Chapter 352: Sea Coachmen in the East Indian Ocean
Understanding the enemy was paramount to Samuel, even when dealing with indigenous adversaries. While he knew the Abyssinian Empire to some extent, the full picture of the enemy remained elusive. Gathering intelligence was crucial before taking further action.
However, before delving into Abyssinian intelligence, Samuel had two pressing matters to address. The first was the housing problem for his troops, a task he considered manageable. Assab City, though small, could accommodate a division of soldiers. To resolve this issue, they could utilize the existing infrastructure of Assab Port to construct additional housing. The challenge lay in sourcing building materials.
Looking at the barren desert outside the city, Samuel knew that wood and other construction materials were scarce. The majority of structures in Assab City were made of mud, a suitable choice considering the lack of rainfall in the tropical desert climate.
But where could they find materials for construction in this arid environment? Samuel turned to Sapeto for guidance.
Samuel asked, "Mr. Sapeto, how have you and your employees typically addressed the supply problem in Assab?"
Sapeto explained that the population in Eritrea primarily resided in the north, where some rainfall was captured due to the terrain. However, the eastern lowlands, where Assab Port was located, was particularly arid. This region faced challenges in securing water and food.
Samuel realized the difficulty of sourcing food in such an environment and the importance of local food production. He expressed his concern about the kingdom's financial constraints and the need to find a cost-effective solution to supply the troops with food.
Sapeto suggested a temporary solution: ordering food from the Sultanate of Zanzibar. Samuel was intrigued but skeptical, questioning how a small island nation like Zanzibar could provide the cheapest food in the entire Indian Ocean.
Sapeto clarified that Zanzibar had German support, and German farmers in East Africa had excelled at agriculture. Over the past two years, Zanzibar had become active in the grain trade along the Indian Ocean coast. Their commercial fleet transported rice from North Africa and the Middle East. Sapeto also revealed that his company had been purchasing grain from Zanzibar merchants.
Samuel remained concerned about whether his soldiers would adapt to eating rice instead of the traditional Italian foods they were accustomed to.
Sapeto assured him, "Cheapness is the truth. They just need to eat more. Besides, you only need to solve the early-stage food supply problem. Once the kingdom occupies the Abyssinian Empire, it can grow wheat on a large scale."
Samuel inquired about the pricing and suggested buying flour directly from East Africa since pasta and pizza aligned better with Italian tastes.
Sapeto explained, "East African rice is 20% cheaper than flour," highlighting the cost-effectiveness of rice.
After a moment of contemplation, Samuel decided, "Then let's go with rice. The soldiers will get used to it. But why don't we buy it directly from East Africa? Why pay an extra fee through the Sultanate of Zanzibar?"
Sapeto offered a straightforward explanation. "There aren't enough ships in East Africa, so they focus on the European market. The Sultanate of Zanzibar has gathered numerous Arab businessmen who operate a significant portion of the ships in the western Indian Ocean. They trade under the Sultanate's banner, and Zanzibar merchants are now known as the sea coachmen of the Western Indian Ocean."
With this information, Samuel could see the practicality of sourcing food through Zanzibar, even though he hoped to reduce costs in the long term by growing food locally once they gained control of the Abyssinian Empire.
(end of this chapter)