Chapter 472 Preparations for War
In 1877, the main military mission in East Africa was to increase security investment in the South African region. Among the neighboring countries of East Africa, only the Cape Town Colony had the ability to launch a large-scale modern war with more than 10,000 people against East Africa.
Especially after the Cape Colony merged with the Orange Free State, Britain had access to an excellent source of Boer soldiers, especially those from the former Transvaal Republic.
If the military funds and weapons and equipment were sufficient, the British would be able to mobilize tens of thousands of combat troops in the former Orange Free State.
East Africa quietly increased the number of its army in South Africa to about 50,000. Because of the East Opening Agreement after the last war, East Africa reduced the number of troops in the border areas. So this time East Africa deployed three divisions of troops centered on the port of New Hamburg, Winburg, and Seschen (formerly the Griegoland area). At the same time, it deployed an elite division and two cavalry divisions in the Province of Hechingen (formerly the Republic of Transvaal).
At the same time, military outposts were strengthened along the Orange River and Tugela River. In the South African region, more than 200 large and small military fortresses were newly built in East Africa according to the European model.
"We must be prepared to fight a long-term war. All military strongholds must store food, water, and ammunition, conduct detailed surveys of the surrounding terrain, and maintain good communication with other combat units." Ernst instructed the high-level army generals.
"Your Highness, does Cape Town really dare to wage war against us?"
Ernst replied: "It is only possible, because the choice is not ours. I have no idea about Cape Town, but I don't know if the British have any idea about East Africa."
"But that area of South Africa, apart from the area around Cape Town and Natal, is honestly not very valuable, and the climate isn't as moist as other areas. The British will go to war with us over that piece of shitty land!"
Ernst: "That depends on the specific criteria. No matter how bad the land in South Africa is, is it worse than Australia and Canada? The British can eat the deserts of Australia and the forests and snowfields of Canada, not to mention the lush grasslands of South Africa."
Of course, what Ernst said was biased. The British only developed areas with superior conditions in Australia and Canada. As for the deserts and ice fields, they were occupied conveniently. There were no threats around them, so there was no need to station people there. Naturally, there would be no extra burden. Just by shouting, they could occupy a piece of land. Even a fool would do such a free thing.
"Moreover, the significance of South Africa's existence is different. Cape Town's importance to Britain will not be abandoned just because the Suez Canal is opened. It is still an important strategic fulcrum. Therefore, even if Britain does not care about the forces that can threaten Cape Town, I believe Cape Town itself will pay attention to it."
Britain's four colonies, India, Canada, Australia and Cape Town, all have a certain degree of autonomy. The local British immigrants also have their own interests. In order to increase their own power and wealth, they are relatively active in external expansion. A typical example is the Indian colony that has been firing left and right in Asia.
The existence of East Africa itself is a threat to Cape Town. Not only that, East Africa now threatens Egypt and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, so Ernst does not believe that the British will let East Africa go. It is only a matter of time. All East Africa can do is to prepare for war.
Preparations are preparations, but it is hard to say whether the UK will take action itself. Even if the UK chooses to take action, it cannot be confirmed whether they will fight a small or large-scale war, where to start, and how long to fight.
Therefore, the mobilization force in East Africa this time was not too great. What Ernst was seeking was that if the Cape Town area suddenly launched an attack on East Africa, East Africa must first stabilize the front line and then engage in a war of attrition with Britain.
In today's era, no country can completely turn against Britain. Take the United States as an example. The United States is large enough, its industry is developed enough, and it is separated from Europe by the Atlantic Ocean, but it can only be a grandson in front of Britain and France.
If Ernst really wanted to offend Britain to death, it would have to involve Germany and Austria. However, this only meant going against Britain. If it were a world war, Germany and Austria alone would not be enough, unless another great power joined the camp.
Although East Africa currently has a large land area, it is still far behind the great powers in other aspects, and is probably only at the level of two Belgiums.
"If war comes, our response strategy is to be neither too radical nor too weak, to turn a short-term war into a long-term war, to consume the enemy's national strength while striving for international status."
International status is earned through fighting. Although making friends can win respect, emotions are not convincing in the face of national interests. Even relatives can turn against each other for the sake of interests. Therefore, only strength is the hard truth. Even if others are tough in words, they are honest in body.
In the past, the Boers made Germany see the weakness of the British through the Boer War. Although later facts proved that Britain was still in its infancy and buried Germany's European hegemony with its strong national strength, Britain also lost its position as the world hegemon.
"If war is inevitable, I hope it will break out in South Africa. We are not afraid of a war of attrition, especially in South Africa."
Although South Africa is important and especially rich in resources, it cannot change the fact that South Africa is now a white land in East Africa, with almost no industry and agriculture. So if South Africa becomes a battlefield, Ernst will not feel bad, because the enemy has almost no way to attack East African industry, agriculture and cities in South Africa.
Without the Orange Free State, South Africa will become East Africa's own buffer zone. In this area, East Africa can fight invaders with ease without worrying about civilian issues. After all, there are not many immigrants in South Africa as a whole.
As long as South Africa is not lost, East Africa can rely on the Central Railway to continuously provide blood transfusions to the battlefield from the rear.
In fact, East Africa could also gather a large force and directly overthrow Cape Town with a million troops, but this did not meet Ernst's expectations. Not to mention the huge war costs that East Africa would have to bear, it would delay East Africa's development. This would also not be conducive to consuming the British's energy. If the British were scared away, shifting the battlefield from land to sea would be a dimensionality reduction attack on East Africa.
So if a war breaks out between the two countries, Ernst's goal is to give the British Army an illusion that I can win! As long as Parliament allocates more military funds, every day can be a victory.
At the same time, East Africa can also use the war to enhance and test the strength of the East African Army. To be honest, Ernst has always been skeptical about the combat effectiveness of the East African Army, because East Africa has fought too many favorable battles and has never fought against truly powerful enemies.
The British are a very good target. If it were the armies of Germany, France, Russia and Austria, then East Africa would be worthy of full efforts. If it were the British Army, then the importance would definitely be lowered to a lower level. The British Army's strong but not strong state is a high-quality whetstone.
Of course, the ability of war to promote the economy cannot be underestimated. If a war breaks out, East Africa’s industry can also revolve around the war, testing East Africa’s industrial system management capabilities, especially the development of the military industry.
Of course, Ernst is not a warmongerer. It would be best if there is no war between the two countries. Peaceful development is the best option for East Africa. With its territory and population accumulated slowly, it will only take a few decades for East Africa to become a world power. However, East Africa has been drawn into the vortex of major changes in the world, and the right to choose is not in its hands.
Ernst concluded: "If no one offends me, I will not offend anyone; if someone offends me, I will definitely offend him. We in East Africa have no hostility towards Britain (it would be strange), but if a war breaks out, the advantage will definitely be on our side."
(End of this chapter)
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