African Entrepreneurship Record

February 14, 1869.

A team of more than fifty people set out towards the capital of the Yeke Kingdom, led by Merk who threatened to go to war against the Yeke Kingdom at the Mbeya expansion meeting half a month ago.

Marching on the grassland is still a bit difficult, and it is on foot. Siweite equipped them with a carriage, but the group can only take turns to rest on the carriage. This is not because Siweite is stingy, but because horse carriages are strategic resources in East Africa. The quantity is relatively small.

From the weapons and equipment, these fifty-odd people looked like regular East African troops. They wore uniform Dresser rifles, were clean and tidy, and did not lack the Prussian military uniforms. They also carried simple grenades produced by the East African Arsenal on their waists.

"It's such a hot day!" Merk wiped the sweat from his face with a towel and said to his entourage.

"What's this! You are blessed but don't know how lucky you are. It's really hot on the eastern coast that can kill people. In the inland plateau areas, where the sun is relatively strong, the heat of the sun is much worse than on the eastern coast." Becker Said to Merk.

Becker was the sixth person who finally interrupted Merke's spell at the expansion meeting, and his suggestion was greatly appreciated by Sweet.

So Becker was authorized to carry out the important mission of the Yeke Kingdom, while Merk was responsible for the safety of the journey.

"Mr. Becker, do you think Msili will accept our goodwill?" Merk said to Msili.

"Haha, Msili is now in a desperate situation. If he doesn't rely on us, he will be in danger of national subjugation. Msili is a smart man and he will make his own choice." Becker said confidently.

"It's not that I don't understand the current situation of the Yeke Kingdom, but Msili, like many indigenous people, cannot be judged on a human level. Our spies said that Msili is crazy now. In King Yeke There is a massacre in the country, I don’t know the specific circumstances, but the spies said that his character is worse than that of an animal.” Merk still cautiously told Becker.

East Africa deployed a large number of spies around the East African colonies. Some were dressed as expedition teams and some were dressed as traders. Among them, the Arabs and Portuguese were the key imitation targets in East Africa.

Now in East Africa, most people in Central and South Africa disguise themselves as Portuguese to carry out various activities and inquire about local intelligence and geography.

The East African colonies have now become a black and evil force in the eyes of many indigenous forces in the west. They leave no land and no people, making East Africa notorious among the indigenous forces in the north and south, which are bounded by the Congo rainforest.

The tribes and kingdoms expelled from East Africa spread the name of the East African colonies to both sides of the Congo rainforest, to Central and South Africa, and to Central and West Africa.

Therefore, the spies of the East African colonies in these areas can only disguise themselves as people from various countries, but they cannot use the banner of East Africa.

Take Central and South Africa for example. Although this place is far inland, some Portuguese businessmen still do business here.

Many Portuguese traders even settled in the lands of Central and South Africa, so spies from the East African colonies often dressed up as Portuguese traders and operated in the Central and South Africa region.

Becker smiled slightly and said to Merk: "Although Msili is cruel, he is very practical. He is very clear about who can bring him real benefits, especially the vast country he rules, which all depends on it." Advanced firearms suppressed local forces and indigenous peoples.

The Yeke Kingdom he established only lasted a few decades, and the land was basically stolen. Naturally, many natives were dissatisfied with him.

Moreover, his family once worked for the Arabs, so he is one of the few experienced natives in Africa, so he does not dare to act rashly against us. "

"Mr. Becker, you are just speculating in an ideal state! Msili has been the king of Yeke Kingdom for more than ten years, and his character has become more and more violent. I now doubt whether his sanity is clear. What if? He is really crazy, then we are afraid..." Merk was about to continue, but was interrupted by Becker.

"Don't be discouraged. Our army of more than fifty people is not a vegetarian. Msili's musketeers are only a hundred or ten people now, and their equipment is backward. The ammunition is also provided by us in East Africa. If he does not use all the Given the strength, it’s hard to say who will win in a fight.”

