African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1733 The Three Kingdoms Peace Talks
After leaving Lomé, Colonel Tapurier's ship sailed northwest along the Gulf of Guinea, heading for Dakar. Along the way, ships traveling between East Africa and Europe could be seen from time to time, and the shipping industry in the South Atlantic was booming like never before.

Since the 20th century, East Africa has grown into one of the world's leading economies, which has greatly boosted the prosperity of the west coast of Africa.

Not only in Europe, but also in other countries such as South America, North America and West Africa, merchant ships are appearing more and more frequently on the west coast of Africa, which has greatly offset the ship traffic that was originally diverted after the Suez Canal was built.

The most typical example is South America. Before the 20th century, South American countries preferred Europe for doing business, followed by the United States. Now, with the rise of East Africa's industry and influence, East Africa has become the first choice for the vast majority of South American countries and businessmen.

South America's economy is dominated by agriculture and mineral resource exports. Before the 20th century, these goods could only be sold to industrialized regions, namely Europe and America, in exchange for industrial products from Europe and America.

This situation naturally changed after East Africa became the world's leading industrial power. East Africa's demand for agricultural products and minerals is far higher than that of Europe and the United States.

After all, East Africa is a supermarket with a population of over 200 million, ranking first in population among the world's industrialized nations.

The consumption of various agricultural products and other resources by more than 200 million people in East Africa exceeds that of any country in the world in terms of total demand, even though the per capita consumption capacity of East Africa is slightly lower than that of European and American countries.

Therefore, South American resources such as wheat, beef, copper and iron ore can generate good profits if they can secure orders from East Africa.

Conversely, East Africa also exports a large number of industrial and cultural products to South America.

The booming trade between East Africa and South America was already enough to support the prosperity of the South Atlantic shipping industry. Now, with the outbreak of war in Europe, it has further boosted the west coast of Africa.

Colonel Taprier looked at the ships from various countries he encountered along the way and said with a touch of sadness.

"The outbreak of war in Europe will allow East Africa to make a fortune, and the wealth of France will flow into the pockets of East Africans."

His adjutant remarked, "East Africa and the United States have such favorable geographical environments; they have no powerful enemies as neighbors, so they can develop with peace of mind."

"Looking at Europe, we are still busy with internal strife. In the future, Germany and the Soviet Union will definitely bear the main responsibility for the decline of Europe."

When Germany was mentioned, Colonel Taprier angrily said, "Those Prussian barbarians, they are so capable, they should be confronting countries outside Europe like East Africa, the United States, and the Soviet Union. Instead, they are causing trouble for us first. They have no vision of a world power and are destined to achieve nothing great."

"They're locked in a fierce battle in Europe, and the future is uncertain, but outside of Europe, East Africa and the United States will probably be in charge in the future!"

"Just like West Africa now, East Africa couldn't help but take action, but we were tied down by Germany and could only watch helplessly as East Africa devoured our territory."

"Adolf and the German high command are a bunch of short-sighted fools!"

The French harbored deep resentment towards Germany. Not to mention that their homeland was facing a life-or-death crisis due to the war, in West Africa alone, if it weren't for the Germans, "clowns" like the Habsburg Monarchy and the New Austrian Kingdom would never have jumped out at this time.

……

Dakar, the capital of the French West African Federation.

At this time, the French Governor-General of West Africa, Boisson, was in a state of utter distress, his energy completely consumed by two matters.

The first issue was the support for mainland France. After Germany declared war on France, the French accelerated the plunder of its colonies to stabilize its domestic supply chains and meet the needs of the war.

As agricultural and mineral resources from West Africa flowed more rapidly into the homeland, Governor-General Boisson, as the administrator of the French West African Federation, naturally had to shoulder the relevant responsibilities, assigning tasks to the entire French West African colony and allocating resources from across French West Africa to support the war effort on the homeland.

Although this matter was troublesome, it was still within the control of Governor Boisson, and it would only cause some hardship for the local natives in West Africa.

However, the subsequent expansion of the Habsburg monarchy and the new Austrian kingdom completely disrupted the rhythm of the French West African colonial government.

Now, they not only have to supply resources to their homeland, but also suppress rebellions in the colonies and wage war against the two Habsburg kingdoms.

