Chapter 199: Chapter 187: Occupation
The news of Prince Constantine’s embarking on a sea voyage, though not widely publicized, spread among the German nobility.
A prince leaving Europe to endure hardships in Africa was indeed perplexing, so the curious nobility sought after literature about Africa.
Germany lacked a seafaring tradition, so most of the information and records came from foreign sources and some earlier explorers’ novels.
However, due to the long-standing nature of these records, some even dating back hundreds of years, the African narrative was still stuck in the tone of being the "white man’s grave."
And the explorers’ novels, many were aimed at exaggeration, with tales of hundreds-of-meters-long serpents, terrifying venomous insects, cannibal tribes...
Good heavens! Prince Constantine must have hit his head against a tree to so rashly decide on going to Africa!
There were certainly issues with German nobility’s records about Africa, such as sailors and explorers often documenting thrilling and exciting content, especially since many explorers, upon returning to Europe and writing books, naturally embellished for sales.
Prince Constantine’s noble status ensured that his actions attracted attention, but the stereotypes about Africa made them pessimistic about Prince Constantine’s voyage.
However, this incident prompted many of the German nobility to, for the first time, learn about Africa in detail, despite many errors.
The Prussian royal family expressed concern over Prince Constantine’s voyage, but the whereabouts of Prince Constantine were not of great importance to the Prussian royal family at this critical time, with a multitude of affairs to handle.
Out of courtesy, the royal family sent a representative to briefly communicate with Prince Constantine, ultimately concluding that Constantine had nothing better to do.
...
April 1869.
Becker and Merk led the mission back to Mbeya to report the results of their mission to Commissioner Sivert.
Upon hearing that Mwesili agreed to the terms of the transaction, Sivert was overjoyed. He assured Becker and Merk that he would report their accomplishments truthfully to the central authorities. Then, in Mbeya, he convened an emergency meeting to discuss the taking over of the Yake Kingdom.
"We absolutely cannot fully trust Mwesili’s words! The natives are an uncivilized group, and their promises might not be worth even the paper they’re written on," an official said at the meeting.
"Hmm, indeed. When we first arrived in East Africa, many local chiefs often reneged on their words, so it’s best to be cautious," Sivert affirmed the previous official’s statement.
"Commissioner, Mwesili is somewhat knowledgeable, and he is also intimidated by our military might in East Africa, so he had to relinquish the land of the Yake Kingdom. Therefore whether Mwesili keeps his word is not really important; what matters is our attitude," Merk said to Sivert.
"Moreover, Mwesili is unlikely to truly oppose us in East Africa over the civilians of the Yake Kingdom. In my interactions with him, I observed that he is incredibly pragmatic and indifferent to life, so a collaboration between him and us is inevitable, as he is driven solely by personal interests." Becker added.
Hearing this, Sivert pondered for a moment and said, "Since that is the case, this mission should be considered successful, but we cannot be careless, as every immigrant from East Africa is a precious asset, not to be lost.
Moreover, given the efficiency of the African natives, even if Mwesili agrees with us, it might take forever for him to empty the Yake Kingdom, so we should actively assist him."
At this point, Becker also said, "I completely agree with the Commissioner’s view, especially regarding the relocation work of the Yake Kingdom’s natives. Mwesili is bound to be but lackadaisical, and if we don’t intervene, it’s likely that more than sixty percent of the natives will remain. In my opinion, if Mwesili can take away the capital city and its surrounding natives, it would be considered overachieving."
"Hmm, that being so, we should deploy our forces to assist Mwesili in completing the relocation of the Yake Kingdom. Merk, you are the military officer at Mbeya. Do you think Mbeya’s military power alone can accomplish this?" Sivert asked.
"Reporting sir, relying solely on the regular forces of Mbeya without deploying militia certainly wouldn’t suffice, but with militia support, the mission can surely be accomplished," Merk said.
"How many militias do you estimate are needed?"
"Not too many; combining all forces, reaching four thousand should suffice. We already have over a thousand troops near the frontline, so a temporary conscription of three thousand from Mbeya would do."
"Isn’t the number too small, which might lead to many slipping through due to the vast area of African jungles? Relying on just over four thousand to sweep such a large region of the Yake Kingdom poses a significant challenge," an Mbeya official questioned.
"This isn’t an issue. We only need to expel most of the natives. Those who flee to the mountains are not a threat, since even the earlier northwestern battlefield couldn’t fully expel the local natives, and there are still many remaining in the northwest today.
Not to mention the northwest, even the whole inland of East Africa likely has many who slipped through the net, so resorting to military means to completely clear out the natives is highly unrealistic.
Only through immigration and continuously squeezing the natives’ living space is the solution. As the number of immigrants increases in the future, there will naturally be no living space for the natives," Merk explained.
"Alright, our primary task this time is to safely secure the Yake Kingdom. As for the remaining issues, we’ll leave those to be the central government’s headache," Sivert concluded the meeting.
...
By the upper region of Lake Malawi, near the border with the Yake Kingdom.
"This time, the city government requires us to cooperate with the Yake Kingdom to assist its ruler Mwesili in completing the relocation of the Yake Kingdom. Everyone must obey commands and refrain from acting alone to prevent terrorist attacks by the Yake Kingdom’s rioters," Merk said to the soldiers and militiamen.
The rioters referred to the natives unwilling to move. Any rioter encountered by the East African army meant tough individuals; if they lived a bit more out of the way, the East African army wouldn’t meet them. Those blocking the East African army’s way and wanting to be a nuisance would find themselves sent to hell.
Consistent with the estimates at the Mbeya municipal meeting, Mwesili’s perfunctory work was second to none. He indeed only took his capital and nearby subjects, completely ignoring the other areas.
The Yake Kingdom spanned at least hundreds of thousands of square kilometers, and the capital and surrounding areas were just a small portion, so most of the work still needed East Africa’s personal intervention.
However, Mwesili wasn’t entirely useless; by giving up resistance, most of the natives naturally had no intention to resist either, although many border natives chose to seek refuge in neighboring countries of the Yake Kingdom.
The East African government was eager for this, as Mwesili had already sold the Yake Kingdom to East Africa. Those native countries accepting border residents of the Yake Kingdom became "invaders" and "culprits" against East Africa, turning East Africa into a "victim," naturally demanding accountability in the future.