Chapter 295: Refusal
The transaction between the two parties went so smoothly thanks to the East African government creating a good trading environment. This spot, beside the Limpopo River, is one of their planned trading posts. Right next to it is an East African garrison. Under the deterrent of military force, no petty bandits dare cause trouble here—unless they can first defeat the East African Army.
There are no customs duties. Most of the goods East Africa sells are its own products, and in Africa, if you impose taxes here on the Limpopo, you can't stop merchants eager for money. They'd just start smuggling along the sparsely populated riverside. At the last East African government meeting, one method they discussed to increase the population on the Matabele Plateau was to promote trade, not only with native tribes but also with the Boers and Portuguese—so this was part of the plan.
Just as Vandermeer finished his deal with Ulysses and was about to leave, Leon (the manager of the Baerns Ford trading center) appeared out of nowhere and called out.
"Mr. Vandermeer, please wait!"
"Oh, it's you, Manager Leon," said Vandermeer. "Do you need something?"
Leon said, "Mr. Vandermeer, to be honest, your boats are too small—you can only fit so much cargo on them. I suggest you invest in larger boats, so trade between the East African Kingdom and the Transvaal Republic can really expand."
Vandermeer replied, "Ah, that. I actually want bigger boats, but I'm just a small merchant, and there wasn't much business on the Limpopo before now. Getting hold of a few little boats is already lucky."
Leon cast a glance at the meager goods loaded on those vessels. Most were industrial items the travelers had purchased—East African farm products sold poorly, except for a few items like cashews.
Leon: "Mr. Vandermeer, if you're able, you could branch out into that line of business. We generally don't lack industrial goods, but we do have a big shortage of cattle, sheep, and horses. Your little boats can't transport such large goods."
Catching his hint, Vandermeer asked, "Of course, that's workable. By the way, can livestock offset part of the payment?"
Leon: "You could discuss it directly with me. In a bit, Hechingen Bank will set up a branch here, and our East African government will be buying live cattle, sheep, and horses."
Vandermeer: "That's fantastic! Here's to next time."
Leon: "Here's to it."
So Vandermeer's small caravan paddled off to the Transvaal side. Now, with him gone, the Baerns Ford market felt a little empty again. Leon sighed.
He said, "We still haven't made a name for ourselves. I wonder if the Transvaal government is holding back on purpose."
"Ha, Manager Leon, you might be overthinking it," Ulysses remarked. "Everything's tough at the start. Our Baerns Ford site is still incomplete. Of course not many people come. The Boers who can pay for goods are only so many. The entire Transvaal population is pretty small, so even if they all had a bit of spare money, they wouldn't all appear here at Baerns Ford. Getting a regular like Vandermeer is already decent. Let's compare results with other local trading posts in a few months to see how we're doing."
Leon said, "You're right. No need to hurry. Mr. Ulysses, how was business for you today?"
Ulysses: "Not bad. Next time I go to Dar es Salaam to restock, I can wire a little extra home."
Leon: "Then congratulations!"
Ulysses laughed. "How about a barbecue tonight?"
Leon: "Are you treating?"
Ulysses: "Of course, Manager Leon."
…
Mozambique.
Maputo.
"Governor, East Africa has sent people to Mozambique."
The governor said, "What do they want?"
"They say they'd like to borrow one of our southern ports."
"Hah. Are those East Africans insane? We don't even give the British face; on what grounds do they think we'd open a port for them?"
"But, sir, what if East Africa uses our refusal as an excuse to cause trouble? We might be in a passive position. Our border with them is quite long now."
"You're overestimating them. They're just a group of German immigrants running some colony – not under Prussia or Austria. How can they possibly threaten the Kingdom of Portugal? Tell them to go back! We won't open any ports for them, not even one. If we make an exception now, they'll just demand more in the future."
"Should we at least talk with them first?"
"What's there to talk about? They're basically a nobody playing their own little game. We're not requesting them to open ports for us, so they should be content. Send them off."
"Yes, Governor."
Thus the new Mozambican governor, Caborel, who held Portugal's East Africa in no regard, refused East Africa's request outright. East Africa's diplomatic personnel didn't even get to see him in person.
Caborel was a retired Portuguese Army general posted to Mozambique to clean up the mess left by the previous governor. That predecessor bungled the Malawi campaign, plus folks accused him of cronyism, embezzling colonial funds, and suppressing "patriotic" inhabitants. So the home government recalled him with a single directive. Caborel arrived to find Mozambique's forces in a shocking state of neglect—most of the military budget had been pocketed by the ex-governor's cronies.
As a soldier, Caborel was furious. He began reforming the Mozambican colonial army by kicking out incompetent flatterers, then petitioning Lisbon for arms and funds, upgrading the ancient gear, and paying the overdue wages. This direct approach was partly why the Portuguese military disliked him, and why the government had shipped him off to the colony.
After his reorganization, morale soared. Just paying them on time made the troops very happy, ready to die for Caborel if need be. Leading them personally, Caborel again invaded the Kingdom of Malawi, and with his decent skill set, conquered it fully about a month earlier, putting it under Mozambique's control. Although that might look minor compared to East Africa's staggering expansion, Caborel didn't see it that way – he simply blamed the prior governor's incompetence for allowing East Africa to slip in. If he himself had been in charge from the start, perhaps Mozambique would already have pressed deep inland.
Though the former governor was indeed incompetent, he'd done a few things. For example, though the Malawi campaign ended in disaster, they had at least inflicted heavy losses on the tribes. If not for that freak flood that devastated the main colonial force, they might have forced down Malawi. So Caborel had effectively picked up the pieces, but you can't entirely dismiss how he boosted the new Mozambican army's strength.
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