Chapter 215: Negotiations
Santos clearly miscalculated this time. He never imagined the Germans would act so quickly against the Kazembe Kingdom – or that they would dare to move in the first place. He also misread this as a Portuguese colonial operation. His lack of reliable information from his subordinates deepened the mistake.
But in one point he wasn't entirely wrong: The Portuguese in Kazembe indeed didn't view him as one of their own. After all, Santos arrived with his group of "fugitives," expecting to carve out a piece of territory. It didn't make sense to the local Portuguese.
East Africa sent a messenger to Kazembe, demanding the "criminals" and that land. The Portuguese Kazembe Chamber of Commerce found out, but they didn't notify Santos and his men. The Chamber itself felt shocked at how swiftly East Africa moved. According to Portugal's usual colonial style, one normally tries to avoid conflict with local forces.
The Portuguese prefer a gentler approach and only use force when they can't accomplish their goals by trickery. We can see that from how they run Mozambique and Angola. Portugal as a kingdom encourages intermarriage between the Portuguese and local chiefs' families, believing that descendants with Portuguese blood in local leadership can strengthen control over the colony.
When Portugal first began colonial activities in Africa, it worked with local chieftains, especially during the era when the slave trade flourished. The chiefs served as Portugal's "suppliers." Once Portugal gained enough power locally, it turned those chieftains and kingdoms into vassal states, eventually establishing Mozambique and Angola as colonies.
In fact, the Portuguese way of colonization is the most "proper," advancing step by step and adapting to changing times. They started early in history and wrote the "textbook" for real-life colonization. Later, Britain, not caring about fairness, seized colonies from other colonizers in one go. Now the East Africans have shown the Portuguese an even simpler, cruder method: start fighting at the slightest disagreement. That's quite the Prussian style. At least the British usually tested the enemy's strength first.
As for the condition of the natives, East Africa knows them all too well. For East Africa, fighting the local tribes is like child's play. They rely on two million migrants. If it weren't for international concerns, those two million could conquer half of Africa. Other colonizers often consider the costs carefully because they're in it for profit, not charity – so they try to avoid big long-term investments. If someone else comes to pick the fruit of their efforts, they'd be left with nothing. Britain did build some things in India, but India's enormous population was destined to become independent anyway.
…
"I am Yalisi, the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce chairman in Kazembe. May I ask your name, sir?"
The Portuguese Kazembe Chamber of Commerce chairman, Yalisi, appeared late.
"Andrew," he said.
"Mr. Andrew! Why did you launch this war against the Kazembe Kingdom without even letting us know?" Chairman Yalisi demanded.
"This matter is between the East African government and Kazembe Kingdom, hmph!"
Yalisi was about to blow up, but Rawls stepped in. "Mr. Yalisi, correct? Hello, I am the adjutant of the East African First Cavalry Battalion. You can just call me Rawls. Captain Andrew is not good at conversation; he's rather antisocial. Whatever you'd like to discuss, you can tell me."
Yalisi studied Rawls' Asian face. "Can you represent the East African government?"
Rawls shook his head. "I can't represent the government, but I can speak for the troops you see before you."
Yalisi asked another question instead. "Mr. Rawls, are you German?"
"Of course."
"Which part of Germany do you come from?"
"From the Prussian Principality of Heixingen."
"Your face is uncommon in Europe. I thought you might be from Italy."
Rawls didn't respond, and Yalisi turned back to the conflict. "Why did your side attack the Kazembe Kingdom?"
Regardless of whether Portugal was involved, Yalisi first wanted to show the Portuguese stance. East Africa acted improperly by quietly pushing an army into Kazembe's capital, forcing Yalisi to hide at home that morning.
"Mr. Yalisi," Rawls explained, "we made a deal with King Msiri of the former Yeke Kingdom, acquiring ownership of that state. But when we took over Yeke, Kazembe seized the chance to occupy East African land. We tried demanding it back a few days ago, but they refused, so we had no choice."
It looked like an explanation, but it was really a statement: East Africa has a legal right to punish Kazembe, so Kazembe must pay. That's all. As for the details, no comment.
"Even if the Kazembe Kingdom did something wrong, that doesn't mean you had to resort to force at once, right? If they encroached on your border, you only need to reclaim that land. Why attack deep inside and capture their palace? That's too savage – not how the civilized world behaves!"
"Mr. Yalisi, that's incorrect. East Africa is certainly part of the civilized world, but Kazembe is not. We have an obligation to bring Kazembe into civilization," Rawls said.
Seeing Rawls so stubborn, Yalisi decided not to keep debating. He himself had used such sophistry in his younger days, so he asked, "What does your country plan for the Kazembe Kingdom?"
"That's not for a low-ranking soldier like me to decide. It's up to our central government. If you want the answer, go ask them in Dar es Salaam." Rawls obviously knew but pretended not to. Yalisi tried another angle.
"Well, if your government hasn't decided, I won't press. But I do want to know how long you plan to stay here. You're an officer of this army, so you must know that much, right?"
"Until further orders, we don't have the authority to leave," Rawls answered smoothly.
In reality, Yalisi was uncomfortable. So East Africa definitely wants to occupy Kazembe. Pretending not to have authority is just a pretext for staying. And the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in Kazembe lacks the power to influence East Africa's decisions, so Yalisi changed topics, asking about East Africa's attitude toward the Portuguese in Kazembe.
"Feel free to stay and continue your trade as usual," Rawls reassured him. East Africa can't do anything about them yet – they can't just kill them all. For now, everything remains the same.
"Oh, right, is that man one of yours?" Rawls asked, pointing at Santos, lying on the ground with vacant eyes, still muttering something.
Yalisi hurried over, calling, "Santos! Santos?"
He saw Santos suffering from mental collapse, whispering about 'allies' or something, so he slapped him.
Smack! "Santos, wake up!"
Though Yalisi found Santos annoying, he was still "our man," so he wanted to learn what had happened to make this energetic fellow end up like this.
"What did you do to him?" Yalisi asked the East African troops.
"You're sure he's yours? Yesterday, that man led an armed group to attack us. Once we captured him, he ended up like this. Should I assume your Chamber orchestrated that raid?" Rawls retorted.
Realizing they were pinning it back on him, Yalisi quickly let go of Santos. "A misunderstanding! I don't actually know that man. He just looks a bit like an old friend of mine. After careful checking, I'm sure it's just a slight resemblance, not my old friend!"
"That's fine," Rawls replied. "He attacked us during the battle's cleanup, leading eighty-eight men with guns. A few of ours got injured."
"These folks must be bandits from the African grasslands, having nothing to do with our Chamber, Mr. Rawls," Yalisi insisted.
"Whatever it is, he's alive. We won't execute him. You're free to take him if you like." Rawls offered.
"Mr. Rawls, you're joking. A bandit like that deserves his fate – let him rot. But I must admit your army is merciful for sparing him," Yalisi said.
He glanced at Santos and sneered. Santos was worthless now. Even though Yalisi disliked the Germans, they obviously had the advantage. Kazembe was far from Portugal's main colonies, and the local Portuguese presence was weak, so he couldn't change anything. If Yalisi took Santos back, it might confirm that the Chamber was behind this attack, which was exactly the last thing he wanted.
So Yalisi cursed Santos in his mind. Sure, he despised these "Prussian barbarians," but nothing could be done. His frustration focused on Santos instead.
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