Chapter Summaries

Ernst defended East Africa’s strict state control over religion and praised the nationwide crackdown on illegal religious groups. He left no doubt that he would continue the policy, despite Constantin’s concerns.

• The chapter described East Africa’s restrictions on religious activity, including government oversight of clergy, churches, and gatherings.
• The Bureau of Cultural and Religious Affairs reported dismantling 123 illegal religious cases, punishing three officials, acting against fifteen schools and gathering organizations, and arresting twenty-three people.
• Constantin asked Ernst whether he was prejudiced against religion, and Ernst argued that restrictions prevented frauds from doing harm under God’s name.
• Ernst praised Wali for the bureau’s work, and Wali affirmed his loyalty to the Crown Prince.

Ernst discussed the East African Navy’s needs with Archduke Ferdinand and explained that East Africa would build warships at home rather than purchase many new ones. He promised to buy an advanced capital ship whenever Karina became pregnant again, leaving Ferdinand hopeful for twins and Karina embarrassed.

• Ernst asked Archduke Ferdinand about the navy, and Ferdinand said its growing personnel had eased his workload while warship numbers remained inadequate.
• Ernst said East Africa had to limit military spending because it was building bases and other infrastructure, but agreed the navy would still need more ships.
• Ernst proposed building warships at Bagamoyo Shipyard and temporarily assigning more armed merchant ships to naval service.
• Ernst promised to purchase an advanced capital ship whenever Karina became pregnant again, and Ferdinand joked that twins would mean buying two.
• Princess Charlotte teased Ernst about having children every year to acquire a fleet, while Ernst held Karina’s hand and stayed silent.

Ernst proposed taking control of the Southern Ryukyu Islands by securing governing authority from the Far East Empire and establishing a dependent colony after Japan abolished the Ryukyu Kingdom. Archduke Ferdinand accepted the plan but warned that holding the islands would be difficult.

• Ernst told Archduke Ferdinand that East Africa would use three reassigned ironclads to secure a Far Eastern colony.
• Ernst identified the Southern Ryukyu Islands as his target, focusing on the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands rather than the entire Ryukyu Kingdom.
• Archduke Ferdinand recalled the dispute between Japan and the Far East Empire over the Ryukyu Islands, and Ernst explained that the countries remained deadlocked over their division.
• Ernst planned to obtain economic privileges from the Far Eastern government, then establish a dependent state in the Southern Ryukyu Islands after Japan abolished the Ryukyu Kingdom.
• Archduke Ferdinand agreed not to oppose the plan but cautioned that diplomatic authority alone would not ensure East Africa could hold the islands.

The East African government completed the Kui River Arch Dam near Farabana Village to retain water during the dry season and ease travel across the Kui River. The mayor of Chisang Town left Village Chief Hans responsible for its upkeep and warned him to keep villagers safe during the rainy season.

• East Africa developed Matabele Province as an industrial region, with steel mills and railway access supporting local agriculture and industry.
• Farabana Village received livestock to use alongside slaves as East Africa expanded its replacement of slave labor with draft animals.
• After three months of construction, the mayor of Chisang Town announced the Kui River Arch Dam was complete.
• The mayor explained that the dam would retain water in the dry season and serve as a crossing, while warning that floodwater could make passage dangerous.
• The mayor instructed Village Chief Hans to watch over children during the rainy season and manage the dam, reporting major problems to higher authorities.

Yang Fugui persuaded Third Uncle to let several orphaned children from Yang Family Village travel with him to East Africa. He explained that East Africa would send them to school and support them, and Third Uncle agreed to let them seek a better life there.

• Yang Fugui boasted to Third Uncle about his status as a citizen of East Africa and defended the country against his uncle's suspicions.
• Third Uncle questioned what East Africa would do with the orphaned children and whether rumors of abuse were true.
• Yang Fugui explained that recruitment had slowed as East Africa's immigration needs changed, while the children would be sent to school and later serve East Africa.
• Yang Fugui described East Africa's compulsory education system, and Third Uncle agreed to let the children leave with him.

East Africa asked Li Hongzhang for permission to establish a transit station in the Southern Ryukyu Islands, and he agreed despite warning that Japan might retaliate. East Africa then began moving troops and supplies there, secretly intending to take control of the islands and make them a dependent force.

