Author: Seven Years Period

Franz's words just now shocked everyone. At this moment, whether it was Benny Erbin, the businessmen from Bagamoyo, or the Austrians present, all had dumbfounded expressions on their faces.

After all, Benny Erbin had indeed deceived the Archduke in a sense before, and now the latter had an absolute advantage.

No one would doubt that this young man could kill everyone in the port with just one order.

Friedrich understood his nephew's approach.

Politics is a profound art of compromise and cooperation. Even if it looks stupid in front of everyone, you must at least insist on doing a good job on the surface.

Because the convenience and invisible benefits this brings to one's own side cannot be ignored. Da Yanshanyin, who is beside him, thinks this is a very clever way to control people.

Benny Erbin also showed that he was very aware of current affairs and immediately seized the opportunity to show his "loyalty".

"I am willing to serve the empire. I have lived in Bagamoyo for nearly thirty years, and I can also help you contact nearby tribes.

I think they should all be very willing to surrender to you. No matter what means are used, I will dedicate Tanzania to you. I will be the most loyal servant of the Habsburg family..."

Although such a disgusting speech was a bit disdainful, Erbin, who had grasped the life-saving straw, could not care less.

Moreover, the position of Governor of Tanzania is really attractive. It is a gold ingot falling from the sky, both for him and for his family and tribe. Of course, it is also true for most people in the world.

At this time, the businessmen who were hostile to Benny Erbin began to cynicize, and it soon escalated into abuse and curses.

Because they knew very well that once the prince of the Kingdom of Weijin whom they despised gained power, he would retaliate against them. Of course, in the face of the powerful military power of Austria, they did not dare to do anything drastic.

"The kind-hearted Archduke Franz, he is not worthy of being the governor of Tanzania!" A fat-bellied businessman pointed at Erbin, with an exaggerated expression as if the other person was a traitor who had deceived his ancestors for eighteen generations.

"Yes! The 30% profit he promised you is too low. Our Novode Chamber of Commerce is willing to give up 70% of the profit! We are also willing to work for the Habsburg family!"

"That bastard is a filthy primitive! He doesn't deserve to rule white people! I protest!"

The businessmen in Bagamoyo were so excited that they almost drowned Benny Erbin in his spit. After all, they thought that removing this stumbling block would mean getting the job of the Governor of Tanzania.

Make sure you are safe for the rest of your life.

To say the least, if Erbin gets it, they will be in hell.

Not only would the family business and trade routes that he had worked so hard to build in Bagamoyo over the years disappear, but his own life and that of his family would also be at risk.

However, for an emerging colonial country that still lacks the ability to project externally, what is needed at this time is just this kind of people with shallow foundations who can better rely on the majesty of the empire to maintain its rule.

If it were replaced by a local snake with all-around skills, it would be a big question mark whether he could effectively control the situation thousands of miles away in the long term.

More importantly, Franz needs a capable person who can thoroughly implement his will and has strong execution ability; prohibiting slaves is like prohibiting drugs, and it will not be possible to eliminate an old disease that has existed for thousands of years in a day.

"Listen, everyone, I want to solemnly announce four things here:

First, Benny Erbin will become the plenipotentiary representative of the Austrian Empire in Tanzania.

Second, the Governor-General of Tanzania will launch a comprehensive anti-slavery campaign, no one will be allowed to participate in the sale of slaves, and slavery will be gradually abolished from now on."

Unexpectedly, as soon as he mentioned the second item, he immediately stirred up a hornet's nest. The Bagamoyo businessmen below invariably expressed their dissatisfaction with rich words and gestures.

"It's too harsh! If you don't even give us a way to survive, you might as well kill us!"

"This violates the principles of free trade!"

"Merciful Lord, please save us."

However, their "performance" did not succeed in impressing Franz. Instead of paying attention to the shouting people in front of him, Franz turned his head and asked the soldiers to fire their guns.

Sure enough, gunfire is the most effective silencer, and the noisy crowd fell silent instantly.

Even if some people with ulterior motives wanted to take the opportunity to create chaos and incite rebellion, after seeing the Austrian soldiers' determined eyes and the black muzzles of their guns, their faces looked like wilted eggplants, they did not dare to have any other evil thoughts.

Coupled with the previous "massacre" on the Zanzibar Sea and various other rumors, they successfully frightened these restless groups. Let the words "Kill people, run away!" come to their lips.

Swallowed it back.

"Third! The government of the Sultan of Oman has granted our country the exclusive franchise, and the Viceroyalty of Tanzania will shoulder the important task of spreading this spice to the world."

"Exclusive franchise" may sound very tempting, but to those businessmen who are accustomed to the slave trade, it always feels a little strange.

In fact, Zanzibar's clove trade has great potential. Although it now accounts for 60% of the world's production, its output will account for 90% of the world's long-term production starting in the late nineteenth century.

Its profits once accounted for 80% of Zanzibar's national income, and now with the blessing of Austrian agricultural technology, I believe cloves will definitely become Tanzania's signature product.

It is not uncommon in history for a commodity to revitalize a region, let alone this kind of commodity that is destined to shine in history.

Franz was well versed in his plan to replace the slave trade with cloves, and as the perfume and soap and cigarette industries grew, demand for cloves would only grow.

(The cigarette market has not yet formed a large scale at this time, but having Franz here is not a problem.)

Those slave traders certainly understood what the Grand Duke meant and his determination to ban slaves. The audience had different reactions to the above three statements.

Some people were disheartened. After all, they naively thought that this land would be their racecourse after the Omanis were driven away, but they did not expect that the Austrians actually overturned the table.

What they don't know is that prohibiting future Austrian Tanzania from participating in the slave trade is also a prerequisite for Austria to monopolize the lilac trade in Zanzibar.

Therefore, in return, the latter will turn a blind eye to Aman's behavior. After all, there has never been a free lunch in the world. If you want to dig a piece of meat from Said without being resented, you will definitely not

It's just adding a pinch of salt to the wound.

Instead, in addition to clearly giving the other party a chance to save some face, he also gave him a date, so that the two parties could temporarily even out the situation.

Some people hold a disapproving attitude. After all, Bagamoyo’s slave trading tradition is a commercial activity that has existed since the beginning of the Age of Discovery. How can it be so easy to abolish it?

Some people were ecstatic because they knew how much profit the spice trade could bring. Moreover, the "exclusive franchise" mentioned by Archduke Franz was even more coveted.

You must know that in this way, most external competitors can be eliminated. As long as a unified price alliance is formed internally, it is easy to create a monopoly and maximize profits.

This is still a mixed message for the future residents of the Tanzania colony, but the last point Franz said is definitely a good condition for the people in front of him.

"Fourth, Tanzania is the territory of the Austrian Empire, and all subjects enjoy the same treatment as Austrians and are protected by the imperial army and imperial laws."

This last statement was not only an explanation of Benny Erbin's previous request, but also a reassurance, or a talisman, to those who had persecuted him.

It was clear that Franz was not prepared to let the Benny Erbing family dominate, and he knew very well the meaning of the proverb "don't put all your eggs in one basket."

And only by making both sides rely on Austria can the rule be stable and long-lasting.

Some people in later generations closely linked the four chapters of the Grand Duke's covenant with the anti-slavery movement of the same era, and it was known as the "Bagamoyo Declaration" in history.
Chapter completed!