Merkel quite agrees with this point. Although Becker is a civil servant, he is not ignorant of military affairs.

Most of the officials in East Africa were drawn from the army or from the Hechingen Military Academy. Becker also fought many tough battles in East Africa.

Moreover, Becker's qualifications in Mbeya were earlier than that of Merk. Merk was transferred to Mbeya from the east, while Becker was a soldier in Mbeya before entering the civil service. system, which lasted several months longer than Merkel came to stay in Mbeya.

"But it's better to be cautious. According to me, it was better to directly decide to send troops before. We have to talk to these natives about the 'hard truth'. I'm afraid they may not cooperate with their approach to the civilized world. Moreover, our team Compared with the Yeke Kingdom, the number of people is too small after all, and I am afraid that they will use the human sea tactics with us..." Although the mission to the Yeke Kingdom has been completed, Merk still insisted on his original idea of ​​directly starting a war.

“Although our mission may be dangerous this time, things must be considered from many aspects. East Africa is developing rapidly now, and every war means breaking the development process of East Africa.

For example, in the Northwest Campaign, the resources of the entire East Africa were tilted towards the northwest region. At that time, East Africa basically stagnated development.

Fortunately, the benefits from the northwest campaign are large enough to be worthy of our action. If we also directly send troops to the Yeke Kingdom, there will be no problem.

But wouldn’t it be better if we could win the Yeke Kingdom at a smaller cost? Although there are certain risks in doing so, it is worth trying in East Africa.

After all, this is our first time to deal with these indigenous people in a diplomatic manner. Even if we fail, we can accumulate some experience for East Africa.

And if it succeeds, then our contribution will definitely be no less than that of a large-scale war. I wonder if this is true, Mr. Merk! " said Becker.

In fact, the last sentence is the main reason. Compared with a war, if this mission to the Yeke Kingdom succeeds, Merk and Becker will definitely have to contribute.

Moreover, the military merits of the war must be shared, and as a civilian official, Becker's contribution is almost minimal. Although Merkel is the military governor of the Mbeya region, if there is really a fight, the East African colonies may send troops from other regions. Troops join the battle, or a celebrity like Felix is ​​dropped in to lead the battle.

The Yeke Kingdom is like a piece of cake. When there are more people, everyone gets less. As a civil servant, Becker is naturally not willing to do this.

That’s why I proposed the strategy of sending an envoy to the Kingdom of Yeke. If it succeeds, as the person who proposed the strategy and the executor, Becker’s credit will definitely not be lower than the second. After all, there are commissioners and high-ranking officials from the Great Lakes Region above him. With the commissioner present, it is difficult for other officials to take away Becker's credit. As for Commissioner Sweet, Becker still understands this bit of worldliness, but Becker is just trying to judge a gentleman with a villain's heart.

As one of the best graduates of the Hechingen Military Academy, Sweet was initially appreciated by Ernst and basically kept him around to teach him through words and deeds.

At that time, there were only four or five of the best graduates of the Hechingen Military Academy. According to the formal process, Sweet should enter the military academy in Berlin to continue his studies.

However, Ernst sent him alone to East Africa to supervise military work in the East African colonies, and eventually became a member of the highest decision-making levels in East Africa.

Ernst's trust in him was obvious, and Sweet was grateful to Ernst for his training, and became one of Ernst's confidants.

Sweet is like Ernst's clone in the East African colonies. He strictly follows Ernst's every order. Sweet's position in East Africa is already at the ceiling. He just needs to be attached to Ernst's banner for the rest of his life. Nothing is needed. Credit bonus, so Sweet will not be greedy for Becker's credit.

Merkel's purpose is similar to that of Becker. Although he is a militant, Becker's proposal is more tempting.

Becker and Merk were both early German mercenaries, and they will still have to return to Europe after their contracts expire.

And every achievement in East Africa is nothing but money, which is related to the later lives of Becker and Merkel, so this mission to the Kingdom of Yeke was possible.