African Entrepreneurship Record

The tank testing ground in East Africa is located in the Luqiao Lake basin, to the northwest of Mbeya City, taking advantage of the city’s industrial resources while the terrain and climate are suitable for tank experiment operations.

Luqiao Lake is also one of the larger lakes in East Africa, equivalent to half the size of Qinghai Lake, positioned between Malawi Lake and Soron Lake (Tanganyika Lake).

Luqiao Lake, as a saltwater lake, differs from Qinghai Lake mainly in that it is a seasonal lake, even drying up completely during the dry season.

Many wild animals such as hippos and crocodiles live in Luqiao Lake. Unlike elsewhere, its low development and utilization rate mean East Africa will not undertake large-scale development here for now. The local resource is mainly the salt ponds south of the lake, where East Africa has set up a small salt refinement factory.

Furthermore, there are hardly any human settlements around Luqiao Lake, with only a few villages and towns mostly distributed along the rivers flowing into the lake, providing the East African Army with excellent grounds for weapons testing.

The sparsely populated area aids confidentiality and minimizes external interference. As for the clueless animals that get killed or blown up during weapon testing, they had it coming.

To ensure the test site’s safety, armed personnel guard the vicinity of Luqiao Lake, mainly against the hippos, as crocodiles rarely come ashore.

Hippos in Africa are undeniably a nuisance, with even their emissions being unbearable.

Initially, to ensure the safety of the water source, East Africa executed a significant culling. A thousand hippos are enough to pollute an entire river.

Hippos in Luqiao Lake escaped this fate because the lake is not a water source and is a self-contained inland body, with water that doesn’t affect other areas.

Thus, hippos in Luqiao Lake are fortunate, like the animals on the Serengeti Grassland, escaping sanctions due to their activity range.

The Serengeti Grassland is a particular case since Ernst does not wish for the disappearance of the iconic migration scene of wildebeests traversing rivers from documentaries.

Luqiao Lake, however, has temporarily evaded East Africa’s clutches due to its harsh environment. Yet, as East Africa develops local salt resources in the future, it will inevitably impact this area; however, domestic demand for salt resources here is currently minimal.

In East Africa, there are many saltwater lakes like Luqiao Lake, the largest being Turkana Lake. Salt lakes are widespread outside the Congo rainforest, making them a common resource.

Not to mention other areas, the Highland Province alone has many salt lakes, and they are near the economically developed coastal regions. Luqiao Lake’s advantage is its proximity to Mbeya City.

However, Mbeya’s climate differs widely from the Luqiao Lake basin. As part of the Malawi Lake basin, Mbeya City receives ample rainfall, unlike the arid Luqiao Lake basin.

”A tractor’s tracked chassis is more suited to the Luqiao Lake basin terrain than wheels, operable in both dry and wet seasons. Moreover, tires struggle to support the heavy tank, whereas tracks are more durable and reliable,” said East African tank research expert Philip to his colleagues.

Colleague Yarsk added, ”Wheeled armored vehicles have their advantages, like speed, but they require high-quality road conditions. Paved roads might suffice, but flat surfaces on battlefields are a rare luxury, not to mention many countries have poor infrastructure compared to ours, with terrible road conditions.”

Though a later-developing nation, East Africa, like the United States and Germany, was a construction powerhouse in the 19th century. The U.S.’s railways led the world, while Germany had strong comprehensive capabilities, especially its density far surpassed other countries.

Despite starting late, East Africa has experienced a boom in recent years, with roads, railways, canals, and other infrastructure quickly catching up with the world leaders.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that East Africa’s infrastructure level might soon surpass that of Africa’s entire continent in previous times. In four or five decades, East Africa could fully match Europe and America.

In some areas, purely in terms of scale, East Africa is already number one worldwide, especially regarding paved roads, termed ”modern highways.” To pave the way for the automotive industry, East Africa leads the world in road construction, particularly cement and asphalt roads.

Other countries have not yet foreseen the future surge in demand for roads following the explosion of the automotive industry, with railways still ranking first in importance among land transport methods.

In canal construction, it’s even more exaggerated. Although Germany and Belgium’s enthusiasm for domestic canal construction is no less than East Africa’s, East Africa’s vast land and inherent deficiencies in inland water transport mean its Grand Canal plan exceeds other nations’ national canal plans combined.

Thus, East Africa’s 19th-century infrastructure level is top-tier, a result forced upon it. Like an exam paper, where other countries have a foundation, East Africa starts from scratch, therefore having the most potential for progress.

As East Africa develops, it has surpassed relatively backward regions like the Far East and South America, not to mention catching up with Europe and America in certain areas. Though there remains a gap with Western nations, time will inevitably bring East Africa up to the same standard.

”You’re right; with improved infrastructure, the operability of military armored vehicles increases, though never surpassing tanks unless East Africa becomes one giant concrete lot. Even then, wheeled vehicles have many issues to resolve, including weight capacity and shrapnel,”

The current tire design for military vehicles doesn’t exceed the limitations of East Africa’s automotive industry. A tire might puncture upon contact with a sharp object or shrapnel. Resolving this is Philip’s competitor’s dilemma.

As Philip and Yarsk conversed, the East African ”tank” began a new round of performance, an extremely heavy giant cloaked in thick steel, with a medium-caliber barrel extending from the top, crawling through the mud at a snail’s pace.

”Click...”

Upon hearing a crash, Phillips and Yarsk’s faces darkened, the familiar scene reappearing in their minds.

The giant lay stuck in a pile of mud, spewing black smoke from its rear, looking half-dead.

”Mr. Philip, the engine blew a cylinder!” The tank driver climbed out of the iron box of the tank, looking exasperated.

Though Philip and Yarsk were used to such results, each failure still discomforted them.

”Go get the toolkit; we’ll take it apart again. I refuse to believe issues will persist indefinitely,” Philip ordered.

This complex beast’s dismantling was challenging; it took several people half a day to achieve just the first step. With the problem at the engine, today’s fault is certainly irreparable.

”Take the engine back to the lab first,” Philip sighed helplessly.

After working hands-on for hours, Philip and Yarsk were far from their ”civilized” appearances, covered in grease and grime, both donning a whole-face camo effect, the others similar, working in the mud ensuring a perpetually dirty state, the norm in the testing ground.

The tank’s engine is no small part, so it took over a dozen people fifteen minutes to lift the cumbersome piece onto the tractor’s rear frame.