Chapter 113 Ambition
Although the main focus is on developing agriculture, some other industries can also be developed, such as some handicrafts and more basic industries.
After all, the population of East Africa is growing, and it is impossible to rely on imports for everything, including pots, pans, and utensils. The cost would be too terrifying.
Handicrafts are easy to understand, such as blacksmith shops, tailor shops, carpentry shops... These industries that meet the daily needs of East African people can be liberalized first.
Basic industries refer to those industries that are suitable for the current East African colonies and have low barriers to entry. For example, it is not a good idea to always import the cement needed by the East African colonies from Europe. In order to save costs, it is better to build factories in East Africa.
Some processing industries that can increase the added value of East African agricultural products can also be introduced, such as flour mills, oil presses, textile mills, etc.
These factories cannot get around steam engines, so they need to develop local coal resources in East Africa. The coal mines in Mbeya need to be transported to various parts of East Africa, which requires transportation...
In short, it is a relatively complicated process. There is no need to rush. Just complete it one by one. If it is done, it will be just icing on the cake for the current East Africa. If it cannot be done, there will be no loss.
The military industry is an important industry to ensure the security of the East African colonies, and its status is second only to agriculture. Currently, machines retired from European arsenals are being armed in the East African colonies.
It can guarantee part of the supply of weapons and ammunition. After the resources in East Africa are developed in the future, artillery ammunition can be imitated on this basis.
In a short period of time, self-sufficiency in weapons and ammunition will be achieved. Of course, artillery ammunition cannot be achieved in a hurry, because the Trieste Hechingen Arsenal has not yet entered the production stage and artillery production has not yet been put in place, so the East African colonies will have to wait for some time.
In addition to immigration and industrial work, the expansion mission of 1868 cannot be neglected. Now we are focusing on two directions, one is the northwest, and the other is the Omo River Basin (the border between Kenya and Ethiopia).
Needless to say, the northwest has always been a place that Ernst wanted to take over, as it is the most fertile region in the entire East Africa.
If the Omo River Basin was not taken while the British and Ethiopia were at war, there might not be such a good opportunity in the future. In any case, the British would definitely attack the Abyssinian Empire from the direction of the Red Sea.
The Omo River is located in the southwest of Ethiopia. East Africa and Britain are fighting their own battles and do not interfere with each other.
As for the Abyssinian Empire, its energy is definitely focused on the British. After all, the core areas of Ethiopia are in the central and northern parts.
The southwest is entirely plateaus and mountains, with numerous tribes, and the Abyssinian Empire's control over the area is relatively weak.
As for why they have to seize the Omo River Basin, the answer is water. The entire northern Kenya is relatively dry, and the Omo River Basin is one of the few areas with abundant rainfall. At the same time, the Omo River is related to the safety of Lake Turkana.
As for the future trouble the Abyssinian Empire may cause in East Africa, there is no need to worry at all. The Abyssinian Empire's rule over the south is relatively weak, and the local people are mainly Oromo and Luo tribes.
The Abyssinian Empire's control over the local area was similar to that of the so-called vassal states in the East, so as long as it did not threaten the core interests of the Abyssinian Empire, it would not be a big deal.
If the Abyssinian Empire was not calm, the weapons of the East African colonies would calm it down. After all, the East African colonies were not fighting away from home like Britain and Italy.
In addition to these two areas where violence may occur, there is also development in northern Kenya. Although the number of indigenous people there is relatively small (deserts and grasslands), they cannot be ignored.
The northern part of Kenya is positioned as a pasture for grazing, so it is definitely not feasible to engage in local planting.
Unless it is around rivers or lakes where there is a guaranteed water source, it is okay to grow some drought-resistant crops such as millet.
There are many seasonal rivers and saltwater lakes in northern Kenya, so water resources are relatively scarce. Much of this water has a high salinity and is only suitable for livestock to drink.
Water-scarce areas are also suitable for developing some specialty crops, but the current level in East Africa is not up to the mark, and grazing is still simple and crude.
However, one must be careful when grazing, and plan the pasture within a reasonable range as much as possible to avoid permanent damage to the grassland.
In addition to these tasks, intelligence work to the west (Zambia, Zimbabwe) can also be carried out.
By 1868, the exploration of the Zambia and Zimbabwe regions was to be completed, especially the copper belt where Zambia and Congo meet.
It is the largest sedimentary copper deposit in the world, praised in the previous life as the Congo Copper Belt. Its copper reserves account for 15% of the world's total. Not only is the quantity large, but the quality is also relatively high.
Who could resist such temptation? If any of the great powers learned of such news, they would probably flock to it, not to mention Ernst.
Moreover, this copper ore belt is located on the Katanga Plateau, not too far from East Africa, passing through Mbeya, about 700 kilometers west.
In addition to copper, the Katanga Plateau is rich in other resources, including cobalt, tin, radium, uranium and diamonds...
In order to avoid collisions and conflicts with the Portuguese, East Africa could refrain from exploring the Zimbabwe region, but could conduct survey activities in Zambia and southern Congo first, and then take action after East Africa had resolved the territorial issue in the north.
…
Ernst took a pen and wrote and scribbled freely on the draft paper, and soon several full pages were filled with records.
These were the things that needed to be accomplished in East Africa in 1868, and Ernst compiled them and transcribed them into a memorandum.
It has to be said that this is an ambitious plan, and it is precisely because there are few competitors in Africa (basically none) that Ernst got the upper hand.
As for the natives, the East African colonies armed with hot weapons were a dimensionality reduction attack on them.
What really caused huge losses to the East African colonies was not the indigenous tribes, but the harsh environment in Africa.
Especially the virgin forest in the Zambia River basin, the conditions there can be imagined. The northern part of Zambia is not so bad, mainly tropical savannah, so it is not difficult for the East African colonies to take over the land between Zambia and Congo's Katanga Plateau and East Africa.
As for Lake Malawi, the Kingdom of Malawi on the southwest shore was not within Ernst's consideration for the time being. A buffer zone was needed between East Africa and Mozambique, and the Kingdom of Malawi had a strong autonomy and was almost unaffected by the Portuguese.
It can effectively isolate East Africa from contact with Portuguese forces. As for the east, East Africa and Mozambique have temporarily reached an agreement. At the same time, there is the Ruvuma River as a natural barrier, and only a small section is directly bordering it, so there is no need to worry too much.
(End of this chapter)
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