African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 116: Chapter 111 Population and Agriculture

The ideology of future East Africa is a form of civilization, namely German civilization. As for democracy, freedom, and equality, those are not things Ernst, a traditional noble, should learn. Putting up those banners is like digging one’s own grave.

Whereas nationalism, order, rule of law, and conservatism in German culture are what Ernst stands upon.

These are what a feudal monarch should strongly promote, dressing them in beautiful attire such as technology and sports, thus enabling the Heixinggen royal family to persist in East Africa.

In terms of public opinion propaganda, these will surely not surpass that of the future US and Soviet Union, but can one discredit the opponent!

Anyway, once the twentieth century is survived, all issues will be resolved, and then everyone will be able to see that all crows under heaven are as black as each other.

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For now, the most urgent matter in East Africa is greatly encouraging immigration. With immigrants comes land development, developed land brings revenue, revenue allows further strengthening of the colonies, arming more troops, and equipping them with more advanced weapons.

If East Africa can be shaped into a European-like Switzerland, a tough nut in Africa that none can crack, Ernst will be stable.

In two years, nearly sixty thousand people have immigrated (580,000), and next year at least half a million more can be expected.

On one hand, the Heixinggen fleet is constantly expanding, reducing immigration costs; on the other, new sources of immigrants are being developed, especially from Europe and America.

Tsarist Russia (peasant slaves going bankrupt due to serf reform), Italy (a major force for immigration to North and South America), and various South American countries are all promising virgin lands for immigration in the future.

Currently, the number of immigrants from the Far East is stabilizing, unless some disasters or wars occur creating large numbers of refugees, but the current situation in the Far East will remain stable and developing (Westernization Movement).

Regarding current Far East immigration policy, Ernst plans to maintain it until around 1890 because the late 19th century was the period when Far East thought was most chaotic, and also when Far Eastern national consciousness began awakening and being reshaped. By then, Ernst will greatly raise the immigration threshold for the Far East to prevent riff-raff from entering.

From next year until 1890, there are at least 22 years. Such a long time is enough to bring in the population needed to develop East Africa, calculating at 200,000 per year, making 4.4 million.

Including other immigrants, by 1890 East Africa will be able to introduce at least about ten million people, and the original immigrants in East Africa are not just wood blocks, they certainly will have children.

One should know the frightening fertility ability of farmers in this era; before World War I, the population of the East African colony could at least triple, reaching or even exceeding the scale of France in terms of size.

Anyway, the source of land to feed these people comes from the natives, Ernst and the East African government don’t feel any heartache, so steadfastly completing the great undertaking of agriculture in East Africa is the foundation for East Africa’s establishment.

A sufficiently large agricultural nation, with a relatively complete mobilization system and weapons without obvious technological gaps, is enough for East Africa to preserve itself across the world.

As for industrial development, it can come gradually; solving agricultural issues first allows focusing on industrial issues, after all industrial populations need agriculture to supply them.

If industrial development begins immediately, what will those people eat?

And agricultural development can not only enrich the population of the East African colony but also consolidate the newly expanded lands of the colony; meanwhile, grain as a hard currency is more reliable than industrial products. Even if not sold, it can be used as food.

Other countries’ colonizers in Africa, unless they invest a large number of native populations, won’t be able to compete against East African colonies on the African continent.

Relying on natives might indeed hinder East African colonial expansion, but natives with weapons can turn on their masters; if other colonizers do this, at most, they will end up in mutual ruin with the East African colony.

If Britain were to dispatch 400,000 troops like they did against the Boers, the current East African colony surely wouldn’t withstand it.

But by the time various countries notice Africa, East Africa will already be uncontested leader, only when capitalism develops to a certain stage will European powers frenziedly claim lands globally, and this time point will be around 1890.

A development period of twenty years forms Ernst’s confidence to sit firmly until fishes are caught; as long as the immigrant population in East Africa is increased to the millions within twenty years, Ernst can say there is no fear of anyone in Africa!

This is the survival issue of the East African colony, so Ernst chose agriculture as the entry point for colonization after careful consideration.

At this time, agriculture isn’t particularly favored in the eyes of colonizers; most are passionate about dealing with precious metal mines, plantations, or familiar lands like India and the Philippines.

It’s rare to see someone like Ernst greatly developing grain cultivation; European nations like Tsarist Russia and Austria-Hungary are originally agricultural giants; sometimes they even face overcapacity issues, so grain cultivation isn’t very profitable, not easily eyed by other colonizers.

Not to mention, Ernst’s initial development of East Africa was actually losing money; although with land development and crop maturity and harvest, East Africa can now maintain self-sufficiency while contributing some economic value.

But considering necessary clothing, boats, food for immigrants; various supplies for colonies, such as fertilizer, firearms, ammunition, East African colonies now barely maintain a balance in income and expenditure.

At this time, most colonizers are quite impatient; there’s no one with Ernst’s patience in developing colonies.

Britain indeed patiently nurtured America, resulting in America turning against them, so colonization carries risks too.

Ernst also faces these risks; wanting to suppress them firstly requires suppressing various ideologies spreading in the colonies.

Secondly, it’s treating the colony as the homeland; East Africa’s future is Ernst’s foundation, no matter how vast the Heixinggen consortium currently might be, it’s not as important as East Africa in Ernst’s eyes.

Heixinggen consortium’s future positioning is to become a major global capital rooted in East Africa, so the weighting is clear as a glance.

Thirdly, there can’t be ineffective investments, like Britons’ investments in America going astray; to ensure this, Ernst’s approach is not to grant East African immigrants too many rights at once, as the saying goes, ”Grains turn into kindness, while a bushel turns into enmity,” deeply ingrains in Ernst’s mind.

Of course, it’s unrealistic for all benefits to go to the Heixinggen royal family; essentially, East African people are partners with the Heixinggen royal family, so Ernst will gradually let benefits flow to the East African people.

This process needs to at least continue until before World War II, which means seventy or eighty years. If Ernst doesn’t live that long, naturally, he’ll arrange descendants to continue this endeavor.

By then, East Africa will certainly have a constitutional monarchy, and Ernst will preemptively dismantle the Heixinggen royal family, with one line continuing as national monarch, another shifting to a capitalist family like in America.

In an apparent-hidden manner, the Hohenzollern-Heixinggen family can hide behind scenes, continuing to influence and lead East African politics through the Heixinggen consortium and military forces.