Chapter 297: An Army Reshuffle
While Italy was immersed in warfare, the scene in Trieste—Venice's neighbor—was quite different. Since the war began, the transport of military supplies and the huge demand spurred by the conflict allowed Trieste to reap significant profits. Along with the Hechingen food-processing businesses, numerous factories ran at full capacity producing military goods, then shipped them by sea to Venice and the Papal States.
At Trieste's port, vessels came and went in constant bustle. On one of the piers, a large section was cordoned off from the crowd. Gathered there were graduates of the Hechingen Military Academy who had traveled from the Hechingen area to set sail for East Africa. Apart from the thirty members heading to Austria's Theresian Military Academy for further study, the rest of the graduates were present.
Ernst himself came to see off those going to East Africa. There was no complex ceremony; he merely said a few words before they boarded their ship.
"Once you're in East Africa," Ernst told the students, "your goal is to raise the theoretical understanding of the East African Army—hastening the modernization of its troops. Of course, don't belittle their capabilities; many East African soldiers have actually been through plenty of battles. Though they may not have faced an army like France, it's not necessarily easier than the Franco-Prussian War. They deal not only with hostile native forces but also with harsh environmental conditions—something you don't really experience in Europe. Sometimes you have to open roads on the spot, and local tribes can vanish in a flash into forested mountains. You might find 'no enemy' simply because they've split up and disappeared. Do you chase or not? East African troops have built up considerable expertise for dealing with guerilla tactics, which differs from large-scale operations in Europe. So once you arrive, adapt to the local situation; don't get stuck on what your textbooks say. Figure out each type of foe the kingdom might face, dissect their strengths and weaknesses. If you know yourself and your enemy, you won't lose."
"Understood, Headmaster!"
Ernst waved a hand: "All right, off you go—start your new journey."
Amid the roar of a steamship's engines, the Class of 1870 from Hechingen Military Academy boarded in turn. They would soon bring major changes to the East African Army.
Having spent so long fighting native enemies, it was no surprise East Africa's troops had been influenced by local conditions. Faced suddenly with a more modern adversary, they might freeze. Therefore, these new graduates, with Franco-Prussian War experience, were meant to reform the kingdom's main forces, accelerating the East African Army's grasp of modern warfare. As for non-main units, it wasn't worth the trouble. If only East Africa's territories weren't so huge and its roads so poor—if it didn't have to guard scattered regions at home and deal with multiple outside threats—Ernst would consider disbanding a good portion of them.
Riding a ship flying Austria's flag, some of the Hechingen students were crossing the ocean for a second time; others were from Germany itself.
…
First Town, East Africa.
Minister of Defense Yalman reported on discharged personnel to Constantino.
Yalman said, "Your Majesty, here's the list of officers applying for voluntary retirement: 407 in total. The lowest rank is Lieutenant, the highest is a division commander of the 23rd, and many are older veterans from the early colonial period."
Those colonial-period veterans refer to the hired mercenaries from early Hechingen days, back when Yalman was their leader. Constantino skimmed the list: in addition to the elderly, some were wounded, and others had varied reasons for leaving.
Constantino said, "Those original mercenaries who want to return to Germany to retire—let's carefully calculate their back pay and bonuses so they can enjoy their final years over there. I personally will add a little reward. If they choose to stay in East Africa, we welcome them and their families. Meanwhile, those who are wounded or disabled will be assigned some local jobs."
After all, the mercenaries had come for money. Most were older veterans from various German states, like Yalman himself, so many had families in Europe. Having made their fortune, they wished to go home. Some, though, stayed. Yalman once considered it, but Ernst and Constantino didn't want him to retire, so they settled his family in First Town.
Hearing the king's decree, Yalman said, "Yes, Your Majesty. We'll verify everything with the records."
The intention behind letting these officers retire was to free up positions for the new graduates of Hechingen Military Academy. None had arrived from the academy for the past two years because there was no short-track class in that period, meaning no fresh supply of officers to East Africa. The current graduating group had a standard three-year program, launched three years earlier.
Relying on voluntary retirement wouldn't be enough. So East Africa had already dismissed a batch with "negative performance" and incompetent officers, transferring them out of the army. Through these efforts, the force cut many officers and now was short of military professionals at both high and low levels. The Class of 1870 from Hechingen would fill these gaps.
Yalman said, "There's one more issue: Our diplomats were turned away by Mozambique, apparently not even meeting the new governor."
Constantino asked, "We have any details on this man?"
Yalman: "From merchants in Maputo, he's an ex–Portuguese Army officer, someone said to be straightforward. Rumor says the army leadership disliked him, so the government posted him to Mozambique. They say he's quite good militarily—arrived, reorganized the forces, and overcame the last holdouts of the Malawi Kingdom a month ago."
Constantino: "Then we need to watch him. Tell our troops near the Mozambique border to stay alert. If they see any sign of trouble, report immediately."
The new Mozambican governor indeed seemed less pliable. East Africa worried he might at any time challenge them. Mozambique, already encircled by East African lands, would be uneasy about safety. East Africa's expansion seemed unstoppable, reminiscent of Russia in the north; southwestern and northern Africa might endure, but southeastern Africa was overshadowed by East Africa's swift growth.
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