Chapter 809 Afterwards
"Count Ehrenthal would like to thank the Austro-Hungarian Empire for its mediation for this meeting, which made our work here much more convenient." Von der Leyen said to Count Ehrenthal.
After the peace talks, von der Leyen felt very good. East Africa's basic goals had been achieved, and it was even better than East Africa's psychological expectations.
The psychological expectations of East Africa are Angola and Mozambique, and when Orange is completely included in the territory of East Africa, the tasks of von der Leyen and others will be overfulfilled, not to mention receiving six million pounds in war compensation.
Of course, compared with East Africa's previous astronomical compensation of more than 100 million pounds, six million pounds is not even a fraction.
However, being able to get the money has already made the East African government quite satisfied. According to previous estimates in East Africa, the United Kingdom will definitely get nothing. After all, as the world's most powerful country, neither land cessation nor compensation can be accepted.
As for the six million pounds, it was actually in the name of expenses and medical expenses for the British troops in East Africa, and it did not belong to war reparations. After all, it was impossible for East Africa to let these prisoners of war eat and drink for free in East Africa, wasting medical and other resources. .
In fact, six million pounds, not to mention the British and Portuguese troops, can already cover the living expenses of the prisoners of war in the East African coalition. The two countries combined are close to the level of 200,000.
After all, East Africa, as a backward agricultural country, has very low actual price levels, and it does not require much investment in treating prisoners of war. The bulk of it is basically medical expenses.
Moreover, East Africa’s income is not just as simple as the six million pounds. East Africa has also acquired a large number of industries in Mozambique and Angola. Although it cannot be realized, it saves a lot of costs for future development.
Moreover, the coalition forces also left a large amount of military weapons in East Africa, including more than 630,000 rifles, thousands of artillery pieces, and countless other weapons and equipment. Most of these remain in Angola and Mozambique, and you can find a good home. Sold for a good price.
The weapons in the coalition forces, especially the weapons of the Indian army, are particularly good. The wear rate is not high. With casual maintenance, even second-hand weapons can be sold at a good price.
Of course, the biggest gain in East Africa is the more than six million acres of developed land by the Portuguese in Angola and Mozambique.
Portugal is indeed poor in this regard. Six million acres of arable land is equivalent to the area of arable land in Israel in its previous life. You must know that Angola and Mozambique are not small places, and the water and soil conditions are far better than Israel.
Moreover, Portugal’s colonial history in Angola and Mozambique exceeds three hundred years. More than three hundred years is equivalent to the development of about 20,000 acres of land every year.
Especially in Mozambique, the farming conditions in Mozambique are among the best in the world. In Africa, only the Great Lakes Region and Nigeria can compare.
It can be seen from this that the Portuguese really do not like "farming". Of course, it is definitely not correct that the Portuguese do not like to develop land, but they prefer high value-added cash crops.
Most of the six million acres of arable land in Angola and Mozambique are plantations, and most of them are slave plantations.
This is also the main reason why the Portuguese population in Angola and Mozambique is sparse. After all, black people can prostitute for free and have free labor, so plantation owners do not need to introduce a large number of people from their own countries.
A typical example is Brazil. As a former colony of Portugal, Brazil's population directly exceeds that of Portugal itself. The most important reason is that Brazil lacks a labor force, so Brazil is also a country where the slave trade once flourished.
Of course, Brazil is still engaged in the slave trade, because it was not until May last year (May 13, 1888) that Brazil officially ended slavery in law.
This is indeed a blow to East Africa. Brazil has always been one of the most important destinations for black people in East Africa. Last year, the export of slaves to Brazil and other countries almost stopped due to war.
Now East Africa has gained Angola and Mozambique. Most of the residents in these two lands are still black, so the black population in East Africa may increase by at least three million.
It means that the measures taken by East Africa to export black people in recent years are basically in vain. Before the war, the number of black people in East Africa should have been around 18 million. If the black people in Mozambique and Angola are included, the number would have returned to 20 million. Above, and this is the data for black people in East Africa in the seventies.
Of course, this matter will ultimately be a headache for the Immigration Department, but according to the current transport capacity level in East Africa, the export capacity for black people will continue to increase, especially after the 1980s, when the number of immigrants from East Africa decreased significantly.
Of course, these things are "happy troubles" for East Africa, which has gained nearly one million new areas of land, and are not enough to be discussed with outsiders.
Like Von der Leyen and Hermann, they are in a very happy mood now, for which Count Ellenthal is quite envious.
"This time you have added nearly one million square kilometers to East Africa, which is almost equal to the area of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The land in Africa is really easy to get!" Count Ellenthal said with emotion.
Count Hermann said: "Old friend, you are overthinking. The land value in Africa is too low. Even if it comes to our East African hands, it is not easy to develop it. Moreover, we in East Africa have paid a 'miserable' price to win the South African War." The cost was to mobilize millions of people across the country, and the number of casualties was an astronomical figure. The number of enemies was almost twice as many as ours. Among them, the British and Portuguese were not weak in combat effectiveness. It lasted for one year and had an important impact on our country's economy. "
During the entire South African War, the number of military and civilian casualties in East Africa was more than 40,000, and the death toll was about 8,000. Among them, the port city of New Hamburg suffered the most serious damage.
Of course, although the South African War was massive, the intensity of the war could not be compared with the wars on the Eurasian continent. Apart from the British army, East Africa basically encountered no decent opponents.
However, the South African War can already be recorded in the history of the African continent. The Second Congo War, the largest in Africa in its previous life, is not worth mentioning in front of the South African War.
Nine countries participated in the Second Congo War, including more than 20 armed forces, but there was no gold content.
The strength of a bunch of African countries, many of which may not even be as good as the current Boer Republic in combat effectiveness, of course, was extremely destructive to the Congo during the Second Congo War, with at least five million civilians dead.
In comparison, the South African War can be called a "civilized" war. Of course, the important reason for this result is the sparse population in Africa today. The Second Congo War mainly took place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the population of the Democratic Republic of the Congo at that time was probably larger than that of the entire southern Africa. The combined population is much greater.
Another reason for the low number of civilian casualties in the South African War is that the coalition forces have not yet penetrated the core of East Africa.
In the 19th century, there was little discipline and morality in the military. Portugal and the United Kingdom were both immoral countries that had committed genocide.
The methods in East Africa are relatively "mild", but they are also the masters of killing and not burying. The impact of the war is in all aspects. Few people died directly in the war, but there are definitely many people who are indirectly affected, especially the black civilians in Angola and Mozambique.
During the war, a large number of black soldiers carrying thermal weapons fled to Angola and Mozambique. They were far more destructive to local blacks than the East African Defense Forces and the coalition forces.