"There is some truth in what you say, but I am still more optimistic about giving priority to the development of industry, especially since the current population of East Africa is not large, the difficulty of industrialization is low, and the food problem can be exchanged for high-value industrial products for low-cost agricultural products." Massimiliano I said.

"If you look at the actual situation in some European countries, what Your Majesty said is still reasonable, after all, not every country is suitable for the development of agriculture, but the natural conditions and land area of East Africa determine that the development of agriculture is his advantage, and he has food in his hands and does not panic."

The person in charge continued: "Prince Ernst often emphasized that agriculture is the easiest industry to be autonomous, after all, no one can go without food, and to develop industry, it is necessary to have various conditions, the threshold is very high, especially the first-mover countries have a strong advantage, they are constantly updating technology, and the threshold of industrialization in those backward countries is constantly raised." ”

"For example, in East Africa, at present, we lack the basic conditions for industrialization, and most of our residents come from rural areas, and their understanding of industry is basically poor; Our grain production is not enough to support large-scale industrialization and provide sufficient raw materials; Our transportation conditions are even worse, not even as good as most backward countries, and the length and density of dirt roads are not as good as those in countries with a little history. The most important thing in the development of industry is to import machinery and equipment from Europe, but the Hexingen consortium still has to make a profit, and East Africa cannot afford to introduce industrial facilities from Europe on a large scale for the time being. ”

Massimiliano I silently listened to the words of the head of the sisal factory, fell into deep thought, and he remembered his own life experience.

He has always believed in liberalism, and when he was in power in Milan (at the age of 25, he was crowned governor of Lombardy and Venice), and he implemented many policies that he considered advanced and humane, and finally caused the dissatisfaction of his brother and was deposed.

This is one of the reasons why I chose to go to Mexico later, to prove that I am not utopian, and my policies are all able to promote the development of the country.

It's a pity that the reality is very slap in the face, the Mexicans don't buy their own accounts at all, and even have to execute themselves in the end, and everyone is offended by themselves.

In retrospect, Mexico was not a good choice for a monarch, and Mexicans were heavily influenced by republican ideas, and because the previous royal family had overdrawn the trust of Mexicans, it was a bad decision from the start.

Of course, Massimiliano I was also deceived, when the French faked a Mexican poll and fooled the bewildered Massimiliano I to Mexico as the backstabber.

The Mexicans opposed their own rule and belonged to the people whom Ernst chose to rule, while Ernst's East African colonies were in reverse, to the people whom Ernst chose to rule.

So the East African colonies were able to enforce the ban, and Ernst could make the most of his talents, thought Massimiliano I.

……

September 11, 1867.

Mtewala Port.

"One-two-three, hey! One, two, three......"

Hundreds of dock workers on the docks, struggling to carry the guns unloaded from the sea ships, these are all big guys pulled from Austria-Hungary, and the East African colonies lack the means to carry them, so they can only rely on manpower to do it.

Recently, all cement imported from East Africa has been used to build the port's defenses.

Affected by the Paraguayan War, Ernst suddenly felt that the position of the East African colonies in Africa was somewhat similar to that of Paraguay in South America, both of which were located in the east-central part of their respective continents, with the difference that Paraguay had no access to the sea, while East Africa had a long coast.

This is also the advantage and disadvantage of the East African colonies over Paraguay, the advantage is that East Africa, with its many ports, has greater development potential, and the disadvantage is that East Africa also faces greater maritime threats.

The East African colonies currently have no navy, which means that the door to the Indian Ocean is open, and they have to deal with the enemy in the Indian Ocean.

There were only two ways to do this, one was to form one's own naval forces, and the other was to build fortifications along the coast, especially important facilities such as forts.

Navy! It's a money-burning thing, and it's useless to be small at all, at most to bully and bully some fishing boats, and armed merchant ships are not easy to mess with.

Moreover, the navy is a purely technical branch of the armed forces, and without the accumulated experience and a large amount of training, it is difficult for it to give full play to its achievements.

With the current economic situation in the East African colonies, there is no need to be under any illusions, and it is more practical to honestly build some forts.

Now there is a good window to buy large-caliber artillery on some decommissioned ships from Europe, and the last Battle of Lisa, the duel between Austrian and Italian ironclad ships, accelerated the pace of upgrading naval ships by various countries.

Many old warships are facing retirement, and the large-caliber guns on warships facing retirement will naturally have to be decommissioned.

In order to make the best use of the material, some countries may dismantle it and continue to put it into service, such as as as serving as a coastal defense gun, and some countries will find a buyer to take over.

Ernst found a batch of large-caliber guns from the Austro-Hungarian Empire that had been decommissioned from warships, although they were second-hand, they were still strong and durable, far more deterrent than the "rack" guns left by the Sultanate of Zanzibar.

As the southernmost seaport in East Africa, Mtwara naturally enjoyed the convenience in advance, and ships from Europe to East Africa were the first to arrive at Mtwara Port.

The port of Mtwara, which had been informed for a long time, had built the basic outline of the foundation battery in advance, and the blueprints were designed by professionals from the Austro-Hungarian Admiralty, which was absolutely the most advanced in this era.

Now, just wait for the artillery to be in place and do the final school firing, and that's it.

After much effort, the guns were finally transported to the designated location, and the Austro-Hungarian naval advisers who accompanied the ship personally directed the ammunition filling and the selection of targets.

After all the preparatory procedures were completed, the artillery was aimed at the prepared targets on the sea, wooden floats marked with red paint.

"Put!"

"Coax ......"

With a roar, accompanied by smoke from the muzzle, the shore defense cannon fell accurately into the designated area and exploded.

A huge wave was instantly blown up on the surface of the sea, and together with the floating target, it was split apart and flew into the air.

The operators and observers on the shore near the launch point all felt a roar in their ears, and at the moment when the ammunition flew out, they felt a clear wave of air.

In this way, the power of this batch of artillery is definitely enough, and it is not a problem to deal with some large armed ships of the current era.

However, the shortcomings are not without it, the ammunition still needs to be imported from Austria-Hungary, and the price is not cheap, so it is necessary to save a little, and improve the gunner's own professionalism on weekdays to make up for the disadvantages caused by the insufficient amount of ammunition.