Chapter 61: Zanzibar's New Dynasty
At the same time, the powerful Barghash bin Said began his first administrative experience.
He declared himself the first ruler of the Sultanate of Zanzibar, with full authority to manage national affairs on behalf of Sultan Majid bin Said.
"Slavery is evil. Sultan Majid bin Said, under the instigation of traitors, has implemented this backward system in Zanzibar, which is despised by the civilized world. This will inevitably hinder the integration of the Sultanate of Zanzibar into the civilized world and hinder the development of Zanzibar..."
In short, in the words of Bargash bin Said, the practice of slavery in the Sultanate of Zanzibar was a major step backward in history and an unspeakable evil.
"In summary, I declare that slavery in the Sultanate of Zanzibar will be abolished from today onwards, and the slave trade in the Sultanate of Zanzibar will be prohibited."
As soon as Bargash bin Said finished speaking, the Zanzibar ministers below immediately became anxious.
"Your Excellency, this is absolutely unacceptable! It will shake the foundation of the Sultanate of Zanzibar."
"Your Excellency, Zanzibar's prosperity is entirely dependent on the slave trade. If the slave trade is banned, Zanzibar's economy will be severely damaged."
"Zanzibar is a poor and small country. If we give up the slave trade, we will be tying our own hands. The so-called civilized world is nothing but a fantasy. I hope the government will put national interests first and not destroy the Great Wall."
…
The ministers all spoke in unison to defend slavery. As Zanzibar was a country that made its fortune through the slave trade, these ministers were themselves big slave owners and made huge profits through the slave trade.
Although Majid bin Said was rather stupid in his later years, he really made everyone rich, if not for Bargash bin Said pointing a gun at them.
These ministers will definitely shout that Sultan Majid bin Said is wise and powerful, and that Baghash bin Said is a coward who is not worth discussing with.
The ministers thought: How come Zanzibar has a traitor like you? If you want to be a dog for the British, don't drag us along! What civilized world? If you go to India, don't come back! Sultan Majid bin Said is really a fool. He should have shot this idiot directly and not let him run to Mumbai.
After two years in Mumbai, he kept talking about the civilized world, but he never looked at what a hellhole that was in India. Aren't the so-called Indians actually slaves of the British? If they were to move to another place, it would be a backward system. So why did the British stay in India and act like the superiors?
Of course, the ministers dared to be angry but not to speak out. After all, the dictator Baghash bin Said now had a gun in his hand. Although Baghash bin Said was a stupid donkey, the ministers of Zanzibar did not want to compete with their brains and bullets.
"Okay, I've made up my mind. There's no room for bargaining on this matter. You'd better not test my patience." Bargash bin Said threatened sternly.
Barghash bin Said himself was a young and ignorant man, otherwise he would not have directly opposed Majid bin Said's exile to India.
The lesson he learned from his last failure was that he had to have power to speak with authority. But how did he get power? Bargash bin Said, who had gained enlightenment in Longchang, Mumbai, suddenly realized that he had to have guns to have power! So this time, after returning, Bargash bin Said actively wooed those progressive officers who opposed slavery and placed his own people in the army.
In addition, Majid bin Said became increasingly confused due to the drugs he took in his later years, which gave Baghash bin Said the opportunity.
"Now let's talk about the second thing. The Germans who provide slaves to the Sultanate of Zanzibar must be expelled from Zanzibar. From now on, no slave traders are welcome in Zanzibar."
This time the ministers did not object, but were secretly delighted. If anyone knew the influence of the Germans in East Africa best, it would be the ministers engaged in the slave trade.
In the past, the Sultanate of Zanzibar would go to the interior of East Africa to hunt slaves. Those black tribes were not easy to deal with, so the Zanzibar slave hunting team mainly provoked those tribal conflicts in the form of trade, and then exchanged simple supplies for slaves from the victors.
But since the establishment of the East African colonies, those black tribes have become paper tigers in front of the Germans, looking good but useless. The Germans don't even need to use any sophisticated means to provoke tribal conflicts, they just take action directly.
At first, when the Germans arrived, these ministers were worried, fearing that these Germans would hinder their interests in East Africa.
But the Germans looked down on black people. In Ernst's eyes, land was the most valuable asset in East Africa, so the East African colonies did not need natives and wanted to keep the land but not the people.
However, it was very troublesome to deal with these blacks, so they simply sold them directly to the Sultanate of Zanzibar. The Sultanate of Zanzibar could obtain a large number of blacks as long as it paid a symbolic reward.
In the Arab world, black slaves were in great demand. Arabs made extensive use of black labor, and because of distance, the cost for Arabs to obtain blacks was low.
In the past, Zanzibar captured slaves on its own, and the cost was higher than that of the sultanates in North Africa and Somalia. The northern countries could sell black slaves to the Arabian Peninsula by crossing the narrow Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Fortunately, they themselves had a great demand for black slaves and developed the market early. The number of black people decreased too much, so the Sultanate of Zanzibar, which was established later, was able to take over part of the market.
Since the East African colonies were delivering goods directly to their doorsteps, the slave traders in the Sultanate of Zanzibar took off.
Not only is the quantity large and enough to satisfy your hunger, the price is also low. Over the past year or so, Zanzibar has been conquering the slave market in the Arab region, and life is not too comfortable.
From this perspective, Ernst is kindhearted. If Ernst had learned from the Arabs and castrated the natives directly, he would not only be able to get the labor for free, but also solve the future troubles...
This is getting off topic. In short, the ministers knew that the Germans were strong in military force, and that the East African colonies were still recruiting people, so their strength might be stronger than before.
Bargash bin Said had only returned in recent months and did not yet have a very clear understanding of the Germans’ strength.
As long as he provokes the Germans, he will definitely be pinned to the ground and beaten. Then the ministers will come forward to accuse Bargash bin Said of his crimes, take back the state power, and continue to dance and ride as usual.
While the ministers were daydreaming, Barghash bin Said was arranging personnel appointments.
"Abdullah is the commander-in-chief of the Kingdom's Army and is responsible for the expulsion of the Germans. Kati is the major general of the Kingdom's Army and will cooperate with Abdullah..."
After placing his people in important positions, Baghash bin Said couldn't wait to start implementing his plan.
…
Dar es Salaam Port Terminal.
"Mr. Basel, please leave!" said Kati, the new lieutenant general of the Sultanate of Zanzibar, without arrogance.
"Humph, you will regret it." Basel said angrily.
"Haha, let's wait and see!" Katie said sarcastically.
Bazel had a blank expression on his face, and he turned around and began to arrange for the evacuation of personnel. Fortunately, the ship that arrived at the port today was an ocean-going ship of the Hexingen Consortium. After discussing with the captain, Bazel turned the fleet carrying the immigrants from the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the north, heading for the port of Tanga, where there were troops from the East African colonies, so there was no need to worry about difficulties from the Zanzibar side.
After packing up their supplies, Bazel and more than twenty armed men left Dar es Salaam under the supervision of the Zanzibaris.
At this time, Felix's army was still on the way. Because they had no horses, the group could only choose to walk. Forty miles is not a long distance, but they had to maintain their physical strength so that they could reach the port of Dar es Salaam before dark.
I won't stay up late. I will post a chapter tomorrow night. My hands are clumsy and I have to type using a nine-square grid on my phone. Please understand.
(End of this chapter)
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