Chapter 401: Rejection
July 22, 1872.
London.
Prime Minister Gladstone had been quite comfortable recently; all affairs were progressing smoothly. Last year, he presided over Britain's national education reforms, establishing government-funded, non-religious elementary schools to raise workers' cultural level and help industrialists compete in global markets.
That same year, he carried out civil service reforms, creating a low-cost government that could both improve administrative efficiency and save money so more funds could be devoted to economic development. This year, he completed reforms of Britain's army, adapting to a short-term enlistment system.
With the international situation also improving, and their mortal enemy France having been dragged down by Prussia, the British Empire was not just doing fairly well but thriving altogether.
Just then, his secretary came in, spoiling Gladstone's good mood. "Prime Minister, this is an urgent message from the Cape Colony!"
"The Cape Colony? What urgent matter could they have?" Gladstone asked, puzzled.
"Er… Prime Minister, please read the letter first before you decide," the secretary replied.
Thus, Gladstone read it with a bit of doubt. He really could not imagine what urgent crisis Cape Town would encounter. As an important part of the British Empire's colonies, the Cape Colony presumably had no one foolish enough to provoke it. France no longer had the status to compete for supremacy with Britain. Germany might be the master of the Continent, but its navy, among the great powers, was so pitiful that anyone hearing of it could only shed tears—no threat at all to Britain. Finally, Austria-Hungary and Russia, two "giants with feet of clay," were hardly worth mentioning.
Setting aside those great powers, the only country that might dare challenge the British Empire was the unfilial child, America, but everyone in Britain knew America was all talk—only able to shout across the Atlantic at Britain.
"Where is this 'East African Kingdom?'" Gladstone asked in puzzlement after reading the letter.
The secretary answered, "Prime Minister, have you forgotten? Around midyear the year before last, Prince Constantino of Prussia went to Africa to be a king. The newspapers reported it as a joke for a while."
Gladstone said, "Now that you mention it, I recall. At the time, I even mocked the Hohenzollern family for lacking ambition, running off to Africa to call themselves kings."
Although Ernst had paid for big headlines, which made that so-called East African Kingdom temporarily famous, the reputation was not good. After all, Africa is… well, everyone knows. Had the Franco-Prussian War not erupted soon after, such an affair would surely have become a laughingstock for a while.
"Yes, but is the East African Kingdom now so overbearing that it can bully Cape Town? Fifty thousand soldiers? That's not really a big number, so why is Cape Town so nervous?" Gladstone wondered.
Here, Gladstone did not think East Africa's fifty thousand troops would affect Cape Town, because he reasoned from habit that East Africa's forces were made up of Black Africans. Such things were common in the colonies. If Britain liked, they could easily raise an army of millions in India using the local people. The Cape Colony's white population might be small, but it did have numerous Blacks, enough to form a force of tens of thousands.
That thought annoyed Gladstone. "Let Cape Town handle it themselves! How humiliating that they're afraid of some small African country. Look at America with all its Negroes—haven't they turned the world upside down yet? Are we supposed to run and plead with Prussia, 'Your colony is too powerful; it threatens our Cape Town's safety?' They can't even handle Blacks, so what does that make them?"
Gladstone went on, "Reply to Sir Henry Barkly. Tell him not to send such things to London in the future—unless the Germans themselves appear at Cape Town. I can't believe they've sunk so low as to be pushed around by natives. If they really want me to swallow my pride and beg Bismarck over it, they can forget it."
Gladstone was reasonable enough. With the German navy's level, it was probably no match even for the Royal Navy stationed in the Cape. Not to mention that the Germans wouldn't cross the Atlantic to Africa just to die.
Of course, Gladstone's real anger lay in Britain's dignity. As Prime Minister, he could not lose face over something that only concerned the Cape Colony's interests. For him to go asking Bismarck for help? The people in Cape Town must be joking. The world's greatest power, going to beg a once-little brother?
"Yes, Prime Minister," the secretary said.
He thought much the same way. The East African Kingdom was only a "native country" that rose about a year ago by borrowing some shell. Meanwhile, Britain's Cape Colony had undergone centuries of development (including under the Dutch); in Africa (or considering European offshoots) it had the largest white population. If a hundred-year-old colony was weaker than a newly formed native state, that was too shameful.
Gladstone turned down the Cape Colony's request, not because he felt Cape Town was unimportant, but because he did not think it was in danger. A force truly able to seize the Cape right under Britain's nose would have to be another major power. And at present, with the Royal Navy on top, nobody dared cause trouble for Britain overseas.
…
South Africa.
Ernst said, "Now we share a border with the Portuguese further south. We really ought to pay them a visit, or it looks discourteous. Otherwise, if we scare the Mozambique Colony, it would be bad."
Having put South Africa's various powers in order—particularly the Orange Free State—East Africa's southern defensive line is now rock solid. Do not underestimate the small size of the Orange Free State; it actually holds nearly half the white population of South Africa (not counting East Africa's army). Ernst believes that an upgraded Orange Free State could be capable of telling both East Africa and Cape Town "no."
As for Cape Town, who knows what they are doing. No reaction at all. So Ernst plans to have Felix, who pacified the Zulu Kingdom, lead a group to "visit" (that is, intimidate) the Portuguese.
They have no other choice. While Mozambique's colony borders East Africa more broadly in the north, Mozambique's focus is on Maputo Bay. Action and reaction go both ways. Mozambique fears the East African Kingdom threatening its capital, just as East Africa is wary of the Portuguese launching a surprise attack from the south.
Ernst said, "No need to bring too many men—about a dozen is enough. Right now, the Portuguese are like a startled bird. All we have to do is push them slightly, and they might jump."
He spoke honestly. In this slice of South Africa, ever since the East African Kingdom arrived, people had been on edge—especially after East Africa's large-scale troop deployments and its dazzling flurry of wars. All local forces trembled, worried that one day the East African Kingdom would strike them out of nowhere.
And it's not just that East Africa's military is strong—they also "don't play by the rules." Judging by the countries East Africa has wiped out, they generally declare war without warning. That would make any neighbor uneasy. Among the great powers, Russia is the typical example of a threat, but even Russia follows Europe's rules of war when fighting Europe. The East African Kingdom is a different creature—like a rogue. This is partly the nature of colonial environments: in the world's colonies, especially Africa, "not playing by the rules" is normal. Cheating, trickery, killing, arson—colonial parties often fought each other viciously with any means possible. In that sense, a country like the East African Kingdom, which leans purely on brute force, can be considered a rare "refreshing breeze" in Africa.
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