Chapter 591: Homeward Journey
Konstantin's inspection tour of Matabele Province only lasted a few days. He had to return to First Town to celebrate the New Year with his family. This trip mostly focused on Harare.
As he boarded the royal train, Konstantin said with a hint of regret, "Time was short. I wish I could've visited Bulawayo."
"Your Majesty, you can always visit Bulawayo next year. Now that we have the railway, it's easy to reach any city. Aside from Bulawayo, the only southern city really worth seeing is New Hamburg Port. But that city was built following the template of Dar es Salaam and other coastal cities—similar in design, lacking uniqueness."
Steward Kaid said this, though New Hamburg Port actually differed significantly from other East African ports. It had three distinct harbor areas, including a naval base, and separated inner and outer harbors. A boat tour revealed its unique layout.
When Kaid said it followed the Dar es Salaam model, he was referring mainly to standardized infrastructure and public services.
"Kaid, what about Hechingen Province—the former Transvaal Republic's capital, Pretoria? I haven't heard much about it lately," Konstantin asked.
Before East Africa took control of southern Africa, Pretoria was one of the region's most important cities—only Cape Town surpassed it. Now, with no news, Konstantin was curious.
Kaid replied, "Pretoria is now purely a military stronghold. Its economic development is minimal. In recent years, Hechingen, Southern Frontier, and New Baden Provinces have seen much slower population growth than neighboring Matabele. Only the coastal New Hamburg Port has seen real development—mainly because of the Central Railway."
"I remember Ernst wanted to raise sheep in South Africa. How's that going?"
"Animal husbandry takes time. It took us more than ten years just to get East Africa's livestock industry up to par with other nations. Our land area is several times larger than most countries, yet our livestock scale is modest by comparison. Sheep farming has just started in the Southern Frontier Province."
Konstantin frowned slightly. "Only one province? Isn't that a bit small?"
Kaid chuckled. "Your Majesty, Southern Frontier is anything but small. You've been in East Africa too long—you're thinking like a great power. One of our provinces is larger than many European countries. Southern Frontier alone likely surpasses entire nations in livestock output. Other countries also need land for crops—they can't use it all for grazing."
Konstantin realized Kaid was right. Back in Europe, his concerns rarely extended beyond his small domain or Prussian military duties.
Hechingen was practically a township. Sometimes he fretted over a single village's plot of land. Now in East Africa, he'd grown numb to thinking in tens of thousands of square kilometers. This trip to Harare was officially to inspect Matabele—but the province alone was over 300,000 km², nearly the size of Germany.
When he first arrived in East Africa, the country only spanned the East African Highlands—but even then it was already two to three times Germany's size. Now, after years of expansion, East Africa had become a major global power.
Converting territory into national strength would take time, but sheer scale brought prestige and satisfied Konstantin's vanity. The only downside was that he could no longer brag to his old European peers about his "achievements."
Kaid continued, "Of course, even in Southern Frontier, development is limited to the eastern side. The west, near the former Orange Free State, remains untouched. Eastern areas are mostly for sheep farming, with some agriculture—no different from other eastern zones. Meanwhile, northern areas focus more on cattle, pigs, and horses to avoid industry overlap. New Hamburg is being developed as a wool-textile hub to complement Nairobi in the north. I've heard Bulawayo is trying to become a textile center for the central region. Bulawayo's western climate is dry—good for cotton and sheep alike."
Cattle and sheep have very different needs. Cows are more sensitive and require lush grasslands. That's why top ranches are found in northern Europe and Argentina—places with cool, wet climates.
Dryer areas suit sheep. Australia's Murray–Darling Basin and northwest China are typical examples. Much of the South African plateau is dry, so it's ideal for sheep.
That said, South Africa can support cattle too. Like people, livestock prefer warm winters and cool summers—and East Africa's highlands offer just that.
Historically, Transvaal and Boer settlers favored cattle due to heritage and markets. Many Boers came from the Netherlands, Germany, and France—all countries with cattle-heavy traditions. They continued that in South Africa. Their main market was Europe, where beef consumption was high.
East Africa wasn't quite there yet. Livestock focused on cattle, but its development was too new—regular people still couldn't afford beef.
Sheep, on the other hand, were key to the textile industry. And sheep meat was a valuable export. East Africa was close to the Arab world and Central Asia—regions with high lamb demand.
As Konstantin and Kaid talked, the royal train entered East Africa's largest railway bridge—the Zambezi River Bridge.
This steel structure was one of East Africa's most well-known engineering feats. Its materials were imported cheaply during the 1873 economic crisis.
East Africa had the Nile and Congo Rivers—global giants—but the Zambezi was by far more important.
The Zambezi might one day become East Africa's own global river. For now, its lower south bank remained under Portuguese control.
The Congo River, while largely in East Africa's hands, flowed through rainforest—not economically valuable.
The Nile was somewhat better, but still inferior to the Zambezi in terms of natural and economic conditions.
Then there was the quiet Orange River. As a border river, it was often ignored. Its surrounding areas were poor—only the upper reaches, near Transvaal and the Orange Free State, had some value for settlement.
Ernst was never fully satisfied with East Africa's river systems. They were too fragmented to power the economy like other major rivers worldwide.
Ironically, lacking navigable rivers slowed foreign colonization. The Niger River, with better conditions, had enabled rapid Western conquest.
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