Chapter 813 Madagascar
Speaking of Madagascar, Ernst has always had thoughts about this largest island in Africa, which is an excellent strategic fulcrum.
In turn, it is also a place where external forces can easily threaten East Africa. Typical examples are the United States and Cuba. Cuba’s position can be said to be very uncomfortable for the United States, especially during the Cold War. It was the only place in North America where the Soviet Union could form a threat to the United States. The strategic pivot of the threat.
The island of Madagascar is even more incredible. It is much larger than Cuba, with an area of nearly 600,000 square kilometers, and there is a large amount of arable land.
The most powerful country on the island, the Kingdom of Imerina, is a typical feudal agricultural power. It has a relatively late historical development, otherwise it would not be inferior to traditional African powers like Abyssinia.
However, because East Africa has been expanding on the mainland, it does not have the energy to fight on two fronts. Especially during the South African War, the East African navy wanted to break one into two and take into account the attitude of the French, so until now East Africa has not been on the island of Madagascar. Something gained.
However, Ernst was determined to win the savannah zone of Madagascar, mainly the plain areas in the west and south of Madagascar. These two areas are savannah and tropical dry grassland, with a climate similar to that of East Africa.
Of course, the real livable zone of Madagascar is the same as that of East Africa. The eastern plateau area is the core area of Madagascar and the sphere of influence of the Kingdom of Imerina.
At present, the Kingdom of Immerina is still an independent country, mainly on good terms with the United Kingdom. Of course, France has successfully established a colony in the northern part of the Kingdom of Immerina. If the original historical development is followed, France will occupy the territory in 1895 Madagascar.
However, due to reasons in East Africa, the second Boer War in history was naturally impossible to occur. During the South African War, taking advantage of the war between Britain and East Africa, the British had no time to take care of the Kingdom of Imerina, and the French A new round of offensive has been launched against the Kingdom of Immerina, which greatly advanced the time for France to occupy Madagascar.
Therefore, if East Africa wants to get a share of Madagascar, it must hurry up. If it takes two or three years, Madagascar may become French.
……
The first town.
“We have now found out that France did launch a new round of attacks on the Kingdom of Immerina during the South African War. Many cities in the north and west of the Kingdom of Immerina were occupied by the French. Encroachment," the intelligence service reported to Ernst.
"What is the situation of the Kingdom of Immerina now?" Ernst asked.
"The Kingdom of Imerina can still resist the French offensive. In recent years, the Kingdom of Imerina has actively learned from Europe, especially it has received many benefits from the United Kingdom, including the fact that the army of the Kingdom of Imerina is all controlled by the British. Training, so their core area has basically not been affected much. "
The Kingdom of Immerina is definitely a "modern" country in Africa. Of course, since the residents of Madagascar are mainly yellow. People, so apart from geographical location, they actually have little to do with the indigenous people in Africa.
Of course, the main race in the Kingdom of Imerina is the Austronesian people. The Austronesian people are the strongest maritime people in early human civilization. They are widely distributed in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and their sea crossing tools are extremely simple.
Nowadays, the South Islanders living on isolated islands in the Pacific can all say that they are very good at water, and some even have their eardrums pierced. For the ruthless ones who can dive, this is true living by the sea, unlike The so-called maritime civilization of ancient Greece allowed the ancient Greeks to trade and plunder along the Mediterranean, and the Mediterranean environment was not as choppy as the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Of course, the civilization of the Austronesian people is very backward and has not developed much. So far, the entire population of Madagascar is less than three million, just over two million, and they are concentrated in the northeastern plateau area. That is, within the Kingdom of Immerina. Archduke Ferdinand: "Now that the South African War is over, the pressure our navy faced before has dissipated, and we can completely take the time to carry out expansion activities on Madagascar. Ernst, what are your thoughts now?"
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Ernst said to his father-in-law: "We can't touch the Kingdom of Immerina. After all, the war with Britain has just ended. We can't go back on our word, otherwise Britain will definitely jump over the wall."
Imerina is currently here. The Kingdom of Reena still belongs to the British sphere of influence. Of course, it cannot be regarded as a British colony. The close relationship between the Kingdom of Imerina and the United Kingdom is entirely a spontaneous act of the Kingdom of Imerina taking the initiative to get closer to the United Kingdom, rather than being forced. Therefore, It is still an independent and sovereign country.
Of course, the French definitely don’t think so. France has a long-standing ambition for the Kingdom of Immerina, which is one of the important reasons why the Kingdom of Immerina took the initiative to move closer to the United Kingdom.
Ernst continued: "The Kingdom of Imeryna is now being targeted by Britain and France, so it is not something we can covet. We have already offended Britain, and if we offend France again, the gain will outweigh the losses, and Imeryna The Na Kingdom has a relatively high level of civilization and is not a conducive place for expansion.”
The Kingdom of Imerina is much more knowledgeable than the native Africans, and its national character has been formed, which does not meet the colonial standards of East Africa.
Ernst has always liked areas with vast land and sparsely populated areas, and the savanna area in western Madagascar is of this type. After all, it is similar to most areas in East Africa, so Ernst is determined to win it.
He said: "The west and south, these two areas are our goals, so that they will not overlap with forces such as Britain and France, and the difficulty will be relatively small."
In all climates In China, the tropical rainforest was one of the areas least suitable for military operations, and Madagascar was no exception. The strongholds of countries such as France and the United Kingdom happened to be concentrated in the tropical rainforest areas on the east coast.
That’s because the main population of Madagascar is concentrated in the Kingdom of Imerina on the eastern plateau. Colonies without a population generally have poor economic benefits and are difficult to develop.
For example, when the British and French colonized, they did not consider the cost, but the profit. Otherwise, according to the logic of the 21st century, no land in the world is redundant. Minerals and other resources may one day be discovered. Thus it soared into the sky.
There was no such concept in the 19th century, so there were many "unowned" islands in the world, such as Nauru, which was accidentally acquired by Germany.
After all, the energy of each country is limited. Even colonial empires like Britain and France will not designate a place as their own colony for no reason. Every time a colony is opened, troops and governments must be stationed. Agencies, these are all expenses, and areas without a population have low economic benefits. The cost of stationing troops or establishing a ruling order is very high.
Of course, if you are a colonizer with development goals, the situation is the same. The typical example is East Africa. The rise of East Africa is completely dependent on the rich immigration resources of Germany and the Far East Empire. Having people will naturally produce economic benefits. .
Other colonists are more inclined to plunder from the colonies rather than build, because they have local presence. Even if they get a lot of benefits from the colonies, they will naturally give priority to local construction.
The most typical one is Portugal. Portugal basically has no investment in the colonies. This is the fundamental reason why East Africa can occupy Angola and Mozambique. Ernst can squeeze Portugal away from southern Africa even by using the lowest human wave tactics.
(End of this chapter)