Chapter 856 Final preparations
This is the peak period of colonialism. Britain suffered losses in East Africa before, and France also suffered badly at the hands of Germany. Japan was the most fanatical among the invaders, so overseas colonial activities became more rampant in the late 19th century.
After all, there is less meat in the pot, and everyone is more rude in grabbing it. There are also major powers such as the United States, the Far East Empire, and Spain in the Pacific region, and the Netherlands, which has a large colony in Asia, so countries that want to make trouble in the Pacific region are quite powerful.
The Far East Empire and Spain have not been exposed yet, so there is no danger for the time being. Although the area of the Dutch colonies is not small, it is mainly tropical rainforests, and there is no value for the time being.
However, Ernst knew that the Dutch East Indies colony has great potential. After all, Indonesia, the largest country in Southeast Asia in the previous life, was hatched here.
The Lanfang Overseas Province in East Africa today is actually the West Kalimantan Province of Indonesia in the previous life. As for the Sarawak Kingdom in North Kalimantan, it has become part of the British colony, and the Dutch forces have retreated to the east and south of Kalimantan Island.
Germany also gained something in the Pacific region, mainly some islands that Spain could not control, and German New Guinea.
German New Guinea looks very large, but in fact, even in the 21st century, there are still a large number of primitive tribes in the interior, and the degree of civilization is lower than that of Africa. However, this is also Germany's biggest gain in the Pacific region in recent years.
Germany's colonies in the Pacific region are not even as good as East Africa at present. After all, Germany entered the market too late, and even the scraps can only be the worst.
East Africa actually makes up for the shortcomings of the colonies of Germany and Austria to a certain extent. In addition to the local market in East Africa, the overseas colonies in East Africa are actually open to merchants from Germany and Austria. Of course, there is no value.
At most, it provides more footholds for overseas merchants from the two countries. Lan Fang and South Ryukyu are not rich places, and they are relatively useless.
Although East Africa is quite influential in the Far Eastern Empire, it can only say a little at the official level. Germans naturally go out under the same banner and can only be regarded as "fellow countrymen". In this regard, the relationship between East, Germany and Austria is very different from that between Britain and the United States.
Although Britain and the United States share the same origin, their differences are greater than their cooperation. There have been wars between the two countries, while the relations between East Germany and Austria are very good, which is very common in the German region.
Except for the slightly poor relations between the Habsburgs and Switzerland, there is almost no dirty relationship between German countries as a whole, and those that are dirty have basically been annexed by Prussia.
The reason why East Germany, Germany and Austria can get along well is that there is actually no conflict of interests, but strong complementarity.
Germany and Austria have a relationship of mutual assistance on the European continent. After all, the two countries' geography is too bad, and East Africa occupies one-third of Africa's land, which is also a big country that cannot be ignored, and at the same time makes up for the weakness of the two countries' weak overseas influence.
…
March 14, 1893.
Hawaii.
"Brother Roger, tomorrow is the day we overthrow the Kingdom of Hawaii. A brand new Republic of Hawaii will appear in this world. Let's drink to this."
Before the coup was about to start, the Americans had gathered together. Even though there might be bloodshed tomorrow, everyone still held a banquet and got drunk.
After all, it was just the Kingdom of Hawaii. As long as the American soldiers were united, they could destroy it with a wave of their hands. It was not worth the attention of the gentlemen present. We were all businessmen and did not need to charge into battle in person, so we just had to wait for the result.
"Cheers to victory!" Roger said drunkenly as Endress said.
Rogge did not pretend to be drunk. After all, he drank a lot of wine at the banquet. Otherwise, he would be too unsociable and easily arouse suspicion, although East Africa wanted to intervene in this coup.
But it does not mean that Roger will give up his current "identity". Instead, in order to continue to lurk in the United States, he will become the "victim" of this coup.
After all, Roger is the largest landlord and business owner on Kauai. If something happens on Kauai, it is impossible for Americans not to suspect Roger.
Therefore, in order to get out of this unscathed, the East African government also had to find a way to protect Rogge. If Rogge's identity was exposed, it would not be a good thing for East Africa. So far, the East African National Defense Security Agency has been a secret unit and it is not easy to appear in the international field of vision.
The most important thing is that Ernst is also afraid that other countries will follow suit and set up some intelligence departments in advance, so that East Africa's information advantage may be greatly reduced.
Half an hour later, the cocktail party finally ended. Rogge staggered out of the banquet venue and said goodbye to several "friends" who had a good chat.
"Master!"
Rogge's "butler" hurried forward and dragged Rogge, who seemed to be shaky.
Rogge rubbed his face, trying to wake himself up, and then said, "Get in the car first." After the car drove a distance, Rogge whispered to the "housekeeper": "Have someone quickly pass the message back to Kauai. The Americans will take action at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning, so the message must be passed back tonight." The "housekeeper" wrote down Rogge's words, and after sending Rogge back to the hotel, he immediately organized people and drove the ship that had already docked towards Kauai under the cover of night. Although Kauai also belongs to the Hawaiian Islands, it is more than 100 kilometers away from Oahu, so by the time the message was passed back to Ele Ele, the American coup might have already begun.
Of course, there is no need to worry too much. After this coup, the United States only controls Oahu. It will definitely take time to control several southern islands, including Lahaina, the former political center of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
Hawaii's population is mainly concentrated in the southern islands. Kauai and the almost uninhabited Niihau Island are somewhat far away from the main Hawaiian Islands, so Kauai will definitely be the last island that the United States will take care of.
Therefore, the delay in the East African operation does not affect the overall situation. After all, the time it takes for the Americans to finish dealing with the Hawaiian royal family and then take over the various islands is enough to complete the deployment in East Africa.
…
At the same time, in the Pacific east of the Hawaiian Islands, three gunboats and two supply ships of the East African Navy's Pacific Fleet were also speeding towards Hawaii.
"I don't know if we can still catch up with this operation. We have been delayed for a day at sea." Pacific Fleet Commander Merges said.
We originally planned to arrive at Kauai Island one day in advance, but due to the Huaihai Economic Zone's preparation of supplies, we delayed for a day. After all, Hawaii is located in the hinterland of the ocean. If he didn't bring more supplies, Merges would be unsure.
"Commander, don't worry. After all, the Army has arrangements on Kauai. Even if there is a conflict with the Americans, they will definitely be able to withstand it for a while."
Hermes nodded and said: "I have no doubt about the combat effectiveness of the army. After all, we can also fight against a powerful country like the United Kingdom. As long as the Americans do not dispatch their elite troops, it is really impossible to take over Kauai Island, and the United States It is also impossible for the government to directly dispatch local elite troops.”
As for the strength of the American army, Hermes actually has no idea. After all, the United States has not fought a war in recent years, but it must be much worse than the United Kingdom. Although the United Kingdom performed poorly in the South African War, its combat experience is ten times better than that of the United States. street.
Especially during the South African War, many British troops transferred from India participated in the war in Afghanistan and the war against Burma.
The most recent war the United States fought was the Civil War. It was a fight between men and women. No one could see the depth of Americans, but Americans cannot be underestimated.
In 1890, after its industry surpassed that of the United Kingdom, the United States had become the world's largest industrial country. Although its army was small, its weapons and equipment were among the best in the world.