African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 360: Chapter 39: Exhausting the Military Through Overzealous Warfare

Ande: ”Before coming to East Africa, I consulted foreign merchants through intermediaries. They said that European countries wage war against each other constantly, particularly in the German regions where numerous states are highly belligerent. Prussia is known to be the most militaristic among them. I heard they have a ’Soldier King’ in their history, and their other monarchs have similar tendencies. For instance, William I, during his reign, first waged war against the northern neighbor, Denmark, and now contends with France. Who knows who will ultimately prevail?”

Li Ge: ”Prussia seems to have some similarities with the violent Qin! If they do not practice benevolence, they might perish in the second generation!”

Ande: ”Brother Shiyan! Watch your words. The Kingdom of East Africa where we are now has connections with Prussia. If someone with intent hears you, it could be trouble!”

Li Ge: ”Why is that?”

”You might think that the so-called Kingdom of East Africa has no relationship with Prussia, but they are actually one family. The King Constantine of East Africa was originally a prince of the Prussian royal family. They are all from the Prussian royal lineage.”

Li Ge: ”I see. However, one is in Europe and the other in Africa. The ties between the two countries might not be very close. One or two generations are fine, but it might not last beyond that.”

Li Ge means that the relationship between the Kingdom of East Africa and Prussia is like brothers dividing their inheritance; regardless of the present, in the future, each will live their own life.

Ande: ”Even so, the institutions and culture of the two countries might be very similar. Prussia is militaristic, and the Kingdom of East Africa might not be far behind.”

Li Ge: ”Only by personally visiting East Africa can one realize that the rumors are not false but objective descriptions. Although a country may be large, it will perish if it is warlike. East Africa is a tiny country, yet soldiers can be seen everywhere. In such a country, the people’s lives must be unfortunate.”

Ande shook his head and said: ”Brother Shiyan, you might be speaking too absolutely. A country might perish if warlike, but there is also a saying ’Even though the world is at peace, forgetting war could be dangerous.’ We in the Far East are facing the latter predicament, aren’t we? Moreover, nothing is absolute. We can’t say a country is wrong just because it has a lot of soldiers.”

Li Ge: ”This is the experience handed down by our ancestors!”

Ande: ”The geographical position of Prussia is too dangerous. If not everyone is trained as soldiers, there is always the risk of annihilation. The Westerners do not cultivate virtue, and as it is said in the Spring and Autumn Annals, there are no righteous wars. The European countries are currently in a state similar to ours thousands of years ago, so Prussia’s current method might be the best for them.”

Li Ge: ”Is East Africa the same as Prussia? Prussia is in a strategically important position, whereas the Kingdom of East Africa should not be. The term ’competing for the Central Plains’ refers to the four sides wanting to expand and needing to capture the Central Plains since no one can bypass the central place. The name ’Kingdom of East Africa’ itself indicates it’s in the eastern part of Africa, clearly not a strategic position that justifies maintaining so many troops!”

Ande: ”Do you think there’s a possibility that the Kingdom of East Africa is the aggressor, hence the large number of troops? Look, King Constantine comes from Prussia, and our ancient texts record this as the land of the ancient Kunlun Slaves. The previous dynasty’s Zheng He had visited this place, but how many Kunlun Slaves did we see in Da City yesterday?”

Li Ge: ”Well... there weren’t many indeed.”

Ande: ”Exactly, and this Kingdom of East Africa recruits immigrants from our East as well. So how do you think the Kingdom of East Africa sustains so many immigrants?”

Li Ge: ”They must have enough food.”

Ande: ”Exactly, food can’t come from nothing; it grows out of the ground, which requires land. So where does Constantine, a European, get the land?”

Li Ge: ”Are you saying it was seized?”

Ande: ”Isn’t it obvious! It’s not like the natives invited him over. So what do you think the army of the Kingdom of East Africa is for? It’s clear as day.”

Li Ge: ”Truly barbarians!”

At this moment, Ernst in Vienna sneezed: ”Who’s speaking ill of me!”

Ande: ”Prussia is surrounded by powerful countries, but there aren’t any strong states around the Kingdom of East Africa. Therefore, the German troops in East Africa aren’t for self-defense but for seizing land. According to Westerners, the world is divided into five continents. Our Celestial Dynasty, with all its vast lands, is just one country in Asia. Africa must be large as well, so the ambitions of the Kingdom of East Africa are utterly exposed, or rather, not concealed at all.”

Li Ge: ”Hmm, makes sense. But how many troops does East Africa really have? What’s the population? How large is its territory? And are there any similar regimes nearby? After all, Constantine can’t be the only smart person; other Western countries might also be interested in Africa!”

Ande: ”It’s hard to say. How could we possibly have access to such information? We can only glimpse a part of the picture through Da City. Unless the Kingdom of East Africa is willing to tell others, I don’t think any government would be so foolish. If I were the government of the Kingdom of East Africa, I would certainly not disclose this information and quietly profit. As for whether there are similar regimes near East Africa, there surely are. Across the sea, there’s the Sultanate of Zanzibar. We heard from the sailors on the ship that this Kingdom of East Africa seized part of its mainland territories from them.”

Li Ge speculated: ”And then there’s Great Britain. I think the British must also have territories in Africa. Don’t they claim the sun never sets on their empire? So they likely have many colonies in Africa, and France is probably similar.”

Through the prosperity of Dar es Salaam, Li Ge and Ande could hardly believe that other colonizers would leave such a good place unnoticed.

Ande: ”Perhaps this is also why the Kingdom of East Africa is desperately expanding its military. England and France are world powers; if they truly come to compete in Africa, what does East Africa have to defend with, other than relying on a nationwide military to gain a foothold?”

It is clear that the two have misunderstood East Africa, mistaking immigrants for the East African army. Though the East African military is large, it is not overly exaggerated, considering the country has over seven million square kilometers of territory, which does necessitate such a presence.