Chapter 346: The Immigration Transition Point
Upon hearing of a "Far Eastern Aid Mission," the staff at Dar es Salaam's city hall looked perplexed.
Speaking in German, one staffer said to Yalian, "Sir, we know nothing about a Far Eastern aid mission. There's no record of such an item on our work schedule."
Yalian replied, "Well, this mission was primarily arranged through the East African embassy in the Far East. But as you know, there's no telegraph line between East Africa and the Far East, so news doesn't travel quickly. The people have arrived before the message. That's the awkward situation. Here is my work ID, which should prove my words."
They didn't really need the ID; the staffer believed him just by his fluent German and the standard-issue East African work suit he wore – marking him as a "Germanic East African." In East Africa, they're unique: often of mixed heritage, bridging German and other ethnicities. Someone like Yalian, dressed in a formal suit, would at least be a teacher in East Africa.
All White residents in East Africa know a concept: among the "yellow-skinned" population, there's a group effectively considered the court's close faction, many of whom hold real power in the government or the military – especially those educated at Hechingen Military Academy. They are thoroughly trained in loyalty and patriotism, earning the crown prince's trust.
Because of that, people of Asian descent can wield authority at all levels of East African administration. Though they remain below "pure" Germanic individuals, they stand far above Slavs, Italians, Paraguayans, etc. Ostensibly it might look like a dual system, reminiscent of Austria-Hungary, but its essence is quite different; East Africa has realized a "Germanic-Chinese unity," akin to the "Manchu-Han unity" concept the old Middle Kingdom once promoted. And even more thoroughly so: intermarriage is encouraged, and the second generation typically merges as a single "mixed" identity. The question of race effectively dissolves.
"Anyway," said the staffer, "this matter is beyond my authority. I have to report it to my supervisor. Please wait a moment."
"How long might that take?" Yalian asked.
"Should be soon."
Half an hour later…
Some folks from Dar es Salaam's Immigration Service arrived. One of them addressed Yalian: "Mr. Yalian, we're with the city's Immigration Service. According to instructions from above, we'd like you to stay here for a few days. Three days from now, someone from the central government will come to welcome you."
Yalian nodded. "We have no objection, but what about our lodgings and meals?"
"Some space has opened in our transitional housing complex for immigrants. You can stay there briefly and eat at the same canteen we do. If you need anything, let us know. We're professionals."
"That's very kind of you."
"No trouble at all. We handle tens of thousands of immigrants a year, so it's no big deal."
Then Yalian went outside to explain to Li Ge and the others who were waiting.
"So, we'll be at an immigration transit station for a few days," he summarized, "though I'm not sure what it's like. At least we've contacted the central government. They'll send people to greet us, which shows they do value you."
Li Ge asked, "Mr. Yalian, there's one point I must make: why didn't your kingdom arrange anything for us in advance? It feels like everyone here is scurrying around last-minute."
Yalian sighed. "Our embassy in the Far East shares some blame. There were also procedural slip-ups. Honestly, we never imagined your government would be so proactive about helping East Africa – even forming an official medical mission. When Richard the ambassador realized your group was heading over, he decided on the spot rather than risk losing such an opportunity. Waiting a month or two for a message to reach East Africa might have made you give up, so he sent you along immediately."
Hearing that, Li Ge and the others felt less aggrieved. It was merely a misunderstanding; not any deliberate slight against the Celestial Court by the Germans.
"So that's how it is," said Li Ge. "We'd prepared ourselves mentally for some hardship; we won't complain about the housing or meals."
"That's good to hear," Yalian replied.
Soon, Immigration officials arranged for porters to load their luggage onto hired horse-drawn carts. Together they headed to the immigrant transit station.
During the ride, Li Ge's group curiously examined the Western-style carriage, quite different from anything in the Far East. It felt comfortable enough, with minimal jolting – better than their own domestic coaches but perhaps not as cozy as a sedan chair. From the window, they watched the houses, streets, and passersby sliding by. Even though they'd glimpsed some of Dar es Salaam's commercial district already, the sight of three- to five-story "tall" buildings, soberly stylish and diverse in design, intrigued them. They noticed lamp posts along the roadside (gas-powered streetlamps) each topped with a small glazed covering, cubical in shape – reminiscent of lanterns.
After an unknown interval, the carriage halted. Turned out there was another checkpoint. The place looked much like the prior blockade that had stopped them – East African policemen armed and on guard. But forward lay no visible buildings, only a road across the outskirts. Northwards, the city was bustling; southwards, all infrastructure simply ceased, returning to open land.
"Brother Shiyan," muttered Ande, "why are we in the middle of nowhere? Could these Germans be planning…"
"Stop imagining nonsense. If Westerners truly meant us harm, they wouldn't bother with formalities. There must be something important here," Li Ge replied, reassuring himself.
The police briefly checked the Immigration Service's paperwork. "All clear! Proceed."
Hence the carriage continued along into empty countryside. Dar es Salaam's outskirts seemed uninhabited, a wilderness of tall grass and unfamiliar vegetation. After a while, they halted again.
"We've arrived," Yalian announced.
Li Ge and the rest dismounted. Ahead, they saw a large camp of uniform rows of housing—completely unlike Dar es Salaam's older architecture. It more resembled lines of courtyard dwellings from Beijing, though simpler and more uniform.
An Immigration Service employee introduced, "This is our immigration transition point. The buildings are dorms for newcomers, big enough for 2,000 at a time. We've placed you in Sector 23, prepared rooms, plus a shared bathhouse and toilets. You'll eat in the staff canteen."
The staffer then led Li Ge's party to see their assigned rooms. "Each building normally sleeps eight. But since you're distinguished guests, we'll put four per room. There are bunk beds to choose from. The conditions are basic but tidy. Our team will help clean daily."
That was quite the courtesy – typically, immigrants themselves cleaned such dorms, while the Service merely did spot inspections. But Li Ge was a VIP, so they got different treatment. "East Africa has quite a lot of mosquitoes," the staffer added, "so we'll supply mosquito coils and nets. However, we're out of nets at the moment, so tonight you'll have to manage with just the coils. Each room has a table, chairs, and benches if you need to organize papers."
"Wonderful," Li Ge's group answered.
It far exceeded their expectations. Previously, some in their government had painted East Africa as practically hell on earth, yet so far "hearing is deceiving, seeing is believing," as the old proverb goes. East Africa, in fact, looked better than most places back home. They wondered how they'd managed to beg for Far Eastern help in the first place.
From arrival to now, Li Ge felt East Africa not only thrived but had no sign of that epidemic they'd been told about. You'd expect dread or gloom if there were a raging plague. So both Li Ge and Ande, as lead and deputy envoys, felt relieved. In truth, they'd come as "sacrificial pawns," quickly plucked from relative obscurity. Their medical team was mostly drawn from local folk doctors in Zhili Province, who had no insider knowledge. At least Li Ge and Ande had the quiet "word on the street," which ironically told them East Africa's real situation was quite different from official rumors.
Yes, the East African Kingdom might appear to the Far Eastern government as a "Germanic warrior-run wild land" – unpredictable and menacing—but the fact remains it sent an ambassador as official as any Western power. That alone fed the Far Eastern court's sense of prestige. So reciprocating with an official mission was essential. Yet top-level mandarins were loath to personally trek to "the African disease pit," as even the British had labeled it. So Li Ge and Ande, men of limited status and no real backing, got the job. Nonetheless, they weren't exactly nobodies: both were "ranked scholars" from North China, promoted purely for this assignment.
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