Chapter 468: Southwest Africa
East African warships continued to closely trail the British survey vessel, which buzzed around the waters near New Hamburg Port like an annoying fly—yet the East African Navy couldn't simply swat it away. In truth, it wasn't just New Hamburg. British ships had been spotted conducting similar surveillance at virtually every East African port, especially the two open ports, where Britain had carried out thorough evaluations.
"The so-called economic zones in East Africa are already thriving. They're like miniature versions of London or Paris. While not as populous as those capitals, they're developed enough, with a strong atmosphere of commerce and service. Many ships stop at these ports to enjoy East African hospitality."
"The cities are populated by a mix of whites and East Asians. While we gained little directly from the locals, indirect observations indicate that East Africa is unlike our impression of African states. It's orderly, not backward, and ruled by the Prussian-origin Hechingen royal family, who are highly respected among the people."
"Dar es Salaam and Mombasa are now on par with European port cities. Large European-style buildings line the coast. The East African shoreline is unrecognizable compared to a decade ago. The Germans have completely replaced the Arabs, becoming dominant in the region. The former Zanzibar Sultanate has become a province of East Africa, the Somali coast is largely annexed, and the Transvaal and Zulu Kingdoms are gone."
"Portugal once divided the Lake Malawi region with East Africa. The interior is now almost entirely monopolized by the East African Kingdom, whose total land area likely exceeds 1.5 million square miles."
"But we can't determine how much of the interior they really control. We've seen no East African presence on the west coast, which suggests they haven't expanded there yet. If we want to know more about their true territorial extent, we'll need to send expeditions from the west. But the West African coast is Portuguese Angola. To avoid their interference, we'd have to enter through the southern deserts—which won't be easy."
As Britain intensified its exploration of Africa, East Africa's veil was slowly lifted—just the tip of the iceberg had already stunned the British.
Disraeli: "Containing East Africa is now unavoidable. If we let them continue unchecked, will they end up like the United States—monopolizing Africa?"
Chancellor of the Exchequer: "Prime Minister, we mustn't be rash. East Africa has potential, but it's no real threat—Africa isn't the fertile land America was. We also need to consider Austria-Hungary and Germany's attitudes—they likely played huge roles in East Africa's rise."
He refused to believe East Africa achieved this on its own. Britain, with its vast colonial experience, knew that developing a colony was deeply tied to population. Rich colonies relied on manpower as much as resources. The Philippines and India, for example, succeeded because of population density. Africa, in contrast, was vast and sparsely populated, which made colonization far more difficult—unless one was willing to perform charity work.
Disraeli: "In any case, once we've finished handling India, East Africa must go on the agenda."
It was a good plan—but Ernst didn't believe Disraeli would get the chance. Russia hadn't moved yet, but signs of the Tenth Russo-Turkish War were already visible. If Britain chose to confront East Africa head-on in Africa under these conditions, then Ernst would be impressed.
Regardless of Britain's plans, East Africa still needed to eat. Once informed of Britain's unusual movements, Ernst summoned the military to discuss East Africa's next expansion plans.
"We've achieved considerable success along the Indian Ocean, but East Africa still lacks a foothold on the Atlantic. The Atlantic's importance is obvious. I propose we focus on the coastal area between Angola and the Orange River—the Skeleton Coast."
The "Skeleton Coast" refers to Namibia's coastline, once called the "Coast of Hell" by Portuguese sailors. Ernst used it to denote the entire Namibian coast.
"If we move into the Skeleton Coast, we must overcome the harsh geography. Almost all of Southwest Africa is desert—unlike Somalia, where we controlled oases and used camels. Southwest Africa is far worse."
"Exactly. But I'm not planning a full-scale occupation—just securing key areas to block other colonial powers from entering."
In his past life, the Namib Desert had made Namibia one of the world's least densely populated countries. Namibia's 1,600-kilometer coastline was almost entirely covered by desert. For centuries, despite being a major maritime route between Europe and Asia, no colonizer had seriously attempted to claim Southwest Africa—not even Portugal, Spain, or the Dutch.
It wasn't until 1884 that Germany made Southwest Africa a colony. It wasn't ideal territory, but Germany arrived late to the colonial game and couldn't afford to pass it up.
"Our control plan focuses on three areas: the border with Portugal, the mouth of the Orange River, and Walvis Bay in central Southwest Africa."
East Africa wasn't far from Southwest Africa. Part of East Africa's western territory already extended into what could be considered the region—specifically, the highlands and Okavango River Basin, now known as Laetania Province.
The Okavango River rises in central Angola, flows through Namibia, and disappears into Botswana's Kalahari Desert. Laetania lies on its east bank (modern northeast Namibia, southeast Angola). The western part remains unexplored and undeveloped.
Southwest Africa is massive. Including the Kalahari, about 700,000 to 800,000 square kilometers are uninhabited. Full occupation is extremely difficult.
Transport is the biggest problem. The desert is vast, and unlike Somali deserts, there are almost no settlements for resupply. Unless doing literal charity, it's a logistical nightmare.
Ironically, the Orange River might offer the easiest route. One can follow it westward, with its water solving supply issues.
For the rest of Southwest Africa, Ernst planned a dual approach—advancing by land into the interior while simultaneously establishing coastal outposts via sea.
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