Chapter 328 Common Enemy
Although on the surface, slave labor only needs to maintain his living expenses, but in thorough calculation, its price is the highest of any labor.
A person who cannot acquire any property will seek the most for food and the least for work. Apart from this, he will not care about anything else.
Judging from the experience of all ages and countries, I believe that the labor of free people is cheaper than the labor of slaves.
--Adam Smith
Benny Urbin said what he meant, but Franz did not want to dampen his passion. After all, the greatest advantage of the capitalist system over slavery was the efficiency of exploitation.
"Mr. Benny, your story is very touching. But I want to remind you that Europe at this time is far from the beauty you imagined. And the British official has announced a complete ban on the slave trade. With their naval strength, I believe it will not be necessary How long before the slave trade was completely eliminated from Africa.
As for the war between you and the Omanis, we are really helpless. "
Although the other party's speech was very touching, Franz was not someone who was easily offended, and his words remained calm and cold.
"No, you are wrong! The slave trade has never stopped since ancient times, and it will never stop in the future! The British and Omanis wear the same pants!" Benny Erbin said plausibly.
In fact, he was not the only East African country in history that hoped to sell its land to foreign powers in exchange for protection.
The Mazrui family, which once ruled Mombasa, gave up their family territory as a protectorate for the British. At that time, a British naval colonel accepted the proposal because he thought it was profitable.
But John Bull, never one to disappoint, soon discovered that Syed was willing to pay more.
So the British, who have strong commercial genes, lowered their flags, withdrew their troops, and watched as the Mazrouei family was destroyed by Said.
It's just that Austria does not have as powerful a sea force as the British Royal Navy, which may not make Said afraid, and at this time, the Oman Empire has long changed from what it used to be, and is already a veritable hegemon in East Africa.
In fact, Oman and the British signed the Treaty of Moresby, which in fact recognized Oman's dominance in East Africa and tacitly allowed them to engage in slave trade.
The British's double standards have always been so outrageous. On the one hand, they can kill slave traders without mercy, and on the other hand, they can acquiesce in some people's legal slave trade.
"Wear a pair of pants? As far as I know, isn't the UK expanding its influence in the name of banning the slave trade?"
Friedrich and Franz were both a little confused when they heard this. After all, Britain had always promoted it with such great fanfare, and this was what it usually did.
"Sayed gave them benefits, but the British turned a blind eye and even sold them weapons and warships."
This is in line with the consistent style of the Anglo-Saxons. It would be even more consistent if some inferior weapons and obsolete warships were sold to the Omanis.
After that, Benny Erbin talked about all the "bad deeds" of Oman and the British fly camp, so I won't go into details here.
Franz and Friedrich's eyes lit up and they cheered up again.
After all, Britain was one of the least popular countries in Austria at this time. Although there was no direct geopolitical conflict between the two sides, the overt and covert frictions and calculations had never stopped.
Moreover, both of them have huge ambitions hidden in their hearts, and in order to realize it, John Bull must be an obstacle that cannot be overcome.
"We can provide you with weapons and necessary support, but the Austrian Empire will not intervene in the battle of Bagamoyo for the time being. Even if you are about to be wiped out, we will not intervene in advance.
In addition, we can ensure the survival of the Kingdom of Weijin, but it must be included in the market cycle of the empire, and all of you need to abide by the laws of the empire and obey the will of His Majesty the Emperor. "
Franz already had a plan in mind, but now was not the time, so he reiterated his position. Of course, if this group of people really wanted to successfully capture Bagamoyo, it would save them a lot of trouble.
For 100,000 florins, even if there was only a 1% chance of eradicating a powerful British ally in East Africa, it was worth it. Not to mention, the Austrian Empire also obtained the early colonization of Bagamoyo and control of an important East African port, which is very beneficial to its future strategic layout.
But even so, Franz still would not change his previous plan. After all, this kind of investment is just like gambling. Small bets make you happy, big bets are harmful to your health, and excessive bets are wiped out.
"No problem, I can agree to these conditions, but you must give us the treatment of nationals."
Benny Erbin, who is responsible for the fate of his country and his people, naturally has to be cautious when faced with life-and-death choices. Even if he saves the country through a curve, he must sell it at a good price. This is the professional ethics of a businessman.
"Of course, as long as they live within the Austrian Empire, support the rule of the Habsburg family, abide by the laws, regulations, and related policies of the empire, and perform their national obligations, they are Austrian citizens and are protected by the Austrian Empire."
The above words he said were expressed in a more formal tone, which made the people around him cast puzzled looks. They didn't know whether the Grand Duke was conveying his personal will just now.
No matter what those present thought, this was how they defined themselves as future Austrian citizens.
Friedrich glanced helplessly at his nephew, and the refreshed Benny Erbin felt a long-lost feeling of being taken seriously, which made him satisfied. Dayanshanyin heard a hint of overtones, maybe
What happened next refreshed Franz's understanding again, that is, Benny Erbin was not a mere commander; he really had an army of about 2,000 people, including the total number of private armed forces of those businessmen. Close to 2,500 people.
They originally planned to go to India to seek help and purchase some equipment along the way.
Fortunately, those Indian businessmen also hated the Omani expropriation and provided a considerable degree of financial support and a lot of intelligence. But unfortunately, they encountered a tsunami on the way back and everyone was trapped in Mumbai. That's why these four places were created. A scene asking for help.
Fortunately, Franz's fleet is large enough to accommodate these 2,500 uninvited guests.
Through these business channels, Franz obtained another valuable intelligence, that is, the alliance between Said and the British was not monolithic, just like the relationship with the Indians.
Both Britain and India have benefited greatly from trade with Oman, but these Arabs want too much, and they are restless.
Syed cultivated cloves and spices on a large scale in Zanzibar, which undoubtedly impacted the spice market in India. In order to sell slaves at high prices, they always flirted with the Americans and the French, which made the British, who were business experts, very disgusted.
Just as Franz expected, the British were also looking for opportunities to cheat the Omanis. So he was going to write a few letters.