African Entrepreneurship Record-Chapter 455 - 133: The East African Threat Theory
The geographical location of East Africa always tends to give people a sense of being overlooked. This is the kind of inertial thinking caused by empiricism, where no one considers Africa important. The most typical example is the current United States.
The United States has a very advantageous geographical location, with top-notch conditions. However, even though the United States development is second only to the United Kingdom, its status in the world does not match this. The political influence of the United States is limited to the Americas. Countries like Mexico and the small nations of the Caribbean basically orbit around the United States.
Because in the general impression, no major world power has ever emerged from the Americas. For example, during the Black Ship incident, Americans opened the door to Japan, but the Japanese navy learned from the British, and the army from Prussia, not America.
It is the common view that the U.S. Army is very weak, but theoretically, given the size and land area of the United States, its army should be much stronger than the British army. The reason why the U.S. Army has not developed is entirely due to the lackluster neighbors, Mexico and Canada.
So strong that even the United States cannot pressure Europe currently, then certainly little East Africa does not have much presence either.
However, the fact that Europe cannot feel East Africa’s development does not mean that neighboring countries and colonies around East Africa are unaware of it.
When the Archduke Ferdinand sailed past the waters of Dar es Salaam, it was spotted by the Portuguese stationed there.
As a neighbor, the Mozambique colony is most concerned about the development of the East African Kingdom. They specifically assigned personnel to ambush in the city of Dar es Salaam to collect relevant intelligence.
"Is that... an East African warship?"
Gazing at the East African flag flying on the Archduke Ferdinand, the Portuguese expressed disbelief.
"If it really is East Africa’s ironclad ship, then we are in big trouble, right? This level of ironclad ship could be difficult even for the kingdom’s home navy to handle!"
After East Africa annexed the northern part of South Africa, Mozambique realized that it was truly surrounded by the East African Kingdom, with land bordering on three sides, and although the east side is the ocean, the East African navy has also begun cruising (actually dispatching naval vessels to the New Hamburg Port).
Previously, although the strength of the East African navy was not considered weak in the Indian Ocean region, the Mozambique colony still believed it was not enough to threaten them.
But if an ironclad ship like the Archduke Ferdinand is added, the situation is different.
"This situation must be reported to the Governor. If it is indeed an ironclad ship purchased by East Africa, then the power of the East African Kingdom is terrifying!"
Feeling already outmatched on land, if the advantage at sea is also lost, Mozambique could be considered a juicy piece of meat right at the mouth of the East African Kingdom.
After Brazil’s independence, the two most important colonies for Portugal are in Africa, one being Mozambique and the other Angola. Earlier, Mozambique had two potential threats nearby, one from the UK and the other from East Africa, but now only East Africa remains.
"In recent years, the Germans have developed too quickly. It’s said that the Angola colony is also bordering East Africa, meaning that even the Atlantic coast is no longer safe for us Portuguese."
"They have also further taken over the Transvaal Republic and the Zulu Kingdom, which is no different than snatching food from the British lion."
"Moreover, if this ironclad ship is indeed an East African warship, it demonstrates that East Africa also has the ability to purchase other warships from Europe. Judging by the displacement of this ironclad ship from the naked eye, it is estimated to be over five thousand tons, possibly up to seven thousand tons. The cost of such an ironclad ship is not cheap. If East Africa can afford this large-class ironclad ship, they certainly have the capability to buy some slightly smaller ones."
"No doubt, East Africa has purchased a significant number of coastal defense gunboats over the years, indicating that East Africa is gradually building its own naval power. The ambitions of the Germans are not confined just to the African continent but extend to the Western Indian Ocean."
"East Africa is disrupting the balance of power on the African continent, yet those European countries fail to see it. Someone must suppress the development of East Africa, or else, it’s another U.S. scenario for the future. Will the Germans then also introduce an African version of the ’Monroe Doctrine’ just like the Americans?"
The Portuguese were speaking arrogantly, not realizing that East Africa’s achievements today were not given through charity. Moreover, East Africa started at a much lower point than Portugal.
Before East Africa, Portugal had already opened up trade routes between Angola and Mozambique. If the Portuguese had a bit of vision, the emergence of East Africa wouldn’t have overtaken them to occupy the African interior.
Speaking of threats, East Africa also feels threatened by Portugal’s presence! With Angola on one side and Mozambique on the other, east and west, East Africa is precisely caught in the middle.
If in the years of East Africa’s development, Portugal could have focused on developing Mozambique and Angola, strengthening the two colonial strongholds, the situation could have been turned around.
But everyone knows what Portugal is like back home, merciless in extracting wealth from the colonies without sparing a thought for supporting them, not able to even cover domestic expenses!
However, the Portuguese do not see it that way. East Africa’s development is indeed a threat to us. Though I do not vigorously develop the colony, isn’t that quite normal? Who treats a colony as their own place to develop!
"These days, an increasing number of ships from Europe to East Africa are transporting primarily steel, indicating that East Africa is undergoing massive development and construction. Once East Africa stops building, it means they have completely digested the African interior."
"What is East Africa doing with so much steel?"
"I guess it’s railways."
"Railways? Is it possible?"
"Anyone with normal hearing can hear the train whistles in the suburbs of the city of Dar es Salaam — that’s a sound unique to trains. Although East Africa is very closed-off, we can still infer that the East African Kingdom has railways. I dare say it is the only country south of the Sahara with railways."
"Moreover, in recent years, the country with the craziest railway development in Europe is Germany. The use of railways in military applications has been fully verified in the Prussia and Austria War and the Prussia War, so it makes perfect sense for the East African Kingdom to value railways. Most importantly, only railways could consume so much steel."
"Then how will East Africa’s railways be built?"
"We can infer from the territory of East Africa. While others may not understand East Africa’s territory, we can guess a bit. Previously, the East African Kingdom occupied the Transvaal and Zulu Kingdoms. The distance from East Africa to South Africa is at least two thousand kilometers. What mode of transportation do you think can closely link the two places?"
"Are you paying?"
"Hmm!"
"Fool, do you think Africa is like the Americas or Europe? Using it to connect East Africa and South Africa — do you know how expensive that is? And would such a long railway be used for the natives? How long would it take to recover the cost? Hundreds of years!"
"In my opinion, if East Africa can build railways along the coastal areas, that would already be impressive. Going as far as connecting East Africa and South Africa would only happen if the Heixinggen royal family wants to be charitable. The problem is even with such charity, few countries can withstand such challenges. The money issue alone is hard to solve, unless someone can persuade a family like Rothschild to invest. But are they that foolish? Unless East Africa has gold."
In reality, East Africa indeed has gold, but the gold from East Africa either remains undeveloped or is not flowing into the international market. International capital has a keen nose like a dog; if a large amount of gold enters the market for cash, the source would be quickly traced.
Therefore, East Africa’s current exports mainly consist of agricultural products. If you tell Europeans to dig for gold, they’d be excited beyond words, willing to dip into their own pockets and swim over. But if you tell them to farm, then Africa wouldn’t be their choice. This is the benefit of Africa’s notorious reputation, summarized from centuries of blood-soaked experience by countless explorers.
