Chapter 478 Intelligence from Maputo

Ernst has given them an opportunity. It mainly depends on whether they can work hard. Traditional Chinese medicine has indeed played a great auxiliary role in East Africa at present, but the premise is that the advantages of modern medicine have not been fully established.

This is not only true in the East, but also in the West. Traditional Western medicine is still the mainstream in Europe, and the mortality rate of modern medicine is even higher than that of traditional Western medicine. After all, traditional Western medicine has been developed for thousands of years, and it is not known whether it is useful or not. If it kills people, then there is no need for it to exist at all.

The fledgling modern medicine seemed very powerful. If it were not for his experience in his previous life, Ernst would have doubted whether modern medicine was some kind of sorcery.

If modern medicine is unreliable, we can only rely on tradition. Among traditional medicine, only Chinese medicine is the most systematic, has the longest heritage, and has the most experience. Regardless of other medicines, Chinese medicine's ability to regulate health is absolutely strong.

However, if East Africa wants to develop, traditional medicine will eventually decline, so East Africa will only bet on modern medicine. The traditional Chinese medicine that is now widely popular in East Africa can only play a transitional role.

…

There were only a few days left in 1878, and the Far Eastern Empire had recovered the southern Xinjiang region ahead of schedule, which was a major event internationally.

Tsarist Russia encountered a setback in the East, but it went quite smoothly on the Western battlefield, dealing a severe blow to its arch-rival the Ottoman Empire. Overall, Tsarist Russia was successful and still gained some benefits in the negotiations.

In fact, the Eastern Front was only a small part of Tsarist Russia's strategy in the entire Central Asia and Southeast Europe (Balkans), and it was carried out through agents. In the West, Tsarist Russia acted personally.

Under the powerful military threat of Tsarist Russia, East Africa was completely incomparable to Britain, and the Benjamin government could only focus its attention on the Russians.

Some changes also took place in the Mozambique colony. Some British ships appeared in Mozambique, but there were French people on board. These were reported back to the mainland by East African intelligence personnel in Maputo.

The construction of East Africa's intelligence network in Maputo has a long history. It was completed during the colonial period in East Africa. After all, Mozambique is not as closed as the East African kingdom, and there are still merchants from various countries conducting trade activities in Mozambique.

"According to the information we received from our informant in Maputo, there were French officers on the British ship and they appeared at the Governor's Palace. We don't know what they talked about, but the contact person is said to be English."

Ernst: "Okay, got it. Keep observing the changes in Mozambique. We have to be wary of the Portuguese."

Constantine: "Do you think Portugal's two colonies dare to challenge us?"

Ernst: "Father, it's not a question of whether to challenge or not, but Portugal has no choice. They also know that East Africa can't have two tumors on its body. The more afraid they are, the more they want to resist. Obviously, they didn't have the courage to do so before. It seems that the British gave them the confidence."

Hearing the word Britain, Constantine became serious: "The British want to use Portugal to deal with us!"

"To be more precise, it's a test. The British don't know our strength, so they won't act rashly. So they need a pawn to test East Africa's strength. If East Africa has trouble dealing with Mozambique, I think the British will personally take action next."

Constantine tapped his index finger on the table. "How will they deal with East Africa? Through war?"

Ernst: "This is the only way. Of course, cutting off East Africa's foreign trade is also possible, but in that case we can fight to the death with Britain. I don't know what will happen to Cape Town, but we can still control the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. All of this depends on the land military strength of East Africa, which is exactly what the British are unsure of."

Constantine: "If a war breaks out, we may have to fight on two fronts, because Portugal's colonies happen to be on the left and right, or even on four fronts, that is, the British end, the Cape Town direction, and we also have to consider the sea."

Ernst: "So this requires us to control the intensity well and not let Portugal have unrealistic ideas."

Constantine: "You intend to intimidate the Portuguese by demonstrating military strength?"

Ernst shook his head and said, "No, we still have to fight, because we also want to take this opportunity to adjust the territory of East Africa. Let's not talk about Angola, Mozambique's location is too unfriendly to us."

Constantine: "So what are you going to do?"

Ernst: "We need to play it steady and not overdo it, but we also need to keep winning. It would be best if we could give the Portuguese hope of victory, but we just need a little illusion."

This made Constantine confused: "Why not just take over the Portuguese colonies? We should be able to do it in one go, right?"

Ernst: "It is tempting to swallow up these two colonies in one go, but we have to consider the views of the international community. If East Africa performs too well, I am afraid France may have to intervene personally."

If East Africa becomes too strong, it may not be good news for countries that have interests in Africa. What if East Africa really unifies the African continent?

Constantine nodded and said, "If that's the case, then it makes sense, but how do you plan to deal with Portugal?"

Ernst: "We took some areas from Mozambique and Angola, but we did not completely destroy the two colonies, leaving them some opportunities, of course, provided that the British could endure it."

"What do you mean?"

Ernst: "If the British do not directly join the war, then we will not completely annex the Portuguese colonies. If the British join the war, then after the war, we will annex two colonies. Britain is the big fish, and we must find a way to fish the British out."

"What does this have to do with the Portuguese colonies?"

Ernst: "If a war breaks out between Portugal and East Africa, the process and result of the war are the bait. If you want the British to take the bait, the bait must be tempting. This is why I don't ask to cripple Portugal in one battle. Moreover, even if the British go, they need time to prepare. If they rely solely on Cape Town, they will not be sure. So they are very likely to save the Portuguese, and we can't be beaten for nothing. Portugal must pay the price, and I think it is reasonable to lose half of its colonies. Portugal will definitely be unwilling to accept the remaining colonies and will regroup its strength. The British are also confident because of the war process. If we fight East Africa, we will do our best."

Constantine: "What if the two countries don't follow your script?"

Ernst: "That doesn't matter. Anyway, the two pieces of Portuguese fat meat are right in front of us. We can eat them anytime we want. My goal is still the British. Just like the American War of Independence, East Africa also needs such a victory to thoroughly consolidate East Africa's national identity and international status."

So East Africa cannot scare the British. What if the British dare not come directly? And even if they come directly, if East Africa has fought too well before, I am afraid that Britain will increase its attention. The British are not joking when they are serious. Ernst still hopes that the British will treat East Africa with the attitude they used to Afghanistan and the Boers in their previous life.

However, these are just a guess. It is still unknown whether the Portuguese have the courage to do so. Before the Portuguese make a decision, East Africa seems to be able to do nothing.

(End of this chapter)