Chapter 532 Plot to Ryukyu
“This is East Africa. It looks quite prosperous, similar to Jiaozhou.”
“Obviously some of the buildings in Jiaozhou were built by Germans, so Jiaozhou should look like Germany.”
“East Africa defeated Portugal and is considered one of the powerful countries, so you should all be careful and don’t cause trouble for nothing.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Obviously, this is a group of Far Easterners who landed in Dar es Salaam. They have braids on the back of their foreheads and are extremely recognizable. Plus, with their official uniforms, it is difficult not to recognize them.
Some people in the Far East are very familiar with this set of clothes, and some even seem to recall the past, with mixed feelings in their hearts.
“What are these **** doing in East Africa?”
Some white immigrants asked curiously: "Glade, this looks like the image of Far Easterners I have seen in European newspapers before. Have you been like this before?"
Glade quickly shook his head in denial and said: "I was different from them before. You see, although their clothes are strange, they are also gorgeous. This kind of clothes is obviously not affordable for ordinary people, and only officials can wear this kind of clothes." It’s so high, we kind of humble people don’t dare to go beyond it.”
“Actually, everyone is pretty much the same on this point. We Eastern nobles have heard that you can advance through exams. Isn’t that great?”
“Deutschland can also change its destiny by joining the army, and in my opinion, joining the army is much lower than taking the exam. I couldn’t read a word before, but you have received an education.”
East African people are already used to communicating in German, so the Far Eastern officials cannot understand what they are saying. Of course, the translator can understand it, but he thinks there is no need to talk to these Eastern officials.
This time the Far East officials are not fooling around like last time, they are sincerely communicating with East Africa. Because East Africa defeated Portugal and showed its face internationally, and East Africa's influence in the Far East, especially in the north, is growing, so the exchanges with East Africa are also I was forced to put it on the agenda, and this time I also came to East Africa to investigate the national conditions.
In the final analysis, Portugal is not a very powerful country. After all, its record is really not good. It is 50-50 equal to Africans and Arabs. It is not outstanding in Latin America, but its influence in the Far East is not weak.
For example, the colony of Portugal and Macao can be regarded as the earliest colony of the great powers in the Far East. Although heroes were brave back then, Portugal was really brave back then.
Moreover, the Portuguese are good at deceiving, and they are very good at taking advantage of opportunities overseas. If East Africa had not been too powerful, their last plan with the United Kingdom might have succeeded.
After all, everyone is in the same place. Other regional countries may not understand what Portugal is like, but the Germans still know it.
The Far East is purely afraid of the West, and the fear is engraved in the bones. Of course, this is related to the social atmosphere of the Far East. The Japanese are typically respectful on the surface, but in fact they are quite bold in their hearts. Militarism is prevalent in Japan, so they Dare to challenge powerful countries.
After all, he can commit suicide by caesarean section. If he is so cruel to himself, he will be even more cruel to outsiders.
Now Japan seems to be relatively sober, pretending to be a grandson in front of Western countries. Ernst is not saying that Japan is self-aware, but it is definitely crazy enough.
If you want Japan to be honest, you need to give it a good beating, so that they can truly understand their status. The national character of each country can be reflected anyway. For example, Germany's rough diplomatic ability is largely inseparable from Germany's advocating for force, while Austria is just the opposite. It has strong diplomatic talent but only that kind of military ability.
However, Austria’s diplomatic level now faces a problem of talent generation, and Germany has produced a talented politician like Bismarck. The two are reversed.
So there are no absolutes. If Austria had a Bismarck-like figure, it might be able to regain its strength.
Of course, East Africa still learns from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, not Germany, in diplomacy. Germany had Bismarck, but it was just a flash in the pan, and it was about personal talent. Austria’s diplomatic ability is in line with the experience of most countries with a long history, and its methods are sophisticated.
In terms of sophisticated means, the Far Eastern Empire is the real old fox with the most experience. However, the diplomacy of the Far Eastern Empire is now too mature and cannot play any role.
Especially because they have not changed their thinking. The West is now the rule-maker, and Eastern wisdom is still completely unable to adapt to such Western diplomatic rules.
If Western rules are understood thoroughly, then the Far East can play Western countries to death. Ernst is not talking nonsense. In the previous life, the United States broke its defenses and directly refused to admit the spirit of contract and so on.
The country with the highest level of diplomacy in this era is the United Kingdom. Diplomacy is linked to national strength. The stronger the overall national strength, the greater the room for diplomacy and the greater the room for diplomats to play. After all, it is difficult for a clever woman to make a meal without rice. It is not just a saying that a weak country cannot have diplomacy.
Like the UK, it can fail repeatedly in its diplomacy. With its strong comprehensive national strength, it can also save the situation. Other weak countries may simply disappear if their diplomacy fails. The previous example was Afghanistan, which formed an alliance with Tsarist Russia and was directly swallowed up by the UK.
In a word, diplomacy is very important, but what ultimately determines the upper limit of diplomatic level is comprehensive national strength. The stronger the national strength, the higher the upper limit of diplomacy. The level of diplomacy is also a reflection of comprehensive national strength.
So many countries admire Britain's bad feet, who makes it the world hegemon? Just like in previous lives, so many countries followed the United States and waved their flags.
Of course, East Africa followed Germany and Austria, so there is no need to give Britain too much face. This also shows that Britain’s world hegemony in this era is far less stable than the United States’ hegemony in the previous life.
The Far Eastern Empire cannot learn from East Africa. East Africa has Germany and Austria as helpers. It can be said that the surrounding areas of the Far Eastern Empire are full of wolves, including Britain, France, Japan and Russia, with their own ambitions. The only ones who still listen to the Far Eastern dialect may be North Korea and Ryukyu.
But according to Ernst's understanding, Ryukyu may be gone next year, and East Africa cannot take care of Ryukyu's affairs. It is too far away from East Africa. However, next year the East African navy can fish in troubled waters and reap some benefits.
It’s not that I’m interested in the Ryukyu Islands, but it’s just a matter of course. East Africa has always wanted to open a stable route from East Africa to Alaska, so it needs to build some islands in the Pacific region as strongholds to establish connections between East Africa and Alaska.
There is Lanfang Overseas Province as a stronghold in East Africa in South Asia, and it is also within the radiation range of the East African Navy. However, the East African Navy is too far from Alaska, separated by two oceans, and only the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean is the safest way to reach Alaska.
Therefore, East Africa planned to find some islands in the Pacific in 1880 as future East African overseas colonies to ensure East Africa's maritime interests. After all, the East African navy is among the top ten in the world, so a few colonies are not too much.
The southern islands of the Ryukyu Islands are within East Africa's plan, plus East Africa's Huaihai Economic Zone and Zhuhai Trade Zone in the Far Eastern Empire, East Africa's business needs in the Far East, so it is necessary to have its own base in the Asia-Pacific region , escorting the maritime trade routes from East Africa to the Far East and Alaska.
(End of this chapter)