African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1286: Arrogance
By comparison, it can be found that among France's many colonies in the Indian Ocean, except for Djibouti, the strategic value is difficult to compare with that of Britain, and Djibouti is better than nothing because of the existence of British Somaliland, Aden Colony and Egypt.

……

The city of Rhine has been particularly lively recently, with diplomats and politicians from various countries frequently entering and leaving the Rhine Palace and the East African government, with Britain and France being the most active.

But the picture was completely different a year ago. At that time, Germany and Austria, two of the Allied Powers, were the most anxious. Now that the war situation in Europe has changed, they have become somewhat slack.

"A year ago, the East Africans ignored us. Now, even if they want to join our camp, it is our turn to think twice." German diplomat Burs, who had just walked out of the Rhine Palace, said in a proud tone.

Standing next to him was the Austro-Hungarian diplomat, Bleiron, who said in a slightly more relaxed tone, "Mr. Burles, don't jump to conclusions. Any change could have a huge impact on the European battlefield. Although the situation our two countries are facing is not as tight as before, we must not harm East Africa."

Burs said nonchalantly: "Now that Austria-Hungary has joined the war, it is equivalent to having an extra helper on our side. As long as the three of us work together, we can basically prevent a third country from taking advantage of the situation."

"At present, Russia's second government has revealed its willingness to negotiate. Although they have not yet seized power, they have a strong influence in the Russian army and the people."

"Whether Russia is defeated or there is peace, it means that we will gain a stable rear area. As long as we digest the spoils of this war against Russia, we will end the dilemma of fighting on two fronts."

"East Africa is unlikely to join the Allied camp. The only thing we need to worry about is the Americans. However, the United States and Europe are separated by the Atlantic Ocean. Even if they support Britain and France behind the scenes, they will have little chance of winning."

In Boers' view, if the Allies could defeat Russia, the great enemy, they would basically be assured of victory. After all, the Allies had fought two against three before and had never lost. Now Britain and France were no match for the Allies.

"The Ottoman Empire has also been accumulating strength in recent years, and its military and military industrial capabilities have greatly improved. They have imported a lot of weapons and equipment from East Africa, and military reforms have been successfully completed," said Burs.

"Even if we can't compare with the great powers, we can still have 80% to 90% of our strength. This is equivalent to the confrontation between three military powers and two military powers."

"As for the Americans, unless they send troops to fight in Europe, the Americans have low combat effectiveness and are not to be feared at all. The strength of their army can probably only be compared with that of the Ottoman Empire."

Whether it was the Allies or the Entente, they had always had a consensus that the army strength of the United States and East Africa was not very good.

This consensus is actually a kind of arrogance, which comes from Eurocentrism. Countries outside Europe are all barbaric lands, so how could they understand the advanced art of war such as "military tactics, strategy"!

In fact, this does not mean that Europeans are really unaware of the strong military power of East Africa and the United States deep down in their hearts, but it is a subconscious behavior.

If we put aside our prejudices, Europeans will also seriously analyze the military strength of the United States and East Africa. On the surface, the paper data of the two countries are quite high, but war has always been a matter of luck.

Just like the two major camps, before the war broke out, they both believed that their side could quickly win and end the war, but the result was just the opposite. After all, their ideas before the war started were basically based on various factors that were most beneficial to their own country.

This is similar to football. Even fans of weaker teams will hold on to the idea of ​​"what if" and "maybe", not to mention that the strength of both sides is equal before the war.

At the beginning of the war, both the top leaders and the common people of the Central Powers and the Allied Powers held this mentality, which ultimately led to the outbreak of the largest war in human history.

The recent victory of the Allies on the Eastern Front gave Boers great confidence. Once Russia withdrew from the war, Germany could transfer its elite troops from the Eastern Front to the Western Front to organize the final battle. In this case, he could not imagine how the Allies could lose.

Boers went on to say, "Besides, it's better if East Africa doesn't join the war, so that after the war is won, we don't have to share the spoils with East Africa." "Our original intention is not to fight to the death in Europe and then end up with the United States and East Africa dividing up the land outside Europe."

"After the war, we may be able to support the Ottoman Empire, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina and other countries to balance East Africa and the United States."

Listening to Bulls's arrogant words, Brailon did not refute at all. He said: "If we control Europe, we will control the center of civilization. After our two countries integrate the hegemony of Europe, we will be fully capable of suppressing the United States and East Africa."

"Of course, the top priority now is to defeat Britain and France. Only by defeating Britain and France can we seize the authority of world order from them."

"Therefore, we also need to stabilize East Africa and the United States to prevent them from joining the war. As long as the two countries guarantee neutrality, Britain and France can hold out for at most another year."

The victory on the Eastern Front restored the two countries' confidence in the war. Although social contradictions between the two countries have become quite acute due to the war, under the shining light of the "dawn of victory", most people think that they should be patient and good days will come.

In fact, it is understandable that Boers and Blaylow are hostile to East Africa and the United States. In the diplomacy over the past few years, they have often failed to gain any practical benefits from the two countries.

On the contrary, in order to support the continuation of the war, the treasuries of the two countries became increasingly empty, and a large amount of real money flowed to East Africa and the United States.

It is impossible for anyone to remain indifferent to this situation, and it is completely understandable to feel some resentment in one's heart.

Of course, another reason for the change in attitude of the two countries' diplomatic officials is also very simple, that is, the bargaining chips that the two countries can give to East Africa are too small.

Although the pie of Indian Ocean hegemony can whet East Africa's appetite, it is still just a pie and has no practical significance at all. After all, neither Germany nor the Austro-Hungarian Empire has almost no presence in the Indian Ocean.

Boers said: "The past two years have been the most frustrating time I have ever encountered in my work experience. Germany, as a world power, has never had a diplomat like me who has to kowtow in front of other countries."

Brailon deeply agreed with this. The diplomatic careers of the two in East Africa were naturally not smooth. After all, the two countries had always been in need of East Africa and could not be tough in front of East Africa.

They also have to accept orders from their superiors and try their best to gain support from East Africa every day.

Brailon said: "Although East Africa claims to be a German country, they are different from us after all, so we cannot completely regard them as our own people. Although there are Hungarians holding back the Austro-Hungarian Empire, East Africans are very different from pure Germans in terms of bloodline and appearance."

"In recent years, East Africa has also been actively promoting Rhine identity, and this identity is similar to the difference between the Boers and the Dutch before. After all, they are not the same as the Germans."

The Boers can be said to be a living example. As a new nation, their essence is the Dutch who immigrated to South Africa. Today, the Boers are still active in the British colony in South Africa.

The racial differences between East Africans and Germans, or people from German countries such as Austria, are obviously greater than the differences between the Dutch and the Boers.

Although some Boers also come from France, Germany, Britain and other countries, the Netherlands also has immigrants from various European countries, so the gap between the two is almost negligible.

East Africa is completely different. If you put East Africans in the German region of Europe, you can basically tell the difference between East Africans and Germans at a glance.

(End of this chapter)