African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1601 The Habsburg Monarchy

Now that it is the 20th century, East Africa can no longer replicate the large-scale expulsion and massacre of African natives as it did in the 19th century. Not to mention the opposition from the international community, even the people of East Africa themselves would find it difficult to accept this psychologically.

Therefore, in the future, the majority of the population in West Africa will inevitably still be black. Currently, the population of West Africa is about 40 to 50 million, while the Kingdom of South Germany has only more than 5 million, barely exceeding one-tenth.

Even with a population of 20 to 30 million, the Kingdom of South Germany could only barely manage to better isolate the black population of West Africa.

Of course, East Africa is not entirely relying on the Kingdom of South Germany to become the population bulwark of East Africa. In the future, there will be mixed-race German communities like Togoland that will be placed in West Africa to act as representatives of East Africa's interests in West Africa.

Moreover, it should be noted that the Kingdom of South Germany may also face the problem of declining birth rates in the future. Currently, the Kingdom of South Germany is already the second richest country in Africa, after East Africa, both in terms of size and per capita income.

If East Africa doesn't suppress the Kingdom of South Germany, optimistically, it could become a newly industrialized nation within two or three decades, similar to Canada next to the United States. However, if the Kingdom of South Germany doesn't work hard, it might end up like the "Argentina of Africa."

Even Argentina, which had experienced the Great Depression, was an "ideal country" envied by those backward or war-torn regions of Asia, Africa and Latin America in this era.

South American countries, like their colonial powers Spain and Portugal, are neither rich nor poor. If it weren't for the interference of external forces, they would probably be living a more comfortable life and would lack ambition.

As for the Kingdom of South Germany at present, it is quite ambitious, because it still has the potential to develop into a regional power.

In particular, if it can actually occupy the land on the eastern side of the lower reaches of Niger and the port of Harcourt in the future, it would be equivalent to acquiring about a quarter of the land of Nigeria in the previous life.

Nigeria was once the largest country in Africa in terms of both population and economy. Even though the quality of its land in the east is relatively poor, its potential should not be underestimated. This is also due to the rich oil and gas resources in its southeast.

By occupying its southeastern part, the Kingdom of South Germany could become a major oil and gas resource country in the world.

Ambassador Clement's words still hinted at Wilhelm II's view that East Africa encouraged South Germany to further encroach on Nigerian territory, but the current international situation was not a good time.

William II was quite patient, saying, "Ambassador Clement, do you mean we should wait until Britain is unable to attend to Nigeria before taking action?"

Ambassador Clement stated bluntly, "That's exactly right. Right now, it's not easy for the Kingdom of South Germany to have a direct conflict with Britain. South Germany can focus on developing its economy and absorbing your western territories for the time being."

Wilhelm II nodded and said, "The economy of southern Germany is indeed still very backward, perhaps only at the level of East Africa in the 1970s. We moved the capital to Bennu for the sake of the future."

The development of East Africa in the 1970s can be summarized as follows: at that time, East Africa was a large agricultural country with a certain level of industry.

The Kingdom of South Germany progressed more slowly in economic and industrial development than East Africa at the same stage of development because they missed the German immigration boom and spent most of the time during the reign of Wilhelm I waging war and expanding their territory.

The enemies they faced were also much stronger than those in East Africa in the past. The countries and forces that East Africa dealt with in the early days were either uncivilized natives or declining colonial empires like Portugal.

South Germany's opponent was the Nigerian armed forces heavily supported by Britain. Because Britain had suffered a great loss in East Africa in the 19th century due to underestimating its enemy, it was very wary of South Germany.

Not to mention the British behind Nigeria, Nigeria itself is not an easy opponent. It can be said that before the Age of Exploration, the region where Nigeria is located was the most civilized area south of the Sahara Desert.

The Qanem-Bornu Empire, once the main rival of the Kingdom of South Germany, was not much different from other Arab civilizations. It had an efficient administrative system and a powerful cavalry force, which enabled it to dominate the Sahel region for over a thousand years.

It's important to know that when East Africa was expanding outwards, it basically never encountered organized Black cavalry forces, except in North Africa and Northeast Africa.

The Kingdom of South Germany was able to successfully launch its westward expedition because it was in a favorable period. At that time, the Kingdom of Kanem-Bornu was basically in the late stages of its dynasty. At the same time, it was threatened by Britain to the west and France to the north. However, this country still caused great trouble for the Kingdom of South Germany militarily.

