"Enclosure Movement"

At Ernst's command, new directives and supplies crossed the seas to East Africa. Upon receiving Ernst's orders, the East African colony began the "Enclosure Movement."

In First Town, the physically stronger immigrants were selected by the sheriff today to begin forming the East African colony's first Chinese army. Those chosen would be entered into the records.

A long line stood before First Town's municipal office. These were the recruits who had passed the preliminary selection, waiting for the "registration" their officers had spoken of.

"Name?"

"Wang Tiegen."

"Age?"

"Twenty-three."

The clerk wrote on the paper: "Name: Tiegen Wang. Age: 23. Occupation: Mercenary. Number: 0423."

He then handed Wang Tiegen a small card bearing the number 0423.

"Take this number and collect your equipment from the fourth group over there."

The so-called equipment consisted of a new uniform and a flintlock musket made by the Hechingen Arms Factory.

These were Prussian regular army uniforms ordered from Berlin. The entire uniform was light blue, but since Africa's environment differed from Europe's, the distinctive Prussian spiked helmets were not issued.

Instead, the soldiers wore broad-brimmed hats like those of later generations. Made of cotton cloth, they provided excellent shade and ventilation.

They were also issued a pair of yellowish-green military shoes. Africa was too hot, and unmodified standard military boots were unsuitable for the continent.

Following the instructions, Wang Tiegen arrived at the fourth group. Quite a few people were already lined up before it, Chinese soldiers hastily organized for an expedition deep into East Africa's interior.

They were about to travel under the command of German officers to places such as Dodoma and Mwanza, where they would establish new colonial outposts.

Their foremost task was to clear out the natives along the route and open up a safe new road for the immigrants who would follow.

After reaching their destinations, they would also have to clear the wild beasts and native tribes near the new outposts. After all, the East African lands Ernst had enclosed were all places that would become rather famous in later generations.

The environment there could not be poor. Native tribes would certainly have chosen to live there as well. Whether they hunted or had already developed rudimentary agriculture, they needed land on which to carry out their activities.

That would threaten the safety of the East African colonizers, so the newly formed Chinese army had to clear out these native tribes before the immigrants arrived.

At the same time, the new colonial outposts would serve as transit stations for future immigrants. Together with small sentry posts along the way, they could form a relatively safe and mature migration network.

"Everyone, attention!" The white-faced commander stood at the front and ordered, "I am your first commanding officer, Andre. From today onward, you are members of the East Africa Vanguard Fourth Squad!"

Beside him stood a young student from Hechingen Military Academy, responsible for translation work and serving as the squad's staff officer.

"This time, His Highness Prince Ernst has decided that our squad will head to the Kigoma region on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika to open up new land. Every one of you is a participant in this military operation."

"You will face not only savages and wild beasts, but also Africa's venomous insects, diseases, and harsh environment. Every one of you may face mortal danger. To improve your chances of survival, you will undergo three days of special training."

Andre yielded his place to the Hechingen Military Academy student. The student was named Zhou Wei, one of the academy's first batch of students. After several months of study, he could already read and write German fluently.

Having undergone the discipline of Prussian officers and been nourished by the fine, plentiful meals of Hechingen Military Academy, the sixteen-year-old was no longer as skin-and-bones as when he had first arrived in the German territories.

He now stood straight and tall before these temporarily recruited immigrants. Though young, he carried an imposing air that inspired awe without anger.

"Greetings. I am Zhou Wei, an early graduate of Prussian Hechingen Military Academy. Honored by the principal's favor, I have come to the East African colony to serve as your officer. If you have any problems in the future, you may report them to me." Zhou Wei's introduction was sparse and crisp.

"For the next three days, you will undergo training under Officer Andre and me. I believe you have all seen how fertile the East African colony is. This place will be our home in the future, and all of you are part of that home. Do not bring the bad habits you brought from the Far East into the army. From now on, you have only one identity: 'military personnel'—or, as people commonly say, soldiers."

Zhou Wei said sternly, "There are only two words you must always remember: 'Obey orders.' You must abide by military discipline and regulations, and follow your officers' commands. If I find anyone disobeying orders or violating military discipline and regulations, do not blame me for being ruthless."

Everyone in the East Africa Vanguard Fourth Squad held their breath as they listened to Zhou Wei's lecture. Though Zhou Wei was very young, Germans stood behind him, and his spirit was clearly different from that of the colonial immigrants. Speaking forceful, ringing Chinese, he left these honest immigrant soldiers not daring to act rashly.

"Tomorrow morning, everyone must report here punctually for assembly. The time will be within half a shichen after the first bell rings. Do you all remember?" Zhou Wei said.

Only the Germans in the colony had clocks and watches to tell the time. Therefore, to arrange the colony's productive activities, several large bells had been shipped from Europe and distributed among the various outposts. At the proper time, designated bell ringers would announce the hour.

The Chinese immigrants arranged their daily schedules according to the bells. The first bell every morning rang around eight or nine o'clock. Since German watches also had to be wound and their time adjusted, they were not especially accurate.

The colony's immigrants had ample free time. Aside from agricultural production, there was little else to do. Just like in the Far East, farmers also had slack seasons. That was arranged by Heaven itself, for not every moment was a time for sowing or for crops to grow.

"All right, dismissed." After Zhou Wei announced the dismissal, he left with the German officer. Zhou Wei exchanged a few words with the German mercenary about the next day's training arrangements before heading toward his newly assigned quarters.

They were actually in the rear courtyard of First Town's municipal office, where one room had been converted into temporary dormitories for Hechingen Military Academy students.

When he returned to the dormitory, the others had arrived as well. Six people lived in the entire room, all of them outstanding students from Hechingen Military Academy.

"Zhou Wei, how did it feel?" Wang Mingdong asked.

"Not bad. You can't tell much on the first day. Whether they're mules or horses, tomorrow's training will show it all."

"I wasn't asking about the training. I meant, what do you think of the conditions in the East African colony?"

"They're all right. There is great promise for the future, though the current conditions are indeed far worse than Hechingen's. Still, they're better than the Far East," Zhou Wei said.

"Zhou Wei, would you say we've been banished here, or entrusted with an important post?" Gao Youming, his dorm mate, asked.

Zhou Wei shook his head. "Hard to say. The conditions here truly are inferior to Europe's, but the principal clearly values this place greatly, so I cannot be certain either. Still, I am optimistic about all your futures. As long as we honestly complete the tasks assigned by the principal, no matter how things change in the future, if we prove capable, the principal will appreciate us."

Five days later, six fully equipped colonial teams gathered on the parade ground. After holding a rally to swear their oaths, they set out on their journey to conquer East Africa.