Chapter 484: Training
As a nation of mixed heritage, East Africa faced an awkward future dilemma—it lacked deep historical and cultural roots. Cultural heritage was critical; take the East Asian, Arab, or Turkic cultural spheres for example—they represented influence and political capital, all connected by historical and cultural identity.
So how should East Africa define its own cultural origins? Should it lean toward Germanic or Far Eastern roots? That certainly wasn't what Ernst wanted.
East Africa had its own interests, and in the future, it would need its own values and core concerns. Though Ernst had deep ties to both German and Far Eastern civilizations, East Africa had in reality become independent from both.
A lone tree doesn't make a forest. If East Africa wanted to expand its cultural influence, it couldn't remain under the shadow of either German or Far Eastern culture. So it had to actively expand into culturally similar regions.
To Ernst, Bosnia and the Lanfang Republic were ideal testing grounds. If these two regions could be shaped to mirror East Africa in population and culture, their emotional alignment would naturally shift toward East Africa.
Take Lanfang, for example—it was a purely Chinese state and would naturally favor the Far East in both culture and sentiment. But if East Africa could make Lanfang's demographic structure more like its own, the republic would lean toward East Africa instead.
East Africa viewed the Indian Ocean as its future strategic maritime zone, with Southeast Asia as a key focus. And based on historical precedent, the Far East could become East Africa's rival or challenger in that region. The United States and Britain had learned this lesson well.
Similarly, while East Africa valued the Germanic world—Germany and Austria, in particular—its importance to those two powers was minimal. To them, East Africa was little more than a distant dominion, like how Britain viewed Canada or Australia.
Thus, Ernst's demographic project in Bosnia served a key purpose: planting a seed within Austria-Hungary's sphere of influence. Bosnia wasn't formally part of the empire yet, but if it were someday annexed, East Africa would have leverage.
And if Austria-Hungary didn't fall for the bait, East Africa would still have a foothold in the Balkans—a region of undeniable strategic importance.
Bosnia and Lanfang were just the beginning. More regions would eventually be reshaped by East Africa—though only after it overcame British and French opposition.
...
Maputo.
The Portuguese looked on with curiosity as the French demonstrated their training results. On an open field, a hundred Black recruits knelt with their hands on their heads, shirts stripped off.
Crack… Crack… Crack…
In the Maputo training ground, French instructor Wilson lashed the recruits mercilessly, leaving bloody welts on their bare backs.
"Damn it! Do I have to be a babysitter just to make these animals follow basic orders? They can't even hold a formation!"
Wilson was losing his mind. Two months into training, his confidence had completely collapsed. At first, he'd been hopeful. A seasoned French instructor, he'd tamed many unruly or dim recruits in France. No matter how difficult, he could whip them into shape in a month.
Then he was assigned to Mozambique. He'd assumed, "Blacks are people too. How bad could it be? Surely they're better than the army's mules."
Three days in, he knew he was wrong. A week later, he feared the task was impossible. After a month, he gave up on training them to French standards. By now, he was utterly defeated.
The root problem wasn't just racial—it was educational. These recruits lacked even the most basic understanding. Forget complex drills—they couldn't even manage simple instructions.
But to be fair, the French instructors lacked awareness. This was a common issue in underdeveloped armies. In truth, many African tribes were so early in their development that their languages lacked terms for concepts like "left" and "right."
Interestingly, many couldn't distinguish left from right—but had a strong instinct for cardinal directions.
Despite this, tribal coordination wasn't non-existent. Ernst knew firsthand that African hunters could cooperate well in small groups—especially during hunts. With just bows and spears, they were a nightmare for the savannah's animals.
But in larger groups, organization broke down. Most tribes had 10–20 people. The low productivity of their environments couldn't support large populations, so tribes split like lion prides. They didn't farm and weren't nomadic.
In fact, tribal societies that evolved into primitive states were already considered top-tier civilizations in Africa. These "kingdoms" were essentially oversized tribes. Many were centered around just one town or village. Maps exaggerated their size by including dozens of independent tribes under one name. To Ernst, these "states" resembled the Yellow Emperor's tribal alliance in ancient China.
When East Africa was still a colony, its mercenaries and officers from the Hechingen Military Academy had also struggled with new recruits.
Many couldn't tell left from right. But somehow, they knew north from south.
Compared to France's high expectations, East Africa kept its standards low. Most local recruits were so inept that not even hands-on coaching from Far Eastern instructors had helped. Ernst didn't believe East Africa's military had the power to turn these units into real soldiers.
Still, not all Black soldiers were useless. In places like Abyssinia and North Africa, they were formidable. The Arab empires and even European powers had incorporated North African Blacks into their armies. Abyssinia once ruled the Red Sea and fought the Arabs for a thousand years. Nubia once counterattacked Egypt. Where competition existed, civilization advanced.
So to rapidly build combat effectiveness, East Africa's training model was simple: teach them how to reload, fire, and follow advance/retreat orders. Poor posture, bad aim, sloppy movement—none of it mattered.
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