It should be noted that by the end of the 19th century, the Kingdom of Kanem-Bornu was also equipped with a large number of firearms and was not as backward as one might imagine. Its equipment level was roughly equivalent to that of the Far Eastern Empires in the early to mid-19th century.

In contrast, the opponents in East Africa at that time were far inferior. Among them, the Zulu Kingdom was one of the more powerful indigenous regimes encountered in East Africa, but it was still in the era of cold weapons, and its equipment level was not even comparable to most ancient feudal kingdoms in history.

Zulu soldiers were even equipped with clubs and throwing weapons, making them essentially a large primitive tribe.

In the field of traditional handicrafts, the Kingdom of Kanem-Bornu was far more powerful than the Kingdom of Zulu, possessing skilled techniques in textiles, metallurgy, and leather making. As a result, the soldiers of the Kingdom of Kanem-Bornu had a rich arsenal of cold weapons, including swords, spears, bows and crossbows, as well as iron armor.

Zulu soldiers' armor consisted mainly of cowhide or wooden shields, and they struggled to even produce their own clothing, let alone armor.

In conclusion, the expansion of the Kingdom of South Germany was far less successful than that of East Africa in the 19th century. Therefore, industrial development in the Kingdom of South Germany was relatively slow during the reign of Wilhelm I.

The already limited resources were poured into the war, which hindered development in areas including immigration and industry.

It is also clear here that when the Kingdom of South Germany rose to power, the area they occupied, namely the Chari River and Lake Chad basin, was far less resource-rich than the East African region, the birthplace of East Africa.

Therefore, the early economy of the Kingdom of South Germany relied more on agricultural output, and even in terms of agricultural conditions, the scale of arable land and water resources were far inferior to those of early East Africa.

This is why the Kingdom of South Germany had an even stronger desire for the fertile lands of Nigeria to the west, to the point that it moved its capital to Bennu.

Bennu, less than 200 kilometers from the border, is far less safe than the original New Sigmaringen (N'Djamena, the capital of Chad).

This can be seen in the historical war between the United States and Canada, namely the War of 1892. Although the United States was clearly stronger than Canada, it was still defeated by the British, who even burned down the White House, the capital of the United States at the time.

Bennu also faces similar security risks because it is very close to the British sphere of influence.

However, in order to absorb the lands expanded in the west, moving the capital to Benue was a more advantageous option for the Kingdom of South Germany. Benue was located on the banks of the Benue River and was an important transportation hub with convenient water transport, which could strengthen the Kingdom of South Germany's control over the west.

Moreover, compared to the old capital Neusigmallingen, Bennu has far more favorable conditions for development. Although the eastern part of the Kingdom of South Germany has the Charri River and Lake Chad, water resources remain relatively scarce. Large-scale development in the east, if it results in ecologically destructive development, could lead to a vicious cycle for the eastern part of the Kingdom of South Germany in the future.

Of course, the Kingdom of South Germany also had a hidden agenda: controlling the upper reaches of the Shari River basin in East Africa was clearly not safe enough.

The Benue River, where Bennu is located, does not encounter this problem. Most of its basin is controlled by the Kingdom of South Germany, with only a small portion originating in Cameroon Province in East Africa, and is minimally affected by East Africa.

Wilhelm II, of course, would not say this aloud; it was an unspoken understanding between the two countries.

East Africa wouldn't care much about the Kingdom of South Germany's little schemes. Even if it moved its capital to Bennu, it would only mean that the capital would be freed from some of East Africa's influence.

The more than three million people in the eastern part of the Kingdom of South Germany are a real number. Even if the economic and population center of the Kingdom of South Germany shifts westward in the future, it will be impossible for it to completely get rid of its dependence on East Africa.

Although the territory of the Kingdom of South Germany is close to 200 million square kilometers, its effective land area is very limited, concentrated in the south, about 600,000 square kilometers. This includes a large part of the Sahra region, which is only suitable for nomadic life and has a fragile ecosystem. Only the southernmost part is suitable for industrial and agricultural development, while most of the northern and eastern areas are deserts.

