army. He sought out the army's upper echelon and logistics department leaders to discuss this matter.

Ernst straightforwardly said, "I'd like to understand the issues we've faced regarding soldiers' catering in previous wars. Feel free to bring up any complaints soldiers have voiced in daily life."

"Your Highness, regarding army rations, our East African army should have no major issues overall! In terms of material supply, we may not be world-leading, but we are certainly among the best. Although other countries are less known, we are at least stronger than Austria and Prussia," the Minister of Logistics said.

Ernst: "I am aware of this, as the standards were formulated under my supervision. However, nothing can be perfect, especially in sudden situations. For instance, on the South Africa battlefield, I was also on the front line. Our supplies were abundant, but due to transportation issues, they may not always be delivered to each unit on time. This shows that our work hasn't been optimized, and this problem exists alongside other issues, so we cannot ignore them."

The East African kingdom's army food standards are benchmarked against Prussia, stronger than Prussia, at the same level as France, and below the UK. Of course, this only pertains to food expenses. Considering the development situation of various countries, East Africa's standards are completely excessive.

For example, in the past, Prussian soldiers' monthly salary was approximately forty-eight Groschens (two Taylors), but note that Prussian soldiers did not eat for free; they had to pay for food and lodging and were taxed when purchasing supplies.

Of course, the army has special circumstances, so Prussian soldiers enjoy tax exemption privileges only when purchasing bread. Besides bread, soldiers must handle indispensable meats, vegetables, salt, and tobacco themselves. They can consider clear water, cold milk, light beer, and coffee substitutes as beverages; tea and chocolatey hot drinks remain out of reach.

Now, the level of the Prussian army has greatly improved, but given Prussia's massive army size, this improvement is also limited.

And Ernst contributed significantly to this improvement, notably in reducing the price of tobacco in Germany. Currently, the German army cannot function without cigarettes. With the large-scale planting of East African tobacco, a tremendous amount of cheap tobacco floods into the German region, breaking foreign monopolies. Alongside, thanks to the Heixinggen consortium's active expansion of oceanic trade, many items rarely seen in Germany or not produced at all are becoming increasingly common.

For instance, luxury food—bananas—were shipped for free, in the first instance, by fast ships to supply the Prussian and Austrian armies after production began in East Africa.

This is a tradition of the Heixinggen consortium's support for the military. The army is both a good customer and the best publicity tool. Soldiers from all over the world are worth the consortium's wholehearted support.

In this era without television, radio, the internet, and infrequent population movement, the army and newspapers are the best platforms for civilians to learn new things.

Take the Prussian army as an example; it comprises roughly six hundred thousand soldiers. Distributing a banana to each one means six hundred thousand people learn about Somali bananas. When these soldiers return home, they are bound to share stories of enjoying this delicacy in the army with their compatriots, offering rare conversation topics, thereby promoting Somali bananas among the civilian population.

Speaking of army meals, compared to the major powers, the East African army soldiers' wages are low, but their food, clothing, housing, and transportation are all free.

Moreover, due to East Africa's tropical region, the East African army is destined not to lack vegetable and fruit supplies. Once East Africa's livestock industry develops, the same will apply to meat, dairy products, and eggs. East Africa is also a tobacco-producing country, so cigarettes are virtually standard for the East African army, ensuring their meals won't be poor.

However, this is merely theoretical; in actual operations, it's not so. First, East Africa's vast territory means extremely long transport lines and highly underdeveloped transportation conditions.

East African kingdom's initially developed areas are concentrated in the east. This means only the Central Military Region and the Northern Military Region can meet Ernst's East African army diet standards during peacetime. The other three military regions do not enjoy such treatment. This situation cannot be reversed in a short time, so Ernst must consider other areas for improvements.

Ernst: "Not mentioning other matters, let's take hot meals as an example. Our army has a lot of room for improvement. On the South African front, soldiers were still using big pots to cook various porridge, and each time required the temporary construction of stoves, wasting quite some time. I know Prussian army now has a specialized cooking vehicle. This thing looks great; we should adopt it since it provides a significant advantage for field marching."

In 1853, Kanter Lambford of Bavaria placed the boiler and other equipment on a four-wheeled wagon. Since then, cooking vehicles have been included in army equipment.

However, current cooking vehicles can only be considered novelties and have not been widely adopted. Various countries began to research cooking vehicles and distribute them to the troops around the twentieth century.

Felix said, "Your Highness, the cooking vehicle you mentioned, we haven't actually seen it. I've served in the Prussian army for years, and we've always used big pots for cooking."

Ernst: "That's normal. Its principle is simple—install the stove on the wagon, and it can be pulled along anytime. But I believe this thing has vast room for improvement."

Saying this, Ernst instantly got excited about being a teacher. He simply asked for paper and pen and began designing.

"First, considering convenience, this military dining vehicle should have two wheels installed. Considering East Africa's road conditions, the wheels should be larger but not too cumbersome. Also, the frame must prioritize lightness, so a wooden frame would be suitable. Of course, for sturdiness and to withstand jolts, reinforce with sheet metal and iron fixtures."

"Cough cough... Your Highness, wouldn't a wooden frame cause problems? This is supposed to be for burning things."

"Haha, you think I would make such a basic mistake! The frame is wooden, but the parts contacting the stove are not. We can use clay as insulating material."

As Ernst continued designing (copying), the blueprint gradually took shape, revealing Ernst's blueprint as a copy of a simple makeshift stove from the Far East in his previous life, typically made from metal barrels.

(Picture)

"Your Highness, why is the middle designed as a circle?"

In Felix's opinion, a stove should be square since the primary fuel now is wood and loose coal, and after burning, ashes need to be removed.

Ernst: "I've specifically designed this for a type of thing called honeycomb coal. It greatly boosts the burning efficiency of coal, and can burn continuously for half a day. Opening the vent underneath intensifies the flame above, useful for heating food. When not needed, placing a hot water kettle generates an endless supply of hot water, and other fuels can be used as well..."

Ernst did not elaborate on what honeycomb coal is, as many of his subordinates come from a background where they didn't properly attend elementary school—big-headed soldiers—and they wouldn't understand the scientific principles. Once the finished product is made, just let them test it.

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