Once Christmas was over, the East African immigrants returned to their busy lives. Unlike Africa, Europe was truly in winter now, and farmers could rest for a while.
Yet in many parts of East Africa, it was the short rainy season of the year, generally from November to December. While planting food crops, the immigrants also had to dredge river channels and ditches, preparing drainage and water-diversion works.
The East African colony's climate conditions could not be called heaven-blessed, but they were still above the world average. As long as there was an adequate water supply, rice, for instance, could be grown two and a half times a year—five crops in two years.
The land currently developed by the East African colony was all near rivers, lakes, and other water-abundant sources, or else in places with plentiful rainfall. Once the water problem was solved, planting was no longer a problem, so the immigrants had plenty to keep them busy.
Only while crops were growing was there any slack time in farming. During those lulls, the East African colony would conscript immigrants to conquer other regions.
This was East Africa's model of expansion: farmers in peacetime, soldiers in wartime. Even when there was no war, militia training would be organized. In any case, there was rarely a moment to sit idle.
Neither production nor fighting was delayed, and that was the foundation of the East African colony's orderly expansion. Besides the militia, East Africa already had a standing army.
Under normal circumstances, the militia was enough to deal with the natives. Only tough nuts they could not crack called for the regular army to take the field.
However, this situation would only arise while East Africa was expanding. Once East Africa stopped expanding in the future, or once its population was