African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 211: Southwest Strategy



The United States has the Great Western Development; the East African version should be called the Great Southwest Development. The Westward Movement in the U.S. involved large-scale land grabbing from the East Coast to the inland regions.

Meanwhile, East Africa is undertaking a massive advance into the southwestern region, unlike the already weakened Native Americans, the southwestern region still has quite a few indigenous tribes.

The "pocket" area drawn by Felix is estimated to have an indigenous population of around three million. East Africa now needs these three million people to contribute to the construction of East Africa.

Of course, according to East Africa's usual policy, indigenous children and women are not needed; only young and strong laborers are required.

With such screening, the final "laborers" left amount to around one million, adding to the current East African "laborers," which totals over two million.

Using "laborers" is possible, but they must meet standards. Indigenous children do not have much productivity and waste food, so they are not needed. Women have labor ability but to strictly enforce East Africa's racial policy, not a single one can be left.

East African citizens are divided into three categories: pure White, pure Yellow, and mixed race. Mixed race naturally refers to Yellow-White mixed race. Although the gender ratio in East Africa has been improving, it is still more men than women.

If Black indigenous women were allowed to remain, there'd be no guarantee that some bachelors wouldn't resist temptation and end up with Black offspring, which would then pose a problem for resolution.

Regarding East Africa's gender imbalance issue, Ernst has always emphasized that you can wait, opportunities will come, but if you engage with Black people, you'll be exiled.

The destination of exile is uncertain, but in general, it would be the colony of Alaska. Currently, over three hundred people have enjoyed this treatment.

The East African government repeatedly stresses these cases to East African residents, advising them not to take it lightly. Once they reach Alaska, they'll find that crying out to heaven won't help them, nor will crying out to earth.

Moreover, once exiled to Alaska, don't expect to bring Black offspring or Black women to Alaska; as for how they're dealt with...

Currently, Alaska has a population of over twenty thousand. Excluding regular immigrants and "criminals" who marry indigenous people, there are over a thousand criminals.

Ordinarily, those who aren't egregiously evil don't enjoy such treatment. Law has always existed in East Africa, and its oversight has been continually strengthened, but among more than two million people, there are always some who never change their ways.

East Africa's western expansion has already reached the eastern basin of the upper Congo River. Further west lies vast tropical rainforests.

In terms of ability, East Africa could continue westward, as the Belgians colonized the entire Congo Basin by moving upstream along the Congo River. If East Africa continues westward, they would be moving downstream, which is more convenient.

However, development in the rainforest area is too difficult, and Ernst also wants to observe whether, after East Africa occupies the prime areas of Congo (the plateau and mountainous regions), Leopold of Belgium will continue to focus on Congo as he did in a previous life.

What remains for Leopold in the Congo is just the large area of rainforest in the lower Congo Basin, lacking minerals, and the land is hard to develop, leaving only abundant timber. The rainforest population isn't large either, so if Leopold wants to recoup, he can only adopt more extreme exploitation strategies.

Blocked from the east and south of the Congo Basin by East Africa, and west by the Portuguese and French, only the northern highland areas remain promising, which is Central Africa and the Chad region.

Currently, the forces there are mixed, besides the original indigenous tribes, several kingdoms expelled by East Africa from the Great Lakes Region, and some northern tribes have all flooded there.

Actually, calling Belgian Congo just "Congo" is somewhat inappropriate. The true Congo Kingdom was in Angola and the small segment near the Congo River's estuary. The Congo Basin's name derives from this nation. Regardless, there isn't much good land left for Belgium.

Precipitation in central and southern Africa, divided by the Zambia and Congo's Katanga Plateau, gradually decreases as it moves southwards. Its climate, terrain, and East Africa's are basically aligned, which is why East Africa is focused on southwestern expansion.

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Thus, even after annexing Zambia, East Africa remains a plateau country. In the future, as long as a railway is built, the two regions can be connected.

Expanding southward is certain to involve dealings with the Portuguese. The southern grasslands of Zambia are an important source for Portuguese ivory trade.

An east-west transverse ivory trade route has always existed across southern Africa, with the Kazemb Kingdom as a key node on this trade route.

On both ends are Portuguese colonies of Angola and Mozambique. Even if East Africa swallows the central region, it wouldn't border Angola. The only entity with real capability to intervene in East Africa is Mozambique.

But now, East Africa's courage has grown, especially since Chief of Army Felix is a hawkish figure in East Africa, and Prince Constantine is also from a military background; both have served in the Prussian army.

The conduct of the Prussian military is well known throughout Europe, so the current government state of East Africa is imaginable: expansion, expansion, and more expansion.

Were it not for Ernst and Sivert mediating between them, Prince Constantine might have stripped the surrounding indigenous forces around Mozambique clean.

...

"East Africa's First Cavalry Regiment is assembled!"

"Very well, the Kazemb Kingdom has refused East Africa's goodwill; shall we now offer them a bit of cavalry shock?"

"Follow my command, directly charge into the center of the Kazemb Kingdom, capture their high-ranking members, don't be afraid if hostages are missing limbs, as long as we hold them in our hands, what need is there to worry about their compliance!"

The so-called goodwill of the East African government is not without reason. When the Yake Kingdom was sold to the East African government by Mwesili, some affiliate powers took the opportunity to rely on surrounding countries.

Some Kazemb Kingdom chiefs also participated in this division feast. Now, the East African government demands they return the swallowed profits, and the Kazemb Kingdom, never having suffered a blow from East Africa, naturally refuses.

If it were the Malawi Kingdom, which regularly interacts with the East African government and Mozambique colony, it would probably have prepared a scapegoat long ago and made amends themselves.

...

"Hehe, after listening to my advice, isn't it more comfortable than living in the Yake Kingdom? That fellow Afonso is willing to be a dog for the Germans, but little does he know German's wolfish ambition will eventually backfire; unlike Kazemb Kingdom, here remains the domain of us Portuguese, and where isn't there a market for business in Africa? The Yake Kingdom barely has any living people now, and even if Afonso wanted to monopolize the Yake Kingdom market, he'd struggle to find suppliers." Santos said triumphantly to his underlings.

Upon returning to Kazemb, Santos quickly reconnected with previous partners. The Portuguese, originally lacking manpower in Africa, soon agreed to Santos and his group's joining. Santos, having accumulated considerable assets in the Yake Kingdom, now has a substantial following, thriving in the Kazemb Kingdom.

"Boss, don't worry, as the saying goes, he who laughs last laughs best; there'll be a day when Afonso will cry."

Whether Afonso cries is uncertain, but Santos and his group will soon find they cannot laugh anymore.


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