Greece to roman road

As for the so-called opium exported from Congo, it is not used for drugs, but the pharmaceutical company managed by Nina entrusts the Greek Congo Corporation to plant it and use it to refine morphine for medical use.

Morphine is widely used in medical treatment due to its special analgesic and anesthetic effects. This substance extracted from opium has the strongest analgesic and anesthetic effects among natural compounds.

So, after Nina learned that the plant could be grown in Congo, she commissioned Costebleu to grow it there.

In addition to the primary products Banning said, Congo's exports also include precious timber.

Congo's forest coverage area reaches 60%, accounting for about half of Africa's tropical forests, thus providing a considerable amount of wood, including ebony, rosewood, yellow lacquer wood and other valuable wood, which are exported to Europe in large quantities.

In addition, with the large influx of European immigrants (gold diggers), and under the guidance of the Greek Congo Corporation, the cultivation of cocoa, coffee, and tobacco also became popular. These commodities were not only exported to Greece, but also to Exports from other countries along the Mediterranean coast have therefore become one of the important financial resources of the Greek Congo Corporation.

It can be said that it was precisely because of his control of the Congo that Constantine approved of Trikupis's huge loan plan.

Otherwise, the huge debt of 600 million drachmas and the annual interest alone will make the Greek government breathless.

"Now that your Congo region is on the right track, some things can start," Constantine looked at Brut and said.

"How many troops do we have in the Congo River Basin? Brut?"

Since being sent to the Congo by Constantine a few years ago, Brut has been staying in Africa. Based on the 500 Royal Guards Regiment that was also transferred to the Congo at that time, Constantine recruited the indigenous people to serve as troops and maintain Orders of local order.

Through rotation over the years, the number of Greek troops in the area has still been maintained.

"So far, there are about 5,000 troops in the Congo region," Brut replied.

After that, he stared at Constantine to check the reaction.

"This number is still not enough," said Constantine.

"Within three years, Brut, you must form a colonial army in the Congo of not less than 50,000 men."

Hearing this number, not only Brut but also Banning was surprised. After all, the current Greek army only totals about 50,000 people, and now Africa alone needs to organize a colonial army of 50,000 people.

To some extent, this is almost reorganizing an army.

"You also know that the conflict between Greece and Ottoman Turkey is extremely acute. Especially after the recent influx of Greek goods into Asia Minor, Greek merchants have encountered troubles in Ottoman Turkey with increasing frequency," Constantine said with a serious face. .

With the development of Greek industry, more and more Greek products appeared in the Ottoman Turkish market. As the saying goes, those who are close to the water are on a first-come-first-served basis. Due to Greece’s favorable geographical location, some Greek products are highly competitive and will inevitably It touched the cheese that was originally a commodity from other countries, such as the British, French, German or Italian commodity markets.

These businessmen bribed some local officials to deliberately embarrass the Greek businessmen.

For example, cotton growers on the Aegean coast of Anatolia originally sold cotton to British and French merchants, and then the British and French processed it into cotton cloth and sold it to Ottoman Turkey. Before the emergence of Greek cotton cloth, this business model It has become a routine.

Due to Greece's advantages in geographical location and labor costs, there is now a gradual trend for Greek businessmen to replace the original roles of British and French businessmen. This threatens the interests of others and naturally attracts hatred.

Considering the embarrassing position of the Greeks in Ottoman Turkey and their status as conquered people, when those Ottoman officials faced Greek merchants, they were not at all cautious and respectful when facing merchants from other European countries. Instead, they turned to arrogance. hold head high.

All these make the possibility of military conflict between the two countries increasing.

"Officers who are in short supply can apply to the Athens Military Academy. Your time is very tight," Constantine said to Brut.

In fact, the daily expenses of a 50,000-strong colonial army are not high. The biggest expense is the full-body equipment prepared for these soldiers, such as military uniforms, rifles, boots, etc. As for food prices, the Congo region is rich in food. Such as rice, cassava, etc., are cheap.

The cost of maintaining an army of 50,000 people in the Congo is far lower than the cost at home.

"Also, Brut, you have to pay attention to the emotional problems of these officers who serve in the colonial army. Officers with serious racist sentiments must be prohibited from entering the indigenous army. When recruiting officers, you must pay attention to the difference. Do you understand? "

"These black troops will also go to the battlefield in the future war between Greece and the Ottoman Turks. They should be respected. You understand, it is respect."

Having said this, Constantine turned to Banning and said: "Your Congolese government must also be careful in its local management. I hope you can respect the customs and habits of the local people instead of being complacent all day long."

"The stability of the Congo is important to Greece. Do you understand?" Constantine said to the two.

"But, Your Highness, will such a large number of indigenous troops threaten us?" Banning said.

Banning felt a little uneasy about the fact that 50,000 indigenous people would soon appear in the area under his jurisdiction, armed with rifles and other weapons from Europe.

"If they start a rebellion, they will be in trouble."

This is indeed a hidden worry. In fact, the contradiction between European colonists and locals has always been sharp. This is not a problem that can be solved by simple respect.

After all, Congo is not only a colony of Greece, but also a public colony of various countries. After all, Greece is only the manager chosen by various countries.

Therefore, for those businessmen from other countries, the local government of Congo has limited prestige and has limited restrictions on them.

Take the current booming gold mining in the Congo, for example. European colonists often abducted local indigenous people and forced them to work in the gold mines. They were hired in name but actually slaves.

Because this kind of thing happens very frequently, and gold mining does require a lot of labor, Banning usually turns a blind eye to this kind of thing.

The rubber industry in Congo also requires a lot of labor to tap rubber plantations (wild rubber forests). As you can imagine, black labor is still used.

The local black people have always had a strong hatred for these foreign colonists.

Tens of thousands of heavily armed black troops suddenly appeared, and the Congo region suddenly became chaotic?

Constantine frowned when he heard this. Because he didn't know the specific local situation, he had no idea when facing this threat.

"Actually, it's not impossible to solve this hidden worry," Brute said suddenly.