African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 941 "Rhine Empire"

Constantine was not surprised by Ernst's words. After all, his son had very different ideas from ordinary people since he was a child, otherwise he would not have been able to establish such a foundation.

“Ernst, although what you said makes sense, it cannot be recognized by the international community. The so-called throne in East Africa, like the Queen of England’s throne in India, may be easily talked about by outsiders in secret.”

Ernst smiled and joked to his father: "If Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom moved the capital to Mumbai, then her throne would be well-deserved! Besides, our East Africa is completely different from the United Kingdom. The size of East Africa is now stronger than most kingdoms, so the empire is more in line with the current development of East Africa."

"As for the discussions in Europe, if we were fighting for the emperor of Europe, it would naturally make people laugh. But this is East Africa, so the empire we have established is an unprecedentedly large country in African history, so it is natural that it should be called the East African Empire."

After all, the Kingdom of Hechingen belongs to the European political system, so the Kingdom of Hechingen cannot be given the title of empire. After all, Hechingen was originally just a small state under the Holy Roman Empire.

Of course, Ernst also coveted the title of the Holy Roman Empire, but other German countries would never agree to it, especially Germany. If East Africa called itself the Holy Roman Empire, what would become of Germany?
Of course, Constantine was not satisfied with Ernst's attention: "The name East African Empire is not good. Although we are indeed in Africa, the name Africa has long been stigmatized. When I mention Africa, I can associate it with poverty, backwardness, and barbarism."

What Constantine said is true. Although East Africa is developing rapidly today, the stereotypes of Europe towards Africa have not changed at all.

It is mainly North Africa and West Africa that lag behind. These regions were colonies or spheres of influence of European countries, so they still use these regions as a model in their descriptions of Africa.

"So, father, what do you think?" Ernst asked. In fact, he felt that the name East African Empire was not bad.

"Think about it, although the main part of East Africa is still the eastern part of the continent, after several expansions, our East Africa as a whole is actually more suitable for the name South Africa on the map."

Constantine said so. Of course, the name South Africa is even less likely to be used as East Africa. Apart from the fact that it is still related to Africa, the main reason is that Britain's South African colony has already occupied this geographical name.

After the end of the South African War, Britain integrated its colonies in South Africa, completely integrating the Natal Colony and the Cape Colony, and the governments were collectively called the South African Colonial Government.

So now South Africa mainly refers to the British colonial area in the southernmost part of Africa, and it is naturally impossible to reuse this name for East Africa.

"In my opinion, it would be better to select cultural elements from the German region and use them as the new country name in East Africa. Among them, Rhine and Swabia are my favorites."

Rhine naturally comes from the Rhine River, and Swabia is the birthplace of the Hechingen royal family. The former Principality of Hechingen, which is now the Hohenzollern province of Germany, is located in the Swabia region.

Ernst suddenly realized: "That's right! Why didn't I think of using Rhine as the name of East Africa? Isn't this a ready-made name?"

Ernst did not think of this when he built Rhine City. His father's idea was still reliable.

As for the name Swabia, Ernst did not consider it at all. Although there is a province of Swabia in East Africa, Swabia is actually a country in history, that is, the Duchy of Swabia under the Holy Roman Empire. Today, all or part of the regions of Württemberg, Hechingen, Sigmaringen, Bavaria, etc. are all within the scope of this country. The collection place of standard German in East Africa is the Swabia region. However, although the name Swabia has a deep historical origin, it is completely incomparable with the Rhine.

Ernst said directly: "At that time, our East Africa will be called the Rhine Empire, and father will be the first emperor of the Rhine Empire."

Constantine shook his head and said, "I was planning to abdicate and let you take over officially, so you should come! Besides, I don't want to suffer through the coronation ceremony."

Generally speaking, kings serve for life, but Constantine was not willing to serve as the king of East Africa forever. After all, he had long been a leisurely wanderer and did not care about state affairs. Moreover, since Ernst established a retirement system for officials in the East African government, Constantine's idea became even stronger.

Ernst denied it, "Father, you are the ballast of the country. Even if you really want to abdicate, it should be after you have finalized your title of emperor."

Ernst was reluctant to accept Constantine's idea. He continued to persuade him, "As for the coronation ceremony, I have said before that it will not be as bloated and complicated as in Europe. At that time, we only need to make a few big scenes, and you can just go through the motions and the coronation ceremony will be completed."

"It is not difficult for us to simplify the ceremony. In fact, we don't even need to invite foreign guests. After all, East Africa has become an empire because of its strength. It is a natural thing. It does not necessarily require recognition from other countries. What is more important is to unite the people at home."

"We don't need horse-drawn carriages like those in Europe. You can just sit in the car and wave to the people. The roads we built in Rhine City are all asphalt roads, not bumpy at all. Other processes can also be omitted and simplified."

"After all, it is the 19th century now. Great changes have taken place in Europe, and relevant systems should also be changed accordingly."

Like the coronation of the British royal family, there was a golden carriage and a big stone (the Stone of Destiny). In Ernst's view, it was both torturous and funny. Of course, now only Ernst sees it this way.

Ernst went on to say: "The coronation ceremony must be conducted in a comfortable manner. I don't want red tape to constrain the successor."

"And to put it bluntly, the monarchy is already declining in the world, so our Hexingen royal family must find a way to integrate into the country, rather than completely separate from the people, especially in terms of class. At least the division should not be too clear. In the future, as technology and social thinking develop, it is best for royal family members to keep a low profile, so as to reduce trouble."

Constantine also nodded. He agreed with his son's words. If it were in the past, as an old noble, Constantine would definitely not think so. However, with the development of the times, some things cannot be ignored and do not exist.

Even monarchs like William II and Nicholas II, who tried their best to maintain the imperial power, found it difficult to change this situation. As for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it had become a stagnant pool. Although the economy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is still not to be underestimated, the combat effectiveness of the army is declining rapidly. This is the intuitive feeling of East Africa. In the military cooperation with East Africa, the quality of the Austro-Hungarian army has declined sharply.

Therefore, the Austro-Hungarian Empire is now in a very dangerous situation. Without strong guns, the Austro-Hungarian Empire is at risk of disintegration at any time. Now Franz has really become a wall-painter, patching up the aging empire.

In fact, the Austrian government did not want to restore the glory of the Austrian Empire, but Hungary had strong combat effectiveness. Through parliamentary struggles, on the one hand, it resolutely promoted Magyarism in the Hungarian region, and on the other hand, it continuously cut military spending. This made it impossible for the Austro-Hungarian army to get fresh blood, so decline was inevitable.

(End of this chapter)