Wild North America 1846

Chapter 593 The Predicament of Johannes IV

Geographically, Ethiopia is adjacent to Sudan and Egypt in North Africa. Since AD ​​670, it has had frequent exchanges with historical European kingdoms and regimes, and is deeply influenced by European culture.

It is the only ancient Christian country in the world of the Near East with a long history of inheritance.

Among the tribes in the Ethiopian plateau, apart from the popular Semitic and tribal languages, English is the common language that most of the upper-class indigenous nobles can master.In addition, there are a small number of nobles who can use French and Spanish proficiently, and there is no obstacle to communication.

The famous letter written by the previous Ethiopian Emperor Menelik II to Queen Victoria of England was written in English.

Letter written by King Johannes IV of Ethiopia, also written in English.

In his wandering court, there are many British and French assistants, as well as some Portuguese advisers, which can be said to be a relatively international royal court.

His Highness Tang-Li Xin could read this autographed letter without hindrance, and he wrote a reply letter in his own hand to send his greetings.

Adhering to the attitude that the world powers have always asked for benefits, His Highness Tang-Li Xin expressed his praise in his reply letter.

He called Johannes IV "the most outstanding king of kings in Ethiopia in history", "a leader with world insight", "dear friend", "an emperor who also flows with ancient and noble blood" and so on.

His Royal Highness Tang-Li Xin's real intention is not to make any fuss about the boundary demarcation.

The border demarcation treaty signed by the Duke of Surel and the empire can only be said to be a preliminary framework plan, which does not have real legal effect.

The plan must be approved by the parliament after the envoys return to their respective empires, and signed by the emperors of both empires before it can take effect. This is an unavoidable and necessary final procedure.

The Ethiopian Emperor Johannes IV, who was familiar with European law codes, knew this well, and it was impossible to fool him.

His Royal Highness Tang-Li Xin simply gave him some high hats, and with a swipe of his pen in joy, the "Treaty of Border Demarcation of Tang and Ai" was firmly established, with an unshakable legal basis, and no one in future generations can overthrow it. .

Eat the fat in your mouth to be safe, and a few kind words will be given away.

These few days

His Royal Highness Tang-Li Xin temporarily postponed his trip back to Suez City for the draft of the border demarcation treaty. The purpose is to finalize the draft and avoid complications.

free time
His Royal Highness obtained a lot of first-hand information about the current chaotic situation on the Ethiopian plateau from the British businessmen Ryan Jacks and James Tomkins, and gained a deeper understanding of the situation of King Johannes IV.

Its predecessor was Prince Kasa of the separatist side, and his nest was in the Tigray area. He was the famous chief of the Tigray tribe in the area.The tribe has a population of about 356 million and has more than 2 tribal warriors, belonging to one of the local separatist forces.

He was conferred the title of prince during the period of Menelik II. This title of prince was established after the title of nobility in Europe. Like the duke, it was awarded to the chiefs of the major tribes to appease the hearts of the people. In fact, there is no other benefit, just to shout It sounds better.

1863

The expeditionary force led by General Napier of the United Kingdom attacked Menelik II. Prince Kasa, as a great chief close to European forces, immediately responded positively and sent tribal warriors to join the crusade army, so he was particularly favored by General Napier.

After the war

The British expeditionary force took away a large amount of spoils, including more than [-] precious religious relics and treasures, most of which came from the Church of the Savior in Magdala.

Among the artifacts are a 15th-century scroll of St. George slaying a dragon, a 500-year-old manuscript manuscript of the Bible, and a wealth of royal jewellery.Including the crown of Theodoros II, a beautifully ornate Coptic cross made of high-quality sterling silver, etc., as well as a lot of wealth collected by the people.

Because Prince Casa was licking enough, plus providing logistics such as black women, cattle and sheep for the British Expeditionary Force, General Napier brought some rifle ammunition and military supplies that could not be taken away, and there were more than 40 doors All the artillery was left to Prince Casa.

Among them, there are about 1.3 smoothbore rifles and hundreds of barrels of black powder.

It is with this batch of advanced weapons and equipment that Prince Kasa was able to rise in the disputes among the princes. Emperor Johannes IV, who was crowned the "King of Kings" in the ancient city of Axum, became the supreme ruler of this land of warlord disputes .

