Chapter 126: Border Patrol Team
Ernst is determined to change Rudolf's fate, driven mostly by curiosity about what the future might hold. In truth, however Rudolf turns out, it won't greatly affect his own plans for developing East Africa—the real impact would only become apparent after the First World War.
In a previous life, some have said that Austria-Hungary was essentially Franz's personal empire—a very apt statement, as both the birth and demise of that empire were closely tied to Franz.
In any case, Austria-Hungary's future was doomed. Its dual monarchy system could only be handled by Franz, and a split was inevitable.
…
From afar came the sound of camel bells. A camel train appeared on the Kenyan horizon—around twenty or so camels in total.
Leading the way was a camel walking with an elegant gait on the sandy terrain. Seated on it was a person rocking rhythmically forward and back with each step.
He wore a straw hat in the Mexican style, a specially made light-yellow Prussian uniform, and carried a Prussian Dreyse rifle slung over his back.
Behind him, a soldier riding a second camel bore a lion flag of the House of Hechingen royal family—all these markers indicated a proper East African colonial armed force.
Militia members did not have access to the most advanced Dreyse rifles; they were still using front-loading flintlock muskets, which require powder loading from the muzzle.
Light-yellow uniforms are quite rare in Africa. These were specially commissioned by Ernst from a factory in Germany. Since the Prussian army had mainly operated in Europe, they'd never developed clothing suited to tropical desert climates.
Africa is already quite hot, and because of the high-altitude terrain, most regions are extremely sunny—especially the desert areas of northern Kenya.
Hence the popularity of straw hats, which are being purchased in increasing numbers by East Africa. They've become something of a local hallmark—worn in fields, villages, cities, and even by the army and government officials.
Currently, East Africa imports most of its straw hats from the Far East. Straw hats are difficult to produce by machine and are labor-intensive if done by hand.
Thus, East Africa mainly relies on imports. Mexico could also supply such hats, since it has an abundant labor force, but not to the extent of the Far East—so prices from the Far East are cheaper.
However, the Far Eastern style of straw hat is too plain for Ernst's taste. So he had people provide samples of Mexican straw hats to Far Eastern merchants, instructing them to purchase hats made to that design.
Of course, some immigrants from the Far East in East Africa can also weave straw hats. But at most, that occurs during their idle times on the farm, making a few just for themselves. It requires a great deal of patience, and for immigrants who already have enough to eat and drink, it's not really worth the effort. Indeed, some are unbothered by Africa's scorching sun—after all, they were once used to a life of farming under harsh sunlight.
It's the combination of these pale-yellow uniforms and straw hats that makes this East African camel unit look rather like something out of the American West when viewed from afar. The difference is that in North America's west you see cowboys on horses, whereas here they ride camels.
Within this camel troop were Germans, Austro-Hungarians (overlapping with Germans), and Chinese—much like the population makeup of the East African colony today.
Their route took them along the Somali-Kenyan border; in other words, these were border patrol troops.
Of course, there is no clear boundary between Somalia and Kenya at present, for around the area patrolled by the East African colony lie deserts and grasslands, with scarcely any population, let alone any government presence.
Currently, Somalia is an utter patchwork of local tribes and Arab factions. In the previous era, British, French, and Italian colonizers were the main players in Somalia.
Only the British have real influence there for now, mostly in northwestern Somalia's Somaliland region (along the Gulf of Aden).
France occupies just a tiny piece next door to the British (mainly Djibouti in 1859).
Italy hasn't arrived yet (1889), so from Europe's viewpoint, the wide swaths of central and southern Somalia are effectively "unclaimed territory" (ignoring the local inhabitants).
If the East African colony hadn't been focused on northern Kenya and the northwest, Ernst would have had no objection to taking a large portion of Somalia.
Still, they cannot be careless about Somalia, especially Mogadishu. As a major port city on the Indian Ocean, it has a long history; even Zheng He once sailed there (calling it Mu-gu-du-shu).
Somalia is unlike the naive interior tribes of Africa; it has strong Arab influences and is at least on par with Zanzibar in power.
The previous battle with Zanzibar was dramatic—plus that coastal region lay near Dar es Salaam, which could provide immediate support for the fighting and thus bolstered the army's confidence.
However, between Somalia and northern Kenya, the East African colony hasn't even fully developed the land, and there are few inhabitants there. Ernst naturally won't risk attacking Somalia.
He doesn't want to suffer a fiasco like Italy did with Ethiopia.
Moreover, unlike Italy—whose main colonial purpose in East Africa was to exploit the native population as labor for Italy's benefit—East Africa is seeking long-term stability and intends to eliminate local inhabitants. Somali resistance would be that much stronger.
