CHAPTER 288: CHAPTER 275: THE STRATEGY OF REPLACING BIRDS IN THE CAGE

First Town, Sweet Palace.

Arman reported the latest war dynamics to Constantine: "Your Majesty, both the southern and northern line wars are almost complete. The southern line successfully advanced to the northern bank of the Limpopo River, while the northern line’s natives have essentially withdrawn on their own."

The pen in Constantine’s hand paused for a moment, then he said, "Hmm, how is the western line going?"

"The west is still advancing. Because of the numerous rivers, it’s not over yet. However, it’s almost done, nearly reaching the Kongou River basin."

Constantine stood up and looked at the map of East Africa behind him.

(Map)

"In the blink of an eye, the war will be over. But who knows how the European conflicts will unfold. The French are greatly diminished, and the Italians are holding on desperately. Yet, even when the war ends, the future of Europe will undoubtedly be turbulent," Constantine remarked thoughtfully.

Even though Europe is in the throes of life and death struggles, Constantine had long become accustomed to it, never having seen a cessation in Continental wars during his lifetime. The East African map before him looks so pleasing, all of it constituting the Hohenzollern family’s assets.

...

The Italian Kingdom.

After the Italian Kingdom’s navy surrendered, Austria-Hungary’s fifty thousand troops easily arrived at the eastern coast of the Italian Kingdom aboard troop transport ships.

Subsequently, with the cooperation of the Pope Country’s forces, the Italian Kingdom’s territory was directly split in half by the Allies, severing land communications between Naples and Sicily in the north.

The restoration organization in Naples promptly launched a rebellion, led by none other than the last monarch of the Two Sicilies, Francisco II.

After Italy unified the Kingdom of Sicily, Francisco II lived in exile in Rome, a pawn that Austria-Hungary certainly wouldn’t miss.

Meanwhile, Austria-Hungary carried out a frenzied retaliation against the non-aristocratic bourgeoisie within Italy, which, prior to the emergence of the Italian Kingdom, saw much of Italy directly or indirectly under Austrian rule. Without these people aiding, the Kingdom of Sardinia wouldn’t have found it easy to unify Italy.

Under Austria-Hungary’s scheme, the Kingdom of Naples was the first to restore its statehood. Those former allies of Austria-Hungary also resurfaced, ready to seize control of the government.

Though a restored Naples Kingdom faces a precarious future, Austria-Hungary remains indifferent.

Franz now only desires the result of Naples becoming independent again, and as long as Italy remains divided, it’s a minor issue.

It’s not that Franz is petty; it’s just that Austria-Hungary is not the Austrian Empire. Now, Franz simply wants to swallow Venice and transform it into a German region.

This idea was proposed by Ernst just two days ago.

"Austria cannot afford to lose Venice; its significance ties directly to Austria’s future. With Hungary as an internal dissenter and a group of restless separatist movements from other ethnicities, Austria-Hungary constantly faces the risk of disintegration, so Austria must bolster its strength," Ernst said, having just returned from Heixinggen to Mei Quan Palace.

"Seize Venice during this war, find ways to weaken the Italian populace, and then introduce German immigrants locally. That can greatly mitigate the trend of Venice’s future independence."

"That’s easy to say, but if I had that many Germans, the Austrian Empire wouldn’t be in its current state. Can you spare some German immigrants from East Africa for me?" Franz, somewhat agitated, felt Ernst’s suggestion was cavalier. Everyone knew the logic behind disintegration, yet solving the problem remained nigh impossible.

Austria-Hungary sees Germans outflowing annually, but where is there a source of Germans for a Venetian substitution?

"The population outflows from Austria-Hungary are due to high birth rates among Hungarians and Slavs. The more people there are, the fewer job opportunities for Germans. Austria’s relatively advanced economy means that once employment opportunities get squeezed, ordinary Germans naturally look for escape routes," Ernst explained. "With Italy definitely facing defeat in this war, hurry now to transport rural Italians out of Venice. We in East Africa are willing to take a hit to help Austria complete this, and later we can compensate with machines. After the war, Austria can distribute these lands to soldiers, and Austrian soldiers with land naturally increase the German numbers. Ultimately, the results depend on your choice."

Ernst’s plans involved exploiting Venice to further develop East Africa, ironically branded as aiding Austria.

"You—well, you do have a valid point. Although Venice’s population may be a valuable asset, if they’re not Germans, they’re a liability to the Empire," Franz acknowledged. "But can East Africa absorb so many Italians? Aren’t you afraid they’ll cause trouble there?"

"Haha, do you think it’s like sending them on a holiday in Africa? Once they’re in Africa, they’re completely isolated," Ernst said chillingly.

"You’re not planning to enslave them, are you?" Franz questioned with some suspicion.

"Of course not; there’s currently an industry in East Africa that urgently needs Venice’s industrial workers to assist, which is why we need this manpower," Ernst responded candidly. As for whether they would become slaves, that warranted further discussion. Those who embraced East African values were deemed personal allies (Germans); those who didn’t were set for elimination.

"What industry?" Franz curiously asked.

"It’s naturally the textile industry. Most East African immigrants went farming, leaving the industrial sector almost untouched. Hence, we need a batch of skilled workers."

Ernst always wanted to develop the textile industry in Africa, but the population in East Africa is precious. To effectively populate East Africa, most immigrants were allocated to farming and joining the military.

Taking advantage of this opportunity to plunder Venice’s population could efficiently alleviate East Africa’s population insufficiency difficulties. Ernst dared not touch the French tiger’s whiskers, but was bold enough to pluck Italy’s wool.

The Venetian region, along with rural population, approached a million scale. Ernst wasn’t greedy, managing to absorb around forty thousand people was feasible, and along with previous Italian immigrants, the total broke down to a scale of fifty thousand people. For East Africa’s population nearing four million, this wasn’t overly challenging.

Leaving out those designated for farming, the remaining city immigrants could establish two industrial cities in East Africa. In fact, Ernst and Franz understated an industry, which was shipbuilding.

East African waters had long been wasted, a problem needing rectification. Vast oceanic fishery resources were left squandered, and Somalia’s turbulent seasonal fishing grounds were internationally renowned.

"Developing the textile industry isn’t that easy, raw materials being a particular concern. But since you’re willing to try, it’s worth taking a look," Franz said.

Raw materials pose a minor issue for East Africa, whose cotton farms have begun harvesting, with Ernst planning on expanding cotton acreage based on this.

As for other problems, the only shortages are manpower and equipment, both of which Ernst plans to directly obtain from Venice at no cost.