Somalia was a wealthy part of the empire, but that prosperity came at a cost, smuggling into the Arabian Peninsula and the valley of the two rivers, or into the Persian kingdom for smuggling business, where hundreds of thousands of mercenaries died every year.

Li Yong clearly knew;

This important business that underpins the economy of Somalia will not last long.

This affected the relationship between the Ocean Empire and the Ottoman Empire, and also made Britain and Germany, which had a lot of influence in the Kingdom of Iran, unhappy, and frequently exerted diplomatic pressure.

The Ottoman Empire, known as the "sick man of West Asia", could ignore it, but Britain and Germany could not afford to ignore it, and the smuggling business in Humen and Xi'an had been limited, and the smuggling channels into the Kingdom of Iran began to be represented by locals to avoid being criticized.

In terms of development potential, in terms of population, environment and resources, Somali is far inferior to Mozambique.

In the past two years, the development of Mozambique has been very rapid.

Especially after the start of the South African War, the economy of Mozambique has soared like a rocket, and even a lot of private capital in Somalia has been attracted to the past and stayed in the local development.

The strengths and weaknesses of the Somali region are equally clear;

The advantage is naturally the superior geographical location, from the Red Sea into the Suez Canal, you can connect to Europe with amazing consumption power, as long as you have a competitive product, there is no worry about sales.

For example, the popular canned seafood, the market potential is almost unlimited when you produce as much as you want.

Now the main problem is that ~ the Somali region does not have any competitive products.

In the Somali region, where the two river basins can be accessed by crossing the Arabian Sea to the north, the Ottoman rule was riddled with holes and loopholes, which gave the armed smuggling trade a great opportunity.

The disadvantages of Somali are also very obvious, Djibouti is arid and rainless, and the oasis area is limited, mainly concentrated around the city of Xi'an, where the climate is hot, surrounded by the desert Gobi, and to the east and south are large areas of desert, which are not suitable for human existence at all.

The size of the city and the limited population it can carry are also major problems that Xi'an has to face.

Stretching from the Djibouti region to the northwestern highlands, the Eritrea region on the Red Sea coast has a cool climate, large pastures and plains between the mountains, and streams, making it a rare place in the Horn of Africa.

Therefore, starting from Xi'an to the northwest direction of the railway has been extended to Assab, Ed and Humen and other cities, now the railway continues to extend from Humen Pass to the northwest, until reaching Qiliying, Yangweibao, Bishuihu Town and other towns, the railway and highway are basically along the Red Sea coast, in the shape of "one".

This fertile highland region is the center of gravity of the future development of Somali Oblast, and after more than ten years of construction, it has begun to take shape, with pastures and plantations, rich in grapes, apples, wheat and sorghum, herds of cattle and sheep, and a thriving fishing industry in the Red Sea.

This is all advantageous, but due to the geographical conditions of the plateau and mountainous areas, the scope suitable for agriculture and animal husbandry is limited, and the output of agriculture and animal husbandry can only meet the needs of the local population in Somali Oblast, with a small amount of export capacity.

The Red Sea fishing industry and port transit trade alone could not support the size of nearly two million people in Somali Oblast, and with the influx of Italian immigrants, handicrafts such as leather, clothing, shoes, and glass gradually flourished, but this was only a useful supplement and could not become the dominant industry.

Li Yong, who is now the mayor of Humen, is preparing to run for governor of Somalia, and has a good chance of winning, hoping to contribute more in the land he loves.

Therefore, he must find a suitable path for the future development of the Somali region.

Limited by geographical conditions, the vast majority of the more than 800,000 square kilometers of land in Somali Prefecture are deserts, Gobi Deserts and barren mountains, and the only thing that can be decided is the northwest of Djibouti, which is a thin strip of land belonging to Eritrea on the Red Sea, with a total area of about 73,000 square kilometers.

It is suitable for agricultural land and is less than 15,000 square kilometers.

It is a good idea to develop fruit planting in mountainous areas.

However, the number of employed people that can be solved is limited, and judging from the existing conditions, there are 10,000 or 20,000 people.

Thinking about it, Li Yong set his sights on the tobacco industry.

In the Ocean Empire

If the government can adopt the strategy of "borrowing chickens to lay eggs", take advantage of the favorable climatic conditions of the Luzon Islands to develop tobacco plantations, and set up factories in Somalia to produce cigarettes, not only can the government obtain high tax revenues, but also solve the problem of a large number of employed people.

Li Yong personally took the lead in forming the Somali company with dozens of leading figures in Somalia State, and his henchmen are all important shareholders of the company, which is to operate a 500,000-acre mountain forest project in the Legazpi area of northern Manila.

A few days later

The approval of the project is progressing smoothly, and Li Yong and his in-laws, Baron Lei Xiaopeng, are leisurely drinking afternoon tea, and they are in a very good mood.

