Chapter 454 Military Exercise

June 1875.

Mikumi District, Central Province, Kingdom of East Africa.

Mikumi is a transition area between the plateau and plains of the Central Province, where mountains, hills and plains meet and forests and grasslands connect.

The rainy season had just passed, the soil was still moist, and a hazy fog filled the mountains and forests. The Central Railway passed through this place, like a long steel dragon slowly disappearing from the coastal plains into the East African Plateau.

There are East African villages and fertile fields on both sides of the railway. However, this year the villagers watched a good show. The Royal Army held a massive military exercise in Mikumi. Starting at five o'clock in the morning, the rumbling of artillery and gunfire broke the tranquility of the area. Even the smoke rising from the hillside could be seen in the farmland on the plains.

With the help of the railway, the East African Guards Division quickly deployed troops to the Mikumi area. Their opponent was the Southern Military Region which had fought against the Boers in the south. The two sides launched a fierce battle in the Mikumi area.

"Blue Army Third Combat Squadron, the enemy has entered the jungle, do not act rashly, enter in small groups, maintain a combat distance, and do not be defeated one by one!"

"25 degrees to the left, there is unusual movement in the bushes, there may be a potential enemy."

"Grenade ready!"

As a smoke bomb ignited, the Blue Army's third combat team was surrounded by fog.

The referee following the third combat team made the judgment: "Hit by the Red Army's attack object, the explosion point was right in the center, and the casualties were judged to be 40% of the personnel."

"This is unfair. How can a grenade be so powerful in actual combat? What a shady deal!"

"The command center of this exercise has stipulated that the damage range of small explosives has been extended by two meters. This is not just for you, but for all participating troops, so the penalty is valid!"

"That's not right. Since they are casualties, it's impossible that all of them died! They can still fight even if they are injured. This is the damage our grenades did to the natives in the western rainforest. Even if they exploded at close range, the natives still had a high survival rate and were still able to fight."

"Haha, this exercise is designed according to the most brutal standards. If you are injured, you will be killed in action. The state of your injury is not taken into consideration. Moreover, if you are injured in a harsh environment, it is basically hopeless. The enemy will not give you a chance, so any decision must be made carefully. Any tiny detail may become the key to victory or defeat in the war."

The Blue Army soldier was still a little unconvinced and said, "Since we died in battle, are we lying here now?"

"Yes, now give me the life mark, and you just need to wait for the exercise to end. The remaining survivors will continue to participate in the battle."

After the referee and the others left, the Blue Army soldier who died said unconvincedly, "It was totally an accident that we were exposed. We were hiding well, but now there's a referee with us. We are so restricted that we can't move freely."

"Damn it, the referee might have exposed the secret just now. Is he a spy sent by the Red Army?"

"Impossible. The referees for this exercise are from other military regions. There is no possibility of cover-up. Take us for example. Who among you would be convinced by the so-called Guards Division? So the referees of the exercise may be more inclined towards us."

"Let's not talk about the referee issue for now. We did have a lot of problems in this tactical exercise, asshole. Just talking about this makes me angry. There are so many people hiding in such a small bush. There must be big problems. I'm the first one to hide here. Can't you hide somewhere else?"

"Isn't this the only good place? That's why everyone tacitly chose this spot. Other places are too empty!"

"So our defeat was not unfair. Next time we must retreat separately..."

When the blue army soldiers were summing up their experience, the captain of the red army soldiers was also very dissatisfied: "Look at what you guys look like! Fortunately, I discovered the enemy's unusual movement just now, otherwise I would be waiting to be shot by others. Next time we enter the jungle, we must form a formation. If we encounter a well-trained army, we will definitely suffer!"

…

The soldiers had different opinions on the exercise, and there was already a huge quarrel in the exercise command center.

"Leonard, are you so embarrassed to show off? What equipment do you have? What equipment do we have? If I were to say, in this exercise, compared with your Guards Division, our troops are like stepmothers."

"Coriolis, please don't spit blood at me. Although the weapons of the Guards Division are indeed a bit excessive, it is the result of our efforts that we were able to gain an advantage. Besides, our Guards Division is also subject to considerable restrictions. All kinds of high-quality terrain were given to you from the beginning, and you are still the defender, so the gap between the two sides is not that big."

"Not big enough? Your 12-pounder is too shameless! It's a 6-pounder, and it's still a 12-pounder, and it can also be considered a 24-pounder. Our 3-pounder is still a 3-pounder, and we have machine guns, which are more than ten times ours. I don't care about these. The number of bullets and other basic parameters we set are lower than yours. How can we fight this kind of war!"

"Haha, there is no other way. This time, our Red Army is simulating a European land power. The gap in equipment between the East African army and the European army is so huge. Besides, many of our heavy equipment are ineffective. The road conditions here are so bad that heavy artillery is not as flexible as light artillery."

The commander-in-chief of the exercise headquarters, Siwei Te, said: "Okay, stop arguing. This exercise is a rehearsal to show what mistakes will happen when we, East Africans, fight against European powers. That's why the gap in equipment is so outrageous. Our army must hold itself to the highest standards and be able to exert its strength even in desperate situations."

"General of Staff, I understand this, but I really can't understand which European country has the ability to deploy such a large army in East Africa, and equip it with so many weapons. I'm afraid even the British can't do it, right?"

"Perhaps this is difficult for the great powers, but their strength is unquestionable, especially those naval and land powers in Europe. If they really use all their national strength to deal with East Africa, we will definitely be in trouble."

"You're right. We can't underestimate the enemy, especially the great powers. Not to mention using all our national strength, even if some of the great powers put forth one-third of their strength it would be enough to give us a headache. Maybe a million troops can't do it, but we still have the capability to send hundreds of thousands of troops to Africa." Ernst said as he walked into the command center.

"Your Highness!" Several people saluted Ernst.

Ernst waved his hand and said, "Okay, everyone sit down! I'll take some time to inspect the exercise area this time. You guys continue to work. How is the current exercise going?"

Siwei Te said: "Reporting to Your Highness, the exercise has not yet ended, but judging from the exercise situation, the Red Army has a greater advantage, and the Blue Army is still struggling to deal with the Red Army's attack."

"Well, after the exercise, the Red Army should summarize its experience. The Red Army can better represent the true level of our East African army. After all, the Guards Division is somewhat special, so the problems faced by the Red Army are also the problems we may encounter in East Africa. We are on the defensive in Africa, so we must be fully prepared."

"Your Highness, is it really possible for Europe to invade Africa?"

"I can give you an accurate answer. It is certain. All countries are ready to make a move. In the Far East, several major countries have launched invasions of the East. There are also constant conflicts in South America. Moreover, this economic crisis has far-reaching impacts. Unlike the previous one-country economic crisis like the UK, almost all European industrial countries have been affected. In order to divert the crisis, they will inevitably initiate more intense disputes than before. This time it is not just one place or one country, but the whole world."

“We in East Africa are not immune to this, given our size?”

"It is inevitable! It is only a matter of time before Africa is targeted. Italy, Belgium, and France have already taken action. If other countries also join in, East Africa will definitely not be able to remain immune. So in order to prevent the fate of other backward countries from falling on us, we must be more fierce and stronger than the enemy. Only the strong can be respected. Therefore, the purpose of the military exercise is to allow our troops to adapt to the pressure of potential enemies in East Africa during this major crisis."

(End of this chapter)