Chapter 667: Military Expansion and War Preparation
Otto, Hechingen (formerly Pretoria, Transvaal Republic).
"According to the government's requirements, veterans have to re-register and be ready to be called up by the military at any time. Non-military or retired adult men are also required to receive paramilitary training arranged by the government in their spare time. They will receive military training in surrounding rural areas in August this year."
In South Africa, July to October is the dry season, which is also the slack season for farming in the region. In addition, the agricultural scale of Hechingen Province itself is not large, so it will not have much impact on agriculture.
"Director Helaide, are we going to go to war? Or is this a request from the Otto City Government?"
"The order came from the central government. All five southern provinces have resumed normal militia training, not just our Otto City. Moreover, militia training was a common tradition in East Africa. Many new immigrants are not aware of this. You can verify it with many old immigrants. As for whether a war will break out, we have not received any notification about this. However, as a border province, Hechingen Province should always attach importance to border defense."
The early entry of southern East Africa into a state of war has indeed caused panic among some people, especially in Matabele Province, where many immigrants are accustomed to a peaceful life, and the sudden possibility of war can easily bring back memories of their time in Europe and the Far East.
"What are you afraid of? When we came to East Africa, there was no end to the war. At that time, Africa was full of indigenous tribes, and there were all kinds of wild animals on the grasslands that were very dangerous. We were also threatened by diseases. We have only had a few years of good life now, but we must not forget how long it has been since we left the war."
"Old Peter is right. In fact, we all know that no matter where you are, there will always be wars. This is the way the world is. Whether it is developed or poor, it has nothing to do with us civilians. Europe is the most civilized and wealthy place in the world, but wars are terrifying, with hundreds of thousands of people involved. A few years ago, the Franco-Prussian War involved more than a million people. How many people were there in Germany at that time?"
"The United States will not fight wars!" said a busybody.
"The United States does not go to war, but it also has many social problems, especially gang fights. I used to be in the western United States, and I can't help but mention how chaotic it is there, with all kinds of robberies and murders. And if you don't have any skills in the United States, your life is far worse than in East Africa, where you can get a stable income regardless of drought or flood."
"Heh, we have brothers from the United States here, too. Aren't they all unsuccessful? And which country has such good public security as East Africa? East Africa is not as good as the best, but it is better than the worst. We don't ask for too much. At least the government treats us as human beings. In East Africa, you may not have money, but as long as you are diligent and willing to work hard, you can have enough food and clothes, and there will be no other troubles. Medical care and education are all available."
"In fact, there is not much difference between East Africa and Germany. It's just that in Germany, there are not so many job opportunities, there is not so much land for farming, and there are always wars, so many people leave."
"The main reason is that the intensity of the war is too high. The war in Europe is simply not something that ordinary people can bear."
"Hans, when it comes to war, you in Europe are still not as good as us in the Far East. Even if there is no war, many of us can't survive."
"That's right. Germany now is not the same as it was before. I heard that Germany has developed well in recent years, but in the past, each region of Germany had different levels of development. For example, the Kuhler family fled to East Africa because of famine in the south. Moreover, each state would recruit soldiers and arrest people at any time back then. I don't know if they went to the battlefield that day."
Before the unification of Germany, there were a lot of bad things in Germany. There were many wars, and the efficiency and administration of each state were different. The good ones were like paradise on earth, and the bad ones were terrible.
Comparisons between countries are something that no one gets tired of, especially those who have lived in Germany, the United States and East Africa.
After comparing the three countries, they will conclude that, overall, the United States and East Africa are stronger than Germany, with less living pressure. Germany and the United States are more prosperous than East Africa, but East Africa is not too bad now. The social order in the United States is not as good as that in Germany and East Africa. Social order has never been the strong point of the United Kingdom and the United States. For example, London, the most prosperous city in the world today, is also the most notorious crime capital in the world.
No matter which country you choose, you have to sacrifice something. However, this is also compared with normal countries. Some abnormal countries are not good at all, such as Haiti and the Philippines in the previous life.
Ernst could not hear the discussions of the East African people. He had too many things to do now, especially the issue of military expansion.
In fact, as an absolute monarchy, it is impossible for anything to be heard by the emperor. To exaggerate a little, Ernst was considered qualified for just doing a show project and using a golden hoe to hoe the ground.
After all, ancient monarchs all knew that this was just a form to let everyone know that they valued agriculture. As for what tools farmers used to farm, that was not their concern.
Of course, this is just a joke. East Africa still attaches great importance to improving agricultural production efficiency. It has completely transitioned from pure manual agriculture to semi-animal agriculture, and is now preparing to enter mechanized agriculture.
…
"If we expand the army, it would be best to do it in the east because most of the population is distributed in the eastern region. The population of Matabele Province is not too small, but many of them are industrial workers. So in order not to delay industrial production, we plan to recruit soldiers from rural areas in the east. But Your Highness, what is a reasonable range for our military expansion this time?" Felix said to Ernst.
In the central and southern regions, the most populous province is Matabele Province. However, Matabele Province has a high proportion of industry, and most jobs are in factories and mines. Therefore, in order not to delay production work, it is naturally not suitable to draw people from Matabele Province to join the army.
"Let's start with 50,000! This will ensure the overall dynamic balance among us, Britain, Portugal and Transvaal. Moreover, our troops are standing armies built to high standards. If they can't deal with the military threat from South Africa, they would be useless." Ernst said.
The treatment of the East African Army has never been bad, especially in recent years. Ernst has been suppressing the expansion of the army, and more military expenditures have been used to improve weapons and equipment as well as logistical support.
Moreover, in recent years, many outstanding military talents who graduated from Germany and Austria have entered the army in East Africa, which has further improved the overall quality of the East African Army and at least ensured the combat level of East Africa's elite troops.
The Southern Military Region has long been at the forefront of national defense and has always attached great importance to military training. Perhaps due to the long period of peace in East Africa, some slackness has occurred. However, if a little attention is paid, the troops should be able to recover in a few months and maintain their mental state in a relatively good range.
Therefore, the number of troops to be expanded this time does not need to be too large. Of course, the most crucial point is that even if the British want to launch a surprise attack on East Africa, it will require a long period of mobilization. Britain has no shortage of soldiers, and it also needs to mobilize from its homeland and India. As for Cape Town, the population base is still too small. However, if Cape Town had a large population, Britain would not have endured for so long and would have chosen to take action against East Africa long ago.
If Britain draws troops from its homeland or India, that will also require mobilization. By the time they mobilize, it will not be too late to carry out targeted mobilization in East Africa. Therefore, now it only needs to supplement a small number of troops to ensure East Africa's military advantage.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
