African Business Chronicles

Chapter 76: The Promised Land

The Kingdom of Karawi.

One of the eight kingdoms west of the Great Lakes region.

It was established by local natives along the western edge of the Great Lakes. To the north, it borders the Kingdom of Buganda; to the west, the Kingdoms of Igara and Burundi. Its territory lies mainly within what was formerly Tanzania.

Between Lake Victoria, Lake Albert (called Frederick in the past), and Lake Tanganyika (also called Soren), the land spans about 150,000 square kilometers.

Yet within this area, eight native kingdoms are distributed—making this the most powerful Black region in East Africa. Among them, the Kingdom of Buganda is the strongest state founded by Black Africans in the region (Abyssinia is not purely Black, being heavily influenced by Arab culture).

The eight native kingdoms are: Gitarra, Turou, Nkore, Buganda, Karawi, Igara, Rwanda, and Burundi.

Among them, Buganda, Igara, and Burundi border the East African colony.

With the East African colony's "cleansing" campaign underway, the native tribes fleeing northwest began pouring into these three kingdoms.

...

At the border of the Kingdom of Karawi.

As a slave state, Karawi had few defenses on its eastern front. Previously, that area was just scattered native tribes, posing no threat to the kingdom.

Although these eight western kingdoms had formed states, their systems remained primitive. Their rule, like the colony's, relied on military control over local tribes—similar to China's Shang Dynasty, where regional lords were subdued by force and made to pay tribute.

So it was impossible for such inefficient states to resist the refugee wave triggered by the East African colony.

Today, another large group arrived at Karawi's border.

They were from the Gege tribe—a massive native tribe that once lived in the East African grasslands with a population of over 2,000.

Their chief, Ode Biao, was considered a legendary leader. Since taking power, he had expanded by war, absorbed nearby tribes, and taken captives, becoming a dominant tribal force in the grasslands.

But his good fortune didn't last. With the start of the colony's "cleansing" campaign, Tabora city in the grasslands organized a force of more than 500 armed men to wipe out his tribe.

Even with supernatural abilities, Ode Biao couldn't match the colonial army's modern weapons.

The battle didn't last long—his tribe was defeated.

Ode Biao led the survivors on a long escape.

The colony deliberately pushed them northwest, and after a grueling 200-kilometer trek, they finally reached Karawi's border.

After days of running, only about a thousand remained with Ode Biao—nearly half the tribe was lost to war and the journey.

To his surprise, the gun-wielding demons had stopped chasing them, as if afraid to advance further.

In fact, the colonial government had achieved its goal: driving the tribe into Karawi's territory.

Naively, Ode Biao believed the demons feared the gods of the northwest.

As the tribe's chief and shaman, Ode Biao became inspired.

He raised his ceremonial staff and began performing a strange dance in front of his people.

He spun rapidly on his toes, as if the ground beneath him were burning hot.

Muttering incomprehensible words, he chanted. Even his own people didn't understand him—but the performance looked impressive.

As the ritual continued, he began to convulse, his eyes rolling back.

The staff in his hands tilted westward, finally pointing directly to the northwest.

Then Ode Biao let out a dramatic shout—

"Sha-ka-la-ka…"

—and collapsed to the ground.

His tribe, terrified, dared not touch him.

After all, he had shown symptoms of being possessed—he was their only priest. If even he couldn't handle it, no one else would dare try.

Some dropped to their knees, praying for their lion-god to protect them. Most bore lion tattoos as part of their tribal beliefs.

A hundred meters away, colonial soldiers assigned to prevent escape watched curiously.

"What are those savages doing?"

"Looks like one of those shamans from back home putting on a spirit dance."

"Didn't that leader just roll his eyes while dancing? Our village witch used to do that."

"You could see that from here?"

"Well, no—but his moves looked exactly like the witch's, so I figured he must've rolled his eyes."

"These natives believe in spirits too? That's something. Do you think gods really exist—Heavenly Lords, kings of the underworld…?"

"Well, maybe in the Qing Empire. But we're not there anymore. Now this land is under the Germans. According to them, it's protected by their god—basically their version of the Jade Emperor."

While the soldiers whispered among themselves, Ode Biao peeked out with slitted eyes.

Seeing his people trembling with awe made him very pleased—that was exactly the effect he wanted.

He'd been unlucky lately. Crushed by the colony's military, his tribe scattered, morale shaken.

But now, realizing the soldiers had stopped chasing them, the great chief Ode Biao thought of a way to restore his authority.

He suddenly sat up, cross-legged, shivering slightly as if "awakened."

His people stared in amazement as he declared,

"Warriors of the tribe, just now the gods spoke to me. They said we must head northwest. That is our promised land!"

"The gods live there, which is why these demons don't dare advance. Look back and see—they won't follow us!"

Prompted by his words, the tribespeople turned around. Sure enough, the soldiers had stopped.

Seeing the natives turn, the colonial troops tensed, thinking a counterattack was coming—they raised their rifles.

This show of fear only confirmed the shaman's claim. If they weren't afraid of the gods, why would they react like that?

Convinced they were divinely protected, the Gege tribe erupted in cheers.

They shouted "Ode Biao, messenger of the gods!" and began dancing around him.

Satisfied, Ode Biao raised his hands and slowly lowered them, signaling for silence.

"Warriors, let's move on to the northwest. The gods will bless us."

With his authority restored, Ode Biao led his reinvigorated tribe toward the Kingdom of Karawi.

The colonial soldiers, meanwhile, were left completely baffled.

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