Chapter 312: Pointing the Sword at the Empire of Abyssinia
The road to unification for the Kingdom of Italy has been completely blocked, and it even lost quite a bit of territory. Meanwhile, the population did not decrease correspondingly, so Italy must find a way out. At this point, it has no choice but to pursue colonization.
Inspired by the East African Kingdom, Victor Emmanuel II also intends to open a colony in Africa, primarily to solve the Kingdom of Italy's food shortage. Although financial constraints prevent immediate action, he has already ordered his people to collect information on Africa.
There isn't much data on Africa. Very soon, his subordinates compiled a rough report and presented it to Victor Emmanuel II.
"Your Majesty, nearly all the African coastal regions are scattered with the influence of various nations. Among these, West Africa has the most favorable conditions, and Britain, France, Portugal, Spain, and the Netherlands are all present there. North Africa is geographically closest to us, but it is mostly desert and lacks vast tracts of arable land. Whatever green oasis areas exist are controlled either by France or the Ottoman Empire. East Africa is mainly under the influence of the East African Kingdom and Portuguese Mozambique. As for southern Africa, there is Britain's Cape Colony, whose climate is most similar to that of Italy, but we dare not provoke Britain."
Hearing this report, Victor Emmanuel II frowned. "It seems Africa is very competitive as well! I thought it really was a barren land, but apparently many European powers are already there."
His subordinate continued, "Your Majesty, other nations simply had a head start. Even the small Hechingen principality under Prussia managed to seize a large stretch of territory in Africa, which shows how weak the native forces must be. Although these nations have strongholds in Africa, aside from the East African Kingdom, Portugal, and the Boers, there is almost no large-scale development of the African interior. That means we still have plenty of opportunity."
Victor Emmanuel II relaxed a bit. "So, do you have a general plan in mind?"
"Your Majesty, after carefully reviewing information on Africa and intelligence collected in recent years, we concluded that the Abyssinian Empire along the Red Sea coast is more suited to our Italian Kingdom's needs."
Victor Emmanuel II asked, "The Abyssinian Empire? What's advantageous about it?"
"First of all, Your Majesty, Abyssinia borders the Red Sea and is close to the Suez Canal, which gives us a convenient avenue for an expedition."
Victor Emmanuel II said, "But isn't North Africa even closer to us?"
"Sigh, Your Majesty, if our Kingdom of Italy were as strong as before, we might be able to develop in North Africa. But at present, we've been greatly weakened. Even the weakest force in North Africa is the Ottoman Empire, which we cannot afford to offend. Though the Ottomans are in decline, they remain huge in size. Years ago, when we were stronger, we might not have feared them, but having lost nearly half our territory, how can we measure our national strength against theirs? Moreover, if we truly clashed with the Ottomans now, Emperor Franz of Austria would be laughing in his sleep. We both face the common threat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, so the sensible course is to maintain good relations and jointly cope with Austria-Hungary."
The Kingdom of Italy risks national destruction at the hands of the ever-ambitious Austro-Hungarian Empire. Meanwhile, the Ottoman Empire's European lands are threatened by Austria-Hungary, making the two sides rather alike in their misfortunes. Although the Ottomans also have a centuries-old nemesis—Russia—Italy faces France in the west; historically, France has posed a considerable threat to Italy as well.
"Second—and this is the key point—Abyssinia possesses extensive farmland. In this respect, North Africa can't compare. Right now, what Italy needs most is arable land, and Abyssinia's farmland is already developed. It's not like other parts of Africa that are full of unknowns. As long as we can overpower the Abyssinian Empire militarily, we can continuously ship grain back home."
Indeed, the agricultural conditions of the Ethiopian Highlands are quite good. If it weren't for the extremely high altitude—nearly a thousand meters higher than the East African highlands—and for the region's relatively advanced civilization, even Ernst might be tempted by it. Higher altitudes also have their benefits. The shape of the Ethiopian Highlands intercepts rain; its average annual precipitation ranges between 1,200 mm and 1,600 mm, earning it the nickname "Water Tower of East Africa."
Notably, in the southwestern part of Ethiopia's highlands, which the East African Kingdom occupies, rainfall consistently exceeds 1,300 mm, forming a distinctive rainy, mountainous, highland climate zone.
However, keep in mind that in this alternate timeline, the Abyssinian Empire is not synonymous with the entire Ethiopian Highlands. In the previous era, Ethiopia as an independent state controlled the Highlands on its own, but now the territory is divided between the Abyssinian Empire and the East African Kingdom. Even so, most of the Ethiopian Highlands remain under Abyssinian control; the East African Kingdom only holds the southwest portion, while the southeastern area is a relatively arid plain.
The Abyssinian Empire's farmland is primarily in the northwestern part of the Ethiopian Highlands, which is its foundation—just like Egypt is also a nation built on farming. The Sudanese region between them mainly relies on nomadism, with a slim agricultural belt dependent on the convergence of the Blue and White Nile. The water supply for the Blue Nile originates in the Ethiopian Highlands.
Victor Emmanuel II asked, "If that's the case, then the Abyssinian Empire shouldn't be too weak, correct? Are you sure they aren't a tough nut to crack?"
"Rest assured, Your Majesty. We have chosen this region precisely after considering that factor. It's also the last point we want to emphasize: the Abyssinian Empire's national power is negligible. Three years ago, Britain used very few troops to overrun its capital; the emperor at the time committed suicide after defeat, and the empire fell apart. Meanwhile, Egypt in the north also has conflicts with Abyssinia; the two sides are fighting in the Sudanese region. Right now is the weakest period in the Abyssinian Empire's history."
The Abyssinian Empire was a regional power that had a few vassal states in the Sudanese area, which is one reason it clashed with Egypt. However, Egypt's grip on Sudan is tenuous, and poor transportation hinders its efforts—so even though Egypt is strong, it has struggled to handle a fractious Abyssinia. Back in Muhammad Ali's day, Egypt tried to conquer Sudan but got stuck in northern Sudan's harsh desert environment, imposing on Sudan the same loose rule the Ottomans had once imposed on Egypt.
Victor Emmanuel II was delighted to hear all this. "Indeed, natives are natives. We couldn't beat Austria, but I refuse to believe we can't handle Abyssinia. If the British can do it, so can we."
He then began preparing plans for the Kingdom of Italy to invade and colonize Abyssinia. A colonial office was also set up to deal with the matter. Abyssinia was big enough to offer substantial territory and population, and its agricultural conditions were excellent. That was precisely what Italy needed. Back home, many businesses had lost the southern market after Naples declared independence, so they needed new markets. Additionally, the war had left Italy with excess population that needed land. There was no prize more tempting than conquering the Abyssinian Empire.
Various factions in the kingdom enthusiastically supported Victor Emmanuel II's decision. After the disastrous defeat in the Second Austro-Italian War, those grand ideals of uniting all of Italy had lost their appeal—anyone who wanted to pursue that could go right ahead, but Italy was tired of being beaten down. A weak adversary like Abyssinia was now the prime choice for the Kingdom of Italy.
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