Chapter 212 Suez Canal
The reorganized East African army is smaller in size and is mainly composed of field troops. In order to realize the "pocket" plan, the East African government plans to invest 10,000 people into the East Katanga district.
Different from the previous purpose of driving away the native indigenous people, this time East Africa simply wanted to obtain ownership of these lands first.
So it is enough to use the methods of ordinary colonists to carry out colonial activities, which is nothing more than forcing the chiefs of various tribes to sign land treaties under the threat of guns and cannons.
As for the indigenous people being handed over to subsequent immigrants, just replace them bit by bit. The number of immigrants this year is small, and the "labor" gap is increasing, so the indigenous people still have some role.
November 17, 1869.
Egypt.
The Suez Canal-this century project that sacrificed 120,000 Egyptians is finally completed.
East Africa is on the east coast of Africa, so in the future, ocean-going ships in East Africa will only need to pass through the Mediterranean Sea, the Suez Canal, enter the Red Sea, and finally bypass Somalia.
As for the original African sea route, the Cape of Good Hope, not only is it a long distance away, but it is also known as the Cape of Storms. There is also a Skeleton Coast along the coast of Namibia, so the original sea route is not only far away, but also risky.
With the toll paid, the Hechingen ocean-going ship that had been waiting here for a long time could not wait to experience this great project.
Originally, ships from Trieste had to make a large circle via Gibraltar, but now they only need to go south and pass through the Suez Canal to reach East Africa.
Furthermore, both the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea are relatively calm sea areas, and the difficulty of navigation is not high.
"Captain Modo, with the Suez Canal, our good days have come. In the past, we spent most of our time floating on the sea. The coast of Africa was still barren. It was difficult to find a place to stay." Black Fairmont, an employee of Hingen Ocean Trading Company, said.
"Africa! Just like that, you still expect the natives to build some entertainment venues for you to enjoy? But in the future, with the Suez route, safety will be guaranteed.
Even if there is a big accident on the ship, the probability of us being rescued is much higher. Look, how blocked is such a narrow place? ”
“There are so many ships on the canals and sea today! It’s almost as good as the ports in Europe and the Far East! "
"It has already been exceeded. Every country that can be counted has ships passing here. This will be the main artery from Europe to the Far East in the future. "Modo emphasized.
The opening of the Suez Canal is good news for the whole world, except Cape Town. Although the strategic value of East African ports has declined.
But the route to Europe Being shortened, the future transportation of personnel and equipment from Europe to East Africa will not only save time but also save money.
Now East Africa is just a seedling that needs to draw nutrients from Europe, so for East Africa, the benefits of the opening of the Suez Canal outweigh the disadvantages.
The Austrian immigrants lay on the fence and looked curiously at the canal running through the desert. This was their first time seeing the desert.
"Come to Soya, is all Africa like this? I have heard before that this is a desert. Now it seems true, but how do the Egyptians survive in this desert!" Blair was curious. said.
"You illiterate, don't tell others you know me when you go out! The Egyptians rely on the Nile River and the oases in the desert to survive. Of course they do not live directly in the desert. As for those people we just saw They are all workers building the canal, so their food is naturally transported from outside! The factories in Trieste don’t produce food, so don’t those workers survive?”
“Who said that? The factory in Trieste doesn’t produce food? Doesn’t the food factory process food? ”
"Grain processing must be grown in the countryside first, and then transported to the city..."
"By the way, come to Soya, why do you want to go to East Africa? You are also considered a cultural person, and you can find it in Austria. It’s easier to make screws in a factory!”
Lai Suoya raised his head and looked at the dazzling sun and said: “I prefer life in the countryside. Although the wages in the city are not low, it is not what I want. "Look forward to it." ! If I had gone to school or had a trade, I would definitely look for opportunities in the big cities in Austria. After all, the colonies are the last choice, and I can only gamble there.”
"Haha, young man, don't worry, East Africa is no longer a colony. You can just treat it as a European country, or a state in the German region."
"Uncle, have you been to East Africa?"
"Of course, can't you see the sailor uniform he is wearing?" Lai Suoya said speechlessly.
"Uncle, can you tell us some inside information." Blair asked.
"Of course there is no problem, but I can't guarantee that what I said is completely right. I have only been to ports in East Africa. At most, I can only tell you what I heard and saw at the ports."
The sailor uncle leaned on the railing and began to tell the two young people about the situation in East Africa: "East Africa is now officially called the Hechingen East African Royal Territory. East Africa used to be a colony of the Hechingen royal family, but now Hechingen The royal family has moved to East Africa, so East Africa will become an independent country in the future. This is internal information revealed to me by a good friend of mine. Please don't tell others.
The scenery in East Africa is definitely different from that in Europe, but the coastal area should be similar to the Mediterranean coast. When this ship arrives in Dar es Salaam, you can see the general situation in East Africa.
It is definitely not comparable to Vienna or Trieste, but it is not worse than other Austrian cities. "
"Uncle, is our terminal station Dar es Salaam? "
"I don't know that. Dar es Salaam is just the end point of this ship in East Africa, and your end point still depends on how the East African government distributes it. "
"Assignment, wouldn't we be separated? "Lai Sawyer said to Blair.
"Uncle, Lai Sawyer and I are very good friends. When we go to East Africa together this time, will they separate us?"
"This... I'm afraid it's a little difficult. Generally, the East African government has to separate the same place. People break up the tradition of putting immigrants from different areas in the same city or village."
"Is there no solution!"
"How old are you two? ”
“Come to Sawyer 16, I am 17”
"It's okay to be young. Have you ever learned to write in school?"
"I can, Mr. Sailor." Lai Sawyer said.
“When you arrive in East Africa, you should immediately write an application with the responsible local officials. Generally speaking, they will not embarrass you. If you choose to remain silent, they will separate you by default. You are just friends. Right! And since he is young, there is a high probability that he will be assigned to a place, but it is hard to say whether it is a city or a country. "
......
Modo was with two young people again. We chatted a lot and explained a lot of East African knowledge to them, some of which were really practical.
"Modo, where were you just now? It's been so long since you came back." Fairmont asked.
“I just chatted with two young people for a while, and seeing them reminded me of the days when I went to sea when I was young.”
(End of Chapter)
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