Chapter 380: A Nighttime Conversation
Night fell in Harare.
The temperature dropped quickly, and Ernst put on a coat. How to describe Africa's weather? For Ernst, it felt somewhat welcoming.
He really didn't like the African coastal climate, but in his previous life, the most developed city in Tanzania—Dar es Salaam—just happened to lie on the coast. Although there were some better-developed inland areas, their infrastructure and certain modern features were still lacking.
That's why Ernst most enjoyed being posted by his company to Nairobi or Harare—these inland capitals had whatever was needed, aside from poor internet access. Their climate was decent, but most of Ernst's work took him to rural areas, since he was involved in construction—especially road and bridge building, which often meant working in the wild.
Walking on a country road near Harare, Ernst spoke: "Sivitt."
"Present, Headmaster!" Sivitt reflexively stiffened, standing straight as if he'd returned to his student days.
Ernst said, "No need to be so tense. You've spent quite some time in the army on my behalf now, and I want to understand our military's real situation."
Although Ernst oversaw the overall picture, he couldn't just rely on his own assumptions for the condition of the troops. As a key commander in the East African Army who had fought in several battles, Sivitt was qualified to speak on such matters.
Sivitt respectfully asked, "Understood, Headmaster. But which aspects would you like to know?"
After a brief pause, Ernst replied, "Start with the grassroots level. In particular, talk about the soldiers' living conditions and their morale—anything along those lines."
Sivitt nodded. "Alright, then I'll share some personal observations. At the grassroots level, overall the army is basically acceptable. When we first arrived in Africa, the troops were built on mercenaries as our foundation. From top to bottom, our army was almost no different from Prussia's. But as the army expanded and our numbers increased, some of the problems typical of all armies worldwide—including those of Prussia—began to appear. At first, I thought this was a problem with the officers. But as more graduates from the Hechingen Military Academy joined, it became clear that educational background is also a big factor.
"Even though our army's overall educational level is fairly high, aside from German immigrants, the educational level among immigrants from other places is quite low. So even with better-trained and more knowledgeable officers, they can't seamlessly command the troops. And among German immigrant soldiers—who've received compulsory education—the level is still uneven."
Ernst nodded. "That's unavoidable. In fact, I thought about it back when I sent the mercenary teams to East Africa. An East African Army built on that foundation was never going to be a tightly disciplined force."
Sivitt interjected, "Headmaster, actually the mercenary teams do have discipline, but they use the same sort of stick-based approach as the Prussians—enforcing order through corporal punishment."
Ernst said, "Yes, I'm well aware; I do know about the Prussian Army. But discipline isn't just about battlefield conduct—it covers many aspects. Take the Prussian Army, for example: among European armies, it's known for strict discipline, yet it still can't fully escape postwar looting and pillaging."
Sivitt said, "Headmaster, that's human nature. But East Africa does a decent job on that front; at least relations between the army and local civilians are relatively harmonious."
Ernst replied with a small laugh, "That's because of our organizational framework. When we fight in East Africa, it's usually in areas inhabited by natives. Plus, we don't have a free market, so even seized materials have nowhere to be sold. Our soldiers don't feel a strong need for spoils."
Hearing this, Sivitt sounded confused. "Isn't that a good thing, Headmaster?"
Ernst shook his head. "East Africa is my testing ground, and I'm the farmer tending it. If you want the crops to thrive, what do you think you have to do?"
Sivitt answered, "Turn the soil, fertilize, weed out pests."
Ernst said, "Exactly. Tilling is about changing the soil's structure. On the global scale, East Africa's land isn't that outstanding, so we use all sorts of methods to upgrade its agricultural infrastructure and develop the land on a large scale. Fertilizing provides nutrients to the crops themselves—and here, the crops are the people of East Africa. A farmer can choose two approaches: one is to ignore them. You'll still harvest something, but yield will be low. The other is to do your best to meet their needs so you can reap a bumper harvest, which means an ongoing supply of fertilizer.
"Finally, there's weeding and pest control. So what are the weeds and pests in East Africa? As I see it, anything that might stop East Africa from becoming a great power—both external and internal—counts."
Tonight, the moon and stars were especially bright. Under the pale moonlight, Ernst went on, "That principle applies to the army, too. Its importance is self-evident. Calling it the cornerstone of the nation wouldn't be too much. A nation is a vehicle of power, and that power comes from its military. Maintaining the army's stability and ensuring it's always victorious is critical for East Africa."
Hearing all this, Sivitt began to understand. "Headmaster, you're saying you want to reform the army!"
Ernst replied, "No rush. We'll talk about that after we finish the war against the Boers. Once we've beaten them, we should have a long stretch of genuine peace."
If this war ends successfully, Ernst won't plan any more external conflicts for quite a while. Although he'd had that thought before, he always ended up tempted. As a result, East Africa's territory had expanded several times over.
But once the Boer Transvaal Republic is wiped out, East Africa will have covered any shortfalls—at least on the African continent. Apart from West Africa, southern Africa is the region richest in resources. West Africa's advantage is its oil, whereas southern Africa has abundant coal reserves.
Resources alone aren't enough, though; they have to be developed. Ernst thinks East Africa is currently too frail—economically, not militarily. Over three-quarters of its territory is still undeveloped. Zimbabwe, Zambia, the northwest highlands of Zambia, the Okavango River region, the Azande Highlands, the White Nile Basin, the western side of the Mitumba Mountains, and soon southern Africa as well.
East Africa has already achieved "broad land and vast resources," with a successful start to agricultural development. Now Ernst wants to move the kingdom toward industrialization.
This is the time to act. East Africa's size can support industrial growth, which Ernst urgently wants. If they wait for the great powers to recover from the economic crisis, East Africa will be swarmed by enemies of every sort. Preserving the kingdom's independence while the major powers carve up the world is one of Ernst's foremost concerns.
In some ways, the East African Kingdom is similar to Tsarist Russia, which concentrated its economy in one core region. But Siberia had barely any natives to threaten Moscow's control.
In East Africa, by contrast, the native population is huge. To prevent them from becoming guides for a foreign invader, East Africa's military must always remain unbeatable. And in modern warfare, that requires industry.
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