Chapter 205: "Don't Say I Never Gave You a Chance!"
Sometime in mid-July, the army and government reforms were nearly complete. Through these reforms, East Africa finally took on the appearance of a proper state.
No matter how you look at it, the new government resembled the "County of Heixingen" more than a "Principality of Heixingen." Officially, the colony was called the "Heixingen East African Royal Territory," and its monarch was indeed the original ruler of the County of Heixingen. Some of Prince Constantin's old subordinates had also managed to find new positions—mostly in the newly created but less critical departments, since others had arrived first. The Heixingen Royal Guard was reassembled on a large scale to protect First Town.
This was a new "old country," blending elements of Heixingen, Prussia, Austria, and the colony. They emphasized the "County of Heixingen" name over "Principality of Heixingen." It was an important signal: the "Principality" would always be part of Prussia, whereas the County of Heixingen had once been an independent European state. Though Heixingen was small, who could say it didn't have a special destiny? They were all Germans anyway, so maybe they could compete to be the "true Holy Roman Empire," right? Many states had tried to "borrow" from Rome's name; why not "borrow" from the Holy Roman Empire? That was just a joke, of course. Both Prince Constantin and Ernst were not that foolish; keeping a low profile was always the Heixingen royal family's strategy. Besides, East Africa needed no gimmicks of "Rome." German ties alone were enough.
During this new governmental setup, many departments were established. The most eye-catching was undoubtedly the navy. No surprise, the East African Navy's Commander-in-Chief was Maximilian I, who had once been Emperor of Mexico and an Austrian Archduke. What made him stand out wasn't really his status, but the fact that the entire East African Navy—beyond the eight hundred new sailors and two half-century-old Zanzibar ships—had only him as the sole high-ranking officer. Setting his political capabilities aside, back in 1854, serving as Austria's Navy Commander, Maximilian I truly was the best and only choice to lead the East African Navy (someone might even post a separate article about him, like an encyclopedia entry).
Within the East African Army, the person able to coordinate everything was clearly Prince Constantin, having belonged to the highest tier of the Prussian Army. The hope now was that Maximilian I would copy his old Austrian naval methods into East Africa. In the future, he'd be known as the "Father of the East African Navy." That was good for both East Africa and Maximilian I. If it worked out, at least half of his reputation could be redeemed. People might change their words from "He was foolish" to "He may not have been a good emperor, but he was a born navy man."
So, you could say Ernst was giving his father-in-law plenty of opportunity—it was up to him to seize it.
…
"Ferdinand, the fate of the East African Navy is in your hands," Prince Constantin said to Maximilian I with a smile. "I'm sure it will shine under your leadership."
But Maximilian I couldn't bring himself to smile. Worried, he said to Prince Constantin, "Your Highness, thank you for trusting me, but this task is far too challenging. East Africa's foundation is just too weak!"
Weak indeed—practically nonexistent. Other countries' navies might at least have "worn-out pants" to wear, but the East African Navy lacked trousers altogether. They only had two rundown wooden sailing ships from Zanzibar, left in disrepair for many years. Just a month ago, they were hastily patched up enough to barely float. Maximilian I feared they could sink at any time, causing the entire East African Navy to sink with them.
"Haha, the more capable you are, the more you should do! Look at the East African colony. It too started from nothing and grew to its present scale. I trust that with your abilities, you can develop the navy. Think about Austria's navy back then—it was your strong leadership that gave Tegetthoff his big chance to become world-famous after the Battle of Lissa," Prince Constantin said, praising him intensely.
"Your Highness, of course I'd love to show my abilities for the East African Navy, but I'll still need some support, won't I? While Austria's navy improved partly through my efforts, Austria had at least a modest base to begin with, and even before the reforms, its old fleet wasn't a small force in Europe. Plus, I could travel all over Austria, persuading both the royal family and the government to help me, so that's how Austria's navy was made. I can't magically build the East African Navy from just two rickety ships and eight hundred inexperienced sailors. As I see it, any ordinary merchant ship from the Heixingen Consortium could sink our so-called 'East African Navy,'" Maximilian I said.
Indeed, among the Heixingen Consortium's ocean-going vessels, even the worst one was one of those left behind by the Zanzibar Sultanate. The more functional ones were used for immigrant transport; the last two battered ships were handed to the East African Navy, so if they actually fought one of the immigrant ships, who knows who'd win?
"I understand your difficulties, but East Africa has difficulties as well. Ernst said he's got too many projects needing money at the moment; even a gunboat will have to wait until next year. So there's no need to rush. Life will get better. Even though the East African Navy has nothing right now, that just gives you all the more chance to do something meaningful. Think about it—maybe you contributed greatly to Austria's navy, but who remembers you now? If nobody brings it up, maybe Austrians have forgotten you ever served in the navy. If they do remember, they'll think, 'Oh! Maximilian I, the guy who went to Mexico to become emperor. Wonder where he ended up…' not 'That's Archduke Ferdinand, the Austrian Navy Commander.' This is your chance to restore your honor, starting fresh in East Africa. Sure, it's a remote place, but that can help. Nobody's paying attention. When you achieve something later, everyone's opinion of you will change. Archduke Friedrich (father of the modern Austrian Navy—formerly Venice's navy) is your example. Imagine being called the father of a nation's navy—that sounds great. And if your abilities go even further, and the East African Navy reaches European levels, then you'll have a spot in naval history," Prince Constantin used some sly persuasion.
"All right, so it still amounts to having no support!" Maximilian I grumbled.
"Oh, Ernst and I support you in spirit. Don't worry, given East Africa's pace of development, it won't take fifty years for them to be able to give you serious backing. You're still young—things will improve," Prince Constantin said.
"Taking on the post of East African Navy Commander, I sense this might be my second big mistake," Maximilian I replied. "But, well, I have no other choices right now. Just remember, I don't expect ships, but we must handle the manpower issue. East Africa's base is too weak. I plan to focus first on training naval personnel. So tell Ernst to pick some promising recruits I can send to the Austrian Imperial Naval Academy for studies. And next year, when choosing gunboats, I must be in charge. That's not asking too much, right?"
"Of course not. No problem at all!" Prince Constantin replied with conviction.
This was exactly what he'd been waiting for. Maximilian I's greatest value lay in his status and his influence in Austria. If he asked Austria for help, how could Emperor Franz say no? It was certainly better than letting Maximilian I risk his life again as an emperor somewhere. And once you ask the first time, you can ask again. Whenever the East African Navy needed something, Maximilian I could coordinate with Austria. The army was leaning toward Prussia for inspiration, while the navy would "thicken its skin" to get resources from Austria.
Who else better than Maximilian I to do such a thing? For example, if East Africa wanted to place students in the Austrian Imperial Naval Academy, even if Prince Constantin or Ernst asked, Austria might not give them much. But Maximilian I was different. Many big shots in the Austrian Navy had been his subordinates—they now formed the backbone of the Austrian Navy. If Maximilian I asked them for a favor, they could get it done. Even if the academy's staff objected, it wouldn't matter. After all, most of those instructors came from the navy and respected Maximilian I. Nobody would be so foolish as to refuse.
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