Buffer Zone

Kailos said, "The Belgian Congo's location is actually extremely important. In Europe, it would be equivalent to Luxembourg or Belgium. If war broke out between Germany and France, those two countries would be in a perilous position. Calling them ground every strategist would fight over would not be an exaggeration. Moreover, our relationship with Belgium is quite good, so we must always keep an eye on the Belgian Congo and pass intelligence favorable to East Africa back to East Africa."

If Germany and France went to war, they could not avoid Belgium and Luxembourg along the German-French border, so both countries sought to win them over.

They, meanwhile, remained clear-headed and hardly ever took sides between Germany and France. Belgium in particular had a population divided into two major groups, German-speakers and French-speakers.

For example, Lenoir, who worked for the Hohenzollern Conglomerate, had been French in the original history. In reality, he was a Belgian born within the borders of Luxembourg in his previous life, so he was half German by descent. This was also one reason why the Hohenzollern Conglomerate had been able to easily invite him to work in Germany.

Leopold II himself was a master of balance, moving between Germany and France without capsizing, reaping enormous benefits. This was one reason the Belgian Congo had been established. At the Berlin Conference, both great powers gave Belgium face, and with neither East Africa nor Portugal objecting, Belgium's colony could be said to possess the strongest legitimacy in Africa.

"The Belgian Congo is, after all, a colony and vastly different from East Africa. Leopold II's rule is exceptionally brutal, especially in his treatment of black people. So even if you see such things in ordinary times, do not leap out to right wrongs," Kailos reminded his new colleague, Val.