My Italy - Chapter 652 Abyssinian Storm (Part 2)

Boyle left a manor late at night very satisfied with the person he met. The other party can indeed become one of the few people who decide the Kingdom of Abyssinia.

The other party is Princess Zoditu, the daughter of the former King Menelik II.

However, this is the illegitimate daughter of Menelik II, the daughter of his ex-wife, and does not have the right to inherit. As for the young king Ejasu, he was the son of Menelik II and Suika, the only daughter of Queen Taitu.

After watching Boyle leave in the carriage on the main building, Zoditu looked at Kamala beside him.

“Go tell Tafari that the British have promised to help us and now we need him to prepare.”

“As you command, my master.”

As the illegitimate daughter of Menelik II and a member of the Solomon royal family, Zoditu was actually very ambitious. She had longed for the throne before, but her identity as an illegitimate daughter meant that she had no right to inherit. Unless all the other descendants of Menelik II died, she had no hope at all.

The outbreak of the world war and the death of her highly respected father made Zoditu’s ambition no longer restrained, so she contacted the ambitious dukes and governors in the kingdom, trying to use their power to overthrow her nephew’s rule and let her He ascended the throne that he thought about day and night.

Among the dignitaries who came into contact, his cousin Tafari Makonnan, the governor of Harald Province, was the most tempted.

Speaking of which, the father of Governor Tafari was the cousin of Menelik II. He was also a powerful general of the royal family and had made great military exploits. He had defeated the rebel nobles many times, and Tafari Makonnan was his second son.

However, it was a pity that this royal general died of illness in 1906. His eldest son inherited the Duke of Maconnan, and Tafari was awarded the title of Marquis by Menelik II. He was subsequently appointed as the nominal sub-governor of Salar, because at this time Tafari was studying with Crown Prince Ejasu.

After completing his studies, he served as the governor of the southwest province of Sidamo. After the death of his brother in 1911, he inherited the dukedom and was appointed governor of the province of Harar. In the same year, he married the Menglun family of the Guela tribe, another major ethnic group in the country, which further enhanced his political status and influence.

It can be said that Tafari Makonnan is one of the most powerful people in the kingdom.

Speaking of which, since Menelik II suffered a stroke, the king’s power has been gradually weakened because the king has few trustees. Although Queen Mother Taitu maintains it, without a strong king who can govern, power will naturally be gradually distributed. After all, the nobles of the Kingdom of Abyssinia are very traditional (the tradition of sharing power).

At this time, Tafari Makonnan had returned to Addis Ababa from Harar Province on the grounds of reporting to the king on the situation in Harar Province.

At this time, he was at home, listening to Princess Zoditu’s confidant butler telling him about the meeting with the British envoy.

“Duke Maconnan, the master’s conversation with the British envoy went very smoothly. The British are willing to provide us with 200,000 pounds of funding, and are also willing to provide us with a batch of military supplies such as 8,000 guns and 20 cannons. In addition, the British also promised, We can provide a group of reinforcements if necessary.”

“The British have made a huge investment.”

After listening to the British conditions, Tafari said silently.

“Duke, this is all caused by the war. The British want to fight the Italians, so that we can seek our own interests.”

After looking at the housekeeper of Princess Zoditu in front of him, Tafari continued. “It’s not just for our benefit, it’s for the benefit of the kingdom.”

“Duke Maconnan is right, we do this for the benefit of the kingdom.”

It was obvious that the princess’s butler was just perfunctory.

Then Tafari continued to ask a few more questions about discussing with the British, and then asked the princess’s butler to go back and resume his life.

After this person left, Tafari fell into deep thought.

Of course he knew what he was doing. To put it bluntly, he was plotting to usurp the throne.

However, the current situation in the Kingdom of Abyssinia is not very optimistic. Although Italy, the suzerain country, provides financial resources for it, those who enjoy these are the nobles. On the contrary, ordinary people are being exploited even more seriously.

