Chapter 127: Inquiry
The Las Campoli trading market played a crucial role in broadening the sales of East African commodities, such as grain. However, it was essential to sell these goods promptly, as they were time-sensitive and could expire or deteriorate if not sold in time.
One of the commodities available in the market was sisal fabric, which was produced in large quantities in the East African colonies. However, its sales in the European market were limited, as European merchants often preferred to buy hemp rope directly or process sisal fiber themselves.
The Las Campoli trading market was also an attempt to establish land trade routes in East Africa. There were plans to form caravans that would traverse the land route from East Africa to Egypt. Egypt's strategic location on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea made it an ideal destination for land and sea trade routes. European ships could directly reach Alexandria in Egypt, and it served as a vital land connection between Africa and Asia.
Two main land trade routes were under consideration. One was the eastern route, passing through Somalia or eastern Ethiopia, and the other was the western route, traveling north from South Sudan, passing through Sudan to Egypt. While land trade routes were less efficient and costlier than sea routes, they provided an additional option for trade, especially in case of potential sea blockades.
Meanwhile, on the Great Lake (Lake Victoria), the newly established Neihu Army in East Africa had received its first batch of engines and was conducting its first long-distance voyage. They embarked on a mission to explore the western region of the Great Lake, well-prepared with weapons, dry food, and fuel.
The Neihu Army was led by Werner Joli, an experienced sailor from Trieste in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Most of the sailors in the Neihu Army had coastal backgrounds, making them suitable for naval operations. Their mission took them to the west bank of the Great Lake, where they encountered unfamiliar terrain.
After landing, the team found a suspected road, which was about one meter wide, raised suspicions of being a native footpath. Despite initial skepticism from some team members, Werner Joli believed it to be a man-made road and decided to follow it to investigate further.
Their journey along the road eventually led them to an abandoned indigenous village. However, this village was different from what they had encountered before. It appeared to have been evacuated abruptly, with signs of destruction such as damaged totems and scattered bones around a bonfire.
Werner Joli and his team recognized that something tragic had happened in the village, possibly at the hands of hostile forces. Their discovery raised concerns about the presence of cannibal tribes in the region, a grim reality in some parts of Africa.
To avoid any potential danger, Werner Joli ordered the team to set fire to the abandoned village, erasing it from existence. With the flames behind them, the group began their journey back, leaving the village and its unsettling history behind.