Chapter 178: Yeke Kingdom
Karl shared his extensive experiences with everyone, detailing the landscapes he had witnessed throughout his life. Despite being roughly the same age as the villagers, Karl's life had taken him through the Far East, Germany, and East Africa, including school and factory work. His experiences were undeniably more diverse than those of the young people from rural areas in Germany and Austria.
As evening descended, the group herded the cattle back toward the village, concluding another typical day.
...
In Mbeya, a meeting was in progress for the Central and South African region. Merke, the military chief of Mbeya City, reported the situation to the city's high-level government officials and a commissioner dispatched by the central government.
Merke stood before a map and pointed to it as he spoke, "This is Mbeya. As the most significant city in the southwestern region of East Africa, Mbeya is not only rich in resources but also a vital military town, guarding the East African plateau that leads to the South African highlands."
He continued, "To the east, we have the East African Plateau, which forms the core of our East African territory. Moving westward from the East African Plateau, we encounter the large dotted region, which is the Congo rainforest. Beyond the southern edge of the Congo rainforest lies the South African plateau."
"The South African Plateau is different from the East African Plateau. While the East African Plateau is one contiguous landmass, the South African Plateau consists of several smaller plateaus. These include the Katanga Plateau, Lunda Plateau, Kuango Plateau, Biye Plateau, and more."
"Take a look here, everyone. This location is the Katanga Plateau, situated northeast of the South African Plateau, with a connection to our East Africa. This is the focus of our current endeavors."
Merke explained the geography of Central and South Africa and the relationship between East Africa to those gathered. He then returned to his seat.
"Very well! It appears that you have done your homework," remarked Wei Te, the central commissioner. "I am here with instructions from His Royal Highness, and our mission is crucial to East Africa's future business strategy in Central and South Africa. Mbeya serves as the vanguard for this operation. Merkel, your garrison in Mbeya should be familiar with the forces surrounding East Africa, but I'll provide a brief overview for everyone."
Merke sat at the conference table and began, "Mr. Commissioner and esteemed colleagues, the forces around Mbeya primarily consist of two entities. Firstly, to the south of Lake Malawi lies the Kingdom of Malawi."
"However, our current objective does not pertain to Malawi, so I will focus on the forces situated on the Katanga Plateau to the west of us. This is our target."
"To the west, on the Katanga Plateau, there exists the Yeke Kingdom, also known as the Msiri Kingdom. The Yeke Kingdom is relatively young, having been established several decades before East Africa."
Merke continued, "Its founder was a slave trader named Msiri. Msiri was originally a native of the Tanganyika region and the son of a porter for an Arab merchant."
"This Msiri was well-versed in various fields. He engaged in trade with the Arabs, acquiring both firearms and the trust of local chiefs. Leveraging these advantages, he waged wars and gradually expanded his territory, eventually establishing the Yeke Kingdom."
Merke paused to take a sip of water before continuing, "The Yeke Kingdom maintained its local dominance through firearms obtained from Arab merchants. When we initially established the Malawi Lake District, known as the capital of Mbeya, we clashed with the Yeke Kingdom. They possessed superior firepower compared to the local indigenous forces."
"However, the Yeke Kingdom had a significant vulnerability: they depended on the Arabs for ammunition. We disrupted the Arab supply routes, leaving the Yeke Kingdom with one less source of ammunition."
"But at the time, our interests didn't lie in the Yeke Kingdom. We had a small population and didn't pursue further conflict after repelling their attacks. Subsequently, our development required a considerable number of slaves. To address this, we collaborated with the Yeke Kingdom. East Africa supplied them with ammunition, and in return, the Yeke Kingdom provided us with slaves."
The cooperation between the Yeke Kingdom and East Africa was born out of necessity. The Yeke Kingdom had little choice. They had no source of ammunition, making their firearms useless. Furthermore, their brutal rule led to internal unrest.
At the beginning of their confrontation, the East African colonies did not target the Yeke Kingdom specifically. Instead, they were responding to the Yeke Kingdom's initial attacks. However, the Yeke Kingdom soon found itself at a disadvantage. Their weapons had become obsolete, and their prior dominance over neighboring indigenous forces waned. They also faced internal uprisings.
The Yeke Kingdom's rule began to falter, but fortunately, the East African colonies recognized the importance of slaves for their development. With no native populations in East Africa to provide slaves, they had to obtain them from elsewhere. The Yeke Kingdom, given its prior involvement in the slave trade, was a suitable partner. East Africa simply had to supply ammunition to maintain the cooperation.
While the Yeke Kingdom couldn't profit from this arrangement, they saw it as a better alternative to subjugation by the East African colonies. They accepted East Africa's proposal and acted as agents in the slave trade, costing them only a small amount of ammunition.
Merke concluded, "So, the Yeke Kingdom's cooperation with East Africa wasn't a willing choice but rather a desperate one. They didn't want to be dominated and saw no other viable options. With our ammunition supply, they could rebuild their military strength and maintain their rule."
"However, they are not our primary focus. What we need now is the entire Katanga Plateau, and although we can acquire slaves from various sources, the Yeke Kingdom remains a hindrance to our development."
At this point, Sitte, a government official from Mbeya, interrupted with a different perspective, "Mr. Commissioner, I have an idea. It might be possible to conquer the entire Katanga Plateau at minimal cost."