"Your Highness, Archduke Ferdinand!"
A row of young Austrian Navy officers stood ramrod-straight before Ferdinand. Ferdinand looked over these "promising young talents" with satisfaction.
"Your Highness, this is the East African advisory group formed by the Imperial Navy. From now on, they will serve under you," Blair introduced them to Ferdinand.
Ferdinand nodded and said approvingly, "All right. Once you arrive in East Africa, settle down and work properly. Do not harbor any resentment about coming here. Conditions in East Africa are a little poor at present, but with me, the former Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Navy, leading you, your talents will not be buried. From now on, just treat East Africa as your own home."
In just a few words, Ferdinand and Blair had defined these men. Ferdinand naturally knew that the men before him might be troublemakers, or perhaps of less-than-ideal birth. After all, under the Austro-Hungarian Empire's system, it was difficult for commoners to rise.
Yet the more that was the case, the more it showed that these fellows possessed genuine ability. East Africa lacked every kind of talent anyway, so Ferdinand would use them without hesitation.
With this group in hand, East Africa's eight hundred sailors finally had real leaders. Ferdinand could not possibly handle everything personally.
There were not many of them, but they could share the knowledge they had learned and some of the Austro-Hungarian Navy's experience with the sailors drawn from the Inland Lake Force. That was the most precious wealth of all.
January 7, 1870.
Central District, First Town city, Qiuweit Palace.
"Your Highness, Mozambique has sent a delegation, saying they wish to cooperate with us! Their people have already arrived at the port of Dar es Salaam."
Holding a telegram sent from Dar es Salaam, Von der Leyen came to