Chapter 181: The Armed Mission
February 14, 1869.
A group of over fifty people set out for the capital city of the Yeke Kingdom, led by Merck, who, half a month earlier at the expansion meeting in Mbeya, had vowed to wage war against the Yeke Kingdom.
Marching on the savanna was somewhat challenging, especially on foot. Siweite had provided them with horse-drawn carriages, but the group could only take turns resting in the carriages. It wasn't that Siweite was stingy; rather, horse-drawn carriages were a strategic resource in East Africa and were relatively scarce.
These fifty-odd individuals were clearly regular East African troops based on their weaponry—uniform Dreise rifles, clean and tidy, and no gaps in their Prussian-style uniforms. They also carried simple grenades produced by the East African arsenal at their belts.
"It's unbearably hot!" Merck said to his companions, wiping the sweat from his face with a handkerchief.
"What's this? You're living in comfort without realizing it. On the eastern coast, the heat is truly deadly. In the inland highlands, it's mostly that the sunlight is intense. It's nothing compared to the eastern coastal areas," Becker remarked to Merck.
This Becker was the one who had cut Merck short at the end of the expansion meeting—the "sixth man" whose suggestion was greatly appreciated by Siweite. Becker had thus been entrusted with the crucial task of leading this mission to the Yeke Kingdom, while Merck was responsible for security on the journey.
"Mr. Becker, do you think Msiri will accept our goodwill?" Merck asked, referring to Msiri.
"Heh, right now Msiri has no options left. If he doesn't rely on us, his kingdom could be destroyed. Msiri is a smart man; he knows how to choose," Becker said confidently.
"It's not that I don't understand the situation in the Yeke Kingdom, but Msiri is like many other local rulers—his personality can't be judged by normal human standards. Our scouts say he's gone mad, carrying out large-scale killings in his kingdom. I don't know the exact details, but the scouts say his behavior is worse than that of a beast," Merck replied cautiously.
East Africa had placed many spies around the East African colony, some posing as explorers, others as merchants. They often mimicked Arabs and Portuguese, as those were the two groups East Africa focused on imitating.
Now, in south-central Africa, East Africa disguised itself mostly as Portuguese, gathering local intelligence and information about the terrain. For many indigenous forces west of the colony, East Africa had become an infamous menace—leaving the land but not the people—giving East Africa a terrible reputation among the indigenous peoples on both sides of the Congo Rainforest in central and southern Africa.
The tribes and kingdoms driven out by East Africa had spread word of the colony's name throughout the Congo region, from central and west-central Africa to south-central Africa. Thus, East Africa's spies in these areas could only pose as foreigners. They could never appear openly under the East African flag.
For instance, in south-central Africa, even though it was deep inland, some Portuguese merchants still did business there. Quite a few of them had even settled down on that land, so East Africa's spies often operated in south-central Africa disguised as Portuguese merchants.
Becker smiled slightly at Merck. "Msiri is indeed cruel, but he's practical. He's well aware of who can offer him tangible benefits. His entire domain depends on modern firearms to suppress local forces and tribes. The Yeke Kingdom he established has existed for only a few decades, and its territory was basically seized through conquest. Many of the indigenous people are unwilling to submit. Plus, his family once worked for Arab merchants, so he's one of the few Africans who's seen a bit of the wider world. That alone keeps him from acting rashly against us."
"Mr. Becker, that's just the ideal scenario. Msiri has been king of the Yeke Kingdom for more than a decade, and he's becoming increasingly brutal. I'm starting to wonder if his mind is sound. If he really has gone mad, we might…" Merck began, but Becker cut him off.
"Don't speak discouragingly. Our group of over fifty armed men isn't just here for show. Msiri's musketeer force might be around a hundred men at most, and they have outdated equipment. Their ammunition also comes from East Africa. If he doesn't deploy all his troops, I'm not sure who would come out on top if a fight breaks out."
Merck agreed with this assessment. Though Becker was a civil official, he was no stranger to military affairs. Most officials in East Africa either came from the military or graduated from the Heixingen Military Academy, and Becker himself had fought in plenty of tough battles for East Africa.
Moreover, Becker had served in Mbeya before Merck arrived. Merck had been transferred from the eastern region to Mbeya, while Becker had once been a soldier in Mbeya before joining the civil service. He'd been there a few months longer than Merck.
"Still, caution is best. Personally, I believe we should have just decided to send in the troops right from the start. With these local rulers, you have to use 'hard logic.' If we try all the civilized methods on them, they might not cooperate. And, compared to the Yeke Kingdom, our group is too small. I'm worried they'll try to swarm us with sheer numbers," Merck said. Although the diplomatic mission to the Yeke Kingdom was already underway, he still clung to his initial stance of direct warfare.
"Sure, our mission could be risky. But you have to consider all angles. Right now, East Africa is developing rapidly, and every war interrupts that progress. Take the northwestern campaign, for example. The entire colony's resources were diverted to the northwest, causing development in East Africa to nearly grind to a halt. Granted, the gains from that campaign were significant, making it worth our while. If we were to send troops directly against the Yeke Kingdom, we'd naturally have no problem.
"But if we can seize the Yeke Kingdom at a smaller cost, wouldn't that be better? Yes, there's some risk in doing things this way, but it's worth trying for East Africa. After all, this is our first time dealing with such local rulers via diplomacy, and even if we fail, we'll gain valuable experience for East Africa. And if we succeed, our credit will be equal to that of winning a large-scale war, don't you think, Mr. Merck?" Becker said.
In truth, that last statement was the main point. Compared to a war, if the mission to the Yeke Kingdom succeeded, Merck and Becker stood to gain a great deal of credit. Military achievements from war have to be shared with many, and as a civil official, Becker would get next to nothing. Merck might be the military commander in Mbeya, but if an actual war broke out, the colony could easily send in troops from elsewhere or even parachute in a renowned general like Felix to take charge.
The Yeke Kingdom was a piece of the pie. The more people involved, the smaller the slice each would get. Becker, being a civil official, was not willing to settle for that. That's why he proposed the diplomatic mission to the Yeke Kingdom. If it worked, as the person who came up with and carried out the plan, he'd share a substantial reward—certainly not below second place, given that above him were the commissioner and the high-ranking officials of the Great Lakes region. With the commissioner present, no other official would dare seize Becker's credit. As for Commissioner Siweite, Becker knew how to handle that part of social etiquette. But in this, he was somewhat underestimating Siweite's character.
Siweite, one of the best graduates of the Heixingen Military Academy, had gained Ernst's favor, who kept Siweite under his wing for direct mentoring. At that time, there were only four or five top graduates in the academy. Officially, Siweite should have gone on to further study in Berlin's military school, but Ernst personally dispatched him to East Africa to oversee military affairs, and in the end, Siweite became part of the colony's highest leadership. Ernst's trust in him was clear, and Siweite was intensely loyal in return, belonging to Ernst's inner circle.
Siweite effectively served as Ernst's proxy in the East African colony, carrying out Ernst's orders with precision. His position in East Africa was already at the top, so he had no need of additional honors, and thus wouldn't covet Becker's achievements.
Meanwhile, Merck's thinking mirrored Becker's. Although Merck was eager for war, Becker's plan was more appealing. Both men had started out as early German mercenaries. Once their contracts were up, they would have to return to Europe. Any feats accomplished in East Africa would yield real money, directly affecting their lives in retirement. Hence, the diplomatic mission to the Yeke Kingdom went ahead.
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