Chapter 328 Foreign Forces
As a new city, Bulawayo, the capital of the Ndebele people, was not even as old as many of the cities established by the East African kingdoms.
Lobengula and his father Zilikazi used a large number of slaves to build their capital. Although the city was small, it revealed the characteristics of the combination of Arab architecture and European architecture.
On the one hand, the Arabs have had a profound influence on the eastern coast of Africa. Even the Zulu people in the south cannot avoid it. The same is true for the Ndebele people, who are a branch of the Zulu people.
On the other hand, the Ndebele people learned it from their old rivals, the Boers. However, when the Boers captured the Transvaal, they did not have so much time and manpower to build some luxurious buildings. Basically, they were Simple fortress in Dutch style or German and French style.
The Ndebele people fully learned from the experience of the Boers and built shooting ports, towers and other facilities in their capital. The entire capital has turned into a small military fortress, which is similar to Hohenzollern Castle. This is also in line with the Ndebele people. Characteristics of Lai people’s militarism.
At this time, Lobengula was reviewing his troops outside the castle. The visual effect of more than 6,000 Ndebele warriors equipped with muskets was absolutely shocking.
They wore the traditional Zulu costumes of primitive tribes, but carried muskets as tall as one person. Barbarism and "civilization" contrasted with each other.
In addition to our own people with "advanced" equipment, more than 10,000 Shona servants also participated in this military parade. Although the number of servants is far more than these, they are scattered throughout the Matabele Kingdom. Bulawayo alone cannot support this amount. Multiple people.
Lobengula was quite satisfied when he saw the Ndebele warriors who were full of fighting spirit, and felt quite happy that all the heroes in the world had fallen into his trap.
Lobengula asked the leader of the Boer advisory group beside him: "Sir Wiggins, look at my subordinates, how do they compare to the East African Kingdom?"
Wiggins laughed confidently and said: "Hahaha, Your Majesty the King, don't worry, the Ndebele warriors are brave and militant, and now equipped with firearms, coupled with the training of our Boers, they can definitely cause harm to the East African Kingdom. Heavy damage.”
Wiggins was the chief instructor sent by the Transvaal Republic to the Matabele Kingdom to help Lobengula train Ndebele warriors in the use of firearms.
After all, the firearms were sold to the Matabele Kingdom by the Transvaal Republic, so they naturally had to provide one-stop service to customers. Otherwise, the Ndebele warriors would use their muskets as spearmen and launch a death charge against the colonial soldiers in East Africa. Being beaten into a sieve would be a big joke.
Lobengula ordered: "The drill has officially begun!"
The Ndebele soldiers, who were divided into several square groups, began to fill their muskets with ammunition in a formal manner, then raised them flat and fired in turn at a row of wooden stakes that had been set up.
"Bang...bang...bang..."
The fragile wooden piles were directly beaten to pieces.
"Good, good, very good!" Lobengula admired as he looked at the power of the musket in front of him.
Lobengula: "With these muskets, the East Africans will never come back."
…
A fast horse galloped on the grassland, heading towards the border troops of South Salzburg Province.
"I have an important military intelligence report."
Soon, the scouts were brought to Sweet.
"Report, Chief of General Staff! We encountered the troops of the Southern Route Army in the southeast, and they are converging on us."
"Which unit of the Southern Route Army are they?"
"The Second Brigade of the Southern Route Army has been operating here these days to encircle and suppress the indigenous rebellion."
Sweet said with satisfaction: "Very good, it seems that the Southern Route Army has almost finished countering the rebellion in the south and east. Let's stay here for now, wait for them, and let the soldiers take a rest."
The South Salzburg border troops marched all the way from near Lake Malawi deep into the hinterland of the Matabele Plateau, mainly to fight the main force of the Ndebele people, that is, the Matabele Kingdom headed by Bulawayo Base camp.
As for local counter-insurgency, I naturally have no idea. It is mainly left to the Southern Route Army to launch from the east and south.
About twenty minutes later, a group of troops appeared on the horizon. It was the Second Brigade of the South East African Route Army.
Second Brigade Commander Yaan Reed: "Chief of General Staff!"
Sweet: "Very good, you came from that direction!"
"Chief of the General Staff, our brigade was originally stationed on the north bank of the Limpopo River. It came from the southeast all the way to the northwest according to the king's order."
"That means that the indigenous rebellion in the southeast region has been almost suppressed?"
"Yes, Chief of General Staff, but some remnants of the Ndebele escaped, and we pursued them all the way here."
"You guys did a great job!" Sweet praised.
Ya'an Reed: "By the way, Chief of General Staff, our army has important military information to report to you."
Sweet: "What military situation?"
"Chief of General Staff, please wait a moment." Yaan Reed turned to his subordinates and said: "Bring our prisoners and captured things over here and bring them with you!"
Soon, several white people were escorted up, along with an ox cart covered with a tarpaulin.
Ya'an Reid opened the rainproof cloth, and there were boxes of goods stacked on it, but after seeing the style of the boxes, Sweet immediately guessed what was inside.
"Is this arms?"
"Yes, Chief of Staff, and it was the Boers who supplied the Ndebele with arms."
"Well, these Boers are really brave!"
Ya'an Reed said: "Chief of General Staff, you will interrogate these Boers next, and I'm afraid you will know what really big things they have done."
Sweet immediately understood that there might be more to this matter than meets the eye.
He came to the Boer prisoners and asked: "Are you from the Transvaal Republic?"
One of the Boers replied in German: "Yes, may I ask your Excellency?"
"I am the Chief of General Staff of the Army of the Kingdom of East Africa, Sweet!"
Upon hearing that he was a senior official in East Africa, the Boer immediately said: "Sir, this is all a misunderstanding."
"Huh, don't be clever. We have already obtained information from Ndebele. It would be better if you cooperate well and confess the crime proactively, otherwise..." Ya'an Reed interrupted from the side.
"Well, now that things have happened, we can tell you everything you want to know, but I have one request, that is, our safety must be guaranteed." said the Boer who saw being exposed.
Sweet: "Of course. Let me ask you a question next. We will absolutely guarantee your safety. The first question is, what is the purpose of your coming here?"
Boers: "We came under the instruction of the President to trade with the Ndebele people. As you can see, we are sending arms to the Ndebele people. The main reason is that the Ndebele people trade with gold, which in turn weakens them." The strength of your country.”
Sweet: "How many weapons did you send to the Ndebele people in total?"
"I don't know this, but there should be a lot of them, at least several thousand muskets, and a lot of gunpowder..."
ten minutes later.
Sweet: "Okay, we will keep our promise, but then we have to make you a guest in East Africa!"
The Boer prisoner easily betrayed all the information he knew about the Transvaal Republic to East Africa, because he knew that East Africa would not let him return to the Transvaal Republic.
Sweet said to his subordinates: "Hmph, the Republic of Transvaal is really generous. They use guns and people. They really don't take us in East Africa seriously. We will settle the accounts with them after we deal with the Ndebele people!"