• Ambassador Richard asked Li Hongzhang to let East Africa establish a transit station in the Southern Ryukyu Islands to protect its ships and support trade.
• Richard dismissed Li Hongzhang's warnings about Japan and cited East Africa's strength and its ties with Germany and Austria.
• Li Hongzhang permitted East Africa to develop the Southern Ryukyu Islands, leaving East Africa responsible for any trouble with Japan.
• East Africa began sending troops and supplies from its merchant ships to the Southern Ryukyu Islands.
• The East African government ordered ships in the Zhuhai Trade Zone to build military bases, planning to bring the islands under East African control.

East Africa landed troops and supplies on the Southern Ryukyu Islands to establish a foothold and prepare for colonization. Japanese intelligence discovered the landing and debated East Africa’s intentions, leaving Japan concerned about the new strategic presence.

• East Africa sent five armed merchant ships and more than three hundred personnel to Miyako Island, while Ernst planned to build up a force of at least three thousand troops.
• East African commanders requisitioned the island’s best residence, planned temporary shelters, and ordered a future purge of pirates while urging islanders to surrender.
• Japanese intelligence personnel spotted the ships and identified their flag as belonging to the German Far East Chamber of Commerce.
• Nonoki reported that the Germans had brought thousands of armed men and appeared to have permission from the Far East Empire to develop the islands.
• Ohara Masashi concluded that the landing was likely driven by strategic needs, while Nonoki worried that East Africa’s arrival could threaten Japan’s plans.

An East African middle-school history lesson prompted students to debate the Jin Dynasty’s collapse and East Africa’s ethnic policies. The chapter ended by explaining that East Africa’s education system emphasized selecting talented students because the country lacked resources for broad higher education.

• An East African teacher taught students about the Jin Dynasty, the Five Barbarians Uprising, and the fall of Rome.
• Students argued that internal conflict and incomplete ethnic integration had contributed to the Jin Dynasty’s collapse, then debated East Africa’s own ethnic policies.
• The teacher assigned an argumentative essay of at least five hundred words, drawing groans from the students.
• The narration described East Africa’s state-arranged marriages and efforts to promote ethnic integration among its population.
• The chapter explained that East Africa emphasized universal middle-school education and selecting promising students for scarce advanced educational opportunities.

Ernst examined East Africa’s improved bicycle with hollow rubber tires and ordered a major expansion of bicycle manufacturing across seven cities. He also called for military and civilian bicycle designs, including folding bicycles and cargo tricycles.

• Ernst rode the East African-made bicycle fitted with hollow rubber tires and judged it comfortable and capable, though still heavy.
• Ernst announced that East Africa would strongly support the bicycle industry and outlined plans to build factories in Mbeya, Harare, Bulawayo, Nairobi, Mombasa, Dar es Salaam, and Bagamoyo.
• Ernst said inland factories would serve the mainland while port-city factories would prepare for exports to industrially backward regions.
• Ernst proposed that the military order bicycles for rapid-response forces in difficult terrain, including tropical rainforest regions.
• Ernst directed that folding bicycles and cargo tricycles be researched for military and civilian use.

In Mbeya, Director Leiden persuaded Kevendi to have the Third Bearing Factory develop a new bicycle bearing, promising it would receive middle school graduates to strengthen its technical staff. The old army comrades then discussed how much military life and discipline had changed, while hardship remained in East Africa’s remote regions.

• Director Leiden introduced German technical expert Krimers and his team to Kevendi, who doubted that his factory could machine the bicycle bearing.
• Kevendi suggested sending the project to Dar es Salaam’s First Bearing Factory, but Leiden praised his management and promised that Third Factory would receive middle school graduates first next year.
• Kevendi agreed to take on the work and joked that he had refused to transfer to First Factory because he was sentimental about his old comrades.
• Leiden described the army’s improved facilities and stricter training, discipline, and hygiene, including exacting rules for folded quilts and neatly arranged belongings.
• Kevendi listened as Leiden explained the army’s new standards and noted that troops in remote western regions still faced harsh conditions.