Having said that, many warlords do not agree with him, let alone the absolute authority of Johannes IV.

For seven years from 1866 to the present, Johannes IV has been leading his army to fight in all directions. During this period, there have been wins and losses, but he has never been able to unify the Ethiopian plateau.

The guns and ammunition left by General Napier back then were almost consumed, and there was no money to import a large amount. The equipment of the army under King Johannes IV returned to the era of cold weapons, and it was even more distant to unify the plateau.

The Shaoa Kingdom in the south, as well as several indigenous kingdoms such as Gojam, Wolo, and Simeon, are completely independent. In addition, there are a large number of separatist warlord chiefs who do not obey the orders of Emperor Johannes IV at all. The chaos on the plateau This is the current bad situation.

It has to be said that the Datang Expeditionary Army has caught up with a good time.

The two major regions of Lalemecher and Tower Kuralo in the upper reaches of the Abe River were easily taken over, not only expanding the entire Yunzhong Province to 21 square kilometers, but also taking over the Abe River, which is known as the "North African faucet". The importance of the 800-kilometer upstream section is beyond doubt.

The Abe River, which originated in the Ethiopian plateau, is one of the major rivers with the widest basin in the world. It is called the "Abe River" in the Ethiopian plateau. This river flows from Lake Nata and winds to the border of Sudan for about 800 meters kilometer.

After entering Sudan, the Abe River was called the "Blue Nile" because of the dense forests on both sides of this large river, the clear and rapid water, and the large height difference, which is very conducive to the construction of large water conservancy facilities.

The famous Fuxing Dam of later generations was built in the Gulmuz area of ​​Benny Mountain, 15 kilometers away from the Sudanese border. This is a small place under Lalei Mecher.

After the Blue Nile River flows for hundreds of kilometers, it joins the White Nile River in Khartoum. It travels more than 800 kilometers in Sudan and finally enters Egypt.

After entering Egypt, it became the mother river of Egypt, the "Nile River", winding more than 1200 kilometers in Egypt. The drainage area occupies 3% of Egypt's land, but it concentrates more than 95% of the population and more than 99% of the cultivated land in Egypt. It nurtured the splendid ancient Egyptian civilization.

only in terms of water
The Abe River has a huge amount of water, and along the way there are more than a dozen main tributaries from the Ethiopian plateau. The total water volume can reach more than 85% of the input of the Nile River.

The water volume of the White Nile River is small and unstable, accounting for only about 15% of the total output water volume, which is far from being comparable to that of the Abbe River.

The Tang Empire incorporated the upper reaches of Lalei Macher and Tatai Kuralo into the territory of Yunzhong Province, not only adding 45 black indigenous tribes to the territory, but also adding 8.5 square kilometers of land.Instead, it has mastered the entire "North African faucet" and has the ability to exert strategic influence on major powers in the region.

say unpleasant words

Whether it is Sudan or Egypt, they all have to act according to the eyes of the Tang Empire.Otherwise, Datang can turn off the "North African faucet" at any time, and let the downstream countries eat all the sand.

As long as plans to build dams upstream are reported, these downstream countries will panic. This is really not the slightest lie.

"His Royal Highness, I would like to recommend myself to serve you." Ryan Jax politely gave a gentleman's chest salute, with a flattering smile on his face, and continued with confidence;

"I am a member of the Royal Geographical Society and have a wealth of knowledge in geohydrology. Whether it is building bridges, dams, planning railway lines or drawing professional maps, it is my forte.

Moreover, I have been doing business in the Near East and the Arabian Peninsula for more than ten years. I have traveled all over the mountains and rivers here, and I have made friends with many tribal chiefs and high-level indigenous kingdoms. I am very familiar with the environment in this area.

Believe my experience, this is the person His Highness needs most. "

"You should have a better choice, Mr. Ryan, such as serving the United Kingdom." His Highness Tang Li Xin did not refuse outright, but responded with a warm expression.

The Tang Empire has no shortage of British, Germans or French who came to serve, but there are very few people who are familiar with the situation in Northeast Africa and have rich experience.The Mr. Ryan in front of him is indeed a good choice, which can save Yunzhong Province a lot of detours when making decisions.

