African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 158: Chapter 147: Throne

The education in the East African colonies is informative. Through the dissemination of this knowledge, the outbreak of local diseases in East Africa has been greatly reduced, while improving the health and survival rate of immigrants.

Currently, the performance of the East African colonies in disease prevention is far better than those colonies in South America that have been developed for hundreds of years.

It is just that the East African colony has just been established, so it looks relatively poor, and does not seem very affluent.

This is particularly reflected in the ugly and coarse appearance of the buildings, especially those built earlier in East Africa, as there are no templates to refer to, naturally talking about aesthetics is out of the question. In addition, clothing is also very monotonous and uniform, but these are external factors.

In fact, the investment in other aspects of East Africa far exceeds that of colonies of the same era or independent countries at the same latitude, mainly reflected in education, health care, and infrastructure construction.

For example, infrastructure like roads, although not of high quality, is seriously built by the East African colonial government, first solving the problem of having or not having it. Other countries at the same latitude rarely have such conditions as in East Africa, or they simply have no chance.

A colony, by literal meaning, is a place for colonizers to exploit, especially in the current era when Western countries purely exploit resources from colonies.

However, the East African colonies are regarded by Ernst as a country to be built, and naturally have different treatment. Over-exploiting East Africa’s potential is a waste.

Moreover, East Africa, with no strong enemies now, can develop peacefully, and no one has noticed this small corner of the world.

Human needs boil down to four essential aspects: clothing, food, housing, and transportation. In East Africa, the priorities are transportation and food, and efforts have consistently been made in these two directions.

As for clothing and housing, they can currently just make do, as the weather in East Africa does not drop below ten degrees at the lowest. There’s not much to worry about.

Regarding food, as East Africa is a colony engaged in agricultural development with vast land and sparse population, immigrants’ food consumption far exceeds the world average, so it’s not very urgent.

Transportation is East Africa’s biggest issue, so infrastructure construction should focus more on building roads and digging canals, while simultaneously raising livestock to use as transport power.

Solving transportation issues allows European goods and equipment to be transferred to the East African mainland, and only then can East Africa’s grain be sold, making this a bilateral economic issue.

Hundreds of thousands of indigenous laborers are working on the front lines of road construction in East Africa, contributing to the transportation infrastructure. Roads are not just built; in East Africa, drainage work on the roads must also be done well.

Therefore, drainage ditches should be dug alongside roads, and they must be large enough to handle the heavy rains of the East African rainy season to prevent road damage by rainwater.

In the absence of professional machinery, a large number of indigenous people must be used to complete these tasks.

In East Africa, it’s not just roads being built; a water network is also established. Rainwater collects in these channels during the rainy season instead of spreading directly across the savannah as before.

By deliberately diverting rain into rivers, lakes, and low-lying areas, land that previously flooded during the rainy season is now reclaimed as potential arable land.

East Africa’s precipitation is not concentrated. In the future, these channels could also help the East African colonial government act as a water diversion network.

Collecting rainwater can also help improve the local environment, especially during the dry season.

Currently, building reservoirs in East Africa is unrealistic, but many natural lowlands and lakes can be utilized. While constructing roads in East Africa, rainwater is also diverted from the channels alongside the roads into lowlands and lakes.

This forms some temporary wild reservoirs, preventing a lot of rainwater from ultimately flowing into the Indian Ocean for nothing.

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Berlin.

Heixinggen Manor.

”Ernst!” Prince Constantine suddenly rose from the recliner, calling out to his son with great excitement.

With one hand on the edge of the chair and the other holding a newspaper, Constantine asked, ”Have you read today’s newspaper?”

Ernst calmly sipped a bit of tea after adding some hot water to his cup and said, ”Of course, father, it’s all just trivial matters.”

”My God, you really have a big heart; such matters are still considered trivial. This could affect the balance of power in Europe,” Constantine said.

He continued, ”I really can’t believe how fast the world is changing now.”

Ernst consoled, ”As long as the European balance of power doesn’t affect our interests, let it change freely!”

”That’s true. However, it isn’t without impact either. Elizabeth II of Spain has already fled to France. The Spanish monarchists will certainly look to choose a monarch from the European royal families,” Constantine hinted.

”Father, Spain’s situation is not good, especially in the future, as it will continue to decline at a visible rate. There isn’t a unified voice domestically, and regional autonomy is very strong,” Ernst said rationally.

Constantine was still a bit unwilling: ”But what if it succeeds!”

Ernst said only one thing: ”The French!”

Constantine immediately understood.

”I guess I was too hasty!”

”Actually, anyone faced with such a big opportunity might not be able to resist the temptation, father. But we shouldn’t stick our necks out, and there’s no need to take such a big risk,” Ernst comforted.

”After all, Spain is still one of the major powers today, and anyone who sees it will be envious!” Constantine sighed. The risks, relative to the temptation of the throne, don’t seem insurmountable.

”Our Heixinggen interests are in Germany, in East Africa, but definitely not in Spain. Maximiliano I is still happily settled in East Africa! This serves as a cautionary tale for us,” Ernst stated.

”That’s true. Given Spain’s current complicated situation, even someone like me, who is battle-tested on the political stage, may not be a match for those old foxes, especially now that they still have military power,” Constantine noted.

”None of that matters much. The main issue is that Spain as a country is too old, and many things can’t be changed; it has absolutely no investment value,” Ernst said.

”Currently, the situation in East Africa is much better than in Spain. Its land area would be second only to Russia if placed in Europe, and it isn’t barren land, either. The population is close to two million this year, and its overall resources far surpass a whole bunch of European countries.” Speaking of this, Ernst felt a full sense of accomplishment.

The main point is that the East African colonies are new enough that all rules and systems are custom-made. Considering the current situation of the East African colonies, Ernst could crown himself as a local emperor without any problem.

But if we were to go to Spain, it wouldn’t be that easy. Those are all cunning veterans and people with real power. Frankly, the Habsburg influence there is still stronger than that of the Hohenzollern family.

In late September 1868, the Spanish military government overthrew the rule of Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, and the queen ultimately fled to France, leaving the Spanish throne temporarily vacant.

As history repeats, the Spaniards first set their sights on the Hohenzollern family, largely thanks to the efforts of the Prussian Chancellor Bismarck.

After Bismarck used monetary strategies, the Spanish government shamelessly chose the Hohenzollern family.

The Heixinggen royal family naturally showed no interest in this matter, and after a discussion between father Constantine and son Ernst, they clearly expressed that Heixinggen currently has no interest in Spain.

So, the historical baton was passed to Prince Leopold of the neighboring Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen royal family.

Personally, Leopold really didn’t want to tread into the quagmire of Spain, but now it involves the interests of the family and the kingdom, so Leopold hesitated. But soon, the French would help Leopold make a decision.