Chapter 801 Congratulations

As for whether East Africa is a German country, in fact, many people in Germany and Austria do not agree. After all, the composition of East Africa is too complicated, and it is also on the African continent, so it is naturally at the bottom of the contempt chain.

However, after the South African War, East Africa must be a German country. After all, the only nation that can defeat the Anglo-Saxons is the German nation.

Although the East African bloodline is "impure", it is a pure German traditional royal family with a strong German cultural dominance.

Of course, Ernst's purpose was only to gain benefits under the name of the German nation. After all, the African region was indeed too weak and was not conducive to international exchanges in East Africa. In essence, there was no fundamental difference between Ernst and those tribal chiefs in Africa.

…

Du Ji Palace.

The former Doge's Palace of Venice was once the office of Ernst's father-in-law, Archduke Ferdinand. It was also the meeting place for the negotiations between East Africa, Britain and Portugal.

"Welcome, Count von der Leyen and Viscount Hermann!" Austrian Foreign Minister Count Ehrental said to the two.

"Hello, my old friend," said Hermann and Count Ehrental.

As Foreign Minister for East Africa, Hermann often traveled to Austria on business, so he established a good personal friendship with Count Ehrental.

"This is Count von der Leyen, our Finance Minister of East Africa," Hermann introduced to Ehrinthal.

In Europe, the Chancellor of Finance is generally in a high position of power and is often the best candidate for Prime Minister. Of course, the same is true for the Foreign Minister. Many Prime Ministers have been Chancellors of Finance or Foreign Ministers, a typical example being Bismarck.

Hermann's words also confirmed von der Leyen's position in East Africa. Of course, East Africa has special national conditions and there is no position of prime minister. Ernst holds all the power of the country, so the position of the chancellor of finance is not the same as in Europe.

"Hello, Count von der Leyen, I think this is the first time we meet," said Count Aylenthal.

"Of course, I haven't left East Africa since the 1970s, but I still know your name," von der Leyen said to Alenthal.

In fact, von der Leyen felt a little uncomfortable communicating with Ehringthal. In the past, she was actually a colonial employee who was highly valued by the Hechingen royal family. It could be said that becoming a noble was a complete surprise.

So he was a little restrained when communicating with these old European aristocrats, but von der Leyen, who had been in a high position for many years, quickly adapted and started communicating with Aernthal.

"You fought the war in East Africa beautifully, efficiently and cleanly this time. After the South African War, you will definitely have a place in the future world." Alenthal complimented, and of course, this was the truth.

"No, we in East Africa are still far behind. The British did not use their full strength this time, otherwise the South African War would have been deadlocked. In addition, the strength of the Kingdom of Portugal in the South African War was too weak, which created an opportunity for us."

Having been around rulers like Ernst for a long time, von der Leyen is naturally humble. Of course, the statement that the Kingdom of Portugal is too weak is a bit Versailles.

However, Alenthal agreed and said, "The Kingdom of Portugal is indeed too backward. It has been dormant in the glorious history of its ancestors and is unwilling to wake up. No matter what aspect it is now unable to keep up with the pace of Europe, it is inevitable that it will be eliminated."

As a diplomat, Aenthal was very familiar with the national conditions of Portugal. However, the more he learned about Portugal, the more he realized that this country was strong on the outside but weak on the inside. Portugal's name was just misleading, and it could only deceive other backward countries and regions in the world that did not understand the situation in Europe.

"Of course, Portugal is not the focus at all. The British are the highlight of this war. Would you mind telling us what stage the South African War has reached now?" asked Alenthal.

This is not a top secret incident, so von der Leyen said: "I am not a military person, but I have a general understanding of the current war situation. Our troops have entered the south of Cape Town. Now only a small part of the land and cities in the west and south of the Cape Colony are still under British control."

The western part of the Cape Colony is a desert area, so it is naturally not the main target of attack in East Africa. As for the southern part of Cape Town, although it is small in area, it is the essence of the Cape Colony.

"Are you sure you can end the war within a few months?" Alenthal asked curiously.

"If everything goes well, it should be within two or three months. Of course, the premise is that the UK no longer increases its troops in South Africa." Von der Leyen did not say anything definite.

However, even if the British army continues to increase its forces, it cannot change the overall situation. Cape Town is too far away from Britain, and Cape Town’s location is not as easy to support as Canada.

"That's great. What are your psychological expectations for the war this time? Of course, we are on the same side. His Majesty the Emperor and Crown Prince Ernst have already reached a consensus on this point."

Franz I had already discussed this with Ernst, so it was a consensus between the two countries that Austria stood on the side of East Africa.

Hermann: "Angola and Mozambique must be included in East Africa. After all, we will not give the Portuguese a third chance to start a war. As for the Boer Republic, it should be a difficult point. Britain's main economic interest in South Africa is the diamond mines in the Boer Republic. However, we can make appropriate concessions and continue to allow the British to mine diamonds in Kimberley."

"What about Cape Town?" asked Aenthal.

"Haha, old friend, you should know that is the bottom line of the British. They will not give up Cape Town." Hermann told the truth.

Allental nodded and said, "That's right. Cape Town is related to Britain's global strategic security and is an important part of its maritime hegemony. The British Royal Navy will definitely not give up this important military channel control point."

The attitude of the Royal Navy is actually the attitude of the British government. After all, Britain's interests are fought for by the Royal Navy. To maintain the Royal Navy's advantages, the security of the Royal Navy's overseas bases must be guaranteed. Cape Town is undoubtedly an important strategic fulcrum that the Royal Navy will not abandon.

Of course, Cape Town’s current status is no longer comparable to that of the past. With the option of the Suez Canal, Cape Town is destined to be a spare tire.

In fact, as a sea channel, Cape Town corresponds to the Drake Passage at the southern tip of South America, but Cape Town was the main trade route between Asia and Europe at that time, and its economic value was not comparable to that of the Drake Passage.

Even so, Britain still has the Falkland Islands (Falkland Islands) as an important strategic fulcrum to contain the Drake Passage, so the Royal Navy will not give up the more important Cape Town.

Although Cape Town’s economic value has been weakened now, it is still the fulcrum for Britain to contain East Africa in the future. After all, the exchanges and trade between the east and west coasts of East Africa cannot go through Cape Town.

At the same time, as a backup, if there is a major incident in the Suez Canal or the Red Sea, Cape Town can be immediately reactivated by the UK.

Therefore, Cape Town must be Britain's bottom line. Of course, if East Africa wants to use force, it can indeed get Cape Town, but it will inevitably offend Britain completely.

But East Africa had no intention of fighting Britain to the end, especially in the late 19th century, an era of turbulent international situation. In addition to Britain, there were many powerful countries in the world.

As the saying goes, when the snipe and the clam quarrel, the fisherman gains. This is not the result that East Africa wants. As for the South African War, in fact, as long as it does not harm Britain's core interests, it can also allow the British government to give an explanation to the country.

(End of this chapter)