Chapter 6

Thanks to the heightened enthusiasm for colonizing outer space during the "Great Space Age," Africa in this timeline did not receive much attention from European powers. Moreover, during World War I, it suffered unprecedented destruction.

During World War I, Germany and Britain engaged in the largest space battle to date over the Jutland Peninsula on Earth. Both sides' main fleets clashed, and the combat zone once extended beyond low Earth orbit, causing more than a dozen large warships to be destroyed and fall into the atmosphere, turning into countless debris fragments.

At that time, human air defense methods were still very rudimentary. There were no Patriot missiles, S-400s, or HQ-9s left by ancient humans. They could only watch helplessly as a massive "meteor shower" rained down!

Most of these large iron fragments fell on the African continent and the Mediterranean region. Besides turning vast grasslands into a mess, they nearly sent Turkey back to the Stone Age, almost destroying this once-prosperous empire. The few fragments that fell on the Eurasian continent also caused significant casualties, even affecting the Tang Dynasty.

This incident caused a huge stir in human society at the time. The casualties from the debris were so numerous that they were difficult to count. Even in the "lightest" hit region of Asia, the death toll exceeded that of the famous "Meat Grinder of Verdun."

Enraged, Li Xunde, the neutral Tang Xingzong, began to mediate in World War I, publicly issuing a declaration that could be summarized as "Whoever doesn't stop, I'll destroy their entire family." He forced the Allies and the Central Powers to sign the "Compiègne Armistice," bringing World War I to a hasty end with many unresolved issues and lingering problems.

Due to this situation, the devastated African continent received far less attention than in the previous timeline. British colonizers occupying the region were only concerned with protecting their mines and plantations and paid no attention to the conflicts among the local tribes.

Zhao Jian had read relevant books on the ship and knew that Tanzania, as one of the cradles of humanity, had trade relations with Arabia, Persia, and India since ancient times. As a result, many Arabs and Persians migrated there in the 7th and 8th centuries. In 1886, the inland region was once under German control, but during World War I, British forces occupied all of Tanzania in November 1917. After the war, it became a British "mandate."

In this land, there were as many as 126 notable tribes, some of which practiced primitive animism, some Islam, and others, influenced by colonizers, practiced Catholicism and Christianity. With such a diverse array of religious beliefs and a colonial government that remained aloof, it would be strange if the region wasn't in chaos!

When the Hengtong arrived at Tanga Port, British customs officials immediately approached. Upon learning that the ship carried 120 boxes of tea and was planning to sell them inland, the officials looked at them as if they were crazy.

"Gentlemen, to be frank, the natives in the interior don't drink tea, and they are not very welcoming to outsiders."

"That's not a problem. We specifically came here to promote tea because they don't drink it yet."

Zhao Jian, stepping forward, conversed with the official in fairly decent English. The customs officer, somewhat stunned, asked, "Who is this young man?"

"He is our young master."

"What is a young master?"

"Uh... the young boss."

The customs inspector was not overly surprised by Zhao Jian's age, as boys were considered adults at 14 or 15 in this era, and it was common for young boys in large families to start learning the family business at 12. Zhao Jian was accompanied by bodyguards and a butler, which matched the "standard configuration" for a young merchant.

Thanks to their status as Tang Dynasty merchants, the British did not make things difficult for Zhao Jian and his group. After inspecting a few ordinary tea boxes prepared for him, they collected some tariffs and bribes and left. The group immediately began unloading the cargo, and Qin Heng, worried about sales, humbly sought advice from Zhao Jian, who seemed confident.

"Master, we are unfamiliar with this place. How do we contact buyers?"

"I don't know either," Zhao Jian replied in a low voice, causing Qin Heng to become frustrated.

"Then what kind of act are you putting on!?"

"Hey! I'm the boss. If I look dejected, how can the others feel confident?"

"The problem is, none of us have sold guns before! We can't go around like peddlers, shouting in the village with a couple of bundles of guns, can we?"

"Don't worry. Let's stay here for a night, find a local guide, and understand the situation before making further plans."

Following Zhao Jian's instructions, Qin Heng booked what was said to be the best hotel in Tanga Port and sent a subordinate who spoke English to a bar to bring back a black man who claimed to be a "jack-of-all-trades." Zhao Jian only needed 20 pounds to get the information he wanted from this courier named Singh.

In Tanzania, the discord among tribes was largely a result of British policies, as it helped them maintain control. However, for regional stability, the British did not want the tribes to fight openly. They preferred a state of mutual hostility and inability to unite.

But this delicate balance only existed among the larger tribes with significant populations. The British cared little about the conflicts between smaller tribes and primitive tribes. Therefore, the most intense fighting in East Africa was among these smaller groups.

These small tribes often had very few people, some with fewer than a thousand, and most lived in the humid interior, where British control was weak. Although the large diamond mines were under British control, these small tribes had some "stock" of diamonds. The small pieces that the British considered insignificant were perfect for helping Zhao Jian pay off his debts.

"Singh, do you want to earn some extra money?"

"Of course! I dream about it. Money is a good thing!"

"I need a guide who can take me inland to find these small tribes. I want to do some business with them."

Zhao Jian thought the other party might hesitate about doing business in a "war zone," but to his surprise, Singh didn't care at all and readily agreed, even boasting that he was "sworn brothers" with a few tribal chiefs and could introduce them.

But Singh was very curious about what Zhao Jian wanted to sell to the tribal chiefs. So Zhao Jian pulled out a Colt M1917 revolver from his pocket and showed it to Singh.

"Singh, if I want to use this to trade for diamonds, what do you think they would do?"