African Entrepreneurship Record

December 1892.

”Rog, my dear brother, you’re here?” Endress, a member of the Hawaiian Commercial Association, greeted Rog with a smile, inviting him into his home.

”Moore, make a cup of coffee.”

Moore was a servant in Endress’s home, a typical Black person. Endress employed Black people as his servants because they were cost-effective, not to mention reasonably priced, and managed the household in an orderly manner. Upon receiving the order, Moore obediently followed his master’s instructions.

Rog sprawled on the sofa, appearing quite at ease, and asked Endress, ”Boss Endress, what brings you to invite me here this time? Usually, I invite you, but you are never home.”

”Ha, it’s all about business; unlike you, my business isn’t that big, so I have to keep busy. Recently, I’ve been occupied with European orders. Though the orders are small, the volume is large, and it never seems to end,” said Endress.

”You’re kidding. I’m just a small-time businessman. Lately, I haven’t had much business, which is why I have the time to wander around different places. I can’t tell you how many people truly envy you. The Europeans are known for their generosity, while I can only engage in Far East trade.”

In Hawaii, most people still primarily deal in sandalwood. However, the sandalwood business in Hawaii is declining. It’s not surprising; there are only a handful of small islands here, and no amount of resources can keep up with the rate of deforestation over decades.

As for other places, Hawaii’s biggest role is to serve as a maritime stopover, as it’s the only decent location in the heart of the North Pacific Ocean.

Naturally, this is also why East Africa has set its sights on the area; Hawaii’s location is too important not to have a stake in it,

Hawaii happens to be in the middle of the North Pacific Current, and East Africa’s route to Alaska is primarily along the North Pacific Current to America’s West Coast and then north along the Alaska Current.

Maritime routes typically follow ocean currents, saving considerable time and costs, which was particularly true in the age of sail.

East Africa’s Southern Ryukyu Islands colony is conveniently at the source of the North Pacific Current, so as long as we secure this piece of Hawaii, the transportation between East Africa and Alaska will be stable.

Naturally, when ships return from Alaska, they take another route, namely the Japanese Archipelago and the eastern seas of Asia.

Generally, returning Alaskan ships carry mostly timber and furs. After selling them in Japan and the Far East, they load new goods and return to East Africa.

After all, East Africa itself has no shortage of timber, and furs are unnecessary. Located in the tropics, East Africa doesn’t need furs for warmth, whereas silk and other products are more popular.

Luckily, the Far East Empire has a severe shortage of timber, especially in its northern regions, so Alaskan merchant ships aren’t completely at risk of returning empty-handed.

Of course, this means that the Alaska route doesn’t earn much in East African trade and might even incur losses. East Africa has to ship over 20,000 tons of grain annually to Alaska to ensure the normal operation of the Alaskan royal territories.

The main reason Tsarist Russia abandoned Alaska was its pitiful rate of grain self-sufficiency.

Moreover, Tsarist Russia already had one Siberia, where the Tsar had to continuously exiled prisoners to maintain the population, so it was even less feasible for Russians to cultivate land in Alaska.

It’s not that Alaska can’t grow anything; the southern part can cultivate potatoes, barley, oats, and some drought-tolerant vegetables. However, for Alaska as a whole, this is like a drop in the ocean, so East Africa has to continually supply staple food to the Alaskan populace, making effective use of Alaska’s arable resources.

Of course, if Alaska’s mineral resources could be developed, that would be a different matter, but does East Africa currently have the capability to develop Alaska?

Clearly not. It’s certain that if Alaska’s mineral development were released, hordes from Canada and the United States would march north immediately. So, for now, the people of Alaska will have to endure some hardships.

Of course, this is just in jest. The living standards in Alaska are not bad at all. After all, with a small population, as a country with excess agricultural production, East Africa doesn’t really lack that bit of grain, and with Alaska’s abundant fishery resources, the standard of living for Alaskan residents is quite high.

For East Africa, or rather the Heixinggen Royal Family, maintaining control over Alaska naturally requires ensuring smooth communication between the two regions, primarily through maritime routes from East Africa to Alaska, which highlights Hawaii’s importance once again.

This is similar to when Ernst stubbornly intervened in the Ryukyu Islands dispute; the ultimate purpose was to ensure Alaska’s security.

If there were no royal territories in Alaska, East Africa wouldn’t get involved at all. After all, the Southern Ryukyu Islands and Kauai don’t have many resources, and East Africa gains no substantial benefits from occupying them, with the likelihood of provoking Japan and the United States.

Of course, East Africa is certainly not intimidated by the US and Japan. East Africa is far away from both countries, and even if they exerted all their national power, they wouldn’t have much recourse against East Africa. Conversely, East Africa has leverage over both countries.

This illustrates East Africa’s geographical advantages. World trade is primarily centered around the Eurasian continent; the Americans and Japanese cannot avoid the Indian Ocean region, and as long as East Africa doesn’t target the UK or the US, no one can do anything to East Africa.

Especially Japan, as the European silk market is extremely important, and the Indian Ocean is a necessary route for Japanese merchant ships heading to Europe, or else they would have to detour around America. With the Panama Canal not yet open, detouring around America would be too risky and time-consuming.

The United States’ 19th-century railroad construction was also due to the inconvenience of sea transport, so they had no choice but to use railroads to connect the East and West coasts, giving rise to the world’s most extensive railroad network.

Poor French are still building the Panama Canal, having not learned from the ”Suez” Canal experience. But for now, France is keen on overseas investments, mainly because domestic industrial production costs are too high. After losing Lorraine and Alsace, they couldn’t compete with Germany at all, so it makes sense that France has invested heavily overseas.

French methods can’t be said to have yielded no results. In the past life, French colonies could remain relatively stable because France’s construction was better, and the colonial profits were relatively higher than those of other countries. Of course, these profits had nothing to do with the local natives but were mainly for the French residents living in French colonies.

”You’re underestimating yourself, Rog. After all these years in Hawaii, who doesn’t know your name? Your businesses almost cover the entire Kauai. Just based on these industries, you’re a big name in Hawaii, unlike me, stuck in the sandalwood trade. As sandalwood resources dwindle, I might not last a few more years. If I have to change careers then, I’ll have to rely on you, brother,” Endress complimented Rog.

Rog’s industries are naturally concentrated on Kauai, as per Central Government’s instructions, which is advantageous for East Africa’s discreet control over Kauai.

It’s not yet time to lay all cards on the table, so East Africa continues to increase its presence on Kauai. Once the US makes a move in Hawaii, East Africa will promptly ”respond,” leading to the partition of Hawaii between the two countries.

Frankly, the Americans would never expect East Africa to be so cunning. In Hawaii, the US mainly guards against three countries: the United Kingdom, France, and Japan.

With these three countries diverting attention, a distant African country like East Africa naturally goes unnoticed. Amidst mutual competition and precaution, no one predicted that East Africa would quietly extend its hand into Hawaii.