African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 1191: Chapter 200: Shortcomings of Rhein City

When it comes to the issue of horse export, East Africa finds itself in a rather awkward position. From the end of the last century to the beginning of this century, East Africa once became one of the largest horse-raising countries in the world.

According to data from East Africa in 1900, at that time, the horse population nationwide in East Africa was as high as approximately twenty-one million, a level matched only by Russia and the United States among the world’s great powers.

The quantity of horses in Russia has long held the top spot globally, such as before World War I, with Russian horse stock possibly around thirty million, followed by the United States, also around twenty million.

Frier, with a face full of regret, said to Thomson, ”Ambassador Thomson, why don’t you choose more automobiles! Although we East Africans do not lack horses, in recent years, due to the development of the automobile industry, significant changes have occurred in East Africa’s transportation industry; the number of horse farms has already gone down a notch.”

”Currently, our country’s horse stock is only over ten million, which is far behind that of Tsarist Russia and the United States, so it would be better if you ordered more of our cars. East Africa is already quite advanced in the automotive manufacturing industry and can completely meet some of your country’s needs.”

East Africa was once on the same level as Russia and the United States as a great horse breeding nation. After all, in ancient times and even the early industrial period, horses were an extremely important source of power.

The army needed horses, and the prevalence of horse plowing meant agriculture needed vast quantities of horses, and finally, the transportation industry. Today, most European countries still use horse-drawn carriages as the most important means of transport, whether in rural or urban areas, where horse-drawn carriages are popular.

Currently, only East Africa and the United States have truly achieved large-scale automotive popularization. Although other countries may have automobile manufacturing industries, they cannot change the fact that they are ”mule and horse” countries.

Take the British, for example. After the war began, they invested over a million horses and continued to import horses steadily from the United States.

All European countries are major horse-rearing powers; even tiny Belgium has close to five hundred thousand horses, and major countries like France, Germany, and Austria-Hungary have several million horses.

Of course, the number of military horses that can be actually used on the battlefield is insufficient. Currently, France primarily imports from the United States, Argentina, and East Africa to make up for the shortage.

Thomson smiled bitterly and said, ”If it were possible, we would also wish to popularize military vehicles on a large scale to tow artillery, but we lack maintenance personnel, experienced drivers, fuel, etc., so horses are still more suitable for France at the moment.”

Thomson had made himself clear, so Frier could only settle for the second-best option and said, ”Since that’s the case, how many horses does your country plan to purchase from us in East Africa this time?”

Today, the role of horses in East Africa is rapidly declining, and the scale of breeding has also dropped significantly, but the volume is still considerable, remaining in third place globally, behind Russia and the United States.

Selling them to the French is without pressure, as East African horses, although overall quality is not as good as Europe’s, several fine breeds have emerged after years of cultivation.

After all, East Africa still retains many cavalry units, and the military horses used by these cavalry units are breeds cultivated by East Africa itself.

Thomson said, ”We plan to start by purchasing ten thousand horses to test the waters. If the results are good, we will continue to consider further orders.”

This is already quite a significant gesture. Because of the war, the current price of horses is not low, but this also illustrates the enormous pressure France is under in the war.

Since the war began, the industrial areas of northeastern France have been essentially occupied by Germany, causing France to lose nearly sixty percent of its steel production capacity, seventy percent of its textile industry, and large swathes of its grain-producing areas.

After the Army Department boasted that ”our soldiers can always have two proper meals a day,” the frontline received over two hundred thousand protest letters all at once.

Frontline soldiers claimed that of the over three hundred thousand supplies and equipment sent to the front, only half were usable. Fresh meat was never seen, and they usually had to gnaw on oily, tough canned beef, eat salty fish with not enough salt, and the so-called cheese pasta tasted like tree bark, with all these foods mixed with a large amount of ash.

Of course, France’s enemies are even more embarrassed, because the French Army’s meals are among the better ones within the European warring countries.

For gains have losses; the loss of the heavy industrial zone in the northeast has led to France being unable to match Germany in weapon production. Rifles and shells cannot meet the front line supply.

Currently, fifty-seven percent of French workers have shifted to defense production, whereas for France’s opponent Germany, this ratio is fifty-eight percent. It seems there isn’t much difference, but the reality is Germany’s population base and industrial population are far greater than France’s.

However, compared to Russia, France’s capability is absolutely top-notch. After the outbreak of war, France’s defense production capacity expanded thirtyfold, allowing it to support its front line conflicts with the German Army, whereas Russia increased only a bit over onefold, highlighting the gap between Russia and other industrialized countries.

And this has led inevitably to France and other countries having to sacrifice other production activities, which is also the basis for cooperation between East Africa and various countries in Europe.

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As the war enters a stalemate phase, the frequency of personnel entries and exits from East Africa by various countries increases, and each country chooses the optimal route, landing either at Cabinda, Luanda, or Dar es Salaam City.

For example, Germans and Austria-Hungarians habitually choose Dar es Salaam, while France chooses Luanda, and other countries decide based on their own needs.

This also reveals the inconvenience of East Africa’s decision to move its capital. Although the railway from the coast to Rhein City is very convenient, it still consumes quite a bit of time, and East Africa has to set up temporary diplomatic handling institutions and personnel in Luanda City or Dar es Salaam City.

Especially in this major European war that concerns the fate of various European countries, even a delay of one or two days or several hours might have a significant impact on the war situation.

Of course, East Africa certainly won’t change its capital location to accommodate other countries, as it would affect some countries whether on the East Coast or the West Coast. For example, placing the capital on the East Coast benefits exchanges with countries in the Indian Ocean region and the Far East, whereas the West Coast favors exchanges with countries along the Atlantic coast.

Although East Africa, like the United States, is a two-ocean country, the national conditions of the United States and East Africa are vastly different, as the economic center is in the east, particularly in the Northeast, so Washington’s geographical position is barely adequate.

Compared to this, East Africa is more balanced, with a strong East Coast, but the West Coast is not far behind. Its central Rhein City turns out to be the optimal solution.

Regarding this situation, Ernst stated, ”Currently, in Cabinda, Luanda, and Dar es Salaam, we need to establish temporary diplomatic affairs handling institutions managed vertically by the central government. Minor issues can be handled by these institutions, such as trade disputes, maritime conflicts, etc., with more tense situations or matters submitted up to the central government.”

If this were the era of advanced aviation, this problem wouldn’t need to be worried about, as airplanes can fly directly inland, but currently, East Africa’s civil aviation industry has only just begun, and other countries only have a limited number of planes for military and other purposes.

Therefore, to have face-to-face dialogue with the East Africa Central Government, railway transfers are necessary. At a stage where aircraft endurance and safety have not achieved breakthroughs, this drawback of Rhein City is unavoidable. Luckily, communication technology is relatively advanced; even if graded institutions are established in Luanda, Dar es Salaam, and Cabinda, the East Africa central government can still grasp the overall situation at any time.

It’s no wonder maritime nations like to establish their capitals in coastal areas, as in this era, this indeed offers considerable advantages.

Moreover, this is conducive to coordinating naval forces, like Edo, Japan, and London, United Kingdom, which serve similar functions. The original East African Capital First Town City was the same, where Ernst could always observe the development of the East African Navy up close. Regrettably, East Africa’s situation is complex, with vast territory and embracing two oceans, hence resulting in this fortunate annoyance.