“Your Excellency, the situation is now completely out of our control. The Habsburg Monarchy has completely occupied the Dahomey colony, and the war situation in the Upper Wolter region is also extremely unfavorable to us,” the Grand Secretary of the French West Africa Governor’s Office reported to Boisson.

Governor Boisson rubbed his temples and said wearily, "Have you figured out the military strength of the Habsburg Monarchy and the New Austrian Kingdom?"

The Secretary-General said, "Based on feedback from below, the military strength of these two countries may be as high as tens of thousands, and all of them are equipped with East African standard weapons."

boom!
Boisson placed one hand on the table and said through gritted teeth, "Tens of thousands of soldiers? Where did they get so many people? I don't remember the Habsburg Monarchy and the New Austrian Kingdom being established for very long!"

The Secretary General said, "Logically, that should be the case. After all, no matter how wealthy the Habsburg family is, they could not possibly recruit so many immigrants, let alone organize a sizable army with considerable fighting power."

"Our officers on the front lines even speculated that the enemy might be East African troops in disguise."

The French officers at the front reported this, which was clearly an exaggeration.

Take the example of tens of thousands of troops; the total military strength of the Habsburg Monarchy and the New Austrian Kingdom is actually only a little over eight thousand.

As for the East African army being disguised, that's also not true. While East Africa did provide some military advisors, the main force remained the people of the Habsburg Monarchy and the Kingdom of New Austria.

Regarding weaponry, it is true, but the Habsburg Monarchy and the Kingdom of New Austria did not have their own military industry; they did not obtain weapons from East Africa, nor did they have any other means of acquiring them.

Regardless of the veracity of the intelligence from the front lines, Governor Boisson was convinced that the Habsburg Monarchy and the New Austrian Kingdom had received full support from East Africa.

He said to the Secretary General, “East Africa must have been plotting this for a long time. The Habsburg Monarchy and the new Austrian Kingdom must be puppets supported by East Africa.”

"What did the East African side say when we sent them our inquiry?"

The Secretary-General responded: "The East African government denies their involvement, saying that the Habsburg Monarchy and the Kingdom of New Austria have no connection with East Africa and that both countries are independent."

"East Africa also emphasized that if we can defeat the new Austrian Kingdom and the Habsburg Monarchy, they will not interfere."

"Damn it!" Governor Boisson cursed. "Do these German barbarians think we're so easily fooled?" If he could defeat the Habsburg Monarchy and the New Austrian Kingdom on his own, Governor Boisson would have done so long ago.

The problem now is that the French West African colonial governments simply cannot do this without domestic support.

Governor Boisson said, "The total military strength in French West Africa is less than 20,000 men, and the indigenous forces are of little use. How can we possibly defeat the Habsburg Monarchy and the New Austrian Kingdom on our own?"

"The East African government must have been convinced that we cannot defeat or destroy these two countries, which is why it said that. Even if we mobilized the entire army of French West Africa, we probably couldn't defeat the Habsburg Monarchy and the Kingdom of New Austria."

"While our colonial army's weaponry is not exactly outdated, it is certainly no match for the weaponry provided to the Habsburg family by East Africa."

"Moreover, we cannot mobilize all our forces to suppress these two countries."

French West Africa covered an area of ​​over four million square kilometers, and the French colonial army was already struggling to maintain its colonial rule there.

If all troops are diverted to the front lines, unrest will break out in other parts of French West Africa, leading to a complete collapse of the situation.

This meant that from the very beginning, the French West African colonial government could not possibly deploy all of its troops to the front lines.

Without superior military strength and weaponry, it was naturally impossible to defeat the Habsburg Monarchy and the New Austrian Kingdom, not to mention that these two countries had the support of East Africa.

Even if the French West African colonial government produced a military genius like Napoleon, who achieved great victories through his outstanding military command, it would still be impossible for him to completely annihilate the Habsburg monarchy and the new Austrian kingdom.

Even if they couldn't defeat the French, what could French West Africa do if the two countries retreated to the Togolan colony in East Africa? Could they just confront East Africa directly?
Therefore, Governor Boisson was well aware that no matter how much East Africa emphasized non-interference in their war with the Habsburgs, the Habsburgs were already in an invincible position.

The Secretary-General said, "This matter is beyond our control. If it continues to drag on, the entire French West Africa will likely be affected."

