CHAPTER 545: CHAPTER 223: PLOTTING RYUKYU

"This is East Africa, it looks quite prosperous, similar to Jiaozhou."

"Obviously it’s because some parts of Jiaozhou’s architecture were built by Germans, so it should be Jiaozhou that resembles German, not the other way around."

"East Africa defeated Portugal, making it one of the strong countries, so be careful from now on and avoid trouble."

"Yes, my lord."

It was obvious that this was a group of Far Easterners disembarking in Dar es Salaam. They were easily recognizable by their queues and their official attire, making it hard for them not to be identified.

Some of the Far Eastern commoners were too familiar with this attire, and some even reminisced the past, feeling a mixture of emotions.

"What’s this bunch of pompous people doing in our great East Africa?"

A curious white immigrant asked: "Gleid, these seem like the Far Easterners’ images I’ve seen before in European newspapers, were you like this in the past?"

Gleid quickly shook his head in denial: "I was nothing like them before. Look at their clothes, though peculiar, they are also flamboyant. These clothes are clearly beyond ordinary people’s reach, and only officials can afford to wear them. Folks like us wouldn’t dare overstep."

"In this aspect, everyone is quite similar. I’ve heard that in the Far East, nobility can be ascended through examinations, isn’t that wonderful?"

"In Germany, you can also change your fate through military service, and in my view, joining the military has much lower barriers than taking exams. I was illiterate before, whereas you’ve had an education."

The East African populace had gotten used to conversing in German, so the Far Eastern officials couldn’t understand what was being said. Of course, the translators could understand but deemed it unnecessary to relay the information to these Far Eastern officials.

This time, the Far Eastern authorities weren’t pretending like before; they genuinely wanted to engage with East Africa. Since East Africa had gained international recognition by defeating Portugal and its influence in the Far East, especially in the north, was growing, interaction with East Africa was inevitably on the agenda. This visit was also to assess the country’s situation in East Africa.

The country of Portugal, to put it bluntly, isn’t that powerful; their track record is quite unimpressive. They have mixed results against Africans and Arabs and don’t excel in Latin America, but their influence in the Far East isn’t weak.

For instance, this Portuguese colony can be considered one of the earliest colonial territories of the powers in the Far East. While it’s said not to dwell on past glories, Portugal was truly valiant back then.

Additionally, the Portuguese are skilled at leveraging overseas, if not for East Africa’s formidable strength, they might have succeeded in their previous plan with the British.

After all, everyone mingles in the same place. While other regional countries might not understand Portugal, the Germans do.

And the Far East was genuinely intimidated by the West, with fear etched into their bones. Of course, this has to do with the social climate in the Far East. Japanese people are quintessentially respectful outwardly but truly bold at heart; Japan thrives on militarism, so they dare to challenge strong nations.

After all, they even commit seppuku, being so harsh on themselves, they are even harsher on outsiders.

Currently, Japan seems more clear-headed, acting subservient in front of Western countries. Ernst doesn’t mean to say Japan has self-awareness, but they are undoubtedly lunatic enough.

And to keep Japan honest, a good thrashing is inevitable. This way, they can truly recognize their place, and national characteristics are reflected no matter what.

For instance, Germany’s rough diplomacy has a lot to do with its military admiration, whereas Austria is just the opposite, strong in diplomatic talent but mediocre in military capability.

However, Austria’s diplomatic talent currently faces a talent gap, while Germany produced a genius diplomat like Bismarck, reversing the roles.

So, nothing is absolute. If Austria had a Bismarck-like figure, they might rise again.

Of course, East Africa continues to learn from Austria-Hungary in diplomacy, not Germany. Germany had Bismarck, but that was a flash in the pan, emphasizing personal talent. Austria’s diplomatic capability aligns with most historically long-standing nations’ experience, being seasoned in methods.

Speaking of seasoned methods, the Far Eastern empire is the true cunning fox, with the richest experience, but their current diplomacy is so mature that it doesn’t yield any effect.

Especially since they haven’t shifted their mindset, the West is now the rule-setter, and Oriental wisdom isn’t yet compatible with Western diplomatic rules.

If they thoroughly understood Western rules, the Far East could outplay the Western countries. Ernst wasn’t talking nonsense; even America was annoyed in the previous era, ignoring all the contract spirit and such commitments.

The nation with the highest diplomatic level in this era is Britain. Diplomacy is linked with national power; the stronger the comprehensive national strength, the greater the diplomatic maneuvering space, and the more room diplomatic officials have to perform. After all, even a clever woman can’t cook without rice, and the phrase "Weak nations have no diplomacy" isn’t just talk.

For example, Britain can diplomatically fail repeatedly but can back it up with strong comprehensive national strength. If a weak country fails diplomatically, it might be completely doomed, as Afghanistan experienced before when it allied with Russia and got swallowed up by Britain.

In short, diplomacy is crucial, but ultimately, the ceiling of diplomatic capability is determined by comprehensive national power. The stronger the power, the higher the diplomacy’s ceiling, and the diplomatic level is also a reflection of comprehensive national strength.

Many countries fawn over Britain because it is the world’s overlord. Just like many countries cheered behind America in the previous era.

Of course, East Africa is aligned with Germany and Austria, so it doesn’t need to overly cater to Britain. This also indicates that Britain’s status as the world overlord in this era is far less solidified than America’s overlord status in the previous era.

The Far Eastern Empire cannot follow East Africa’s path. At least East Africa has Germany and Austria as allies. Around the Far Eastern Empire, it can be said there’s a pack of wolves: England, France, Japan, and Russia, each with their ambitions. The only ones who might still listen to the Far East are Korea and Ryukyu.

However, according to Ernst’s understanding, Ryukyu might not exist next year. East Africa couldn’t intervene in Ryukyu matters, as it’s too far from East Africa. But next year, East Africa’s navy could fish in troubled waters and gain some benefits.

It’s not because of an interest in the Ryukyu Islands, but rather as a mere convenience. East Africa has always wanted to establish a stable route from East Africa to Alaska, so some islands in the Pacific region are needed as bases to establish contact between East Africa and Alaska.

In Nanyang, East Africa has the Lan Fang overseas province as a foothold, within the jurisdiction of the East African navy. However, the distance between the East African navy and Alaska is too great, with two major oceans in between, and only the line from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean to reach Alaska is the most reliable.

Therefore, in 1880, East Africa plans to identify some islands in the Pacific region as future East African overseas colonies to ensure maritime interests. After all, the East African navy is among the top ten globally, so having a few colonies isn’t excessive.

And the southern islands of the Ryukyu Islands are part of East Africa’s plan, combined with East Africa’s commercial needs in the Far Eastern Empire’s solid Huaihai Economic Zone and Zhuhai Trade Region, thus necessitating its own base in the Asia-Pacific region to protect the maritime trade route from East Africa to the Far East and Alaska.