African Entrepreneurship Record

June 14, 1869.

Prince Constantine presided over the first military council of the East African colonies.

The officers and staff led by Arman and Sweet sat on both sides of the conference table. Because Arman was older, his physical energy was getting worse and worse.

Although Arman is only in his fifties, he has suffered a lot in the European battlefields in the past. Constantine also served in the Prussian army, but their treatment was very different. One was on the front line and the other was in the rear, so the five Arman, who is in his teens, is a bit older than Constantine, who is nearly seventy.

However, the more Arman acted like this, the more Ernst valued Arman and felt more at ease in leaving the East African army to him.

The worse your health is, the smaller your ambition is. This is indeed the case for Yaman. He himself does not know how many years he has to live. It is not bad to earn a pension by relying on his seniority and official position in the East African army.

Therefore, the previous expansion plan for the Yeke Kingdom was carried out by Sweet, and this time the military work report was also completed by the young and strong Sweet.

"As of March this year, the East African royal territory has a standing army of 98,000 people. In addition to field troops, there are also various city garrisons, as well as river and lake troops. They are temporarily divided into eight military regions according to their direction and location.

Among them, the three eastern military regions have a total of 23,000 people. The five ports and two islands along the coast are the focus of defense. They also include coastal defense troops equipped with various artillery, so their strength is the strongest in East Africa.

The Eastern Military Region includes four important cities: Dar es Salaam, Bagamoyo, Tanga, and First Town. Especially First Town is the current political center of East Africa, so the military region headquarters is also established in First Town.

The Northeast Military Region is mainly responsible for military security in the area bordering Mombasa and northern Somalia. The defense focus is mainly Mombasa.

The Southeast Military Region and the Southern Military Region correspond to the two administrative regions of Lower Coastal District and East Malawi Lake District, mainly preventing Portuguese forces from moving northward.

However, the two colonies are bounded by the Rufuma River, so the defense pressure is not great. The main thing to be wary of is the plain area on the east coast of Lake Malawi, where there is a vast plain, so we built a lot of bunkers along the border. Where to place them? Five thousand people.

The Northern Military District currently has a total of 10,000 troops stationed in it. Except for the Omo River Basin, there is no need for expansion. The overall military is currently on the defensive.

The Western and Northwest Military Regions have Lake Tanganyika and the Mitumba Mountains as natural barriers, and there are no strong enemies in the west, so there are more than 5,000 people in total.

The military region with the largest number of people now is the Southwest Military Region. The southwest is now the main direction of expansion. Recently, we have basically mastered the Yeke Kingdom. The expansion in the southwest will definitely continue in the next few years, so more than 25,000 people have been deployed.

Apart from these, the rest are the urban garrisons in East Africa and the river and lake troops..." Sweet introduced the number and distribution of the East African standby troops to Constantine in detail.

As of April this year, the population of East Africa has officially exceeded 2 million. Including the indigenous people, the entire population of East Africa is about 3.5 million.

The East African reserve army is basically supported by these more than 3.5 million people, and there are also a large number of militia forces.

However, the East African government has not kept statistics on how many militiamen there are because it fluctuates too much. However, according to the storage of guns and ammunition in East Africa, the East African government can raise a militia team of 300,000 people at any time.

"Well, the East African army is still relatively large in number, but due to political reasons and the complex situation in Africa, the East African army is relatively chaotic.

For example, there are eight military districts. In my opinion, there are too many, which is bloated, and the jurisdictions are not reasonable. You are all elites in the East African army. How do you think about this problem? asked Constantine.

"Your Majesty, I think the military districts in East Africa should be re-divided according to their functions and importance.

For example, those marginal military regions can be merged into other military regions. For example, the northern part of the Northeast Military Region should be classified as the Northern Military Region, and Mombasa and the southern part should be classified as the Eastern Theater Command.

The south is facing the Portuguese front line and should be organized into a military region to facilitate troop management and deployment.

There is also the Western Military Region. Now the troops don't know what to do. Since they crossed Lake Tanganyika and the Mitumba Mountains, the westward direction is all tropical rainforest with almost no human habitation. "Sweite was the first to speak.

At this time, Arman also suggested: "Your Majesty the Prince, in my opinion, the military strength in the central region should also be strengthened.

The first town is still too close to the coast, only a day or two away from the two seaports of Bagamoyo and Dar es Salaam, which is dangerous for the security of East Africa.

Therefore, we should focus on the important status and location of the first town and strengthen the military defense strength of the first town.

Although we have a relatively mature defense system in Bagamoyo and Dar es Salaam, we are not afraid of ten thousand, but just in case. We should build a new fortification in the first town and strengthen the first town. Military strength, building a security force directly under the central government. "

"Very good! Anyone who has any suggestions can make suggestions." Prince Constantine said.

Felix, who was promoted to the deputy military chief of East Africa, said: "Your Majesty, East Africa should also carry out reforms within the army, divide and clarify the functions and powers of various departments, and introduce relevant regulations of the Prussian army, as well as the ranks and numbers of the army.

We all know that Prussia has made great military achievements through reforms over the years and has become a powerful European army. And most of us are from Germany, so we should learn from the Prussian Army..."

Everyone was busy summarizing and summarizing the various shortcomings of the East African army. At the same time, they called for strengthening the management of the army and bringing the decentralized military power to the central government. In the past, Ernst in Europe was not worried about the army forming a core in East Africa. Now Kang Prince Standing arrived and he took charge of military affairs, so there was no problem.

Ernst not only mixed sand into the army, but also other departments of the government. Now Prince Constantine is sorting out East African affairs and strengthening central power is the general trend.

The royal family of Hechingen only has two people, Prince Constantine and Ernst. The number of people is small, so there is no need to worry about any palace dramas for power and gain.

…

"Your Excellency, this is the first telephone line in East Africa. It goes directly from Europe to East Africa. With the telephone, you will be able to talk directly to His Highness Ernst in the future." The European technician introduced to Constantine.

The "Third Line" plan was not only the construction of telegraph lines, but also the invention of the telephone by the Berlin Electric Company.

At the same time, the original telegraph line was renovated and upgraded, and it was completed by the time Prince Constantine arrived in the first town. Constantine could discuss anything with Ernst directly in the future.

"Get me through to Hohenzollernburg," Constantine said.

soon.

"This is Hohenzollernburg. Who are you looking for?" Tom answered the phone.

"Tom! I'm Constantine. Is that boy Ernst here?"

"Sir, the prince is in Trieste now. Please wait a moment and I'll have someone transfer the call to him!"

After a while.

"Hello, Father, I'm Ernst. How are you doing in Africa recently?"

"It's not bad here. I've adapted to it. Why are you in Trieste?"

"I'm inspecting the construction of a food factory here."

"Well, I understand. By the way, I have convened a military meeting in East Africa today. I want to discuss with you about reforming the army..."

"That's it! What they said does make sense, but eggs cannot be put in one basket. I think that in addition to Prussia, we cannot ignore Austria. Austria has always been a military power, and its many experiences are also valuable..."

"By the way, I sent you a telegram yesterday about your father-in-law's naval proposal. What do you think?"

"You should already know that there is a river and lake force in East Africa! This is the preliminary prototype of the East African Navy, but it is not a real navy after all. My opinion is that the navy can do it, but let's experiment first, don't do it ruthlessly. , first select a group of people with good water properties from the river and lake troops, and form a team...

In terms of equipment, I am quite tight on money now in Europe, but next year I will be able to buy a few small boats to give it a try. For troop training, I will first use the old boats left in Zanzibar to support them! …”