African Entrepreneurship Record

After preparing the relevant materials and documents, Manske led Cruise and his entourage to the military restricted zone northwest of Dar es Salaam City, accompanied throughout by the Guard Division and security department.

Given that Dar es Salaam City is close to the East African Capital First Town, the safety of First Town is prioritized, so not just anyone can freely enter and exit the area surrounding Dar es Salaam City, especially the military jurisdiction of the Guard Division.

This was also the first time Cruise and other Spaniards had ventured deep into East African territory, as Spanish diplomatic personnel could only reach First Town; their usual activity areas were limited to Dar es Salaam City.

The weapon demonstration site was a training base for the Guard Division, where Cruise and others got a preliminary glimpse of East African soldiers. It was three in the afternoon, so many troops were organizing their routine afternoon training at the base.

”No wonder this formidable army is capable of defeating Portugal and the United Kingdom. Both from the tight organization and the military demeanor, one can see this troop has great combat strength,” Cruise praised without exaggeration.

This made the accompanying Guard Division officer, Falkid, feel very pleased, as being lauded by a country like Spain, also considered a Great Power, enhanced the sense of achievement.

Falkid explained, ”Mr. Cruise, our East African Army has always restrained itself with the strictest requirements, emphasizing discipline and training day after day to achieve these results.”

Cruise continued to praise, ”If our Spanish army could be like the East African army, I believe even the Americans might not overpower us on the battlefield, but it’s a pity...”

To Cruise, who understood the prestige of the Spanish army, the more he knew, the less optimistic he was about the outcome of this war.

Falkid comforted, ”Spain, as an old strong power, may not be inferior to the United States. There might be some naval disparity between the two countries due to economic strength, but the American army might not look so favorable. So, equipped with advanced weapons and fully prepared, I believe Spain can teach the Americans a profound lesson in land battles.”

Colonial wars are mainly fought at sea, with few opportunities to showcase the Spanish army’s performance, and there is a significant gap between colonial and Spanish homeland forces. However, the Spanish colonial army’s opponent is likely to be the American navy.

At this point, Manske interjected, ”As the saying goes, sharpening a sword doesn’t delay the work of cutting firewood; advantages in equipment often change the course of the war, so you should more extensively introduce this rifle into the colony. Of course, no amount of talk can compare to a direct demonstration.”

Shortly, the group arrived at the Guard Division’s simulated rainforest combat terrain, which closely replicated a rainforest combat environment, with dense jungles, rivers, and other wetland types.

The soldiers of the Guard Division operated the m1895c jungle rifles and began various targeted demonstrations, including submerging the rifles in water and shooting at targets within the dense forest.

Manske explained on the side, ”We’ve made detailed modifications to the gun grip, so sweat and rain can quickly flow away along the grooves, with an anti-slip feature to ensure it won’t slip.”

”When facing enemies in thick forests, surrounded by vegetation, the enemy easily blends into the terrain, making it challenging to lock onto targets. Therefore, increasing the bullet’s power effectively enhances the lethal impact upon hitting the target…”

Meanwhile, Manske took the opportunity to promote other products: ”Look at these rain boots, specifically designed for tropical jungle terrain. East Africa is a major rubber producer, which gives us an advantage in raw materials. If you’re interested in purchasing, we can offer certain discounts… Rainproof cloth… Canned food…”

Most of the military products’ performance and quality were recognized by Cruise, as many were mature products equipped by existing East African troops.

After the demonstration, Cruise said to Manske and the others, ”Very good. I can decide to increase the rifle order to two thousand units, but I can only finalize the rifle order. Although other East African military products are good, I don’t have the authority for them. I’m also quite interested in the East African Army’s uniforms. Could you possibly gift me a set?”

Cruise’s request surprised Manske, as it was well-known that East African military uniforms were ”unique” in style globally. Early in the South African War, British and Portuguese referred to them as ”vagabond troops,” mainly because they were too plain and unappealing. However, as the war progressed, the predominantly gray-black uniforms became a nightmare for British and Portuguese troops.

Of course, the external recognition of the combat power of the East African Defense Army was clear, but other countries still did not favor East African military uniforms. Frankly, due to early technical gaps, the uniforms were also disliked by those who wore them. Yet over time, with improved craftsmanship and detailed modifications, East African military uniforms, while remaining ”simple,” were much better executed and not as crude as before.

Additionally, the Guard Division, as the most well-equipped troops, had the most avant-garde attire among East African forces, which attracted Cruise’s interest.

Manske naturally agreed to Cruise’s request, as completing the sales task made gifting a set of military uniforms a minor detail.

Moreover, the East Africa’s weapon sales to Spain were not limited to the m1895c jungle combat rifles; they included standard Mauser rifles equipped for Spanish troops, along with some machine guns and small-caliber artillery.

Aside from weaponry, the Spanish government ordered large quantities of military supplies from East Africa, primarily food, medicine, tobacco, and other essentials.

Most of these goods were directly sent to the Philippines, while for Cuba, Spain managed the transport from its mainland, as East Africa had a distance advantage to the Philippines, whereas Spain was closer to Cuba.

Thus, before the Spanish-American War even began, East Africa had already profited from Spain. Spain also benefited, as East Africa provided reliable quality products at relatively fair prices.

While East Africa and Spain engaged in trade, the American government wasn’t idle, actively preparing for war. Besides using the Maine incident to further pressure Spain through domestic public opinion, they intervened in Spanish rule over the Philippines, requiring Spain to implement democratic reform based on American ideas.

This was essentially taking a position with the local resistance, encouraging them to intensify their battle against the Spanish colonial government, further attracting Spain’s attention to the Philippines, since Ernst had already planted seeds before.

At that time, the Spanish government naturally didn’t believe Ernst’s statements, as the Philippines, unlike Cuba, wasn’t in close proximity to the United States, and the Philippines was certainly not close to America.

Now, however, the United States was directly interfering in Spain’s governance of the Philippines, validating Ernst’s earlier claims about America’s ambitions towards the Philippines. At least many within the Spanish government believed this, forcing Spain to heighten its attention on the Philippines.

Meanwhile, under French-led international community mediation, the negotiations between the United States and Spain did not go well. For instance, in terms of public opinion, the United Kingdom sided fully with the United States, clearly expressing support for America, so under these circumstances, America was unlikely to heed France’s advice.

Therefore, the Spanish government was already considering war. Yet, at this point, Ernst naturally did not want Spain to start the war too soon, at least not until the Philippines’ armed forces were fully prepared. So, after East Africa’s persuasion, Spain postponed the war declaration originally planned for April to mid-May, continuing to negotiate and delay with the United States to buy time.

In this tense atmosphere, the East African government fully supported Spain’s war preparations, transporting vast amounts of military supplies from Dar es Salaam and Bela to Manila and other Philippine regions. East Africa even gifted a dozen coastal defense guns, which were Ernst’s hopes to prevent Spain from being as embarrassed as in the past during the Philippines conflict.