Dar es Salaam

February 1, 1865, Dar es Salaam.

In Swahili, Dar es Salaam meant "Harbor of Peace." In later generations, it would become Tanzania's largest city and port, the nation's economic and cultural center, an important port in East Africa, and the capital of the Dar es Salaam Region. Green year-round and blessed with beautiful surroundings, the city was dotted with relatively well-preserved Western and Arab-style old buildings. It was a city along the Maritime Silk Road. Zheng He of the Ming Dynasty had once reached the coastal region here during his voyages to the Western Seas.

At present, the Suez Canal had not yet opened, and Dar es Salaam was a necessary stop for European vessels heading to Asia. Many merchant ships docked here to rest and replenish their fresh water and supplies.

Some Portuguese and Dutch merchants also traded here. The Sultanate of Zanzibar encouraged Arabs to venture into Tanzania's interior to hunt slaves and procure ivory. The region also grew distinctive products such as cloves. When merchants arriving from Europe returned from Asia, they would stock up here, carrying ivory, cloves, and other goods back to Europe for greater profits.

Today's temperature was around thirty degrees. The salty, humid sea breeze blew in from the Indian Ocean, coconut trees swayed in the wind, and the tide gently lapped against the white sandy shore. Looking out from the coast, one could see a massive fleet gradually emerging over the horizon.

Dutch flags flew from the ships as they slowly entered Dar es Salaam Port under the pilots' direction.

A force of more than two thousand armed men disembarked from the ships and stepped onto the port's docks. This was the German colonial expedition hired by Hechingen Bank.

Leading them was a recently retired old Prussian officer. Quite a few were veterans discharged from the Prussian Army, having just fought in the Second Schleswig War.

The team's deputy was an old mercenary who had spent years roaming Asian waters and had once operated in the Dutch Far Eastern colonies.

Of course, most were unemployed men recruited from all across Germany. After being issued secondhand weapons retired from the Prussian Army, they had been dispatched to Africa to carry out colonial activities.

This sizable colonial force, landing with "advanced" weaponry, sent the local Sultanate of Zanzibar into panic. A colonial expedition of this scale was enough to wage a war of national destruction in this era.

The Sultanate of Zanzibar was an authentic Arab nation, the African portion left after the once-mighty Omani Empire split apart. At its height, the Omani Empire had occupied East African lands centered on Zanzibar Island and controlled part of East Africa's coastal regions. Across from Zanzibar Island lay Dar es Salaam Port, also the core territory under the Sultanate of Zanzibar's rule.

As a former Indian Ocean overlord, Zanzibar had dealt with Western colonizers more than once. These people were vicious characters. Zanzibar had even crossed swords with the Portuguese before, so upon seeing the colonial expedition sent by Hechingen disembark at the docks, the Sultan of Zanzibar did not dare act rashly and sent people to negotiate.

Naturally, Europeans of this era did not think much of a small country like Zanzibar. Outside Europe, every other region was, in European eyes, barbaric and uncivilized. But remembering the task their employer had assigned, it was better not to stir up trouble.

The colonial expedition's representatives followed Zanzibar's representatives to the Sultan of Zanzibar's palace. The Sultan laid out a banquet to receive them and began probing indirectly for the expedition's purpose.

"May I ask how I should address you, sir?" the Sultan of Zanzibar asked.

The leader of the colonial expedition replied, "Your Majesty the Sultan may call me Yalman."

"Sir Yalman, are you Dutch? Your clothing seems somewhat different from those Dutchmen. Yet you arrived aboard Dutch ships, so for a moment, I could not tell where you came from," the Sultan of Zanzibar said curiously.

"Your Majesty the Sultan, we are from the Kingdom of Prussia in the great German lands. This time, we traveled to your country aboard vessels from the Netherlands."

Prussia! The Sultan of Zanzibar frowned. He had heard of Germany, but he knew little about Prussia. He turned to look at his Foreign Minister.

Seeing the Sultan's signal, the Foreign Minister leaned close and softly explained, "His Majesty the Sultan, Prussia is one of Europe's great powers. I have heard that they possess a powerful army in Europe, though I have not heard that Prussia has a navy like Portugal's or England's. Usually, only a very small number of Prussian merchants can be seen here."

