Chapter 243: Model 70
June 17th, 1870 (half a month ago).
"Clang, clang…"
In the sweltering boiler room, workers, stripped to the waist, start shoveling coal into the boiler. As the temperature rises, the large flywheel connected to the massive crankshaft begins to operate, producing a piercing noise.
The pressure gauge's needle quickly climbs, then stabilizes within the safe range, and the steam engine continuously provides power to the entire factory.
With belts and shafts, a series of steam engines drive more than 1,500 machines, all operating at high speed.
This is the Jiaozhou Textile Mill, one of only two textile mills belonging to the Heixinggen (Black Hohenzollern) Household Goods Company. It differs from the Berlin Textile Mill in that all its spinning and weaving machines are imported from Britain.
The Berlin Textile Mill, i.e., Heixinggen Textile Mill, was a textile enterprise acquired and restructured in Berlin, so its equipment is locally made in Prussia. Its scale is not large—only about a hundred machines. Before the Jiaozhou Mill was completed, it remained East Africa's biggest producer of "Prussian" military uniforms.
During the colonial era in East Africa, the "Prussian uniform" was not just for the army—it was everyday attire for men, women, and children. Except for European immigrants, almost everyone wore the Prussian uniform.
Now that the Kingdom of East Africa has been established, continuing this practice is obviously unsuitable—otherwise, it truly would be a "Prussian Army" kingdom.
Moreover, with Ernst preparing for the Franco-Prussian War, he has started producing official Prussian army uniforms, stockpiling them for sale to the Prussian military. Hence, the Berlin Textile Mill has simply abandoned the East African business and sells its finished goods directly in the German market.
Meanwhile, the distant Jiaozhou Textile Mill replaces its function. This textile mill in Jiaozhou was formed by merging three smaller mills to improve management and increase production efficiency. It also has related infrastructure, such as a private fire department for the mill, living quarters for workers and their families, a road from the factory to the docks, the factory's own power station (mainly providing lighting), and a repair facility.
Why use British spinning and weaving machines? Simply because they're more cost-effective. Britain is the world's leading textile country, having more experience in technology. Its equipment fails less frequently. In Europe, a malfunction would be easier to handle, but in the Far East, it's a serious issue. If you don't stock a pile of replacement parts, the machines might go on strike until new parts arrive from Europe. Additionally, the technicians themselves are well-paid professionals.
Jiaozhou Textile Mill employs around 7,000 workers and can produce up to 700,000 bolts of fabric. Aside from supplying East Africa, most of the excess is sold throughout East Asia.
Building a mill here offers clear advantages. Apart from a favorable port, the area has a large, inexpensive labor supply, readily available raw materials, and is close to major markets (the Far East, Joseon/Korea, and Japan).
…
Next to the Jiaozhou Textile Mill is the Jiaozhou Clothing Mill. Both share the same factory grounds and basic infrastructure.
"What's this garment? It looks so strange!"
"It's Western-style clothing."
"I've seen this before; they call it a Western suit. Typically only the bigwigs in the West get to wear it. Look in our factory: only the director and the technicians wear them."
"But the item over here is definitely something I've never seen. It's a bit like the uniforms worn by the security guards, but it looks nicer. Look at this hat with that thing on top… What is that?" The speaker wanted to call it a dog, but it didn't look like one.
"To me, it resembles the stone lions outside wealthy families' homes."
"No way! It's nothing like that. The figure's got something on its head, and it's standing. The lions I've seen were well-carved, all crouching. This creature has its two forelegs raised forward, and the color doesn't look festive."
"Who cares what it is! It's not as though we're going to wear it anyway."
In front of them is the newly designed "Model 70" (year 1870) uniform, completely self-made by East Africa, featuring a strong European flair. The animal on the hat that's causing all the curiosity is actually the hat badge: the lion from the Heixinggen royal crest, wearing a crown on its head. Such lions are extremely common in Europe—like the double-headed eagles used by many noble families and kingdoms.
