Station: [14] Everything ready for the great emperor manoeuvre?


Major:

And left – two, three, four. Left – two, three, four. Left – two, three, four. Company, attention! Right wheel march, and left – two, three, four. Left - two, three, four. Left – two, three, four. And mark time! Halt! Attention: present arms! Order arms! Company, at ease! Attention: And left – two, three, four. Left - two, three, four. Left – two, three, four ….

 

Soldiers, stand to attention! Present arms!

Your royal highness! The Second Infantry Brigade No. 46 reports for duty – in preparation for the manoeuvres and parade on the 31st of March 1882, at the gates of the town of Riesa, in honour of our illustrious monarch, the mighty protector of the German Reich, Emperor Wilhelm the Victorious and our beloved and universally revered sovereign, King Albert. We welcome his royal highness with three cheers. Hip, hip… :

 

Soldaten:

Hurraaah! Hurrraaah! Hurrraaah!

 

Major:

Major von Kleidnitz reporting.

 

Prinz:

Thank you, major. Thank you, men!

 

Soldaten:

Hurraaah! Hurrraaah! Hurrraaah!

 

Major:

Your royal highness Prince Georg, the lord mayor stands ready to report on how the preparations for the parade have been progressing. To begin, he will give a review of the proposed terrain.

 

Prinz:

Please proceed.

 

Bürgermeister:

Your royal highness, the honour is mine. The area at Mergendorfer Flur will extend in the direction of Heyda and Prausitz to a length of 1,350 metres.

 

Prinz:

Where would you like me to set up my headquarters?

 

Bürgermeister:

For the headquarters, we propose Jahnishausen Palace.

Your royal highness, the manoeuvre and parade represent an extraordinary honour for our small town. So the town council has decided to grant a subsidy from the treasury. Besides, we have set up a festival committee....

We shall procure 2 thousand spruce trees, each three metres tall, to decorate the road from the station to Poppitzer Strasse. Triumphal arches with the portraits of their majesties will ensure that these conifer avenues are not at all monotonous.

 

Prinz:

Very good, Mr. Mayor. Very good.

 

Bürgermeister:

Maidens from Riesa in green and white dresses with red and white sashes shall form a procession.

As their majesties are driven through the town, the bells of our church and the surrounding villages shall ring out.

For onlookers, we shall cordon off an area 2,000 paces long and 450 paces wide. The stand on the south side of the terrain is to be 150 metres long, 12 metres deep and 4 metres high.

 

Prinz:

Excellent! My royal thanks to you. Please continue!

 

Bürgermeister:

Master Builder Zürn will employ 40 carpenters and 20 extra labourers. There will be 1,890 covered seats and 2,160 open ones. Bars and toilets are being set up. The costs will be covered by the admission charge.

 

Prinz:

How high is the admission charge?

 

Bürgermeister

A chair costs 5 marks, a covered bench seat 4 marks and an open bench seat 3 marks. Besides, the restaurateur from the Tivoli Dresden will be paying eighteen hundred marks for the license to serve drinks. The beer will come from Riesa and Cotta and ... your royal highness, we have taken the liberty of preparing a humble collation on the occasion of your highness’s royal inspection. If you will allow …

 

Prinz:

Unfortunately, duty calls, dear Mr. Mayor. We must immediately go straight to the station and embark on our return journey. Thank you, gentlemen, I am delighted with the excellent preparations and shall report back to the emperor.

 

Major:

Company, attention! Present arms!

 

Bürgermeister:

We wish you a pleasant journey home and hope to see you again at the Imperial Parade. Goodbye!