War Palace and Knee Pillow, Austria’s Destiny

Chapter 327 White slave traders who think they are black intend to fight for freedom

"Mr. Benny, do you think this is still the era in the 15th and 16th centuries when a few businessmen recruited some mercenaries and went to war with the country?"

This exchange with the other party made Franz feel that it was a complete waste of his time. It was not uncommon for merchants to directly attack city-states with armed merchants in the early Age of Discovery.

But with the development of the times, the proliferation of firearms, and the natural elimination of history, it is almost impossible for this situation to happen again.

What's more, an empire as powerful as the Said Dynasty of Oman has a navy with 25 battleships (58 guns), 38 frigates, 79 sailboats, and hundreds of auxiliary ships, with a navy of 32,000 people. Such a large number of enemies cannot be easily defeated simply by relying on merchant arms.

Strictly speaking, the 58-gun battleship equipped by the Omani Navy can only be regarded as a frigate in Europe, and other types of ships are also reduced versions.

The standards they follow are more like the maritime classification standards of the 18th century, and the number of sailors alone is even greater than that of their Austrian counterparts.

In addition, the Army of the Oman Empire has nearly 50,000 soldiers, including more than 15,000 cavalry. What's even more frightening is that it is not difficult to support such a powerful army with the country's financial capabilities, and their dominance in East Africa has even been recognized by the British.

(Of course it is not recognized by other countries, especially Portugal and France.)

"You can laugh at me for being whimsical, but every European businessman who remains in Bagamoyo hopes to have unimpeded free trade and passage rights; every generation of residents who have lived in Tanzania hopes to bring Arab People were driven from their land.”

In a sense, Benny Erbin was telling the truth.

Because after Oman acquired the vast territory of East Africa, it used a multi-pronged approach to monopolize trade and launch slave-hunting wars to more cruelly exploit the local indigenous tribes. Even salt and iron were raised to an almost unbelievable price.

On the other hand, the Oman Empire continued to squeeze out passing Western merchants in a semi-public way, and even strictly prohibited those Western traders from participating in the slave trade, leaving it to the Arabs to monopolize it.

In addition, a commercial competition mechanism was introduced to lure Indian businessmen to East Africa and increase the export price of goods, causing setbacks to their Western counterparts one after another.

“So what do you want, dreamer?”

Franz still didn't feel that the businessman in front of him was someone who kept his word and could fulfill his promise.

After all, he was born too late to catch up with the glorious age of navigation, and he was born too early to catch up with the wave of national liberation; living now is destined to fail him, unless he is an expert with strength and ability. Intervene personally.

"I need five thousand rifles and twenty cannons!" Benny Erbin said seriously with a solemn look on his face.

After hearing this, Franz and Friedrich couldn't help laughing. After all, this request was too low. 5,000 rifles plus twenty cannons (6 pounds or 8 pounds), the total value even with shipping costs does not exceed 100,000 florins.

This is something that would be as difficult as the sky in the eyes of ordinary businessmen, but for these two people, it is as simple as a lift of their fingers.

Because after the Napoleonic Wars, major European countries invariably introduced measures to restrict the circulation of combat weapons among the civilians, and it was simply difficult to purchase large quantities; even if they could get what they wanted, it would only be after paying a very serious price; for example The French often sell to civilians at a price that is 300% to 400% higher than the original price.

"Then what can we gain?" Franz asked.

"Bagamo is about 30% of the annual tax and ownership of the city. As long as you have the ability to drive away Said, the entire coast is yours." Benny Erbin replied.

(Said refers to the Sultan of Oman at this time. He was a very capable monarch, but he was also very hated.)

30% tax sounds like a lot, but in fact, as a port city with only 18,000 people, its most profitable industry (slave trade) has been banned, so the actual tax revenue must be greatly reduced.

As for the "attractive" condition mentioned by the other party that "if you drive away the Omanis, you can get the entire coastline", it is an out-and-out attempt to make a bigger pie.

It is obvious that the risk of this transaction is too high, and the return is not ideal. It may even be a trap waiting for one of you to jump into.

And Franz was inspired by the other party, and he had already thought of a better idea to manage this land.

"Let's think it over carefully. Sir, it's getting late, please go back." In the end, Franz still hoped to send the other party away with a polite and decent gesture, hoping to give him some dignity.

"What else do you have to hesitate? I'm betting on my life, and what you pay is just a small number of weapons."

Benny Erbin wanted to help broker the deal, but unfortunately this strategy didn't work for Franz.

"Mr. Benny, life is precious and should not be gambled lightly. This is blasphemy against God."

Franz finally decided to bring up God to deal with the businessman in front of him.

It's just that the other party looked like he wouldn't give up until he achieved his goal. He wanted to step forward to continue the argument but was stopped by two soldiers.

"I am the prince of the Weijin Kingdom! With my status, I can contact the indigenous tribes in Tanzania to fight against the Arabs! I only need five thousand rifles and twenty artillery pieces!"

"But you don't look like a black man?" Friedrich found the guy in front of him very interesting and became interested.

"I am an illegitimate child, and my mother is Dutch!" Benny Erbin saw hope, and he was encouraged and continued, "There are 6,000 warriors in the Kingdom of Weijin! My father is the great King Weijin. Yay Nyumbayi!”

The illegitimate son of a black chief was not an honorable thing in this era, but what shocked Franz and Friedrich even more was that there was such a powerful presence in the interior of Tanzania, plus the seven mentioned before. This tribe might really be able to fight the Oman Empire.

"Why did this black prince, your highness, bear the fate of a slave trader?"

asked Friedrich, curious as to why a white man who considered himself black would sell black people.

"I knew you would ask this, because we are different from you! If my country did not rely on the slave trade, it would lose a stable source of salt and iron.

You all know the importance of salt to people. And if there is no iron, we will not be able to protect our country and our families!

We are surrounded by tribes who are in the same situation as us. If we want to avoid the fate of becoming slaves, we have to sell others into slavery. This is to survive!

But now the Omanis are coming! We don't even have a chance to survive. They want to regard all of us as objects that can be enslaved at will.

My father, the great Ye Nyumbayi, asked me to go to Europe with my mother. What I saw were kingdoms without slaves.

We didn’t want to be like this. If you want money, we will give you money. If you want crops, we will give you crops. But please don’t enslave us, don’t kill us. We just want to live! "