Chapter 620: Step by step
"Humph, these East Africans are so abominable! Look at this gun, the oil on it is all new, and the rifling is not worn. It looks like it is an unused new product. They I’m willing to give it to the white bandits and those country bumpkins.”
Little Pretorius cursed angrily after seeing the firearm samples sent by Blanca. As for the others, Blanca intercepted them and used them. Used by expanded troops.
"Mr. President, the East African border guards use Mauser rifles, and this is obviously the Warndel rifle used by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. However, given the relationship between East Africa and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, East Africa wants to obtain this It is not easy to grow rifles, but they are obviously worried about directly intervening in the conflict between us and the Orange people, so they did not blatantly provide domestic weapons to the Orange people." A staff member of Pretorius the Younger. analyzed.
“This is obviously a good thing for us. It shows that East Africans still have a fear of the British. Otherwise, I am afraid that the weapons on the battlefield now are East African standard weapons. Although the quality of East African weapons is better than that of Germany, The workmanship is a little worse in the region, but the logistics, cost, parts, etc. are much easier than importing from Europe.”
"In addition, if East Africa chooses to use Austro-Hungarian weapons to support the Orangemen, there will be an additional procedure, which is to pass through East Africa, cross the ocean, and then transfer to land at the port, and finally send it to the inland via railway. This It takes a lot of time, so there will inevitably be problems with supply, and as long as we fight fast enough and well enough, there will definitely be problems with the Orangemen's logistics system."
Little Biller. However, Torius was not happy at all. What does it mean to fight fast enough and well enough? Then the overall performance of the Transvaal Restoration Army must not meet this standard.
He interrupted: "What is the overall battle situation on the front line now! How is the radiation effect in the area controlled by our army?"
"Brandford, north of Bloemfontein, northeast of Berlin, Saunasbos due east, along the Kafu River in the south, Salt Pond in the northwest, and Bosland due west have all been captured by us, effectively ensuring our control of Bloemfontein. and strategic security, now the big danger near Bloemfontein no longer exists," Militia Leka, commander of the Restoration Army, reported to Pretorius the Younger.
This result makes the Transvaal officials present very satisfied. It means that the area of more than 300 kilometers around Bloemfontein has constituted a safe zone. Let’s not talk about the military significance. It is enough to make people happy if their life safety is guaranteed.
“In addition to our success in Bloemfontein, we also occupied new cities and military fortresses such as Beltfontein, Petersburg, Redsburg, etc., which further reduced the living space of the Orange people and greatly reduced the living space of the Orange people. Expanding the living home of the Transvaal people..."
"Ahem, General Mi Laika, don't say anything that is not conducive to unity," little Pretorius interrupted.
Although the Transvaal people really did this, it would not look good if they took off the fig leaf. Just like the official definition given by the Transvaal Restoration Army to the Orange Freedom Resistance Army is " "White Bandit", we must not make too clear a distinction between the Orangemen and the Transvaal people. This will be very detrimental to winning over those Orangemen who are in a wait-and-see or neutral attitude.
And for Pretorius the Younger personally, he has no prejudice against the Orange people, and even hopes that the two families will be like brothers, because his father is the elder Pretorius. Lius, a recognized hero of the Boers, had his father's participation in the establishment of the Transvaal and Orange, and could even be said to have played a leading role.
Unfortunately, now that Pretorius is sitting in this position, he is a little helpless. There is the British Crown Prince above him, and there are many old ministers from the Transvaal. Both parties have recommended As he led the separation of the Transvaal and the Orange people, all Pretorius could do was to delay this trend as much as possible.
For example, Mi's Laika is not interested in uniting the Orange people, but in winning the war, which is very helpful for his personal prestige and can also expand his power in the army.
“Under the guidance of British consultant Charles, we adopted a step-by-step strategy. Through these three months of offensive, we gained a large base area. It is no longer possible for the 'White Bandits' to pose a serious threat to us. The balance of war is It’s natural to lean towards us.”
After accepting the president’s instructions, Midi Laika replaced the Orange Freedom Resistance Army with the term White Bandit, although the two were originally the same thing.
"Well, you did a good job. Now we only need to gradually reduce the living space of the 'White Bandits', and the most important thing is to cut off their contact with the East Africans. Then this war will be truly over. ” said little Pretorius. However, his words silenced Mi Laika. If it was easy to expand the Transvaal's occupation area step by step, it would be difficult to cut off the connection between East Africa and the Orange people.
So Mi's Laika chose to raise this difficult issue and be frank with the government officials: "It is too difficult to cut off the connection between East Africa and the 'white bandits'. It's not that I have the prestige of others, but which of you has the prestige." How to solve the fact that the Orange Free State is surrounded by East Africa on three sides? "
East Africa is like a big mountain, pressing on everyone present. If it were not the British Cape Town colony behind it, maybe everyone would have been there earlier. They tried to find a way to move south, just like when the British threatened the Boers to move north.
Now the Transvaal people have no choice. It is impossible for them to reconcile with East Africa, and the same is true for East Africa, so they can only choose to serve the British.
And this option is indeed the best option for the Transvaal people. At least now everyone has returned to the center of political power, although it was achieved by watching the dove occupy the magpie's nest.
So when it comes to interests, there is no so-called Boer, only the Transvaal and the Orange. As for the great cause of national restoration.
There may be some people who still remember their original aspirations, but more old foxes know that it is basically impossible to achieve that goal, unless East Africa suddenly disintegrates, and the probability of this is very small. Even if East Africa disintegrates, the local forces left in East Africa will be filled. Vacancies, still no chance for the Transvaal.
Of course, there is no chance at all, that is, the British take action, but most people are no longer optimistic about the dispute between Britain and East Africa in South Africa.
The British power and structure in the world can easily suppress East Africa, but in this third-acre land of Africa, the British encountered the same dilemma they faced the United States in North America.
The British colonies throughout Africa cannot shake the foundation of East Africa. Of course, it is possible if we can support forces like Egypt or the Abyssinian Empire. These two forces have large enough populations and are closely related to East Africa. border.
But it is obviously impossible for the UK to do this. Now that the UK controls the Suez Canal and the Red Sea coast, how can it cause trouble for itself.
Although the existence of East Africa interrupted the British strategic deployment plan in Africa, it did not threaten the British core interests. One is the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the other is Cape Town, both of which are still in the hands of the British. As for colonizing Africa, it is not a threat to the British. It's actually not that important.
Now Britain is the world's largest colonial power, controlling most of the elite colonies. Of course, the more colonies the better, and there is no big regret if it cannot get it.
The main reason why Britain is hostile to East Africa is simply that East Africa’s land is too large, and its land area also represents potential, but no one would think that East Africa’s potential can be compared to that of the United States, and East Africa is even more Like an enlarged version of Brazil.
(End of this chapter)