Chapter 201: Taking Office
"Mr. Afonso, why did more than half of your people leave?" Merck asked.
Just yesterday, Santos had left the Yeke Kingdom's capital with many of his men.
"They chose to leave for the Kazembe Kingdom in the south. What a pity!" Afonso said with his lips, but there was a fleeting smile on his face that no one noticed.
…
Prince Constantin, who had been undecided, ultimately used a telegram from Dar es Salaam to send Maximilian I's suggestions to Ernst.
After staying in Dar es Salaam for a few days, people from the central government of East Africa arrived.
"Your Highness, how have you been finding your stay recently? Are you getting used to the weather in East Africa?" asked Von der Leyen, an official from the East African central government, speaking respectfully.
"Not bad at all. Are we going to First Town today?" Prince Constantin asked.
"Yes, Your Highness the Prince instructed us to come and greet you. The distance from Dar es Salaam to First Town isn't too far, but it still takes two days of travel," Von der Leyen replied.
The road from First Town to Dar es Salaam had been repaired and improved twice, making it very smooth. It was already paved with bricks and stone, while most East African roads at the same time were still compacted earth. Actually, if they really pushed hard, they could make the trip in one day, but Prince Constantin's high status meant they couldn't travel too fast.
"Archduke Ferdinand, I'll be leaving today. If there's any news, I'll send someone to inform you," Prince Constantin said to Maximilian I.
"Certainly, Your Highness. If this all works out, I'll be glad to help," Maximilian I replied.
Prince Constantin and Maximilian I had several more conversations, and he discovered that Maximilian I really couldn't let go of the idea of a navy. So he suggested that if Ernst's reply agreed, he could invite Maximilian I to take part in organizing the East African navy. Maximilian I took the bait; in truth, his own thinking was simple—since East Africa would belong to his future grandchild, he had an obligation to help a little.
Before long, Prince Constantin and the Heixingen entourage he brought had gathered. Dar es Salaam was just a stop in their journey. A group of over one thousand people set out in grand style toward First Town.
…
June 13, 1869.
First Town.
The East African government held a warm welcome ceremony for Prince Constantin. The residents and officials of First Town were given the day off to greet his arrival. For the people of First Town, it was the first time they saw a member of the family actually ruling East Africa in person.
The military band began to play. This time, First Town was well-prepared, avoiding the mishaps that had happened in Dar es Salaam. Five top officials of East Africa's "front rank" stepped forward to pay respects to Prince Constantin and introduce themselves. In reality, the East African central government was being run by six people. One of them was Von der Leyen, who was standing beside Prince Constantin and mainly responsible for East Africa's economic affairs. Because he was the one who went to Dar es Salaam to bring Prince Constantin back, he wasn't among the five now standing here.
"Welcome to First Town, Your Highness! My name is Yalman. I'm currently the Military Chief of East Africa, and I was among the first mercenaries who arrived here for pioneering. I served in the Prussian army before," said Yalman, excited, to Prince Constantin.
It was Yalman's second time being so close to such a major figure (his first was Ernst), especially since Prince Constantin had once been his superior. Back then, Yalman was just an unremarkable soldier in the Prussian army.
"You served in the Prussian army! Which unit were you in…" Prince Constantin asked, chatting briefly with Yalman.
"Your Highness, I am Siweite, Chief of the General Staff of the East African army, reporting for duty!"
Siweite was obviously different from the others; his academy style ran deep.
"I remember you—you were from the second class of the Heixingen Military Academy, where your grades were outstanding…" Prince Constantin said.
Siweite really was a jack-of-all-trades, so Prince Constantin remembered him. Back when East Africa was desperately short of people, Ernst entrusted Siweite, with his excellent record, to take charge in East Africa. Currently, he was at the top among East Africa's Chinese immigrant community.
"Your Highness, hello. I'm the head of East Africa's agricultural department. You can call me Viggins."
"Hello…"
"I'm the head of disease control and management, Baerlaide, from the Würzburg area in Austria."
"Hello…"
Lastly, the person in charge of large construction projects in East Africa was Karal.
Along with Von der Leyen, these five individuals were the "six-horse team" of East Africa, basically representing the direction of East Africa's colony now. Before, there had only been Von der Leyen, Yalman, and Siweite, known as the "three-horse team." Increasing it to six clearly showed the division of government power and checks and balances.
Apart from them, there were some other important independent departments, such as communications and the Immigration Bureau. Moreover, many subsidiaries and units of the Heixingen Consortium participated in managing East Africa, so effectively it was governed jointly by government and companies.
In short, the East African government was a tangled mess, and the distribution of authority was chaotic—enough to leave Prince Constantin stunned. One moment there was a "Chief of Military Affairs," the next a "Chief of the General Staff," both with grand-sounding titles that were more impressive than those in his former Prussian army job. Then came directors of departments, positions that didn't sound like real government roles. And finally, there were bureaus plus high-level managers from various Heixingen Consortium companies stationed in East Africa.
The entire East African administrative structure was in disarray, and the army was much the same. East Africa was split into a regular army and militias. Militia needed no elaboration: hand them guns, and they could be called up temporarily. The regular army's designations were all over the place. Though East Africa's regular forces were divided into eight military regions based on eight directions, each region's unit labels varied wildly—no single standard.
Clearly, this wasn't what the East African army's level should have been, since most German mercenaries running the forces had served in the Prussian army and possessed a decent military foundation. Students from the Heixingen Military Academy had also received systematic Prussian-style military training, so under normal circumstances, East Africa ought to have copied the Prussian model. The chaos in East Africa's military was entirely Ernst's doing. He had shattered government powers and naturally done the same in the army. Thankfully, East Africa's enemies so far were all indigenous tribes. Even if the East African troops were disorganized, their organizational abilities were still several levels above the locals. While it drastically reduced the army's efficiency, it made it easier for Ernst to balance the powers and prevent anyone else from becoming a strongman in East Africa.
However, now that Prince Constantin had arrived, this special situation could be resolved. With Prince Constantin in charge of the East African government, Ernst would have more energy to push projects forward both in Europe and in East Africa. Prince Constantin's arrival in First Town also signified that the Heixingen royal family had formally moved into the East African colony, making this the royal family's main focus for the future. And the newly built Sweitte Palace in First Town formally became the political center of East Africa.
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