But this does not mean that it is a dish when it is picked up on the plate. Always check whether there are any pesticide residues.

Ryan Jax shrugged his shoulders with a wry smile, and said frankly with his hands spread out; "I don't think that is a better choice. In fact, as an expert on Near East issues, I have served the British Colonial Department for many years. .

Reports are submitted irregularly every year, which are special reports on Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, or various regions of the Arabian Peninsula, historical origins or realistic contradictions, hydrogeological conditions, and tribal vendettas.

There are many others like me, such as Father Maclean who is preaching in Khartoum or some others.

And we will also get some similar handouts, maybe a dozen pounds, maybe 20 pounds, not more.

I suspect that no one will take the report seriously, let alone formulate policy based on it.

Maybe it won't be placed on the desk of a big enough person at all, but it will be thrown into a room where the materials are stored, and it will be dusty day after day.

This is very frustrating...

Your Highness, you know I am a Scot, and I don't fit in well with a government full of Englishmen, and they don't give a Scot any more chance.

This kind of superficial perfunctory is even more frustrating, as if to say...

Hey buddy, come grab your meaty bones.Go enjoy it somewhere where no one is around, and leave me alone. "

"Hehehe..."

His Highness Tang-Li Xin couldn't help laughing with a "puchi". He majored in European history in Germany, and he has a deep understanding of the historical grievances and grievances of the English, Scots, and Irish. He knows what kind of helpless emotion.

After hundreds of years of development and evolution, the feudal monarchy in the British Isles has now solidified the class, and even all walks of life have solidified. Various trade guilds and civil organizations will restrict the entry of outsiders, including authentic English and Scots.

This kind of obstinate adherence to traditional, boring and solidified social environment is almost suffocating, and it is also the main reason why many British people go to North America and other colonies in the world to seek development. The domestic crisis is too serious.

Unless you are willing to be a little fart for a lifetime, you will have no future.

This is not like the Great Tang Empire. The society is full of opportunities to get rich overnight, to become a legend, and to rise in class.This is like a magnet that firmly attracts those talented and ambitious people, and they come to work one after another.

Ryan Jax wasn't the first, and he won't be the last.

With a few chuckles, His Royal Highness Tang-Li Xin turned his head to look at Colonel Liu Daqing beside him, and said, "Brother Daqing, I think Mr. Rui En has more comprehensive abilities and is a good helper. I will entrust this person to you." Use it."

"You are very welcome. I am in urgent need of talents in this field." Colonel Liu Daqing nodded in response.

His Highness Tang-Li Xin gave a "hmm", put a smile on his face, and said seriously to Ryan Jax;
"Mr. Ryan, I hope you can understand the true meaning of this arrangement.

In the entire area around the Red Sea, only Yunzhong Province is the overseas colony that the Tang Empire will devote a lot of energy to build, and this place is enough for you to fight.

As for other places, they just maintain the status quo.

At this stage

Yunzhong Province needs to survey and plan railway lines, ascertain the types and quantities of minerals, need coal mines, iron ore and other minerals, and also need to rationally plan bridges, reservoirs and other infrastructure, and these are the fields you are good at.

Your report will not be locked in an iron cabinet, and it will even affect the formulation of the development policy of Yunzhong Province.For example, if we discover high-quality iron ore and coal mines, then we have the foundation for developing the smelting industry.

In this process of changing the historical appearance of the region, I believe that Mr. Ryan will not give up the opportunity to show his talent? "

"I am very honored to be able to develop a small force for Yunzhong Province. Your Highness, you will not be disappointed with today's decision." Ryan Jax expressed his gratitude in a very gentlemanly manner, with a fiery gleam in his eyes.

His life is just a few decades, he is not willing to spend it in a hurry, and now he is ready to roll up his sleeves and do a big job.

"Then your original..."

"Your Highness, I will send a telegram to Cairo to resign from this part-time job. I believe they will be happy to save another salary. Maybe it will enrich their own pockets, who knows?"

"Well, the Preparatory Office of Yunzhong Province will issue you a formal letter of appointment, and it may be more suitable to hire you as an infrastructure consultant."

"Thank you very much Your Highness, I will prove that I am suitable for this job."

(End of this chapter)