Chapter 1601: Habsburg Monarchy
Now it is the 20th century, and it is impossible for East Africa to repeat the large-scale expulsion and massacre of indigenous Africans as in the 19th century. Not to mention the opposition from the international community, even the people of East Africa find it difficult to accept this psychologically.
Therefore, in the future, the majority of the population in West Africa will inevitably be black. The current population of West Africa is about 40 to 50 million, while the Kingdom of South Germany has only more than 5 million people, barely more than one-tenth.
In order to better isolate the West African blacks, the South German Kingdom, with a population of 20 to 30 million, could only barely do so.
Of course, East Africa does not entirely rely on the Kingdom of South Germany to become the population wall of East Africa. In the future, there will be mixed-race German gathering areas such as Togoland, which will be arranged in West Africa to become the spokespersons for East Africa's interests in West Africa.
Moreover, it should be noted that the Kingdom of South Germany may also face the problem of declining fertility in the future. Now the Kingdom of South Germany is the second richest country in Africa after East Africa, both in terms of size and per capita.
If East Africa does not suppress the Kingdom of South Germany, it is optimistically estimated that within 20 to 30 years, the Kingdom of South Germany will become an emerging industrialized country in the world, similar to Canada next to the United States today. If the Kingdom of South Germany does not work hard on its own, it may become the "Argentina" of Africa.
But even after experiencing the Great Depression, Argentina was still an "ideal country" envied by those backward or war-torn countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America in this era.
The South American countries, like their sovereign states Spain and Portugal, are neither better than the best nor worse than the worst. If it were not for the interference of external forces, their lives would probably be more comfortable and they would lack the motivation to make progress.
As for the current Kingdom of South Germany, it is still quite ambitious because it still has the potential to develop into a regional power.
In particular, if it can really occupy the land on the east side of the lower Niger and Port Harcourt in the future, it will be equivalent to obtaining about a quarter of Nigeria's land in the previous life.
Nigeria was once a major country in Africa, ranking first in both population and economy. Even though the land quality in its eastern part is relatively poor, its potential should not be underestimated, considering the rich oil and gas resources in its southeast.
By occupying its southeastern part, the Kingdom of South Germany will become a major oil and gas resource country in the world in the future.
Ambassador Crillon's words still hinted to William II that East Africa was encouraging South Germany to further encroach on Nigeria's territory, but the current international situation was not a good time.
William II was still patient enough. He said, "Ambassador Clermont, do you mean that we should wait until Britain is unable to take care of Nigeria before taking action?"
Ambassador Clermont said bluntly, "That's right. Right now, it's unlikely that the Kingdom of Southern Germany will come into direct conflict with Britain. Southern Germany can focus on developing its economy and absorbing your western territory."
William II nodded and said, "Southern Germany's economy is indeed still very backward, perhaps only reaching the level of East Africa in the 1970s. We moved the capital to Benu City for future considerations."
The development of East Africa in the 1970s can be summarized as follows: at that time, East Africa was a major agricultural country with a certain level of industry.
The economic and industrial progress of the South German Kingdom was slower than that of East Africa at the same stage of development because they missed the German immigration boom and spent most of the time during the reign of William I fighting wars and expanding their territory.
The enemies they faced were also stronger than those in East Africa in the past. The countries and forces that East Africa had to deal with in the early days were either uncivilized indigenous peoples or declining colonial empires like Portugal.
South Germany's opponent was the Nigerian armed forces, which were strongly supported by Britain. Because Britain had suffered a great loss at the hands of its underestimators in East Africa in the 19th century, it was very wary of South Germany.
Not to mention the British behind Nigeria, even Nigeria itself is not an easy target to deal with. It can be said that before the Age of Discovery, the region where Nigeria is located was itself the most civilized region south of the Sahara Desert.
The Kanem-Bornu Empire, once the main rival of the South German Kingdom, was not much different from other Arab civilizations. It had an efficient administrative system and a powerful cavalry, which enabled it to dominate the Sahel region for thousands of years.
You know, when East Africa expanded outward, except in North Africa and Northeast Africa, it basically did not encounter any organized black cavalry forces.
The South German Kingdom was able to successfully march westward at a good time. At that time, the Kingdom of Kanem-Bornu was basically at the end of its dynasty. At the same time, Britain to its west and France to its north were also major threats. However, these countries still caused great military trouble to the South German Kingdom.
