Chapter 93 Mtwara
Mtwara is located on the eastern shore of the Mikindani Bay, a natural deep-water harbour in southern Tanzania.
As the first step after the new administrative division restructuring, the construction of Mtwara Port was given top priority.
Its construction was completed jointly by the Ron Rodda government and staff from the Upper Marina District.
The initial construction scale is such that it can accommodate about two ships after completion, which is sufficient. Fleets arriving from Europe can be diverted here.
The two ships could carry hundreds of Austro-Hungarian immigrants at a time. Together with the immigrants coming from the Far East, the accumulated population would be enough to meet the population needs of the Lower Coastal Area and the East Lake Malawi Area.
When Ernst was thinking about and reviewing the Paraguayan War, a feeling of worry was actually growing in his heart.
Looking back at the tragedy of the Paraguayan War, on the surface it was because Paraguayan leader Lopez was eager to become the Napoleon of Paraguay, using advanced troops to safeguard Paraguay's own interests (territorial disputes and autonomy between Paraguay and its neighbors), which ultimately led to a beating by three countries.
In fact, the British were behind the Paraguayan War. Affected by the American Civil War, Britain lost its agricultural market in North America, so it sought to make up for its losses in North America through trade and economic expansion into South America.
From 1857, Britain, under an agreement with the federal governments of Argentina and Brazil, began to build railways connecting the most important agricultural areas and ports in these countries.
At the same time, Britain wanted completely free navigation on the Paraná and Paraguay rivers and tax-free trade with the inland provinces of Argentina and Paraguay.
Paraguay strongly opposed this, but because the Parana River from Buenos Aires through Paraguay can lead to the rich areas in the south of Brazil, Britain must crush Paraguay's resistance at all costs.
In addition, Britain hoped to "destroy the young seeds of independence of these two countries and gradually bring them under its control by funding Brazil and Argentina in the war, so as to gain a solid position in South America. Before the war broke out, Britain tried its best to ignite the war.
The scenario played by the British in South America is exactly the same as the continental balance it played in Europe. Both rely on provoking conflicts among countries in the region to achieve their own goals.
As a traditional British skill, we must be on guard against it. In the past, Britain actually used similar methods in Africa.
For example, the conflict between the Boers and the Zulu Kingdom, and the dispute between Germany and France in Morocco.
These have nothing to do with Ernst, because in the previous life, the British personally solved the problem of German East Africa.
In the past, Britain launched the ambitious Two C Plan in Africa, which was to extend Britain's colonies in Africa from Cape Town at the southernmost tip of Africa to Egypt in North Africa.
At that time, the biggest obstacle for Britain to complete this plan was the German colonies in southern Africa. After unification, Germany successively opened up German East Africa and German Southwest Africa (Namibia) in Africa.
These two colonies just happened to tie down Britain's South African colony, with one in the east and the other in the west serving as each other's support.
If the British wanted to connect the entire British African colonies, they could not avoid German East Africa, after all, to the west of German East Africa was the Congo rainforest.
The tropical rainforest is also known as the green desert. The difficulty of development can be imagined. Just one flood season can allow the British to feel the power of nature (refer to the Amazon rainforest video). Even in the 21st century, the tropical rainforest is extremely difficult to develop.
In the past, German East Africa was completely supported by Germany and had some ability to fight back.
However, Ernst's East African colonies do not have close relations with Germany. After all, German East Africa is an overseas territory directly managed by the German government, and the East African colonies in this time and space are just the private territory of the Hechingen royal family.
In the past, Germany was unable to take care of its overseas territories and colonies during World War I, let alone desperately escort Ernst's East African colonies.
Moreover, the East African colonies cannot be tied to Germany in the future. Otherwise, just like in the previous life, if Germany is defeated, wouldn’t it have to cede the East African colonies to countries such as Britain and Portugal?
Therefore, it is impossible for Ernst to always stay on the German ship. It is better for East Africa to be independent in the future.
Of course, if they want to be independent, they must be able to stand on their own feet and arm themselves, otherwise no one will take the East African colonies seriously.
