African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1708 Mess

There is indeed a plan to build another North African railway, the so-called Eastern North African Railway, which would pass through Egypt and eventually reach the Mediterranean. It's still just a plan because Egypt is currently within the British sphere of influence, so while there are ideas in East Africa, they remain merely ideas at this point.

East Africa paid a huge price for the construction of the western North African railway line, which is the one that is now open.

However, this railway is also profitable, such as the trade between East Africa and Europe, although the volume of North African railways is negligible compared to the Suez Canal.

However, the goods transported via this railway are inherently different from those transported via the Suez Canal.

For example, for goods that are more time-sensitive, the most typical example is the export of tropical fruits and vegetables to Europe. With the North African Railway, the export of tropical fruits and vegetables from East Africa to Europe has actually surpassed that of the Caribbean region, becoming the optimal route.

Imports of tropical fruits and vegetables to Europe can be broadly divided into four major categories based on their place of origin: the Caribbean, South America, Africa, and Asia (South Asia and Southeast Asia).

Historically, the Caribbean region had the greatest advantage in exports to Europe among the four production areas.

This is because the Caribbean region has a clear advantage over other regions in terms of maritime transport and trade with Europe.

The trade winds of the North Atlantic and the Canary Current-North Equatorial Current-Gulf Current system form a perfect circulation.

European ships sailed south to the west coast of Africa, then used trade winds and ocean currents to travel west to the Caribbean. On their return journey, they used the powerful Gulf Stream and westerly winds to sail north back to Europe.

This route is efficient and reliable, and is also known as the "trade wind route". Compared with Asia and East Africa, the transatlantic distance is shorter and the voyage is controllable.

The situation actually changed somewhat after the Suez Canal opened, making travel from East Africa and Asia to Eastern Europe much more convenient.

However, the Caribbean region still holds an overall advantage, but this situation was completely resolved after the construction of the North African Railway in East Africa.

East Africa has a well-developed railway network, so agricultural products that require high timeliness and are destined for Europe can be transported via the East African railway network, first to the North African railway, and finally exported through the port of Benghazi.

Instead of bypassing the Suez Canal or the protruding parts of northwestern Africa, it slowly and leisurely arrives in Europe.

The North African Railway connects East Africa and Europe, allowing for land transport at both ends, with only an 800-kilometer sea voyage required in the middle.

In contrast, the sailing distance from Kingston, Jamaica, a port in the relatively central part of the Caribbean, to Southampton, England, is about 7,500 kilometers. Even the straight-line distance from Barbados, the easternmost point of the Caribbean, to Europe is more than 5,700 kilometers.

A more intuitive comparison of time: East Africa, relying on the North African Railway, can export goods from all over the country to Europe in less than a week, while the Caribbean region usually takes at least half a month to reach Europe.

With proper route planning, goods from North East Africa can reach Europe in less than five days. This means that by using the North African railway, the export time of fruits and vegetables from East Africa to Europe is reduced by at least half compared to the Caribbean region.

As a result, even though transportation costs in East Africa are still higher than in the Caribbean, the competitiveness of East African fruits and vegetables has actually improved compared to those in the Caribbean.

After all, in this era, the group in Europe that can afford to consume imported fruits and vegetables is at least not short of money, and they value the freshness and quality of the products.

As long as they can capture the market, East African agricultural export companies are willing to pay for reasonable transportation costs, especially since there are subsidies and preferential policies from East Africa and Italy in the early stages of the North African railway's opening.

Similarly, the export of European goods to East Africa, such as Italian wine and Dalmatian frozen meat, follows the same principle.

In other words, the North African Railway has already brought considerable economic benefits to East Africa and Italy, and this is only the initial stage.

In the long run, the North African railway has greater potential. For example, the development of Cyrenaica's oil resources will bring revenue to the railway, as will the rise of the electronics industry.

Beyond its economic benefits, the strategic significance of the North African Railway goes without saying. For East Africa, it is a powerful tool for expanding markets and increasing influence, while for Italy, it is an important channel for obtaining energy, food, and strategic materials.

