African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 234 Brothers pulling
Austria, Schönbrunn Palace.

"Hmph, why! The commander-in-chief of the navy is unsatisfactory, do you want to go back on your word! My silly brother."

Franz sneered at Ferdinand, Commander-in-Chief of the East African Navy who had just returned to Vienna.

Ferdinand, who had long been an old fritter, immediately countered: "In East Africa, I am the commander-in-chief of the navy. Although I have few ships under my command, I am much stronger than the 'bathtub' navy of Austria. In the future, the East African navy will develop. ordered the blockade of the Gulf of Aden and the prohibition of Austrian ships from entering the Indian Ocean."

Ferdinand's joke did not get a response from Franz.

Blockade the Gulf of Aden?It seems that the geographical location of East Africa is really feasible. Although East Africa has no ports on the Red Sea coast, Djibouti, and the north coast of Somalia, the northernmost Mogadishu is not far from the Gulf of Aden, just like North Germany. Although there are A port facing the Atlantic Ocean, but if the British really want to use the navy to block Prussia in the Baltic Sea, it is entirely possible.

In fact, Franz hadn't thought about it. If East Africa really planned to block the Red Sea, it would be impossible to use the so-called East African Navy. Compared with Great Britain, the East African Navy is expected to block the Gulf of Aden. The East African Army is not as close to blocking the Gulf of Aden Spectrum.

According to the current military power in East Africa, the army can rush directly to Djibouti and Somaliland at any cost, take away the British and French colonies in one fell swoop, and put up a few artillery pieces to pose a serious threat to the Mandeb Strait. The newly planned northern province of Dire Dawa in East Africa The military town is only over 300 kilometers away from Djibouti.

The narrowest part of the Mandeb Strait is only 26 kilometers. Most of the East African artillery can’t reach such a long range in the current era. Which large-caliber coastal defense guns are possible, but it’s a pity that they can’t move. The current technology can’t reach it, but the future is hard to say up.

This is also the reason why Ernst did not go to the coast of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to occupy land. Going there is too conspicuous and easy to be targeted. Britain, France, Ottoman, and Egypt are not good enemies, but East Africa also has the ability to threaten this channel.

And even if East Africa really blocks the Mandeb Strait, it is estimated that the British will be overjoyed. The British were reluctant to dig the Suez Canal. It is a virtue to enter and exit the EU.

Suez is gone, at most the French are unlucky, Cape Town can return to the peak, and the British Indian horse in the Far East is not easy to deal with. The British military in India is capable of attacking Abyssinia across the sea. If the empire wins, its ability can be seen.

We must know that although the former emperor of the Abyssinian Empire, Theodore II, was arrogant, his vision was much broader than that of the idiots in the Far East. He expanded the authority of the monarch and restricted the possession of the Abyssinian Church with huge wealth. More real estate, paying soldiers, building roads, buying modern firearms and cannons, and trying to abolish slavery. These are the achievements of this Theodore II. In the end, seeing the defeat of the army, he had the courage to kill himself. He didn't choose to live in mediocrity. Even in this era, he is considered a generation of heroes.

Of course, right now East Africa is incapable and unwilling to imitate Japan’s betting on national fortunes. This does not mean that there will be no opportunities in the future. Once East Africa becomes stronger, not to mention Suez, even the whole of Egypt will come to be a licking dog. The climate and environment in Egypt cannot be used as a licking dog. The Vietnamese jungle superman, the geographical environment cannot be turned into an Afghan cemetery.

……

"How is it? Are you scared by my words!" Ferdinand said after winning a round.

"Hmph, as far as East Africa is concerned, it won't be able to achieve this level of development in another 50 years. You can see that the United States has been established for so many years, and it is quite good at bragging. It just wants to replace the British, and it only dares to shout across the Atlantic. "

"Just kidding! Seriously, Franz, it seems that you are still so stubborn." Archduke Ferdinand said.

Franz was speechless: "Speak! Why come back when you have time!"

"I wish I had been so serious earlier! Of course I came back this time to visit my mother and Karina."

"It should be on the way! I heard that you were in the Trieste shipyard a few days ago to inspect the gunboats that have just been completed!"

"It's on the way, so what? You should know that it's not easy to go back and forth at sea, and I'm so busy every day!"

Ferdinand is not talking nonsense about this. He is really busy. The East African Navy was first established. In order for these sailors from river and lake troops to form combat effectiveness as soon as possible, many things have to be done by Ferdinand and the young officers of the Austrian Navy who were "exiled" to East Africa. Do it yourself.

"Since you came back to visit your mother and Karina, why are you still angry with me as a big brother?" Franz was worthy of the topic terminator.

"You take it for granted! It's not that Ernst kid asked me to talk to you about cooperation."

"He told me about this a few days ago."

"Of course I know, but he just said the intention of cooperation, not the content, promise! This is the list of cooperation drawn up by our East African Kingdom, take a look!"

