Chapter 198: Oolong Conversation

After hearing this, Prince Constantine understood the purpose of Maximilian I, who wanted to use him to persuade Ernst to form a naval force in East Africa.

Before Prince Constantine came to East Africa, Ernst had never explained the situation of the East African coastline, and some of the information he had read was only about data on land, population, and revenue.

However, since Maximilian I mentioned this matter to Ernst and Ernst did not respond, he probably had his own plans.

Therefore, Prince Constantine did not intend to agree immediately. He first talked with Maximilian I and then considered it.

"So this is what you're worried about?" Constantine said. "I don't know much about East Africa. Before I arrived in East Africa, I really didn't think about the defense of the coastline. I've been in Germany for so long that I even forgot about the navy."

Hechingen is located deep in the heart of Europe, and cannot even reach the edge of the sea. Not to mention the navy, even fishing boats are rare in Hechingen. The neighboring Sigmaringen at least has the Danube River passing through it, and ships are indispensable for the transportation of goods. However, Hechingen has no big rivers flowing through it, and is sandwiched between hills in a small plain.

Even though Constantine later served in the Prussian army for a period of time, he only worked in the army.

If Ernst had not developed the East African colony, Prince Constantine would probably not have had much contact with the sea in his life.

“Although I don’t know much about the situation in East Africa, I still have some common sense about the navy. There are so many countries in Europe, and many of them are active in the ocean.

However, there are probably only a handful of countries in the world that have strong navies. I don't know much about the specific situation of the navy, but everyone knows that the navy is spending more and more money. The cost of building a ship alone is an astronomical figure for many countries.

This money can be used to build a good-sized army, and the expansion direction in East Africa does indeed require an army. If those European countries engaged in overseas colonization have the ability to expand in the European continent, I believe they will also be inclined to build an army.

For example, France has both land and sea power, but it still prefers to build its army. In addition to national defense needs, another point is that it still has opportunities for some neighboring countries.

Although France is restrained by countries such as Britain and Austria, their ability to interfere in France is actually very limited. As long as France handles its diplomatic affairs well, those powerful countries may not necessarily sell out the interests of some small countries.

As for Austria, it has tried overseas before, but then backed off, and now almost all of its energy is focused on the continent, for the same reason. "Prince Constantine said.

“That’s not the case. Although Austria has not organized overseas colonial expansion activities, its naval strength is still good. Moreover, Austria’s current coastline is not as good as East Africa, and Trieste is the only important port that can take on the responsibility.

There is also the issue of the cost of building ships for the navy. It is indeed very high, but who can we compare with in that way? If East Africa does not pursue a large navy, it must have a small fleet! At worst, it can get a few small gunboats, which is also possible. "Maximilian I retorted.

Maximilian I certainly knew that the current situation in East Africa could not support the construction of a considerable naval force, and he was not a man without sense of proportion.

Although he was not qualified to be an emperor, he had made significant achievements for the Austrian Navy. His proposal to build a navy in East Africa was actually out of good intentions.

And there is a mature plan. According to his observation, East Africa is now capable of building a small navy. As he said, at worst they can have a few gunboats for fun.

"It's not that the coastline of East Africa is completely undefended. Ernst has built many artillery batteries. I've seen them in Mombasa, Tanga and Dar es Salaam. They're pretty good, but coastal defense guns are still useless and can only provide limited defense on land.

If someone really likes to do things that harm others and benefit themselves and only considers attacking the coastal cities in East Africa, East Africa will not even have the opportunity to take the initiative to attack and can only allow foreign warships to freely shuttle along the coast of the Indian Ocean.

Of course, this is an extremely worst-case scenario. If a big country is really provoked, East Africa will only be beaten unilaterally.

But there is not only national power on the ocean. All those merchant ships are armed. As long as you dare to think, it is no problem to become a pirate in an instant.

The Sultanate of Zanzibar was also split from the Omani Empire in the Middle East. Before that, Zanzibar Island was not a territory of the Omani Empire.

Ernst took East Africa by chance, and frightened the Sultanate of Zanzibar at the time. If he had really relied on force, the colonial team at the time would never have been able to land. "

Maximilian I was right. The first batch of German mercenaries who landed in the East African colonies came on Dutch merchant ships.

The Sultanate of Zanzibar let more than 2,000 people go ashore without paying attention. The Sultanate of Zanzibar was relatively weak in Dar es Salaam, and it was a political center, so it was not cost-effective to fight. Captain Alman was relatively friendly and his demands were not excessive, so he allowed the mercenaries to build the first colony in the inland.

Ask yourself, if this tactic can be used in the East African colonies, then it can naturally be used by other forces as well. Dar es Salaam is still a free port and merchant ships can dock at will, which is indeed a hidden danger.

"What you said makes sense, but there are some differences between East Africa and the Sultanate of Zanzibar. The main body of Zanzibar is on Zanzibar Island, while East Africa's influence extends deep inland. Even if external forces land, it will not be easy to gain a foothold in East Africa. After all, East Africa's land strength is very good." Prince Constantine said.

“The security issue is only one aspect. I made this suggestion considering the future development of East Africa. The navy is a branch of the military that requires a long period of accumulation. One step at a time is a step at a time. Ships and equipment are secondary. We must always make reserves of personnel first!

A smaller navy can always help accumulate some naval talent. East Africa cannot always expand inland in the future. It will inevitably develop maritime power to a certain extent. Spending some money now can save more money in the future. "Maximilian I said.

At this point, Prince Constantine was actually convinced. Prince Constantine also knew that the navy would be indispensable in the future of East Africa.

But what is this kid Ernst thinking? Has he really never considered the naval power of East Africa?

The answer is definitely no. This is the result of information asymmetry. Maximilian I did not participate in the administrative work of East Africa. Secondly, a large amount of data in East Africa will eventually be gathered in Ernst's hands, and the East African government may not be clear about some of the situations in East Africa.

After all, there is a lot of incommunicability in intelligence work between government departments, and the Hexingen Group is also involved in the management of East Africa, so some statistical data will not ultimately pass through the East African government.

Ernst certainly considered the development of East African naval power. In fact, East Africa did have a not very serious naval force.

That is, the river and lake forces in East Africa, especially the three major lakes, the Great Lakes, Lake Solon and Lake Malawi.

Although the name is river and lake force, this is the team that Ernst has created for the future navy. The three major lakes are all giant lakes and can fully simulate some of the maritime conditions. But in the final analysis, the river and lake force has not really entered the sea, so it is not serious.

As for Maximilian I's advice to Ernst, it was mainly because he chose the wrong timing. It was during the North-West Campaign, and it could be said that the entire colony was mobilized to seize such a large piece of land by force. Eight countries alone were destroyed. At the same time, there were long supply lines and large-scale immigration operations being carried out at the same time. Naturally, Ernst had no energy to focus on naval construction.

Constantine had not yet taken over the political affairs of East Africa, and naturally knew nothing about the river and lake troops in East Africa, so this misunderstanding took place.

Ernst had some ideas about forming a true East African navy, but he was always busy with various affairs and had put it on hold until now.

(End of this chapter)