African Entrepreneurship Record

The Abyssinia Empire is a thoroughly backward agricultural nation, but one point cannot be ignored, and that is the extremely low human labor cost in the Abyssinia Empire.

After all, with only three hundred thousand square kilometers of territory and a population amounting to about one-seventh of East Africa, the Abyssinia Empire is therefore very suitable for engaging in some labor-intensive agriculture.

With East Africa’s de-blackization already a foregone conclusion, and with black slaves completely disappearing, East Africa’s labor costs are bound to rise. Therefore, it is necessary to transfer some labor-intensive agricultural activities to the Abyssinia Empire in advance.

Take, for example, the rubber industry, tea, coffee plantations, and other industries that are difficult to mechanize in the short term. East Africa can allocate a portion to the Abyssinia Empire. As for competition, East Africa is not afraid of a small country like Abyssinia; rather, it is Brazil, a tropical major nation with vast territory, that East Africa is wary of.

Of course, John IV naturally knows about East Africa’s intentions to control the Abyssinia Empire’s agriculture, but he has no way to stop it. Not to mention, if East Africa uses economic means to change the agriculture status of the Abyssinia Empire, John IV similarly cannot do anything.

Of course, Raymonds also said, ”We, East Africa, understand the national condition of Abyssinia. The Abyssinia Empire faces hunger issues and must resolve grain problems first. On this point, our East Africa can help the Abyssinia Empire. East Africa is one of the world’s largest grain exporting nations, fully capable of solving the Abyssinia Empire’s grain issues, forming an economic pattern of exchanging grain and industrial products for economic crop products.”

Of course, the Abyssinia Empire has a relatively dense population but low productivity levels, so agricultural production is primarily focused on grain crops, as the eating issue must be solved first.

To make the Abyssinia Empire willingly engage in labor-dependent economic crop planting for East Africa, naturally, a reassurance must be given to the Abyssinia Empire.

The most crucial reason is that East Africa’s grain crops, especially rice and wheat mechanization, have already shown initial signs, and can meet agricultural mass production needs with a small agricultural population in the future.

Of course, this is something John IV, the indigenous emperor, cannot imagine. In reality, he does not oppose planting economic crops, as the current international community’s demand is very high, and Europe and America want as much as they can take. Otherwise, countries in Europe and America wouldn’t be engaging in plantation economies all over the world.

Of course, East Africa giving up a part of its share stems from East Africa beginning to turn towards industrialization, and East Africa’s magnitude is incomparable to the Abyssinia Empire. Moreover, the Abyssinia Empire is easier to control, which is the main reason.

In the future, East Africa certainly does not want to fight with indigenous people in Vietnam’s jungle like the United States. Not to mention Southeast Asia is far from East Africa, and with complex terrain, while the Abyssinia is primarily highland, with easily defendable and hard-to-attack mountainous terrain being basically under South East Africa’s control, thus, it is fundamentally powerless against East Africa’s control.

Of course, Raymonds certainly can’t get John IV to easily comply with just a few words, but this is only a matter of time, as the Abyssinia Empire has no choice.

No matter what the Abyssinia Empire does, even if the whole nation only grows tropical economic crops, its production will always be limited due to the small territory. Instead, when these cheap farm products enter East Africa, East Africa can process them slightly and sell them to Europe and America.

This means East Africa deploys the laborious and unrewarding agricultural type in Abyssinia, while East Africa engages in mid-upper stream industries, i.e., processing and sales, forming a large industry chain dependent on East Africa, which is favorable for both East Africa and the Abyssinia Empire.

To further dispel John IV’s doubts, Raymonds specifically said, ”As friends of the Abyssinia Empire, we, East Africa, respect your decisions, like the issue of grain security. Your nation’s restricted lands are vast, allowing an increase in cultivated land area on the current basis to engage in economic crops planting. This way, it won’t threaten national grain security, while also earning more money since international grain prices have been at low levels these years, with profits far lower than rubber, coffee, sugar, and other crops.”

Sure enough, Raymonds’ reminder made John IV, the emperor from a military background, ”come to his senses,” realizing it’s true!

Of course, this is clearly impossible. Raymonds’ words have huge discrepancies, and that is the premise that East Africa’s grain does not enter Abyssinia.

Raymonds also mentioned the international grain prices always stay at low levels, yet East Africa’s cheap grain had already entered the Abyssinia Empire more than a decade ago. Thus, now increasingly more Abyssinia Empire landlords have begun turning to economic crop planting, and East Africa is simply accelerating this process.

East Africa’s ultimate goal is still to completely integrate the Abyssinia Empire into the East Africa market, and Raymonds’ current approach is merely accelerating this process.

As for grain security issues, it has always been East Africa’s weapon. If Abyssinia cannot achieve grain self-sufficiency, East Africa would only be too glad.

Of course, as East Africa’s nurtured fish, East Africa won’t act overly excessive like the United States did along the Caribbean Sea coast, at least sharing some soup with the Abyssinia Empire.

In this regard, the East African Government still has integrity. After all, the East African Government isn’t like the United States’ merchant government, and considers more from both political and economic factors.

”Moreover, our East African Government will assist the Abyssinia Empire with agricultural technology, providing more advanced farm tools, seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides, increasing Abyssinia Empire’s agricultural income,” Raymonds continued.

Current economic crop planting farm tools basically lack technical content, so there is no fear of technical leakage, knowing East Africa’s tractors are only for domestic use, avoiding export, to prevent future technological advancement of the United States and Tsarist Russia, among other agricultural powers.

East Africa, as a powerhouse in the internal combustion engine field, undoubtedly belongs to the first tier in this field’s machinery, being ten to twenty years ahead of other world nations due to early investment.

In the market, similar competitors’ internal combustion tractors have no large-scale promotion value, while East Africa’s gasoline and diesel type tractors have already started mass production inland.

This equals East Africa implementing a reverse technical blockade on the world, and due to the world market reasons, East Africa can easily obtain technology from other world countries through commercial or even espionage activities, thus only with time, East Africa can achieve a ”you have, I also have; I have, you don’t have” scenario in practical technology fields.

This is East Africa’s reverse application of the ”closed-door policy,” though clearly not beneficial to worldwide technological progress, East Africa obviously doesn’t care about this.

”Ambassador Raymonds, regarding this cooperation matter between the two countries, I will reply to you a bit later,” said John IV.

After all, such matters need his advisers to provide references, but John IV was quickly persuaded by his ministers.

After all, the Abyssinia Empire’s economic dependency on East Africa is a settled matter, leading to many ”compradors.” Certainly, the Abyssinia Empire’s form has doomed its inability to resist East Africa’s subtle invasion in all aspects. If resistance is futile, then why not ”enjoy” it?

In April 1894, East Africa and the Abyssinia Empire officially signed a treaty for in-depth collaborative development, making the Abyssinia Empire the world’s first nation tied to East Africa’s own war vehicle.