Chapter 376 Combat Meeting

On the second day after Ernst arrived in the first town, he had nothing special to do. The main thing was to preside over the war against the Boers. The Boers must be fought. There was no other reason than the East African strategy. consideration.

If we don’t devour the Boer land at this time, we will not only face the Boers but the British when we find opportunities in the future.

Secondly, East Africa also had to use force against the Boers. The two sides had nothing to talk about. The Boers could surrender to the British, but they would never surrender to East Africa. Unless East Africa gave the Boers great privileges, the East African government would Will not agree.

At the Palace of the Army Generals, Ernst discussed the war against the Boers.

Ernst: "This war is different from the past. In addition to the opponent changing from black to white, we also have to face a very prominent problem, that is, the Transvaal Republic is too far away from the current core area of ​​East Africa. Last time Ndebe The Lai rebellion could also be suppressed by mobilizing troops from South Salzburg Province, but this time the battle against the Boers did not have this advantage.

Therefore, the war against the Boers must be fast and thunderous. We must directly take over the land of the Transvaal Republic in one go. We may even face forces outside the Transvaal Republic, such as Orange, the ancestral homeland, etc. Lu, and even the British colony of Natal.

Therefore, the Southern Route Army faces not only the Boer enemy, but also potential enemies. If this war is delayed for a moment, it is likely that the Zulus and the British on the side will take advantage. This is not what I hope. have witnessed. "

The actual situation is also the same. As long as there is a slight delay in the battle against the Boers in East Africa, the Zulu Kingdom and the British Natal Colony will never give up this great opportunity to expand into the Transvaal Republic.

On the sand table, Sweet pointed to the area in the lower right corner of the Kingdom of Swaziland and said: "Your Highness, according to the information sent back by our intelligence personnel a few days ago, the main force of the Transvaal Republic is still in the eastern part of the Transvaal Republic. The Zulu Kingdom is in confrontation. Although the Zulu Kingdom is small in area and has a small population, it is extremely warlike and almost reaches the level of all the people. Although it was defeated by the Boers, since the arrival of the British, their king Mpanda Just choose to improve relations with the British and jointly squeeze out the Boers."

Previously, the Zulu Kingdom actually had a good relationship with the Boers, but it was only a good relationship on the surface. The Zulu Kingdom's hatred of the Boers could be said to have reached its extreme, so when the British came, the Zulu people were like the British Come closer.

Sweet continued: "At present, the Boers have almost no troops on the south bank of the Limpopo River. This is our opportunity. As long as we take a multi-pronged approach, it will not be difficult for us to quickly sweep most of the Transvaal Republic. The main resistance to the war must be in the later stages of the war. On the one hand, it is the return of the main force of the Boers, and on the other hand, it is the relationship between the Orange Free State and the Transvaal Republic. They will never sit idly by, even in the British colony of Natal. The Boers will also support the Transvaal Republic, and there is a high probability that it will attract the attention of the British."

In addition to the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State, the Boer countries and regions actually include New Grigualand, as well as the British colony of Natal and West Grigualand, and the residents under its rule The majority are still Boers, and there is also a large Boer presence in Cape Town.

Ernst nodded and said: "So we must be prepared for a multi-faceted war. This war is not just against the Boers. In my opinion, there is no need for the existence of the Zulu Kingdom. We cannot afford to offend the British, but it is not If they are afraid of the British forces in South Africa and want to interfere with this territorial expansion in East Africa, then fight them back!"

Ernst almost gritted his teeth and said the last sentence. If there were no British in this Africa, then East Africa would not have to be afraid to restrain its ambitions. Even the size of the East African Kingdom is not afraid of any challenges in Africa, but it is still alive. In the shadow of Britain.

Ernst does not think highly of Britain, but Britain's strength is just like this. Britain in this era is to East Africa just like the Far East faced the United States in the previous life. This kind of pressure can be imagined for the East African kingdom.

The United Kingdom in this era is even more difficult to deal with than the United States in the previous life, because there is no so-called morality in this era. The British can really do whatever they want except in areas controlled by other powers. Even if they engage in genocide, no one will say anything. Tao four.

If East Africa does not rely on its own strength and wants to survive in this era, it can only cling to the thighs of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Germany. But East Africa must not do this unless it is absolutely necessary. It is said that it is easy to ask the gods but difficult to send them away. If you want to rely on the help of other countries to resolve the crisis, you must pay a price, and both Franz and William I were extremely realistic monarchs. , not a fool like Peter III.

Ernst's words also brought a psychological haze to the army generals, Britain! After all, there is an unavoidable mountain in front of East Africa. If Ernst was only worried about the stagnation of East Africa's development caused by the British blockade, then the generals were simply afraid of Britain.

That was the world's hegemon. Those land powers in Europe could laugh at the British lobster soldiers, but countries outside Europe did not have this qualification. Back then, the United States wanted to test whether the old father could still make a living, but was burned out of the White House.

The British have also achieved impressive results in the world in recent years, especially after their expedition to the Far East. Apart from Europe and the United States, there is basically no single enemy in the world.

However, in order not to affect morale in the future, Ernst said: "Of course, we don't have to worry too much about the possible intervention of the British. In the land of Africa, our strength in East Africa is one of the best, and the British are not in public opinion." The propaganda was so terrible that the British failed in Afghanistan more than ten years ago, and this was when the British backed the Indian colony, and the British Cape Town colony was far worse than India."

Ernst's words still have some effect. They have won successively in Africa over the years. In fact, the generals in East Africa are not only immodest, but even a little arrogant. It would be better to use the British to suppress their enthusiasm. Next, the generals in East Africa will be interested in the potential of the British. The opponent will only be more cautious. This is not only respect for the enemy, but also responsibility for oneself.

This Boer War must be fought. Even if the enemy is really strong, East Africa must give it a try. In Ernst's preliminary plan, East Africa should at least control all the land on the north bank of the Fal River, the northern tributary of the Orange River. , so that East Africa can control most of South Africa's coal mines, iron ore and other minerals that are essential for industrial development. In Ernst's eyes, gold mines are gifts.

The Fal River is the dividing line between the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State. Across the Fal River, the minerals in Orange are mainly diamonds. Diamonds are also high-value minerals, but there is no shortage in East Africa.

There are a large number of coal mines distributed in the Zulu Kingdom, which is why Ernst included the Zulu Kingdom in this battle plan.