Chapter 546: Permission
Beiping.
"Mr. Li, as you know, East Africa's economic interests in the Far East are growing rapidly. German merchants have built many factories and facilities there, and the volume of trade between East Africa and the Far Eastern Empire continues to rise. Therefore, we hope to establish a transit station in your vassal state of Ryukyu, to ensure the safety of East African vessels and facilitate trade between our nations," said the East African ambassador straightforwardly.
At that moment, Li Hongzhang was indeed troubled by the Ryukyu issue—specifically the southern Ryukyu Islands, or rather, the entire archipelago. Japan's blatant ambitions toward the Ryukyu Kingdom were clear and aggressive.
Li sighed and said, "Ambassador Richard, it's not that I don't want to help you. The situation in Ryukyu is very complicated. Japan has ignored international norms, invaded the Ryukyu Kingdom, and is illegally manipulating its politics. To be honest, we no longer have the final say in Ryukyu's government."
"I've heard Japan only occupies the central and northern parts of the islands. The south is still untouched. So we don't care about Japan or Ryukyu's stance—if your country agrees, that's all we need."
Li Hongzhang gave Richard a suspicious look. Ryukyu was a hotbed of conflict—yet East Africa wanted to jump right in.
"Your country truly has the boldness of a major power. Still, I advise caution. Japan is an ungrateful and petty nation. If your country builds an economic zone in the southern Ryukyu Islands, they may indeed cause trouble."
Richard replied nonchalantly, "Mr. Li, you're also the head of your Empire's navy, so I believe you're aware of the strength of the East African Navy. In the face of absolute power, Japan is nothing more than a clown. If they dare to provoke the Germans, our three navies could sail right into Edo."
East Africa never operated alone in the Far East. The commercial interests of Germany and Austria-Hungary were largely protected by East Africa.
This wasn't an exaggeration. The German and Austro-Hungarian navies had limited influence in the Far East—after all, key passages like Gibraltar and the Suez Canal were firmly controlled by the British Royal Navy.
East Africa, however, was different. Only the Strait of Malacca could interrupt its link with the Far East. While Britain controlled Malacca, East Africa maintained pressure over the Mandeb Strait and Cape Town.
With each side holding leverage, the British couldn't push East Africa too far. If East Africa ever decided to break ties, India would be at serious risk.
India was Britain's Achilles' heel. Even a temporary disruption between India and the British mainland could destabilize global geopolitics.
Britain had more than one enemy. If East Africa made such a move, other powers might follow suit. Even a small chance of that happening was unacceptable to Britain. When it came to India, Britain left nothing to chance.
Hearing East Africa once again invoke Germany and Austria as a shield, Li Hongzhang felt conflicted. He remembered how East Africa had tricked them in the past.
Back when East Africa was an insignificant colony, it had exploited its German connections to extract many privileges from the Far Eastern Empire.
Only later did the Far Eastern Empire realize it had been duped—East Africa couldn't actually represent Germany. The so-called Principality of Hechingen was insignificant in Germany, and the Hohenzollern name was misleading. Emperor Tongzhi had mistakenly believed the Hechingen royals were akin to his own imperial princes and could represent the Prussian government.
It took years for the Far Eastern Empire to realize how its ignorance of Western politics and culture had been exploited by East Africa.
Still, with East Africa's rise—especially after defeating Portugal and climbing into the world's top ten naval powers—the Far Eastern Empire had no choice but to accept it.
Admittedly, while East Africa had been unprincipled, it still treated the Far Eastern Empire better than countries like Britain. Those other colonial powers were far more ruthless.
Ultimately, East Africa had simply taken advantage of the Far Eastern Empire's lack of understanding. The blame fell on its own diplomats. The Empire's modern foreign service had only begun in the 1870s, and East Africa's trickery actually spurred a greater interest in studying the Western world.
If other small countries like Greece, Portugal, Belgium, or Italy managed to pull the same tricks, it would be humiliating. And thanks to the East African episode, the Far Eastern Empire now had a clearer picture of what those smaller nations were capable of.
Poor Portugal had been downgraded after the East-Portuguese War. Portuguese merchants no longer dared to swagger around the Far Eastern Empire.
"Ambassador Richard, we will allow your country to develop the southern Ryukyu Islands. But any trouble from Japan will be yours alone to handle."
Li Hongzhang had no other option. His navy wasn't yet strong enough. Besides, the navy was his own lifeblood—better to let East Africa and Japan fight it out.
"Hahaha, no problem. As long as your country agrees, we'll handle the rest. We won't trouble you further."
East Africa moved swiftly. Though their ironclads would take time to arrive, they had many merchant ships in the Far East. With the Empire's approval, they began openly transporting troops and supplies to the southern Ryukyu Islands.
Troops were easy to justify—as security personnel protecting East Africa's commercial interests. Local factions and officials weren't pushovers, and Ernst knew that well. Cooperation with them required strength.
The excuse was perfectly valid: protecting East African economic interests. They claimed to be setting up an island-based economic zone in the Pacific.
In other words, it was like a leased colonial territory. The Ryukyu Kingdom was just a vassal of the Far Eastern Empire and wasn't taken too seriously.
The main reason East Africa was trusted was because it had no history of foul play. Though it had set up two economic zones in the Far East, those were strictly for business—to avoid competition and simplify trade. In those zones, East Africa had some privileges, but sovereignty remained with the Far Eastern Empire, and only economic matters required negotiation.
This time, the Far Eastern Empire assumed the southern Ryukyu Islands would follow the same model—and might even check Japanese aggression.
But neither the Far Eastern Empire nor Japan expected East Africa to aim for outright control. East Africa planned to turn the islands into a dependent territory.
The East African government immediately sent telegrams to commercial ships in the Zhuhai Trade Zone, ordering them to begin military construction on the islands. The East African army and navy would soon follow.
By the time Japan realized what was happening, East Africa's ironclads would already be in place. At this point in history, Japan still bowed to Western powers and knew how to act submissively.
In fact, the southern Ryukyu Islands weren't particularly close to Japan. Otherwise, Japan wouldn't have let the dispute drag on with the Far Eastern Empire. While East Africa was farther away, it had support from the Far Eastern Empire and the Lanfang overseas province—making control of the islands quite manageable.
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