Chapter 776: The Third Stage
December 12, 1888.
On the banks of the Sawei River.
While the British-Portuguese Allied Forces were building a new headquarters and government offices in Chokwe, the East African troops, which had been resting for nearly half a month, were finally ready.
Under the cover of night, the 221st East African Division began to cross the river at the Masangena Ferry. The Sawy River is more than 680 kilometers long, so it is impossible for the coalition forces to deploy too many troops in each area of the Sawy River defense line.
The crossing point chosen by the 221st Division was the western part of the Savi River. Due to climate and other reasons, this was the most primitive area in Mozambique. The Portuguese had basically not developed it. If it were not for the war in East Africa, the coalition forces would probably not be willing to send even a small force here.
In the southwest region, which is also the area with the least precipitation in Mozambique, there are few rivers and sparse vegetation. Therefore, even in the previous life, this place was just a wildlife sanctuary in Mozambique. It is conceivable that such a place would be even more desolate in the 19th century.
Mars, the commander of the 221st Division, was naturally very clear about this.
"The British and Portuguese troops are mainly in the Sawy River, while the eastern and western sections are sparsely populated. Although this gives us an opportunity, it also means that we will be affected by material supply and water problems in the future, and logistical support will become more difficult."
"So after crossing the river, our army will immediately move eastward along the Sawei River to cooperate with other troops in the battle, instead of moving directly south. This is the order of the General Staff, and it is also an arrangement that I think is more reasonable."
The river crossing operation was naturally carried out from multiple locations. The Eastern Military Region and the 221st Division carried out in-depth cooperation, and the East African Defense Force had crossed many rivers such as the Sawy River.
Most of Mozambique's rivers run east-west, so the East African Defense Force will encounter a river every few miles along the way. However, the Portuguese's level of development of Mozambique is shockingly low.
Most of the rivers remain in their most pristine state, and there are only a handful of bridges, which are definitely heavily guarded by Portuguese troops.
Therefore, the East African Defense Force can only work on their own to make ends meet, but most of the East African troops have this skill.
During East Africa's decades-long conquest of Africa, Africa's harsh natural conditions have never been an obstacle to the advance of the East African Defense Force. Even in East Africa itself, most areas have not been effectively utilized and developed.
In this environment, the various units of the East African National Defense Force naturally have to learn the skills of building bridges and roads, and it is a necessary means, just like the several pontoon bridges currently built by the 221st Division.
Although it looked very simple due to insufficient materials and tight time, it still successfully met the needs of the 221st Division to cross the river.
Stepping onto the land on the south bank of the Sawy River, Major General Mars seemed to see Maputo right in front of him. Of course, now is not the time to stay here. Since the 221st Division successfully crossed the river, it should also help the brother troops move south according to the plan of the General Staff.
…
First town city.
Chief of the General Staff Siweite and other military and political personnel have arrived. The South African war has now entered the countdown stage. After the troops have had sufficient rest, the current target in East Africa is Mozambique.
Ernst: "Are all the troops ready now?"
Siwei Te: "At present, the combat troops of the three major military regions have been prepared. In addition, some troops of the Northern Military Region and the Nile Military Region are participating in this operation. The newly formed 221st and 222nd Divisions of the Eastern Military Region and the Northern Military Region will take action first."
"The Western Military Region is the strongest and has the largest number of troops. At the same time, some troops of the Nile Military Region will cooperate with the Western Military Region to carry out military operations in the east. The main battlefield of this war may be on the eastern defense line."
"Finally, there is the Southern Military Region. The main forces of the Southern Military Region are currently distributed around the port city of New Hamburg. The target is Maputo, but Maputo should be difficult to attack, so we will still adopt the strategy of compressing the living space of the British and Portuguese troops from the west and north."
"When the Anglo-Portuguese coalition forces are forced into a narrow area in the southeast, they will face increasing difficulties. If the military operation goes smoothly, we will be able to achieve victory in advance."
Archduke Ferdinand: "The Navy has cooperated with the Guards Division. We will assist the Guards Division in landing northeast of Maputo, although there are no conditions for ships to dock there, so we can only use small boats to send soldiers ashore."
Southern Mozambique lacks good ports and its coastline is almost as straight as that of the Somali region, which may be an important reason why Maputo Bay became the notification center of Mozambique for the Portuguese.
Of course, Mozambique continued to expand northwards, which made Maputo's location in Mozambique very unusual. However, this is also in line with the terrain characteristics of Africa. The Portuguese almost completed their expansion needs along the Mozambique Plain.
Of course, the main driving force behind Portugal's later expansion was the severe pressure that East Africa brought to Mozambique. Just like Tsarist Russia, it lacked a sense of security and was extremely eager for land to provide a buffer.
However, the Portuguese approach proved to be effective. The previously occupied land effectively slowed down the march of East Africa. If Mozambique had maintained its previous territorial form, East Africa would probably have been at the gates of Maputo long ago.
After all, East Africa expanded its territory too quickly. Even the Zulu Kingdom in southern Mozambique was destroyed by East Africa. Originally, the Zulu Kingdom was a buffer zone between Portugal and Britain. Before Britain and Portugal could react, it was taken over by East Africa. At that time, the territory controlled by East Africa actually only reached the Limpopo River.
Judging from the map, the strength of various regions in South Africa was relatively balanced at that time, and this was even more so when the Ndebele people still existed.
But East Africa disrupted the balance between regions and also directly threatened the security of Britain and Portugal.
The worst suffered was the Transvaal Republic, which was directly destroyed by East Africa, and the Kingdom of Swaziland and the Zulu Kingdom were also easily dealt with by East Africa.
If East Africa had not eliminated the Zulu Kingdom and the Swaziland Kingdom, Maputo's position could be said to be quite good. After all, facing the indigenous forces, the other parties had enough confidence and advantages.
Even if the Boers had gained an advantage in the region at the time, it would not have mattered. After all, the Boers themselves were very backward, and even if they occupied the whole of South Africa, they probably would not dare to provoke the Kingdom of Portugal.
However, all this changed because of East Africa's interference. East Africa became a thorn in the eyes and flesh of the other four forces.
"The mission of the Guards Division is to cooperate with the Southern Military Region to capture Maputo and cut off the connection between Maputo and other Portuguese troops. This time the navy will also participate in the subsequent hunt for Maputo and attack Maputo from four directions. I don't believe that Maputo can withstand our pressure this time." said Feleguein, commander-in-chief of the Guards Division.
The Guards Division only sent one brigade to participate in the war this time, but one brigade of the Guards Division is equivalent to the strength of a main division in other military regions in East Africa.
The participation of the Guards Division in this war was also East Africa's first experiment in long-distance warfare. Just like the British Expeditionary Force crossed the Indian Ocean and attacked the Abyssinian Empire, it was also the first time that the East African army deployed a large number of troops to the enemy country from land and sea.
The participation of the Guards Division means that almost all the troops in East Africa have taken part in the encirclement and suppression of Mozambique, which is also the final battle of East Africa against the Anglo-Portuguese forces. If everything goes well, Mozambique will follow in Angola's footsteps.
(End of this chapter)
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