Therefore, East Africa and Italy reached a consensus during this period on maintaining the healthy development and long-term stable operation of the North African railway.

The North African Railway lived up to expectations, fulfilling all of East Africa's previous hopes for it, and even bringing many unexpected benefits to East Africa.

However, it is almost impossible to build a new route connecting Tripoli in East Africa.

The main problem is that it's difficult to balance construction costs and final profits. The existing North African railways have already eaten up most of the profits, making it difficult for newcomers to get a share.

As for the eastern route, which passes through Egypt, the reason why East Africa is still considering it is because Egypt's natural conditions are more favorable.

Egypt's population and economy are mainly concentrated along the Nile River, so there is no need to worry about cost recovery when building the eastern North African railway line in the future.

Apart from the Nile River basin, there is no other region in the Sahara Desert with such a dense population and economy.

Even now, the conditions for building the western section of the North African railway in East Africa are second only to those in Egypt. After all, the Darfur region, through which most of the western section of the North African railway passes, is essentially half of East Africa's territory.

Therefore, once the North African railway is completed, it will drive the development of the Darfur region, and East Africa is willing to pay some price for it. How could other places possibly receive such treatment?

Even for the East African route that East Africa intends to build in the future, East Africa will most likely refuse if Egypt does not take the initiative to make concessions or bear part of the construction costs.

Egypt's relationship with East Africa is somewhat similar to Vietnam's relationship with the Far Eastern Empire in the past. Whether Egypt wants to build the eastern line of the North African railway is like Vietnam's desire to build the North-South high-speed railway in the past. If they want to take all the benefits without contributing their own efforts or making concessions, East Africa probably won't even bother with them.

“Thanks to the North African Railway, a road to wealth, Cyrenaica province is already capable of becoming a separate economic zone, so there is no need to tie it to the Tripoli colony,” said the senior official, Santini.

"Trade in ancient North Africa was mainly east-west, with regimes like the Arab Empire and the Ottoman Empire expanding their territories westward along the land."

"Therefore, Tripoli and Cyrenaica are easily integrated into a whole."

"But times have changed. Now Cyrenaica province not only has the ability to be self-reliant, but it can also live a better life."

In fact, in ancient times, Tripoli and Cyrenaica mostly lived independently or existed as part of a common empire.

For example, the Arab Empire and the Ottoman Empire, which were mentioned by the senior official Santini earlier.

Of course, the high-ranking official Santini had not yet mentioned an important country, namely ancient Rome, but his next words were somewhat related to the ancient Roman Empire.

"Now, we Italians rule Cyrenaica and Tripoli, which is the first step in restoring the Roman Empire's territory." "Under the new order centered on Rome, the center of Cyrenaica and Tripoli will naturally be Rome, not Tripoli or Benghazi."

Under Benito’s rule, the Italian government’s ambition was obvious: to transform Italy into a new-era Roman Empire.

To achieve this grand goal, Italy would eventually restore the territory of the Roman Empire, that is, to turn the entire Mediterranean Sea into its own inland sea.

Therefore, with Rome, the current capital of Italy, as the core, there is no need for a unified core in the Libyan region. Cyrenaica and Tripoli can simply accept Italian rule.

Minister Derna said, "Your Excellency's insight is profound. Ultimately, it is the value that Cyrenaica Province is demonstrating that has gained local attention."

"Without the North African railway, a major trade artery, it is estimated that Cyrenaica Province would hardly be able to become a separate province."

In order to save on administrative expenses and facilitate management, traditional colonists preferred to integrate many colonies when carrying out colonial activities.

For example, the British Indian colony was an absolute behemoth, as were Canada, Australia, and the original thirteen North American colonies—all were quite large.

France also created Indochina in Southeast Asia, forcibly uniting Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia together, and did the same in West Africa.

Therefore, it is not surprising that Italy colonized Libya as a whole in its previous life.

Today, Cyrenaica province is clearly no longer a colony; it has become a completely Italianized region, and the ethnic groups living on this land have been thoroughly transformed by Italy.

This is probably the version that France most hopes to see with Algeria.