Governor Boisson pounded on the table, his brow furrowed, and said, "Now we can only notify the mainland and let them talk directly with the East African government. We are powerless to deal with East Africa. Let the gentlemen in Paris have their own headaches!"

The Secretary-General said, "That's all we can do. Unless we send troops from the mainland, we can't do anything with the strength of our colonial government alone. We'll only suffer more losses."

The war with the Habsburg Monarchy and the Kingdom of New Austria had become a complete hot potato, and the French West African colonial government could not find a solution.

So this hot potato eventually ended up in the hands of France.

In late April 1939, a haggard French Prime Minister Daladier, amidst his busy schedule, summoned East African Ambassador to France, Kaher, to probe East Africa's attitude.

"Ambassador Kahl, what are the East African government's thoughts on the expansion of the Habsburg Monarchy and the New Austrian Kingdom in West Africa?"

Prime Minister Daladier did not immediately criticize East Africa, but instead asked Ambassador Kaher in a very tactful manner.

Ambassador Kahl said in a very amicable tone, "Prime Minister Daladier, the Habsburg Monarchy and the new Austrian Kingdom and Empire have no relation whatsoever. As independent countries, we in East Africa cannot make decisions for them."

"We can only express our regret about the current conflict in West Africa, but East Africa is willing to serve as a bridge for communication between France and both countries."

“We in East Africa also recognize France’s sphere of influence and rights in West Africa. Therefore, East Africa can act as an intermediary to get you to sit down and negotiate with the Habsburg Monarchy and the New Austrian Kingdom. The Empire also hopes to see peace come.”

Prime Minister Daladier had already cursed East Africa to the core in his heart, but he said aloud: "If that's the case, France can accept East Africa's mediation, but we also hope that after this negotiation, East Africa can restrain the activities of the Habsburg Monarchy and the new Austrian Kingdom in West Africa."

Daladier's statement implies that France has decided to make concessions to the Habsburg family, but East Africa must guarantee France's interests in West Africa after these negotiations.

Ambassador Kaher said, "I will convey your message to the homeland, and I believe the Imperial Government would be happy to see that."

France simply doesn't have the extra energy to maintain its sphere of influence in West Africa, and it also doesn't want to offend East Africa.

The supplies from East Africa are crucial for the upcoming war between France and Germany. If the situation between France and East Africa deteriorates due to the West African issue, the French government will face an even worse situation.

Therefore, Prime Minister Daladier had no choice but to compromise and preserve France's overall interests in West Africa by giving up some of its interests, while also trying his best to win over East African governments.

Thus, the war in West Africa ended in early May 1939 with a French compromise, just as the Habsburgs had anticipated.

On May 1, 1935, in Dakar, the capital of the French West African Federation, the French government negotiated with representatives of the Habsburg Monarchy and the Kingdom of New Austria.

Dahomey and Upper Wolter officially separated from French West Africa and became territories of the Habsburg Monarchy and the new Austrian Kingdom.

The three parties signed the "Agreement on the Delineation of West African Territory among France, Kazakhstan, and New Zealand".

The Habsburg monarchy and the new Austrian kingdom, under the guarantee of East Africa, pledged not to take action against other French colonies and spheres of influence in West Africa.

The Habsburg Monarchy and the new Austrian Kingdom were naturally very satisfied with the agreement. They had not intended to be completely hostile to the French, but rather to accept the benefits while they were ahead.

The two countries will need to spend an unknown amount of time just to digest the new territory. The land they have occupied this time is about 300,000 square kilometers, which is not small even in Europe. It will take at least a decade to develop and digest it.

After all, East Africa has requirements for the development of both countries. The first requirement is to expel the local black indigenous forces. This means that the immigration issue alone, covering 300,000 square kilometers of land, will be a major challenge for the future development of both countries.

Of course, the ambitions of the Habsburg Monarchy and the new Austrian Kingdom were not limited to these 300,000 square kilometers of land; they still had ideas for external expansion.

However, this had little to do with the French; the two countries' next targets were the Gold Coast and the Nigerian colony, which were under British control.

Only by occupying these two colonies could the upper limit of the Habsburg Monarchy and the New Austrian Kingdom be greatly increased, while the other French colonies to the north were already considered "rotten lands," with a large part of them simply being part of the Sahara Desert.

(End of this chapter)