African Entrepreneurship Record

Mosier’s recollection fully aligns with historical facts. Previously in Zamboanga, the most prosperous area of Mindanao Island, a dramatic population decline led to a near shutdown of productive activities. Only the plantations, factories, and workshops run by Spaniards and Chinese were spared from disaster.

However, with the loss of a vast population, all industries in Zamboanga basically ground to a halt. After all, without people, the supply of raw materials and market demand that the city originally had were halved. The Far East acted purely for the sake of destruction.

In the period that followed, Zamboanga continued to see a massive outflow of population, mainly the Spaniards engaged in commercial trade. After all, the raw materials and markets were destroyed by the Far East, making the prospect of wealth unattainable if they stayed, so it was better to leave outright.

This was not the end. The conflict between the Far East and the local Moro people lasted for nearly twenty years. Ultimately, the Far East eradicated the Moros through continuous immigration and military suppression, clearing the island entirely of the Green Sect population, although those who converted were naturally spared.

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The East African Central Government naturally received news of the Zamboanga tragedy, but nobody cared much. Firstly, the area was an overlooked colony. Secondly, the cleansing of the Moros by the Far East was a response to the Moros’ attitude towards the Far East.

As a nation born out of colonization, the Far East was lenient with the local aboriginals and did not seek to completely eradicate them. The main issue was that the Far East had never encountered indigenous people as resistant to the Far East as the Moros were.

Finally, Mindanao Island had a sparse population and was located in a remote area, so the impact was minimal. After all, no one would voice concern for the Moros, as everyone operates in the same manner.

The Spanish government also carried out massacres on Mindanao Island. However, the Spanish government also needed the Moros as labor for the construction of its colonies, whereas the Far East was not interested in the indigenous people, caring only for the land. Therefore, in the face of Moro resistance, the Far East would adopt a more brutal governance strategy than the Spanish government.

Those who disobey or are obstinate are simply sent to meet the Lord. Still, the Far East left a way out for the locals, such as converting to Christianity, which would naturally earn leniency. If they could not even do that, then they could only discuss matters personally with the elder of heaven, because the Moros are under the jurisdiction of Allah, and God would not blame the Far East.

Of course, the Spanish government was somewhat aware of the actions of the Far East on Mindanao Island and found them quite baffling.

The purpose of establishing colonies was naturally to make money. Yet, the actions of the Far East, such as not introducing external populations to Mindanao Island, raised the question as to when they could see a return on investment. After all, substantial money was spent to acquire Mindanao Island; costs for garrisoning troops, administrative management, and subsequent investments all required funding.

Ernst was naturally aware of this, but the economic value of Mindanao Island primarily lay in its minerals. Even if the Far East left them undeveloped, profits could still be made in the future.

As for population migration, it was much simpler, as it could be sourced from the Far East. A colony is not the homeland, so there is no need to worry about the problem of population structure. Having more Chinese immigrants than white people was not an issue. After all, the overseas province of Lan Fang serves as an example, where the white population was less than twenty percent.

Developing and administering Mindanao Island is a long-term process. Firstly, the scattered Moro people across the island make it very difficult to eradicate them completely.

The Vietnam War from the previous existence has already set a template, and the Far East would certainly not follow the United States in a deadlock, so the Far East’s strategy revolves primarily around ”compress, replace, weaken.”

The first step is to sever communication between Mindanao Island and the outside world, which is easily achieved by sealing off the coastal ports.

Subsequently, from coastal strongholds, suitable land is gradually occupied, destroying the Moros’ fields, homes, etc., thereby forcing them into primitive jungles.

Even though they escape into the jungle, the Far East can do nothing about it directly, but the regression of civilization, productivity, and the harsh rainforest conditions themselves can cause a decline in the Moro population.

Simultaneously, the Far East continually besieges the surrounding Moros, along with measures like setting fire to the mountains, making it hard for Moros who have reverted to jungle life to become a significant force.

Of course, the premise of doing so is that the Far East introduces a large influx of people, forming concentrated population areas to occupy the habitable land to achieve this purpose. Otherwise, if they retreat, these indigenous people will descend from the mountains, rendering the effort meaningless.

In reality, this amounts to a premeditated genocide that exceeds even what the Far East does on its own soil. In the homeland, many Black people at least have the overseas route to take, but the Moros do not even have the option of being exiled by the Far East. In this respect, on Mindanao Island, the Far East truly exemplifies the ”splendor” of 19th-century colonizers.

Thus, in a government meeting, Ernst straightforwardly said: ”In the coming decade, we will directly introduce a million Far East immigrants to populate Mindanao Island, as only then can the governance of Mindanao Island be stabilized.”

Introducing Chinese immigrants might be considered digging one’s own grave for other countries, but for a predominantly mixed-race nation like the Far East, there is no threat. Also, the upper echelons of Mindanao Island will definitely be dominated by East Africans, thus the Far East need not worry about future fragmentation of Mindanao Island.

Sincerely speaking, even with these distant colonies, feelings would fade over a few decades, just like the global colonies of the United Kingdom, which eventually disbanded.

Therefore, the Far East does not intend for these overseas colonies to become part of the Far East in the future but rather to form dependent entities that rely on the Far East for existence.

This is easily achievable given Mindanao Island’s location and history. Once the Philippines becomes independent, would they not be tempted? Would they not engage in claims of ”historical precedent”?

To not mention, why is Australia so wary of Indonesia? It’s because of Indonesia’s vast population. Similarly, in the future, the Philippines will likely experience an explosive population growth akin to the past, making Mindanao Island, once separated, tempting for the Philippines.

Likewise, the situation of the Lan Fang overseas province is even more complicated than that of Mindanao Island. At least Mindanao Island is geographically segregated from the Philippines, while the Lan Fang overseas province directly borders other countries.

Ernst could hardly guarantee that countries like Indonesia and Malaysia would not emerge in the future. After all, the Far East has already started to disassemble the South Sea Region. Undoubtedly, in Ernst’s eyes, this region should indeed be divided more finely. Just like how the seven thousand islands of the Philippines and the seventeen thousand islands of Indonesia formed a single nation in the past is absurd, and clearly a ”contribution” from countries like the Netherlands and Spain.

They merely tried to save trouble by lumping a bunch of islands together for ease of colonial rule. To Ernst, Indonesia should at least split into several to a dozen countries to make sense. Similarly, the past Philippines and Malaysia should likewise consider such a division.

Currently, the Far East lacks the capability to achieve such division, which would inevitably lead to conflict with the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. As the East African National Power grows, this day will eventually arrive.

Not to mention these countries, even Australia has great potential for exploitation in Ernst’s view. Besides valuing the Nanyang’s strategic maritime location, the Far East is most greedy for local resources. The reason Lan Fang overseas province became part of the Far East is largely due to its low population and resources, which are unlikely to become independent of the Far East in the future.

Mindanao Island is different, however. It is rich in mineral resources, with abundant coal, iron, and copper reserves. With coal and iron, the basic resources for industrial development are not lacking.

In Ernst’s plan, Mindanao Island’s future could involve enfeoffment. Sending one of his sons to be the king locally means that even if Mindanao Island becomes independent, it would form a link with the Far East and simultaneously help maintain the rule of the East African monarchy, serving a dual purpose.