Chapter 212 Suez Canal

The reorganized East African army is smaller in size and is mainly field troops. In order to realize the "pocket" plan, the East African government plans to invest 10,000 people into the East Katanga District.

Different from the previous purpose of driving away the native indigenous people, this time East Africa simply wanted to obtain the ownership of these lands first.

Therefore, it is enough to use the methods of ordinary colonists to carry out colonial activities, which is nothing more than forcing the chiefs of various tribes to sign land treaties under the threat of guns.

As for the indigenous people being handed over to subsequent immigrants, just replace them little by little. The number of immigrants this year is small, and the "labor" gap is increasing, so the indigenous people still have some role.

November 17, 1869.

Egypt.

The Suez Canal, a century-old project that cost 120,000 Egyptians, is finally completed.

East Africa is on the east coast of Africa, so in the future ocean-going ships from East Africa will only need to pass through the Mediterranean Sea, the Suez Canal, enter the Red Sea, and finally bypass Somalia.

As for the original African shipping route, the Cape of Good Hope was not only a long distance away, but also known as the Cape of Storms. There was also a Skeleton Coast along the coast of Namibia, so the original shipping route was not only far away, but also risky.

With the toll paid, the Hechingen ocean-going ship that had been waiting here for a long time could not wait to experience this great project.

Ships from Trieste originally had to make a large circle via Gibraltar, but now they only need to go south through the Suez Canal to reach East Africa.

Moreover, both the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea are relatively calm waters and are not difficult to navigate.

"Captain Modo, with the Suez Canal our good days have come. In the past, we spent most of our time floating on the sea. The coast of Africa was still barren. It was difficult to find a place to stay." Hechingen Ocean Trading Company Clerk Fairmont said.

"Africa! Just like that, you still expect the natives to build some entertainment venues for you to enjoy? But in the future, with the Suez route, safety will be guaranteed.

Even if there is a big accident on the ship, the probability of our being rescued is much higher. Look, how blocked is such a narrow place? "

"There are so many ships in the canals and seas today! It's almost as big as the ports in Europe and the Far East!"

"It has already been exceeded. All countries that can be counted have ships passing here. This will be the main artery from Europe to the Far East in the future." Modo emphasized.

The opening of the Suez Canal is good news for the whole world, except Cape Town. Although the strategic value of East African ports has declined.

However, the route to Europe has been shortened. In the future, transporting European personnel and equipment to East Africa will not only save time but also save money.

Now East Africa is just a seedling that needs to draw nutrients from Europe, so for East Africa, the benefits of the opening of the Suez Canal outweigh the disadvantages.

The Austrian immigrants lay on the fence and looked curiously at the canal running through the desert. This was their first experience of the desert.

"Come to Sawyer, is Africa like this? I've heard before that this is a desert. Now it seems true, but how do the Egyptians survive in this desert!" Blair said curiously.

"You illiterate, don't tell others you know me when you go out from now on! The Egyptians rely on the Nile River and the oases in the desert to survive. Of course they don't live directly in the desert. As for those people we just saw, they are all canal-building workers. , Their food is naturally transported from outside! The factories in Trieste don’t produce food, so won’t those workers survive?”

"Who said factories in Trieste don't produce food? Food factories just process food!"

"Food processing must first be grown in the countryside and then transported to the city..."

"By the way, come to Sawyer, why do you want to go to East Africa? You are also considered a cultural person, so it would be easier to find a factory in Austria to make screws!"

Lai Suoya raised his head, looked at the dazzling sun and said, "I prefer life in the countryside. Although the wages in the city are not low, they are not what I expect."

"Ah! If I had gone to school or had a trade, I would definitely go to the big cities in Austria to look for opportunities. After all, the colonies are the last choice. You can only gamble there!"

"Haha, young man, don't worry, East Africa is no longer a colony. You can just treat it as a European country, or a state in the German region."

"Uncle, have you been to East Africa?"

"Of course, can't you see the sailor suit he's wearing?" Lai Suoya said speechlessly.

"Uncle, can you tell us some inside information?" Blair asked.

"Of course there is no problem, but I can't guarantee that what I said is completely correct. I have only been to ports in East Africa. At most, I can only tell you what I heard and saw at the ports."

The sailor uncle leaned on the railing and began to tell the two young people about the situation in East Africa: "East Africa is now officially called the Hechingen East African Royal Territory. East Africa used to be a colony of the Hechingen royal family, but now the Hechingen royal family has moved. to East Africa, so East Africa will become an independent country in the future. This is inside information revealed to me by a good friend of mine. Please don’t tell others.

The scenery in East Africa is definitely different from that in Europe, but the coastal area should be similar to the Mediterranean coast. When this ship arrives in Dar es Salaam, you can see the general situation in East Africa.

It’s certainly not comparable to Vienna or Trieste, but it’s no worse than other Austrian cities. "

"Uncle, is our terminal station Dar es Salaam?"

"I don't know that. Dar es Salaam is just the end point of this ship in East Africa, and your end point still depends on how the East African government distributes it."

"Assignment, wouldn't we be separated?" Lai Sawyer said to Blair.

"Uncle, Lai Sawyer and I are very good friends. Will they separate us when we go to East Africa together this time?"

"This... may be a bit difficult. Generally, East African governments have a tradition of separating people from the same place. They will put immigrants from different areas in the same city or village."

"Is there no solution?"

"How old are you two?"

"Come on Sawyer 16, I'm 17."

"It's okay to be young. Have you ever gone to school to learn how to write?"

"I will, Mr. Sailor," said Lysoya.

"When you arrive in East Africa, you should immediately write an application with the responsible local officials. Generally speaking, they will not embarrass you. If you choose to remain silent, they will separate you by default. You are just friends, right! And you are young. There is a high probability that they will be assigned to a place, but it is hard to say whether it is a city or a country."

…

Modo chatted a lot with the two young men and explained a lot of East African knowledge to them, some of which were really practical.

"Modo, where were you just now? It's been so long since you came back." Fairmont asked.

“Just chatting with two young men and seeing them reminded me of my days at sea when I was young.”