African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 228: Chapter 216: The Meeting That Went Off Track

December 30, 1869.

Maputo.

”This is information sent back by Yaris, the president of Kazemb Chamber of Commerce. The Germans have appeared in the Kingdom of Kazemb, and they have stationed troops there. It seems they don’t intend to leave,” said the Governor of Mozambique.

”Governor, the Germans are rapidly expanding inland in Africa. I believe we should contact the Angola colony to jointly curb the Germans’ development.”

”Indeed, if the Kingdom of Kazemb is occupied by the Germans, our land route with Angola will be cut off by the Germans.”

”However, Angola may not join us in action unless we convince the kingdom. But there’s a critical issue: how can we deploy troops inland? The British are scheming against us. This year, the British directly marched their troops into Delagua River Bay in Mozambique, and if not for our powerful artillery, the British wouldn’t have fled.”

”It’s a case of having wolves in front and tigers behind; if the Germans are wolves, then the British are tigers. The Germans are constantly warring and are strong on land, while the British can easily attack our ports with their warships.”

Unlike a large number of pre-planned and constructed inland cities in East Africa, Mozambique’s core lies in its coastal cities and ports.

It’s hard to say who poses a greater threat to Mozambique, East Africa or the British. East Africa is undoubtedly a greater terrestrial threat, as the two places are directly adjacent. However, over the years, East Africa has been relatively quiet along the Lufuma River, and the two colonies have remained relatively peaceful.

”Ladies and gentlemen, the Germans are developing too quickly in Africa. If we leave them to develop as they are, it won’t be long before Mozambique faces a significant threat.

You should know, the Germans have only been in East Africa for just over three years. Initially, they were merely a small entity under the Zanzibar Sultanate. Now they have not only eradicated the Zanzibar Sultanate but have also expanded their influence inland in Africa; how frightening is that?

Take a look at this map. Here is the mouth of the Lufuma River, here is Lake Malawi, and here is the Kingdom of Kazemb. These three points form a line that partially surrounds us.

Moreover, I won’t elaborate on how long this line is, but it indicates that the land area occupied by the Germans is very extensive.”

”Mr. Kilton, I disagree with your view. The Germans have ventured deep inland, true, but how can they establish a stable foothold? Although the capital of Kazemb has been occupied by the Germans, the chieftains and tribes still exist. We also tried to expand inland but faced fierce resistance from the natives and had to give up.

Therefore, the Germans at most might support a few puppet rulers to replace them in governing, and Mr. Kilton, look at the line you’ve drawn; this distance is not ordinary in length.

If the Germans expand inland in this manner, we should be thankful; appearing like a long snake, it will be convenient for us to attack them separately. Everyone, look here; this is the Kingdom of Malawi, just perfectly located in the middle of the German territory. If we strike from here, it would leave the Germans unable to attend to both ends.

And our Mozambique colony has always developed systematically, and after so many years of governance, it is very stable. The Germans arrived later but are overly ambitious. Their governance foundation must be weak, and if we clash with the Germans, mobilizing the local East African tribes would immediately ignite widespread conflict.”

”Rather than discussing the threat of the Germans, it’s better to talk about the threat of the British. The Germans may potentially cause us disadvantage, but the British have already acted.

This year the British have begun probing us; fortunately, we have enough artillery to ensure the British do not succeed.”

”Moreover, Britain has the Cape Town colony in the south, which is not actually that far from us. The so-called Zulu Kingdom between us essentially provides no buffer, and if the British seek a passage, they likely won’t be refused.”

”In this way, the British can threaten us both from the sea and land, and they have already begun taking action. The British are the nation we need to guard against the most.”

”Although the kingdom appears to have good relations with Britain on the surface, once it comes to the colonies, it becomes a muddled account, and over the years the British have never given up their treacherous intentions.”

”We also cannot ignore the Germans; we should at least support the three kingdoms on the western frontier to withstand pressure from East Africa.”

”No, supporting only the Kingdom of Malawi suffices. The Kingdom of Malawi is the buffer state between us and East Africa. The other two southern nations are our future expansion direction; aiding them would cut off our own retreat.”

”That’s right. Kerry, maybe you should think before speaking. The Germans cannot extend their reach there, while we’ve been infiltrating there for years. So next time you speak, look at the map first and avoid presumptuous talks of German threat theory, which only shows that you went out today without your brain.”

These words from the legislator caused everyone to burst into laughter, while Crisis, who supported assisting the western nations, wished he could vanish into thin air.

”Enough, quiet down,” the Portuguese Governor of Mozambique interrupted the discussion.

”I’ve listened to everyone’s suggestions and analyzed them carefully. I still believe the threat from the British exceeds that from the Germans, mainly because the Germans do not possess a strong navy, whereas Portugal has the advantage at sea.

Inland, we are temporarily unable to expand, but we can negotiate with the Germans, primarily to guard against the British. Otherwise, if we do clash with the Germans, the Brits will surely sneak an attack from the sea. Therefore, before East Africa harms our core interests, we need to remain calm.

Additionally, our understanding of East Africa over these two years is inadequate, so much so that the East African troops suddenly emerged in Kazemb; this information came from the Kazemb Chamber of Commerce. We can take this negotiation as an opportunity to study East African development and comprehend the Germans’ true power.”

”Governor, the key point of this negotiation is to have East Africa guarantee our interests in the Kazemb region. Ideally, bring the Kingdom of Malawi into the talks; frankly, it’s best if the southern part of the Kingdom of Malawi remains under our control.”

”Right, the Kingdom of Malawi should have long been relegated to the dustbin of history. We can discuss with East Africa about partitioning the Kingdom of Malawi.”

As soon as there is benefit involved, everyone changes their attitude; moments ago East Africa was a major threat, now it’s a potential partner for divvying up gains.

And those who initially advocated for supporting the Kingdom of Malawi also stayed quiet, realizing that if East Africa is amenable, splitting Malawi directly would be a win-win compared to direct confrontation.

Unnoticed, the meeting’s theme shifted from discussing threats from East Africa and Britain to talking about how to jointly partition the Kingdom of Malawi with East Africa.