African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1730 The Habsburg Family's Intentions

1939 4 Month 11 Day.

West Africa.

The situation in West Africa has recently become relatively tense due to the impact of the war in Europe, although the war in Europe is unlikely to affect West Africa.

However, in order to counter Germany, Britain and France had begun to withdraw troops and resources from West Africa, and for a time, the entire West Africa was thrown into chaos.

Aside from the Axis powers, the countries most excited after Germany declared war on France were probably the Habsburg monarchy and the new Austrian kingdom in West Africa.

Nattigingu, the capital of the Habsburg monarchy.

With the support of East Africa and the governance of the Habsburg family, Natitingu has grown to a considerable size, with its town boundaries expanding outwards.

At that moment, a motorcade was driving into the streets of Natitlingu. The motorcade was not large, but the flags it carried were eye-catching, namely the flag of the new Kingdom of Austria.

In the middle of the convoy, in a car, sat Ferdinand I, the current monarch of the new Austrian Kingdom, formerly Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary.

The citizens of Nattigingu were already used to King Ferdinand's arrival.

Whether it was the Habsburg Monarchy or the New Austrian Kingdom, both royal families were originally from the Habsburg family, so their ties were naturally very close in the unfamiliar land of West Africa.

The distance from Dapon, the capital of the new Austrian Kingdom, to Natitlingu is only a little over 100 kilometers, so King Ferdinand often went to Natitlingu to discuss the situation with Charles I and exchange information.

Soon, Ferdinand I and his entourage arrived at the Natitlingo Palace, where Karl I, formerly the Austro-Hungarian Crown Prince, had been waiting for some time.

“Karl hasn’t been here for a while. I didn’t expect you to govern Natittingu so well. It can now be compared to an ordinary town in Europe,” King Ferdinand praised to Karl I.

Karl I said, “Uncle Ferdinand, your city of Dapon is also well-developed. Now that both of our countries are taking shape, it’s time to make some moves.”

King Ferdinand's expression also turned serious as he said, "This is also the purpose of my visit to Natitlingu."

"At present, France has been bogged down in Europe by Germany and is unable to attend to its West African colonies. Moreover, due to the outbreak of war, the French military strength in its West African colonies is now even weaker than before."

"According to the previous plan, we should indeed take action to expand the territory of both countries."

The Habsburg family established their state in West Africa with the aim of seizing the surrounding British and French colonies. Now, with the war in Europe, especially Germany's war against Britain and France, their ambitions inevitably became more active.

However, King Ferdinand changed the subject, saying, "But even though Britain and France are currently short of troops in West Africa, we cannot be blindly confident. Even a weakened camel is bigger than a horse. If we are not careful, all our efforts could be in vain."

"Therefore, the purpose of my visit this time is to update the situation of our two countries, especially our military strength. Only when we have sufficient strength can our plans be more confident."

Karl I nodded and said, “Of course, let me first talk about the situation in the Habsburg Monarchy. The population of the Habsburg Monarchy has now exceeded 80,000, and the army has been expanded to 1,700 men.”

"Although the number is not large, it should be enough compared to the neighboring French Dahomey colony. If it weren't for the outbreak of the Far East War, the population of the Habsburg Monarchy could easily have reached 100,000."

The outbreak of the Far East war disrupted the original immigration schedule of the Habsburg monarchy, especially after the fall of Guangzhou at the end of last year.

The new Austrian kingdom, led by King Ferdinand, was also affected.

He said, "That's right. Japan is moving too fast in the Far East. Otherwise, the population of our new Austrian Kingdom should have exceeded 70,000 this year."

"However, I have a larger standing army than you, with more than 2,400 men. That means that the two of us together have a standing army of more than 4,100 men, which gives us a greater chance of defeating France."

King Ferdinand placed greater emphasis on military development than Karl I, which slowed down the immigration progress of the new Austrian kingdom.

After all, the Habsburg family's investment in both countries was relatively limited. King Ferdinand allocated more funds to military spending, which naturally reduced funding in other areas.

This is also why the population of the Habsburg Monarchy was larger than that of the New Austrian Kingdom.