Ferdinand took out a large stack of cooperation lists from nowhere, and Franz took it and looked at it carefully.

Two hours later.

"Ernst, he is indeed suitable to be a shrewd businessman. He has hidden so many things for so long." Franz said with a smile.

"As long as any region has a large area, you can always find some resources. I think the resource situation in East Africa is much worse than that of the Austro-Hungarian Empire." Archduke Ferdinand said.

"It's good to have such conditions. Austria is the chosen place of the Habsburg family. How can the conditions be comparable to a marginal place like East Africa." Franz said proudly.

Ferdinand scorned his elder brother fiercely, but East Africa did not live up to it. With a land of one million and one hundred thousand, with such a little resources, it is no wonder that no one has been eyeing it.

As the commander-in-chief of the East African Kingdom's navy, Ferdinand knew a lot about the situation in East Africa. Naturally, he had read the list of resources provided by the economic department of the Hechingen Consortium in advance.

The land in the east of East Africa is more than 200 million, which seems to be much larger than the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but the resource endowment is indeed at the same level as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and there is also a large desert in the north. Fortunately, although Somalia is also a tropical desert, there are Two big rivers, Shabelle and Juba, pass by.

Even so, the resources in the east of East Africa alone can reach the level of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which should also attract the attention of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Why is the effect mediocre!

This is because the list was tampered with by Ernst. The list contains some detailed mineral resource analysis reports in East Africa, as well as the mining plan of the East African Kingdom.

This list mainly discloses the distribution of coal and iron ore in southern Tanzania (on the east coast of Lake Malawi), as well as the mineral resources in Kenya.

As for the gold mines in the Great Lakes region, they will naturally not be open to the outside world, and the copper mines on the Katanga Plateau have also been hidden by East Africa. That copper mine is too huge to change the world's copper industry structure, just like the Middle East oil will breed in the previous life Like mold.

Copper, a resource that is scarce all over the world, is also one of the most important, most popular, most versatile, and most used metals in the world.

Copper has been one of the most important metals ever since it was discovered and used by humans, especially before the Iron Age.

There are not a few wars caused by copper mines. Ernst has thought about this issue in his previous life, that is, the Shang Dynasty in the Far East, what is the reason why it likes to start wars, among which copper mines are an indispensable factor, just like mold likes oil Similarly, copper mines were the most important strategic resources in that era.

Cooperation also needs to be guarded. Kenya’s resources alone are enough to make Austria’s mouth full of fat. As for the two minerals of coal and iron, to be honest, they are not very attractive to Austria. The main mineral resources of the Austro-Hungarian Empire are among the best in Europe. It is completely enough. If the value is not high, it is better to think of ways to ship from the Balkan Peninsula than from East Africa.

The idea of ​​the East African government is also very simple, that is, to develop the three provinces in southern Kenya, namely Eastern Province, South Prussia Province and West Great Lakes Province.

If you want to transport these resources to the port of Mombasa and export them to Austria, why not help East Africa build a railway!

At the same time, it can also attract orders for the railway departments and companies of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The steel production capacity in East Africa cannot support such a large project. At the same time, other equipment must be imported from Austria, and the locomotives are also provided by Austria. account.

Now that the Suez Canal has been opened, transportation costs have also been reduced. The distance from Trieste to Mombasa is not too far, and it is still very cost-effective. After all, no one will think that there are too many mines. France, which lost the Lorraine iron mine, is an example.

At the moment, the priority is to develop southern Kenya. As for what to do with Tanzania, there is actually no good way. Just cultivate the land well. In the previous life, Tanzania was an agricultural country, and its resource situation is not as good as that of Kenya. It depends on the development of Zambia. If Zambia has developed, Tanzania will not be a problem. After all, the ports are concentrated in the east, and the East African plateau has a good geographical situation.

The basis of cooperation is to make money. Don’t worry about this. The East African government itself is also a buyer. It can digest some of the minerals it produces, or even eat more than half of it. The rest will be shipped back to Austria to support Austria’s development. up.

The cooperation intention is very clear. It is Austria, not the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Ernst has been trying to find ways to strengthen the advantages of the Germans in Austria, especially the advantages of the Germans near the Adriatic Sea. Trieste, where there are not a few Italians very dangerous.

Trieste is a channel connecting Germany and East Africa, so it is better to have it in their own hands, so the Hechingen Consortium has been working hard to recruit Italian immigrants in Trieste, and the effect can only be said to be quite satisfactory. The economy of Trieste under the rule of the empire was very good. The only excellent port, coupled with the whole of the Austro-Hungarian Empire as the economic hinterland, could even radiate to Eastern Europe and South Germany.

Reducing the population of Italy has little effect, so increase the population of Germany. The grain processing factory area in Trieste has absorbed a large number of Germans to come to work.

The fact that Trieste's population problem cannot be solved now does not mean that it will not be solved in the future. Ernst has already thought about it. As an industrial city, Trieste will not be able to escape the sanctions of the economic crisis.

(End of this chapter)