Chapter 376 Operations Meeting
The day after Ernst arrived at the first town, there was nothing special to do. His main task was to preside over the war against the Boers. The Boers had to be fought for no other reason except strategic considerations in East Africa.
If we don't swallow up the Boers' land at this time, the next time we have the opportunity, we will not only face the Boers, but the British.
Secondly, East Africa had to use force against the Boers. There was nothing to talk about between the two sides. The Boers could surrender to the British, but would never surrender to East Africa, unless East Africa gave the Boers great privileges, which the East African government would not agree to.
At the Svet Palace, the army generals and Ernst discussed the issue of the war against the Boers.
Ernst: "This war is different from the past. In addition to the fact that our opponents have changed from black to white, we also have to face a very prominent problem, that is, the Transvaal Republic is too far away from the current core area of East Africa. The last time the Ndebele people rebelled, we could mobilize troops from the South Salzburg Province to suppress them, but this time we don't have this advantage in fighting the Boers.
Therefore, the war against the Boers must be swift and lightning-fast. We must seize the land of the Transvaal Republic in one fell swoop, and we may even face forces outside the Transvaal Republic, such as Orange, the Zulu, and even the British colony of Natal.
Therefore, the Southern Army is not only facing the Boers as an enemy, but also potential enemies. If this war is delayed, it is very likely that the Zulus and the British will take advantage of it, which is not what I want to see. "
This is indeed the case. If the war against the Boers in East Africa is delayed even a little, the Zulu Kingdom and the British Colony of Natal will never give up this great opportunity to expand into the territory of the Transvaal Republic.
On the sand table, Siwei pointed to the area in the lower right corner of the Kingdom of Swaziland and said, "Your Highness, according to the news sent back by our intelligence personnel a few days ago, the main force of the Transvaal Republic is still confronting the Zulu Kingdom in the east of the Transvaal Republic. Although the Zulu Kingdom is small in area and has a small population, it is extremely warlike and almost everyone is a soldier. Although it was defeated by the Boers, since the arrival of the British, their king Mpanda has chosen to improve relations with the British and jointly exclude the Boers."
Before this, the Zulu Kingdom actually had a good relationship with the Boers, but it was only a superficial relationship. The Zulu Kingdom's hatred for the Boers could be said to have reached its peak, so when the British came, the Zulus tried to get closer to the British.
Siewert went on to say, "At present, the Boers have almost no troops on the south bank of the Limpopo River. This is our opportunity. As long as we take multiple measures, it will not be difficult for us to quickly sweep across most of the territory of the Transvaal Republic. The main resistance to the war must be in the later stage. On the one hand, the main force of the Boers will return to support, and on the other hand, the relationship between the Orange Free State and the Transvaal Republic will definitely not sit idly by. Even the Boers in the British colony of Natal will support the Transvaal Republic, and it will most likely attract the attention of the British."
In addition to the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State, the Boer countries and regions actually include New Griegualand, as well as the Natal Colony and West Griegualand under British rule. Most of the residents under their rule are still Boers, and there are also a large number of Boers in Cape Town.
Ernst nodded and said, "So we must be prepared for multi-front warfare. This war is not just against the Boers. In my opinion, there is no need for the Zulu Kingdom to exist. We can't afford to offend the British, but we are not afraid of the British forces in South Africa. If they want to interfere with the territorial expansion of East Africa, then we will beat them back!"
Ernst almost gritted his teeth as he said the last sentence. If there were no British in Africa, East Africa would not have to restrain its ambitions in fear. Even though the East African Kingdom is now large enough to not fear any challenges in Africa, it still lives in the shadow of Britain.
Ernst was not overestimating Britain, but Britain's strength was just like that. Britain in this era was to East Africa what the Far East was to the United States in the previous life. One can imagine the pressure this would put on the East African kingdom.
In fact, Britain in this era is more difficult to deal with than the United States in the previous life, because there is no so-called benevolence, righteousness, and morality in this era. Except for the areas controlled by other powers, the British can really do whatever they want, and no one will say anything even if they commit genocide.
If East Africa wants to survive in this era without relying on its own strength, it can only cling to the thighs of Austria-Hungary and Germany. However, East Africa must not do this unless it is absolutely necessary. It is said that it is easy to ask for help but difficult to send it away. If you want to rely on other countries to help resolve the crisis, you must pay a price. Franz and William I are both extremely realistic monarchs, not fools like Peter III.
Ernst's words also brought a hint of gloom to the army generals psychologically. Britain! After all, it is a mountain that cannot be avoided in front of East Africa. If Ernst was just worried that the British blockade would cause East Africa's development to stagnate, then the generals were simply a little afraid of Britain.
That was the world hegemon. The land powers in Europe could laugh at the British lobster soldiers, but countries outside Europe did not have that qualification. Back then, the United States wanted to test whether its old father was still capable of doing things, but ended up being burned out of the White House.
In recent years, the British have also achieved outstanding results in the world, especially after the expedition to the Far East. Apart from Europe and the United States, they have basically no rivals in the world.
However, in order not to affect morale in the future, Ernst said: "Of course, we don't need to worry too much about possible British intervention. In Africa, our East African strength is one of the best. The British are not as terrible as public opinion claims. The British were defeated in Afghanistan more than a decade ago, and this was when Britain had the Indian colony behind it. The Cape Town colony of Britain is far worse than India."
Ernst's words did have some effect. After years of successive victories in Africa, in fact, the generals in East Africa were not only not humble, but even a little arrogant. It would be good to use Britain to suppress their arrogance. In the future, the generals in East Africa will only be more cautious about Britain, a potential opponent. This is both respect for the enemy and responsibility to themselves.
This Boer War had to be fought, even if the enemy was really strong, East Africa had to give it a try. In Ernst's initial plan, East Africa should at least control all the land on the north bank of the Farr River, a northern tributary of the Orange River. In this way, East Africa could control most of South Africa's coal and iron ore and other minerals essential for industrial development. In Ernst's eyes, gold mines were a gift.
The Vaal River is the dividing line between the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State. Across the Vaal River, the minerals in Orange are mainly diamonds, which are also high-value minerals, but they are not in short supply in East Africa.
There are a large number of coal mines in the Zulu Kingdom, which is why Ernst included the Zulu Kingdom in this combat plan.
(End of this chapter)
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