Chapter 480 British and French conspiracy
As the largest customer of East African slaves, the Ottoman Empire has a strong demand. This is not a matter of liking it or not, but the price of East African slaves is too low. No one can resist the temptation of this low price. , even some civilians in the Ottoman Empire could afford it, so in the eyes of the Ottomans, the price of slaves was lower than that of livestock, and the amount of food required was smaller than that of livestock, which was very suitable for large-scale popularization.
However, the number of black people in the Ottoman Empire is somewhat overwhelming, so much so that they can be used as consumables in wars with Tsarist Russia. This is also a headache for the Russians. Fortunately, the combat effectiveness of black people is not high.
The advantage of black slaves in East Africa is that they are very suitable for large-scale organization and use. This is the normal life of slaves in East Africa. Therefore, after the Ottomans took over, they could easily organize black slaves, even if they were just a mob. It can also greatly reduce the pressure on the regular army of the Ottoman Empire.
……
Colony of Mozambique.
"Your Excellency Governor Lyford! Is this the army you call?" the French instructor said, looking at the Mozambican armed forces in disbelief.
The total number of Mozambican troops in front of us is only more than 1,400, and it seems that it is not much advanced compared with the medieval army. French instructor Drais said that some islands in the Indian Ocean may be Stronger than Mozambique's regular army.
However, if Deles had seen the state of the Portuguese mainland army, he would probably understand why the Mozambique army is like this.
Like the United Kingdom, Portugal also focuses on the development of its navy. Now the Portuguese navy is in serious decline, and its army is even more insignificant.
The good news is that the situation in Spain next door to Portugal is not good, so the pressure on national defense is not great. The former duo of the Iberian Peninsula continue to maintain a stable balance.
Lyford said with some embarrassment: "Most colonial armies are like this. For example, some of your French colonies may not be stronger than us."
"This is not about whether they are strong or not. Question, I heard that the East African army has at least tens of thousands of people, and it can fight white forces like the Boers. This means that the enemies Mozambique faces are about the same strength as some weak European countries, but the military strength of the weak European countries is It is an existence that cannot be ignored in Africa. Your regular army has such a small number, poor training, and even worse equipment. Under such circumstances, how can you compete with East Africa? It is no wonder that East Africa can suppress you and expand aggressively. It is obvious. You have invested too little in the military in the colonies."
Lyford: "This is all the fault of the previous governors. They did not invest much in the military, but this is also related to the fact that the mainland does not pay attention to the development of the colonies. Relatedly, we don’t have much funding, so the army can only make do with it.”
Deleis: “Well, now Portugal must first find a way to expand the number of troops. This kind of army says. To be honest, it’s about quantity but not quantity, and it’s about quality but not quality. It’s no wonder that the Germans, as latecomers, can gain such a big advantage in Africa.”
Saying this, Deles actually thought in his heart, this Portuguese can't do it either? The Germans were really taking advantage of them. If they had known the situation of the Portuguese colonies, France would have been better off occupying East Africa.
Of course, Dreiser took it for granted. Portugal's colonial power should be viewed separately. The regular army was small in number and had poor combat effectiveness. However, the power composition of the colony was actually scattered in the hands of various forces, including colonial companies, merchants, and plantations. The private armed forces of these forces are also an important part of the Mozambique colony, but they do not accept the jurisdiction of the kingdom.
Lyford: "But where are we going to find so many soldiers? If we had this ability, Germany would not be so arrogant in East Africa!"
Deleis: " The most indispensable thing in Africa is black people, so we can use black people to form an army that can fight against East Africa."
"That won't work!" Lyford objected: "If we use black people to form an army, What's the difference between a gray wolf giving its teeth to a sheep? What if they learn to use firearms and turn against us? " What Lyford said is a very real problem. Mozambique can control such a large area of land. And managing so many black people relies on the superiority of weapons. In addition, it is difficult to say how advanced Portugal is compared to black people. As a monarchy, Portugal may not be any better than some indigenous kingdoms in Africa.
Deleith: "Your Excellency Governor, are there any other options for you now? If you don't use black people, where will you find so many soldiers? And the threat of black people is in the future. Right now Your biggest threat is the Germans in East Africa As long as the Germans are their biggest enemy, everything else is a minor problem."
Lyford: "But even if Mozambique does not lack black people, we also lack weapons and equipment? The German army is equipped with Dreiser rifles and Mauser rifles are both in service with the German Army. The gap between ours is too big."
"Well, this is indeed a problem!" Dreiser said, "But you don't have to. If you are too worried, we will help you solve the weapons problem, and black people do not need too advanced weapons and equipment. We and the United Kingdom can provide you with rifles and ammunition for 50,000 people, mainly Enfield and Minie rifles."
"Will it cost money?" Lyford asked a key question.
"No, this batch of weapons is jointly provided by us and the United Kingdom." Delais said: "But the food problem has to be solved by yourself."
In fact, the British have already paid for the weapons, and the British are more concerned about dealing with East Africa.
The British are very clear about Portugal's strength. Portugal alone may overturn in the hands of the Germans, so the Portuguese's combat effectiveness must be improved.
Although the help provided by the British is not too great, the British believe that Mozambique does not need very good weapons. It can fight East Africa and test the true strength of East Africa. As long as East Africa shows a little timidity, Cape Town can move away from the Portuguese.
“Even so, the gap between us and the Germans is still a bit too big. Not to mention weapons, whether black people can fight is also a problem!”
"Your Majesty the Governor, you are too conservative. Although the combat effectiveness of black people is not good, the East African Kingdom's army is not all Germans. They also use a large number of Far Easterners, so you are only half a catty." Delais said based on his own experience.
This is not to blame for Delais underestimating the enemy. Although France lost to Germany, France believed that its loss to Germany last time was a complete accident. After all, France did not even finish mobilizing last time, and France did not finish its mobilization last time. The overall quality shown in the war was stronger than that of Germany. This was the conclusion reached by France when summarizing the reasons for its failure.
Coupled with the fact that there are a large number of Far Easterners in the composition of the East African Army, the performance of the Far Eastern Empire in recent years is really unsatisfactory. Therefore, Delais is inevitably a little arrogant towards the East African Army that is mixed with immigrants from the Far East.
Deleis said: "This time we will personally train your troops to ensure that the combat effectiveness of the troops is developed in a short period of time. With the advanced experience of the French Army, Mozambique will definitely be able to compete with East Africa." Next.”
France joins so actively The British plan for the East African Kingdom is indispensable for the consideration of interests. In fact, East Africa is a German colony, which is enough to make France unhappy. The French's hatred of the Germans has been filled by Prussia, but Germany cannot afford to offend, so It would be nice to just take it out on East Africa.
Moreover, if the Germans can make a big comeback in East Africa, France may have the opportunity to infiltrate its influence into East Africa in the future, making the French colonial territory more complete.
(End of this chapter)