In the previous era, even the Americans met with disaster in Mogadishu. If Ernst can't field a few thousand troops, he won't make any moves against Somalia.
So what is the point, then, of East Africa patrolling the Somali-Kenyan border?
This ties back to the East African colony's policies. To put it bluntly, it's the same "shut the door and beat the dog" approach. If they plan to eliminate the natives of northern Kenya, they need to cut off outside support while also preventing external tribes from sneaking into colonial territory.
Bear in mind, many African tribes have no concept of national boundaries. Wherever they find water and grass, that's where they go to hunt and graze.
If East Africa clears its own land of natives only to see new tribes wandering in from outside right afterward, all that effort is wasted!
Northern Kenya and Somalia, in particular, have drier climates where most tribes live nomadic lifestyles.
Hence the East African border patrol's job is to forcibly separate Somali tribes from Kenya and drive out any Somali presence near the border.
Since the temporary Kenya-Somalia border is predominantly desert and grassland, the best means of transportation there is the camel.
The East African colony began encountering camels quite early, as Zanzibar had quite a few. Every group of East African immigrants landing at Dar es Salaam and other coastal cities would see them.
It didn't take long for the colonial government to form a camel cavalry unit. After receiving a batch of Zanzibar's camels, they assembled a force of around two hundred.
Currently, this cavalry operates exclusively in northern Kenya. Historically, Kenya also had a vast camel population—over three million, second only to Sudan and Somalia.
Naturally, the East African colony cannot maintain so many camels in Kenya. Camels are best suited to desert conditions and aren't as handy in other areas (where other livestock do better).
For now, only northern Kenya is truly suitable for large-scale camel raising. Granted, there's plenty of grassland there, greater in area than the desert itself, so raising cattle and horses is also quite feasible.
…
Hans Back is the leader of this camel train. A German from the Austro-Hungarian Empire—specifically, an Austrian German with impeccable credentials.
Hence it's obvious why Hans Back could become the patrol captain.
In East Africa, those viewed with the most suspicion are not the Chinese, but rather Serbian immigrants and others of the Eastern Orthodox faith.
In the mindset of Europeans of this era, civilization is graded in levels. The only power that competes with traditional Europe is Tsarist Russia.
A heretical sect is often more despised than a different religion altogether. Eastern Orthodoxy's problem lies in vying for the same claim to legitimacy as Europe's traditional churches (including Protestant denominations).
Meanwhile, the Chinese have no faith at all (ancestor worship doesn't count), and so they aren't a prime target of East African Germans, but instead prospective converts.
Though East Africa lacks churches, many believers (especially Austrian Catholics) are keen to share their faith with the Chinese.
On the other hand, Serbians and other Orthodox believers are different. If they weren't fairly docile—mostly farming folk, once oppressed and still the lowest caste in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, accustomed to subservience—there might already have been conflicts with Catholics and Protestants.
True, Europeans like the Germans harbor some complaints about the Chinese—like how they'll talk about "God" one moment and then "Heaven" the next, coming across as two-faced pragmatists. Europeans sense the Chinese are not truly devout.
As for immigrants from the Arab world who share their religion, they do exist, but there aren't many. Some fled from the Ottoman Empire into Austria-Hungary, and were later recruited by the East African colony. They're small in number, and no one has stepped forward to claim they represent the Arab church.
All these matters are trivial, though. Everyone is busy working and living, with little culture or eloquence to engage in mutual crusades.
Hans Back found a shaded spot behind his camel, spread out a mat, and took a hearty swig from his canteen.
The rest of the squad dismounted for a short break as well.
"Heinz, how far do we have left before we reach Difu (a place)?" Hans Back asked.
"Not far—around thirteen li to go. An hour ago, we passed the dried-up riverbed marked on the map," Heinz answered.
"Great. Let's rest about ten minutes, then head out," Hans Back said, fishing out a pack of Blue Cornflower cigarettes from his pocket.
He pulled one out, lit it, and smoked with a look of utter contentment.
In a previous life, the cornflower was Germany's national flower, symbolizing happiness and native to Europe.
Hence Hechingen Tobacco introduced a cigarette brand featuring the cornflower for the German market. They did irises for France, sunflowers for Russia, edelweiss for Austria, and so forth.
This "national flower" series of cigarettes was recognized in each country by its respective emblematic flower.
As for East Africa, they naturally got their cigarettes from German factories, which mainly supplied the army and government. Ordinary people could buy them if they had the money. Local wages in East Africa are small, but since there's virtually no entertainment industry, many spend their meager earnings on tobacco. Initially only Austro-Hungarian immigrants smoked, but later some Chinese picked up the habit as well.
Having a smoke on a quick break from work or fighting does indeed help relieve stress.
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