There are two versions of the Model 70 uniform for East Africa: grassland and desert, differing only in color. The grassland style is light blue; the desert style is a sandy brown.
The biggest difference is in the hat. Across German and European states, hats usually look cylindrical or have a large brim. East Africa's hat is a hybrid of both styles. Unlike the large-brimmed hat, it isn't so tall, resembling the Austro-Hungarian round cap but less structured and more relaxed. Seen from the front, it's roughly trapezoidal from top to bottom.
At the center front of the East African cap is a shield-shaped badge, just like on the national flag, using black, red, and yellow. The badge is made of brass.
Apart from saving on cloth, this design is intended for sun protection, ensuring less glare and better vision.
As for the jacket, it hardly differs from European uniforms. It has five pockets—four large outside pockets plus an inner one. There's also a belt (produced at Tanga in East Africa) made from canvas, with numerous grommets for attaching pouches later on.
The pants likewise follow the standard European pattern with no changes.
So, East Africa's newly designed uniforms look basically the same as older Prussian uniforms. This isn't just copying Prussia—almost all of Germany is doing something similar. For instance, Austria-Hungary, Bavaria, even the former independent Heixinggen used nearly the same pattern.
In addition to producing suits and military uniforms, the Jiaozhou Clothing Mill also makes workwear and women's clothing. East Africa aims to replace the old "Prussian uniform" once worn everywhere.
Of course, large-scale production means very few styles—only four in total are offered to ordinary East African people. They can be purchased from official stores using vouchers issued by the Heixinggen Bank.
Because East Africa plans to expand its army by 100,000, it has ordered a massive quantity of uniforms—all in the new Model 70 design. In coming years, these "Model 70" uniforms will gradually replace the older Prussian-style uniforms still used by the army.
…
Heixinggen:
"Leopold Cousin, these people will be in your care for the next few months—look after them, please." Ernst speaks to Leopold, who's returned to reorganize the Heixinggen Military Academy.
"No worries. I won't push them hard; maybe I'll just put them in logistics?" Leopold remarks openly.
"That won't be necessary. The reason I want you to take charge is so they won't be treated unfairly. You know many come from the Far East, and if they were placed under someone else, they'd end up as cannon fodder. All of them have undergone long-term systematic training and are of excellent quality. Most will later go with me to East Africa. My plan is to let them gain battlefield experience in the war; you just need to treat them like any normal unit under your command. Don't give them any special or inferior treatment."
"So that's what you mean. I was worried you were looking for preferential care. Then let me first gauge their military level. Only then can I assign tasks appropriately."
"No problem. Although they haven't been in real combat yet, they've done plenty of drills and practice. Their German is decent, so communication won't be an issue. They can all read and write, and they're familiar with Prussian Army regulations and commands," Ernst answers with confidence.
"Words alone won't suffice. Let them assemble now so I can see how they are."
Quickly, the Academy's entire third-year cohort—2,247 students—gather neatly on the drill ground in formation.
"The speed of their reaction and assembly is excellent—better than an average royal army unit. They could match some elite troops. But I'm not yet sure how they'll perform." Leopold comments.
"That's easy to test. I've got a training area in the western part of Heixinggen. Today, we can run a drill so you can see for yourself."
"That's great! But you sure go big—there's even a formal training ground?"
…
Come evening, the exercise ends.
Leopold is satisfied: "They're impressive. Their organization and weapons handling are superb, and their physical fitness is top-notch. Based on this exercise, I see no problem. In my estimation, once they face the reality of war, they'll definitely match the quality of Prussia's elite forces."
"So, you must use them well so they can earn real achievements. I've spent years cultivating them."
"All right, then. At first, I thought you assigned them to me just to give them easy treatment. Seeing this, I realize I misunderstood."
"Not exactly a misunderstanding—this is partly a favor. After all, how many new units get to be led by a future Prussian Field Marshal? Ha ha!" Ernst jokes.
"One day, that'll be true," says Leopold, confident that if his father could rise to be commander-in-chief, he himself won't do any worse.
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