Charles I said, "The entire French West African colony has less than 20,000 troops. Our current force of 4,000 is indeed capable of going toe-to-toe with the French."

The French West African colony had an army of approximately 15,000 to 20,000 men. However, with Germany's invasion of France, the French government had already withdrawn some of its troops, so the total number of troops in French West Africa was probably only a little over 10,000.

King Ferdinand said, "Karl, if you expand your army a little more, our army will be half the size of France's in West Africa. Our advantage is indeed considerable."

"Although the French still have a numerical advantage in the number of colonial troops in West Africa compared to us, they also have a larger territory to guard."

French West Africa is a very large concept, encompassing many West African countries and territories from the past. Compared to the vast French West Africa, the present-day Habsburg Monarchy and the Kingdom of New Austria can be described as a "tiny place".

Therefore, Ferdinand said, "As long as we maintain the right balance, the French government should not have the energy to cause us trouble in West Africa."

"The French West African colonial government, without support from its homeland, would find it even more difficult to deal with our two countries."

The importance of French West Africa to France is self-evident, given its more than four million square kilometers of land and the vast resources it contains, including arable land.

Unless the Habsburg family inflicts too fatal damage on France's colonial system in West Africa, the French, who are currently busy fighting Germany, will find it difficult to decide to settle scores with the Habsburgs.

Carl said, "France has such a vast colony in West Africa. We are only asking for the two French colonies of Dahomey and Upper Volta now. The French reaction should not be too intense."

"These two colonies together cover only about 300,000 square kilometers, which is not very large compared to the whole of French West Africa, and should be within France's tolerance."

That's what they say, but in reality, Carr's ambitions were already greedy enough for France. If the colonies of Upper Wolverine and Dahomey were lost, the French would feel the pinch.

Upper Volta was somewhat better off; among the French colonies in West Africa, Upper Volta had always been known for its poverty.

Its primary function was to provide labor for other French colonies, such as supplying workers to plantations in Côte d'Ivoire. Dahomey was relatively more valuable because it was an important source of soldiers for France. Dahomey was formerly known as Benin. The native soldiers there were brave and warlike, and during the colonial era, the locals relied on capturing slaves for the colonists as an important source of income.

There are many Dahomey natives in the local auxiliary forces formed by France or in the foreign legions in France.

Even so, Dahomey could only be considered a second-rate colony in French West Africa.

The core area of ​​French West Africa is actually in western West Africa, including Senegal, French Sudan (Mali), French Guinea, and Côte d'Ivoire.

Senegal is the most politically significant region in French West Africa, and its capital, Dakar, is the administrative, military, and communications center of the entire region.

In Dakar, France built the largest and most modern port in the entire French West African colony, connecting mainland France with South America and Africa. There was also a naval base built by the French there.

The importance of French Sudan lies in its central location in French West Africa, serving as a crucial inland hub for French rule over the continent.

French Guinea is the region in French West Africa with the richest mineral resources. Its bauxite, iron ore and other resources are crucial to the development of French industry.

Finally, there is Côte d'Ivoire, the "rising star" of French West Africa. In the 1930s, its coffee and cocoa plantations developed rapidly, making it the most prosperous and fastest-growing economic region in French West Africa. It was known as the "Pearl of West Africa" ​​and attracted a large amount of French capital and companies to invest in its development.

Other regions, such as Mauritania, Niger, and Upper Volta, are located on the periphery of French West Africa.

The importance of these colonies to France largely determined France's military deployment in West Africa, which is why the French colonial armies in Dahomey and Upper Volta were actually much weaker.

This is why the Habsburg family believed that France would not wage war against them over the Upper Wolverine and Dahomey colonies.

Of the French colonies that the Habsburg family was after, Dahomey was relatively valuable, while Upper Wolter was more like an add-on.

King Ferdinand said, "This time we should first take over the Dahomey colony, so that our family can completely establish itself in West Africa."

"Upper Volt serves as a geographical barrier between us and the other French colonies, ensuring our successful digestion of this gain."

"The British are unlikely to get involved in our war with France."

