Chapter 532: Plotting against Ryukyu
"This is East Africa. It looks quite prosperous, similar to Jiaozhou."
"It is obvious that some of the buildings in Jiaozhou were built by Germans, so Jiaozhou should be like Germany."
"East Africa defeated Portugal and is considered a powerful country. So you all should be careful next time and don't cause trouble for no reason."
"Yes, sir."
It was obvious that they were a group of Far Easterners who had landed in Dar es Salaam. They had braids on the back of their heads, which made them very recognizable. Coupled with their official uniforms, it was hard not to recognize them.
Some of the ordinary people in the Far East are very familiar with this set of clothes, and some even seem to recall the past and have mixed feelings.
"What are these people doing in East Africa?"
A white immigrant asked curiously, "Glade, this looks like the image of Far Eastern people I've seen in European newspapers before. Did you look like this before?"
Glade quickly shook his head and denied, "I was different from them before. Their clothes are peculiar, but also gorgeous. This kind of clothes is obviously not affordable for ordinary people. Moreover, only officials can wear this kind of clothes. People like us dare not go beyond this."
"In this regard, everyone is actually the same. I heard that you Eastern nobles can complete advancement through examinations. Isn't this great?"
"Germany can also change his fate by joining the army. In my opinion, joining the army is much easier than taking an exam. I couldn't read a single word before, but you have received an education."
The East African people were accustomed to communicating in German, so the Far Eastern officials could not understand what they were saying. Of course, the translator could understand them, but he thought there was no need to speak to these Eastern officials.
This time, the Far East officials did not fool around like last time, but communicated with East Africa sincerely. This was because East Africa defeated Portugal and made a name for itself internationally. In addition, East Africa's influence in the Far East, especially in the north, was growing. So exchanges with East Africa were forced to be put on the agenda. This time they also came to East Africa to investigate the national conditions.
When it comes down to it, Portugal is a country that is not that strong. After all, its record in battles is not very good. It is evenly matched with Africans and Arabs. It is not outstanding in Latin America either, but its influence in the Far East is not weak.
For example, the Portuguese colony of Macao can be regarded as the earliest colony of the great powers in the Far East. A hero does not brag about his past achievements, but Portugal was truly brave back then.
Moreover, the Portuguese are good at fooling people. They are very good at taking advantage of situations overseas. If East Africa had not been too powerful, their last plan with Britain might have succeeded.
After all, we all come from the same place. Other countries in the region may not understand what Portugal is like, but the Germans know it clearly.
The Far East is simply scared of the West, and the fear is ingrained in their bones. Of course, this is related to the social atmosphere in the Far East. The Japanese, for example, are typical people who are respectful on the surface but are actually quite bold in their hearts. Militarism is prevalent in Japan, so they dare to challenge powerful countries.
After all, they can commit suicide by disembowelment and be so cruel to themselves, so they will be even more cruel to outsiders.
Japan now seems to be more sober and acts like a grandson in front of Western countries. Ernst is not saying that Japan is self-aware, but it is definitely crazy enough.
If you want Japan to behave, you have to give them a good beating. Only in this way can they truly recognize their own status. The national character of each country can be reflected anyway.
For example, Germany’s crude diplomatic ability is largely inseparable from Germany’s advocacy of the use of force, while Austria is just the opposite, with strong diplomatic talent but average military capabilities.
However, Austria's current diplomatic level has the problem of talent gap, while Germany has produced a talented strategist like Bismarck, the two are reversed.
So nothing is absolute. If Austria had a Bismarck-like figure, it might be able to get back on its feet.
Of course, East Africa is still learning diplomacy from the Austro-Hungarian Empire rather than Germany. Germany had Bismarck, but that was only a flash in the pan and required personal talent. Austria's diplomatic capabilities are in line with the experience of most countries with a long history and are sophisticated.
When it comes to sophisticated tactics, the Far Eastern Empire is the real old fox with the most experience. However, the Far Eastern Empire's diplomacy is now too mature and has no effect at all.
In particular, they have not changed their mindset. The West is now the rule maker, and Eastern wisdom is not yet fully adapted to these Western diplomatic rules.
If the Far East has a thorough understanding of Western rules, it will be able to defeat Western countries. Ernst is not talking nonsense. In the past, the United States had its defenses broken, and it simply refused to recognize the spirit of contract.
The country with the highest level of diplomacy in this era is Britain. Diplomacy is linked to national strength. The stronger the comprehensive national strength, the greater the room for diplomatic maneuvering and the greater the space for diplomatic officials to perform. After all, a good cook cannot cook without rice, and the saying that a weak country has no diplomacy is not just a saying.
Like Britain, it can suffer repeated diplomatic failures, but it can still provide a safety net with its strong comprehensive national strength. Other weak countries may be wiped out if their diplomacy fails. Afghanistan is an example of this. It allied with Tsarist Russia and was directly swallowed up by Britain.
In a nutshell, diplomacy is important, but what ultimately determines the upper limit of a country's diplomacy is its comprehensive national strength. The stronger the national strength, the higher the diplomatic ceiling. The level of diplomacy is also a reflection of its comprehensive national strength.
So many countries flatter Britain because it is the world's hegemon! It's just like so many countries followed the United States in the past.
Of course, East Africa follows Germany and Austria, so there is no need to give too much face to Britain. This also shows that Britain's status as the world hegemon in this era is far less stable than the United States' hegemony in the previous life.
The Far Eastern Empire could not learn from East Africa. At least East Africa had Germany and Austria as helpers. The Far Eastern Empire was surrounded by a pack of wolves, including Britain, France, Japan and Russia, each with their own wolfish ambitions. The only ones who still listened to the Far East were probably Korea and Ryukyu.
But according to Ernst, Ryukyu might be gone next year, and East Africa cannot take care of Ryukyu's affairs as it is too far away from East Africa. However, the East African Navy may be able to fish in troubled waters and reap some benefits next year.
It’s not that they are eyeing the Ryukyu Islands, but it’s just a matter of convenience. East Africa has always wanted to open a stable route from East Africa to Alaska, so it needs to build some islands in the Pacific region as bases to establish connections between East Africa and Alaska.
In East Africa in the South Pacific, there is the Lan Fang Overseas Province as a stronghold, which is also within the radiation range of the East African Navy. However, the East African Navy is too far away from Alaska, with two oceans in between, and the safest way to reach Alaska is only from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
Therefore, East Africa planned to find some islands in the Pacific region in 1880 as future overseas colonies of East Africa to ensure East Africa's maritime interests. After all, the East African Navy is among the top ten in the world, so it is not excessive to have a few colonies.
The southern several islands of the Ryukyu Islands are within East Africa's plan. In addition, East Africa has good Huaihai Economic Zone and Zhuhai Trade Zone in the Far East Empire, and East Africa's commercial needs in the Far East, so it is necessary to have its own base in the Asia-Pacific region to escort the ocean trade routes from East Africa to the Far East and Alaska.
(End of this chapter)
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