Chapter 428: Discussions
To be honest, whether Hermann counts as a famous figure in German history is debatable. He does, but it's a bit of a stretch—more of a local celebrity. Given the size of the Principality of Hechingen, he would barely be notable on a county level. Were it not for the princely title, even most Germans wouldn't know much about him. But that didn't matter. After all, he was Ernst's grandfather, and family deserves to be honored. There would be more than just a ship named after him—biographies, cultural works, and more to glorify the history of the Hechingen royal family.
"Ernst, now that the shipbuilding industry is in a slump, I really think your original plan was too conservative," said Archduke Ferdinand. "Take this pseudo-7,000-ton ironclad, for instance. Normally it would've cost a fortune, but now I managed to get it built at the price of a 5,000-ton vessel. So, I suggest you purchase two more."
"Father-in-law, as I've said before, the budget remains fixed. If you can buy more ships with the same money I originally allocated, I'm not opposed—but this is in your hands. Our East African Navy still has many needs: transport ships, supply ships, escort vessels, training ships... We need to make purchases based on East Africa's actual conditions, not for appearances," Ernst replied.
"Increasing the budget a little isn't a big problem," said the Archduke. "You need to remember that even though East Africa's coastline is only around 2,000 kilometers, the waters we have to cover are much larger. Think about it: after taking New Hamburg Bay in South Africa, our naval presence extends to the south. Add to that the Comoros Islands, and we're essentially controlling the Mozambique Channel from East Africa all the way to the southern coast—a span of more than 4,000 kilometers."
Ferdinand blatantly ignored Mozambique, which lay in between. Previously, he might've hesitated to make such claims—East Africa's navy had been practically nonexistent. But times had changed. Once the current ship procurement plan was completed, East Africa would dominate the western Indian Ocean. Besides Britain and France, no other nation had a decent navy in that region.
"How many more ships do you plan to add?" Ernst asked. "And don't forget, our navy's fundamental issue isn't a lack of warships. It's the lack of trained personnel. Without competent operators, even the most advanced ship is just a floating target."
Ernst's remark pulled Ferdinand back to reality. A navy isn't built on ships alone—it's a system. Italy once had a strong navy, yet it had twice been defeated by Austria. Why? Because of the personnel gap.
After thinking for a moment, Ferdinand said, "You're right. What we need most urgently is manpower. I need to plan carefully—how can we quickly provide East Africa with the naval personnel it needs?"
Being overly ambitious isn't always bad. After all, East Africa's annexation of the Transvaal Republic was itself a gamble. They hadn't even digested Zimbabwe yet when they stirred up another war. Fortunately, the bet paid off. The Transvaal never became a guerrilla threat like some feared. It had too few people, who were too scattered, and lacked unity. If the war hadn't gone so smoothly, East Africa might've lost Zimbabwe as a result.
"This is something you'll need to help with," Ferdinand continued. "We can't rely solely on the Habsburgs to stuff students into Austrian naval academies. Even if we tried, there wouldn't be enough room. Your Hohenzollern family needs to do its part too. If Constantino reaches out personally, I'm sure the Prussian Navy could absorb some of them. Prussia's navy may not be as advanced as Austria's, but it can still handle basic training."
Ernst nodded. "We can also talk with the German and Swedish royal families. Their navies may not be top-tier, but they're not bad. As for the Dutch—it's tricky. But their shipbuilding industry has a lot we can learn from. We lack technicians for ship maintenance, after all."
Sending students to learn in the Netherlands made sense. Dutch shipbuilding was solid. Their navy had fallen behind mainly due to funding issues, but their civilian shipbuilding technology remained competitive.
Austria's naval training system, on the other hand, was among the best in Europe. But it wasn't enough to meet East Africa's growing needs. Take the Royal Mechanical Academy—one of Austria's top naval training institutions—but East Africa didn't yet have students qualified to study there. As a result, they could only place students in institutions like the Royal Naval Academy, the Royal Seefronen Institute, and the Royal Maritime Academy.
Even Austria's crash-course naval training still required basic education, and East Africa simply didn't have enough high school graduates to meet demand.
"Regarding naval personnel training, I have an idea," said Ferdinand. "We're planning to establish the Ferdinand Naval Academy in East Africa. The biggest problem is a shortage of instructors. Poaching them from Austria hasn't gone well—some instructors are reluctant to work abroad. So my suggestion is to partner with Austrian naval academies. Their instructors could also teach at our school. I can personally lead the negotiations with each institution."
"No problem," Ernst agreed. "If you've got the idea, then make it happen. We'll offer top-tier pay."
Going to East Africa to teach might not be ideal for everyone, but money talks. Most Austrian instructors weren't short on cash—except for occasional delays in funding during the downturn. Still, with proper budgeting, they lived comfortably.
More importantly, by negotiating with the academies themselves, East Africa could work within the system, rather than trying to poach instructors individually. If the school agreed, instructors would have little choice but to comply.
As evening approached, Ernst and Ferdinand wrapped up their conversation.
"Are you heading straight to Vienna?" Ferdinand asked.
"Yes, there's still much to do. My first stop is Vienna—I need to discuss railway matters with His Majesty Franz. Once that's done, I'll head straight to Germany. There are still many valuable assets waiting to be picked up," Ernst replied.
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