"Don't hide it from Brother Lei, after more than ten years, I can't recognize Red River Valley City when I come back this time, it turns out that the north bank area is a farmland and vegetable field, and I can't hit people with a stick, and now it has become a bustling city with high-rise buildings, as well as a tunnel and subway at the bottom of the river, which is really eye-opening!"

"Brother Xian, you have to come back more often, after all, this is the heart of the empire, and if you don't move around for a long time, the upper aristocratic circles don't know who you are."

"Huh...... Forget it, there are many nobles and wealthy families here, which onion am I? Li Yong shook his head with a sigh, Australia and Somalia are too far apart, and it is not easy to go back and forth.

Li Yong can't find a sense of belonging in this bustling metropolis, or Humen, Xi'an, the cities he has worked so hard for, makes him very nostalgic.

Baron Lei Xiaopeng knew his brother's thoughts, so he no longer persuaded him, but diverted the topic and said; "Brother Xian, where is the matter?"

"The Property Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs has agreed to hold a special land auction in the Luzon Islands, and the land plot with a total area of about 850,000 acres will be taken out, and the 500,000 acres of mountain forest in the Legazpi area will be divided into two bids, one 330,000 acres and the other 170,000 acres, and we will have an open auction, and we are bound to win."

"Isn't that too costly?"

"Brother Lei, in fact, it's not, there are not many people who are really interested in such a large area of land, and even fewer who can afford to eat it, such a large plot of land is only suitable for agricultural and animal husbandry development, according to the calculation of normal income, the value of land is capped, and no one will throw money into the water."

"That's good, that's good......"

Lei Xiaopeng is not good at business, and when he heard Li Yong say this, his heart also relaxed.

He has a heavy stake in a Somali company and is a member of the board of directors, so he has a stake, so he has to care about it.

The two were chatting leisurely, and the housekeeper of the Lei Mansion suddenly walked in from the outside in a hurry, and when he saw Li Yong, he hesitated, but still handed over the telegram in his hand.

"Sir, this is a telegram from South Africa, please take a look."

"Oh."

Li Yong took the telegram and glanced at it, his expression suddenly became solemn, Lei Xiaopeng took the telegram and looked at it with some doubts, and his face suddenly changed greatly; "Jianyang was captured in South Africa, and his life is not in danger for the time being, how did this happen?"

"Eh, I often walk by the river, how can I not get my feet wet." Li Yong responded with a lonely expression.

"That'...... Hurry up and rescue the children! Lei Xiaopeng is really anxious, Li Jianyang is his son-in-law.

The telegram was brief;

During a military operation in Bloemfontein, caught in a Boer trap, 37 of the 117 men were killed, 56 were captured, and only 24 escaped, and Li Jianyang happened to be one of the captives.

"Huh...... It's a pity that we are thousands of miles away, and the whip is beyond our reach! Li Yong's face was cold, he stood up and walked a few steps, and said thoughtfully;" Now I can't mess around, Jianyang, this kid is by my side, I don't know how many times I have been born and died, I have a lot of experience, as long as it is not exposed, there is no danger for the time being, the Boers must not dare to stay in one place, they will hide around with their captives, and he will find a chance to escape. ”

"How does this work?" The anxiety on Lei Xiaopeng's face was revealed.

Li Yong said calmly; "Brother Lei, if we make a big move today, it will alert the Boers and realize that there are important people among the captives, and I will telegraph to the mercenary team on the front line in South Africa to chase after them, and they will grasp the proportions of it, forcing the Boers to keep moving, and create an opportunity for Jianyang and them to escape."

"Can pressure the Boers be put on the Boers through the Imperial Foreign Office for a prisoner exchange?"

"This can only be a last resort, and it is not appropriate to move lightly for the time being."

"That'...... That's all there is to it. ”

"Brother Lei, since Jianyang has eaten this bowl of rice, he must have the consciousness of pinning his head to the waistband of his trousers, if he can't escape, it is also his life, and I will let the Boers bury him for him."

Li Yong behaved very coldly at this time, and his tone was cold, as if the cold wind of thirty-nine days was blowing through the wilderness, containing infinite killing intentions.

Baron Lei Xiaopeng was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and his brows furrowed for a while, he was really helpless.

He now has not a single soldier in his hands, the Empire has no garrison in South Africa, and the rescue operation still relies on the British or mercenary teams, and he, a general who has retreated to the second line, has little to do.

Maybe Li Yong's move was the right response, but when he thought that if this child had three longs and two shorts, and his daughter would have to be widowed at a young age, his heart was like pressing a big stone, and his face was full of sadness.

"Brother Lei, please forgive me for leaving." Li Yong turned around and strode away.

He was to immediately send a telegram to the South African front to organize a force to pursue the Boer guerrillas in Bloemfontein, forcing them to evade capture without stopping.

Today, the British have pursued a brutal policy of repression against the Boers, and many more Boer women, women and children have died in concentration camps than on the battlefield.

Diplomatic pressure is not a good idea.

You must know that mercenaries are not treated as prisoners of war, and the situation Li Jianyang is facing is very dangerous, and he may be worried about his life at any time.