What if Britain continues to promote the Two C Plan in this life? Even if Ernst asks Germany for help, it may not be effective.
After all, great powers can compromise, especially when it comes to generosity. The interests of the German government and Ernst are not completely consistent, so they may exchange East African colonies and Britain for interests in other regions.
This has historical basis. In the past, Germany and France fought for Morocco. At the beginning, Germany made very good promises to Morocco's supporters. In the end, under the joint oppression of the British and French, Germany gave up Morocco, and Britain and France gave Cameroon to Germany as compensation.
Therefore, it was impossible for Ernst to be so devoted to the future German government that he would go all the way to the end. This was also one of the reasons why Ernst actively communicated with the Austro-Hungarian royal family.
More friends mean more paths. If it weren't for his grandfather stabbing Napoleon in the back, Ernst would have wanted to establish a relationship with Napoleon's government.
As for Britain, it is likely to be a potential enemy in the future colonization of East Africa, and Ernst was too lazy to fall in love with a cold butt.
The most important thing is that his family has no connection with Britain. His late mother was French after all, and his grandfather also had some influence in France and had some students and old officials.
Ernst had no contacts when he wanted to talk to the British. Only the Prussian royal family and some countries in northern Germany had connections with Britain, and they had often formed alliances with each other in history.
The Ernst family was mainly active in southern Germany. Before joining Prussia, they had always been associated with Austria and France. At the worst time, they lived under the rule of Bavaria (during the Holy Roman Empire period).
Therefore, the personal connections are mainly on the European continent, and it is difficult for the British to interfere in the affairs of southern Germany. Without the size of Baden, Württemberg, and Bavaria, the British government will not even look at you.
However, the Hechingen royal family can still be linked to the Hohenzollern family. Prussia, ruled by the Hohenzollern family, together with Romania, are still quite prestigious in Europe.
The Hechingen royal family also had connections in other countries, such as Sweden, Russia, and Austria through marriage, which were all the public opinion forces that Ernst could win over in Europe.
In the future, it is better to have good relations with so many European countries than to rely on Germany alone. Of course, before the outbreak of World War I, the East African colonies were all trustworthy partners of Germany.
The interests of the German government and Ernst are not completely consistent, but the interests of the Prussian royal family and his own family are consistent. They are all members of the Hohenzollern family, so they would help each other if they can.
All in all, if the East African colonies are threatened by the British in the future, they will have to rely mainly on their own strength, and relying on others will be uncertain.
The establishment of Mtwara Port is to strengthen East Africa's strength on the southern border. Large quantities of weapons and supplies can be transported through this port to the Lower Coastal Area and the East Lake Malawi Area for storage.
As we all know, Britain and Portugal are so close that they are almost in the same boat. In the previous life, the two countries joined hands to destroy German East Africa and German Southwest Africa.
Therefore, the Portuguese had to be on guard, and the two colonies were already bordering each other, so subsequent conflicts with the Portuguese in the direction of Zimbabwe and Zambia were inevitable.
It is better to arm the southern part of the East African colonies first, which will ensure some safety. As for the north, the eight northwestern countries are now in a half-dead state. We just need to wait for the plague to end, and then the East African colonial army can go there to take over.
In the northeast, the players are not yet powerful. Apart from some tribes, the strongest ones are Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and the Ottoman Empire.
But the East African colonies and these two countries actually had no borders and were separated by some small religious countries and indigenous forces.
Moreover, the Ottoman Empire was a big deal, and it effectively buffered the pace of Western countries' development in Africa.
Vast tracts of land, stretching from the Balkans to Algeria, came under Ottoman rule.
The Ottoman Empire itself was constrained by Western countries, the domestic situation was relatively turbulent, and it was unable to expand, which provided a better cover for the early development of the East African colonies.
The half-dead Ottoman Empire was a true friend of the East African colonies. It could block the attention of Western forces from Africa, but it did not pose a threat to the East African colonies.
As for the Abyssinian Empire and the Ottoman Empire, they faced the same dilemma.
(End of this chapter)
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