African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 198 Oolong Dialogue
Hearing this, Prince Constantine knew the purpose of Maximilian I. He wanted to use himself to lobby Ernst to form a naval force in East Africa.

Before Prince Constantine came to East Africa, Ernst really did not explain the situation of the East African coastline. Some of the information he read was also data on land, population and revenue.

However, since Maximilian I mentioned this matter to Ernst, but Ernst did not respond, he probably had his own plans.

Therefore, Prince Constantine did not intend to agree immediately, and had a chat with Maximilian I before considering it.

"So that's what you're worried about?" Constantine said, "I don't know much about East Africa, and I really didn't think about the defense of the coastline before I arrived in East Africa. After staying in Germany for a long time, I myself forgot about the navy. thing."

Hexingen is located deep in the heart of Europe, not even reaching the edge of the sea. Not to mention the navy, even fishing boats are rare goods in Hexingen. At any rate, there is a Danube River passing by in Sigmaringen next door. Ships are indispensable for cargo transportation. There are no big rivers flowing, and it is surrounded by hills in a small plain.

Even though Constantine spent some time in the Prussian army later, he only worked in the army.

If Ernst hadn't developed the East African colony, Prince Constantine probably wouldn't have had much contact with the sea in his life.

"Although I don't know much about the situation in East Africa now, I still have some common sense about the navy. There are so many countries in Europe, and there are not a few people who have been in the sea.

But the navy is probably one of the few in the world that is powerful. I don’t know much about the specific situation of the navy, but everyone knows that the navy is more and more expensive now. The cost of building a ship alone is expensive for many countries. It is an astronomical figure.

This money can be used to build a good-sized army, and the expansion direction of East Africa does need the army more. If the countries engaged in overseas colonization in Europe have the ability to expand in Europe, I believe they will also be inclined to army construction. .

For example, France has both sea and land, but France still prefers army construction. In addition to national defense needs, there is another point that it still has opportunities for some surrounding countries.

Although there are countries such as Britain and Austria to restrain them, their ability to interfere with France is actually very limited. As long as France does a good job in foreign affairs, those powerful countries may not sell out the interests of some small countries.

Let’s talk about Austria, Austria has also tried overseas before, and then backed down, and now almost all of its energy is devoted to the direction of the mainland, which is also the reason. said Prince Constantine.

"It can't be said that, although Austria has not organized overseas colonial expansion activities, its naval strength is still good, and Austria's current coastline talent is not as good as that of East Africa, and Trieste is the only important port that can provoke it.

There is also the issue of the navy's shipbuilding cost, which is indeed very high, but how can it be compared with anyone!If East Africa does not pursue a large navy, there must be a small fleet!At worst, it is also possible to get a few small gunboats. ’ retorted Maximilian I.

Of course, Maximilian I knew that the current situation in East Africa could not support the construction of a considerable maritime force, and he was not a person without measure.

Although the emperor was not qualified, he had finally made great achievements for the Austrian navy. The reason why he proposed to build a navy in East Africa was actually out of good intentions.

And there is a set of mature plans. After his observation, East Africa is now capable of building a small navy, as he said, at worst it can build a few gunboats for fun.

"The coastline of East Africa is not to say that it is completely undefended. Ernst built a lot of forts. I have seen them in Mombasa, Tanga and Dar es Salaam. They are doing well, but the coastal defense artillery is always dead. Objects can only be used for limited defense on land.

In case someone really likes to do things that harm others and not themselves, and only considers attacking the coastal cities in East Africa, East Africa does not even have the opportunity to take the initiative to attack, and can only let foreign warships shuttle freely along the coast of the Indian Ocean.

Of course, this is an extremely bad situation. If it really provokes a big country, East Africa will only be beaten unilaterally.

But there are not only national powers on the ocean, none of those merchant ships is armed, as long as you dare to think about it, it is no problem to become a pirate in an instant.

The Sultanate of Zanzibar was also split from the Oman Empire in the Middle East. Before that, Zanzibar Island was not the territory of the Oman Empire.

Ernst's acquisition of East Africa was also a coincidence, and he bluffed the then Sultanate of Zanzibar. If it was really by force, it would have been impossible for the colonial team at that time to go ashore. "

What Maximilian I said was right, the first batch of German mercenaries in the East African colony came ashore on a Dutch merchant ship.

The Sultanate of Zanzibar let more than 2000 people go ashore without paying attention, and the Sultanate of Zanzibar is relatively weak in Dar es Salaam, and it is the political center, so it is not worth fighting, Yarman The head of the regiment had a friendly attitude and was not too demanding, so he let the mercenaries build the first colony in the interior.

Ask yourself, this routine can be used by the East African colonies, and other forces can naturally use it. Now Dar es Salaam is still a free port, and merchant ships can dock at will. This is indeed a hidden danger.

"What you said makes sense, but there are still some differences between East Africa and the Sultanate of Zanzibar. The main body of Zanzibar is on Zanzibar Island, while the forces in East Africa are deep inland. It is not easy to gain a foothold, after all, East Africa is very strong on land." Prince Constantine said.

"This security issue is only one aspect. I also put forward this suggestion in consideration of the future development of East Africa. The navy needs a long-term accumulation. It takes a slow step. The ships and equipment are second. The personnel must always be reserved first. Bar!
A smaller navy can always accumulate some naval talents. East Africa will never continue to expand inland in the future. It will inevitably develop sea power to a certain extent. If you pay some money now, you can save more money in the future. said Maximilian I.

Speaking of this, Prince Constantine was actually convinced, and Prince Constantine also knew that the future navy of East Africa would be indispensable.

However, what does Ernst think, has he really not considered the naval power in East Africa!
The answer is definitely no. This is the result of poor information. Maximilian I did not participate in the administrative work of East Africa. Secondly, a large amount of data in East Africa will eventually be gathered in the hands of Ernst. The East African government may not be clear about East Africa. some situations.

After all, the intelligence work between government departments is not interoperable, and the Hexingen consortium is also involved in the management of East Africa, and some statistical data will not pass through the East African government in the end.

Of course, Ernst considered the development of the East African naval power. In fact, East Africa really has a less serious naval power.

That is, the river and lake forces in East Africa, especially the three major lakes, the Great Lakes, Lake Solon and Lake Malawi.

Although the name is river and lake troops, this is Ernst's team for the future navy. The three major lakes are huge lakes, which can completely simulate part of the sea situation, but after all, the river and lake troops have not really entered the sea, so it is said It's not serious.

As for Maximilian I's suggestion to Ernst, the main reason was that he chose the wrong time. It was at the time of the Northwest Campaign. At the same time, there are long supply lines and large-scale immigration operations at the same time. Ernst naturally has no energy to pay attention to naval construction.

And Constantine hadn't taken over the political work in East Africa yet, so he naturally didn't know about the river and lake troops in East Africa, so there was this oolong dialogue.

Regarding the formation of the East African Navy in the true sense, Ernst had relevant ideas, but he was always busy with various affairs and has been put on hold until now.

(End of this chapter)