Chapter 89: Hamburg Oceanic Commercial Trade Fleet

July 1, 1867.

The "North German Confederation Constitution" officially took effect.

The significance of this constitution is that Prussia legally led the affairs and military powers of the North German region. It maintained Prussia's dominant position in the federation and the unmatched authority of the Prussian king in the government, while also donning a democratic guise.

The North German region legally became Prussia's private domain, riding this eastern wind.

Ernst's Hamburg maritime trade fleet was established, with a scale of eleven ships (before German unification, the registered German maritime merchant fleet had only 4350 sailing ships and 175 steamships). It wasn't small in the entire North German region.

Combined with the Heixinggen fleet based in the Mediterranean in Trieste, the scale of commercial ships under Ernst's name reached more than 50.

Many of these ships operated on the Far East to East Africa route, gradually replacing the hired Dutch merchant ships.