African Business Chronicles

Chapter 60 – Marching on Dar es Salaam Port

Düler donned an Arab robe and, mounted on horseback, appeared amid the streets of Dar es Salaam. He blended in unnoticed by the soldiers of the Zanzibar Sultanate. Being a German (Prussian), his fair complexion actually resembled that of a local Arab at first glance, and no one paid him special attention as he galloped away toward the border area.

Originally, the East African Colony had promised Sultan Majid that it would not station troops in Dar es Salaam. As a compromise, two hundred colonial troops were instead posted some distance away, at the boundary line near the city, to intervene if Zanzibar underwent any sudden changes—or, more specifically, to guarantee a secure corridor from the port to the Colony.

After all, in a state whose standing army rarely exceeded a few thousand, two hundred well-equipped soldiers still presented a significant deterrent.

At this time, the East African Colony's military force totaled around eight thousand men. Among them were two thousand Germans (including some three hundred-plus from Austria-Hungary), with the remainder being Chinese immigrants. These eight thousand or so troops were dispersed across the Colony's vast expanse—nearly seven hundred thousand square kilometers. Roughly three thousand were stationed in the three coastal provinces, but actual rapid deployment capacity in the east was only about fifteen hundred soldiers.

That included two hundred men near Dar es Salaam, three hundred at Tanga Port, five hundred in the First Town, plus a few hundred scattered in other parts of the coastal areas who could be mobilized if necessary.

"Halt! Who goes there?"

At the Kibaha outpost, roughly 40 li (about 20 km) from Dar es Salaam, the colonial soldiers stopped the Arab-dressed Düler.

"Friendly! I need to see your commanding officer immediately—I have urgent military news," Düler panted.

Hearing it was "urgent news," they wasted no time. Soon, he was taken to their officer, Felix.

"Commander, here's Mr. Basil's personal letter."

Düler handed over the envelope. Felix opened it, read it carefully, and frowned.

Then he asked, "Düler, on the way here, did you see any Arab troops or any unusual movement?"

"Commander, I saw plenty of soldiers in the streets of Dar es Salaam. They appeared to be carrying out some kind of military operation. The palace area was cordoned off; the civilians weren't allowed near. I slipped out from the city's southern district."

"You're certain it was a military operation? Not some kind of ordinary maneuvers?" Felix pressed.

"Commander, under normal circumstances, Dar es Salaam mostly has only the Sultan's royal guard around; the real army is stationed outside the city and at the docks," Düler replied. "But early this morning, we witnessed abnormal movements from the garrison at the docks, and by eight, their numbers increased inside the city. Since the main Dar es Salaam garrison would normally be out in the countryside, it suggests the troops outside the city had marched in. Mr. Basil saw that many of them were fully armed and prepped for battle, yet Sultan Majid's royal guard was nowhere to be found. Basil suspects something serious has happened in Zanzibar. We haven't heard gunfire, so we're not sure it's a coup, but we can't ignore the signs. So he had me rush to warn you."

After listening, Felix turned to his adjutant, Hans Zhang.

"What do you think, Zhang?"

Hans Zhang was a graduate of the Heixingen Military Academy, originally named Zhang Yuzhu, who had adopted the German name "Hans" upon enrollment. He considered Felix's question carefully and replied:

"Given the situation, if we first wait on colony headquarters for a decision before responding, it could be too late. If Zanzibar truly has a coup under way, the new regime might not maintain the same attitude toward us. In Dar es Salaam, we only have about twenty armed staff, and a new batch of immigrants are expected to arrive at the port today—none of them have weapons. Relying on just twenty men, if Zanzibar's government launches any hostile action, those immigrants would be in grave danger." Zhang summarized.

"That's exactly it," Felix nodded. "We can't sit around. If we stand by, we might lose control of the situation. We must take immediate action."

He added, "Now we need to simultaneously notify the East African Colonial Government and march on Dar es Salaam Port. Düler, you should rest here. The team from the colony who usually handle new arrivals will pass through around midday; go back to Dar es Salaam with them then."

It almost sounded like Felix was dismissing the Sultanate of Zanzibar. In fact, that's precisely how Felix felt. Once a soldier of Prussia, he was used to following his king on campaigns against stronger foes, and in his eyes, Zanzibar was hardly a challenge.

So, blazing with confidence, Felix prepared to muster his men. Even so, he was no fool—he'd run his company by strict Prussian regulations. Each skirmish to date had gone well under these guidelines. Zhang seldom had to restrain him; indeed, Hans Zhang usually supported Felix's judgments.

"Spread the word—assemble all troops immediately. We march on Dar es Salaam Port!"

Felix's orders were decisive. The two hundred-man detachment promptly readied their gear, fell in, and set out. Felix and Hans Zhang led from the front. Though only a couple hundred strong, they marched with the spirit of a full battalion, raising trails of dust as they surged east toward Dar es Salaam.

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