Chapter 1278: Fighting to the Last Boer (Second update, please subscribe)
"The Empire's policy is peaceful. We call on both sides to end the conflict at the negotiation table. We do not believe that war is an inevitable option..."
In Paris, facing the conflict in southern Africa, Emperor Julius Caesar's answer was very simple - peace. He was still calling for peace, and of course the French Emperor Napoleon V did the same.
Of course, in addition to calling for peace, they also congratulated the Transvaal Republic.
This was a complete gloating congratulation - Napoleon V also sent a telegram to President Kruger, congratulating him for "... resisting aggression with his own strength without asking for help from friendly countries, defeating the armed group that invaded your country, restoring peace, and safeguarding the independence of the country..."
What did they do next?
They were enjoying their vacation in the palace, and it seemed that what happened in southern Africa was not worth mentioning to the emperors of the two empires.
It is indeed "not worth mentioning".
After all, sometimes, some things don't need to be said, they just need to be done.
While seemingly unmentioned, France donated medicine and food worth 1 million francs to Transvaal in the name of the Red Cross, and the Ming Dynasty also donated food and medicine worth 100,000 yuan in the name of the Red Swastika Society.
This kind of direct assistance is definitely more useful than anything else.
The Kruger government, encouraged by this, went further and further on the road of confrontation with Britain. In October 1888, the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State signed a "Treaty of Friendship and Perpetual Alliance", and a month later, France and the Orange Free State signed a "Treaty of Friendship and Commerce", all of which deeply stimulated the British.
Especially after France sent a squadron to its colony of Madagascar, the British made a judgment that France would most likely use this opportunity to interfere in or even annex Transvaal.
"... Faced with such a threat, London selected another fanatical imperialist, Sir Alfred Milner, who was born in Bonn, Germany and of German descent, to go to Cape Town to take over the post of South African Commissioner and Governor of Cape Town, "one of the most difficult positions in the empire." One thing is certain, his arrival means that a war will break out. After all, as early as two months ago, Milner asserted that "South Africa's political disputes cannot be resolved through negotiations unless reforms or war are carried out in Transvaal." "
In the imperial palace of Zhongdu, when Emperor Zhu was listening to Qian Degong's report, he raised his eyebrows slightly and asked.
"It seems that the British military preparations are almost complete."
"Yes, Your Majesty. From August last year to now, with the British constantly deploying troops, there are now more than 40,000 British troops in the Cape Colony, and the strength has begun to tilt towards Britain. The British conquest is imminent, and Britain is ready to attack the Boers aggressively at any time. In addition, the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State also established a federal conference in 1888 to coordinate anti-British actions."
This is what is known in history as the Republic of South Africa. In another world, this republic was destroyed by the British, but decades later, the republic was restored again.
The Boers once again gained control of the land, but this time they chose not to confront the Great Camp Empire, but to integrate into it.
There's nothing wrong with joining if you can't beat them.
But, right now!
Of course, they still have to be able to fight. As for whether to join or not, we have to wait until after the fight.
"The Boers will always be united."
Nodding slightly, Emperor Zhu asked again.
"And how are the Boer preparations going?"
"At present, the Boers are stepping up their war preparations, purchasing large quantities of arms from the South China Company, other Ming arsenals and the French Schneider-Crusoe Company, including the most advanced howitzers, cannons, rifles and machine guns. They are not only equipped to the Republic Police, which is equivalent to the regular army, but also distribute tens of thousands of the first-year rifles produced in the Empire to the militias in towns in Transvaal and Orange. Currently, there are 30,000 militias in Transvaal and 20,000 militias in Orange. There are also many unreliable Afrikaners in the Cape and Natal regions. The "reliable" Boers living in the Cape and Natal colonies have also received weapons and ammunition provided by the South African Secret Intelligence Service."
When answering His Majesty's question, Qian Degong paused slightly and added.
"In addition, the Boers also received widespread support from the people in other countries. Thousands of volunteers from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, the United States, Russia, Ireland, Italy and Scandinavian countries traveled across the ocean to Transvaal, ready to fight alongside the Boers."
When Qian Degong mentioned the international community's support for the Boers, Emperor Zhu Da smiled.
"Since ancient times, justice has always been in the hearts of the people. The atrocities of the British will definitely be resisted by peace-loving people all over the world. Well, write it down. If there are volunteers passing through the imperial colonies and entering Transvaal, the customs can provide them with a pass for free train rides and meals on the train."
When it comes to the level of adding fuel to the fire, Emperor Zhu is second to none, and no one in this world dares to claim to be first. After thinking for a while, he added.
"Also, we can use the railway company to stockpile some food and medicine in the border areas. If a war breaks out, there will definitely be many refugees entering the colonies to escape the flames of war. We... the Ming Empire, as a peace-loving country, may not get involved in the war, but it is only natural to provide assistance to the refugees to the best of our ability..."
In another world, what was the reason for the Boers' defeat?
It was not only because of the huge disparity in strength, but more importantly, the British established concentration camps in the Boer Republic. In order to completely eliminate the guerrillas' basis for activities, they ordered the capture of 136,000 Boer women, children, the elderly and more than 80,000 black servants from the burned farms, transported them together in open trucks or ox carts, and imprisoned them in South African concentration camps.
The concentration camps were surrounded by barbed wire, and anyone who tried to escape was shot. The population density in the concentration camps was extremely high, and there was a shortage of tents, blankets, clothes and medicines. Plagues were rampant, malnutrition occurred, and the mortality rate was extremely high. The mortality rate of white people in the Orange region concentration camps once reached 40.1%.
In terms of mortality rate, almost only Auschwitz concentration camp can be compared with it. Unfortunately, people only remember Auschwitz concentration camp. Who remembers the British who created this system?
The high death rate in the concentration camps seriously shook the morale of the Boer soldiers and eventually led to the surrender of the Boers. But now... Emperor Zhu did not mind accepting refugees from the Boer Republic during the war.
Moreover, many of them are women... Who knows, after a few years of brutal war, the Transvaal Republic may, like Paraguay, actively join the empire and become a member of the imperial colony.
"Also, we need to send weapons to the border in advance. We need to ensure one thing - that this war must be fought to the last... Boer!"
Yes, this is the Empire's attitude in this war.
"Uh... the last Boer?"
Qian Degong was slightly stunned, then said.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
(End of this chapter)
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