Chapter 181 Armed Mission
February 14, 1869.
A team of more than fifty people set out towards the capital of the Yeke Kingdom, led by Merk who threatened to go to war against the Yeke Kingdom at the Mbeya expansion meeting half a month ago.
It is still difficult to march on the grassland, and it is on foot. Siweite equipped them with a carriage, but the group can only take turns to rest in the carriage. This is not because Siweite is stingy, but the carriage. It is a strategic resource in East Africa and the quantity is relatively small.
From the weapons and equipment, these fifty people look like regular East African troops. They have uniform Dresser rifles. They are clean and tidy, and there are no missing Prussian military uniforms. They also have East African weapons on their waists. Simple grenade produced by the arsenal.
"It's such a hot day!" Merk wiped the sweat from his face with a towel and said to his entourage.
"What the heck! You are in the midst of blessings and don't know how lucky you are. The eastern coast is where the heat really kills people. The inland plateau area is where the sun is relatively strong, and the heat of the sun is worse than that on the eastern coast. Far away," Becker said to Merk.
Becker was the sixth person who finally interrupted Merk's spell at the expansion meeting. His suggestion was greatly appreciated by Sweet.
So Becker was authorized to carry out the important mission of the Yeke Kingdom, while Merk was responsible for the safety of the journey.
"Mr. Becker, do you think Msili will accept our goodwill?" Merk said to Msili.
"Haha, Msili is now in a desperate situation. If he doesn't rely on us, he will be in danger of national subjugation. Msili is a smart man and he will make his own choice." Becker said confidently.
“It’s not that I don’t understand the current situation of the Yeke Kingdom, but Msili, like many indigenous people, cannot be judged on a human level. Our spies said that Msili is crazy now. "Similarly, there was a massacre in the Yeke Kingdom. I don't know the specific circumstances, but the spies said that his character is worse than that of an animal," Merk said to Becker cautiously.
East Africa has deployed a large number of spies around the East African colonies. Some are dressed as expedition teams, and some are dressed as traders. Among them, the Arabs and Portuguese are the key imitation targets in East Africa.
Now in East Africa, most people in Central and South Africa pretend to be Portuguese and carry out various activities to inquire about local intelligence and geography.
The East African colonies have now become a dark and evil force in the eyes of many indigenous forces in the west, leaving no land but no people, making East Africa notorious among the indigenous forces in the north and south bounded by the Congo rainforest.
The tribes and kingdoms expelled from East Africa spread the name of the East African colonies to both sides of the Congo rainforest, to Central and South Africa, and to Central and West Africa.
Therefore, the spies of the East African colonies in these areas can only disguise themselves as people from various countries, but they cannot use the banner of East Africa.
For example, in Central and South Africa, although this place is far inland, some Portuguese businessmen still do business here.
Even many Portuguese merchants settled in the lands of Central and South Africa, so spies from the East African colonies often dressed up as Portuguese traders and operated in the Central and South Africa region.
Becker smiled slightly and said to Merk: "Although Msili is cruel, he is very practical. He still knows very well who can bring him real benefits, especially when he rules The vast territory relies on advanced firearms to suppress local forces and indigenous people
The Yeke Kingdom he established only lasted a few decades, and the land was basically stolen. Naturally, many natives were dissatisfied with him.
Furthermore, his family once worked for the Arabs, so he is considered one of the few experienced natives in Africa, so he does not dare to act rashly against us. "
"Mr. Becker, this is just speculation under ideal conditions! Msili has been the king of Yeke Kingdom for more than ten years, and his character has become more and more violent. I now doubt whether his sanity is clear. If he is really crazy, then we are afraid..." Merk was saying He was about to continue, but was interrupted by Becker.
