African Entrepreneurship Record-Chapter 649 - 337: Sharing Pressure

The Hessen Province railway is divided into two parts: one is the Northern section of the Central Railway, and the other is the midwestern section of the Northern Railway, which has always been personally overseen by Prince Karl.

Now that the Ministry of Railways has given the green light, the most excited person about the start of construction on the midwestern section of the Northern Railway is Prince Karl. After all, this railway is crucial to the development of the Sigmaringen royal territory.

So, early in the morning, Prince Karl went to Constantine to inquire about the details. As for Ernst, who is still in Europe, he naturally had no experience to offer.

"Brother, with the railway starting construction this time, how long is the estimated construction period?" Prince Karl asked directly.

Constantine: "According to past experience, if we go all out, it could be completed in two to three years. However, this railway is significantly different from previous railways built in East Africa, with a massive volume of work. Moreover, many projects need manpower now, so I can't give you a firm timeline. However, the Ministry of Railways has estimated four to five years."

"Four to five years, isn't that too long?"

"The Ministry of Railways mentioned that while engineering issues are manageable, the main concern is that extensive testing must be conducted before the railway opens because the area this railway traverses is highly risky, with potential threats of floods, mudslides, and landslides at any time. Therefore, they must eliminate these safety hazards before operation, which involves some line alterations and potentially significant revisions."

Tropical railways, especially those in tropical rainforest areas, are notoriously troublesome to construct. The situation in East Africa is relatively better. In areas like the Amazon rainforest, building a railway is impossible, and traveling by boat is more convenient.

In a past life, the edge of the Congo rainforest was much better than the Amazon rainforest, with a denser population. However, the basin topography also led to heavy downstream flooding, which is one of the reasons why East Africa focused on developing the edge of the Congo basin.

"This year, to develop the Sigmaringen royal territory, we specifically recruited more people from the Far East, allowing us to more quickly replace the black population in the Sigmaringen royal territory. After all, black people are an unstable factor, even in East Africa. They are used only temporarily; otherwise, there will definitely be a situation where the guest usurps the host."

Under the influence of Ernst day after day, Constantine also agrees with this principle, namely that black people are an uncontrollable factor and should not be blinded by short-term interests.

"Brother, I don't really have thoughts in this regard, but I'll definitely take what you've said seriously," said Prince Karl.

There wasn't much choice but to agree, as the development of the Sigmaringen royal territory relied on East Africa. Therefore, the values of East Africa were essentially the values of the Sigmaringen royal territory. Otherwise, why would East Africa relinquish such a large piece of land?

"I'm considering this out of family interest. Take the Americans, for instance; their ancestors probably never imagined that one day slaves would turn the tables. Egypt's Mamluks also saw slaves become rulers of the country, and this has already happened in many countries in the Americas. Haiti even directly became a nation of black people."

Constantine exaggerated a bit with this statement. Although black people in America were emancipated, they are far from turning the tables. Many black people did gain freedom but lost their livelihoods.

As a result, black people continuously entered America's grey and black industries, adding fuel to the fire for America's social security issues.

"If they had some special skills, that would be one thing. But now, countries like America are in disorder, and in the future, black people will only become a significant group tearing America apart, as they cannot integrate into American society but play a crucial role."

"Of course, this has little to do with us in high positions, but black people are indeed not the ideal ruling class, and their level of enlightenment is too low. At least American blacks have been planting cotton in the Americas for hundreds of years. Many black people in Africa have yet to move beyond the stage of eating raw food and living like beasts."

Changing the lifestyle and moral views of a backward ethnic group requires massive effort, not to mention the time costs, which East Africa is unwilling to invest. The simplest and most effective way is to completely eliminate these hidden dangers from East Africa. Therefore, the Sigmaringen royal territory, as a northern shield for East Africa, naturally needs to align with East Africa. Otherwise, these efforts in East Africa would be in vain.

However, East Africa may not be without intentions of using the Sigmaringen royal territory as a future population reservoir, which would certainly benefit East Africa.

As the Sigmaringen royal territory's population increases, the local black population can be completely marginalized, forming a buffer zone in northern East Africa—similar to "growing crops to eliminate weeds in the field"—and it is a gradual, prolonged strategy.

"This year, we have relaxed some immigration restrictions, so we might recruit hundreds of thousands more people than last year, partly to support the development of the Sigmaringen royal territory," said Constantine.

In reality, this is also due to the staff shortages in Somalia's "Europe-Asia Fruit Basket Plan," which is why East Africa relaxed this year's immigration standards.

Constantine continued: "However, some words need to be clarified with you in advance, namely that a large influx of Chinese immigrants into the Sigmaringen royal territory might not be a good thing. White immigration must keep up. In this regard, we in East Africa are unable to help, so you should ask Carol I to think of more solutions."

"The European immigration industry is currently in dire straits. In fact, other immigrants don't really matter; it's just that German immigrants are especially lacking. Otherwise, I wouldn't be so worried," said Prince Karl.

"I do have an idea. There are many Germanized Slavs in the southern part of Austria-Hungary. As long as you can ensure control over the Sigmaringen royal territory, Germanization can be steadily promoted. The most important element is building an armed force," Constantine suggested.

During the colonial era of East Africa, stability was maintained by the military, which in turn ensured the progress of various activities.

Now, as East Africa develops, there is clearly more focus on the economy, while military development tends to be more rational, because East Africa is not Germany, surrounded by strong enemies, including France, which is always ready to seek revenge.

In other words, East Africa is increasingly transitioning towards a normal country, while the Sigmaringen royal territory doesn't need to go down this path and should instead place more importance on military construction.

Currently, the Sigmaringen royal territory is a primary colony, and ruling with straightforward, even brute-force methods, is acceptable. Moreover, the Sigmaringen royal territory faces no fewer competitors than East Africa does—it is already near West Africa, with France, Spain, Portugal, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands, creating a highly complex situation.

After all, this area is both the source of the black slave trade and known for its Gold Coast and Ivory Coast, the earliest colonized regions in Africa, leading to a highly complex network of powers. This complexity is also why Ernst chose East Africa as the starting point for his venture, because West Africa is too competitive.

However, compared to East Africa, West Africa's conditions are not inferior, with no real resource deficiencies. If it weren't for the mineral resources underpinning it in Matebel Province and Heixinggen Province, East Africa's conditions wouldn't compare favorably with West Africa. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Constantine's suggestion for Prince Karl to build an army is also motivated by family interests. In a past life, the French influence had penetrated Chad, and East Africa cannot indefinitely help guard Sigmaringen's home front. East Africa itself has an extensive border, presenting a substantial defense pressure, and hopes for the Sigmaringen royal territory to grow and share this burden.