Chapter 334 Bagamoyo Declaration
Franz's words just now shocked everyone. At this moment, both Benny Erbin, the Bagamoyo businessmen, and the Austrians present had dumbfounded expressions on their faces.
After all, Benny Erbin had indeed deceived the Archduke in a sense before, and now the latter had an absolute advantage.
No one would doubt that this young man could kill everyone in the port with just one order.
Friedrich understood his nephew's approach.
Politics is a profound art of compromise and cooperation. Even if it looks stupid in front of everyone, you must at least insist on doing a good job on the surface.
Because the convenience and hidden benefits this brings to oneself cannot be ignored. The person beside him, Da Yanshanyin, thought this was a very clever way to control people.
Benny Erbin also showed that he was very aware of current affairs and immediately seized the opportunity to show his "loyalty".
"I am willing to serve the empire. I have lived in Bagamoyo for nearly thirty years, and I can also help you contact nearby tribes.
I think they should all be very willing to surrender to you. I will dedicate Tanzania to you by any means necessary. I will be the most loyal servant of the Habsburg family..."
Although such a disgusting statement was a bit disdainful, Erbin, who had grasped the life-saving straw, could not care less.
Moreover, the position of Governor of Tanzania is really attractive. It is a gold ingot dropped from the sky, both for him and for his family and tribe. Of course, this is also true for most people in this world.
At this time, the businessmen who were hostile to Benny Erbin started cynicism mode, which soon escalated into abuse and curses.
Because they knew very well that once the prince of the Kingdom of Weijin, whom they despised, was defeated, he would definitely retaliate against them. Of course, in the face of Austria's powerful military power, they did not dare to do anything drastic.
"The kind-hearted Archduke Franz, he is not worthy of being the governor of Tanzania!" A fat-bellied businessman pointed at Erbin, with an exaggerated expression as if the other person was a traitor who had deceived his ancestors for eighteen generations.
"Yes! The 30% profit he promised you is too low. Our Novode Chamber of Commerce is willing to give up 70% of the profit! We are also willing to work for the Habsburg family!"
"That bastard is a filthy primitive! He doesn't deserve to rule white people! I protest!"
The merchants in Bagamoyo were so excited that they almost drowned Benny Erbin in his spit. After all, they thought that removing this stumbling block would mean getting a good job as the governor of Tanzania, and they would be safe for the rest of their lives.
To say the least, if Erbin gets it, they will be in hell.
Not only will the family business and trade routes that he has worked so hard to build in Bagamoyo over the years disappear, but his own life and that of his family will also be at risk.
However, for an emerging colonial country with insufficient external projection capabilities, it is precisely this kind of people with shallow foundations that are needed at this time to better rely on the majesty of the empire to maintain its rule.
If it were replaced by an all-around local snake, it would be a big question mark whether he could effectively control the situation thousands of miles away in the long term.
More importantly, Franz needs a capable person who can thoroughly implement his will and has strong execution ability; prohibiting slaves is like prohibiting drugs, and it will not be possible to eliminate an old disease that has existed for thousands of years in a day.
"Listen, everyone, I want to solemnly announce four things here:
First, Benny Erbin would become the plenipotentiary representative of the Austrian Empire in Tanzania.
Second, the Governor-General of Tanzania will launch a comprehensive anti-slavery campaign. No one is allowed to participate in the sale of slaves, and slavery will be gradually abolished from now on. "
Unexpectedly, the moment he mentioned the second item, he immediately stirred up a hornet's nest. The Bagamoyo businessmen below invariably expressed their dissatisfaction with rich words and gestures.
"It's too harsh! If you don't even give us a way to survive, you might as well kill us!"
"This violates the principles of free trade!"
"Merciful Lord, please save us."
However, their "performance" did not succeed in impressing Franz. Instead of paying attention to the crowd of people shouting in front of him, he turned his head and asked the soldiers to fire their guns.
Sure enough, gunfire is the most effective silencer, and the noisy crowd fell silent instantly.
Even though some people with ulterior motives wanted to take the opportunity to create chaos and incite rebellion, after seeing the Austrian soldiers' determined eyes and the black muzzles of their guns, their faces looked like wilted eggplants, and they did not dare to have any other evil thoughts.
Coupled with the terrifying reputation of the previous "massacre" on the Zanzibar Sea and various other rumors, these restless groups were successfully frightened. He swallowed the phrase "Kill someone, run away!" that was on his lips again.
"Third! The government of the Sultan of Oman has granted our country exclusive franchise rights, and the Viceroyalty of Tanzania will shoulder the important task of spreading this spice to the world."
"Exclusive franchise" may sound very tempting, but to those businessmen who are accustomed to the slave trade, it always feels a little strange.
In fact, Zanzibar's clove trade has great potential. Although it now accounts for 60% of the world's production, its output will account for 90% of the world's long-term production starting in the late nineteenth century.
Its profits once accounted for 80% of Zanzibar's national income, and now with the blessing of Austrian agricultural technology, I believe cloves will definitely become Tanzania's signature product.
It is not uncommon in history for a commodity to revitalize a region, let alone such a commodity destined to shine in history.
Franz was well versed in his plan to replace the slave trade with cloves, and as the perfume and soap and cigarette industries grew, demand for cloves would only grow.
(The cigarette market had not yet formed a large scale at this time, but having Franz here was not a problem.)
Those slave traders certainly understood what the Grand Duke meant and his determination to ban slaves. Audiences reacted differently to these three statements.
Some people were disheartened. After all, they naively thought that this land would be their racecourse after the Omanis were driven away, but they did not expect that the Austrians actually overturned the table.
What they didn't know was that prohibiting future Austrian Tanzania from participating in the slave trade was also a prerequisite for Austria to monopolize the lilac trade in Zanzibar.
So in return, the latter will turn a blind eye to Oman's behavior. After all, there is never a free lunch in the world. If you want to take a piece of meat from Said without being resented, it will definitely not be adding salt to the wound.
Instead, in addition to clearly giving the other party a chance to save some face, give him a date, so that both parties can temporarily even out the situation.
Some people hold a disapproving attitude. After all, Bagamoyo's slave trading tradition is a commercial activity that has existed since the beginning of the Age of Discovery. How can it be so easy to abolish it?
Others were ecstatic because they knew how profitable the spice trade could be. And the "exclusive franchise" mentioned by Archduke Franz is even more coveted.
You must know that in this way, most external competitors can be eliminated. As long as a unified price alliance is formed internally, it is easy to create a monopoly and maximize profits.
This is still a mixed message for the future residents of the Tanzania colony, but the last point Franz said is definitely a good condition for the people in front of him.
"Fourth, Tanzania is a territory of the Austrian Empire, and all subjects enjoy the same treatment as Austrians and are protected by the imperial army and imperial laws."
This last statement is not only an explanation of Benny Erbin's previous request, but also a reassurance, or a talisman, to those who have persecuted him.
It was clear that Franz was not prepared to let the Benny Erbing family dominate, and he knew very well the meaning of the proverb "don't put all your eggs in one basket."
And only by allowing both sides to rely on Austria can their rule be stable and long-lasting.
Some people in later generations closely linked the four chapters of the Grand Duke's covenant with the anti-slavery movement of the same era, and it was known as the "Bagamoyo Declaration" in history.