Chapter 395: Acting Shamelessly
Among the several Boer republics, only the Orange Free State has relatively ample finances. Although Britain took the lion's share of the Kimberley diamond mine, at least it left them some scraps.
The Griqualand Republic, on the other hand, actually has abundant resources, but they haven't been surveyed. Plus, the harsh climate in Griqualand and its sparse population mean that, even if minerals were discovered, they'd lack the capacity to extract them. Without mining, the only industry available is nomadic herding. As a result, the Griqualand Republic's economy remains small—no better than certain Arab countries with equally poor natural conditions.
A few days later, under the noses of the British and the Griqualand Republic's leadership, Mölk merged the Griqualand Republic's territory into the East African Kingdom.
This caught the Cape Colony officials stationed in Griqualand off guard because the East African Army moved so fast that, by the time East Africa blocked the Orange River, the British only then realized what was happening.
After multiple levels of reports, the top official in Griqualand for Britain's Cape Colony, Johnson, finally met with Mölk.
"Mr. Mölk, what your East African Kingdom is doing is blatant aggression. Griqualand is already part of Britain's Cape Colony. Are you trying to challenge the might of the British Empire?" Johnson demanded the moment he saw Mölk.
Hearing that, Mölk felt uneasy inside—not because he feared Britain, but because East Africa indeed had little justification for this action.
"Mr. Johnson, please calm down. We truly did not intend to offend your nation. Let me apologize for any offense we've caused."
Seeing Mölk's polite attitude, Johnson continued, "Well, that's a start. Now withdraw your troops from Griqualand right away, and I can pretend none of this ever happened."
"Withdraw?" Mölk smiled. Once something is in one's mouth, it's impossible to spit it out. He responded with a cheerful grin, "Mr. Johnson, I'm afraid we can't meet your request. Our East African Kingdom will not pull back from the Orange River."
At this, Johnson felt greatly insulted. But remembering East Africa's troop strength, he settled himself. The truth was simple: Cape Colony wouldn't send troops to save him. Not only did Cape Town have few soldiers, but it wasn't worth mustering an army just for Griqualand.
Even so, as a British official, he had the world's top power behind him, so he believed the East African Kingdom wouldn't dare treat him too roughly.
He challenged Mölk, "So, does your East African Kingdom intend to test whether the Empire's martial vigor remains strong?"
Mölk didn't respond to that. Instead, he said, "East Africa loves peace; we have no wish to offend Britain. However, about withdrawing troops—that's not something a mere lower-level officer like me can decide. The central government must issue such orders. I'll pass the message home promptly, and then our central government can decide."
Certainly that wasn't the real reason; in fact, Ernst is right there in Pretoria, and it would only take a few days for a messenger to get word to the Crown Prince. But Mölk preferred the British not realize this. He needed an excuse for East Africa to remain—and in the meantime, to use administrative means to expel Griqualand's merchants and residents, turning Griqualand completely into East African territory.
This plan is straightforward: First, abolish slavery, and second, impose high taxes on Griqualand's people, forcing them to relocate to the Orange Free State on their own. This is basically a "slow-grind" tactic. If the Griqualanders refuse to comply and provoke the East African Army, all the better—it plays right into Mölk's hands, letting him kick them out by force.
Once the Griqualand Republic is completely gone, any British accusations against East Africa disappear. If they say East Africa invaded Griqualand, East Africa can reply, "But there's no such thing as a Griqualand Republic; it's been our German land since time immemorial."
Mölk has the confidence to do this thanks to East Africa's many years in Africa, which gave it a deeper grasp of the continent. The plain truth is that, aside from East Africa itself, there's no sub-Saharan African power that could force East Africa to deploy all its strength.
Britain is certainly strong, but Mölk doubts it would get into a serious conflict with East Africa over tiny Griqualand. Would the British really pull a large army from elsewhere to subdue East Africa? It's not like East Africa is Egypt or Abyssinia—states that looked tough but crumbled after a single blow. The British Army on land can't do much against an East African Kingdom firmly established on the continent.
Even if Britain tried to blockade East Africa's coastline and cut off its foreign trade, that tactic wouldn't work now. Ernst worried about it in the early days, when East Africa's population was small and the colony still needed the Hechingen consortium to keep it running: they had to import everything—grain, seeds, livestock, tools, and weapons—from Germany and other parts of the world.
But now the East African Kingdom can survive fully on the continent. With nearly seven million inhabitants, an extensive agricultural sector, and at least a primitive but sufficient handicraft system, plus a military that stands on par with Europe's (no real technology gap left), East Africa can handle itself.
In the modern army, there are two main categories of weapon: rifles and artillery. The East African Army's Dreyse rifles and small-caliber guns aren't at all inferior. Here in Africa, they're top-notch. And the crucial thing is that East Africa can produce those two items domestically.
As for large-caliber artillery, East Africa isn't actually falling behind. They might not manufacture them, but they have plenty in stock. They can move some of the big guns along their coastline as needed. It's not a big deal. East Africa's ports are guarded by a "saturate-and-strike-back" approach to defend against maritime threats. From the day East Africa got its coastline, Ernst realized its greatest danger would come by sea. Hence the number of coastal guns is actually more than enough—East Africa's coastal artillery alone exceeds that of Austria-Hungary around the Adriatic, letting Austrian arms firms make a hefty profit.
But that arrangement was also part of the Hechingen consortium's strategy in Europe. As a top global food merchant, the Hechingen consortium wanted to keep standing in both Germany and Austria-Hungary, so it had to make certain concessions to satisfy the Junker class and the Hungarian nobility. Otherwise they'd never have tolerated a Hechingen-run food company.
In reality, the Hechingen consortium's food business is one of the biggest buyers of agricultural produce in both Germany and Austria-Hungary. In recent years, the consortium promoted both countries' wine industries—encouraging landowners to grow more cash crops, while cheap East African grain could fill the gap. Everyone profits—everyone except Russia, whose markets have grown too competitive. Though Russia has tens of millions of "gray livestock," they can't beat the cost-efficiency of East Africa's 20+ million black slaves.
Between East Africa's homeland economy and the Hechingen consortium, Britain's sanctions would no longer paralyze them. Thus East Africa has no real vulnerability. The icebound territory of Alaska is arguably a burden, which the British might never think about, especially since even Ernst often forgets his Hechingen royal family still owns that land.
All in all, East Africa's national power gives Mölk the confidence to be "shameless," even against Britain. That attitude left Johnson feeling cornered. But when he calmed down, he thought carefully and became even more unsettled.
Only now did he truly realize: East African Kingdom—if they're from East Africa, how did they get all the way down to South Africa? And if they're employing so many troops just to handle Griqualand, how strong might the East African Kingdom be in total?
He found the implications terrifying. It was vital to report this to Cape Town or even London. Right now, though, he had to escape from Griqualand first.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Canserbero10