Mm, the Sultan understood. These arrivals were no ordinary people and could not be offended lightly. The Portuguese were already powerful enough; if this so-called Prussia was also a European great power, then its strength could not be much inferior to Portugal's.

"Then what purpose brings you to Zanzibar? Zanzibar is merely a small country, without any particularly outstanding resources to develop," the Sultan of Zanzibar asked.

"Your Majesty the Sultan, we Prussians have come in good faith. Our main purpose is to engage in agricultural production in Tanganyika. We will not threaten your country's rule over Zanzibar," Commander Yalman said.

The Sultan of Zanzibar did not believe the Europeans' nonsense. Cautiously, he asked, "The land in Tanganyika is not actually as good as imagined, especially inland. Lions and wild beasts cover the land, more numerous than people. Even our country has no way to develop the interior. Having come from so far away, I fear it will be difficult for you to succeed."

Commander Yalman explained, "Your Majesty the Sultan need not worry. To be frank, we intend to develop farms inland and grow tobacco and certain tropical plants. These are rare things in Europe, which is why we chose this place."

Still uneasy, the Sultan of Zanzibar asked, "Although I have no interest in whether your country develops the interior, our country also has many interests there. The savages there, ivory, and such are all things we cannot abandon. How will you guarantee that you will not harm the interests of the Zanzibaris?"

"Your Majesty the Sultan, I can guarantee that we will not interfere with your country's interests inland. At the same time, we can cooperate and sign an agreement. Since we are developing land, we must drive away the inland beasts and savages. Though these things have some value, our expedition has no use for them. We can sell them entirely to your country. This is only the first group to arrive; more will come later. Therefore, resistance is a dead end, while cooperation gives both sides a harmonious future," Yalman advised, with a trace of threat in his words.

Thinking of the two thousand "elites" at the port, alarm bells rang loudly in the Sultan of Zanzibar's heart. Without showing it, he said, "Sir Yalman, peaceful development for both sides is also what we Zanzibaris seek. But with an army placed right under one's nose, I imagine the king of any country would be unable to sleep!"

Seeing that the Sultan of Zanzibar had already softened, Yalman sneered inwardly and reassured him, "Your Majesty the Sultan, rest easy. To demonstrate our sincerity, we can leave within two weeks and will not reside in Dar es Salaam for long. Of course, with your country's support, we may be able to leave even sooner."

The hint was so obvious that the Sultan of Zanzibar understood it instantly. He declared generously, "You are too polite, sir. We will do our utmost to help our 'friends.'" Yet his heart ached as though flesh had been cut from it.

Yalman explained, "Your Majesty the Sultan need not be anxious. We merely need to make some equipment for camping in the wilderness. After all, one cannot live out in the open in the desolate wilds, can one?"

Hearing Yalman put it this way, the Sultan of Zanzibar finally relaxed and hurriedly replied, "Sir Yalman, you are too polite. We can still provide some additional support."

Unexpectedly, Yalman immediately replied, "There truly is another matter for which we need your country's assistance."

Damn it... why didn't you say so earlier! the Sultan of Zanzibar thought, preparing himself to be extorted.

"Our subsequent supplies and personnel will also need your country's ports for transit. We hope your country can provide us with convenience."

So that was it. The Sultan of Zanzibar had expected this long ago. Such a huge group was not moving house; they would certainly need a transportation route connecting them to Europe. But for the sake of caution, the Sultan of Zanzibar still said, "Borrowing the port is not a problem. We can designate a separate area for your country's use. However, your country may not station troops in the port or within Zanzibar, and your personnel at the port may not carry weapons."

Upon hearing this, Yalman knew the matter was more or less settled. Still, he bargained, "No problem. However, the safety of personnel stationed at the port must still be guaranteed, so we will leave behind an armed group of twenty men to protect them."

Hearing that there would only be twenty men, the Sultan of Zanzibar agreed. Though the Sultanate of Zanzibar was a small country, it still had some strength. It simply feared ending up mutually ruined with this group of Prussians, allowing the nearby Portuguese to start eyeing them greedily.

As long as the conditions proposed by the Prussians did not threaten Zanzibar's rule, they were barely acceptable. After all, the other side's guns were already pressed to their foreheads. What else could they do? Whether they fought or not, Zanzibar would lose out. Fortunately, these Prussians knew where the line was; otherwise, the Sultan of Zanzibar would have risked his life rather than let them pass through Zanzibar into the interior.