Chapter 66: The Treaty of Dongsang
February 20, 1867.
East African colonies.
"Your Majesty Sultan Majid, as long as you sign this agreement, you and your government will regain your freedom." Von der Leyen handed the treaty to Sultan Majid.
Sultan Majid looked at the agreement in front of him with a grim face, and in his heart he cursed the East African colony and the traitor Bagash.
This is not a treaty of friendship and mutual assistance at all. It is clearly an attempt to turn the Sultanate of Zanzibar into a puppet colony in East Africa.
Except for the island of Zanzibar, all the territory was actually annexed by the East African colony. Except for the royal guards, the army of the Zanzibar Sultanate was disbanded and was only allowed to be stationed on the island of Zanzibar.
Even the few pitiful old warships of the Sultanate of Zanzibar were taken away by the East African colonies. A mosquito may be small, but it is still meat, so the money can be waived. Ships are rare commodities for the East African colonies.
In the past, since there was no coastal area, there was no need to emphasize the role of the navy. Now, through the war, Dar es Salaam, Bagamoyo, Tanga, Mombasa... are all excellent ports, and the colonies also need their own fleets to protect the security of the coast.
"Mr. von der Leyen, your country asks for too much, which is really difficult for us in Zanzibar to fulfill," Sultan Majid said to von der Leyen aggrievedly.
"Your Majesty the Sultan, this treaty is very lenient for your country. You see, even if you occupied the coastal areas of East Africa, it was for slaves and ivory. Now these two things are provided to you directly by our colonies, so you no longer need the coastal territory of East Africa." Von der Leyen said to Majid.
"Mr. von der Leyen, although the slave trade and ivory are important, the territory along the East African coast is related to the national security of the Sultanate of Zanzibar, and the people of Zanzibar also need land to survive," Majid said with embarrassment.
"Okay, Your Majesty the Sultan, don't you believe in the friendship of our East African colonial government? Without our troops, you would probably still be struggling in the dungeon. As for the residents of the Sultanate of Zanzibar in the East African colonies, they can live on Zanzibar Island. There is no need to worry about national security. We will be responsible for the safety of you and the Sultanate of Zanzibar." Von der Leyen said in a stiff tone.
Seeing that Majid was hesitant to speak, von der Leyen had to continue: "In order to show the sincerity of our East African colonial government, we will move the slave market in Dar es Salaam Port to Zanzibar Island and continue to be operated by your country, so that your country does not have to worry."
In fact, Ernst wanted to put the blame for the slave trade directly on the Sultanate of Zanzibar. Although the profits from the slave trade were considerable, it was better for Ernst not to touch it.
Engaging in colonization is bad enough in itself, and if one also engages in the slave trade, he is simply a "scumbag".
As for the East African colonial government providing slaves to the Sultanate of Zanzibar, our East African colonies have never done that. That was the Sultanate of Zanzibar's own behavior.
The natives in our East African colonies all wanted to develop in various parts of the world, but the evil Sultanate of Zanzibar took advantage of their desire to make money abroad and turned them into slaves.
Our East African colonial government has no control over this. After all, the East African colonial government respects the sovereignty of other countries and does not interfere in their internal affairs.
As for why the territory of the Zanzibar Sultanate was annexed, it was a reward for helping the Zanzibar Sultanate quell the rebellion.
The treaty clearly states that in exchange for the help of the East African colonial government to the Sultanate of Zanzibar, the Sultanate of Zanzibar voluntarily cedes its land in the coastal areas of East Africa to the East African colonial government for management.
In short, what our East African colonial government sent out were not slaves, but good citizens who were inclined towards civilization. As for the Zanzibar people turning them into slaves, we can do nothing about it.
As for the territories along the East African coastal areas, they were paid by the Sultanate of Zanzibar as a reward to the East African colonial government.
"Mr. von der Leyen, please allow me to discuss with my ministers and then give you an answer," Sultan Majid said to von der Leyen.
"Of course no problem, Your Majesty the Sultan, but please be quick and don't waste too much time," said von der Leyen.
So Majid began to discuss the matter with their ministers.
"These are the conditions offered by the Germans. What do you think?" Majid said to the ministers in the palace.
"Your Majesty, we'd better agree to the Germans. Now we are at the mercy of others. Our first priority is to make the Germans let us go." said the Foreign Minister.
"Yes! Your Majesty, our interests in East Africa are originally slaves and ivory trade. As long as they do not harm our main interests, it is no problem to give the coastal lands of East Africa to the Germans. These lands were originally seized by us, and it does not matter if we lose them now."
…
The ministers of Zanzibar now just want to leave the palace as soon as possible and regain their freedom. If they leave their families and rights for too long, who knows what will happen?
As for the territory of the Sultanate of Zanzibar, as long as it does not threaten their business, they can just lose it! Besides, there is still Zanzibar Island to settle down.
After some persuasion from his ministers, Sultan Majid began to waver. The ministers were right. It was most important to gain his own power first.
If we stay away from national affairs for too long, who knows whether an ambitious person like Bagash will appear on Zanzibar Island. By then, we will have no place to settle down on Zanzibar Island, let alone the territory on the mainland.
Then Sultan Majid and the ministers of the Sultanate of Zanzibar signed the agreement on behalf of the Sultanate of Zanzibar.
Known in history as the Treaty of Dongsang
First: From now on, the Sultanate of Zanzibar will give all of its mainland territories to the East African colonial government.
Second: The Sultanate of Zanzibar shall disarm all armed forces except the Royal Guard (not to exceed two hundred men).
Third: The East African colonial government is responsible for the security of the Sultanate of Zanzibar and has the right to station troops on the Island of Zanzibar.
…
After this treaty, the Sultanate of Zanzibar actually became a colony of the East African colonial government.
The East African Colonial Government enjoyed all the privileges in the Sultanate of Zanzibar, but in order to appease the Zanzibar Government, apart from stationing troops, the East African Colonial Government did not interfere too much in Zanzibar's internal affairs.
As long as it does not threaten the interests of the East African colonies, they can do whatever they want.
Through the Treaty of Zanzibar, the East African Colony obtained all the lands of the Zanzibar Sultanate along the coast of Tanzania and in Kenya. The scope of the East African Colony, together with the central and western parts of Kenya that are about to be developed, will reach about 1.2 million square kilometers.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
