Chapter 384: Taking on a Mission in a Time of Crisis

"You bastard, you still have the nerve to come back alive!" Little Pretorius slapped Wiggins in the face after he escaped from East Africa.

As the President of the Transvaal Republic, Pretorius the Younger should have retired from the position this year, but the sudden invasion of East Africa forced him to remain in this position.

As the eldest son of Andreas Pretorius, the leader who led the Boers to complete the Great Migration, Pretorius Jr.'s prestige among the Boers is unmatched. He once served as the leader of the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State at the same time, promoting the merger of the two countries, but failed because his methods were too rough or the spoils were not distributed evenly.

A bright red slap mark was left on Wiggins' face, and he felt a slight burning pain, but facing little Pretorius, he didn't dare to breathe.

"Mr. President, all of this is a conspiracy by the East Africans. They didn't tell me that this letter was a declaration of war, and they handed it to me casually. It was obviously a deliberate attempt to paralyze me and make me careless. Then they launched a sneak attack on Transvaal when I was delivering the letter. The East Africans were ambitious and all of this was planned by them!" Wiggins said.

"Hmph, it's useless to say more now, because your negligence has at least cost us several days of reaction time. Now the East Africans are speeding towards Pretoria from the banks of the Limpopo River, and we have no way to mobilize the army to stop them. Such a big responsibility cannot be dismissed by saying that it is a conspiracy of the East Africans!"

Although Pretorius the Younger wanted to drag out and shoot Wiggins, a guy who was more trouble than help, he did not do so. After all, it was still him who planned and secretly supported the Ndebele rebellion, which not only did not cause any damage to East Africa, but also left a handle. However, the East African Kingdom was too uncivilized and wanted to invade Transvaal just because of this incident. No matter what, he should bear the main responsibility for this matter.

Just as Pretorius was thinking about how to deal with Wiggins, the door of the president's office was pushed open. "Report to His Excellency the President! The latest news is that the East Africans have conquered Petersburg and are now less than a hundred miles away from Pretoria!"

Pretorius was horrified when he heard this and said, "Damn it! When did Petersburg fall? And when will the main force fighting the Zulus in the east return to support Pretoria?"

"Mr. President, Petersburg fell three days ago. Our people killed two horses to pass this news back as quickly as possible. As for our army, there is no news about them yet. It is estimated that they are entangled by the Zulus and cannot escape for the time being."

"Asshole!" Pretorius slammed his hands on the table angrily. After calming down, Pretorius thought about it. He said to the government officials with a gloomy face: "Do you have any way to stop the East Africans?"

The senior officials of the Transvaal Republic government in the office looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Mr. President, forgive me for being blunt, but we in Transvaal are like lambs to be slaughtered in front of East Africa, especially after the fall of Petersburg. There is no barrier in front of Pretoria. The main reason for this is that we underestimated the wolfish ambitions of the East Africans. We should have deployed more troops on the south bank of the Limpopo River. Otherwise, we would not be as passive as we are today."

"Yes, Mr. President, the militiamen in Petersburg are almost the only troops we can mobilize besides the troops fighting the Zulus. Now they are all prisoners. It is too late to mobilize another round of troops from the Transvaal Republic. The East Africans will not give us this time."

The officials were talking about it at once, but no one could give an answer. Little Pretorius almost bit his posterior teeth off when he saw these good-for-nothings in front of him.

"That's enough! If you can't come up with a plan, then listen to my arrangements. The Transvaal Republic cannot be lost. It is the hard work of my father and all the Boers. It is the home of us Boers. It is definitely not possible to organize a counterattack in Transvaal now. I decided to send people to the Orange Free State to seek reinforcements, and we must hold on to Pretoria and fight the East Africans to the end!"

Although the Orange Free State is not as large as the Transvaal Republic, its current population is much larger than that of the Transvaal Republic. This is all due to the development of the Kimberly diamond mine and the fact that the Orange Free State is closer to Cape Town. The first stop for the Boers from Cape Town on their way north is the Orange Free State.

Now the East African troops have divided into three groups to attack Transvaal. Most of the country has been lost. There are only two ways to stop the resistance. That is to call back the troops fighting the Zulus and seek help from the brother Orange Free State.

The first one was obviously too late in time. After Pretorius the Younger received the news that East Africa was attacking the Transvaal Republic, he urged the main force of the Boers to return for support almost every day. However, the distance between Pretoria and the border of the Zulu Kingdom was far, and it would take at least a week for the news to arrive.

Even if there were no interference from the Zulus, it would take at least ten days or half a month for them to return to Pretoria. This was still an ideal situation. If it was not ideal, the main force would be held back by the Zulus and could not be withdrawn from the front line. The Transvaal Republic, without its main force, would fight against the East Africans, just like a person without arms, who could only be beaten unilaterally.

"Mr. President, there is no better way now. You have to go to the Orange Free State to ask for help. Only your prestige can unite all the Boers and regain our homeland."

This is not a compliment, but the truth. As a descendant of a Boer hero, Pretorius the Younger, like Napoleon III, can enjoy the political assets left by his father. Pretorius the Older is the god of war in the minds of the Boers, and he is the one who can constantly lead the Boers to victory.

Pretorius the Younger could only sigh and say, "Well, this is indeed something that only I can do, but the government must also go south with me. We must continue to lead the fight against the East African invaders in the south. However, as Pretoria is the capital and a strong military base, one person must be left behind to resist the East African invasion. Who of you will stay?"

This was a life-threatening question. All the Boer officials retreated a little. It was impossible to defend Pretoria. At least according to the news from Petersburg, the strength shown by the East African Army should not be underestimated.

"Mr. President, let me do it!" A voice came at this time, and everyone looked and it turned out to be Wiggins!

"you?"

"Yes, President, I know it's a luxury to hold Pretoria, but the invasion of East Africa was caused by my mistake, so I am willing to bear the consequences. However, when I think about being shot by my own people, it is better to fight to the death with the East Africans. I would rather die on the battlefield, so I beg the President to give me this opportunity!" Wiggins said.

Little Pretorius did not answer Wiggins, but asked everyone again: "Is there no one willing to stay in Pretoria?"

No one answered.

"Well, okay! Wiggins, I'll give you this chance. In fact, you don't have to defend Pretoria to the death. As long as you can inflict heavy damage on the East Africans, that will be fine."

Wiggins shook his head and said: "I am ready to live and die with Pretoria."

No one doubted Wiggins' ability. In fact, Wiggins was sent to serve as a military adviser to the Ndebele people because of his military ability. He was a good fighter against the Zulus. Although the Ndebele people with him as an adviser were defeated in East Africa, this was not Wiggins' fault. After all, he was just an adviser, not a real commander.

(End of this chapter)