African Business Chronicles

Chapter 36 – The Coastal District

"Everyone, listen up—five-kilometer weighted cross-country march begins now!"

In the midst of rain, the newly formed Chinese militia of the East African colony advanced under heavy loads.

It was April in East Africa, and the rainy season was in full swing. But the new colonial troops still had to train. Time had passed quickly, and the East African colony had already begun expanding its presence throughout the interior.

After the advance teams departed, the area near Dar es Salaam—the entry point for all Chinese immigrants—didn't stall in its development. First Town remained the gateway for all newcomers; every migrant stayed there temporarily before being redistributed to other settlements.

Now, the colonial administration was preparing to build new towns, pushing development north of First Town. That region had broader plains and represented the most fertile stretch of the Tanzanian coastal plain.

While Dar es Salaam belonged to the Zanzibar Sultanate, which technically controlled the entire East African coast, the inland plains beyond the shore were sparsely populated. Zanzibar's real power base was on Zanzibar Island and the port of Dar es Salaam, with very few people spread across other coastal zones.

That gave the East African colony an opening. To maximize land acquisition, Ernst's colonial government decided not to build more outposts directly around First Town, but rather to create three new settlements farther away—at Msolwa, Pongwe, and Manda.

With First Town (Mlandizi) as the starting point, connecting through Msolwa, Pongwe, Manda, and Second Town (Ruvu), plus the already-established Third Town (Kitonga), the colony formed a massive loop. Altogether, the area now covered nearly 3,500 square kilometers—enough to justify the formation of a formal administrative unit: the Coastal District.

The Coastal District initially included six towns, with First Town as the administrative center. It became the first organized subdivision in the colony.

But land doesn't just appear out of nowhere—clearing out the native tribes was essential. After nearly a year of development, there were already more than 18,000 Chinese immigrants living near the colony's three main towns.

To secure the area, a 2,000-man militia was organized to sweep the region and remove any remaining indigenous groups.

Weapons had long been stockpiled. Now, with just a brief training period, they could be distributed to the troops and put to use.

Since it was still rainy season, the weather often interfered with drills. But the German officers didn't care—every soldier was expected to complete daily training on time.

New recruits crawled through muddy fields as gunfire echoed around them—part of their training to build courage.

Their opponents were not particularly dangerous—mostly small tribes hiding in the forest. Larger tribes to the west had already been sold into slavery by the Zanzibar Sultanate.

Zanzibar could intimidate tribal groups, but they didn't dare mess with the heavily armed East African colony. The two sides maintained a kind of quiet balance.

Ironically, Zanzibar had begun depending on the colony economically. The East African colony captured slaves and harvested ivory, delivering them straight to Zanzibar's doorstep.

The Sultanate of Zanzibar handled overseas sales through Arab merchants, and the East African colony's activity actually contributed to Zanzibar's bizarre form of prosperity.

…

Several days later.

Manda, the northernmost town in the Coastal District.

"Hurry! Even if we can't catch them, we can't let them double back—fire!"

Bang… bang… bang…

The panicked tribesmen sprinted north.

"These guys are fast," one recruit muttered.

"That's because they're hunters," his comrade replied. "They spend every day chasing animals—or being chased by them. You try outrunning a lion, cheetah, or wildebeest. They had to learn fast, or starve—or die."

"Us? Back in China, we farmed. All our strength went into the soil. We're not built for running like they are."

…

The German officer in charge of the operation, Roscher, studied the map.

In the colony's military structure, Ernst had given overall authority to Yalman. Roscher was his second-in-command, in charge of all military operations within the Coastal District.

He personally led the campaign to clear out local tribes.

Experienced German veterans were placed in charge of each squad, and students from the Hexingen Military Academy were assigned to assist and serve as interpreters.

This was the first large-scale coordinated action in the colony's history, mobilizing a total of 2,321 men.

Its success proved that Chinese labor could be used effectively for military purposes. The Hexingen Military Academy played a crucial role in connecting leadership and troops.

But this also set off alarms in Ernst's mind. Even though the academy's students had been thoroughly indoctrinated and were deeply loyal to the House of Hohenzollern, Ernst knew it was dangerous if they became too tight-knit or separated from German officers.

After all, these students were the only ones who could communicate directly with the Chinese soldiers. The German officers had to rely on them for everything.

This gave the students enormous influence over the colony's lower ranks.

And Ernst wasn't about to leave any threat unchecked—not even a potential one.

After much consideration, he came up with a solution: the academy shouldn't only admit Chinese students. It should also train white students.

He planned to recruit orphans from across Europe, especially Germany, and teach them both German and Chinese. These students would study and grow alongside the Chinese, learning each other's languages and building trust.

That way, both groups could monitor and balance each other. With time, the colony's army would have white officers who could understand and report on what the Chinese troops were really thinking.

It was a temporary fix. Ernst's real long-term goal was to make German the official language across the colony. Once that happened, he could relax.

For now, the colony was still small. No one had the strength to challenge Ernst's authority. The Hexingen Consortium was the backbone of everything, which allowed him to remotely control East Africa from Europe.

He also continued sending loyal agents to take up key positions in the colony. Dividing the leadership ensured centralized power stayed in his hands.

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