Chapter 212 Suez Canal
The reorganized East African army is smaller and mainly field troops. In order to realize the "pocket" plan, the East African government plans to invest 10,000 people into the East Katanga region.
Different from the previous purpose of driving away the native aborigines, this time East Africa simply wants to acquire the ownership of these lands first.
So it is enough to use the methods of ordinary colonists to carry out colonization activities. It is nothing more than forcing the tribal chiefs to sign land treaties under the threat of guns.
As for the aborigines to be handed over to the follow-up immigrants, it is enough to replace them a little bit. This year, the number of immigrants is small, and the "labor" gap has increased, so the aborigines still have some role.
November 17, 1869.
Egypt.
Suez Canal - This century-old project that sacrificed 120,000 Egyptians has finally been completed.
East Africa is on the east coast of Africa, so in the future, ocean-going ships in East Africa only need to pass through the Mediterranean Sea, the Suez Canal, enter the Red Sea, and finally bypass Somalia.
As for the original African waterway, the Cape of Good Hope, not only is it a long distance, but it is also known as the Cape of Storms. There is also a skeleton coast along the coast of Namibia, so the original route is not only long distance, but also high risk.
After paying the toll, the Hexingen ocean-going ship that has been waiting here for a long time can't wait to experience this great project.
The original Trieste ship only needs to pass through Gibraltar to make a big circle, but now it only needs to go south and cross the Suez Canal to reach East Africa.
Moreover, both the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea are relatively calm waters, and the difficulty of navigation is not high.
"Captain Modo, with the Suez Canal, our good days are coming. We used to be floating on the sea for most of the time, and the coast of Africa is still full of barren land. It is difficult to find a place to stay." Hexingen Ocean Trading Co., Ltd. Staff Fairmont said.
"Africa! Just like that, you still expect those natives to build some entertainment venues for you to enjoy? But with the Suez route in the future, safety is guaranteed.
Even if there is a major accident on the ship, the probability of our being rescued is much higher. Look, what kind of congestion is there in such a narrow place? "
"There are so many ships in the canals and seas today! It's almost comparable to the ports in Europe and the Far East!"
"It has been surpassed, but every country that can be counted has ships passing here. This is the main artery from Europe to the Far East in the future." Modo emphasized.
The opening of the Suez Canal is good news for the whole world, except Cape Town. Although the strategic value of East African ports has declined.
However, the flight route to Europe has been shortened. In the future, the transportation of European personnel and equipment to East Africa will not only save time but also save money.
Now East Africa is a seedling that needs to absorb nutrients from Europe, so for East Africa, the opening of the Suez Canal will do more good than harm.
Austrian immigrants lay on the fence, looking curiously at the canal running through the desert. This was the first time they had seen the desert.
"Come to Sawyer, is Africa like this? I heard that this place is a desert before, and now it looks good, but how did the Egyptians survive in this desert!" Blair asked curiously.
"You illiterate, don't tell others that you know me when you go out! The Egyptians survive on the Nile River and the oases in the desert. Of course they don't live directly in the desert. As for the people we just saw are canal workers Well, their food is naturally brought in from outside! The factories in Trieste don’t produce food either, so don’t those workers die?”
"Who said the factory in Trieste doesn't produce food? Isn't the food factory just processing food!"
"Food processing should also be grown in the countryside first, and then transported to the city..."
Lai Sawyer looked up at the dazzling sun and said, "I am more yearning for life in the countryside. Although the salary in the city is not low, it is not what I expected."
"Ah! If I had gone to school, or had a craft, I would definitely go to a big city in Austria to look for opportunities. After all, the colonies are the last choice, and I can only gamble there!"
"Hehe, boy, don't worry, East Africa is no longer a colony, you can treat it as a European country, or a state in the German region."
"Uncle, have you been to East Africa?"
"Of course, can't you see the sailor suit he's wearing?" Lai Sawyer said speechlessly.
"Uncle, can you tell us some inside information." Blair asked.
"Of course there is no problem, but I can't guarantee that what I said is completely correct. I have only been to the ports in East Africa. At most, I will tell you what I heard from the ports and what I saw."
The sailor uncle leaned on the railing and began to tell the two young people about the situation in East Africa: "East Africa, now officially called the Hexingen East African Royal Family Territory, East Africa used to be a colony of the Hexingen Royal Family, but now the Hexingen Royal Family has moved To East Africa, so East Africa will become an independent country in the future. This is the internal information disclosed to me by a friend of mine. You should not tell others.
The scenery in East Africa is definitely different from that in Europe, but the coastal area should be similar to the Mediterranean coast. When the ship arrives in Dar es Salaam, you can see the general situation in East Africa.
It is definitely not comparable to Vienna and Trieste, but it is not worse than other Austrian cities. "
"Uncle, is our destination Dar es Salaam?"
"I don't know about this. Dar es Salaam is just the end point of this ship in East Africa, and your end point still depends on how the East African government distributes it."
"Assignment, won't we be separated?" Lai Sawyer said to Blair.
"Uncle, Laisoya and I are very good friends, this time we are going to East Africa together, will they separate us?"
"This... I'm afraid it's a bit difficult. Generally, the East African government has a tradition of separating people from the same place. They will put immigrants from different regions in the same city or village."
"Is there no solution!"
"How old are you two?"
"Come Sawyer 16, I'm 17."
"It's okay to be young, have you ever learned how to write?"
"I will, Mr. Sailor." Lai Sawyer said.
"When you arrive in East Africa, you should immediately write an application to the local officials in charge. Generally speaking, they will not embarrass you. If you choose to remain silent, they will separate you by default. You are just friends, right! And you are young, In this way, there is a high probability that they will be assigned to a place, but it is hard to say whether it is a city or a country."
…
Moduo chatted a lot with the two young people again, and explained a lot of East African knowledge to them, some of which were really practical.
"Modo, where did you go just now? It's been so long since you came back." Fairmont asked.
“Just chatting with two young men, and seeing them reminds me of my youthful days at sea.”
(end of this chapter)