Chapter 437: Cholera and Corruption
Malicious competition is bound to happen—especially during an economic crisis, it's commonplace and hardly even worth mentioning. Some countries, faced with economic downturns, have even begun mobilizing troops and preparing for war. Ernst won't name names, but it's clear who they are.
Since 1870, East Africa has shifted its agricultural focus away from staple crops and toward the promotion of cash crops. The fundamental reason was that East Africa's staple food production was already sufficient to support national development, and with plummeting grain prices, there was little profit left in that market. While food security is extremely important for any country—which is why East Africa had long supported staple crop production and limited its backing of cash crops—that policy has evolved.
In addition to monarchs from various countries attending the Expo, many non-European nations also took part. For instance, the Shah of Persia, Naser al-Din, traveled a great distance under the pretext of attending the Vienna World Expo, though his real motive was to catch a glimpse of Princess Sissi—a fact that quickly became a running joke among the monarchs.
The World Expo is a great stage for showing off, but Ernst had no interest in participating—mainly due to the sudden outbreak of cholera in Vienna.
Cholera spreads primarily through contaminated water and bacteria, something Ernst clearly understood. But there was no need to shout it from the rooftops. After all, he wasn't an expert, and few would believe him anyway. Internal communication within the company and East Africa was sufficient.
As it turned out, the Vienna cholera outbreak wasn't isolated. India, Southeast Asia, the Far East, the United States, and Europe were all severely affected. For example, even Gorky's father died of cholera this year.
In stark contrast, East Africa stood out during this global cholera pandemic—primarily because it was the world's most hygiene-conscious country at the time.
Another factor was East Africa's closed nature, which hindered the spread of foreign diseases. As a nation of immigrants, East Africa had long maintained disinfection and quarantine protocols for newcomers at its ports. As a result, foreign epidemics mostly affected only its coastal regions.
The 19th century is often referred to as the "century of cholera," with the disease becoming the "global illness of the 1800s." By modern standards, there were essentially no livable places during that time.
Due to its focus on boiled water and hygiene, East Africa was free of cholera outbreaks. However, other diseases were still prevalent. Malaria remained East Africa's "longtime companion," and the most frequent illness over the years.
Eradicating malaria requires the efforts of multiple generations. For now, East Africa has learned to coexist with it. Still, despite being East Africa's primary epidemic, its outbreak rate is lower than other countries at the same latitude—comparable to temperate nations and lower than subtropical and tropical areas.
Just as the Soviet Union relied on state power to battle Siberian cold, East Africa also mobilized national resources to combat public health issues.
In East Africa, flies and mosquitoes are dubbed the "most useless creatures." The Ministry of Health's authority stretches from the central government to the grassroots level, making it one of the country's most important agencies.
The state of public health in East Africa today is completely different from that of the Africa of the previous century. In the 21st century, Africa was the world's worst cholera region. Yet in the current global cholera crisis, East Africa has the lowest case count.
One exception, of course, is India. It has been a major cholera hotspot in nearly every global outbreak—and continues to be so into the 21st century. Cholera remains a chronic issue there.
Monarchs in attendance, a cholera epidemic, and an economic crisis all cast shadows over the Vienna World Expo. Yet nothing could dampen public enthusiasm for the grand event.
In reality, the biggest negative factor for the expo wasn't disease or politics—it was Vienna's greedy hoteliers and restaurant owners who jacked up prices. No matter how passionate people were, their wallets were quickly drained. Many who had eagerly come to Vienna fled just as quickly after experiencing this "hospitality."
"At this expo, East Africa won 441 awards—just one more than the United States—ranking 11th in the world. The U.S. and Turkey tied for 12th. However, a British official from the Far East delegation named Burrell filed a protest against us, claiming we had stolen their awards."
"Oh? Why?" Ernst asked.
"Your Highness, some of our exhibits originated in East Africa, but shared many similarities with those from the Far East—hence the dispute."
"Ah, that issue. Ignore him," Ernst replied.
It's easy to understand why East African exhibits resembled those from the Far East. Some East African goods did, in fact, originate there—like tea and certain crafts. With so many Far Eastern immigrants in East Africa, it was only natural that their skills came along too.
If Burrell wanted to protest, let him. Ernst was sure no one would take him seriously—especially since many of the expo judges were "insiders."
If East African and Far Eastern exhibits were similar, the judges would naturally favor East Africa. In truth, the victims weren't just the Far East—Japan and Korea suffered as well. Ernst had "acquired" quite a few treasures from both nations.
While some items from the Far East may have been unintentionally brought to East Africa and developed by immigrants, the ones from Japan and Korea were directly and deliberately copied by East African officials.
As for why only Burrell protested—it's because, as a Brit, he couldn't stomach East Africa's success. Japanese delegates, on the other hand, ground their teeth in silence—held back by their fear of the West.
"Koizumi-kun! That exhibit clearly showcases our Japanese yosegi marquetry, yet it's been renamed 'Zimbabwe Wood Art' and proudly displayed as a local tribal technique. That's shameless plagiarism! Worst of all, their piece won an award, while our yosegi marquetry didn't even get a mention!"
"Regizō-kun, maybe it really was just a coincidence. The world is vast—sometimes these things happen."
"Koizumi-kun, don't lie to yourself! If yosegi marquetry was a coincidence, what about the folding fans? These so-called East African fans are blatantly Japanese. They didn't even bother changing the artwork! And if I'm not mistaken, the material shows our unique Japanese grain—they probably just bought the fans from Japan and slapped on a new label!"
In this case, East Africa was being misunderstood. It wasn't that they didn't make changes—only products with commercial potential were selected for the expo. East Africa wouldn't waste its time displaying items that lacked market value.
Was there corruption at the expo? Absolutely. And it was rampant. Over 90% of East Africa's exhibits won awards—surpassing even the United States. That simply wouldn't be possible without backroom dealings.
Why was Austria so biased toward East Africa? Because Ernst was now a guest of honor in the Austrian government. Solving Austria's steel surplus alone had significantly eased the government's burden.
In gratitude, both the Austrian government and the Habsburg family showered Constantino (formerly Konstantin) and Ernst with medals and honors. Hechingen enterprises also received numerous prestigious titles.
So it makes sense that expo judges favored East Africa. In fact, the Hechingen Consortium alone earned over 700 awards at the expo—but these were credited to Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, not East Africa.
Austria topped the rankings with over 6,000 awards, followed by Prussia with more than 5,500 (historically: Austria 5,991; Prussia 5,066).
That Austria came in first says it all. So it's only natural that the East African Kingdom managed to sneak in a few benefits as well.
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