Chapter 329 Behind the Current Version
The battle between the East African Army and the Matabele Kingdom Army took place east of Bulawayo. The East African side was composed of the South Salzburg Province Border Force and part of the Second Brigade of the Southern Army, with a total of more than 6,000 people. The Matabele Kingdom had a total of more than 16,000 troops, including more than 10,000 Shona vassal troops.
Siwei Te held a telescope and looked at the Matabele Kingdom's army conquering the land opposite and said: "It seems that the Matabele Kingdom is going to fight a desperate battle, but they actually chose to fight us head-on, which is interesting!"
The most troublesome tactic of the indigenous peoples for the East African army is guerrilla warfare, so the East African army has rich experience in anti-guerrilla warfare in Africa. However, the East African Kingdom certainly hopes that the enemies of East Africa can fight East Africa in an upright manner rather than playing second fiddle.
The reason why the Ndebele people chose to fight head-on was very straightforward, because they did not know much about the use of muskets, especially the command of such a large-scale musket force, which could only be done by relying on Boer instructors.
The Boers had little experience in large-scale command. They also used guerrilla tactics, and were more flexible with the support of cavalry.
Since there was no relevant experience, they just copied what was available. The Boer instructors directly took the British lobster soldiers' "line-up killing tactics" and applied them to the Ndebele people.
The British still have their dignity; after all, they are the world's most powerful country. The British lobster soldiers have no rivals in the colonies thanks to their "line-up shooting tactics".
The formal name of the line-up kill tactics is line tactics. The emergence of line tactics was a last resort due to the limitations of the level of guns at the time. It was mainly to ensure lethality. In order to maximize the attack power of flintlock rifles, three-stage shooting tactics were also created. You can tell how this tactic will be deployed just by listening to the name.
However, the officers of the East African Kingdom Army opposite them, especially the border troops of the South Salzburg Province, were students of the Hechingen Military Academy who had participated in the Franco-Prussian War.
During the Franco-Prussian War, the line-up kill tactic had become outdated, so this group of students from the Hechingen Military Academy mastered the more advanced skirmish line tactics. The skirmish line tactics had appeared as early as the Napoleonic era, but they were not widely used until the Franco-Prussian War. The Prussian Dreiser rifle was far inferior to the French in performance and accuracy, so this tactic was commonly used to avoid French fire suppression.
When the East African Kingdom fought with the natives, the natives basically collapsed as soon as they encountered the enemy. Therefore, the biggest headache for the East African Kingdom was often to capture these fleeing soldiers after the war. In this way, the East African Army often had to disperse its forces, so the skirmish line tactics were further strengthened in East Africa.
Lobengula: "Sir Wiggins, we are just going to charge straight ahead! Don't we need to cover up?"
Wiggins: "Your Majesty, you have to trust my judgment. You have to know that this is a tactic used by the army of the most powerful country in the world, the United Kingdom of Great Britain. Don't think that standing in a row like this looks dull, but think about it, these muskets firing at the same time will form a dense wall of firepower, and any enemy in front of it will be destroyed like a dead tree or rotten wood."
Only then did Lobengula feel relieved. He had heard of the Kingdom of Great Britain, and any country in the world that was not too closed to external exchanges knew the reputation of the British Empire. It was the undisputed world hegemon, and even the powerful Boers were no match for it.
Wiggins: "Your Majesty, let the Shona vassal army charge to the front. Let's consume the ammunition of the East Africans first."
“No problem!” Lobengula replied.
So more than 10,000 Shona vassal troops were driven by the Ndebele supervision team towards the East African Army.
These poor Shona people didn't even have decent weapons. Most of them only had simply trimmed wooden sticks in their hands, and some of them hadn't even been peeled clean. It was obvious at a glance that they were made by cutting down trees. Only the pitcher in the front was equipped with javelins eliminated by the Ndebele people as long-range weapons.
After the Ndebele people were equipped with muskets, the javelin, a disposable primitive weapon, was naturally eliminated. However, the Ndebele people did not completely trust the muskets. They dismantled the original weapons, melted all the iron, and remade them into scimitars for close combat, which they wore on their waists. At the same time, they did not eliminate the most important shield of the Zulu people, and carried it on their backs for emergency use.
The equipment of the Ndebele people today can be said to be quite good in the whole of Africa. In sharp contrast is the Shona vassal army who use sticks as weapons.
"The enemy has moved, but is Lobengula joking? He is ready to send these people to their deaths!" Siweit said when he saw the Shona servant army holding sticks and javelins as weapons.
"Chief of Staff, the Shona are consumables in Lobengula's eyes. He doesn't care about the lives of the Shona at all. Lobengula must want to use the Shona vassal army to consume our ammunition first."
Siwei Te sneered and said, "It depends on whether they can hold on. Come on, push the artillery to the front and fire indiscriminately at the enemy's square formation."
Then, eighteen small-caliber artillery pieces were pushed to the front, and the commander gave the order, "Boom... Boom... Boom..."
The shells fell clearly into the square formation of the Shona vassal army. As expected, the power of the artillery instantly undermined the will of the Shona vassal army. Artillery is very effective in undermining the fighting desire of the indigenous people. It is a tried and tested tactic in East Africa's colonial development in Africa. Even the toughest ones cannot offset the fear of artillery.
Today is a terrible day for the Shona vassal army. Being driven by the Ndebele, psychologically, the Shona people must be unwilling, but the Ndebele people are invincible to the larger Shona people. Moreover, the Ndebele people have recently mastered a terrible weapon (musket) that can kill people without being seen, so the Shona vassal army dares not resist the rule and leadership of the Ndebele people.
However, the enemies on the opposite side were even more terrifying. They pushed a dozen hollowed-out round "tree stumps" and pointed the round holes of the "tree stumps" towards themselves from a distance. Then, an ear-piercing bang resounded through the sky. Wherever they were hit, blood instantly flowed like a river. Even people dozens of meters away could feel a heat wave. This kind of "heavenly thunder" was the punishment of the gods. How could mortals possibly fight against the gods?
The Shona vassal army was in a state of panic. Some of them fled in all directions, while others lay on the ground, muttering to themselves and begging the gods for forgiveness. Even when the Ndebele supervision team opened fire, the Shona vassal army remained indifferent.
"These Shona people are such trash!" Lobengula yelled in the rear, "Sir Wiggins, the East Africans have artillery, what should we do?"
Lobengula knew about artillery. Although this kind of thing was not common in Africa, it did not prevent Lobengula from seeing it in the hands of the Boers.
Wiggins: "Don't worry, Your Majesty. The East Africans came in a hurry, and they must not have many shells. We will fight them after they run out of shells."
At this time, Wiggins was actually unsure. Who knew how many artillery shells the East Africans had prepared? If the situation turned bad, it would be better for him to run away.
Siwei Te: "Alright, the Shona vassal army is already useless, there is no need to waste shells, stop firing, and move forward with all your forces."
Following Sweet's orders, the East Africans stopped shelling but began to advance.
Wiggins: "Your Majesty, the East Africans are attacking directly. Next, when the East Africans are within 200 meters, we can shoot directly."
However, Wiggins' calculation was wrong. The East African army advanced as a whole, not to serve as cannon fodder. The Dreiser rifles equipped by the border troops of the South Salzburg Province had a range twice that of the Ndebele rifles and were much more accurate.
Wiggins has been in South Africa for many years and has no idea about the current development of European military. The equipment level of the border troops of the South Salzburg Province is second only to the armies of the world powers such as Britain, France, Germany, Austria and Russia.
(End of this chapter)
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