Chapter 109: Christmas
December 7, 1867
East African Colony, Mlandizi Cultural School
After touring the education system in East Africa's First Town, both Maximilian I and Empress Carlota were deeply moved.
As members of elite European nobility, raised with royal and courtly education, it was rare for them to be exposed to such grassroots-level schooling.
And as a colony, East Africa had no reason to hide anything from them—what they saw was an honest picture of daily educational life.
The curriculum was minimal: German and mathematics were the core subjects, with history and physical education following behind.
The content was extremely simple, with lots of repetition across grades.
Even after completing their education, most students would only be able to read and write in German and perform basic arithmetic.
Overall, East Africa's educational standards were far below what Ernst remembered from elementary school in his previous life—less than one-third of it (around third-grade level).
This was a conscious adaptation to the colony's severe shortage of teachers—East Africa simply couldn't afford more advanced instruction.
Even so, there was an upward path: the top graduates of the final examinations could qualify to study abroad in Germany.
By the standards of Ernst's former elementary school, this test was easy.
The problem was that East African immigrant families didn't always value education, meaning only children from education-focused households would earn the chance to study abroad.
Even if a child scored well, they'd still need parental permission to leave—and in many cases, would end up farming in East Africa instead.
Ernst didn't bother correcting this dynamic.
He only needed enough talent—not a surplus.
Too many educated people could become a burden.
In Europe, industrial nations still needed unskilled labor more than intellectuals.
The same went for East Africa, where farming was still the dominant need.
At the time, only Britain had completed true industrialization (over 50% urbanization). Other countries lagged far behind.
Thus, industrial nations didn't demand highly educated workers—and neither did East Africa.
The purpose of compulsory education in East Africa was not benevolent—it was about assimilation and control.
It helped train loyal future officials—not to transform lives (though that sometimes happened incidentally).
Like Prussia, which launched public education to improve military performance, East Africa's motives were also strategic.
Was Ernst truly passionate about education? Not really.
Even though he'd completed nine years of public schooling and higher education in his previous life,
he was now a nobleman—his actions may have seemed visionary (nation-building),
but his real goal was preserving the wealth and power of the Hohenzollern house.
From India and other countries, Ernst had learned this lesson:
A massive, low-education population could still make its elite incredibly wealthy.
Thus, nobles didn't need scholars—they needed obedient workers who could generate profit.
This was why past rulers preferred ignorant subjects—and why modern societies fostered anti-intellectualism.
East Africa's education system walked a fine line:
It was lukewarm, neither too shallow nor too deep—deliberately watered down.
The only true emphasis lay in ethnic identity and cultural assimilation—making everyone Germanized.
Moral virtues, kindness, or ethics were not priorities.
Those were left to family upbringing.
So while East Africa's education may have appeared crude and full of holes, it was in fact highly calculated political strategy.
Of course, Maximilian I didn't see that.
After the school visit, he couldn't help offering his own suggestions—believing the current model had tremendous room for improvement.
The staff listened politely, nodding and smiling—while ignoring everything he said.
The only truly educated administrators in East Africa were employees of the Hohenzollern Consortium (most had at least secondary education).
Even the "formidable" Hohenzollern Military Academy graduates were mostly elementary-level students.
To employees and soldiers, it was just a job.
To Academy students, it was a chance to repay the headmaster's kindness.
They simply followed Ernst's blueprint—without caring how East Africa actually developed.
Out of respect for Maximilian's status, they humored him.
But there he was, still rambling away like a European intellectual, critiquing policy—
a living reminder of how "freedom from office" unleashes one's true energy.
Had he shown this much fire as Emperor of Mexico, Ernst might've truly been impressed.
...
December 25, 1867
It was Christmas once again.
After a year of traveling, Ernst and Prince Konstantin returned to Hohenzollern to celebrate the holiday.
Ernst wandered through the castle holding a small Rottweiler named "Nawi."
The dog had no special meaning—it was named in memory of a mongrel from his past life.
That childhood dog, also called Nawi, had died of old age, leaving Ernst heartbroken for a long time.
The castle was decorated for the season.
A fir tree, transplanted from Germany's southern forests, stood tall in the hall as the Christmas tree.
This year was different: electric lamps replaced candles.
The castle and even its surrounding roads were illuminated by the Hohenzollern Consortium's lighting system.
Other European royal houses and major cities had also begun using electric lights.
Still, some traditionalists clung to candles, using them to enhance the religious atmosphere of Christmas.
The castle felt a little empty.
Many servants had been sent home by Prince Konstantin to spend the holidays with their families.
It was a cold year. Snow blanketed Hohenzollern and much of Germany.
Through the windows, everything outside was white.
Snow dusted the evergreen branches around the castle.
Far to the south, however, East Africa was like springtime.
The East African government organized Christmas celebrations for its residents.
And so, 1867 came to a close.
It was a landmark year:
East Africa had fully secured Tanzania and Kenya.
Immigrant numbers reached half a million.
It now had the basic scale of a nation.
East Africa had become a political entity capable of engaging in international affairs.
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