Chapter 238 Three "Knives"
"Hurry up and build the cable bridge during the dry season. We must build at least five cable bridges on this section of the river first to ensure smooth traffic."
" An iron bridge connects the north and south banks, and the army can directly enter the south from the bridge. Fortunately, East Africa is dominated by light infantry and does not have high requirements for bridges."
"Transportation is nothing more than connecting the two. It’s just a place, these cable bridges will also play the most important hub role in the region in the future.”
Two engineers were standing on the north bank of the Zambezi River chatting, and a bridge already appeared in front of them. The overall frame is just a matter of laying wooden boards on the iron cables.
The Zambezi River, formerly the dividing line between Zambia and Zimbabwe, is the fourth largest river in Africa, with a total length of 2,660 kilometers and a drainage area of 1.35 million square kilometers. Its water volume in Africa is second only to the Congo River and the Niger River.
The biggest feature of the Zambian River is that it is steep, with many canyons, rapids and dangerous shoals. At the same time, it is prone to flooding in the lower reaches of Mozambique.
So if you want to cross this natural chasm, you must build a bridge. However, the Zambezi River is too far from the economically developed areas of East Africa. In the East African Kingdom, except for the eastern territory, a preliminary road system has been established after many years of repairs. Except for this, other areas can be said to be completely blank.
So it is unrealistic to transport building materials from the rear, so it is more time-consuming and labor-saving to use a cable bridge.
“When all the bridges on this river are erected, it is almost the time when the southwestern provinces are completely stable.”
As the saying goes, before the troops are moved, food and grass go first. Now East Africa is planning to build roads in Zambia.
There is a saying that goes, there is no road in the world, but when more people walk, it becomes a road.
Indigenous Africans actually have their own roads, but they are really walked barefoot. East Africa only expands the roads on this basis.
Unlike the Tanganyika region in East Africa, there are some indigenous kingdoms in the southwest, so traffic is not zero, especially in the north, where the original Kazembe Kingdom has the best traffic conditions.
Some people often misunderstand that the speed of road construction in East Africa is incredible, but in fact it is completely unnecessary. The construction of roads in East Africa and the construction of roads in later generations are completely different concepts.
Except for the Eastern Central Province and those cities in the east, which use hardened roads, other areas are still dirt roads. What do you say about these dirt roads? Some areas were not even touched and were just taken over for use.
It’s just that drainage measures will be strengthened when building roads in East Africa. This is actually the most expensive project.
While planning to build roads, the East African government also plans to build a telegraph line from Mbeya, South Salzburg Province, to Lusaka, the capital of Southern Frontier Province, so that the central government can directly contact the southwest area.
East Africa has not completely digested Zambia, but it can’t wait to enter Zimbabwe and other regions.
This is also the reason for the rush to build a bridge across the Zambezi River. At the same time, East Africa is actively expanding its army and plans to expand its army to about 200,000.
Now the role of the army is very important. East Africa's territory is too large and more troops are needed to consolidate the territory. At the same time, East Africa plans to develop the slave economy in recent years, and the army is also needed to suppress slaves.
The river and lake troops will be greatly strengthened as a key support target. The Zambian river basin water system is crisscrossed, which is a good place for them to display their strength.
……
Rome, Italy.
In a remote courtyard, there were a hundred or ten more people that day.
"Pastor, where did you find this yard? Although it can accommodate a lot of people, the conditions are too simple!"
"Well, it would be nice to have a house to live in, and don't Forgetting the purpose of our coming here, of course it is more convenient to gather together. Otherwise, once things change, command will be a problem, and this place happens to be far away in the suburbs, so the Italians will not notice it." Well, to be honest, I’m not surprised to go abroad. Going abroad with bare hands is the most difficult thing for me. If a soldier doesn’t have a gun, is he still a soldier?”
“Mr. Bryce, sir? Speaking of complaints, as the elite of the empire, we should continue to maintain military integrity and send us to Italy to further illustrate the importance of this operation. If we succeed, we will be heroes of the empire when we return," the priest taught.
As a "devout believer" from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it is natural to have a real priest accompanying you, so that it will not be easy to get involved. It would be a disaster if these disguised believers of the Austrian army were allowed to operate alone.
"Dong dong dong..."
At this time there was a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" The pastor opened the door and looked.
"Sir, would you like an Italian pizza?"
"What flavor?"
"Pineapple taste."
"Very delicious but I prefer tomato sauce pasta."
The code is correct.
"Major General Karl is the person in charge of this operation. He should have passed Ostia now and is on his way to Rome. Two days later, at three o'clock in the afternoon, the heads of each district will arrive at this address for a meeting in advance. "
With that said, the person who came to deliver the letter handed a piece of paper to the pastor. The pastor looked at the location on it and then said: "I know, but are we really doing this with bare hands? ”
"You don't need to worry about weapons. The empire will naturally solve this problem. Just be prepared and receive it when the time comes."
This is the stronghold of military personnel deployed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire into the Papal States. First, this time the Austro-Hungarian Empire sent a total of more than 4,700 soldiers, most of whom came from the empire's elite troops, including two praetorian guards under the royal family.
In addition, Franz also followed Ernst's suggestion and sent a diplomatic team to Rome. However, the number of members of the diplomatic team was somewhat exceeded, and many people entered the Papal State as diplomats.
At the same time, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was also deploying troops and generals within the territory. In order not to make this military operation too eye-catching, it was under the banner of changing defenses.
But if you pay a little attention, you will find that the military equipment used to defend Italy has obviously been upgraded to a higher level.
...
In June, Spain’s cabinet meeting decided to find a suitable successor to the Spanish throne.
Prince Leopold of the Hohenzollern family, who was distantly related to King William I of Prussia, seemed to be a candidate for the Spanish royal family. Unfortunately, the news leaked at the end of June 1870.
The French Foreign Minister, the Duke of Grammont, immediately put pressure on Prussia to give up its support for Leopold, and also asked Prussia to promise that it would never get involved in the Spanish throne. William I declined.
Now East Africa is sharpening its sword in Zambia, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire is also secretly gathering strength on the southern front. Prussia has been planning to change the situation on the European continent since more than ten years ago.
The strength of the Prussian army has been rising, and now the contradictions between Prussia and France have begun to emerge. Everyone is waiting for the opportunity, or waiting for Prussia's next decision. Prussia will become the protagonist of the incident. If France and France go to war, East Africa and the Austro-Hungarian Empire will also attack their respective targets.
(End of this chapter)