Chapter 98 Travels

Maximilian I, who was living in East Africa, was not born to be a person who could sit idle. After having had enough of the boring life in Mombasa, he planned to plan a trip around East Africa.

In Europe, Maximilian I's family learned from Ernst that he was staying in East Africa, and they thought about calling him back, but Maximilian I was born with a stubborn temper, the kind that could not be pulled back even by ten oxen.

Maximilian I's current psychological state is probably similar to that of Xiang Yu who committed suicide at the Wujiang River - he is too ashamed to face the people of Jiangdong.

He ignored the advice and decided to go to Mexico to realize his life ambitions and values ​​despite the opposition of his entire family, but ended up in prison.

So Maximilian I decided to stay in East Africa for three to five years, and then return to the Austro-Hungarian Empire when people had forgotten about him.

If he had no worries, Maximilian I would have wanted to live in East Africa for the rest of his life, but Maximilian I was a filial son. Although he was a little willful, he did not want his mother to be heartbroken. Besides, his mother was old, so he would still go back to visit her in the future.

Although he felt depressed because of his failure, after arriving in East Africa, Maximilian I still sent several letters of safety to his mother to avoid her worrying.

As for others, his brother and father, Maximilian I asked Queen Mother Sophie to send his regards to them in the letter.

Maximilian I currently has no way to bring his most beloved daughter with him. He went to Mexico because he was worried about the situation and environment in Mexico, and his daughter was too young to handle it.

I stayed in Austria and let my mother take care of me. After all, the living environment and educational conditions in Austria are first-class.

Now that I have fallen to the point of exile in East Africa, I naturally cannot ask for too much.

However, Queen Carlota, who was seeking help from European countries, learned after receiving the news from the Habsburgs that her husband had escaped and prepared to go to East Africa to reunite with her husband.

Queen Carlota was very angry when she heard that Queen Dowager Sophie had arranged a marriage for her daughter without her and Maximilian I's consent.

Regardless of who her engagement partner is, as a parent, she naturally has to decide her daughter's fate herself. Although her marriage is also a political one, she and Maximilian I are true love. Queen Carlota was still Princess Charlotte of Belgium at that time, but she fell in love with the not-so-outstanding Maximilian I at first sight.

The Belgian royal family was not bad in Europe and was a good match for the Habsburg family, so the two did not experience any obstacles. It was definitely a perfect marriage in Europe at that time.

Maximilian I and Queen Carlota had a very good relationship, but the bad thing was that they both pursued too high goals and finally fell into the quagmire of Mexican politics.

After hearing that it was her future son-in-law who saved Maximilian I, Queen Carlota became more fond of this son-in-law whom she had never met before and changed her previous impression of Ernst.

He was able to organize a group of people to go to Mexico, thousands of miles away, to rescue a big shot like Maximilian I from the local government.

His ability is naturally beyond doubt, and Ernst is also very politically sensitive (actually a God's perspective), otherwise he would not have been able to save Maximilian I. If it were too early or too late, he might have missed the opportunity.

To snatch people from a big country like Mexico (after all, there were not many independent countries in the world at that time) requires courage, wisdom and responsibility.

Ernst was willing to offend the Mexican government in order to rescue his father-in-law (in fact, the Mexican government is still in the dark), so he will not be too bad to his daughter in the future.

Queen Carlota, who knew where her husband was, couldn't wait to go to East Africa to reunite with her husband. Although it was rumored that the environment in Africa was harsh, this did not scare Queen Carlota.

After all, Mexico and East Africa are both highland countries in the tropics, and the environment in East Africa was no problem for Queen Carlota, who had lived in Mexico.

…

Tanga Port.

In the Tanga sisal processing factory, machines roar.

Maximilian I followed the workers' movements with great interest, waiting at the exit of the machine to sort and arrange the scattered sisal fiber bundles.

"This factory should be the largest factory in East Africa, right?" Maximilian I asked the factory manager.

"Your Majesty, you are right. Currently, sisal processing is one of the few industries in East Africa that uses machines. Moreover, with the expansion of sisal cultivation in the colonies, the scale and prospects of sisal processing in East Africa will be very impressive in the future."

"What are the workers' wages? How long are their working hours?" asked Maximilian I.

"That's right, Your Majesty. Our workers are mainly immigrants from the Far East, where labor costs are relatively low, so the wages are not high (almost nothing). As for the working hours, they are about six to ten hours a day."

The person in charge did not lie, the timings of the sisal processing plant were like this, not out of conscience, but the current supply of sisal raw materials is quite tight (there has not been a good harvest yet, so they are using stock), plus the coal mines in Mwanza have not yet been supplied, coal is still imported from Europe, so the energy supply for the machines is not solid.

However, it won’t be long before the first batch of sisal planted in the East African colonies matures. Coupled with the development of the Mwanza coal mine, the Tanga Sisal Processing Plant will certainly have to work overtime to produce sisal products.

Maximilian I, who didn't know the ins and outs of this, continued, "It looks good, but aren't most of the employees here Chinese? Aren't there also Austro-Hungarian immigrants in East Africa? I've seen many Austro-Hungarian immigrants in Mombasa, why are there so few in this factory?"

The person in charge complained in his heart, with such conditions, how dare they deceive the Austro-Hungarian immigrants? Many of the Austro-Hungarian immigrants had worked in factories before, and the meager wages offered by the East African Sisal Factory would not be accepted by the Austro-Hungarian immigrants.

"Most of the immigrants from the Austro-Hungarian Empire are of peasant origin, so they are not keen on industry, so more immigrants from the Austro-Hungarian Empire will choose to continue their previous agricultural careers." The person in charge said to Maximilian I.

"Alas, what a pity! Industry is the symbol of modern civilization. Currently, all European countries are vigorously developing industry, and East Africa should not underestimate industrial development." Maximilian I sighed.

"Your Majesty, you worry too much. His Royal Highness Prince Ernst also attaches great importance to industry, but East Africa is a place that is extremely poor and does not even have agriculture. Only with a good agricultural foundation can we better build industry. For example, the Tanga Sisal Processing Plant is a factory opened to cooperate with the sisal planting industry in East Africa. If the East African government does not plant sisal first, this processing plant will have no value and will have no development prospects in the future. Therefore, we must first lay a solid foundation for agriculture so that we can develop industry in the future." The person in charge said to Maximilian I.

(End of this chapter)