Chapter 694 Blackmail
Bloemfontein.
"What? Let the Orange Free State regain its independence!" Young Pretorius was a little surprised when he heard Cape Town's request, but he was more worried.
Under normal circumstances, the Boers would definitely be very willing to be independent, because the ultimate goal of the Transvaal people is to rebuild the Boer Republic.
But the current situation is special. The Transvaal people must rely on the British to exist, and it is not a good thing for the Cape Colony to allow the "Orange Free State" to regain independence.
"Are the British worried about being dragged into this? Cape Town took the initiative to merge into the Orange Free State. We have been treating the British in our territory quite well over the years. But now they want to kick us out because of the threat from the East Africans?"
It is no wonder that Pretorius the Younger thought so. The British colonial status is now a protective umbrella for the Orange Free State.
If a war breaks out, the British will certainly not allow their colonies to be invaded or bullied by others. As a colonial empire, the British have so many colonies, so they must maintain their image as the "master". Even if they want to beat a dog, they must first get past the "dog" owner.
"Mr. President, I'm afraid what you think is not unreasonable. Although Britain is the world hegemon, the authority of this world hegemon comes from having the most colonies in the world. However, this also means that Britain's power is relatively dispersed. Our Orange Free State is an insignificant existence to Britain, but it is a huge trouble."
Young Pretorius looked unhappy. Although his subordinate spoke the truth, it was still harsh.
He retorted: "Isn't our front line against East Africa worth anything? If they are so arrogant, then the entire African continent will probably be ruled by East Africans in the future!
Therefore, the British cannot let us be their pawn. Their own strength on the African continent may not be much stronger than that of East Africa! If they want to suppress East Africa, they can only unite more allies. Although our Orange Free State is indeed not worth mentioning, its location and military strength should be ranked among the top ten in Africa. "
"Mr. President, it doesn't have to be that serious. I think the British must have their own goals. After all, the number of British troops in the Orange Free State has increased in recent years, and Cape Town has obviously made big moves, so they must also be cautious about the threat from East Africa. This is the basis for our cooperation."
The British would not attack the Transvaal people at this time. After all, the Orange Free State has a special location. If they make the Orange Free State resentful and push this ally to East Africa, it would be counterproductive. Although the Transvaal people, as their "little brother", have their own little tricks in their hearts, compared with the direct threat from East Africa, they are not worth mentioning. The size of the Transvaal people is not even a threat.
"So what do you think is the ultimate purpose of the British letting us get rid of them now and gaining the colonies they have planned for many years?" said Pretorius the Younger.
“Mr. President, this may be a question of initiative. First of all, the British suddenly made this request after we first proposed to increase military aid, which may mean that the British cannot meet our request.
So they must have thought about this issue from a financial perspective, after all, it is not easy to help us support an army."
Pretorius the Younger affirmed: "This idea is quite novel, but it also makes sense."
If it were Pretorius the Younger himself, he would certainly not be able to be as generous as the British. This is certainly because of the strong strength of Britain, but helping other countries train an army is thankless in itself, not to mention spending their own "taxpayers'" money. It would be better to recruit more cannon fodder in India and organize them. At least in the eyes of the British, Indians are "reliable".
"Yes, Mr. President. After all, the British responded in this way after we made this request, so it is certain that their finances are also quite tight."
During the Orange Free State Civil War, the British could be said to have single-handedly supplied the Transvaal people and fought against the Orange people, who were supported by the East Africans.
The final result was that they spent a lot of money and time fighting a war of little value, and the gain was not as good as the Burmese Kingdom which was conquered without much effort. In this comparison, the British must have felt that they had suffered a great loss.
As the financial backer behind the Orangemen, East Africa naturally suffered a loss, but for East Africa, it was a gain to be able to consume the internal strength of the Boers in advance. Although the Transvaal armed forces also grew due to the support of the British, it was in the interests of East Africa to spend Britain's energy on the Orange Free State.
"Secondly, the British are definitely trying to prevent the situation from getting out of control. I guess the British are definitely not ready to break off relations with East Africa. After all, the sanctions imposed by the British on East Africa over the years, just like the sanctions imposed on the United States, have not achieved any results. Moreover, East Africa, like the United States, has achieved good development after the sanctions. This has made the British realize that East Africa is different from ordinary colonies or Asian, African and Latin American countries."
"What does this have to do with us?" someone asked.
Pretorius the Younger answered this question: "The British are not prepared, but we in Transvaal want to start a war as soon as possible because our finances are a big problem. The sooner the war starts, the better it is for us. This conflicts with the British grand strategy. So in order to prevent the situation from getting out of control, the British want to cut ties with us and avoid being dragged down."
"Mr. President, that's it. So we can only accept the British's advice now. But we can't let the British get away with it. After all, they didn't think of this when they annexed the Orange Free State. This alliance doesn't want to kick us out without paying the price."
The senior officials of the Transvaal government had to accept the British proposal. After all, their dependence on Britain was far greater than Britain's dependence on them, so one had to bow one's head under the eaves.
Of course, this also further made Pretorius the Younger and others think about breaking away from British control in the future. After solving the serious threat of East Africa, they must never work with Britain, a "sinister" country that abandons teammates at any time, otherwise they will be sold out one day and help the British count money.
"First, the British must solve the aid problem. We must at least maintain our military first. So the premise of independence from Britain is that the British continue to give us military funds. Let's set a small goal first, let's start with the amount for five years."
This is an outrageous demand, and the British will certainly not agree to it. However, considering the broken windows effect, the British should be more receptive to the Orange Free State's next demand.
"Secondly, we have lost our financial resources. We can only ask for money from the British merchants and mine owners in the Orange Free State. I believe Cape Town will acquiesce to this."
The British controlled the economy of the Orange Free State, so it was logical for the Transvaal people to target these British businessmen and mine owners.
"If Cape Town does not accept it, then we will declare war on East Africa before it breaks away from Britain. I don't think this is what the British want to see." Little Pretorius smiled sinisterly.
(End of this chapter)
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