Some data also claimed that under Leopold II's rule, Congo had lost more than ten million people, enough to show how wealthy Congo had been in Ernst's previous life. In fact, the Belgian Congo of that previous life had covered a far larger area than Congo, especially its eastern and southern regions, where the population had been most concentrated.
However, all these regions had fallen into East Africa's hands. Ernst optimistically estimated that the total Black population across East Africa now stood at around fifteen million. That was merely an optimistic estimate.
Since the South African War, East Africa's rule over its native Black population had entered its most "brutal" stage, meant to ease the pressure of East Africa's population growth.
East Africa already had a large population, and its growth rate was high as well. With more than fifty million people and an above-average population growth rate, even Ernst himself did not know how far East Africa's population had swelled. But one thing was certain: by 1900, East Africa's non-Black population would undoubtedly rank third in the world, surpassing the United States and trailing only the Russian Empire.
Besides population pressure, East Africa's massive infrastructure projects followed close behind. The East African Grand Canal plan alone was enough to place Ernst shoulder to shoulder with Emperor Yang of Sui, not to mention the highways, railways, and urban construction.
Under such circumstances, East Africa did not even need to export Black people abroad. The native Black population would head toward extinction through crushing labor assignments and an imbalanced population structure. Compared with East Africa, Belgium's genocide was child's play.
Thus, when Ernst read Nares's diary again, his heart remained as still as an ancient well. He felt no sympathy for the Chinese immigrants' plight in Belgium either.
After all, the