African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1159 Deals and Threats

While European countries were fighting each other to the death, East Africa launched an all-out attack and quietly expanded in various regions of Asia, Africa and Latin America. In addition to seizing the original European markets and raw material supply bases, it also made small moves against the colonies of various countries.

Among them, East Africa was also very envious of the Dutch East Indies colony, but did not take much action and could only make some small moves around the island of Kalimantan.

1914 October.

The German and British-French allied forces launched the bloody Battle of the Marne.

Germany's military operations in Belgium were basically over. Although the Liege fortress was eventually captured, the result did not meet Germany's psychological expectations.

Moltke the Younger did not fully implement Schlieffen's plan before his death. He withdrew one-third of the troops originally in the Belgian battlefield to other areas. The harm caused by weakening the right wing soon became apparent. The war in Belgium on the Western Front, which was originally planned to end within a few days, was dragged on for more than ten days in the Liege fortress.

The Schlieffen Plan was designed as a quick victory plan from the beginning, but because of Moltke the Younger's underestimation of the enemy, the German army's actions on the entire Western Front were slowed down. Of course, Germany still has the advantage now and has successfully pushed the front line into France. As long as there are no more mistakes in the future, the Schlieffen Plan can still be implemented.

At this time, Britain and France began to increase their maritime blockade of Germany. The powerful offensive power displayed by the German army was enough to make any country tremble with fear.

Port of Rotterdam.

By the beginning of the 20th century, the Port of Rotterdam had developed into one of the largest ports in Europe based on shipping, and it was also one of the main transit ports for goods from East Africa to Germany.

Before the outbreak of World War I, the Netherlands strictly adhered to the principle of neutrality and was not chosen by Germany as a breakthrough point like Belgium, which made the Netherlands one of the paradises on the European battlefield.

As Belgium became the front line of the battlefield, a large number of Belgian refugees fled to the Netherlands, with the number reaching hundreds of thousands, which greatly increased the pressure on the Dutch government.

And now, finally, someone is willing to take the initiative to help the Dutch government share the pressure of refugees. In the Dutch Royal Palace, East African envoy Trail is meeting with Queen Wilhelmina and senior Dutch government officials.

Trail went straight to the point and said, "Your Majesty, we in East Africa can arrange for these Belgians to take refuge in various parts of East Africa."

Queen Wilhelmina: "Sir Tver, refugees are a hot potato for many countries now. Don't you in East Africa find it troublesome?"

Tver said: "Of course not. As we all know, East Africa is an immigration country, so we still have a great demand for immigrants. After all, East Africa is a world power with a land area of ​​over 10 million. Even in our own country, there are many areas that have not been fully developed."

This makes sense. After all, although the scale of immigration to East Africa has shrunk a lot in recent years, the annual immigration volume is still beyond the reach of many countries.

Of course, the main destination of these immigrants is most likely not East Africa itself, but rather East African colonies and other regions.

The Queen nodded and said, "We will naturally not stop the activities in East Africa, but all of this should not be forced. If you can convince these poor people to go to East Africa voluntarily, we can also provide some convenience for your country."

Belgian refugees are naturally pitiful people, and of course, the Dutch government does not want to take in so many burdens.

"That's natural. East Africa is one of the few big countries in the world, and it is much safer than Europe, so I believe there are still many people willing to develop in East Africa."

There were too many Belgians fleeing to the Netherlands, and most of them were penniless, so the Dutch government could only provide relief to these refugees out of humanitarian spirit. It was because the Dutch government was wealthy that it could support so many freeloaders.

Today, the Netherlands is a transit point for trade between East Africa and Germany. The tolls alone make the Dutch a lot of money. Even a little bit of it would be enough to feed the Belgian refugees. But this is obviously not a long-term solution. If East Africa can take in these Belgian refugees, the Netherlands will definitely make more money.

This is not a difficult task for East Africa. The ships from East Africa to Dutch ports such as Rotterdam are basically empty. It does not waste too much energy to pick up some people on the way back to Togoland, Gabon and other places.

After discussing the matter, Trail said: "Your Majesty's kindness is touching. God will surely bless you with a long life."

Wilhelmina just smiled at Trayl's compliment.

At this time, Trail said again: "By the way, Your Majesty, do you still remember the dispute between us and your country over Kalimantan Island?"

After laying a lot of groundwork, Trail finally revealed his true colors. Belgian immigrants were, after all, a trivial matter for East Africa, and the Netherlands' transit status was not very attractive to East Africa. After all, Germany actually had access to the Atlantic Ocean. Now it was just that the German navy was blocked in the Baltic Sea, and merchant ships from East Africa could still reach the German mainland.

Trail's words made Wilhelmina's face change. The Netherlands has been very clear about East Africa's ambitions for the Dutch East Indies over the years.

The East African government has repeatedly expressed its intention to purchase the Dutch colony on the island of Kalimantan, but each attempt was rejected by the Dutch government.

This time, Trail brought up the old matter again, and it was obvious that he had ambitions for Kalimantan and even the East Indies.

If it were peacetime, the Dutch government could naturally refuse directly. After all, East Africa still needs to save face due to the rules of the international community.

But now is a very delicate period. The European powers are busy with their own affairs and have no time to care about what is happening outside Europe.

Suppose at this time, East Africa took over the East Indies by force, the Netherlands would have no place to complain, such as Britain and Germany, which had the closest relations with the Netherlands.

Indeed, the relationship between the Netherlands and Germany was also good, because Wilhelmina had a good relationship with the Prussian royal family. Her mother and husband were both German nobles, and it was this Dutch queen who took in the "poor" William II in her previous life.

However, since Traill chose to negotiate with him, there was obviously still hope for a turnaround. Otherwise, if East Africa really sent out troops, the only thing the Netherlands could do with its military strength in the East Indies would be to surrender.

After figuring this out, Wilhelmina felt relieved. She calmly asked Trell, "Sir Trell, do you want to take advantage of our country? The East Indies is our most important overseas territory. There is no possibility of negotiation."

Traill retorted: "Your Majesty, there is no need to rush to refuse. We in East Africa are only interested in Kalimantan, not the East Indies. After all, we know that Java is the only island in the East Indies that has the greatest economic value to your country."

"But Kalimantan is different. On the one hand, Kalimantan has no other advantages except that it is larger in area. Moreover, such a barren land is divided between our two countries and the United Kingdom."

"And with the Netherlands' strength, it is impossible to defend Kalimantan. The final result is nothing more than my country or Britain obtaining other territories in Kalimantan."

"So your country might as well sell Kalimantan to the Empire. In this way, you can get rid of this burden and focus on developing Java. After all, the Netherlands' national strength is limited, and there are so many natives on Java. Various riots are enough to give your country a headache. Therefore, tightening your strength and getting the benefits will be the most beneficial to your country. I wonder if Her Majesty the Queen agrees."

Tver's words were clear and threatening. Generally speaking, colonial riots are relatively easy to suppress, but it would be a different story if a third-party force got involved. For example, the United States had planned similar actions in Spanish colonies, which greatly weakened Spain's control over the Philippines and Cuba.

East Africa can naturally use the same method on the Netherlands. Now Trail is trying to persuade them kindly. If they can't get the desired result, they can't blame East Africa for using force next time. Moreover, once East Africa uses force, it will not be something that Kalimantan can solve.

(End of this chapter)