Chapter 753 Ming Imperialism (First update, please subscribe)
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival, the Ming Navy's cruiser "Tianlong" slowly sailed into Dar es Salaam on the coast of East Africa.
Dar es Salaam means "harbor of peace" in Swahili. In May 1873, merchant ships of the Ming East Africa Company sailed here and signed an agreement with the Sultan of Zanzibar through negotiations, obtaining this 14.5 square kilometers of land to establish the company's anchorage.
From that day on, this place became the first colony of the Ming Dynasty on the coast of East Africa. Like all colonies, after entering here, the East African Company began to build here, and soon steel-wood structured piers and docks appeared on the river bank.
The city built on the river bank is full of Chinese charm. The streets are lined with Chinese-style buildings and the roadside is full of colorful flowers.
In just less than two years, a small oriental town stood here and became another unique landscape on the East African coast.
On the morning of the Lantern Festival, after the cruiser "Tianlong" entered the anchorage, the sailors who had come here from the ocean felt like they were at home as soon as they got ashore. They strolled leisurely on the streets of the anchorage. The dark-skinned locals along the way looked at them with awe, while the Ming Dynasty shop owners would greet them warmly.
"It's so comfortable! It's hard to imagine that in just one year, this anchorage has taken shape."
The officer in white naval uniform said with some emotion.
He is the captain of the cruiser "Tianlong", Ding Zezhong. He is one of the first batch of students in the Nanhua Naval School. He was promoted to captain last year. This is the first time for him to command a warship to the East African anchorage.
"I came here last year and signed an agreement with the Sultan of Zanzibar on the other side of the river to gain the right to establish a foothold here. Then my staff and I went deep inland and signed thirteen agreements with local chiefs, making the Ming Dynasty the owner of this land. However, not everyone wants us to own this land."
Chen Haowen said meaningfully. He is the general manager of the Ming East Africa Company. The company was established in March last year according to the royal order. Two months later, Chen Haowen and hundreds of company employees arrived at Zambales Island by boat. Within a week, they crossed the strait and came to the continent opposite. While recruiting workers to build anchorages, he went deep into the inland and signed 12 treaties with local chiefs using single-shot rifles and other commodities. Of course, those chiefs had no idea what they signed - they could not know Chinese.
However, they contributed their lands along with all public and private attachments on the territory to the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and passed them on to the Ming Dynasty for full colonial use. These lands covered an area of 140,000 square kilometers and were called "Ming East Africa."
However, this move by the East African Company naturally aroused the dissatisfaction of Sultan Sambagher, the nominal ruler of this land. He has repeatedly claimed that he is the owner of this land, but it is just a claim.
Although the negotiations with the Sultan of Sambadjir are not going smoothly, a railway from Dar es Salaam to Matadi has been planned on the map of the Colonial Ministry. That railway will connect the Ming Dynasty's West African colonies and East African colonies into one.
Before that, Sultan Sambadjir must recognize Ming Dynasty's rule over this land.
"Whether they want us to own this land or not is none of our business. If anyone wants to stop us, then our guns can speak for themselves."
Ding Zezhong said with a smile.
"Navy guns..."
Chen Haowen smiled and picked up the teacup, speaking with tea instead of wine.
"Then I wish you all the best, Commander Ding."
After taking a sip of tea and putting down the teacup, Ding Zezhong asked directly.
"Can you give me an excuse? If the cannon is to speak, there must be an excuse!"
This is naked imperialist hegemony. There are few countries in the world that like imperialism, but what they don’t like is the imperialism of other countries. They never reject the imperialism in their own country.
However, even imperialist hegemony needs a reason and an excuse when it wants to do something.
"Excuse……"
After thinking for a moment, Chen Haowen said.
“Do slaves count?”
"What slaves?"
Ding Zezhong asked back.
"It's like this, Commander Ding, you don't know that Zanzibar was once a Portuguese colony. After the Omanis seized Zanzibar from Portugal in 1698, it became an overseas province of Oman. Since then, Zanzibar has become Oman's most important source of wealth. Not only is it rich in cloves, it is also the world's largest slave trade center. Relying on their control over Zanzibar, the Omanis frequently went to the African continent to hunt slaves and sold a large number of African blacks to Arabia or Turkey."
Putting the teacup on the table, Chen Haowen continued to explain.
"Around 1832, Omani Sultan Said bin Sultan moved the government from Muscat to Stone Town on Unguja Island, the largest island in Zanzibar, which became the capital of Oman. Although the civil war in Oman was imminent after the death of former Sultan Said more than a decade ago, it split into Oman and Zambazir under the mediation of Britain four years ago. However, with the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, Zanzibar's strategic position declined, and Britain no longer valued it as much as before. It was for this reason that the British forced it to announce the cessation of the slave trade in 1870 and forced the closure of the slave market in 1873. As a result, the Sultan's royal family lost a lot of financial resources. But..."
After a pause, he looked at Chen Haowen in front of him and said.
"As I said before, their clove plantations on the island rely heavily on slaves. Those slaves may be an excuse!"
"You mean... freeing the slaves?"
Ding Zezhong immediately became interested. This is quite interesting!
"Look, as a civilized country, I think we have reason to stop the atrocities in the world, just like the British forced them to close the slave market and stop the slave trade. I think this is a perfect reason. No, this is not a reason, but an intervention we have to make based on human morality, and..."
Looking at Ding Zezhong, Chen Haowen took out a cigarette from the cigarette box and said.
"As far as I know, even until now, they have not stopped the slave plundering and slave trade on the continent. Moreover, if you don't mind the hard work, you can intercept a slave ship today. They are loading slaves on the ship today. At the latest, they will send the slaves to Zambagel tonight. By the way,"
After taking a puff of his cigarette, Chen Haowen said.
"You are a navy officer. You must have heard of the British Navy's anti-slavery cruises!"
Ding Zezhong certainly knew that after Britain passed the bill to abolish slavery in 1807, ending its hundreds of years of slave trade, they immediately turned to the global campaign to abolish the slave trade, using real guns and real money to become the "world police."
In the following half century, almost one-third of the Royal Navy's warships intercepted and searched slave ships throughout the Atlantic, and arrested the slaves and brought them to Britain for trial. It was their efforts that lasted for half a century that led to the closure of the last slave market in Havana in 1859, and the slave trade in the Atlantic region thus ceased. Of course, this also led to a surge in the price of black slaves, and countries including Brazil, the United States and Cuba began to focus on breeding black slaves.
"You mean we should do an anti-slave cruise, too?"
Ding Zezhong thought about it and then said.
"It doesn't seem to have any effect."
"It would be useless if it's just cruising, but..."
Chen Haowen laughed.
"If we expand our cruise to land, we can completely liberate all the slaves on the island!"
Expanding to land?
Ding Zezhong looked at him in surprise, as if asking what he meant by "invasion?"
“That’s a country.”
Faced with such a question, Chen Haowen answered directly.
"Sir, you should know that for the great powers, there is no such thing as this country or that country. As long as it is weaker than a country, it can be a country or not. In short, for the great powers, everything is said with naval guns. Yes, that's right, this is imperialism, the imperialism of the Ming Dynasty."
Isn't this the blatant declaration of an imperialist? Although it sounds a bit overbearing, isn't this also the pride of the empire?
(End of this chapter)
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