Furthermore, the southern settlements, shaped like a carrying pole, are distributed along the border of East Africa. At the same time, the elevation of East Africa is higher than that of South Germany, giving East Africa a superior military advantage over South Germany. Not to mention, many strategic locations and passes along the border between the two countries are controlled by East Africa, leaving the Kingdom of South Germany with virtually no defensible terrain.

The only way for the Kingdom of South Germany to break free from East African control was to annex the entire country of Nigeria, thus gaining sufficient territorial depth. However, East Africa clearly could not allow South Germany to exceed its control.

The eastern side of the Niger River is the final border that East Africa can tacitly accept the control of the Kingdom of South Germany.

Ambassador Clement has repeatedly emphasized this point: East Africa supports the Kingdom of South Germany in acquiring land east of Niger, but further west is not possible.

If the Kingdom of South Germany were to annex the entire country of Nigeria, it would have the potential to develop into a world superpower with a population of over 100 million and abundant resources such as oil and gas.

Based on the population size of Nigeria in the previous life, if South Germany had occupied the area, it would have been easy to support 300 million people. And you should know that the current population of East Africa is only 200 million.

Therefore, Nigeria must not be occupied by any one country.

……

East Africa, Rhine City.

Recently, East Africa has been planning to build a second German state in West Africa, and the first German state in West Africa will naturally be South Germany.

Inside the Rhine Palace, former Austro-Hungarian Emperor Rudolf, Crown Prince Karl, and other members of the Habsburg royal family were discussing with the Rhine royal family the issue of the Habsburgs re-establishing a state in Africa.

Crown Prince Frederick said, "East Africa now needs to cultivate new power in West Africa, and I think this is a good option for the Habsburgs. In the future, the Habsburgs may be able to build a new Habsburg monarchy in West Africa."

Emperor Rudolf was not interested in the idea, but Crown Prince Karl and other young Habsburgs were different.

Crown Prince Karl inquired, "If we want to establish a country in West Africa, how would it work in East Africa?"

Crown Prince Frederick said, "We can sell you a piece of land in northern Togoland as the foundation for your re-establishment of the state."

"Togoland is an important colony of ours in East Africa, and it plays an important role in East Africa's control of the waters around Guinea. Therefore, we cannot sell the whole of Togoland; we must keep the south."

"Now, you have two choices. Choose the Natigutin region in northeastern Togoland, which borders the Kingdom of Dahomey. In the future, you can expand eastward toward the Kingdom of Dahomey and Nigeria."

"Alternatively, we could choose the Bortanja region in the northwest, which borders Ghana and would be advantageous for westward expansion."

"Of course, the choice is yours. It will not be easy to expand your territory in the future by relying on these two places. You will have to confront the British or French colonial powers."

"However, apart from Britain and France, there should be no force in the surrounding area that can stop you. After all, Britain and France have not developed these colonies to a very high degree, and their local power is not suffocating."

After a moment's thought, Crown Prince Karl said, "To the east is closer to the Niger River basin. The Kingdom of Dahomey and Nigeria are both West African territories, especially Nigeria, which has very good conditions. However, there is clearly more room for development to the west."

"However, for us, it mainly depends on the strength of the enemies in the two directions. To the east, we will first encounter the French, while to the west, we will face the British."

This is indeed a very difficult problem for the Habsburg royal family, since both Britain and France pose a very difficult challenge to the now powerless Habsburg royal family.

At this moment, Emperor Rudolf, who had remained silent until now, spoke up: "Karl, if you really want to replicate the founding experience of the Kingdom of East Africa and the Kingdom of South Germany and establish a Habsburg monarchy in West Africa, I think you should choose to develop in the eastward direction."

Crown Prince Karl asked, "Father, what suggestions do you have?"

Emperor Rudolf sneered, "Because France is the most opportune place for us. Now that Germany has annexed Austria-Hungary, there is a high probability that they will not give up their mortal enemy France in the future."

"Therefore, within ten years, Germany will definitely declare war on France. At that time, France will have no time to care about their colonies."

"As for the British, their relationship with Germany is difficult to fathom, so there is still a possibility of peace between Germany and Britain."

"There is another factor we must take into account, namely the greater strength of the British navy. If we were to set our sights on British colonies, we would be more likely to suffer a fiercer counterattack."

"Taking these two reasons together, choosing to expand eastward is the best solution for our Habsburg dynasty to re-establish itself as a nation."

(End of this chapter)