Chapter 457 Planting flags and occupying land
After taking care of the Dongwanlu government, the next person to enter the Lanfang Republic was the Hechingen Consortium. After leaving more than 300 armed forces in the Lanfang Republic, Archduke Ferdinand took the fleet eastward.
These three hundred armed men did not stop in Dongwanlu, but continued to Pontianak, a city in the Republic of Lanfang in the south.
Dongwanlu is built on the west bank of the Wanlu River, a tributary on the right bank of the Kunjiang River (Kapuas River), while Pontianak is located at the outlet of the Kunjiang River. It is an excellent port and is the largest city in Kalimantan. , the residents are mainly Chinese.
The straight-line distance between Dongwanlu and Pontianak is about 20 to 30 kilometers, so there are still differences between the two cities. Dongwanlu became the capital because of the gold mines. This is where the Lanfang Kingdom (company) made its fortune.
Pontianak has developed into the most economically outstanding city in the entire Kalimantan Island relying on convenient transportation conditions. Here, the East African Armed Forces have established contact with the Zanzibar Chamber of Commerce.
…
"Is Balabac Island ahead? It seems to be an uninhabited area similar to Sumatra! Find a place to dock." Archduke Ferdinand looked at the environment of Balabac Island with a telescope.
Logically speaking, Balabac Island should belong to the Spanish Philippine Colony, guarding the Balabac Strait, with Kalimantan Island to the west and the Philippine Islands to the east.
However, East Africa does not recognize this kind of default territory, because Balabac Island is really an uninhabited area as Ferdinand said.
In the previous life of the 21st century, the total population of Balabac Island was just over 15,000, and its main products were shells and coconuts. Now, except for a sparse indigenous tribe, there are really no people on Balabac Island.
This island has no economic value at all, and its strategic status cannot be reflected at all. After all, Kalimantan and the Philippine Islands are both quite backward areas.
The strategic value of Balabac Island will not be realized until later generations of Americans set up military bases here. In fact, the purpose of setting up military bases by the United States is to cause trouble for the Far Eastern powers in the South China Sea. Of course, there are also later generations where Southeast Asia's economy has developed well. The reasons have given Southeast Asia a certain position in the world economic map, at least better than Africa.
Archduke Ferdinand and his fleet found a place to land and prepared to spend the night here. He planted the East African flag on the beach.
"From today on, this is the territory of our East African Kingdom!"
In this way, the Kingdom of East Africa has its first colony in the Southeast Asia region. In fact, it is not correct to call it a colony. There are not even a few people on Balabac Island. To colonize, you must have people to colonize.
In the following days, Archduke Ferdinand led the navy to build a simple military fortress at the landing site, leaving twenty or thirty people and some supplies to prepare to start heading north.
It is not possible to leave no supplies. Balabac Island has no economic foundation at all. The entire island is a tropical rain forest. We cannot let the people left behind just eat coconuts to satisfy their hunger.
The occupation of Balabac Island is so simple and unpretentious. There are many such unclaimed lands in the Pacific. In the previous life, Germany planted its flag on uninhabited islands in the Pacific like East Africa and acquired a large number of overseas colonies, such as the German Marshall Islands in the previous life. Nauru Island in the Archipelago Protected Area.
Ernst knew that Nauru was rich in guano resources, but the destination of the East African Navy's first voyage was not there. The East African Navy had a lot of lessons to make up for, so it took Balabac Island to practice first.
The so-called biting off more than one can chew means that East Africa does not have the ability to enclose large-scale islands in the Pacific. Take Balabac Island, for example, which is part of the Palawan Islands in the Philippine Islands.
In later generations, this place should belong to the Philippines, which is now the Spanish East Indies, but just claiming it is of no use. I am afraid that the Germans on Balabac Island will have to wait for many years until the Spanish discover it, because these islands The population is too sparse. Finding the Germans on Balabac Island is probably as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack, and the Spaniards wouldn't care if they found it. Balabac Island has nothing but rainforest.
