Chapter 605: Orangemen Revolt

The Orangemen in Bloemfontein are easy to talk to, but that doesn't mean the Orangemen in the countryside are the same as those in the city.

Because the economies of the Orange Free State and the former Transvaal Republic are similar, most people in the Orange Free State live in rural areas.

The Orange people in the countryside were all dependent on the big landowners, so they were no easier to manage than those in the cities. Moreover, the large number of Transvaal people who suddenly poured in last time further strengthened the power of the Transvaal countryside.

At the same time, the Transvaal Provisional Government set its sights on the Orange Country, and its minions, the Transvaal Restoration Army, began to "go to the countryside".

In towns such as Bloemfontein, the Transvaal Restoration Army had relatively easy success, but once they left the city, they ran into a tough problem.

The village of Boslande, west of Bloemfontein.

A group of Transvaal Restoration Army cavalry attempted to enter the village of Bosland to collect taxes.

"What! Taxation?" Karim, the chief of Bosland Village, looked at the group of evil guests with some amusement.

"Village Chief Karim, this is an order from the Governor's Office in Bloemfontein, so I hope you can understand the government's difficulties."

In front of Karim, these Transvaal Restoration Army soldiers did not dare to act arrogantly, because there were twenty or thirty people holding weapons next to Karim, staring at them covetously.

"This is really a joke. I have lived in Orange for so many years and have never paid taxes. You are the first people who dare to ask for money from me."

Karim was not joking. The two Boer countries, just like the United States before them, had no tax collection departments at all, so Karim’s grandfather’s generation had never paid taxes.

"Times have changed, Chief Karim. Orange was ruled by the Boers before, but now everyone is under British rule, so naturally the laws and other aspects are also based on the British! So you can't use the old traditions to look at the present."

"Bah, I never agreed to join Cape Town in the first place. Our Orange Free State was completely betrayed by a bunch of cowards. Now the British have turned against us. I tell you, there is not a penny of so-called tax." Karim said toughly.

"Village Chief Karim, I advise you to just pay the money. The British are much stronger than us Boers!"

"Haha, the British are indeed strong, but that depends on where they are. The Orange Free State could have had more autonomy. If it weren't for you Transvaal people who were accomplices and willingly served as dogs of the British, there wouldn't be so many troubles now!"

"team leader!"

Sure enough, some soldiers of the Restoration Army were very angry at Karim's ridicule, because most of the Restoration Army were Transvaal people, so they looked at their captain, hoping to teach this old Orangeman a lesson.

But the captain of the Restoration Army did not do so. The civilian power of the Orange Free State was not weak, especially in the countryside, which had its own spontaneously formed armed forces. He had only a dozen people under his command, so he did not want to turn against the old man Karim now.

If they turned hostile now, they would probably be dead today. Not to mention the twenty or thirty militiamen around Karim. They could still call for help from the village. If they were surrounded, they would be in trouble today.

This is the benefit of the universal military service system. The reason why East Africa was able to easily conquer the Transvaal Republic was entirely due to its numerical advantage.

The number of troops in East Africa alone was almost equal to a quarter of the population of the Transvaal Republic, and they showed no mercy from the beginning, giving the Transvaal Republic time to prepare, so the Transvaal Republic was naturally unable to cope with it.

Now Karim has to deal with a completely different situation with the Restoration Army. After three months of expansion, the Restoration Army has barely reached a size of more than 6,000 people.

There are quite a few villages in the Orange Free State, and the village of Bosland where Karim lives is one of them. Most of these villages are inhabited by Orange people, while the Transvaal people are more in towns and mines, so they can gain the trust of the British and be used to check and balance the Orange people.

In the cities, the British took sides, so the Transvaal people could do whatever they wanted, but it was a different story in the countryside. Even the Orange people had long been dissatisfied with the British's discriminatory treatment, and the villages were colluding with each other to drive the British and their running dogs out of the Orange Free State.

So Karim continued to shout: "Humph, you Transvaal people, you still want to collect taxes, you must be tired of living, it's so comfortable to stay in Bloemfontein honestly. Don't think you can do evil just because you have weapons in your hands. Next time you dare to come to Bosland Village, I will make you see blood."

"Okay, very good, Village Chief Karim, it seems you have made your choice. I hope you won't regret what you said today. Let's go!" The captain of the Transvaal Restoration Army had to order a retreat.

Then this small group of the Restoration Army entered the village arrogantly, but now they can only withdraw to Bloemfontein in disgrace. Of course, they don't care. They go back to report to the government and then come to cause trouble for Bosland Village.

It's not just Bosland Village. This scene has happened in many villages around Bloemfontein today. However, each village has made different choices. Some are as tough as Karim, while others choose to swallow their anger because they still attract a large army from Bloemfontein. There have also been some villages where bloodshed has occurred, but the ones who suffered mainly were the Transvaal Restoration Army.

Karim would not sit idly by. Today, he had offended the Restoration Army in Bloemfontein, so the Orangemen began a nationwide movement.

The Orange landowners in various places began to exchange letters with each other, and the former Orange rulers in the cities who had long been sidelined by the Transvaal people also began to make moves, preparing to cooperate with the actions in the countryside to regain control of cities such as Bloemfontein.

February 28, 1881.

The Orange Bloemfontein city councillors and Orange citizens, unwilling to be deprived of power, took the lead in firing the first shot to overthrow the joint tyranny of the British and Transvaal people.

Angry Orangemen attacked police stations, barracks, and the puppet Parliamentary government and the Transvaal Provisional Government.

The Orangemen looted the Transvaal and the British, but soon the Orangemen's resistance was declared a failure under the suppression of the Transvaal Restoration Army. The Transvaal Provisional Government took over Bloemfontein and retaliated against the Orangemen in the city. Many Orangemen who participated in the riots were executed.

In March, villages across Orange announced the establishment of a new Orange Free State government, defining the British and Transvaal people as invaders, and a formal confrontation between the two sides began.

The Cape Town government supported the Transvaal Republic, encircled and suppressed the Orange people, and promised to give part of the Orange people's land to the Transvaal Republic after suppressing the rebellion.

East Africa also received news of the civil war in the Orange Free State, and in addition to intelligence from the National Security Agency, there was also the reason why the new Orange government sent people across the border to ask East Africa for help.

Faced with this emergency, the East African government must immediately decide whether to support the Orangemen, how to support them, and what benefits East Africa can gain.

There was a telegram from the border to the East African Central Government, so the East African government received the news on March 12, at which time the Orangemen had already had several exchanges of fire with the Anglo-German (Transvaal) coalition forces.

Although the Orangemen had the geographical advantage, their supplies and ammunition were consumed quickly. Without external support, it would be difficult for them to fight against the Anglo-German coalition forces.

(End of this chapter)