Chapter 95: Arsenal Upgrade
August 20, 1867.
Berlin, Hohenzollern Arsenal.
Clang… clang…
A worker carefully held a chisel and rhythmically hammered rivets from a machine's welds.
With each blow of the hammer, the rivets were forcibly removed, yet the machine's surface remained largely intact.
Wielding a large wrench, he unscrewed bolts with effort. Other workers sorted the removed rivets and iron scraps into wooden buckets.
A master technician placed the dismantled components into boxes in specific positions.
These recently retired machines were being officially decommissioned from the Hohenzollern Arsenal.
This batch of equipment originally came from the Prussian royal family, along with outdated factory infrastructure.
When Ernst acquired the arsenal, it wasn't for these old machines but for the skilled workers and technicians inside.
So the fate of these machines was sealed the moment Ernst took ownership.
Following the principle of full utilization, the dismantled, outdated machinery would be shipped to the East African colony for reassembly and use in repair and parts production.
East Africa had stockpiled a large number of old flintlock rifles, and these machines were just right for maintaining and repairing them.
Those rifles could still serve for another 7–8 years in Africa, more than sufficient to deal with the native population.
The old machines were ideal for minor tasks like servicing and calibrating these guns.
It wasn't ideal, but once the machines left Berlin and the Prussian arms system, this was all they were good for.
The Hohenzollern Arsenal had always been a semi-finished parts plant; many components had to be ordered from other Prussian factories.
Even if reassembled in East Africa, these machines couldn't resume full production—but they were more than capable of handling basic arms maintenance.
Ernst had considered selling them, but there were no buyers.
After the Austro-Prussian War, European countries were upgrading their own equipment and had no need for outdated machinery.
Far East and South American markets were inaccessible due to lack of formal ties, and shipping costs alone were steep.
In Africa—the most underdeveloped region—tribes and small kingdoms in West Africa might have use for them, but they had no money.
Back in the slave trade era, they could barter black slaves for European weapons. Now, with slavery banned in Europe and America, even slaves had lost value.
So instead of selling, the machines would be better used in East Africa—still useful and easily transported via immigration ships, with no need for dedicated cargo vessels.
While the old equipment was being removed, new machines had already been installed.
These machines were designed to produce the Dreyse needle rifles used by the Prussian Army—fully adopted during the Austro-Prussian War.
With the war over, military restrictions had eased, and Ernst easily acquired the new machines.
These new rifles would equip the standing forces of the East African colony, after supplying the Prussian Army.
As part of the Prussian military-industrial system, the Hohenzollern Arsenal primarily served the Prussian Army.
Its parts and tech still relied heavily on Prussian support, and to stay financially viable, it had to serve the broader market.
Only after breaking even could it allocate equipment to East Africa's forces.
The colony had two types of military forces: regulars and militia.
The regulars were full-time soldiers, always on alert.
The militia were trained seasonally during agricultural downtime and only mobilized for large-scale operations.
Previously, both groups were armed with old flintlocks.
Most weapons came from the Prussian Army's surplus; only a small amount was produced locally by the Hohenzollern Arsenal.
Despite using the same weapons, the distinction was in training:
Regulars received rigorous daily drills with live ammunition.
Militias mostly trained with empty rifles and only handled live rounds during special deployments like native-clearing operations.
The new Dreyse rifles from the Hohenzollern Arsenal would now arm the standing forces, while all old flintlocks would be passed down to the militias.
Meanwhile, a branch of the Hohenzollern Arsenal was under construction in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Unlike Berlin, which focused on rifle production, this branch specialized in replicating and producing light artillery.
Currently small in scale, more advanced than a simple workshop, the branch's goal was to provide experience in cannon production for East Africa.
Traditional arsenals had fixed partners.
The Berlin Hohenzollern Arsenal was once a Prussian government facility. Ernst only acquired its management rights.
So after upgrading the equipment, it continued to receive orders from the Prussian Army.
But the branch in Austria-Hungary had no such privilege.
It was based in Trieste—a location chosen for its shipping convenience (especially with the Suez Canal set to open).
It would supply artillery to East Africa.
At present, East Africa's forces only had basic firearms.
Their strongest weapons were grenades and explosive packs.
So why light artillery?
To counter threats from Portuguese colonies and potential naval enemies.
Even the Zanzibar Sultanate had more than a dozen cannons—most inherited from the Omani Empire.
These were mainly stationed at its coastal forts.
After East Africa took over Zanzibar's mainland territory, a few old cannons were recovered in Dar es Salaam and Mombasa.
If Zanzibar had artillery, imagine what Portugal and other naval colonizers had. Their ships were always armed.
East Africa needed its own artillery.
Those few recovered cannons were in terrible shape—rusted, barely usable, and far too few to be useful.
So building the branch was necessary.
Why not just buy some guns from Europe?
Because East Africa didn't need them yet.
Right now, it was focused on consolidating its territory—not provoking conflict.
And while "buying is cheaper than building" might be true short-term, manufacturing locally was the long-term solution.
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