Europa Universalis 1867: Start by inheriting an armory

Like Andrew, Heinrich also recently received a sum of money from an unknown source.

The amount was smaller than Andrew's two sums, but it was still a huge sum for the workers at the time.

The remitter was a Prussian company registered in London and exporting from Swansea, whose business scope included wool, ores, and machine parts.

Richard tapped his finger lightly on the page.

Heinrich's archives are more grounded in reality than Andrew's. Siemens himself was Prussian, so it was only natural for him to hire fellow Germans as foremen.

In addition, Britain was known as the world's factory, and its wages and job opportunities were indeed better than those in Prussia. British factories welcomed these skilled workers, just like an assembly line welcomes new parts.

Forced conscription and insufficient employment opportunities following the Prussian Revolution of 1848 were also major reasons for the outflow of labor.

The story of a German immigrant who marries, has children, becomes a foreman, and whose life gets better day by day is the most common and least suspicious story in the Victorian era.

But what about the money in his account?

Richard rubbed his temples, put the second document aside, and unfolded the third.

Thomas, Frederick Abel's assistant.

Thomas was born into a working-class family in England. His father was a textile worker in Manchester. His family was poor when he was young, but Thomas excelled academically from a young age. He completed secondary school on scholarships and was admitted to the Royal College of Chemistry with excellent grades, receiving a full scholarship.

During his time at school, he caught the attention of Abel, and after graduation, he was recruited by Abel to the Woolwich Arsenal as his assistant.

Every course on the transcript was rated as excellent, and the professor's comments section read "Outstanding".

He received an offer to study in the Chemistry Department of Heidelberg University, which was not unusual at the time.

Even Abel himself was a student of August Wilhelm von Hoffmann—one of Europe's greatest chemists.

In the mid-19th century, chemistry education in Britain lagged far behind that in Germany. The establishment of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the design of its curriculum were almost entirely copied from the Prussian model.

Studying in Prussia was an essential step for every ambitious young British chemist.

Thomas is neither the first nor the last.

Richard closed the file.

He placed the three documents side by side on the table, looking at the three names, three lives compressed into the paper.

This investigation was necessary, but it didn't go as smoothly as he had imagined.

There is no definitive evidence or conclusion, only unsettling details scattered between the lines.

Richard so desperately wanted the simplest answer to be the final answer. Why wasn't he the kind of armchair detective from a novel?

He spread the three files on the table, pointed to one of them and said, "That's him!" Then all that was left was to arrest, interrogate, and close the case.

Richard's gaze moved back and forth between the three documents, finally settling on the middle one.

Heinrich, a foreman at Siemens.

He picked up the file and weighed it in his hand.

His reasons for making this choice may sound somewhat discriminatory, but a pure German immigrant, coupled with relatives serving in the Prussian military and a remittance of dubious origin,

Compared to the other two, he was indeed more likely to be infiltrated.

But instead of giving closing arguments to the jury in court, he had to choose the most likely one of the three options, then test and probe to force him to reveal his true colors.

If he's wrong, then move on to the next one.

He stood up from his chair, stacked the three documents together, and locked them in his desk drawer.

"Harold!" he called out towards the door.

Harold strode down the corridor: "Young Master?"

"Book me a train ticket to Swansea as soon as possible."

Harold nodded, turned and went downstairs.

Richard stood at the study window, watching the bare oak tree in the garden sway gently in the wind.

He wasn't sure what he would find in Swansea. Perhaps Heinrich was innocent, and his brother was just an ordinary Prussian soldier, not a spy.

But Richard had to see him.

Richard made up his mind and followed him out of the study.

Not long after, Richard arrived at the Landor Steel Plant.

Siemens stepped out to greet him. When he saw Richard's carriage stop, he strode forward, extended his hand, and wore a tireless smile.

"Mr. Brian!" his voice boomed, "What wind blew you from London to Swansea?"

Richard grasped his hand: "Just some trivial matters. How's the factory doing lately?"

"Excellent! Excellent! The steel mill's profits have doubled," Siemens' eyes lit up. "I'm incredibly busy. Orders are flying in every day from Birmingham and Sheffield. Those guys who used to ignore me are now lining up at the conference room door calling me 'sir'."

Richard nodded in satisfaction.

It appears that the efficiency gains from improved furnaces and smelting methods are significant, with the production of low-carbon steel being more than sufficient to secretly manufacture chromium-nickel alloys. Doubling profits are merely a numerical feedback of this change.

"Mr. Siemens," Richard said, looking deeper into the factory area, "I've heard that your foreman, Heinrich, is very capable. May I speak with him for a moment?"

Siemens frowned slightly: "It's possible, but why are you suddenly interested in him? On the previous few visits, you and he didn't even exchange glances."

Richard put his hands in his coat pockets and shrugged. "Some technical things can only be understood by asking the workers on the front lines."

Siemens nodded thoughtfully and pointed towards the factory building: "Alright then, he's inside."

Richard walked into the workshop, where the light from the gas lamps swirled in the rising hot steam, like looking at the sun from underwater.

Heinrich stood in front of the furnace, a head taller than the average worker, with broad shoulders. He wore a dark gray work uniform stained with soot, and his muscular forearms bore several old burn scars. However, the soot on his face made him blend in with the workers around him.

Just as Richard was about to step forward, a sharp hiss suddenly erupted from the direction of the high-pressure steam valve.

Scalding steam gushed out from the gaps in the valves, and the stream of air carrying sparks swept across half of the control panel.

The wrench and notebook on the table were immediately overturned and fell to the ground with a clatter.

Heinrich instinctively reached out, grabbed the young apprentice standing by the furnace by the back of the neck, and yanked him back from the steam path.

The apprentice staggered back several steps and sat down on the ground with a thud, his face full of confusion.

Then Heinrich extended the long shovel in his hand, precisely probed the side of the valve with the tip of the shovel, and twisted it with force.

The whistling sound of steam suddenly stopped.

The scorching airflow changed from a jet to a slow overflow, eventually turning into wisps of white smoke.