Chapter 511: Blood Transfusion
Windblown sand swept across the ancient trade route, as an Arab caravan pressed forward under the blazing sun, trekking across a dried-up ancient riverbed on their way toward distant Afghanistan.
A hundred camels marched steadily, step by step, seemingly tireless. But the merchants riding on them were already groaning from exhaustion.
"Mr. Andreev, why aren't you sending these weapons into Afghanistan from Russian territory? Why take this route to secretly deliver arms? If it weren't for the guidance of old Ameti, the most experienced of us, we would've gotten completely lost out here," the caravan leader asked.
The man known as "Andreev" sat atop a camel and replied in fluent Russian, "Mr. Farouk, this mission is covert. As you know, our country, Russia, and Britain are rivals. But since both are world powers, they can't fight openly. I'm only telling you this because I trust you as a friend—please don't repeat it."
Being called a "friend" by Andreev pleased Farouk immensely. Wearing a small round cap and smiling, he said, "Of course, Mr. Andreev. I understand completely. You can rest assured—our caravan has been working in this region for years. We value our reputation. Lies are displeasing to Allah."
Farouk had grown fond of Andreev during their time together. He found that unlike many Russians he had dealt with before, Andreev genuinely respected his faith.
"Mr. Andreev, your accent doesn't sound like the Russian I'm used to," Farouk suddenly noted.
Hearing this made the greenhorn "Andreev" tense for a moment, but he maintained his composure and asked, "How did you notice that, Mr. Farouk?"
"I've dealt with many Russians. I'm very familiar with their language. Yours just doesn't sound like the others."
Realizing what was going on, "Andreev" quickly relaxed.
He smiled and explained, "I'm from Saint Petersburg. That might explain the difference. Northern Russians speak a bit differently than those from the south."
"Ah, that makes sense. Russia is a large country, so regional accents are understandable. It's the same with us Muslims—our accents vary widely by region," Farouk nodded.
With that, "Andreev" was finally at ease. Farouk had accepted his explanation. And to be fair, his Russian was Saint Petersburg-accented—after all, that was still Russia's capital at the time.
Still, Farouk's comment served as a useful warning: East African operatives abroad needed to brush up on local dialects. When he got back to Saint Petersburg, he'd report this to his superiors. They couldn't afford to have future agents blown just because of a misplaced vowel.
Little did Farouk know that his offhand remark had helped East Africa's intelligence service correct a key flaw. To be fair, the National Defense and Security Bureau was still relatively new—growing pains were to be expected.
It was reminiscent of MI6 during World War II: notorious for forgetting past failures. While British intelligence had its moments, much of its reputation came from the incompetence of its opponents. When it faced the Soviets later, MI6 was thoroughly outplayed by the KGB.
As a German-trained intelligence service, Ernst didn't want East Africa's agency following the same flawed path as Germany's. Instead, it was designed to be professional and institutionalized from the start.
Ernst also wanted the agency to follow the model of the German army—non-intervention in politics.
Germany may have been militaristic, but that was more cultural than operational. German officers strictly handled military affairs and didn't meddle in governance—and the government didn't interfere with the military either. The entire state structure revolved around the army, so there was no need for power struggles. Contrast that with Japan, where true militarism often meant extremism and open insubordination.
East Africa's army had even less power than Germany's. While Ernst claimed to admire German militarism, his government didn't revolve around the military.
Instead, East African bureaucracy resembled the Soviet model, although relations between government and army were quite amicable. Many early civil servants were military veterans, especially during East Africa's formative years.
If East Africa had followed the German model, its army would've been at least twice as large. While East Africa had fewer non-Black citizens than Germany, it had a younger population and a vast labor base of Black workers. Like ancient nomadic empires relying on Han Chinese to farm, East Africa relied on Black labor to sustain its military class.
This was not unique to East Africa—most colonial powers did the same. But East Africa had a larger, more exploitable population. Black people in East Africa had no rights or status, and even if they resisted, it meant nothing. Ernst had many flaws, but he was ruthless. After all, being idealistic came at a cost.
Ernst often thought Black Africans were easy to govern. Though they lacked tactical skill, it wasn't due to low intelligence—it was a matter of exposure. Colonialism hit them with a double-layered cognitive blow they had no way to counter.
And by the time they learned to mimic their colonizers' methods, Ernst shipped them overseas, cutting off any chance of rebellion. Better they go trouble someone else.
After two days of travel, "Andreev" and his party reached Yazdan, a small village on Afghanistan's western frontier. But Yazdan wasn't his final destination.
He was headed for Shindand—a fertile valley in western Afghanistan. In this barren country, anywhere that could grow crops was precious, and Shindand had plenty of arable land.
It was also far from Kabul, where British forces claimed to have control. In reality, their influence didn't reach most of the country—especially not places like Shindand.
In Ernst's past life, religious insurgents had often used Shindand as a base. Its inhabitants were fiercely anti-British.
"Andreev's" mission was simple: funnel support through local Shindand militias to strengthen the Afghan resistance and make things difficult for the British.
Upon entering Shindand, he was greeted by a local trader—one with no direct ties to East Africa but who had worked closely with merchants from Zanzibar.
Zanzibar traders were known for their reach. Backed by East Africa, they had made fortunes even in remote places like Afghanistan. East Africa had goods, Zanzibar had distribution. It was a mutually beneficial partnership.
That's why Zanzibar merchants were willing to act as East Africa's intermediaries. Plus, Afghanistan shared their faith. Supporting fellow Muslims in resisting invaders felt morally justifiable—and profitable too.
Even better, East Africa had no strategic interest in Afghanistan. That made cooperation easy and non-threatening.
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