African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1103 The Second Moroccan Crisis
After a group of senior officials in Mostar discussed the issue of "preparing for war", it was not difficult to implement it. Although this was the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the lower valley area of ​​the Neretva River could be said to have been infiltrated by East Africa like a sieve.

From regional governments to courts, customs, the military and other important institutions, there are a large number of East Africans. At the same time, East Africa controls the local economic lifeline. It can be said that those participating in this meeting are the shadow government, the second government, of the lower Neretva River valley.

So starting in 1911, with the support of this shadow government, East Africa began to transport weapons, food and other war supplies to the lower Neretva River valley in an orderly manner. At the same time, it carried out propaganda and military training for the local people on farms and factories controlled by Hechingen.

……

Textile Factory in Mostar.

The director of the Propaganda Department, Letard, is giving a safety education class to the textile workers in the factory, but today his content is a little different.

Letard stood in front of the workers and said, "Today we are not talking about conventional safety education issues, but about how to protect our homes in a state of war. Europe, especially the Balkan Peninsula where we are located, is a hot spot for global conflicts. Extreme nationalists often carry out terrorist activities in the Balkan Peninsula, including sabotage and assassination. This is what we must be vigilant about, and our factory employees must resist this kind of thinking."

"Mr. Letard, national extremists are too far away from us. We are just small workers. How could we encounter such trouble?" a worker questioned.

Letard said: "No, the opposite is true. This is closely related to our lives and work. The reason you didn't encounter this situation is mainly because the local government and the economy did not encounter any problems."

"If you pay attention to the news in Bosnia or other parts of the Balkans, you will know whether what I said is problematic or not, not only ethnic extremism, but also religious extremism."

"And our city of Mostar is obviously the common target of hatred for these two forces, such as the religious forces left over from the Ottoman Empire, or the extreme national sentiment of the Kingdom of Serbia."

"Suppose the Kingdom of Serbia rules Mostar, can the equal social status you enjoy now continue to be maintained?"

"Let alone other things, the skin color of most of you makes it difficult for you to integrate into Europe. As for the moral character of the Balkan army, it is not an exaggeration to say that soldiers and bandits are one family. Our Mostar is a typical economically developed area in the Balkan Peninsula. If you allow yourself to be slaughtered, then you will suffer the consequences of your past!"

Letard only gave them a little guidance, and many workers fell into this way of thinking. After all, Mostar was a region mainly populated by immigrants from the Far Eastern Empire, and was incompatible with the surrounding culture and forces.

While Letard was preaching hatred of Serbian ultra-nationalism and religious extremism to his workers, many other factories were doing the same.

At the same time, the media in the lower Neretva River valley began to exaggerate the various disasters brought about by extreme nationalism and extreme religiousism in Bosnia, as well as the destruction of social order.

In addition to ideological guidance, material stockpiling also began quietly. With the cooperation of customs personnel, weapons produced in East Africa quietly flowed to rural areas in the lower valley of the Neretva River.

The Austro-Hungarian officials stationed in Mostar were unaware of this. It could be said that a powerful military force was accumulating in the lower valley of the Neretva River, waiting for the right opportunity to erupt.

……

1911 7 Month 1 Day.

Rhine City.

"Your Majesty, and Your Royal Highness, this is an urgent telegram from Europe today. According to our intelligence, Germany sent a warship to the port of Agadir during the day, which triggered a fierce reaction from the French government." Constantine had just returned from a sanatorium in the north. The white-haired old emperor asked Ernst, "How is the relationship between Germany and France recently, and where is Agadir?"

Ernst said: "Agadir is a port in Morocco. In fact, the last time, when our First Five-Year Plan was about to end, Germany and France had a conflict over the Moroccan issue. This should be the second time."

"It seems that the competition between Germany and France has reached a fever pitch. The French government's reaction this time is very strong, and the national sentiment in the country is almost one-sided in support of the war."

This can be considered a new grudge and an old one. After the Franco-Prussian War, France had always wanted to take revenge on Germany, and the two Moroccan crises can be said to have completely caused France's national sentiment to erupt.

After all, Morocco's location is very special, so France has always regarded Morocco as its sphere of influence. Germany's interference is naturally unacceptable to the French who already control Morocco.

Constantine asked: "Is it possible that war will break out between Germany and France?"

Ernst shook his head and said, "The final outcome is uncertain. It all depends on whether the leaders of the two countries are clear-headed. If they really use this as an opportunity, it is very likely that they will declare war on each other."

After the outbreak of the Second Moroccan Crisis in the previous life, France and Germany even started mobilizing their armies and almost fought each other, so Ernst did not dare to say whether the European war would break out ahead of time. Even a change in a detail could change the course of history.

Against the backdrop of the current world situation, Ernst believes that there is a possibility of war breaking out in Europe at any time. This feeling is just like when the economy was in a downturn in his previous life, Ernst believed that World War III could break out at any time.

At present, both Britain and France are afraid of Germany's industrial development, especially as Germany continues to expand its armaments. This concern will become increasingly intensified over time.

Ernst said to Constantine: "In the current environment, a large-scale war may break out in Europe at any time. After all, Germany's industrial and military expansion is difficult to stop, and the German business community's desire for markets and overseas colonies can push the whole of Europe into the abyss of war at any time."

Germany's military expansion could not be stopped at all, especially in the navy. Germany would certainly not allow these newly built warships to rot. Its participation in the naval arms race with such fanfare was a preparation for war from the very beginning.

It is obvious that Britain and France cannot give Germany satisfactory bargaining chips for the sake of peace. Given the current market demand of German business community, Britain and France cannot meet it.

Moreover, Britain and France will not make concessions to Germany. As the world hegemon, Britain naturally cannot show weakness. After all, if the world hegemon shows weakness, it will be difficult for him to convince the people, and the world hegemony system built by Britain will collapse.

This is even more true in France. French society is currently filled with revengeful sentiments towards Germany. The spirit of the French people today is not comparable to that of the French people during World War II. At this time, if any politician dares to show weakness to Germany, he will probably be labeled a "traitor."

Britain and France had their reasons for doing so, and the same was true for Germany. The radicals within Germany were also very expanded, mainly since the middle of the last century, when Prussia was too successful. Now the whole of Germany has become the most developed region in Europe, and the national pride is very strong.

Moreover, as democratic countries, this kind of national sentiment in European countries can easily have an impact on the ruling class. Although this sentiment was originally instigated by interest groups, once it is instigated, it can easily backfire. Germany is better, but William II himself is too emotional, which is even more dangerous.

The French and British governments will inevitably be more affected. After all, public sentiment is also related to votes, and the emergence of hostility towards Germany in the two countries also shows that Germany has caused great damage to the interests of interest groups in the two countries.

In short, among the three countries, except for the British government's temporary indecision, the contradictions between Germany and France are irreconcilable, and war may break out at any time.

(End of this chapter)