Chapter 813 Madagascar
Speaking of Madagascar, Ernst has always had thoughts about this largest island in Africa, which is an excellent strategic fulcrum.
In turn, it is also a place where external forces can easily threaten East Africa. Typical examples are the United States and Cuba. Cuba's location can be said to be very uncomfortable for the United States, especially during the Cold War. It was the only strategic fulcrum for the Soviet Union that could pose a threat to the United States in North America.
The island of Madagascar is even more incredible. It is much larger than Cuba, with an area of nearly 600,000 square kilometers, and there is a large amount of arable land.
The most powerful country on the island, the Kingdom of Immerina, is a typical feudal agricultural power. It has a relatively late historical development, otherwise it would not be inferior to traditional African powers like Abyssinia.
However, because East Africa has been expanding on the mainland, it does not have the energy to fight on two fronts. Especially during the South African War, the East African navy wanted to break one into two and take into account the attitude of the French, so until now East Africa has not been on the island of Madagascar. Something gained.
However, Ernst was determined to win the savannah zone of Madagascar, mainly the plain areas in western and southern Madagascar. These two areas are savannah and tropical dry grassland, with a climate similar to that of East Africa.
Of course, the real livable zone of Madagascar is the same as that of East Africa. The eastern plateau area is the core area of Madagascar and the sphere of influence of the Kingdom of Immerina.
At present, the Kingdom of Immerina is still an independent country, mainly on good terms with the United Kingdom. Of course, France has successfully established a colony in the northern part of the Kingdom of Immerina. If it had followed the original historical development, France would have occupied Madagascar in 1895.
However, due to reasons in East Africa, the second Boer War in history was naturally impossible to occur. During the South African War, while Britain was at war with East Africa, the British had no time to take care of the Kingdom of Immerina. The French had already attacked Immerina. The kingdom launched a new round of offensive, which greatly advanced the time for France to occupy Madagascar.
Therefore, if East Africa wants to get a share of Madagascar, it must hurry up. If it takes two or three years, Madagascar may become French.
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The first town.
"Currently we have found out that France did launch a new round of attacks on the Kingdom of Immerina during the South African War. Several cities in the north and west of the Kingdom of Immerina were occupied by the French," the intelligence department said. Report to Ernst Hui.
"So what's the situation in the Kingdom of Immerina now?" Ernst asked.
"The Kingdom of Imerina can still resist the French offensive. In recent years, the Kingdom of Imerina has actively learned from Europe, especially it has received many benefits from the United Kingdom, including the fact that the army of the Kingdom of Imerina is all controlled by the British. training, so their core areas are basically not affected much.”
The Kingdom of Immerina is definitely a "modern" country in Africa. Of course, since the residents of Madagascar are mainly yellow people, apart from its geographical location, it actually has little relationship with the indigenous people in Africa.
Of course, the main race in the Kingdom of Imerina is the Austronesian people. The Austronesian people are the strongest maritime people in early human civilization. They are widely distributed in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and their sea crossing tools are extremely simple.
Nowadays, the Austronesian people living on isolated islands in the Pacific can be said to be extremely good at water, and some even pierce their eardrums in order to be able to dive. This is true living by the sea, unlike the so-called ocean in ancient Greece. Civilization, the ancient Greeks could trade and plunder along the Mediterranean, and the Mediterranean environment was not as choppy as the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Of course, the Austronesian civilization is very backward and has not developed much, so that the current population of the entire island of Madagascar is less than three million, just over two million, and it is concentrated in the plateau area in the northeast, that is, Imerina within the kingdom.
Archduke Ferdinand: "Now that the South African War is over, the pressure our navy faced before has dissipated. We can completely take the time to carry out expansion activities on Madagascar. Ernst, what are your thoughts now?"
Ernst said to his father-in-law: "We can't touch the Kingdom of Immerina. After all, the war with Britain has just ended. We can't go back on our word, otherwise Britain will definitely jump over the wall."
At present, the Kingdom of Imerina still belongs to the British sphere of influence. Of course, it cannot be regarded as a British colony. The close relationship between the Kingdom of Imerina and the United Kingdom is entirely a spontaneous act of the Kingdom of Imerina taking the initiative to get closer to the United Kingdom, rather than being forced. , so it is still an independent and sovereign country.
Of course, the French definitely don't think so. France has a long-standing ambition for the Kingdom of Immerina, which is one of the important reasons why the Kingdom of Immerina took the initiative to move closer to the United Kingdom.
Ernst continued: "The Kingdom of Immerina is now being targeted by Britain and France, so it is not something we can covet. It has already offended Britain. If we offend France again, the gain will outweigh the losses. Moreover, the Kingdom of Immerina is relatively civilized. , nor is it a place conducive to expansion.”
The Kingdom of Imerina is much more knowledgeable than the native Africans, and its national character has been formed, which does not meet the colonial standards of East Africa.
Ernst had always liked areas with vast land and sparsely populated areas, and the savannah area in western Madagascar was of this type. After all, it was similar to most areas in East Africa, so Ernst was determined to win it.
He said: "The west and south, these two areas are our goals, so that they will not overlap with forces such as Britain and France, and the difficulty will be relatively small."
Among all climates, the tropical rainforest is one of the most unsuitable areas for military operations, and Madagascar is no exception. The strongholds of countries such as France and the United Kingdom happen to be concentrated in the tropical rainforest areas on the east coast.
That's because the main population of Madagascar is concentrated in the Kingdom of Imerina on the eastern plateau. Colonies without a population generally have poor economic benefits and are difficult to develop.
For example, when the British and French colonized, they did not consider the cost, but the profit. Otherwise, according to the logic of the 21st century, no land in the world is redundant. Minerals and other resources may one day be discovered. Thus it soared into the sky.
There was no such concept in the 19th century, so there were many "unowned" islands in the world, such as Nauru, which was accidentally acquired by Germany.
After all, the energy of each country is limited. Even colonial empires like Britain and France will not designate a place as their own colony for no reason. Every time a colony is opened, troops and government agencies must be stationed. These are expenses. , and areas without a population have low economic benefits, and the cost of stationing troops or establishing a ruling order is very high.
Of course, the situation is the same if you are a colonizer with development goals. The typical example is East Africa. The rise of East Africa is completely dependent on the rich immigration resources of Germany and the Far East Empire. Having people will naturally produce economic benefits.
Other colonists are more inclined to plunder from the colonies rather than build, because they have local presence. Even if they get a lot of benefits from the colonies, they will naturally give priority to local construction.
The most typical one is Portugal. Portugal basically has no investment in the colonies. This is the fundamental reason why East Africa can occupy Angola and Mozambique. Ernst can squeeze Portugal away from southern Africa even by using the lowest human wave tactics.