The Santini official said with a hint of schadenfreude, "Maintaining the status quo is actually not bad, so we don't have to jump into the quagmire of Tripoli."

"If the two merge, we'll definitely have to clean up the mess in Tripoli, which will be a real headache. I think Governor Massimi probably doesn't realize the situation he's facing yet!"

……

Just as Santini's superiors had thought, Governor Massimi was still unaware of the true state of Tripoli he had taken over.

He was in high spirits seeing off the departing former French governor of Libya, Deponty.

"Governor Deponty, take one last look at this city! If I ever want to come back again, I'll probably only be able to do so as a tourist, reminiscing about these past days."

On the docks of the port, Governor Massimi spoke to Deponty.

Facing the smug Governor Massimi, Deponty responded with a smile: "Your Excellency Massimi, you should actually be most worried about yourself right now."

"We have handed Libya over to your country in full accordance with the terms of the Warsaw Pact, but whether Italy can take over smoothly in the end depends on your capabilities."

Looking at Deponty, who seemed completely unfazed and showed no signs of disappointment, Governor Massimi had a bad feeling.

He asked calmly, "What do you mean by that? Did you give me a big gift before you left?"

Governor Massimi emphasized the word "great gift," suspecting that the French might have planted some kind of obstacle before leaving.

Faced with his questioning, Deponti spread his hands and said, "Your Excellency Massimi, you don't need to judge me by my own standards. I can assure God that we absolutely did not plant any obstacles for your country to take over Libya."

"Although leaving Libya is indeed a sad thing for us, leaving here is also a relief. I believe you will understand what I mean once you are familiar with the local situation."

"However, I estimate that we will hardly see each other again in the future. Next, I need to return to my country to report on my work, so there is no need for you to see me off, Your Excellency Massimi."

Deponty spoke frankly, but Governor Massimi clearly didn't want to hear what this Frenchman was saying, and his expression turned serious.

"Oh, that's for the best. But even if you do something underhanded, we're not afraid. Goodbye for now, and have a pleasant journey home!"

Governor Massimi spoke forcefully to Deponty's retreating figure as he turned to leave.

Although he was certain that the French might have left some hidden traps to cause him trouble, as Massimi himself said, he didn't care.

At this moment, the Italian Deputy Governor of Tripoli, Antar, whispered to him, "Your Excellency, aren't you worried that the French might have prepared some kind of 'gift' for us? It would be better to investigate carefully."

The deputy governor of Tripoli was also the colonial official sent to Tripoli by the Italian government. After all, it was impossible for Italy's overseas colonies to completely remove those powerful governors from its control.

Governor Massimi said to Antar, "Your worries are completely unnecessary. After all, in the face of absolute power, all schemes and tricks are no match for it."

"Even if the French have some kind of conspiracy, we have nothing to fear. Are they going to start a war with us?"

Antar thought about it and agreed. The French had now completely withdrawn, including the French colonial troops in what was formerly French Libya, who had returned home along with Deponty.

Without officials and troops, the only French people left in Libya are French businessmen and immigrants, but the number of French businessmen and immigrants in Libya is not very large to begin with.

Without military support, what are these people to the Italian colonial government? Not to mention that mainland Italy is very close to here, and even if something serious happens, Antal thinks he can handle it completely.

Governor Massimi said with a serious expression, "Although we don't know what the French are planning, we can't let our guard down completely."

"Immediately arrange for someone to move all the intelligence on Tripoli to my office. As the saying goes, 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.' Once we have a clear understanding of the intelligence on Tripoli, we can deal with the problem with ease."

The Governor-General's Palace in Massimiliano was actually the former governor-general's palace built by the French in Libya. Although Libya was not very important to France, it had been managed for many years and had most of the basic facilities. However, after the negotiations at the Warsaw Conference, these facilities now benefited the Italians.

Although Antar was the deputy governor, he naturally had to obey the duties of the governor-general, Massimi.

Soon, the intelligence on Tripoli was compiled and placed on Massimi's new office desk. After reviewing it, he finally gained a preliminary understanding of the so-called "mess."
(End of this chapter)