Just like Nauru Island, it was the British who discovered Nauru Island, but it was not until 1888 that Germany designated Nauru Island as its own colony among a pile of scraps. At that time, no one knew about the guano (phosphate) on the island. The value of Nauru without guano would probably remain unknown. There is not even guano on Balabac Island, so what is the point of East Africa occupying Balabac Island? In addition to training the navy, the most important thing is to use this place as a springboard. To the east is Mindanao Island in the Philippines, to the north is Palawan Island, to the west is Kalimantan Island, to the northwest is the South China Sea, and to the northwest of Balabac Island is the Far East The empire is a bunch of islands in the South China Sea.
"The supplies left behind are enough for you to stay here for three months. When we arrive in Zhuhai, we will send a message to the country. Save the ammunition and be prepared in case you encounter savages."
Savages are real savages. There are also savages in the Congo rainforest in East Africa. They are different from ordinary indigenous people. No matter how backward the indigenous people are, they still have tribal civilizations. The savages cannot even be compared with the tribes.
"At this location, if you want to explore the interior of the island, it's best to go together. However, don't go deep unless there is a serious situation. There are usually swamps or dangerous creatures in the rainforest area. Although I don't know if there are any on Balabala Island, it's better to be careful. "
Before boarding the ship, Archduke Ferdinand carefully told the soldiers who were left behind that this was indeed a difficult task.
The difficulty of survival in the tropical rainforest is probably only slightly higher than that in northern Siberia. Fortunately, Balabac Island is not large, otherwise the traffic problem alone would be enough to make one's scalp numb.
The difference between a rainforest and an ordinary forest is that there is deep water, which is also an important reason why the rainforest is difficult to develop. After all, it is the rainy season all year round, and it can rain at any time. Even setting fire to the mountains will not work.
The situation on Balabac Island is better, it is smaller, and it is easier to discharge rainwater into the sea. If it is a large island like Papua New Guinea, it will produce large-scale wetland swamps.
In fact, this can be seen from the neighboring island of Kalimantan, but Kalimantan still has a relatively large population and a higher level of civilization.
…
It took eight days for Archduke Ferdinand to finally arrive at the Zhuhai port area of the Far Eastern Empire with his fleet. Archduke Ferdinand finally had the opportunity to personally see the largest ancient civilization in the world.
"The agriculture in the Far East is very developed, and the urban population is comparable to that of Europe. If you consider its area and population, the potential of this country is indeed too great."
Archduke Ferdinand made a relatively high evaluation when he first arrived in the Far East, but there was one thing that really made him uncomfortable, and that was the strange hair accessories of the Far Eastern Empire.
"Your Excellency, there is no need to be surprised. The Far Eastern Empire has a long history, but our understanding of the Far Eastern Empire in the West only stops at the stereotype of the Qing dynasty. In fact, it can be seen from the ancient paintings of the Far East more than two hundred years ago. They don't wear hair like that."
"I know this. There are many Far Eastern paintings in Ernst's collection, but people can only feel it when they go deep into the environment. I have seen their images in books before, but after coming to the Far East, I found this experience It can only be understood but cannot be expressed in words."
Archduke Ferdinand feels that he can only use the word "weird" to describe it, without any derogatory meaning. The most popular hairstyle for men in East Africa is the buzz cut. Therefore, except for skin color, Ferdinand feels that the East Asian immigrants in East Africa are not much different from those in Europe. They are different, and they appear to be very energetic, but the Far Eastern Empire gives them the impression of being malnourished, sallow and thin, and even not as mentally healthy as the black people in East Africa.
This is certain. Before the Germans colonized the country, black people lived on abundant natural resources and had no worries. They hunted when they were hungry, picked wild fruits, and could also engage in activities, dance, and draw tattoos.
With rich meat supplements, good food, good sleep, and no worries, can your mental state be good? On the contrary, after the Germans arrived, his mental state declined rapidly.
(End of this chapter)