Chapter 113 Ambition

Although the main focus is on developing agriculture, some other industries can also be started, such as some handicrafts and relatively basic industries.

After all, the population in East Africa is increasing. It is impossible to rely on importing everything, pots, pans and pots. The cost would be too terrible.

The handicraft industry is easy to understand. Blacksmith shops, tailor shops, carpentry... these industries that meet the daily needs of the East African people can be liberalized first.

Basic industries refer to those industries that are suitable for the current East African colonies and have low thresholds. For example, it is not an option to always import the cement needed by the East African colonies from Europe. In order to save costs, it is better to build factories in East Africa.

There are also some processing industries that can increase the added value of East African agricultural products, such as flour mills, oil mills, textile factories, etc.

And these factories cannot bypass steam engines, so they still need to develop the local coal mine resources in East Africa. The coal mine in Mbeya is developed and wants to be transported to various parts of East Africa, and there are transportation requirements...

In short, it is a relatively complicated process, so there is no need to rush. Just complete it one by one. If it is successful, it will be just the icing on the cake for the current East Africa. If it is not successful, there will be no loss.

The military industry is an important industry that ensures the security of the East African colonies. Its status is second only to agriculture. Currently, machines retired from European arsenals are being armed in the East African colonies.

It can guarantee part of the supply of weapons and ammunition. After the resources in East Africa are developed in the future, artillery ammunition can also be imitated on this basis.

In a short period of time, self-sufficiency in weapons and ammunition was formed. Of course, artillery and ammunition were not in a hurry because the Hechingen Arsenal in Trieste had not yet entered the production stage, and artillery production was not yet in place, so the East African colonies were still It will take some time.

In addition to the work on immigration and industry, the expansion task of 1868 cannot be left behind. Now it is focused on two directions, one is the northwest, and the other is the Omo River Basin (the junction of Kenya and Ethiopia).

Needless to say, the northwest has always been a place that Ernst wanted to capture. It is the most fertile region in East Africa.

If the Omo River Basin is not captured while the British are at war with Ethiopia, there may not be such a good opportunity in the future. Anyway, the British attack on the Abyssinian Empire will definitely be from the direction of the Red Sea.

The Omo River is located in the southwest of Ethiopia, and East Africa and the United Kingdom play their own roles without interfering with each other.

As for the Abyssinian Empire, its energy must be focused on the British. After all, the best areas of Ethiopia are in the central and northern parts.

The southwest is all plateau and mountainous, and there are many tribes. The Abyssinian Empire's control over the area is relatively weak.

As for why the Omo River Basin must be captured, the answer is water source. The entire northern Kenya is relatively dry, and the Omo River Basin is one of the few areas with abundant rainfall. At the same time, the Omo River is related to the safety of Lake Turkana.

As for the trouble the Abyssinian Empire will cause in East Africa in the future, there is no need to worry. The Abyssinian Empire's rule over the south is relatively weak, and the local area is dominated by the Oromo and Luo tribes.

The Abyssinian Empire's control of the local area is similar to the so-called vassal state in the East, so it does not threaten the core interests of the Abyssinian Empire. In fact, it is not a big deal.

If the Abyssinian Empire is not calm, the weapons of the East African colonies will also calm it down. After all, the East African colonies are not away games like Britain and Italy.

In addition to these two areas that may be subject to violence, there is also northern Kenya that needs to be developed. Although the number of local indigenous people is relatively small (desert, grassland), they cannot be spared.

Northern Kenya is positioned as a pasture and is used for grazing. It is definitely not suitable for planting there.

Unless it is around rivers or lakes, where there is a guaranteed water source, it is okay to plant some drought-tolerant crops such as millet (millet).

In northern Kenya, there are many seasonal rivers and saltwater lakes, so water sources are relatively scarce. Many of these waters have high salinity and are only suitable for livestock to drink.

Water-scarce areas are also suitable for the development of some specialty crops, but the current level in East Africa cannot be reached, and grazing is still simple and crude.

However, you should also be careful when grazing, and plan the pasture within a reasonable range as much as possible to avoid permanent damage to the pasture.

In addition to these tasks, intelligence work to the west (Zambia, Zimbabwe) can also be carried out.

In 1868, exploration of areas in Zambia and Zimbabwe was to be completed, especially the copper belt at the intersection of Zambia and Congo.

It is the largest sedimentary copper deposit in the world. It was praised in previous lives as the Gang copper ore belt. Its copper reserves have reached 15% of the world's. It is not only large in quantity, but also of relatively high quality.

Who can withstand such a temptation? If any of the great powers learned of such news, they would probably swarm in, let alone Ernst.

Moreover, this copper ore belt is located on the Katanga Plateau, not too far from East Africa, passing through Mbeya and heading west for about 700 kilometers.

In addition to copper, the Katanga Plateau is rich in other resources, including cobalt, tin, radium, uranium and diamonds...

In order to avoid collisions and conflicts with the Portuguese, East Africa can not explore the Zimbabwe area for now, while Zambia and southern Congo can conduct survey activities first, and wait until East Africa resolves the territorial issue in the north before taking action.

…

Ernst took a pen and scribbled and scribbled on the scratch paper, and soon there were several pages full of notes.

These were what East Africa wanted to accomplish in 1868, and Ernst compiled them and copied them into a memorandum.

It has to be said that this is an ambitious plan. That is to say, there are few competitors in Africa (basically none), which is why Ernst took advantage.

As for the indigenous people and the East African colonies armed with thermal weapons, it was a dimensionality-reducing blow to them.

What really caused huge losses to the East African colonies was not the indigenous tribes, but the harsh environment in Africa.

In particular, the conditions of the virgin forests in the Zambia River Basin can be imagined. Northern Zambia is not bad, mainly savanna, so it is not difficult for the East African colonies to take over the land between Zambia and the Katanga Plateau of Congo to East Africa.

As for Lake Malawi, the Kingdom of Malawi on the southwest shore is not within the scope of Ernst's consideration for the time being. A buffer zone is needed between East Africa and Mozambique, and the Kingdom of Malawi has strong autonomy and is almost not affected by Portugal. The influence of human power.

It can well isolate East Africa from contact with Portuguese forces. As for the east, East Africa has temporarily reached an agreement with Mozambique. At the same time, there is the Rufuma River as a natural barrier. There is only a short section directly bordering it, so there is no need to worry too much.