Disease Control Center director Claire oversaw the burning of infected homes in Rovenaad Village after an outbreak was suspected to have come from eating raw wild monkeys. The exposed villagers and response team were quarantined, leaving their safety to be determined by time.

• Police warned Rovenaad villagers to stay away from infected houses and to report any belongings they had taken.
• Claire ordered the infected residents' belongings and houses burned after his staff finished collecting them.
• Disease Control Center staff said villagers' accounts pointed to Tie Li hunting and eating wild monkeys as the likely source of the outbreak, though they could not confirm it.
• Claire learned that people who had contact with the deceased had been quarantined and ordered Rovenaad Village isolated from outside contact for a month.
• Claire reassured his team that East Africa's hygiene rules helped limit disease and said they would remain quarantined for two or three weeks.

Claire reflected on the hardships he faced as an early immigrant while comparing them with the improved transport and living conditions available to newer arrivals. He encouraged his assistant to see Rovenaad Village’s early development and Nile Province’s vast size as signs of the village’s future potential.

• Claire explained that Rovenaad Village lacked roads because it was a new settlement in a sparsely populated region where East Africa had not yet built infrastructure.
• Claire recalled traveling from Mombasa to Kisumu on foot for a month, while his assistant had reached Kisumu by train in about three days.
• Claire described how later immigrants had traveled farther inland and said East Africa had transformed since his arrival.
• Claire told his assistant that Rovenaad Village could grow into a township or regional administrative center because it was one of Nile Province’s earlier settlements.
• Claire cited First Town and Nairobi as examples of East African settlements that had grown into major centers.

Ernst reflected on the mutual dependence between East Africa’s ports and inland regions as Grusseg City’s officials responded to an epidemic in Rovenaad Village. Mayor Mogwell arranged precautions and public education while trusting Director Claire to contain the outbreak.

• Ernst considered how New Hamburg City’s extensive inland hinterland had helped it outpace Maputo Port and stressed the mutual support between ports and interior cities.
• Mogwell read Director Claire’s letter reporting no signs of the epidemic spreading in Rovenaad Village and decided not to seal off the village.
• Mogwell ordered two police officers to watch the road and arranged food and supplies to be delivered through the supply reception station with disinfection precautions.
• Mogwell directed Grusseg City’s other villages to educate residents about the dangers of hunting and eating wild animals.
• Mogwell told his subordinate to report the epidemic honestly to the province after it ended and accepted responsibility for the city’s response.

Archduke Ferdinand prepared to lead the East African Navy to the Southern Ryukyu Islands, while Ernst argued that the islands were of little value and explained his hostility toward Japan. The chapter connected the East-Japan conflict to competition between East African and Jewish capital, leaving Ferdinand and Karina with Ernst’s harsh view of Japan and the Jews.

• After two months of preparations, the East African Navy readied supplies and heavy guns for an expedition to the Southern Ryukyu Islands.
• Karina and Ernst urged Archduke Ferdinand not to command the voyage himself, but Ferdinand said he had decided to go because he thought Ernst valued the islands.
• Ernst claimed the islands had little economic or strategic value, though he would defend them against Japan and anyone else seeking to take them.
• When Ferdinand asked why Ernst disliked Japan, Ernst called the Japanese a scheming nation and compared their methods to those of the Jews.
• Ernst explained that Jewish capital backed Japanese industry through Britain and competed with East African capital in the Far East Empire, including against Hechingen Bank.

East African officer Kristin expelled Japanese residents from the Southern Ryukyu Islands and asserted East Africa’s jurisdiction over the territory. Obara Masashi carried the news to Japan, where the government settled on protests and a naval blockade rather than open war.

• Kristin ordered more than 130 Japanese residents to return to Japan, and a gunshot stopped a samurai-dressed man from resisting.
• Obara Masashi challenged Kristin’s decision and East Africa’s claim, but Kristin said the Far East Empire had transferred authority over the Southern Ryukyu Islands to East Africa.
• Obara Masashi left for the Northern Ryukyu Islands and reported East Africa’s occupation and treatment of the Japanese to the Okinawa Prefecture government.
• The report outraged the Japanese Government, whose officials disagreed over whether to use force or endure the insult for now.
• Japan decided to protest to East Africa and blockade the Southern Ryukyu Islands with its navy, using civilian ships to raise the cost of East African rule while avoiding major casualties.

