Boyle left a manor in the middle of the night, satisfied, and satisfied with the people he had met. The other party was indeed one of the few people who could decide the Kingdom of Abyssinia.

The other party is the daughter of the former king Menelik II, Princess Zorditu.

However, this is the illegitimate daughter of Menelik II, the daughter of his former wife, and does not have the right to inherit. As for the young king, Eyassu was the son of Suika, the only daughter of Menelik II and Empress Tetu.

After watching Boyle in the carriage leave from the main building, Zorditu looked at Kamala beside him.

"Go and tell Tafari that the British have promised to help us and that it is time for him to prepare."

"Yes, my master."

As the illegitimate daughter of Menelik II and a member of Solomon's royal family, Zorditu was actually very ambitious. She had long wanted the throne, but her status as an illegitimate daughter meant that she had no right to inherit at all, and she had no hope of succeeding until all the other descendants of Menelik II died.

The outbreak of world war and the death of her father, who had a high prestige, made Zorditu's ambitions uncontrollable, so she approached the ambitious dukes and governors in the kingdom, trying to use their power to overthrow her nephew's rule and put herself on the throne that she had been thinking about day and night.

Among those powerful people who came into contact, his cousin, Tafari Maconnan, the governor of Harald Province, was the most moved.

Speaking of which, the father of the governor of Tafari was the cousin of Menelik II and the right-hand man of the royal family, and Tafari Maconnan was the second son of Tafari Maconnan.

Unfortunately, the royal general died of illness in 1906, and his eldest son succeeded to the Duke of Maconnan, while Tafari was made a marquis by Menelik II. He was subsequently appointed as the nominal Governor of the Salar region, as Tafari was studying with Crown Prince Eyasu.

After completing his studies, he became Governor of Sidamo Province in the southwest, and after the death of his brother in 1911, he succeeded to the title of Duke and was appointed Governor of Harald Province. In the same year, he married the Meng Lun family, another major ethnic group in the country, the Gaela ethnic group, which increased his political status and influence.

It can be said that Tafari Maconnan is one of the most powerful people in the kingdom at present.

Speaking of menelik II, after the stroke, the king's power was gradually weakened because the king had few councilors. Although there is a queen mother Taitu to maintain, but without a strong king who can govern, the power will naturally be gradually divided, after all, the nobles of the Abyssinian kingdom have a very traditional (power-sharing tradition).

By this time, Tafari Maconam had returned to Addis Ababa from Harar Province on the grounds that he would report to the King about the situation in Harar.

At this time he was in his own home, listening to Princess Zorditu's confidant butler inform him of the meeting with the British envoy.

"Duke Maconnan, the conversation between the master and the British envoy went well, and the British were willing to provide us with 200,000 pounds sterling, in addition to 8,000 guns and 20 cannons and a number of military supplies. The British also promised to provide us with reinforcements if necessary. ”

"The British have invested a lot of money."

After listening to the conditions of the British, Tafari spoke silently.

"Duke, this is all brought about by the war, the British want to fight the Italians, so that we can seek our own interests in it."

Glancing at the Zoditu Duke in front of him, Tafari continued. "It's not just for our good, it's for the good of the Kingdom."

"Duke Maconnan is right, we are doing this for the sake of the kingdom."

It was clear that the princess's butler was just casually perfunctory.

Tafari then asked a few more questions to discuss with the English, and then asked the princess's butler to go back to his life.

When he was gone, Tafari fell into deep thought.

Of course, he knew what he was doing, and to put it mildly, he was plotting to usurp the throne.

However, the current situation of the Kingdom of Abyssinia is quite unoptimistic, although the suzerainty of Italy provides it with financial means, but it is the nobles who enjoy it, but the common people are more seriously exploited.

You know, because of the gradual modernization of the Abyssinian kingdom, the taxes of its peasants became heavier, which led to the peasants becoming more and more impoverished and having to borrow to survive. At present, the interest rate on money lending in Abyssinia is 20-30%, which further bankrupts farmers. A large number of bankrupt peasants were sold into slavery, which sharpened the contradictions in the country.

As for Tafari himself, it is fair to say that he did a very good job during his time as governor of Sidamah and Harald provinces. He introduced reforms that included extensive land registration to facilitate efficient taxation, a system of salaries for officials, and a ban on self-fundraising. Land annexation in rural areas is thus restricted.

And Sidamo Province and Harar Province, which he governed one after another, have successively won the title of model province.

However, despite his excellent work, the situation in the other provinces of Abyssinia became more and more serious, and the situation of the kingdom became more and more serious.

As a royal family who wants to make a difference, Tafari saw how he could accept this situation in the country with peace of mind, so a dark thought in his heart gradually took shape.

Princess Zorditu, who happens to be an illegitimate daughter, is ambitious, so why doesn't he take advantage of this stupid and ambitious princess. As for the future, if the other party's acquaintance does not block his own reform, it is better to say, if he does not know each other, then accidents can occur at any time.

He also provided him with the idea of asking the English for help, because without the help of external forces, it would be impossible for them to pull Eyasuzu off the throne of the king, because of the support of the Italians behind them.

In recent years, Italy's labor dispatch operations have attracted a large number of relatives and nobles, and it is impossible for him, Princess Zorditu and several other ambitious nobles to pull the king off the throne alone.

This is also the most suitable time, the British are absolutely willing to spend a lot of money to win over the kingdom in order to seize Italian East Africa, and the king is deeply influenced by the Italians and will definitely not agree. This was just right for them, because he knew that for the British, it would be a great profit for them to have an opposing force to contain the kingdom at this time.

As for the risks, of course he knew, but for the sake of the kingdom Tafari was willing to give it a try, of course, he still had a trace of his own ambition in his heart.

When Tafari, Zorditu, Boyle and others were secretly plotting. On the other side of the city, Ricardo Lopez, Italy's ambassador to the Kingdom of Abyssinia, was also listening to his report.

As a client state heavily influenced by Italy, Abyssinia had enough people in the country, and in Addis Ababa, its capital, there were even more. As the focus of his observation, King Chaeyasu and Queen Mother Toure are the focus of observation. Although you can't reach the other party, you know what to eat, but who you see will definitely know. As for the disguised Boyle, it was the focus of the first attention. As for Ambassador Ricardo, of course, it is the highest head of Italy in the country.

"You mean the British approached King Eyassus?"

"Yes, Your Excellency, the King, however, has rejected the other party's request to change the court, and is willing to continue to be on our side."

"Very good, it seems that we have gained enough trust to support King Eyyasu."

"Ambassador, did you have an accident with the British envoy disguised as a merchant?"

Faced with his men's suggestion, Ambassador Ricardo replied. "No, we can't move each other for a while, I want to get those moles out of the shadows."

"At this time?"

Ambassador Ricardo, of course, knew what his subordinates meant.

"It's better at this time, as long as they are captured before the battle breaks out, they can better integrate the power of Abyssinia, and the lack of its power in East Africa will affect the overall situation. And I must know who this secret envoy has met. ”

"Your Excellency, I will immediately let people check it, no matter how many times he has been to the toilet, I will find out."

Ambassador Ricardo did not think that his subordinates were empty words. Because except for a few people, no one knows how strong Italy's intelligence capabilities are in Abyssinia, especially in the capital Addis Ababa, and it can be said that even the king is inferior to Italy's intelligence capabilities.

(End of chapter)