Chapter 345: The Aid Mission
Outside Dar es Salaam Harbor, a Far Eastern ship was arriving. The people on board stood curiously, gazing toward Dar es Salaam.
Neat rows of buildings, intersecting carriages and horses, flat and wide roads; large and small ships anchored in the harbor, and crowds bustling on the docks.
"Brother Shiyan, I'm starting to think the imperial court was fooled! This East Africa looks so peaceful and prosperous—no sign of any disastrous chaos at all!" whispered Ande, the Deputy Envoy of the Far Eastern government's aid mission to the East African Kingdom.
Li Ge was equally surprised. But he responded, "Brother Houdun, maybe this is just the East African Kingdom's showcase city. We haven't yet seen the rest of East Africa, so let's not jump to conclusions. Soon, we can ask their interpreter for answers."
They then approached a translator from the East African embassy named Yalian. Li Ge spoke up: "Mr. Yalian, I have something to ask you. Could you clarify a question for me?"
Honestly, Li Ge did not think highly of Yalian. Based on how he looked, he was nothing like a Westerner—more like someone from the Central Plains, and his Chinese had a strong Shandong accent. In their conversations, Li Ge inferred he came from some remote corner, yet he held legitimate East African citizenship.
In the eyes of these Far Eastern officials, the East African Kingdom was just "Germanic barbarians," quite unreasonable in their dealings. They spoke of cooperation, yet often threatened force. And Yalian, working for the East African Kingdom and even changing his nationality, surely seemed a traitor who "forgot his roots." As a result, aside from official matters, Li Ge and the others avoided talking to him.
They had indeed misunderstood Yalian. Although he was from Shandong, he was also a "top student" who had received modern training at Hechingen.
He had read many books, and his education level was quite high. He especially liked Hegel's Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences. All his schooling was Germanic, so ironically, he knew nothing of Far Eastern literature, nor did he know how to write Chinese characters.
Given that Hechingen schools generally took in orphans, and Yalian had never attended any prior classes—he didn't even have a name before—only "Daníu" ("Big Ox") back in his home village.
Because he never received formal "Far Eastern" schooling, he naturally couldn't exchange literary phrases with Li Ge and the others. He also didn't fuss with elegant wording. Translating German into Shandong-accented Chinese did sound odd.
But the main reason was that Li Ge and friends didn't speak German. If they had, they would realize Yalian could speak fluent "Hechingen-accent German" and was quite cultured. Two different languages hindered them, and they lacked a cultural-linguistic "bridge."
Yalian said, "If you have questions, just ask."
Li Ge began, "We came at your government's invitation. This ship has indeed arrived in the East African Kingdom?"
"Of course! Look at that national flag at the harbor. It's the kingdom's Lion-Shield flag," said Yalian.
Li Ge went on, "Yet this place differs somewhat from what your ambassador told us. He said East Africa was destitute, with epidemics rampant. But judging from Dar es Salaam, it's thriving, and everyone looks relaxed—no sign of any big plague. Why is it so different? It even seems like people here live in peace, not as though an epidemic has hit."
As Envoy of the aid mission, Li Ge had expected to arrive in some wild, disease-stricken land to fight outbreaks and do building work. On this ship, most were physicians sent by the Far Eastern government for free clinics. Yet just from Dar es Salaam alone, Li Ge felt that if anything, the Far East should be the one receiving help from East Africa, not the other way around.
Yalian: "Hmm, so Ambassador Richard said that? I'm not sure. I don't know whether he was correct or not. In truth, I myself am not too familiar with East Africa."
Li Ge: "But aren't you an East African? Why say you don't know the place?"
Yalian: "Actually, I studied in southern Germany, so I never visited East Africa itself. I did once live for a while in the Principality of Hechingen under the Prussian Kingdom in what's now Germany. Later, upon finishing my studies, I was immediately assigned to the Far East and ended up working on paperwork at the East African Kingdom's embassy there. So I'm only now coming to East Africa for the first time."
Li Ge was baffled by mention of "southern Germany, Germany, Prussia, Hechingen Principality, East African Kingdom." So who exactly was Yalian? Li Ge knew "Prussia" and "East Africa," but the rest was confusing.
He asked, "Mr. Yalian, are you East African or not?"
"I'm German."
"And what's your connection to the East African Kingdom?"
"My nationality is East African."
"…"
Yalian continued, "I'm also here in East Africa for the first time. Actually, I find it just as interesting as you do. How about we look around together?"
"…"
Soon, Li Ge, Yalian, and their group carried their luggage ashore. Like a clan of country folks seeing a grand mansion, the aid mission roamed Dar es Salaam's (foreign commercial district). The place was very unusual, with white, yellow, and black people everywhere, wearing all kinds of distinctive outfits. Some covered head-to-toe in white robes, which especially amazed the delegation.
They had seen Western suits before—"fake foreigner" Yalian wore one. But someone wearing a complete white drape was new, easily reminiscent of…
Li Ge asked, "Mr. Yalian, why are some people fully robed in white, with white turban-like cloth on their heads?"
Yalian replied, "They're Arabs, generally from the Middle East or North Africa: Egypt, the Ottoman realm, or Persia have many people dressed like that."
After passing through the Malacca Strait, their ship hadn't docked anywhere else, sailing straight for Dar es Salaam. So this was the first time Li Ge and the others had seen Arabs in East Africa.
Yalian added, "Arabs once built a transcontinental empire spanning three continents, monopolizing East-West trade. Today's Ottoman Empire is considered its successor."
Li Ge asked, "Then why the entire white cloth?"
Yalian answered, "It's their living custom, similar to how people in the tropics don't wear padded coats. Arabs live in deserts where the sun is fierce, and daytime temperatures can reach 40–50°C. White reflects more sunlight, so it doesn't heat up as much."
At last, Li Ge and the others realized it wasn't funeral attire. Almost mistaking it for evidence of a plague in East Africa—"so many wearing 'mourning clothes' must be from epidemic casualties?"—he was grateful he'd checked with Yalian first. Otherwise, the misunderstanding would have been big. Yalian himself didn't care about all that. If Arabs did or didn't do something, it was none of his concern.
They strolled on through Dar es Salaam for a while until Yalian finally said, "Looks like there's no more we can see." He pointed to a sign reading "No Entry."
"What's that?"
"It says you can't go ahead—no road beyond this point."
"But there's still buildings and streets there, right?"
"I'll go check."
He approached a policeman standing there.
"Sir, could I ask why there's a 'No Entry' sign?"
"Past this point is Dar es Salaam's western district. It isn't open to foreigners…"
So eventually Yalian figured it out: Dar es Salaam has a foreign commercial zone and a western district; foreigners can move around only in the commercial zone.
Yalian continued, "In fact, I am an East African Kingdom diplomat stationed in the Far Eastern government. Could you tell me where the Dar es Salaam municipal offices are located? I need to contact the kingdom. I'm not familiar with East Africa since I've always worked in the Far East."
The policeman replied, "Head back the way you came, and at the first intersection turn left. You'll see the police station, tax bureau, and other government offices in the foreign commercial district."
"Ah, thanks very much," said Yalian.
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