Chapter 310: Aid to Africa
It would be impossible to put all weapons production in one place like Mbeya, as that would give Mbeya far more industry than other East African cities. An over-concentration of industry inevitably leads to the rise of large cities.
Mbeya City, which connects Lakes Solon (Lake Tanganyika) and Malawi, Tanganyika, and Zambia, already has a high developmental ceiling. The area is rich in resources, particularly mineral resources. Even if Mbeya itself had none, it could draw on the resources of the Lake Malawi region and Zambia through convenient transportation. Plus, the local climate is livable, making it a natural candidate for a major city.
Admittedly, big cities have many advantages, particularly in industrial collaboration. But Ernst himself does not favor oversized cities.
Cities with excessive populations are not really livable, while too few people means underuse of resources or an inability to support certain industries.
From his previous life, Ernst remembers that he considered world-class cities to have urban populations of over five million. Currently, all of East Africa doesn't even have five million people total, so it might seem like overthinking.
However, the East African population is growing very quickly. Even using the normal growth rate of Africa in his previous world, by the 21st century the eastern highlands area alone could exceed one hundred million people. East Africa will eventually be able to produce cities of five million or more.
Hence, Ernst's plan for Mbeya City is for it to develop in tandem with surrounding regions. Mbeya should do its best to function as a transportation hub, not only for the entire East African nation but also to spread those benefits throughout the southern Salzburg Province and western Lake Province.
His goal is to fully encourage the development of the entire Lake Malawi industrial zone, rather than having just one dominant city. Put plainly, he wants to promote clustered development of small and medium-sized cities around Lake Malawi.
This way, the region's future population and industries won't all concentrate in Mbeya City, while still making industrial collaboration convenient—provided local transportation is well developed.
…
The Far East.
To the aging empire of the Far East, something unusual happened today. The East African Kingdom's ambassador to the Far East, Richard, asked the Qing government for an opportunity to study "advanced" local medicine. At the same time, he hoped the Qing would send medical personnel to "aid" the East African Kingdom.
In the Forbidden City.
Yixin said, "Your Majesty, yesterday, Richard, the ambassador of the East African Kingdom in Africa, petitioned our Celestial Empire for medical aid. He claimed that the people of Africa suffer from endless calamities—wild beasts run rampant, and droughts and floods follow one after another. Plagues break out, famine is widespread, and the threat of destruction looms over their nation. Therefore, he requests our Imperial physicians travel to East Africa to fight disease. He also wishes to send officials and students here to study our Celestial Empire's medicine, hoping to avoid his own country's collapse."
Yixin was one of the three ministers of the Zongli Yamen, which had been established in the late Qing as a sort of "Ministry of Foreign Affairs." So Richard's presentation of the East African government's political request usually passed through Yixin first.
When the Tongzhi Emperor heard this, he was intrigued. He had never heard of Western barbarians admiring the Celestial Empire. The upper echelons of the Far East had long since been humbled by Britain and France, who always behaved overbearingly. They certainly never showed much respect for Eastern culture.
Tongzhi asked, "Is this East Africa the new country that came last year to establish an embassy?"
Yixin replied, "Precisely."
Tongzhi continued, "These Western nations are usually arrogant and dismissive of our teachings, not venerating the sages. This sudden humility—could it be some kind of plot?"
Yixin said, "May Your Majesty be aware that this East African Kingdom is somewhat different from other Western nations. It is located west of the Lesser Western Ocean (the Indian Ocean), in the region once known as Muciwa (Somalia) and Manbasa (Kenya), where a new country was established. The great expeditions of the previous Ming Dynasty under Admiral Zheng He had reached that place before. It is not actually in the same land as the standard 'Western countries.' Its monarch is a Prince of Prussia in the West who traveled across the ocean to found a nation."
Tongzhi said, "Oh! So this East African Kingdom is basically a country set up overseas by a prince of the Kingdom of Prussia?"
Yixin replied, "Exactly, Your Majesty. Prussia is a major military power in the West, and even our Celestial Empire hosts its resident envoys."
Truth be told, Yixin felt rather awkward. He himself was a Manchu prince, comparable in status to Constantino, so seeing this Prussian prince founding a state overseas made him feel uneasy.
Tongzhi, unaware of Yixin's private concerns, said, "Prussia, I know of it. It's a small nation east of France. I've heard its people are fierce fighters, that the entire population can take up arms. So of course a Prussian prince would excel at warfare. That's not surprising."
As it so happened, news of Prussia's victory over France and German unification hadn't reached the Far East yet. To Tongzhi and his ministers, Prussia remained a small country on France's eastern flank, its status precarious at best. They had at least heard of Napoleon's reputation.
Tongzhi asked, "Why would this East African Kingdom request our aid instead of Prussia's?"
Yixin replied, "As I said before, Prussia is bent on waging war, and as a small nation raising a big army, its economy has suffered. So it can't spare the means to support an overseas territory."
Tongzhi nodded. "That makes sense. But given East Africa probably inherited some genuine knowledge from Prussia, it can't be that miserable."
The things Yixin had just described—wild beasts, droughts, floods, and plagues—made East Africa sound doomed.
Yixin explained, "East Africa's territory was once barren, devoid of any civilization. Its ruler is basically a warrior who doesn't know the first thing about governance. So it admires the flourishing culture of our Celestial Empire, quite different from the arrogance of England and France."
In other words, East Africa was originally a wasteland in terms of culture. Led by someone who was basically a soldier with no talent for ruling, it doesn't represent any mainstream Western nation. Therefore, it's only natural they would come to learn from us.
It has to be said that Yixin had some insight—though a bit biased, he more or less captured the condition of East Africa before the kingdom was established. But as for "admiring the Celestial Empire," that's just Ernst's plan to get free benefits. He specifically told Richard to set aside any pride and paint a dire picture.
Richard, originally a businessman, was very skilled at reading people and circumstances, so he convincingly played the part of someone from a doomed African land, pleading for the Qing to come to their rescue.
Upon hearing this, the Tongzhi Emperor was delighted. At that time, the Far Eastern Empire felt extremely stifled. Only ten years earlier, the Anglo-French forces had advanced on the capital; Emperor Xianfeng fled to Rehe, and the final shred of Qing vanity was shattered. That was what had led to the Self-Strengthening Movement.
Under such circumstances, any country that offered them even a little flattery would help restore some of the "Celestial Empire's" lost pride. Although East Africa wasn't fully Western, it was half Western. By learning from them, it was as if any Western power were turning to them for wisdom.
Tongzhi declared, "Since the East African Kingdom is asking for help from our Celestial Empire, we cannot lose face. We grant permission for East Africa to send officials and students to the Imperial Medical Academy. At the same time, we'll recruit one hundred doctors from among the common people to bring relief to this stricken land and spread the Celestial Empire's generosity."
Tongzhi was generous, offering medical aid to East Africa right away, without a second thought of personal gain. Having secured the official support of the Qing government, the East African Kingdom felt free to forge ahead. While cooperating with the Far Eastern government, they also tapped deeply into the private sector's medical experience, recruiting a variety of medical personnel.
Currently, the Far East's medical system is not all that advanced; truth be told, few places in the world are at this point in history. However, because of the huge population, there will always be medical practitioners who aren't doing well. Acting under Ernst's orders, the East African embassy first recruited medical talent from among the general public, then asked the Qing government to evaluate these doctors, ensuring no tricksters were heading to East Africa to commit fraud.
For the Qing government, this African aid mission was a much-needed boost to their image, so they dared not be careless. If they sent swindlers to East Africa and ended up causing deaths, the East African side might broadcast the story, leaving the Great Qing disgraced in the international community.
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