Chapter 441 Returning to China
Not long after staying in Vienna, Ernst and his party will return to East Africa for the next show. This trip to Europe can be considered a successful conclusion.
During this trip to Europe, Ernst gained a lot. The Hechingen Consortium acquired 240 German companies, including many banks and large enterprises. At the same time, East Africa plans to introduce 43 large factories of various types to manufacture steel, Coal, copper ore smelting and processing, non-ferrous metal smelting, and shipbuilding are the main industries.
At the same time, a large amount of equipment was purchased to prepare for technological updates and iterations of existing enterprises and factories in East Africa to improve productivity levels. In addition, East Africa and Germany and Austria have finalized nearly one million tons of steel orders to ensure the construction of the East African railway. The orders from East Africa have almost single-handedly saved the steel industries of Germany and Austria.
In fact, the economic crisis in Germany and Austria, at least for South Germany and Austria, is not as serious as in previous generations. Both places are the most industrially developed regions in each country, and the main problem they face is agricultural overpopulation.
To solve the problem of agricultural overpopulation, East Africa naturally takes action, so this problem no longer exists. The unemployment rate in the two places has remained at a low level. Although the economic crisis has led to overcapacity, due to the outflow of people, the Ordinary people haven't had much impact. Why don't they just go to East Africa when they lose their jobs? There is always a way out.
The steel consumption in the East African Railway plan is more than 8 million tons, so nearly 2 million tons of it will be provided by Europe, and East Africa can subsequently produce it itself and purchase it.
Taking advantage of this economic crisis, Ernst plans to increase the annual steel production in East Africa to at least 600,000 tons next year, mainly to increase the development of the Lake Malawi Industrial Zone.
The Lake Malawi Industrial Zone is currently the only large-scale coal and iron-producing area in East Africa that is capable of large-scale development. Zimbabwe must wait for the completion of railway construction, so it will take at least a few years.
Port of Trieste.
"Our own ironclad ship in East Africa!" Archduke Ferdinand said to his family with some pride. When I came here, I was still on a sailing warship. When I went back, I changed my shotgun for a cannon.
The eyes of the Austro-Hungarian Navy next to them were full of helplessness and envy.
"Alas, as a great world power, we may not even be able to compare with Africa now, and the East African navy may surpass us in the future."
"Isn't it just an armored ship? Although this armored ship is indeed more powerful than our Lisa, it was also made by us in Austria and is the essence of the Austrian shipbuilding industry."
"I hope so! If the Imperial Council does not increase military spending, the future of the Imperial Navy can only be said to be bleak."
What the Austro-Hungarian Navy said was actually an exaggeration. It was mainly a complaint that the Empire did not pay attention to the navy. The East African Navy still has a long way to go!
"Okay, father-in-law, let's set off quickly!" Ernst urged from the side.
As the East African flag was raised on the Archduke Ferdinand, the ownership of this ironclad ship was made clear for the first time.
However, Archduke Ferdinand still had some unfinished ideas: "It would be perfect if there were a few more ships!"
The Archduke Ferdinand is also considered a behemoth in the Mediterranean, so the East African fleet headed by the ironclad Archduke Ferdinand was indeed somewhat attractive on the return journey, and attracted the attention of the British when passing through the Suez Canal.
"Is this ship the one Austria built the year before last?"
"It seems that we guessed wrong from the beginning. This ironclad ship was not prepared for the Austro-Hungarian Navy. It was intended to be sold to East Africans from the beginning."
Because of being stationed on the Suez Canal. The British army here know the East African Kingdom fairly well. In addition to British ships and Austro-Hungarian ships, the most common ones using the Suez Canal are East African ships.
"This armored ship is considered top-notch in other countries, but it's just that." The British Empire is still confident.
"However, it is a bit unreasonable for a colony of the East African Kingdom to buy such a large ship."
"Haha, the commander-in-chief of the East African Navy is Archduke Ferdinand, who was once the emperor of Mexico. The East African Kingdom is backed by the Bank of Hechingen, so when looking at the problem, we should not simply consider colonies, but financial resources. India can also buy them To build such a warship, it’s just that under the protection of the Royal Navy, they don’t need to do this.”
"Speaking of Hechingen, I actually want to know how much money the Hechingen Ocean Trading Company makes every year. They run back and forth between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean all year round, transporting mostly agricultural products and minerals. They do business in Africa. Is the farming industry really profitable?”
"It is definitely profitable to make money, but the risks in the planting industry are also very high. Most people are not qualified to play this high-end game. The initial investment is very heavy. If you can't make short-term profits, capital will not be interested. After all, the money comes quickly. There’s too much business.”
"Haha, you're talking about stocks, right? All the stocks I bought last year have plummeted. Fortunately, I haven't played too much..."
While the British were talking, the East African fleet had drifted past and headed towards the Red Sea.
Ernst introduced the situation in East Africa to Karina, mainly to refute rumors.
"Karina, East Africa is actually not as deserted as the rumors say. At least the area we live in is not much different from Europe."
"So are there really cannibal tribes in East Africa?"
"This... I can only say that it did exist before, but it no longer exists."
The existence of cannibal tribes is not a rumor. Tribal societies as primitive as those in Africa cannot be judged by the moral standards of the current era.
"Then you've seen cannibals?"
"Of course it's impossible. I haven't been to East Africa for a long time. How could I have seen cannibals? These are all what I saw from the collected information."
Ernst did not encounter cannibals, but the East African soldiers who expanded inland did, and there were many battles.
“So is there malaria in East Africa?”
"You also know about malaria!"
"My grandmother told me. She said that Africa is full of plagues. If she had known that the Hechingen royal family was going to move to Africa, there would be no way they could have chosen you as their grandson-in-law."
"This is purely slander. The environment in East Africa is extremely good. If you don't believe it, you can ask your parents. They have lived in East Africa for a long time. I dare not say anything else. East Africa is definitely not as dangerous as the rumors in Europe."
Princess Charlotte laughed and said: "East Africa is indeed not dangerous, but the inland areas are hard to say, but the coast is very good."
Ernst: "Not only along the coast, more people can improve the living environment. Take the Far East as an example. There is a place in the Far East called Lingnan. In ancient times, it was a place specially used to exile criminals. In the past, the environment there was similar to that in Africa. It is not suitable for living, but with the development of generations, it is now one of the densely populated areas in the Far East. We in East Africa, after nearly ten years of development and transformation, have actually achieved a similar effect."
This is not because East Africa is very capable, but because the environment in East Africa is definitely easier to transform than in Lingnan. First, East Africa has flat terrain and convenient transportation. Secondly, grasslands are easier to develop than forests. Finally, because of the industrial revolution, the level of human productivity Earth-shaking changes have taken place, and the ability to transform nature has been greatly strengthened. Finally, it was Ernst’s wise guidance and many mature experiences and theories that greatly prevented East Africa from taking detours.