Chapter 185 Deal Done
"Ahem!" Becker said, "We, the East African war faction, are ready to take over the Yeke Kingdom, but considering the friendship between the two countries, we want Your Majesty to make two choices yourself."
Becker himself felt a little embarrassed after saying this. How could he just start by saying that he wanted to destroy another country's diplomatic activities?
Sure enough, Musiri on the other side hardened his fists, his face was so gloomy that it seemed like water could drip out, but he still held back and asked: "Oh, what choice do you intend to give me?"
"The first thing is to resist to the end, and then my East African army will take action personally. If that happens, no one will be left alive." Becker said in a sudden change of tone.
"Mr. Becker, I have to say that you are really brave. I don't know how strong your military strength in East Africa is, but you are really tough. Don't you know how serious the consequences of angering a monarch are?" Msiri said tit for tat.
"Now, you guys are not in East Africa, but in my hands. You don't think you can run rampant here with just a few dozen guns!
I, Musiri, ruled the Yeke Kingdom not only with firearms but also with wisdom. There were so many slave traders back then, but I was the only one who achieved such success.
When you entered this royal city, I had already arranged warriors from all over the country. Now there are hundreds of guns pointed at you, many archers, and countless spearmen. If you make any unusual moves, you will be shot into sieves in a short time. "Msiri said to Becker proudly.
"Well, Your Majesty, why do you say that? We carry weapons mainly to protect ourselves from wild animals. Your Majesty also knows that there are the most wild animals in Africa." Becker said, "And we are here to discuss cooperation. Your Majesty has not heard of the second option yet, so how can you rely on guesswork!"
"Then tell me what you have to say! If you can't satisfy me, then you can't blame me for being cruel and ruthless!" said Musiri.
"The second plan is that Your Majesty, you take the initiative to give up the Yek Kingdom with the subjects of the Yek Kingdom. As a thank you, we in East Africa are willing to provide Your Majesty with a batch of arms to help Your Majesty rebuild the country abroad." Becker said to Msiri.
After listening to Becker's words, the first thing that concerned M'siri was the arms. As for East Africa's desire to annex the Yeke Kingdom, this was no secret. Judging from the past practices of the East African colonies, they were greedy.
Musiri said: "Your country has a really good idea. You want to buy off my entire kingdom with just a little bit of arms. Is this how you do business in the past?"
Becker retorted: "Your Majesty, we don't want the entire kingdom. We only want the land under your feet. As for your wealth and subjects, we will take them all away.
I think Your Majesty should know that with guns in hand, it is not difficult to find a blessed land and rebuild the country.
There is no need for both of us to fight to the death for this little piece of land, and I think you should know best how great the advantages of firearms are over traditional weapons."
After listening to Becker's words, M'siri understood that this group of East Africans really intended to get something for nothing. They wanted to swallow up the Yeke Kingdom without paying any price.
"There is nothing in the world that cannot be simplified, but how much can you East Africans offer?" said M'siri.
Becker held up five fingers.
"Five hundred guns? No, that's too few!" Musiri shook his head.
Becker said awkwardly: "I said fifty guns."
"Mr. Becker, can you East Africans have a little shame? The Yeke Kingdom is so large that it is not something that can be easily conquered with fifty guns."
"Your Majesty, this is business! Of course you have to bargain. If you think the price is not appropriate, you can of course make requests!" Becker said.
"At least a thousand guns and corresponding ammunition. You know, we have to give up the entire Yeke Kingdom. We can't start a business abroad without arms." Musiri said.
"One thousand is too many. Seventy at most. With seventy guns, plus the musketeers that Your Majesty already has, you can walk all over Central Africa at will," said Becker.
"Mr. Becker, that's not how you calculate it. The Yek Kingdom has been developed for a long time, and I, Musiri, have been governing the Yek Kingdom conscientiously for so many years. Let's not talk about anything else. Look at this palace, its value is more than seventy guns!" said Musiri.
"Well, Your Majesty, in fact these palaces and cities have no value to us in East Africa. Instead, they are a burden, just like the buildings that the Zanzibar people left behind in East Africa. It took us a lot of effort just to demolish them," said Becker.
What a waste of natural resources, Musiri cursed in his heart, and said: "It has no value to your country, but it was built by the Kingdom of Yeke at a cost of a lot of financial, material and human resources.
Moreover, I can't find such a cheap price in the whole of Africa! A thousand guns are not difficult for you. If you can meet my requirement, then the Kingdom of Yeke will give them to you. Not only that, we can also leave our citizens to you."
"Ah! That won't do, Your Majesty. We only need land in East Africa. It would be better for your people to go with you. After all, we need manpower outside!" Becker said hurriedly.
"But what do I need so many trash for? I only need to take the warriors and officials of the Yeke Kingdom with me and go into battle lightly. These natives are a burden to me." Musiri said to Becker.
Becker pondered for a while in the palace. This was something he had not expected. This Msili was simply unyielding and extremely indifferent to his own people. It seemed that he had to show some sincerity. East Africa wanted land but not people. He had to find a way to let Msili drive these natives out of the Yek Kingdom himself.
"Your Majesty, let's put it this way. Since we in East Africa have suffered a little loss this time, we can provide you with 500 guns, but you must take your own people with you. You must know that 500 guns can form a strong army, which is enough for us in East Africa to personally conquer the Yeke Kingdom.
So you have to pay 500 guns, absolutely no more, and then you can easily establish another Yeke Kingdom with these 500 guns."
"One thousand!" Musiri continued to talk to himself.
"Hmph, Your Majesty, I am negotiating cooperation with you in a friendly manner, not because I am afraid of the strength of the Yeke Kingdom. If we continue to argue like this, it will be meaningless. The price is five hundred, no more.
Otherwise, I can only regretfully announce that this negotiation has failed." Becker said with a hint of threat.
It seems that this is indeed the bottom line of East Africa. Msiri is indeed a smart man, otherwise he would not have been able to complete the transformation from slave trader to king.
In fact, from the very beginning, M'siri had no intention of confronting East Africa head-on, but just wanted to get as much as possible from East Africa.
Under Msiri's rule for more than 30 years, the Yek Kingdom is now unable to even sustainably exploit its resources, with riots occurring frequently and being suppressed only by force.
Musiri did not need to assume any obligations when ruling the Yek Kingdom. After collecting taxes, he only had to buy weapons without thinking. If there were any opponents, he would send him to see God.
Under M'siri's rule, the population of the Yek Kingdom decreased by 30 percent, which led to the later admission of Eastern Bantu people into the army.
The local indigenous people are already difficult to manage, so naturally Musiri wants to pass on the blame and find another place to start over.
The envoys sent from East Africa allowed M'siri to extort a batch of arms. Just as Becker said, with 500 guns he could walk all over Central Africa.
Moreover, the Yek Kingdom originally had a musket force of several hundred people, and after the ammunition supply was restricted in East Africa, it still has more than 300 people.
"Okay, Mr. Becker, this time I will agree to this simple payment for your sake, but it requires 500 guns, not a single one less," said Musiri.
“Your Majesty, rest assured. As long as we do not see any natives left when we accept the Yeke Kingdom, we will naturally keep our promise.
But before that, we can only provide one hundred guns, and only after confirming the results can we hand over the rest to your country at the border.
This is also considered an employment, so your country can rest assured that there may be opportunities for subsequent cooperation. "Becker said.
After thinking for a while, Musiri drank the wine in his hand and said, "Deal!"
(End of this chapter)
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