Chapter 504: Borrowing People
April 1879.
Western Great Lakes Province, Bujumbura City.
As the capital of the Western Great Lakes Province, Bujumbura lies on the shores of Lake Solon (Lake Tanganyika). The long rainy season typically begins around March and April.
This year, the rains came with unusual force. In most years, Bujumbura receives between 800mm and 1000mm of annual precipitation. This year, it had already surpassed 2000mm, with some areas exceeding 3000mm. Torrential rivers mostly drained into Lake Solon, but in many areas, the rain fell faster than it could be diverted, flooding farmlands along riverbanks.
This left Provincial High Commissioner Najin deeply concerned. Frowning, he said, "This year's rains have gone too far. We've received reports from multiple regions. In the west, near Hessen Province, rainfall reached 130mm in a single day. Most parts of the province have hit record highs. The province's agricultural production plan will likely suffer severely."
Western Great Lakes Province encompasses what used to be Burundi, Rwanda, parts of Tanzania, Uganda, and the Congo. As such, the flooding affected a wide area. Ironically, Bujumbura, the capital, was relatively less affected—only in comparison to other severely hit regions. The city typically receives less rain, so if even it had been hit hard, the situation elsewhere could only be worse.
"High Commissioner, there's nothing we can do about the weather. Natural disasters are uncontrollable. What we can do is minimize the damage—dredge river channels to prevent more farmland from flooding. We should also launch rescue and relief efforts as soon as possible," said his assistant.
The assistant's words pulled Najin back into action mode. He gave a wry smile and said, "You're right. Now's not the time to complain. Begin damage assessments immediately. Have granaries prepare to release emergency supplies. And tell the health department to be on high alert—there's a saying: 'after great disasters come great epidemics.' Begin disinfection protocols right away…"
He calmly delegated all disaster relief tasks. As a province prone to rainfall, Western Great Lakes had seen this kind of flooding before. Experience helped manage the crisis.
Other provinces surrounding the Great Lakes—Northern Great Lakes, South Prussia, and the Highland Province—were also affected. But for them, heavier rains weren't all bad news. The Highland Province, usually arid, saw its Galenseti Plains bloom. Wildlife flourished.
Still, across the Great Lakes region, crop loss was inevitable. News soon reached the central government.
Ernst said, "The Great Lakes are our second-largest grain-producing region. A disaster there will seriously affect national output this year. We need to accelerate infrastructure development in the area."
In recent years, coastal plains—especially the Central Province—had invested heavily in irrigation and hydraulic engineering: canal digging, farmland irrigation upgrades, river channel corrections, dam and reservoir construction. These efforts had stabilized and boosted yields, allowing coastal plains to reclaim the top spot from the Great Lakes.
Constantino asked, "So you plan to replicate the coastal model in the Great Lakes region?"
Ernst replied, "The Great Lakes region has better natural conditions than the coast. It's even more fertile than France. All it lacks is infrastructure. With the right support, its agriculture could easily surpass France's."
In agriculture, France was the true benchmark. While the U.S. had scale, its farming was more rugged—dependent on vast land area. France, on the other hand, excelled in efficiency and productivity. Its farmland wasn't stolen from Native Americans, and its farmers enjoyed higher living standards.
East Africa, like the U.S., had questionable origins for its land and lagged behind in agricultural development. Its saving grace was its tropical location, which allowed for a thriving agricultural economy outside the temperate zones—avoiding competition with many industrial powers. Its true rivals were Brazil and Southeast Asia. But Southeast Asia hadn't yet developed, and Brazil remained politically unstable.
Brazil had a head start, but East Africa was catching up fast—and its key strategy was water management.
Hydraulic engineering could be scaled. East Africa could implement massive infrastructure with centralized coordination. Brazil might manage small projects, but it lacked the political strength to pull off larger ones—especially since major projects often required land expropriation, which its government struggled to negotiate with powerful landowners.
Ernst said to Constantino, "The government isn't burdened with anything major right now. Much of the inland region is still undeveloped. So let's initiate a nationwide hydraulic campaign modeled after our coastal efforts."
Constantino thought it over. "That's quite an undertaking."
Ernst nodded. "True, but that's okay. I'm not expecting overnight results. Africa is still largely undeveloped—only slightly better than Oceania. Now's the time to catch up. We have a large surplus of Black labor. Let's put it to work on these mega-projects to close the gap."
Much of East Africa was only entering an agricultural stage of development after being incorporated. Many regions still looked like untouched Earth. The challenges of development were immense.
But the natural conditions were excellent. Once the land was cultivated, it would yield enormous returns. In Ernst's eyes, it was a highly profitable venture.
Of course, to catch up with regions that had developed over hundreds or even thousands of years, East Africa would have to make huge sacrifices. Thankfully, it had a large Black population—and Ernst had no qualms about shifting the burden onto them. If not for his modern knowledge warning of colonial backlash, he'd probably have kept them in permanent servitude.
Constantino sighed, "Alright then. If you're set on this, let's get started."
Ernst nodded and immediately began making arrangements. With experience from coastal waterworks, this time he decided to seek help from Germany and Austria.
Large-scale hydraulic projects required professionals, and East Africa's campaign would create a massive talent gap. So Ernst turned to his two "big brothers" and requested expert assistance.
Germany and Austria agreed without hesitation. Lending engineers wasn't a big deal—and they saw it as a way to earn goodwill from East Africa.
Soon, with official coordination, East Africa brought in more than 200 hydraulic engineers from Germany and Austria to oversee and advise on the national waterworks program.
This time, Ernst planned a saturation offensive—compressing what other nations took centuries to achieve into twenty years, laying a foundation for East Africa's agricultural future.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Canserbero10