King Ferdinand intended to help Charles I take over the Dahomey colony, which was originally the Habsburg family's plan.

The Habsburg monarchy's main focus was on Dahomey and Nigeria. Nigeria was now a British colony, and the Habsburg family did not believe they should turn against the British.

As the saying goes, "Pick the softest persimmon first." In the eyes of the Habsburg family, France was the softest persimmon compared to England.

Charles I analyzed, "Now that Germany has declared war on Britain and France, and Britain has the English Channel as a barrier, the British can still keep an eye on places outside Europe."

"France, being located on the European continent, faced the threat of Germany directly and had to mobilize the entire nation, even having to draw troops from its colonies to support the homeland."

"Therefore, for us at this stage, conquering French colonies is the easiest and most manageable option. The only pity is that we'll have to trouble you, Uncle Ferdinand!"

"So if our war against France goes smoothly, the Upper Wörth colony should belong to the new Austrian Kingdom, which would barely make up for your losses."

The expansion of Ferdinand's new Austrian kingdom, as decided at the Habsburg family meeting, was directed towards the British Gold Coast colony, which was Ghana in the previous life.

However, it is clear that the Habsburg family no longer has the confidence to provoke Britain, so they can only concentrate their resources and energy on dealing with France.

This means that the Habsburg Monarchy gained an advantage over the New Austrian Kingdom. After all, if the war went smoothly, the Habsburg Monarchy would get more spoils, while the New Austrian Kingdom, by helping the Habsburg Monarchy, would receive fewer spoils.

King Ferdinand had no reservations about this. He said earnestly, "We are one family, so there is no need to cause disputes over such interests. Once we have established a firm foothold on the African continent, our two countries should continue to support each other."

"I'll help you today, and tomorrow when we face Britain, won't you be sharing the burden with us?"

"Moreover, although the conditions in the Upper Wolter Colony were a bit worse, it was still a piece of land with an area of ​​nearly 200,000 square kilometers, almost equivalent to one-third of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. I didn't suffer much of a loss."

King Ferdinand's statement that the future Habsburg monarchy would share the pressure on the British, rather than help them, is also related to the Habsburg family's expansion strategy later on.

If the Kingdom of New Austria went to war with the British, it would inevitably target the Gold Coast, while at the same time, the Habsburg Monarchy would certainly be expanding into Nigeria.

But that's all for the future. Right now, the Habsburg family's core decision is to gain an advantage over the French and get them to accept the final outcome.

Of course, whether it will ultimately succeed depends on the outcome of the war between Germany and France, as well as the attitude of East Africa.

If Germany cannot exert too much pressure on France, then France itself may still be able to take action and teach the Habsburgs a lesson. And now, without the support of external forces, the Habsburgs clearly have no chance of winning against France.

This so-called external force naturally refers to East Africa.

Charles I said, "Now that we are at odds with France, we must take the attitude of East Africa seriously, and East Africa's support for us is also indispensable."

King Ferdinand said confidently, "East Africa will definitely support us. After all, our ability to establish a country in West Africa was originally a result of East Africa's support."

"According to East Africa's plan, the future goal is to reduce the indigenous population of West Africa as much as possible. They cannot commit genocide themselves, so we have become a knife in East Africa's hand."

"But this is for the best. After all, East Africa doesn't have this idea, nor does it have this opportunity for our Habsburg family. If we can do well, maybe in the future, the achievements of our two countries will be no worse than those of Austria-Hungary."

If the Habsburg family's plans in West Africa go smoothly, the area of ​​the Habsburg Monarchy and the new Austrian Kingdom will not be much smaller than that of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and may even be larger. After all, apart from East Africa, there are hardly any decent countries in Africa.

The fact that the French could rule over four million square kilometers of land with fewer than 20,000 soldiers speaks volumes.

The biggest problem for the Habsburg family's expansion in West Africa was actually more of a diplomatic pressure. However, the Habsburg family obviously doesn't care about that now. After losing the Austro-Hungarian Empire, they have long since lost all their former dignity. Now they only want to rebuild the Habsburg family's rule in West Africa.

(End of this chapter)