Roenroda

Roenroda, a small outpost in the current East African colony, lies approximately 60 kilometers south of the Portuguese colony of Mozambique and 30 kilometers east of the Sultanate of Zanzibar's sphere of influence.

September 13, 1866.

After an expedition team from the East African colony surveyed the area and determined it was suitable for human habitation.

On October 7, the first batch of immigrants arrived in Roenroda. Currently, the entire population of Roenroda is over 600 people.

Roenroda is planned by Ernst to be the capital of the Lower Coastal Region, which spans nearly 80,000 square kilometers.

Across these 80,000 square kilometers, there are only Roenroda's over 600 Chinese immigrants and a small number of Germans.

Roenroda is nearly 400 kilometers from First Town, separated by the Middle Coastal Region. The administrative district furthest from First Town, the Lake Tanganyika region, has its capital, Kigoma, about 1,000 kilometers from First Town.

Therefore, even with the natives, the entire East African colony appears sparsely populated, and the development of the East African colony still has a long way to go.

As the capital of the Lower Coastal Region, Roenroda currently only holds the title. Its scale is comparable to a village in the Upper Coastal Region.

The more remote East Lake Malawi Region is even more difficult to describe. The exploration work has just been completed, and immigrants assigned by First Town are still on their way to Songea.

The situation in the Middle Coastal Region is relatively better due to its proximity to the Upper Coastal Region. Currently, the immigrant population has reached over 1,000 people.

The highest administrative official in Roenroda is a German named Thomas, a former member of the East African Colony's mercenary corps.

His deputy is Li Wenhua, a graduate of Hechingen Military Academy. The Germans in the East African colony have basically all served in the military. The Chinese security officers, who are in the second tier of status, are also selected from graduates of Hechingen Military Academy.

Thus, it can be said that the entire East African colony is currently a military government. All immigrants act according to military-style plans and directives in their production and daily lives.

Fortunately, the colony adopts a collective management system, and the immigrants are relatively well-behaved and obedient. Unlike the citizens in Europe, they do not have a rebellious spirit.

If these immigrants were granted the right to live freely, as in other countries, the colonial officials, who are mostly former soldiers, would certainly be in a bind, as they are not professional bureaucrats with administrative experience.

Collective management, similar to their military experience, simply requires them to follow orders step by step. Before the East African colony is fully developed, it would be best to develop according to Ernst's directives.

As a graduate of Hechingen Military Academy, Li Wenhua's loyalty to Ernst is unquestionable. Compared to his days in Qing China, studying at Hechingen Military Academy re-shaped the worldview of students like Li Wenhua.

Through indoctrination and rote learning, the cadets at Hechingen Military Academy subconsciously understood that Ernst had pulled them out of dire straits, and the only way to repay the Principal was to work hard.

Li Wenhua came to the East African colony with this mindset. In the colonial conference regarding the development of new regional lands, Li Wenhua was selected as the second-in-command for the Lower Coastal Region.

Currently, the East African colony is basically managed by Germans and students from Hechingen Military Academy.

Among them, the students from Hechingen Military Academy serve as a bridge, playing a crucial role in disseminating colonial policies to the immigrants.

They are responsible for explaining policies, educating the populace, and managing military affairs, among other important tasks.

All official documents in the colony must be in German, so these colonial policies must be translated for the immigrants by them.

Simultaneously, as the East African colony promotes Germanization, these immigrants must undergo re-education. However, for these old farmers who have been illiterate for years and have never studied, learning is very difficult.

Therefore, the colony can only provide them with basic German education, starting with learning 800 important German vocabulary words, two or three per day.

For immigrants to fully learn German, it can only start from childhood, from the next generation. At that time, the East African colony will introduce compulsory education.

All of this requires preparation time. Ernst is currently training a group of future colonial teachers at Hechingen Military Academy. Once they complete their studies, they will begin this century-long plan of education in the colony.

The current students are mainly composed of orphans from the German regions. They study in the classroom alongside Chinese cadets. In the future, they will go to the East African colony with these Chinese cadets to establish the East African colony's own schools.

Roenroda's geographical location is quite advantageous, so within a few kilometers to the west, there are three native tribes.

These native tribes are relatively large, requiring the colonial security forces to clear them. Two hundred security personnel were among the immigrants sent to Roenroda this time.

After being issued firearms and ammunition, Thomas and Li Wenhua led the team. The first tribe to be cleared by the Roenroda colonial security forces was named Chigugu.

With only a few hundred people, the security forces, equipped with horses, routed the natives with a single charge. After burning the tribal houses made of thatch and branches, the colonial security forces moved on to their next destination.

The second and third native tribes are located north of the Chigugu tribe. The Muvina tribe has the largest population, while the Lindi tribe occupies the most treacherous terrain.

The method used to deal with the Muvina tribe was similar to that for Chigugu, only taking a bit longer. The Lindi tribe proved to be truly difficult to subdue.

Cavalry could not be effectively used, so they had to rely on ammunition to wear down the enemy. Fortunately, the gates and fences of the Lindi tribe were made of wood.

The colonial security forces used rockets soaked in plant oil to ignite the Lindi tribe's palisade. Finally, amidst the scorched earth, the security forces charged and crushed the last native tribe near Roenroda.

The remnants of the three native tribes were forced to flee westward, leaving a relatively safe area around Roenroda.

After clearing the wild animals near Roenroda, the colonial security forces rendezvoused with the immigrants and began establishing the defenses of Roenroda.

The initially established Roenroda was a small village of earth and wood construction. Due to its proximity to Portuguese and Arab spheres of influence, defensive features were incorporated into its construction.

Watchtowers, trenches, a sturdy fence, and a drawbridge provided the arriving immigrants with a sense of stability and security.

Roenroda is also located in the coastal plains of Africa, so rice cultivation is the primary focus. However, the chosen cash crop is tobacco.

Tobacco cultivation can provide raw materials for the Hohenzollern Tobacco Company. Previously, the Hohenzollern Tobacco Company mainly imported, processed, and sold tobacco from British, Portuguese, and Dutch merchants.

Therefore, the cost was relatively high. East Africa is well-suited for tobacco growth and has vast land areas. Once developed, it could supply the entire demand of the Hohenzollern Tobacco Company.

Roenroda represents the first step in experimenting with tobacco cultivation. If this planting is successful, it will be promoted throughout the Lower Coastal Region in the future.

The Middle Coastal Region, like the Upper Coastal Region, will continue to focus on sisal cultivation, as sisal sales are strong and market demand is high.

Tobacco cultivation faces many competitors, especially from North and South America, which are major tobacco-producing regions. The tobacco from the East African colony is primarily for the Hohenzollern Tobacco Company's own use. The main objective is to reduce costs while also developing the colony.

Therefore, the colony is currently not planning to blindly expand crops that are theoretically suitable for East Africa. In the absence of a stable market, cultivation will remain small-scale for crops like coffee and rubber.