It should be noted here that at the end of the 19th century, the Kingdom of Kanyem-Bornu was also equipped with a large number of firearms and was not as backward as imagined. Its equipment level was roughly equivalent to that of the Far Eastern empires in the early and mid-19th century.
In contrast, the opponents in East Africa at that time were far inferior. Among them, the Zulu Kingdom was considered to be a relatively powerful indigenous regime in East Africa, but it was completely in the era of cold weapons, and even its equipment level could not catch up with most of the ancient feudal countries in history.
The Zulu soldiers were even equipped with sticks and throwers, looking like a large primitive tribe.
The Kanyem-Bornu Kingdom was much stronger than the Zulu Kingdom in the field of traditional handicrafts. It mastered skilled textile, metallurgy, leather making and other technologies. Therefore, the soldiers of the Kanyem-Bornu Kingdom had a rich variety of cold weapons, including swords, spears, bows and crossbows, iron armor, etc.
The Zulu soldiers' protective gear basically consisted of cowhide or wooden shields. They could hardly provide themselves with daily clothing, let alone armor.
To sum up, the expansion of the South German Kingdom was far less smooth than that of East Africa in the 19th century. Therefore, during the reign of William I, the industrial development of the South German Kingdom was relatively slow.
The already limited resources were invested in the war, which hindered development in areas including immigration and industry.
It is also clear here that when the Kingdom of South Germany started, the areas they occupied, namely the Chari River and Lake Chad basins, had far fewer resources than the East African region where the East African Empire was founded.
Therefore, the early economy of the South German Kingdom was more dependent on agricultural output. Even the agricultural conditions, in terms of cultivated land scale and water resources, were far inferior to those in early East Africa.
It is precisely because of this that the Kingdom of South Germany had a stronger desire for the fertile Nigerian land to the west, so much so that it moved its capital to Benu City.
Benu City, less than 200 kilometers from the border, is far less safe than the original New Sigmaringen (N'Djamena, the capital of Chad).
Here we can refer to the historical war between the United States and Canada, that is, the Second Anglo-American War. Although the United States was obviously stronger than Canada, it was still defeated by Britain at the time, and even burned down the White House, the capital of the United States at the time.
The city of Bennu also faces this security risk because it is also very close to the British sphere of influence.
However, in order to absorb the land expanded in the west, moving the capital to Benue City is a more advantageous choice for the Kingdom of South Germany. It is located along the Benue River and is also an important transportation hub with convenient water transportation, which can strengthen the Kingdom of South Germany's control over the west.
Moreover, compared with the old capital New Sigmaringen, the development conditions of Benu City are more favorable. Although there are the Shari River and Lake Chad in the eastern part of the Kingdom of South Germany, the water supply is still relatively tight.
If large-scale development in the east results in ecologically destructive development, it may lead to a vicious cycle in the eastern part of the Kingdom of South Germany in the future.
Of course, the South German Kingdom also has a little concern here, that is, the upper reaches of the Shari River basin are controlled by East Africa, which is obviously not safe enough.
The Benue River, where the city of Benue is located, does not encounter this problem. Most of its basin is controlled by the Kingdom of South Germany, and only a small part of its source originates in Cameroon Province in East Africa, and is minimally affected by East Africa.
William II naturally would not say this, as it was a tacit understanding between the two countries.
East Africa does not care too much about the South German Kingdom's little tricks. Even if it moves its capital to Benu City, at most the capital will be free from some of East Africa's influence.
The population of more than three million in the eastern part of the South German Kingdom is real. Even if the economic and population center of the South German Kingdom moves westward in the future, it will not be possible to completely get rid of its dependence on East Africa.
Although the territory of the Kingdom of South Germany is close to 200 million, its effective land area is very limited and concentrated in the south, about 600,000 square kilometers. It also includes a large number of Sahel zones, which are only suitable for nomadism and have fragile ecology. Only the southernmost end is suitable for industrial and agricultural development, and most of the northern and eastern areas are deserts.
Moreover, the immigration zone in the south is distributed along the territory of East Africa like a carrying pole. At the same time, the altitude in East Africa is higher than that in South Germany, so East Africa has a military advantage over South Germany. Not to mention that many dangerous areas and passes in the border between the two countries are in the hands of East Africa. The Kingdom of South Germany has no defenses against East Africa at all.