You must know that due to the gradual modernization reforms of the Kingdom of Abyssinia, the taxes on its farmers have become heavier, which has caused the farmers to become increasingly poor and need to borrow debt to survive. The current domestic money lending interest rate in Abyssinia is 20-30%, which further bankrupts farmers. A large number of bankrupt farmers were sold into slavery, which gradually intensified domestic conflicts.

As for Tafari himself, it is fair to say that he did a very good job as governor of Sidamo and Harar provinces. He introduced reforms such as widespread land registration to facilitate efficient taxation, a salary system for officials, and a ban on self-funding. Land annexation in rural areas was therefore restricted.

The provinces of Sidamo and Harar that he governed successively were awarded the title of model province.

But although he did a good job, the situation in the other provinces of Abyssinia became increasingly serious, making the situation in the kingdom increasingly serious.

As a royal family who wanted to make a difference, Tafari saw how he could accept the situation in the country with peace of mind, so a dark thought gradually took shape in his heart.

Princess Zoditu happened to be an illegitimate daughter who was ambitious, so why didn’t he take advantage of this stupid and ambitious princess. As for what happens in the future, if the other party understands the situation and doesn’t stop you from reforming, then it’s okay. If you don’t understand the situation, accidents can happen at any time.

It was also his idea to ask the British for help, because without external help, it would have been impossible for them to pull Ejasu down from the throne of the king, because there was Italian support behind it.

Italy’s labor dispatch operations in recent years have attracted a large number of favored nobles. It is simply impossible for him, Princess Zoditu and several other ambitious nobles to accomplish the task of bringing the king down from the throne.

This is also the most suitable time. In order to seize Italian East Africa, the British are absolutely willing to spend a lot of money to win over the kingdom. However, the king is deeply influenced by the Italians and will never agree. This was convenient for them, because he knew that for the British, it would be a big profit for them to have opposition forces to contain the kingdom at this time.

Of course he knew the risks, but he was willing to give it a try for the sake of the Kingdom of Tafari. Of course, he still had a trace of his own ambition in his heart.

When Tafari, Zoditu, Boyle and others were making secret plans. At the other end of the city, Ricardo Lopez, the Italian ambassador to the Kingdom of Abyssinia, was also listening to the reports from his men.

As a slave state deeply influenced by Italy, Abyssinia has enough pro-Italian people in the country, and in Addis Ababa, its capital, there are even more. As the key points of observation, King Aiyasu and Queen Mother Ture were even more focused. Although you can’t know everything the other person eats, you can definitely know who you meet. As for the disguised Boyle, he was the focus of immediate attention. As for Ambassador Ricardo, he is of course the highest person in charge of Italy in the country.

“You mean the British came to King Ejasu?”

“Yes, Your Excellency Ambassador, but the king has rejected the other party’s request to change the court and is willing to continue to be on our side.”

“Very good, it seems that we have gained enough trust by supporting King Ejasu.”

“Ambassador, is there an accident involving the British envoy disguised as a businessman?”

Faced with his subordinate’s suggestion, Ambassador Ricardo immediately replied. “No, we can’t touch each other for the time being. I want to catch those moles hiding underground.”

“at this time?”

Of course Ambassador Ricardo knew what his subordinates meant.

“This time is better. As long as we catch them before the battle breaks out, we can better integrate the power of Abyssinia. The lack of its power in East Africa will affect the overall situation. In addition, who has this secret envoy met? , I must know.”

“According to your orders, Your Majesty the Ambassador, I will have someone check him immediately. No matter how many times he has been to the toilet, I will find out.”

Regarding his subordinate’s words, Ambassador Ricardo did not think that the other party’s words were empty words. Because except for a few people, no one knows how strong Italy’s intelligence capabilities are in Abyssinia, especially in the capital Addis Ababa. It can be said that even the king is not as good as Italy’s intelligence capabilities.