Chapter 202: Taking Back Military Power
June 14, 1869.
Prince Constantine presided over the first military conference in the East African colonies.
The officers and staff led by Alman and Siwete sat on both sides of the conference table. As Alman was older, his physical strength was declining.
Although Alman was only in his fifties, he had suffered a lot on the European battlefield before. Constantine had also served in the Prussian army, but the two were treated very differently. One was on the front line and the other in the rear, so Alman, who was in his fifties, looked a bit older than Constantine, who was nearly seventy years old.
However, the more Armand did this, the more Ernst valued him, and the more confident he was in handing over the East African army to him.
The worse the health, the smaller the ambition. This is true for Alman as well. He himself doesn't know how many years he has left to live. With his seniority and official position in the East African army, he can get a good pension.
Therefore, the previous expansion plan for the Yek Kingdom was carried out by Siwei Te, and this time the military's work report was also completed by the young and strong Siwei Te.
"As of March this year, the East African royal territory has a total of 98,000 standing army troops. In addition to field troops, there are also garrisons in various cities and river and lake troops. They are temporarily divided into eight military regions according to their directions and locations.
Among them, the three military regions in the east have a total of 23,000 people. The five ports and two islands along the coast are the focus of defense. They also include coastal defense forces and are equipped with various artillery, so their strength is the strongest in East Africa.
The Eastern Military Region includes four important cities: Dar es Salaam, Bagamoyo, Tanga, and the First Town. In particular, the First Town is the current political center of East Africa, so the military region headquarters is also located in the First Town.
The Northeast Military Region is mainly responsible for the military security of the area bordering Mombasa and northern Somalia, with the defense focus mainly on Mombasa.
The Southeast Military Region and the Southern Military Region correspond to the two administrative regions of the Lower Coastal Region and the Eastern Lake Malawi Region, and their main purpose is to prevent the Portuguese forces from moving northward.
However, the two colonies were separated by the Ruvuma River, so the defense pressure was not that great. The main thing we had to guard against was the plain area on the east shore of Lake Malawi, which was flat. So we built a lot of bunkers along the border and deployed 5,000 people there.
The Northern Military District currently has a total garrison of 10,000 troops. Except for the Omo River Basin, there is no need for expansion and the overall situation is currently on the defensive.
The Western and Northwestern Military Regions have Lake Tanganyika and the Mitumba Mountains as natural barriers, and there are no strong enemies in the west, so there are more than 5,000 people in total.
The military region with the largest number of people now is the Southwest Military Region. The Southwest is now the main direction of expansion. Recently, we have basically taken control of the Yek Kingdom. The expansion in the southwest will definitely continue in the next few years, so more than 25,000 people have been deployed.
Apart from these, the rest are the city garrisons in East Africa and the river and lake troops…” Siwei Te gave Constantine a detailed introduction to the number and distribution of the East African standby forces.
As of April this year, the population of East Africa has officially exceeded two million. Including the indigenous people, the entire East African population is approximately three and a half million.
The East's standby army is basically supported by this population of more than 3.5 million, and there is also a large number of militia forces.
However, the East African government has not counted the exact number of militiamen because the fluctuation is too large. However, based on the storage capacity of guns and ammunition in East Africa, the East African government can mobilize a militia of 300,000 people at any time.
“Well, the East African army is still quite considerable in number, but due to political reasons and the complex situation in Africa, the East African army is rather chaotic.
For example, there are eight military districts. I think there are too many of them, which makes them bloated, and the jurisdictions are not reasonable. You are all elites in the East African army. How do you view this problem? "Constantine asked.
“Your Majesty, I think the military regions in East Africa should be redivided according to their functions and importance.
For example, those military regions in marginal corners can be merged into other military regions. For example, the northern part of the Northeast Military Region should be incorporated into the Northern Military Region, and Mombasa and the southern part into the Eastern Theater Command.
The south faces the Portuguese front line and should be integrated into one military region to facilitate troop management and mobilization.
There is also the Western Military Region. Now the troops don’t know what to do. Since crossing Lake Tanganyika and the Mitumba Mountains, the west is all tropical rainforest and there are almost no people. "Weight was the first to speak.
At this time, Alman also proposed: "Your Majesty, in my opinion, the military strength of the central region should also be strengthened.
The first town is still too close to the coast, only a day or two away from the two seaports of Bagamoyo and Dar es Salaam, which is dangerous for the security of East Africa.
Therefore, we should focus on the important status and position of the First Town and strengthen the military defense capabilities of the First Town.
Although we have a relatively mature defense system in Bagamoyo and Dar es Salaam, we should build a new defense line in the First Town, strengthen the military strength of the First Town, and build a defense force directly under the central government. "
"Very good! Anyone who has any suggestions can put them forward." Prince Constantine said.
Felix, who was promoted to the deputy military chief of East Africa, said: "Your Majesty, East Africa should also reform the army internally, divide and clarify the powers of each department, introduce relevant regulations of the Prussian army, as well as the ranks and numbers of the army.
We all know that Prussia has undergone reforms over the years, and its army has made great achievements in battles. It has become a powerful army in Europe, and most of us are from Germany, so we should learn from the Prussian Army..."
Everyone talked about summarizing and generalizing the various shortcomings of the East African army, and at the same time called for strengthening the management of the army and centralizing the dispersed military power. In the past, Ernst was not confident that the army in Europe would form a core in East Africa, but now that Prince Constantine had arrived, there would naturally be no problem for him to preside over military affairs.
Ernst not only interfered with the army, but also other government departments. Now that Prince Constantine was sorting out East African affairs, strengthening central power was the general trend.
The Hechingen royal family consists of only Prince Constantine and Ernst, and the family is small, so there is no need to worry about any court dramas involving power struggles.
…
"Your Highness, this is the first telephone line in East Africa, running directly from Europe to East Africa. With this telephone, you will be able to talk directly with His Highness Ernst in the future." The European technician introduced to Constantine.
The "Three Lines" plan involved not only the construction of telegraph lines, but also the invention of the telephone by the Berlin Electric Company.
At the same time, the original telegraph line was renovated and upgraded, and was completed just in time for Prince Constantine to reach the First Town, so that Constantine could discuss matters directly with Ernst in the future.
"Put me through to Hohenzollernburg," Constantine said.
soon.
"This is Hohenzollernburg. Who are you looking for?" Tom answered the phone.
"Tom! I'm Constantine. Is Ernst here?"
"Master, the prince is in Trieste now. Please wait a moment. I will have someone transfer the call to him!"
After a while.
"Hello, father, this is Ernst. How are you doing in Africa lately?"
"It's not bad here. I've adapted to it. Why are you in Trieste?"
"I am inspecting the construction of a food factory here."
"Okay, I see. By the way, I have already convened a military meeting in East Africa today. I want to discuss the issue of military reform with you..."
"That's right! What they said does make sense, but we can't put all our eggs in one basket. I think in addition to Prussia, we can't ignore Austria. Austria has always been a military power and has many valuable experiences..."
"By the way, I sent you a telegram yesterday about your father-in-law's naval proposal. What do you think?"
"You should already know that there is a river and lake force in East Africa! This is the initial prototype of the East African Navy, but it is not a real navy after all. My opinion is that the navy can be established, but we should experiment first and not do anything drastic right away. First, select a group of people with good water skills from the river and lake forces and form a team...
As for equipment, I am short of money in Europe right now, but I can get a few small boats to try next year. For troop training, I can use the old boats left in Zanzibar first! ..."
(End of this chapter)
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