Chapter 483: A New National Identity
The Hechingen Consortium's involvement in Bosnia attracted little attention. Military occupation didn't automatically mean Austria-Hungary had brought the region under its direct rule. Historically, Austria-Hungary only seriously considered annexing Bosnia in the early 20th century.
The main reason for the delay was a lack of economic incentive. Bosnia had few resources—its coal reserves were decent, but the region's transportation infrastructure was extremely poor, making development difficult.
At nearly every point in time, Bosnia was among the poorest areas in the Balkans. It held almost no economic value. During the agricultural crisis, virtually no businessmen were willing to invest in Bosnian agriculture.
Austria-Hungary valued Bosnia not for its economy, but because it had historically been a staging ground for Ottoman invasions of Austria and Europe.
Sarajevo itself had been established as an Ottoman military outpost during their northward expansion, eventually becoming Bosnia's most important city.
Even if Austria-Hungary wanted to support Bosnia economically, the question of funding loomed large. Hungary certainly wouldn't contribute a single coin. The Hechingen Consortium didn't enter Bosnia to fight poverty—it had political motives.
Ernst never considered extracting economic profit from Bosnia. The conditions were so poor that simply breaking even was the goal.
Ferdinand asked, "So your investment in Bosnia is primarily to change the population, but isn't that nearly impossible? Even the imperial government couldn't do it. How could a single agricultural company manage that?"
Ernst replied, "We're not investing in Bosnia for its development. Our focus is on altering the people's sense of identity. Faith and ethnic recognition are tough to change, sure—but in the face of economic necessity, they're nothing. The Ottomans were able to reshape Slavic identities because those who resisted ended up poor. That's more terrifying than religion."
Ferdinand asked, "So how exactly are you going to do it?"
Ernst said, "We already control 30% of Bosnia's farmland. This is a purely agricultural region—farming accounts for nearly 100% of the economy. That means we now hold Bosnia's economic lifeline. We effectively control the fate of the Slavs living here."
"First, the Hechingen Consortium will sharply reduce the Muslim population—primarily by making it unprofitable for them to stay."
Ferdinand asked, "You mean forcing them to convert by denying land-use rights?"
Ernst shook his head. "No—I mean physically reduce them."
"You're insane!" Ferdinand exclaimed. "Aren't you afraid they'll rebel?"
"Even if Bosnia revolts, it won't affect us in East Africa. This is just an experiment. And when I say 'physically reduce,' I don't mean slaughter. I mean forcing them to leave. Bosnia is well located—they can find work elsewhere. If farming can't support their families, they'll leave."
Ferdinand warned, "And if the locals resist? If Franz is embarrassed by all this, I promise you, he'll hold you accountable."
Ernst responded, "That's why we're using one group against the other. We'll turn the Croats into our allies. Serbs and Muslims are the ones we'll expel. Serbs can go to Serbia—or come to East Africa. Muslims can go to any Muslim land, just not stay here."
"But if we rely only on Croats, that won't help the empire. It might even increase Croat power in the future. Hungary is already a headache—you want to add a Greater Croatia?"
"You misunderstood, Father-in-law," Ernst said. "By allies, I mean Croats who are willing to give up their Croatian identity. Most are Catholic. We'll tie them economically to the Hechingen Consortium, but only if they become Germans."
Ferdinand still looked uneasy. "That's not easy. Ethnic identity runs deep."
"That's why we must actively reshape their culture. Croatian Catholics already have lifestyles and beliefs most similar to German Catholics."
"Plus, the Croats here are bottom-tier in society. Apart from clergy, most are uneducated. That gives us room to rewrite their history."
Ferdinand perked up. "You mean to rewrite their history? How?"
"We can claim they're Germans from medieval southern Germany who were forced to renounce their identity under Ottoman rule. This history was erased by the Ottomans. Now that Bosnia has returned to German hands, they must reclaim their roots."
Ferdinand replied, "Who do you think you're fooling with that?"
"As long as we can get the locals to willingly deceive themselves, we've succeeded," Ernst shamelessly declared.
"And why would they believe that? Just because of your propaganda? The locals aren't stupid—they know where their families came from."
Ernst replied, "If you have enough tricks, you don't need to worry about compliance."
"What kind of tricks are you talking about?"
Ernst explained, "Everything comes down to evidence—and we can fabricate it. For example, even though southern Germany likely never had significant migration into Bosnia, we can create that narrative ourselves."
That part was easy. The Hechingen Principality could conveniently "provide" records. Many Hechingen citizens had supposedly moved to Bosnia due to war or famine. Forging ancient texts wasn't hard. And given the locals' low literacy, they'd believe what they were told—or at least pretend to believe it to avoid consequences. Repeated lies eventually become history. After all, even the Bible is cited as historical evidence. So Ernst didn't think he was going too far.
He continued, "Next, we smear the Ottomans and the entire Arab world. Once we control public discourse, we can push the idea that disassociating from the Ottoman Empire is honorable."
This was classic regional slander—an effective cultural weapon if used right. Westerners had long smeared the Arab world. Ernst was simply continuing the trend.
"Then we reshape the younger generation's identity through education."
Archduke Ferdinand was puzzled. "You're planning to enforce compulsory education in Bosnia?"
"Not quite. We'll implement corporate education. If someone wants to work for the Bosnia Agricultural Development Company and make a living, they'll have to send their kids to company schools, where they'll receive full German education."
The company already controlled 30% of Bosnia's farmland. That meant 30% of the population depended on it to survive. Requiring them to convert and speak German was a logical next step.
Moreover, that share would continue to grow. Ernst planned to flood the market with cheap grain, bankrupting small farmers and allowing the company to seize even more land.
Ferdinand remarked, "Your plan sounds clever, but only two to three tenths of the population are Catholic Croats."
Ernst said, "My plan includes both Serbs and Muslims. As long as they voluntarily renounce Orthodoxy or Islam and any non-German identity, they can stay. The Croats are simply the easiest to assimilate—but they must also give up their Croatian identity to fully integrate into our German family. Otherwise, they'll be treated no differently than Ottoman-era heretics."
"What if local powers resist and refuse to cooperate?"
"We have the Austro-Hungarian army for that. We've already built strong ties with the garrison. All we need is for them to side with us in local conflicts."
"That won't be enough."
"That's why I have one last card—just like in East Africa: demographic flooding. We'll change the population structure with mass immigration."
"You're going to move Germans into Bosnia?"
"Not just Germans—Far Easterners too. We don't have enough Germans ourselves."
"You're going to move Far Easterners into Bosnia? Are you trying to start a riot?"
"We need manpower. Austria-Hungary can't do this—but we can. We'll make it so the locals who refuse to give up their identity have no way to resist—just like the native tribes in East Africa."
Ernst also had another idea: turn Bosnia into a pro–East African region within the empire. By sending in a few Easterners for intermarriage, he could lay the groundwork for long-term influence. After all, East Africa's future would be defined by its mixed population. Pure Germans might never fully accept East Africa. But if Bosnia had a similar demographic shift, East African Germans could gain political sway within the empire.
Ernst's ambitions didn't stop there. In the Lanfang Republic, he planned to do the opposite—introducing white settlers to turn it into a Germanic mixed-race state.
The displaced people from Bosnia could be relocated to East Africa or Lanfang. This way, Ernst could cultivate Germanic hybrids across Europe, Africa, and Asia—three pillars of a future global power. In time, this could lead to the birth of a new people spanning three continents with real global influence.
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