Chapter 846 East African Cowboy
Assuming there is no Lake Malawi, there is no need for the Central Railway to move north, and northern Mozambique has many natural ports that can completely replace the role of Dar es Salaam.
Of course, the existence of Lake Malawi has both advantages and disadvantages. For East Africa as a whole, it is naturally better to have this lake. After all, lakes are precious natural resources, and giant lakes like Lake Malawi are rare resources for many countries. Moreover, the existence of Lake Malawi does not mean a complete disadvantage in transportation. At least the Lake Malawi Industrial Zone was formed by relying on the local lake transportation industry.
The natural conditions along the coast of Lake Malawi are excellent, and it is an important transportation route connecting central and eastern East Africa, enabling the rapid flow of resources within the region.
The local natural resource base is not bad either. The coastal cities, led by Mbeya, were able to become the most important heavy industrial bases in East Africa in the early days, thanks to the abundant local coal and iron resources.
Moreover, Mbeya City has the bonus of the central railway, and its economic strength cannot be underestimated in East Africa. In the future, Mbeya City will also be a land transportation hub in the central and eastern parts of Africa.
Of course, the conditions of Lake Malawi are very good, but this has limited the development of the northern Mozambique region east of the lake, mainly because the transportation construction is not sufficient to support the connection between the local and inland economies.
For example, the New Württemberg Province in northern Mozambique has a railway connection between the coast and the Lake Malawi industrial zone, which makes New Württemberg a province with relatively strong economic strength in East Africa.
So strictly speaking, it is not Lake Malawi that restricts the development of the east, but the northern Mozambique region was developed too late. After all, even if there was no Lake Malawi factor.
With hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of land in northern Mozambique, the potential is not too bad. For example, Tete Province in western Mozambique used to have rich coal resources.
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"Bowers, the town of Mullingen should be ahead. We will camp outside the town today. You will be responsible for purchasing supplies in the town. We will communicate with the local government and ask them to provide accommodation." Lawrence said.
"Yes, Captain, then let's go over first?" said the middle-aged man named Boris.
In the fields beside the road four kilometers north of Mullingen, the long line of East African cattle drivers and cattle stretched for a full kilometer, looking quite spectacular.
Cattle herders can also be called East African cowboys. This is a regular profession in East Africa, mainly responsible for importing two large livestock, cattle and horses, to various parts of East Africa.
In East Africa, the Northern Ranches have long maintained the important and indicative task of supporting livestock labor across the country. Therefore, in order to transport these large livestock to where they are needed, East African organizations have organized professional teams to be responsible for large-scale escort missions.
A professional team of "cowboys" was formed. They were similar to the cowboys in the American West, driving cattle long distances to their destinations.
It’s just that everyone’s goals are different. The United States has a huge beef consumption market and is also the world’s most important beef exporter, so the tasks of cowboys are mostly money-making jobs required by employers.
East African cowboys certainly have to support their families, but because of the market rules in East Africa, they receive a guaranteed salary and are not greatly affected by market price fluctuations.
Of course, the wages of cowboys in East Africa are higher than those of ordinary agricultural workers in East Africa, because this job is extremely risky, and sleeping in the open air is commonplace. The most important thing is that it wastes time, and there are only a few days of peace throughout the year, so this hard-earned money is necessary, but it can only be so high.
However, the East African cowboys are also happy with it. At least they have a stable career and salary so they don't have to worry about family expenses. With the development of East Africa, this job is becoming easier and easier.
For example, the town of Malingen in front of us was just a village a few years ago, and a dozen years ago, it was probably just a wilderness.
The growth of population in East Africa has led to an increase in villages, towns and cities along the way and a significant improvement in road conditions.
In the past, East African cowboys could only spend the night on the grasslands and had to worry about attacks from wild beasts such as lions, leopards, and hyenas.
What is most common today are neatly maintained roads, developed farmlands everywhere, vehicles passing by from time to time, and occasional people, which was unimaginable in the past.
It can be said that the East African cowboy group is also one of the groups that has witnessed the most profound development of East Africa. After all, they have been active in various parts of East Africa all year round and are familiar with the geographical environment of East Africa, so they have the most experience of the rapid changes in East Africa.
Lawrence and Boris are the so-called "East African cowboys". They have dark skin, which is actually the result of years of wind and sun. They wear typical nomadic sun hats and ride on horses. They are accompanied by vehicles carrying daily necessities and guns, and driving thousands of cattle.
It was less than three o'clock in the afternoon when the cowboys arrived at the town of Mullingen, which was located in the southern part of the New Württemberg Province and was a must-go place on this journey.
The mayor of Mullingen, Wald, warmly welcomed the group of "cowboys", because residents in most parts of East Africa were familiar with them. A few years ago, most of the livestock in Mullingen were driven here by cowboys.
Walder said, "Mr. Lawrence, I remember you. It seemed like you led the team to help our town deliver the oxen five years ago, right?"
Leaning against the familiar Mayor Wald in front of him, Lawrence asked with some doubt: "Who are you?"
Wald explained, "I was originally a villager of Mullingen, a subordinate village of Mullingen. It's normal that you don't remember me. At that time, I was not the mayor of Mullingen Town. It's just that you have been to our village, so I remember it more clearly."
After all, Lawrence played a significant role in promoting the use of oxen to replace black slaves in East Africa. He often traveled around the New Württemberg Province, so he was somewhat well-known locally.
"I see!" Lawrence nodded.
"Where are you going this time, Mr. Lawrence? The number of cattle you are transporting is quite a lot?" Wald asked.
Regarding this, Lawrence did not hide it: "We are going to northern Mozambique, and these oxen will be sent to northern Mozambique to help the local people open up wasteland."
"Northern Mozambique? That's a bit far. I heard that it used to be Portuguese territory. Is the country going to vigorously develop it now?"
Lawrence replied: "Yes, I heard that the population there is relatively small, and now our livestock breeding in East Africa has grown in scale, so our mission is to send cattle to northern Mozambique."
Wald said, "I've been there once, but it was during the war two years ago. Our town organized people to help the army transport supplies. I remember we had to cross a big river, it seemed to be called the Ruvuma River!"
Lawrence nodded and said, "Yes, this time we are going to cross the Ruvuma River and then hand over to the local government officials."
Lawrence was not familiar with Northern Mozambique, so he needed a local to lead the way. However, East Africa has been developing Northern Mozambique for several years, so there is still a certain population, so it is not a big problem.
The reason why Lawrence was chosen as the team leader was because of his rich experience. In all these years as a cowboy, Lawrence had never lost his way. In addition, there were relatively many wild animals in northern Mozambique. After all, the development had only been going on for a few years, and experienced old cowboys like Lawrence were needed to deal with emergencies.
(End of this chapter)
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