December 30, 1869.
Maputo.
"This is news sent back by Yalish, president of the Kazembe Chamber of Commerce. Germans have appeared in the Kingdom of Kazembe, and they have even stationed troops there. It seems they have no intention of leaving," said the Governor of Mozambique.
"Governor, the Germans are expanding at breakneck speed in the African interior. I believe we should contact the Angola Colony and jointly curb German development."
"Indeed. If the Kingdom of Kazembe is occupied by the Germans, the overland route between us and Angola will be severed by them."
"But Angola may not act with us unless we persuade the Kingdom. Yet there is a fatal problem here: how are we to commit troops to the interior? The British have long harbored ill intentions toward us. This year, they directly marched troops into Delagoa Bay in Mozambique. If not for our powerful artillery, the British would not have fled in utter disarray."
"Truly, wolves before us and tigers behind us. If Germany is the wolf, then the British are the tiger. The Germans wage war every day and have never been weak on land, while the British can sail warships straight in to attack our ports."
Unlike East Africa, which had planned and built a great many inland cities in advance, Mozambique's core consisted of its coastal cities and ports.
Thus, it was difficult to say whether East Africa or the British posed the greater threat to Mozambique. On land, the East Africans were certainly the greater danger, since the two territories directly bordered each other. Yet over the years, East Africa had behaved fairly quietly along the Ruvuma River, and the two colonies had maintained relatively peaceful relations.
"Gentlemen, the Germans are developing far too quickly in Africa. If we allow them to continue