African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 308: Chapter 295: Military Reshuffle

Italy is engulfed in flames of war, yet next to Venice, Trieste presents a different scene. After the outbreak of war, the transshipment of military supplies and the great demand spurred by the war allowed Trieste to reap the dividends of war.

Factories, including Heixinggen Food Processing Enterprises, increased their production of military supplies and then shipped them by sea to Venice and the Pope Country.

In the Port of Trieste, ships come and go, the wharf is bustling, yet a large area is cordoned off amidst the crowd.

Graduates from Heixinggen Military Academy arriving from the Heixinggen region are about to set sail from here to East Africa.

Except for thirty members heading to Austria’s Theresa Military Command Academy for further studies, all other graduates are here.

Ernst personally bid farewell to the Heixinggen students heading to East Africa. Without complex ceremonies, just before boarding, Ernst spoke a few more words at the dock.

Ernst: ”Your goal this time upon reaching East Africa is to elevate the theoretical study of the East African army to a new level and accelerate the modernization of the troops. Of course, do not underestimate the East African army; many of them have also fought numerous battles. Although they are not from military powerhouses like France, the difficulty isn’t necessarily less than the Franco-Prussian War. The East African army not only faces hostile indigenous forces but also needs to cope with harsh environments, something that cannot be felt in Europe. Sometimes the marching paths may be temporarily opened, and the indigenous forces are very agile; they might disappear into the mountains and forests right before the East African soldiers, and the enemy suddenly vanishing is a situation they might face. Moreover, they disband and regroup quickly, so deciding whether to pursue or not is crucial for the East African army, which has rich experience in dealing with guerrilla tactics, unlike the large troop battles in Europe. You’re going there to learn to adapt to local conditions, not to blindly believe in the knowledge from books, but to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of various potential enemies in East Africa. Know the enemy and know yourself, and you will be victorious in every battle.”

Students: ”Yes, Principal!”

Ernst waved his hand and said, ”Go ahead! Start a new journey.”

Amidst the roar of the steamships, the 70th batch of graduates from the Heixinggen Military Academy boarded the ship one after another, preparing to initiate a transformation of the East African Kingdom’s army.

Dealing with indigenous people every day, the combat capability of the East African army inevitably gets influenced by the indigenous; if suddenly starting a war with a slightly modernized country, the East African army might find itself at a disadvantage.

Therefore, the graduates from Heixinggen who participated in the Franco-Prussian War are going to carry out a major reform of the main forces of the East African Kingdom’s army, speeding up their understanding of modern warfare.

As for the non-primary forces, it’s unnecessary to reform them unless the vast territory of East Africa, poor transportation, numerous internal indigenous factions, and surrounding forces, along with a large defense pressure, are considered. Ernst would have wanted to disband them now.

Compared to the population, the current military strength of East Africa is excessive, reaching European levels of intensity; in reality, this is quite a formidable presence in Africa, only comparable to Egypt’s level.

Onboard the ships bearing the Austrian flag, some Heixinggen students are crossing the ocean for the second time, and others are students from mainland Germany.

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East Africa, First Town City.

East African Minister of Defense Arman reports to Constantine about the work content of East African retirees.

Arman: ”Your Majesty, this is the list of officers volunteering for retirement this time. A total of 407 people, with the lowest rank being platoon leader, and the highest rank being commander of the 23rd division. Many of them are veterans from the colonial era.”

The veterans from the colonial era refer to the mercenary groups initially hired by the Heixinggen consortium, and Arman was the leader of the mercenary group at that time.

Constantine received the list for review, noting that besides those who are aged, some are injured, with a small portion for other reasons.

Constantine: ”For those in the original mercenary groups wishing to retire in Germany, carefully calculate their salary and bonuses over the years, allowing them to retire to Europe comfortably. Personally, I will provide each of them with a bonus, and, if they wish to stay in East Africa, we welcome their families to settle here as well. As for the injured and retired personnel, arrange for them to work locally.”

The mercenary groups came to East Africa primarily for money, with most being retired military personnel from various German countries, making them generally older, with Arman being a representative.

Their families mostly reside in Europe, with roots in Germany, leading many to plan to leave East Africa and return to Germany after saving enough money, needing to enjoy life after years of hard work.

Arman also harbored this thought, but Constantine and Ernst did not intend to let him retire, which is why Arman’s family was specially arranged to live in First Town.

Upon hearing Constantine’s decision, Arman responded, ”Yes, Your Majesty, we will carefully verify according to the files next.”

Organizing officer retirement is to make space for the soon-to-arrive graduates from the Heixinggen Military Academy. In the past two years, due to the cessation of quick courses, the Heixinggen Military Academy hasn’t provided military personnel to East Africa.

After all, the regular academic system lasts three years, and this cohort of the Heixinggen Military Academy resumed the normal academic system three years ago.

Relying solely on volunteer retirement of officers certainly isn’t enough, so previously, East Africa dismissed a batch of incompetent individuals with negative records, discharging them from the military. Through these two actions, a large number of officers were retired.

Therefore, East Africa is currently generally lacking in military talent, not only high-end but also low-end, and the graduates from this cohort of the Heixinggen Military Academy will fill these gaps.

Arman: ”Your Majesty, there is one more matter. Our diplomatic personnel have been expelled by Mozambique. It’s said they didn’t even get to meet the new governor of Mozambique.”

Constantine: ”Oh! Do we have detailed information on this person?”

Arman: ”We learned from merchants in Maputo that this person comes from a military background. He was a general in the Portuguese mainland army, known not to be very tactful. It’s rumoured that he was sent to Mozambique because he was squeezed out by military factions. It’s said his military capability is decent; upon arriving in Mozambique, he immediately led troops to defeat the remaining forces of the Malawi Kingdom.”

Constantine: ”If that’s the case, we should be cautious of this person. Have the troops stationed at the Mozambique border remain vigilant. If there’s any movement from Mozambique, report immediately.”

The new governor of Mozambique appears to be difficult to deal with, compelling East Africa to consider that this Kaborrel might erratically challenge East Africa. Since Mozambique is surrounded by East African territory from a security perspective, Mozambique is certainly full of worries. East Africa’s expansion pace is terrifying, akin to a Russian Empire replica; while West and North Africa are somewhat stable, Southeast Africa is entirely under East Africa’s expansion pressure.