Chapter 795 Brothers in Suffering
Faced with the one-sided situation in Parliament, Prime Minister Cecil has nothing to do. If the parliamentary gentlemen do not pass appropriations, there will be no way to increase military expenditures. The only people who support Cecil are his confidants. and political allies, mainly Cape Town interest groups.
But the largest interest group in Cape Town is the diamond merchants in Kimberley and other places. Although they are very powerful, they cannot change the situation. After all, the diamond business is not very important to the British Empire. After all, as a world leader There are too many giants in the British Empire.
And now South Africa's military expenditure alone exceeds the sum of all British economic gains in Cape Town, which is completely uneconomical for the British government.
The UK is also one of the most calculating countries in the world. This kind of loss-making business with no "money path" has not been done for many years.
Of course, as the British Prime Minister, Cecil did not give up lobbying parliament and tried to amplify the East African threat theory from a strategic perspective.
So the British Parliament fell into a wrangling stage again, but soon they no longer had to argue. The changes in the war situation in South Africa forced them, including Cecil, to make a decision.
Three days later.
“Bang.”
Cecil slapped the South African information on the desk with an angry expression.
"What does Roberts do for food?"
"Even 400,000 pigs should not be easily captured in less than a month, let alone more than 400,000 fully armed soldiers. If the whole world is allowed to Knowing this result, how can we survive in the world?"
Facing the furious Prime Minister, the Secretary-General comforted: "The available troops under Earl Roberts should be less than 100,000, the fighting strength of the Portuguese and Indians. It is doubtful, and as for the black soldiers, there is only quantity but no quality.”
Although what he said is indeed the “truth”, it does not change Cecil’s mood. As the main promoter of the South African War, Originally, Cecil was counting on Earl Roberts, a British veteran, to bring him a surprise, but instead of a surprise, he got a shock.
Even if other factors are ignored, Earl Roberts has close to 100,000 British soldiers. This number, except for Cape Town, is already more than half of the British army in South Africa. With 100,000 British soldiers, Cecil can That would be enough for Britain to launch a medium-sized war anywhere in the world and win.
As a result, Earl Roberts lost all his money in less than a month, and he himself became a "prisoner" in East Africa. This was unique in British history.
Cecil was extremely disappointed with Earl Roberts, and even more resentful.
“Maputo fell, the Mozambican coalition forces have been completely wiped out by East Africa, and now we only have one fulcrum left in South Africa, the Cape Town Colony, and now the East Africans may have begun a new round of attacks on Cape Town. military action if If we cannot come up with a solution as soon as possible, Cape Town may not be able to survive for long, and by analogy, Egypt and British Somaliland may also be threatened by military threats from East Africa, so we must respond immediately to the war in South Africa.” said the Cabinet Secretary.
But Cecil frowned, and finally had to give in. There was no other way but to cease the war. The continuation of the war had been rejected by Parliament, and there was no room for maneuver on this matter.
This is especially true after the news of the fall of Mozambique became known to everyone.
...
Compared with the distress of British Prime Minister Cecil, the supreme ruler of the Kingdom of Portugal, King Carlos I of Portugal, is even more distressed. "Maputo has been lost and the British and our troops have been wiped out in Mozambique." Prime Minister Joao Frank reported to the new Portuguese monarch.
Yes, like Cecil, Carlos I also ascended the throne for the first time, but he was three years later than Cecil, and he had just succeeded to the throne. A few months ago, the old King Luis I was so angry because of the fall of Angola that he retired a few months earlier than in history, allowing Carlos I to ascend to the throne nearly a year earlier than in history.
But the Kingdom of Portugal that Carlos took over was a complete mess, especially the Portuguese army's successive defeats in the South African War.
And today he finally received the most painful news, that is, the fall of Mozambique. Will Portugal's glory end in his own hands?
“What do the British say?” Carlos I asked Joao Frank, the prime minister he single-handedly promoted.
“The British side has not responded to the message, but the situation should not be optimistic. They are also one of the losers in this war. After all, Earl Roberts has surrendered to East Africa, and the British main force in South Africa has basically been lost. After all, only Cape Town can still survive.”
This news was a complete bolt from the blue for Carlos I, because Carlos I himself was actually a patient with “Anglophobia”, so his previous life was a shock. Foreign policy was completely one-sided towards Britain.
It was so outrageous that not long after Carlos ascended the throne in his previous life, the British sent an ultimatum, requiring Portugal to withdraw its troops stationed between Angola and Mozambique, and the monarch agreed under the threat of British warships. British conditions (British warships entered Lisbon at that time).
Of course, Carlos I himself was definitely not willing. In the rotten puddle of Portugal, facing a powerful country like Britain, Portugal could be said to have no power to fight back.
Of course, with East Africa, the situation has undergone major changes from the previous life. First of all, the old King Louis I died of illness (angry) early, and he dared to pay the so-called death debt at the unfavorable juncture of the South African War. However, the internal conflicts in Portugal have been transferred to a certain extent, and the hatred of the monarchy has been transferred to the hatred of East Africa.
Secondly, Carlos I was too late and did not encounter the "traitor" problem in his previous life. In this era, Britain's main enemy in Africa was East Africa. Portugal, which owned the colonies of Angola and Mozambique, became wooed by Britain. object.
Especially during the war, Portugal's economy and politics actually improved with the support of the United Kingdom. Carlos I's accession to the throne was even smoother than in his previous life.
So the emergence of East Africa, although it caused Portugal to lose Angola and Mozambique in advance, was "good" for the Portuguese royal family.
It is conceivable that after Portugal completely loses its two South African colonies, the Portuguese government will rely even more on British support, and this kind of "loyal" ally is exactly what Britain needs.
Of course, Carlos I could not have imagined this. After all, he did not know that his previous life was much worse than now. Now he just has a headache for the various difficulties he faced, especially the domestic politics after Portugal lost a large number of colonies. Stability issues.
Now Portugal has nothing to do with East Africa, so Carlos I can only continue to go to hell with the British, and he is also full of confusion about the situation in Portugal.
Prime Minister Frank has nothing to do about this. Frank's only advantage is that he is loyal to the emperor and patriotic, and he is a die-hard royalist. If he is asked to deal with Republicans, that is his area of expertise, but dealing with East Africa is completely beyond his ability. scope.
However, the monarch and his ministers probably could not have imagined that the South African War was a "crisis" for them, but the opportunity was greater than the danger. If it were not for the intrusion of East Africa, Carlos I would have been killed by the Republicans according to the historical trajectory. Assassination and death, his fate has already taken a new fork in the road, and he doesn't know what will happen in the future.
(End of this chapter)