War raged across Italy, but Trieste, next door to Venice, presented an entirely different scene. After the war broke out, the transfer of military supplies and the enormous demand spurred by the conflict had allowed Trieste to reap a hefty windfall from the war.
Factories, including Hechingen food-processing enterprises, had stepped up production of military supplies, which were then shipped by sea to Venice and the Papal States.
Ships came and went within Trieste Harbor, and the docks bustled with activity. Yet a large area had been cordoned off amid the crowds.
Graduates of Hechingen Military Academy who had arrived from the Hechingen region were about to set sail for East Africa.
Aside from thirty members who had gone to Austria's Theresia Military Command Academy for further studies, all the remaining graduates were here.
Ernst personally came to see the Hechingen students off as they prepared to depart for East Africa. There was no elaborate ceremony; before they boarded, Ernst simply said a few extra words on the dock.
Ernst said, "After you arrive in East Africa, your goal will be to raise the East African Army's theoretical education by a level and accelerate the modernization of its forces. Of course, do not look down on the East African Army's capabilities either. Many of them have fought quite a few battles. Though they are not a military powerhouse like France, the difficulty may not necessarily be less than that of the Franco-Prussian War. The East African Army does not merely face hostile indigenous forces; it must also contend with harsh environments, something that cannot be experienced in Europe. At times, even the roads for marching may have to be carved out on the spot. Moreover, the indigenous forces are highly nimble. In the blink of an eye, they may vanish