The Kingdom of South Germany had only one way to break free from East Africa's control, and that was to swallow up the whole of Nigeria and gain sufficient territorial depth. However, East Africa obviously could not allow South Germany to go beyond East Africa's control.
The east side of the Niger River is the final border line where East Africa can acquiesce to the control of the South German Kingdom.
Ambassador Crilleon had stressed this point many times before, that East Africa supported the South German Kingdom in acquiring land east of Niger, but further west, that was impossible.
If the Kingdom of South Germany annexed the whole of Nigeria, it would have the opportunity to develop into a world power with a population of over 100 million and extremely rich resources such as oil and gas.
Based on the population size of Nigeria in the previous life, if South Germany occupied this place, it would not be a big problem to easily feed 300 million people. And you have to know that the current population of East Africa is only 200 million.
Therefore, the Nigeria region must not be occupied by one country.
…
East Africa, Rhine City.
Recently, East Africa is planning to build a second German country in West Africa, and the first German country in West Africa will naturally be South Germany.
In the Rhine Palace, the former Austro-Hungarian Emperor Rudolf, Crown Prince Karl and other Habsburg royal family members were discussing with the Rhine royal family the issue of the Habsburg royal family re-establishing a country in Africa.
Crown Prince Friedrich said: "East Africa now needs to cultivate new forces in West Africa. I think this is a good choice for the Habsburg royal family. In the future, the Habsburgs may be able to build a new Habsburg monarchy in West Africa."
Emperor Rudolf was not interested in this idea, but Crown Prince Karl and other young Habsburgs were different.
Crown Prince Karl asked: "If we want to establish a country in West Africa, what will East Africa do?"
Crown Prince Friedrich said: "We can sell you a piece of land in northern Togoland as the foundation for your re-establishment of the country."
"Togoland is an important colony in East Africa and plays an important role in East Africa's control of the Guinea Sea. Therefore, we cannot sell all of Togoland. We must keep the southern part."
"Now, you have two choices. Choose the Natiguting region in northeastern Togoland. This area is adjacent to the Kingdom of Dahomey. In the future, you can expand eastwards towards the Kingdom of Dahomey and Nigeria."
"Or we could choose the Boltanja region in the northwest, which is adjacent to Ghana and is conducive to westward expansion."
"Of course, the choice is up to you. If you want to rely on these two places to expand your territory in the future, it will not be easy. You must confront the British or French colonial forces."
"However, outside of Britain and France, there shouldn't be any force in the surrounding areas that can stop you. After all, Britain and France have only developed these colonies to a very low level, and their local strength isn't strong enough to be suffocating."
Crown Prince Karl pondered for a moment and said, "To the east, it's closer to the Niger River Basin. The Kingdom of Dahomey and Nigeria are both territories affiliated with West Africa. Nigeria, in particular, has excellent conditions. However, there's clearly more room for development to the west."
"However, for us, it mainly depends on the strength of the enemies in the two directions. To the east, we will first encounter the French, and to the west, the British."
This is indeed a very troubling issue for the Habsburg royal family. After all, both Britain and France are very difficult challenges for the now-defeated Habsburg royal family.
At this time, Emperor Rudolf, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up: "Karl, if you really want to replicate the founding experience of the East African and South German Kingdoms and establish a Habsburg Monarchy in West Africa, I think you should choose to develop in an easterly direction."
Crown Prince Karl asked, "Father, what suggestions do you have?"
Emperor Rudolf sneered, "Because France is the most advantageous position for us. Now that Germany has annexed the Austro-Hungarian Empire, there is a high probability that they will not give up their mortal enemy, France, in the future."
"So, within ten years, Germany will definitely declare war on France. By then, France will have no time to care about their colonies."
"As for the British, their relationship with Germany is not easy to predict, so there is still a possibility of peace between Germany and Britain."
"There is another factor that we must take into account, which is that Britain's navy is more powerful. If you have any intention of attacking British colonies, you will be more likely to suffer a more violent counterattack."
"Combining these two reasons, choosing eastward expansion is the optimal solution for our Habsburg family to re-establish its state."
(End of this chapter)
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