The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria’s Mandate of Heaven - v3 Chapter 100
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War Court and Lap, Austria’s Mandate Chapter 100 Self-righteous Negro White Slave Traders Going to Fight for Freedom
“Mr. Benny, do you think this is still the era in the 15th and 16th centuries when a few merchants recruited some mercenaries and went to war with the country?”
This exchange with the other party made Franz feel that he was completely wasting his time. It is not uncommon for merchants to directly attack city-states in the early days of the Great Discovery Age.
However, with the development of the times, the proliferation of firearms, and the natural elimination of history, it is almost impossible for this situation to recur.
What’s more, a powerful empire like the Said Dynasty of Oman has a navy with 25 battleships with 58 guns, 38 frigates, 79 sailing boats, and hundreds of auxiliary ships, and the number of navy is as high as 32,000. Such a large number of enemies cannot be easily defeated only by relying on the armed forces of merchants.
Strictly speaking, the 58-gun battleships equipped by the Oman Navy can barely be regarded as frigates in Europe, and other types of ships are also shrunk versions.
The standards they follow are more like the maritime classification standards of the 18th century, and the number of sailors alone exceeds that of their Austrian counterparts.
In addition, the army of the Oman Empire has nearly 50,000 soldiers, including more than 15,000 cavalry. What’s even more frightening is that it is not difficult to support such a powerful army with the country’s financial capabilities, and their dominance in East Africa has even been recognized by the British.
Certainly not recognized by other countries, notably Portugal and France.
“You can laugh at my whimsy, but every European businessman who is still in Bagamoyo wants to have unimpeded free trade and power; every generation of Tanzania residents wants to get the Arabs out of their out of the land.”
In a sense, Benny Elbin is telling the truth in this passage.
Because after Oman acquired the vast territory of East Africa, on the one hand, it exploited the local indigenous tribes more cruelly through multi-pronged means such as monopolizing trade and launching slave hunting wars. Even salt and iron were raised to an almost unbelievable price.
On the other hand, the Oman Empire continued to squeeze out the passing Western businessmen in a semi-open manner, and even strictly prohibited those Western businessmen from participating in the slave trade, leaving it to the Arabs to monopolize it.
In addition, the commercial competition mechanism was introduced to attract Indian businessmen to East Africa and increase the export price of commodities, which caused successive setbacks to their Western counterparts.
“So, dreamer, what do you want?”
Franz still didn’t feel that the businessman in front of him was someone who could keep his promises.
After all, he was born too late to catch the train of the glorious era of great navigation, and he was born too early to catch up with the wave of national liberation; living in the present is doomed for him to fail to succeed, unless he has strength and ability. Intervene personally.
“I need five thousand rifles and twenty cannons!” Benny Erbin said seriously.
After listening to it, Franz and Friedrich couldn’t help laughing. After all, this requirement is too low. The total value of 5,000 rifles and twenty cannons of 6 or 8 pounds, even including freight, would not exceed 100,000 florins.
This is a difficult thing in the eyes of ordinary businessmen, but it is as simple as a little effort for the two of them.
Because after the Napoleonic Wars, major European countries all introduced measures to restrict the circulation of combat weapons among the people, and buying large quantities of them is simply impossible; even if they can get their wish, they have paid a very serious price; The French often sell to civilians at a level of 300% or 400% higher than the original price.
“And what do we get?” Franz asked.
“Bagamo is about 30% of the annual tax, as well as the ownership of the city. As long as you have the ability to drive away Said, the entire coast is yours.” Benny Elbin replied.
Said refers to the Sultan of Oman at this time. He was a very capable monarch, but he was also very hated.
30% taxation sounds like a lot, but in fact, as a port city with only 18,000 people, its most profitable industry, the slave trade, has been banned, so the actual tax revenue must be greatly reduced.
As for the “attractive” condition of “driving the Omanis away, you can get the entire coastline” mentioned by the other party, it is an out-and-out act of drawing big cakes.
It is obvious that the risk of this transaction is too high, and the return is not ideal, and it may even be a trap waiting for one’s own side to jump into it.
Moreover, Franz was inspired by the other party, and he had already thought of a better idea to manage this land.
“Let’s think it over again. Sir, it’s getting late, please go back.” In the end, Franz still hoped to send the other party away with a polite and decent gesture, hoping to give him a face.
“Why do you hesitate? I bet my life, and what you paid is only a small amount of weapons.”
Benny Elbin hoped to do his best to facilitate this deal, but unfortunately this kind of tactic was ineffective for Franz.
“Mr. Benny, life is precious and should not be taken lightly as a gamble. This is a blasphemy against God.”
Franz finally decided to use God to prevaricate the businessman in front of him.
It’s just that the other party looked like he didn’t give up until he achieved his goal. He wanted to go forward to continue the theory but was stopped by two soldiers.
“I am the prince of the Weijin Kingdom! With my identity, I can contact the indigenous tribes in Tanzania to fight against the Arabs! I only need 5,000 rifles and 20 cannons!…”
“But you don’t look like a black man either?” Friedrich thought the guy in front of him was very interesting~www.mtlnovel.com~ and became interested.
“I am an illegitimate child, and my mother is Dutch!” Benny Elbing saw the hope and was encouraged, so he continued, “There are 6,000 warriors in the Wegging Kingdom! My father is the great King Wegging, Ye Numbai!”
The illegitimate son of a black chief is not an honorable thing in this era, but what shocked Franz and Friedrich even more is that there is such a powerful presence in the interior of Tanzania, plus the aforementioned seven tribes said It may not be possible to fight the Oman Empire.
“Your Highness the black prince, why did you shoulder the fate of a slave trader?”
asked Friedrich, curious as to why a white man who identified himself as black would sell a black man.
“I knew you would definitely ask this question, because we are different from you! If my country does not rely on slave trade, it will lose a stable source of salt and iron.
You are all too clear about the importance of salt to people. And if there is no iron, we will not be able to protect our country and family!
Surrounded by tribes who are in the same situation as us, if we are to avoid the fate of being slaves, we must sell others into slavery, this is for survival!
But now the Omanis are here! We don’t even have a chance to survive, and they want to see us all as objects that can be enslaved at will.
My father, the great Ye Numbai, sent me to Europe with my mother, and what I saw were kingdoms without slaves.
We didn’t want to do that either. If you ask for money, we will give you money. If you ask for crops, we will give you crops. But please don’t enslave us, don’t kill us. We just want to live! “