The war between East Africa and the Transvaal Republic has ended, but the conflict in the South African region continues. First, the 123rd Cavalry Division and the 514th Infantry Division of Pretoria marched eastward to join Felix's forces and launched a war against the Zulu Kingdom.

Conquering the Zulu Kingdom not only allows us to acquire abundant coal resources but more importantly, we can gain its eastern outlet. The main coal export port of South Africa in the previous life, Richards Bay, lies neglected there.

Securing this port is of great significance to East Africa in ensuring the southern territorial security. After acquiring Transvaal, the East African Kingdom transforms into a long and narrow distribution from north to south. The distance from the core area of East Africa (the former East African Federation) to South Africa is excessively long. By conquering the Zulu Kingdom, East Africa can utilize Richards Bay to accomplish personnel and material deployment via sea transport.

In the territory of South Africa under East Africa's control, Ernst does not intend to develop large-scale agriculture but rather large ranching similar to northern Kenya.

The difference here compared to northern Kenya is that it is cooler, being subtropical, with a milder climate. It can be regarded as the best pasture resource in East Africa,

While Ernst also considers that in the future, this place, relying on rich mineral resources, is to be developed industrially, and industrial development depends on water resources. However, South Africa receives even less annual rainfall than Zimbabwe, especially the hinterland, and with great variability. In some extreme years, it might only have over four hundred millimeters.

The water use generally concerns residential, agricultural, and industrial uses, of which agricultural water use is the largest. If large-scale agriculture is implemented in South Africa, it is certain that even just the agricultural water use would be insufficient.

Furthermore, East Africa doesn't need to engage in agriculture in South Africa at all. Firstly, there is no such demand, and currently, the grain production capacity of East Africa is excessive. Secondly, East Africa's arable land resources are exceedingly abundant. In Tanzania alone, there are 44 million hectares of arable land available, about 660 million mu, which is nearly 30% of India's arable land, and mostly consists of fields with multiple annual harvests, to the point where Ernst doesn't even plan to develop those less fertile or less irrigable arable lands in Tanzania.

In the future, South Africa's grain can be imported from the north, which allows the limited water resources in South African territory under East Africa to be applied to industrial development.

The importance of water resources to industry can be referenced from the previous life in Shandong Province. Shandong is a major heavy industrial province, with traditional industries like chemicals, steel, and coal accounting for about 70% of the industrial structure. The heavy industrial structure has kept Shandong's energy consumption levels among the highest in the nation.

However, the industrial water consumption in Shandong is only slightly more than ten percent of that in Jiangsu, another major industrial province, severely restricting Shandong's industrial development. Coupled with the fact that Shandong is also a major agricultural province, the competition between agricultural and industrial water use in Shandong is intense, or rather, mutually competitive for water, with the Yellow River's meager water resources needing cautious use.

East African territory in South Africa also faces this problem. Ernst's solution is that South Africa does not develop water-intensive agriculture, so there will be no water crisis in the future, and there may even be a surplus of water resources because Ernst does not believe that the future industrial scale in East African territory in South Africa can reach 21st-century Shandong's level. Not to mention, Shandong has a population scale of 100 million, which the future East African territory in South Africa is unlikely to achieve. The whole East African Kingdom with a population of over 100 million is relatively realistic.

By not locally developing large-scale agriculture, the East African territory in South Africa must rely on the deployment of grain from other regions of East Africa, and sea transport is the lowest cost method, which highlights the importance of Richards Bay.

The conditions of Richards Bay are no less than the southern Durban port, but due to the Zulu Kingdom's reasons, Richards Bay has not been developed, so it requires the East African Kingdom to build it.

Currently, Durban port is the political and economic center of the British colony Natal, and East Africa still doesn't dare to provoke the British Empire's whiskers.

Apart from the war against the Zulu Kingdom just beginning, East Africa is also conducting a conquest war south of the Kalahari Desert and north of the Orange River.

This region currently is a Land of No Master, with not many natives, so Merk's troops are advancing very smoothly, encountering almost no difficulties at the beginning stage.

However, when nearing the Orange River, the East African forces had a small confrontation with the British Cape Town colony.

"Stop! Who are you people?"

The vanguard troops of the East African Army's 411th division, the 7th regiment, were blocked by a group of militia. The regiment's leader, Naldovich, had a fiery temper and wouldn't put up with these people.

Naldovich's name carried a Slavic flavor, but in actuality, he was a Croatian from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. However, the East African Kingdom categorized Germanized Slavs from the Austro-Hungarian Empire as part of the German category, so relying on his military achievements, Naldovich's career advanced smoothly.

Naldovich, riding on a warhorse, asked, "Who are you people? Why are you blocking our way?"

"This is the territory of the Griqualand Republic. If you take another step forward, it's considered crossing the border!" said a Boer militia member.

Damn, exactly how many republics have these Boers established! Naldovich internally mocked, actually unaware that there was another New Griqualand Republic established by the Boers to the east, meaning the Boers had set up two Griqualand Republics.

With military orders, Naldovich didn't care about any republic. Instead, he retorted, "What nonsense Griqualand Republic! I've never even heard of it. The entire land north of the Orange River is German territory. Why are you appearing on German soil?"

What Naldovich said confused the Boer militia because, very coincidentally, many of these Boer militia members were descendants of immigrants from German regions. If Naldovich claimed it was East African land, the Boer militia would definitely oppose it vehemently.

But precisely because Naldovich claimed it was German land, those Boers from German areas had to question themselves whether they counted as Germans.

This highlighted the national identity shaped by Naldovich under the cultural assimilation of East Africa. Even though he is authentically Croatian, culturally and socially he wasn't much different from the Austrians in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. However, Austrians from Austria-Hungary would never acknowledge Croatians as Germans, while Naldovich, after coming to East Africa, greatly valued his "German" identity.

The Boers' struggle with their identity is understandable, given that the concept of Boers hasn't been around for long. For example, after the British took over Cape Town colony, many Boer descendants of British ancestry switched allegiance to the British, making Germans and Frenchmen significant components of the Boers.

However, after a brief moment of confusion, the Boer militia responded, "No matter who, this is the territory of the Griqualand Republic."

Naldovich: "Heh, Griqualand. I believe no one in the International Community has ever heard of this country. Your actions are an attempt to steal East African Kingdom land. Now surrender to us in East Africa, and we can forget the past and guarantee your safety."

Naldovich's words introduced the Griqualand militia to a new phrase, the East African Kingdom, but they were unafraid. Whatever the East African Kingdom was, they hadn't heard of it either, probably no different from the Griqualand Republic!.

Indeed, it was different. The Griqualand Republic, unlike the East African Kingdom, didn't announce itself loudly in Europe upon its establishment. People might know of East Africa, but they didn't know the existence of the East African Kingdom. As for the Griqualand Republic, if they went to Europe to inquire, the majority would likely think it was some remote region's chieftainship or tribal state.

Of course, the greatest confidence of the Griqualand militia did not lie in whether the East African Kingdom was a self-indulgent state like Griqualand but rather in the fact that since last year, the Griqualand Republic had voted to voluntarily merge into the British Cape Town colony. They're backed by the British; who would dare provoke them with such protection?

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