Kader confronted a Japanese diplomat over East Africa’s occupation of the Southern Ryukyu Islands and rejected Japan’s claims of ownership. After Kader challenged him to produce evidence and accused Japan of destroying the Ryukyu Kingdom, the diplomat spat blood and fainted.

• The Japanese diplomat lodged a protest against East Africa’s occupation of the Southern Ryukyu Islands, and Kader dismissed Japan’s claim to the islands.
• Kader agreed to discuss the dispute and asked the diplomat to provide evidence that the Ryukyu Islands belonged to Japan.
• The diplomat cited the Ryukyu Kingdom’s past tribute and state letters but failed to produce any documents.
• Kader accused Japan of destroying the Ryukyu Kingdom and making a shameless territorial claim, and the diplomat spat blood and fainted.

After Tsuruta Ichiro was carried from the East African Embassy, Japanese public anger grew, and East African National Security Bureau agents warned Minister Kader that the embassy could face an attack. Kader agreed to consider strengthening its defenses and contacting the homeland.

• Japanese onlookers outside the East African Embassy blamed East Africa for Tsuruta Ichiro’s collapse, while others watched with indifference.
• Several disguised East African agents observed the crowd and decided to act ahead of the rising hostility.
• That night, East African National Security Bureau agents visited Kader and explained that they had entered to warn him about Japanese public sentiment.
• The agents told Kader that Japanese civilians might attack the embassy and advised him to strengthen its defenses.
• Kader said he would consider the warning and communicate with the homeland.

Kader strengthened security at the East African Embassy as Japanese students organized protests over the Sakishima Islands. East African agents redirected the surging crowd into the Russian Legation, where rioting and looting broke out.

• Kader ordered Yuri to recruit mercenaries to protect the legation, excluding locals.
• Matsushita settled a dispute between Higashihonda Yano and Gui'er Tengting by planning to let other schools provoke trouble while his group joined afterward.
• Students from more than a dozen Edo middle schools marched to the East African Embassy, and the crowd pressed against its gates.
• East African National Security Bureau agents entered the crowd and urged civilians toward other countries' legations.
• Karl and a teammate shouted that people should rush into the Russian Legation, and the crowd followed them inside.
• The crowd looted the Russian Legation and beat Russian staff amid the chaos.

Japanese rioters attacked the Russian Legation instead of the East African Legation, leaving a Russian minister injured and a Japanese man dead. The Edo police arrested tens of thousands and decided to frame student leaders to divert blame from themselves.

• A Russian Embassy soldier shot a Japanese rioter during the attack, while the crowd wrongly shouted that Germans had killed someone.
• Japanese police arrived and found the Russian Legation wrecked, with a dead Japanese rioter and Minister Chersky unconscious.
• Aidanoyezo ordered officers to rescue Chersky and clear a path through the crowd to take him to the hospital.
• Japanese police arrested more than fifty thousand people, and the Edo Police Commissioner learned Chersky was bruised but not seriously injured.
• The Edo Police Commissioner ordered his subordinates to blame the disturbance’s student leaders and frame more wealthy or noble students as accomplices.

East African officials used Japan’s attack on the Russian Embassy to rally other nations against the Japanese Government and increase pressure over the Southern Ryukyu Islands. At a press conference, Edo Police Commissioner Nabe Masayoshi’s conflicting explanations drew laughter from reporters.

• East African National Security Bureau agents reviewed the operation and discussed joining other countries in demanding joint supervision of the embassy district.
• Minister Kader condemned Japan and agreed that East Africa would use the embassy incident to pressure the Japanese Government while its fleet headed for the Southern Ryukyu Islands.
• Edo Police Commissioner Nabe Masayoshi apologized, offered to cover the injured parties’ medical costs, and announced he would resign after handling the incident.
• Nabe denied that the Japanese Government had targeted East Africa, blamed student accomplices who had been misled, and said the suspects would be identified through Minister Chersky.
• A reporter pointed out that Nabe’s claims about an instigated plot contradicted his claim that the public had acted spontaneously, prompting laughter from the press conference audience.