"Don't be discouraged. Our army of more than fifty people is not a vegetarian. Msili's musketeers only have a hundred or ten people. Moreover, the equipment is backward, and its ammunition is also provided by our East Africa. If he does not use all his strength, it is hard to say who will win in a real fight. ”
Merk agrees with this point. Although Becker is a civilian official, he is not ignorant of soldiers. Most of the officials in East Africa are drawn from the army or from the Hechingen Military Academy. , Becker also fought many tough battles in East Africa
Moreover, Becker's qualifications in Mbeya were earlier than that of Merk. Merk was transferred from the east to Mbeya, and Becker was originally in Mbeya. soldier, and then entered the civil service system, several months longer than Merkel's stay in Mbeya.
“But it’s better to be cautious. According to me, it was better to directly decide to send troops before. We have to talk to these natives about the ‘hard truth’, and I’m afraid they may not cooperate with their approach to the civilized world. , and our team is too small compared to the Yeke Kingdom, so we are afraid that they will use the human sea strategy with us." Although the mission to the Yeke Kingdom has been completed, Merk still insisted on his original idea of going to war directly. .
“Although our mission may be dangerous this time, things must be considered from many aspects. Now East Africa is developing rapidly, and every war means breaking the development process of East Africa.
For example, in the Northwest Campaign, the resources of the entire East Africa were tilted towards the northwest region. At that time, East Africa basically came to a standstill.
Fortunately, the benefits from the Northwest Campaign are large enough to be worthy of our action. If we directly send troops to the Yeke Kingdom, there will be no problem.
But wouldn’t it be better if we could capture the Yeke Kingdom at a lower cost? Although there are certain risks in doing so, it is worth trying in East Africa.
After all, this is the first time we have dealt with these indigenous people in a diplomatic manner. Even if we fail, we can accumulate some experience for East Africa.
And if it succeeds, our contribution will definitely be no less than that of a large-scale war. I wonder if this is true, Mr. Merk! "Becker said.
Actually, the last sentence is the main reason. Compared with a war, if this mission to the Kingdom of Yeke succeeds, the credit of Merk and Becker will definitely be indispensable.< br>
Moreover, the military merits of the war must be shared, and as a civilian official, Becker's contribution is almost minimal. Although Merkel is the military governor of the Mbeya region, if there is really a fight, maybe the East African colonies will send troops from other regions. Troops join the battle, or a celebrity like Felix is dropped in to lead the battle.
The Yeke Kingdom is like a piece of cake. When there are more people, everyone gets less. As a civil servant, Becker is naturally not willing to accept this.
That’s why I proposed the strategy of sending an envoy to the Yeke Kingdom. If it succeeds, as the person who proposed the strategy and the executor, Becker’s credit will definitely not be lower than the second. After all, there are commissioners and generals above him. Among the high-ranking officials in the Lake District, with the commissioner present, it is difficult for other officials to take away Becker's credit. As for Commissioner Sweet, Becker still understands this bit of worldliness. However, Becker is using the heart of a villain to judge the heart of a gentleman. .
As one of the best graduates of the Hechingen Military Academy, Sweet was initially appreciated by Ernst and basically kept him around to teach him through words and deeds.
At that time, there were only four or five of the best graduates of the Hechingen Military Academy. According to the formal procedures, Sweet should enter the military academy in Berlin to continue his studies.
However, Ernst sent him alone to East Africa to oversee the military work in the East African colonies and eventually became a member of the highest decision-making levels in East Africa.
Ernst's trust in him is obvious, and Sweet is also grateful to Ernst for his training, and he is one of Ernst's confidants.
Sweite is like Ernst's clone in the East African colonies. He strictly follows Ernst's every order. Sweet's position in East Africa is already at the ceiling. He can only stay under Ernst's banner for the rest of his life. , there is no need for any merit bonus, so Sweet will not be greedy for Becker's merit.
Merck’s purpose is similar to that of Becker. Although he is the main militant, Becker’s proposal is more tempting.
Becker and Merkel were both early German mercenaries. After the contract expires, they will still have to return to Europe.
Every achievement in East Africa is worth nothing, and it is related to the later lives of Becker and Merkel, so this mission to the Kingdom of Yeke was possible.
(End of this chapter)