Chapter 198: A Mix-up in Dialogue
Hearing this, Prince Constantin realized Maximilian I's true aim was to use him to persuade Ernst to form a naval force for East Africa. Before coming to East Africa, Ernst had never told him about the condition of East Africa's coastline, and the information Constantin had read mainly dealt with land, population, and revenue. But since Maximilian I had already suggested this to Ernst, and Ernst hadn't responded, that likely meant he had his own plans. Therefore, Prince Constantin wasn't about to make a promise on the spot; he planned to chat with Maximilian I first before deciding.
"So this is what you're worried about?" Constantin said. "I don't know much about East Africa. Before I came here, I really hadn't thought about defending a coastline. After living in Germany so long, I basically forgot there was such a thing as a navy."
Heixingen was tucked deep in the heart of Europe, far from the sea. They had no navy, not even fishing boats—those were rare in Heixingen. At least Sigmaringen next door had the Danube for transporting goods by boat, whereas Heixingen was bounded by hills on a small plain, lacking any major rivers. Even though Prince Constantin had once served in the Prussian army, that was strictly land-based. If not for Ernst developing the East African colony, Prince Constantin might never have dealt much with the sea in his lifetime.
"Though I'm not very familiar with East Africa's situation, I do know something about navies in general—plenty of countries in Europe have taken to the seas. But only a few worldwide have truly powerful navies. I'm not knowledgeable about that branch of service, but everyone knows navies are getting more expensive by the day. Just one ship's construction cost can be astronomical for many nations. You could use that money to build a decent-sized army, and East Africa's expansion is indeed more of a landward concern. If European colonial powers had the option of extending their territories on the continent, I suspect they'd also focus on building up their armies.
"Look at France, for example—it's got both army and navy, but still leans toward army development. Besides the need for national defense, it also sees opportunities in neighboring countries. Although Britain, Austria, and others act as a check, they can't fully restrain France. As long as France manages its diplomacy, those powers might sell out some smaller states. Austria once tried venturing overseas, too, then gave it up; nowadays, nearly all of Austria's effort goes into mainland affairs. Same reasoning," Prince Constantin explained.
"That logic won't necessarily hold everywhere. Austria may not be colonizing overseas anymore, but its navy's still not bad, and Austria's coastline resources are worse than East Africa's. It basically has only Trieste to rely on," Maximilian I retorted. "And sure, the cost of building ships is high—depends who you compare with. If East Africa doesn't want a big navy, it could still raise a smaller fleet. In the worst case, a few gunboats would be better than nothing."
Maximilian I understood that East Africa currently couldn't afford a sizable navy; he was no fool. Although his reign as emperor had failed, he'd done great service for the Austrian navy. His suggestion about East African naval construction was well meant—and he even had a workable plan in mind. Based on his observations, East Africa was capable of at least fielding a small naval force. As he said, a few gunboats, at the very least.
"Nor is East Africa's coastline left defenseless. Ernst built a number of fortifications—I've seen them in Mombasa, Tanga, and Dar es Salaam. They're decent, but coastal cannons are stationary, providing only limited land-based defense. If someone really wanted to do harm, they could just bombard East Africa's coastal cities without East Africa getting the chance to fight back—foreign warships would roam the Indian Ocean at will. Of course, that's a worst-case scenario; if a major power takes offense, East Africa would be attacked unilaterally. But on the seas, it's not only nations—merchants often have armed ships, too, and if they wanted, they could become pirates overnight.
"Take Zanzibar, for instance; it had originally split from Oman in the Middle East. Zanzibar itself wasn't Omani territory prior to that. Ernst acquired East Africa through a bit of trickery, bluffing the Zanzibar Sultanate at the time. If it had really come down to force alone, those initial colonists wouldn't have been able to land," Maximilian I continued.
He was right: the German mercenaries who first settled the East African colony came by Dutch merchant ships. Zanzibar didn't notice in time, and two thousand or so mercenaries disembarked. Zanzibar's presence in Dar es Salaam was weak and the area served as a political center—fighting would have been unwise. Moreover, Captain Yalman's friendliness and modest demands let the mercenaries build their first colony inland. In fairness, East Africa had used that ploy. Others could do the same, and Dar es Salaam was still a free port open to any merchant ship, which represented a security risk.
"You've got a point, but East Africa and the Zanzibar Sultanate differ. Zanzibar is primarily on Zanzibar Island, whereas East Africa's strength extends far inland. Even if some foreign power landed, they'd find it hard to gain a foothold, since East Africa's land forces are pretty strong," Prince Constantin said.
"That's only half the story. I'm thinking ahead about East Africa's future. Navies require long-term development—if you lag behind at the start, you'll be behind step by step. Ships and equipment matter less; you mainly need personnel. Why not set up a modest navy and start training a few sea officers? East Africa won't always be expanding inland. Eventually, it'll want to grow its maritime forces. Spending some money now can save you far greater costs in the future," Maximilian I said.
At that point, Prince Constantin was nearly convinced. He realized East Africa would likely need a navy in the future. But did Ernst really have no plans for East Africa's naval forces?
Of course he did. What Maximilian I lacked was information. He'd never been part of East Africa's administration, and many statistics ultimately went straight to Ernst, with even the East African government not necessarily privy to every detail. For that matter, some management data were handled by the Heixingen Consortium, bypassing government channels altogether.
Ernst had, in fact, already considered East Africa's naval development. In truth, East Africa did have a rudimentary maritime force: the River and Lake Force. Chiefly stationed on three large lakes—Lake Victoria, Lake Soren (Tanganyika), and Lake Malawi—they constituted Ernst's precursor to a future navy. Those lakes were huge enough to replicate some conditions of open seas, though the force itself had never actually ventured out. Hence it was a "navy" in only the loosest sense.
As for Maximilian I's proposal, he'd just picked a poor moment to bring it up. Back then, the northwest campaign had mobilized nearly the entire colony's resources to conquer a vast territory, destroying eight different states and establishing extensive supply lines alongside a mass immigration drive. Ernst had no spare bandwidth to focus on naval matters. Meanwhile, Prince Constantin had yet to assume control of East African affairs, so he hadn't learned of that River and Lake Force. Hence this misunderstanding in their conversation.
Ernst did have ideas for a true East African Navy, but he'd been so busy that the plan remained on hold.
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