African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 470: Chapter 148: Planting the Flag and Claiming the Land

After settling matters with the Dongwanlu Government, the Heixinggen Consortium then entered the Lan Fang Republic. After leaving a garrison of over three hundred armed men in the Lan Fang Republic, Grand Duke Ferdinand and his fleet headed east.

The three hundred strong troops did not remain in Dongwanlu but continued southward to the Lan Fang Republic city of Kundian.

Dongwanlu was built on the west bank of the Wanlu River, a tributary on the right bank of the Kun River (Kapuas River), while Kundian is located at the mouth of the Kun River. It’s an excellent harbor and the largest city in Kalimantan Island, primarily inhabited by Chinese people.

Dongwanlu and Kundian are approximately twenty to thirty kilometers apart in a straight line, thus distinguishing them. Dongwanlu became the capital due to its gold mines; this is where the Lan Fang Kingdom (Company) made its fortune.

Kundian, on the other hand, developed into the leading economic city of the entire Kalimantan Island, thanks to its convenient transportation. Here, the East Africa Armed Forces and Zanzibar Chamber of Commerce established contact.

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”Is that Balabac Island ahead? Seems like another desolate area, much like Sumatra! Find a place to dock,” Grand Duke Ferdinand scrutinized the environment of Balabac Island through his telescope.

Logically, Balabac Island should belong to the Spanish Philippine colony, guarding the Balabac Strait, with Kalimantan to the west and the Philippine Islands to the east.

However, this default territory is not recognized by East Africa, because as Ferdinand stated, Balabac Island is indeed a desolate area.

In the 21st century in a previous life, Balabac Island had a total population of only fifteen thousand, with shells and coconuts being the main produce. Now, apart from sparse indigenous tribes, there were indeed few people.

The island has no economic value, and its strategic position is not realized. After all, both Kalimantan and the Philippine Islands are relatively backward regions.

The strategic value of Balabac Island emerged only when the Americans later established a military base here. The purpose was to cause trouble for the Far East Empire in the South Sea. Of course, there’s also the reason that Southeast Asia’s economic development progressed well in later generations, earning it a certain place in the world economic landscape, at least stronger than Africa.

Grand Duke Ferdinand, with his fleet, found a location to disembark and prepared to spend the night here, casually planting the East African flag on the beach.

”From today on, this is the territory of our East African Kingdom!”

Thus, the East African Kingdom gained its first colony in the Nanyang region. In reality, calling it a colony is incorrect; Balabac Island hardly has any people. Colonizing requires population to colonize.

In the following days, Grand Duke Ferdinand and his navy constructed a simple military outpost at the landing spot, leaving twenty to thirty men and some supplies before planning to head north.

Leaving supplies is essential; Balabac Island completely lacks an economic foundation, its entire area covered in tropical rainforest. They couldn’t rely on coconuts alone for sustenance.

Seizing Balabac Island is understatedly simple. There are plenty of such unclaimed lands in the Pacific. In a previous life, Germany also planted flags on uninhabited Pacific islands like East Africa to gain vast overseas colonies, such as Nauru in the German Marshall Islands Protectorate.

Ernst knew Nauru had abundant bird droppings resources, but the first East African naval voyage’s destination wasn’t there. The East African Navy had a lot to learn, so they started by practicing with Balabac Island.

It’s the concept of not biting off more than one can chew. East Africa doesn’t have the capability to stake claims over a wide range of islands in the Pacific. Take Balabac Island, for instance; it’s part of the Palawan Islands in the Philippine Archipelago.

In later generations, this area should belong to the Philippines, or the current Spanish East India Islands. However, simple declarations are meaningless; the Spanish might not discover the Germans on Balabac Island until who knows when, because the population of these islands is so sparse. Discovering Germans there would be like finding a needle in a haystack, and even if discovered, the Spanish wouldn’t care—Balabac Island has nothing but rainforest.

Like Nauru Island, discovered by the British, but it wasn’t until 1888 that Germany claimed it among a heap of scraps as its German colony. At that time, nobody knew the value of the bird droppings (phosphate) on the island; without bird droppings, Nauru Island might have remained unknown.

Balabac Island doesn’t even have bird droppings. So what’s the point of East Africa occupying Balabac Island? Besides giving the navy practice, the most important is using this place as a stepping stone: Mindanao Island of the Philippines is to the east, Palawan Island to the north, Kalimantan to the west, and the South Sea lies to the northwest, where northwest of Balabac Island are a bunch of islands in the South Sea belonging to the Far East Empire.

”The supplies left behind should be sufficient for you to stay here for three months. Once we reach Zhuhai, we’ll send a message back home. Use ammunition sparingly so that you’re prepared in case of encounters with savages.”

The wild people are truly savage; in the East African Congo rainforest, there are savages, different from regular indigenous people. No matter how backward, indigenous people have tribal civilizations; savages don’t even have tribes.

”In this location, if you wish to explore the interior of the island, it’s best to travel in groups. However, avoid deep exploration unless necessary—rainforest regions usually have swamps or dangerous wildlife. Although it’s unsure if Balabac Island has any, it’s better to be cautious.”

Before boarding the ship, Grand Duke Ferdinand carefully instructed the soldiers who were left behind, acknowledging this as an arduous mission.

Surviving in a tropical rainforest is only slightly easier than the northern Siberia challenge. Luckily, Balabac Island is not large; otherwise, the transportation problems alone would be enough to give someone a headache.

The difference between rainforest and regular forest is the deep accumulation of water, which is a major reason rainforests are challenging to develop. With year-round rainy conditions, it might rain at any moment, making even burning forests unfeasible.

The situation on Balabac Island is slightly better; the small area allows direct draining of rainwater into the sea. In larger islands like Papua New Guinea, it leads to vast wetland swamps.

This can be seen from the adjacent Kalimantan Island, where the population is relatively larger and civilization is slightly more advanced.

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After eight days, Grand Duke Ferdinand finally led his fleet to the Zhuhai port area of the Far East Empire, giving him a chance to see in person what is currently the largest ancient civilization nation in the world by area.

”The agriculture in the Far East is well-developed, and the urban population is comparable to Europe. Considering its land and population, this country’s potential is indeed immense.”

Grand Duke Ferdinand expressed high praise upon his first arrival in the Far East but was indeed bothered by one particular thing: the strange hair fashion of the Far East Empire.

”Your Grace, there’s no need to be surprised. The Far East Empire has a long history, yet our Western understanding is trapped in the stereotype of the Qing Dynasty. Actually, from ancient Far Eastern paintings, it’s clear that two hundred years ago they weren’t wearing such hairstyles.”

”I am aware of that; Ernst’s collection contains many Far Eastern artworks. However, only by immersing oneself in the environment can one truly experience it. Although I’ve seen their images in books before, upon arriving in the Far East, I find this experience ineffable.”

Grand Duke Ferdinand could only describe it as ’odd,’ with no derogatory intent. In East Africa, the most popular hairstyle among men is the crew cut, so apart from skin color, Ferdinand feels the East Asian immigrants in East Africa resemble Europeans and are vibrant. However, the Far East Empire gives an impression of malnutrition, with a sickly complexion, even less vigorous than East African black people.

This is certain. Before the Germans colonized, the black people lived off the land’s bounty without worries. When hungry, they hunted, gathered wild fruits, and engaged in activities, danced, and made tattoos.

With a rich diet supplement, coupled with good eating and sleeping habits and no worries, how could their mental state not be good? Instead, the Germans’ arrival led to a sharp decline in their mental well-being.