African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 195: Chapter 183: Deal Concluded

”Ahem!” Becker said, ”Our East African war party is ready to take down the Yake Kingdom, but considering the friendship between the two countries, we want to give Your Majesty two choices.”

He felt a bit embarrassed after saying this, as it’s uncommon to start diplomatic engagements by threatening to destroy someone else’s country.

As expected, Mwesili’s fist clenched, and his expression turned so grim it seemed as if water could drip from it, but he held back and asked, ”Oh, what choices are you offering me?”

”The first choice is to resist to the end, and then our East African army will take action personally, and when that happens, not even a chicken or dog will be spared,” Becker suddenly said with a shift in tone.

”Mr. Becker, I must say you’re very bold. I don’t know exactly how powerful your East African military is, but your words are certainly strong. Do you not know the severe consequences of angering a monarch?” Mwesili retorted.

”Now, you few people aren’t in East Africa but in my hands; you don’t think you’ll run wild here with just dozens of guns, do you?

I, Mwesili, rule the Yake Kingdom not just with firearms, but with wisdom. Among so many slave traders, only I achieved such success.

When you set foot in this royal city, I had already arranged for warriors across the country. Currently, hundreds of gun barrels are aimed at your people, numerous archers, and countless spearmen, so if you make any move, you’ll be riddled with holes in no time,” Mwesili boasted to Becker.

”Uh, Your Majesty, why say so? We carry weapons mainly to guard against wild animals; you know Africa is teeming with them,” Becker said. ”And this time we’ve come to discuss cooperation. Your Majesty hasn’t heard the second choice yet, so how can you rely on speculation?”

”Then speak up! If it doesn’t satisfy me, hmph, don’t blame me for being ruthless!” Mwesili said.

”The second option is for Your Majesty to voluntarily take the subjects of the Yake Kingdom and leave the Yake Kingdom. As a token of our gratitude, we in East Africa are willing to provide you with a batch of firearms to help you establish a new kingdom elsewhere,” Becker said to Mwesili.

Upon hearing Becker’s words, Mwesili first focused on the firearms issue. As for East Africa wanting to annex the Yake Kingdom, it wasn’t a secret. Judging from East Africa’s past colonial practices, they are insatiable.

Mwesili said, ”Your country has quite the plan, trying to purchase my entire kingdom with just some firearms. Is this how you’ve conducted business before?”

Becker countered, ”Your Majesty, it’s not the entire kingdom. We only want the land under your feet. As for your wealth and subjects, you can naturally take them all with you.

I think Your Majesty understands that with guns in hand, finding another promised land to establish a nation isn’t difficult.

There’s no need for us to fight to the death over this land, and you should be well aware of how much more advantageous firearms are over traditional weapons.”

Having heard Becker’s speech, Mwesili understood that these East Africans really intended to take Yake Kingdom without paying any price.

”Nothing in this world is inexpensive, but how much can East Africa offer?” Mwesili said.

Becker held up five fingers.

”Five hundred guns? No, that’s too few!” Mwesili shook his head.

Becker said awkwardly, ”I meant fifty guns.”

”Mr. Becker, shouldn’t you East Africans have some decency? The Yake Kingdom covers a vast area, which can’t be taken lightly with just fifty guns.”

”Your Majesty, when we talk about business, naturally we bargain. If you think the price is unsuitable, you can make a request!” Becker said.

”At least a thousand guns, plus the corresponding ammunition. You must know, for us to give up the entire Yake Kingdom and start anew elsewhere, we can’t be short of firearms,” Mwesili said.

”A thousand is too many, seventy at most, seventy guns, along with your already existing musket troop, will allow you to dominate all of Central Africa,” Becker said.

”Mr. Becker, you can’t calculate like that. The Yake Kingdom has been developed for a long time, and I’ve diligently governed it for many years. Let’s not mention other things, but just look at this palace, its value exceeds seventy guns!” Mwesili said.

”Well, Your Majesty, in reality, these palaces and cities hold no value for East Africa; they are burdensome, like the buildings left by the Zanzibarians in East Africa that were troublesome to dismantle,” Becker said.

Spoiling what was cherished, Mwesili cursed inwardly and said, ”Though it may hold no value for your country, it consumed considerable financial, material, and human resources to build the Yake Kingdom.

Moreover, my demand is cheap in all of Africa! A thousand guns shouldn’t be difficult for you, and if you meet this requirement, why not hand over the Yake Kingdom accordingly? Moreover, we could even leave the citizens to you.”

”Ah! That won’t do, Your Majesty, we only need the land in East Africa. Of course, your people should accompany you when you march out; after all, you’ll need manpower outside!” Becker quickly said.

”But what do I want all these useless people for? I only need to bring the warriors and officials of the Yake Kingdom, march lightly, and these natives are a burden for me,” Mwesili said to Becker.

Becker pondered briefly inside the palace; this was unexpected. This Mwesili was unyielding, indifferent to his people. Clearly, East Africa wanted the land, not the people. They must think of a way to have Mwesili expel these natives from the Yake Kingdom himself.

”Your Majesty, how about this? This time, we’ll suffer a slight loss. We can provide you with five hundred guns, but you’ll have to take your people along. You should know with five hundred guns you could organize a powerful army, enough for East Africa to invade the Yake Kingdom personally.

So giving out five hundred guns is our limit; with these, you could easily establish another Yake Kingdom.”

”A thousand!” Mwesili insisted.

”Hmph, Your Majesty, I’m discussing cooperation amiably, not because I’m afraid of the strength of the Yake Kingdom. Dragging on in this manner is meaningless; five hundred is the final offer.

Otherwise, I regret to announce that these negotiations will end.” Becker said with a hint of threat.

It seemed to be East Africa’s bottom line, indeed. Mwesili was a wise man; otherwise, he couldn’t have transformed from a slave trader to a king.

Actually, from the beginning, Mwesili never intended to engage in a direct confrontation with East Africa, but just wanted to extract more from them.

After over thirty years of rule, Yake Kingdom couldn’t even sustain itself or its resources without over-exploitation, with frequent uprisings, all forcibly suppressed by force.

Mwesili ruled the Yake Kingdom without obligations, simply purchasing weapons mindlessly after tax collection. Anyone who opposed would join Allah.

Under Mwesili’s governance, the Yake Kingdom’s population reduced by thirty percent, leading to recruiting Eastern Bantu people into the military.

The local natives had become unmanageable, so Mwesili naturally wanted to shift the blame and find a new place to start again.

East Africa’s envoys presented a perfect opportunity for Mwesili to extort a batch of firearms. As Becker noted, with five hundred guns, one could dominate all of Central Africa.

Moreover, the Yake Kingdom originally had a firearm troop of a few hundred people. Even with East Africa’s limitation on ammunition supply, there were still more than three hundred.

”Alright, Mr. Becker, just for your sake, I reluctantly agree to this deal, but five hundred guns, not one less,” Mwesili said.

”Your Majesty can rest assured; as long as we find no native left behind when we take over Yake Kingdom, we will certainly honor our promise.

But before that, we can only provide one hundred guns first. Only after verifying the outcome will the rest be handed over at the border.

Consider it an employment deal, so your country can rest assured, and there might even be more opportunities to cooperate in the future,” Becker said.

After pondering for a moment, Mwesili drank his wine in one gulp and said, ”Deal!”