Chapter 561: The Navy Arrives
The press conference was far from pleasant—at least for Japan. The journalists, on the other hand, were thrilled to have uncovered so many international headlines. The diplomatic incident had become a global affair.
Japan had originally planned to set a trap for East Africa, hoping to gain international sympathy. Instead, it found itself the one caught, and Russia—its longtime rival, especially in Northeast Asia—had gained the upper hand.
One of Japan's strategies against East Africa had now completely failed. It would have to rely on its own strength to force East Africa out of the Southern Ryukyu Islands. In fact, Japan was now regretting its earlier disputes with the Far Eastern Empire—at least when the islands were under Far Eastern control, they posed no direct threat.
Zhuhai Trade Zone.
"In the next few days, warships will dock here. Our port will serve as a forward command post. We must fully support the nation's effort to defend its interests in the eastern seas against Japanese incursions."
Because the Southern Ryukyu Islands were underdeveloped, sparsely populated, and lacked infrastructure, they were unsuitable for supporting large-scale military operations.
Thus, the Zhuhai Trade Zone, backed by the Far Eastern Empire, became the East African Navy's temporary command base. While weaker than the Huaihai Economic Zone, Zhuhai had one strategic advantage—it was the closest base to the Southern Ryukyus, allowing for quick reinforcements.
Furthermore, the surrounding areas were commercially active, making it possible to procure most resources locally—provided one had the funds.
Additionally, the local telegraph network could maintain real-time contact with East African headquarters, which was vital for strategic coordination.
3:00 PM.
East Africa's small fleet officially arrived in Zhuhai. It consisted of three ironclads, two wooden steam-sail hybrid cruisers, five armored gunboats, and other supply ships—a total of twelve vessels.
In the Beiyang Navy, gunboats were called "mosquito ships" and considered core vessels. In the East African Navy, however, they were auxiliary. Though smaller—around a thousand tons—they were still significantly stronger than traditional wooden ships.
This fleet, in the Far East, was nothing to scoff at. Besides Japan and the Far Eastern Empire, no other nation in the region had anything comparable. The force represented about one-fourth of East Africa's total naval strength—typical of a global top-ten navy.
"General Gleis! Welcome to the Zhuhai Trade Zone. Per orders from the homeland, we will fully support naval operations in the coming days."
"What's the current status of the Southern Ryukyu Islands? Is construction progressing well?" Gleis asked directly.
"General, the construction is still in the early stages—progress has been slow. Frankly, it's just starting."
"What's the holdup?" he asked.
"Well, General, the islands are quite spread out. The distance between key locations makes coordination difficult. It's not like we're dealing with just one island. We need full infrastructure on each major island, which doubles the effort."
Gleis nodded. East Africa wanted complete control over the entire archipelago—no gaps. That meant building out each isolated island individually.
The Zhuhai zone official continued, "Another major issue is manpower. We're extremely short-handed. Materials can be shipped from the mainland or the Far East, but people can't. The entire population of the Southern Ryukyus is just over 17,300—less than a single construction crew in Africa. And that's not counting the elderly, women, and undernourished."
East Africa's Africans may have been poor, but they were wealthier than Pacific islanders. They had more food, especially meat, thanks to hunting.
In Japan, eating polished rice was a luxury—many joined the army just for food. The Southern Ryukyus were even poorer. Worse still, they paid heavy tribute to the Ryukyu Kingdom, which handed most of it over to Japan. As a result, the locals deeply resented Japan. This resentment was one reason Japan had never fully absorbed the Southern Ryukyus despite annexing the rest.
In contrast, the Far Eastern Empire appeared far more benevolent. As the nominal suzerain, it cared about appearances. Japan, however, exploited even the most destitute lands, losing popular support.
East Africa had other plans for the Ryukyus—namely, to relocate the entire population to Africa and convert the islands into a fortified Pacific military base.
Farming was out of the question—except for fruits and vegetables to support the garrison. Staple grains would be imported from the mainland. The land would be used for gardens, orchards, and small-scale livestock—nothing more.
East Africa needed more immigrants, and the Pacific islands—every last one—were dirt poor. Leaving their populations in place only wasted resources and offered little in return. Of course, Nauru was an exception—rich in phosphate.
Most islands had no real economic value, which was why many countries had avoided colonizing them. In the past, Germany had occupied many such islands, but it was basically "poverty alleviation."
For example, Germany's colonial holdings in Papua New Guinea still relied on old German infrastructure—airfields, farms, roads—even in the 21st century.
Nauru's mineral wealth came from millions of years of bird droppings. Even then, it couldn't withstand more than a decade of extraction during the industrial age.
"General Gleis, beyond these objective challenges, we're also facing sabotage from the Japanese."
"Has their navy intervened?"
"No, but they've sent numerous fishing vessels to disrupt our supply routes. For the past ten days, they've been obstructing our ships under the pretext of fishing. Thankfully, we stocked up enough supplies beforehand. If you'd arrived a month later, our garrison might have had to withdraw."
"How many ships do they have? What kind of strength?"
"Roughly a hundred per day. They pass through the Miyako Strait from the Northern Ryukyus and claim they're fishing. We have larger vessels, but they swarm us with tiny boats. It's a classic case of death by a thousand cuts. They can afford to lose their little skiffs. We can't afford to be stranded at sea."
"Understood. Once my fleet is settled, we'll cut off the Miyako Strait. If Japan won't back down, we'll retaliate against their merchant shipping in Far Eastern waters. Let's see who breaks first."
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