In 1994, the world seemed to be facing a storm.
It seemed that every day there was a possibility that war would break out.
For the world, war may break out every day, but for southern Africa, war is going on every day.
On January 11, 1994, the sun was shining as brightly as usual.
The sun hanging high in the sky shines its brilliant rays on the earth. A few white clouds float slowly in the blue sky. This seemingly arid South African plateau is covered with lush shrubs and green weeds that block the dry land.
On the plateau there was a military camp surrounded by barbed wire. Next to the camp was a guard tower. On the tower, Corporal Philip was half leaning against the outer wall of the guard tower, looking listlessly at the hillside.
The hillside looked just like the land itself, dry and bare, with grass growing on it, but still giving off an extremely desolate feeling.
"Why exactly? Bleeding here?"
Corporal Philip has been here for more than a year. There are many British soldiers here. He is lucky. He is lucky that he does not need to go to the battlefield and face the Boer bullets. However, such a boring day is also depressing.
Philip knew that compared to many people, he was lucky, but repeating such boring days every day would always make people numb and careless, which also relaxed his high vigilance.
Of course, it was precisely because there was no risk that he had time to think about other issues, such as why he was fighting.
"When do you think this war will end?"
Philip turned his head and asked his comrade beside him, then said.
"We have already occupied Pretoria, didn't Marshal Roberts say so? As long as we occupy Johannesburg, the war will be over, and the Boer resistance will soon be disintegrated..."
The past year was undoubtedly disastrous for the Boers. As the British continued to send more troops to South Africa, Field Marshal Frederick Roberts was appointed as the commander of the British army. Under his command, the British army achieved a turning point in the battle. In October last year, they occupied Pretoria and a large area of land to the southeast. Now, the Boers only control a few areas such as Johannesburg.
However, even though they occupied most of the Boer Republic, the Boer resistance did not stop. In order to eliminate the Boer resistance, the British adopted brutal warfare methods, burning Boer farms, killing civilians including women and children, and even poisoning rivers and killing livestock.
In a word, in order to win the war, the British used all means. The British tried to stop the Boers from fighting by destroying the economic infrastructure. In addition, the British even tried to build concentration camps, put the Boers living in the countryside into concentration camps, and then forced the Boer guerrillas to surrender.
However, it was too late for the British to act. When they occupied those areas, faced with the British's brutal attempts to destroy their economy, a large number of Boers - women and children - fled to the north, to the colonies of the Ming Empire, to the well-equipped refugee camps set up in the border empire, where they could live safely until the end of the war.
"Dani should be all grown up by now!"
Lying deep in the grass, the Jackal could not help but think of his daughter - his daughter and wife were in the refugee camp in the Bechuanaland Special District of the Empire. Although the British occupied his farm and stole his cattle, his wife and daughter were still safe. They were absolutely safe under the protection of the Empire.
As long as we get rid of the British, everything will be fine...
Once again, the Jackal observed the British military camp through the scope. He had lurked here last night. He was like a very patient old hunter, quietly waiting for a high-value target.
What are high-value targets?
Just like hunters, they won't waste their bullets on wild dogs. They will use their bullets to kill elephants, lions, leopards and other beasts.
He had had numerous opportunities to shoot over the past few hours, but the Jackal did not shoot, believing there would be more worthy targets.
"Marshal, the voices in London hoping for peace talks are getting louder and louder. They are likely to mediate through France or Ming..."
Marshal Frederick Roberts, who had just put on his military cap and was about to leave with his baton in hand, spoke directly when he heard his subordinates' words.
"Johannesburg, as long as we capture Johannesburg, the war will be over, my general, now the whole of Britain and even the whole world are watching here. This is the place where the war will end."
Johannesburg was a sad place for the British. In the past two years, they had attacked the city again and again, but the towering fortresses and long-range cannons on the fortresses stopped them time and time again.
"In the past, it was their fortress that blocked our progress. But now it is no longer a problem - Armstrong has successfully combined the 12-inch naval gun with the train. Soon, the long-range railway gun will be transported to the front line. With it, the Boer fortress will be vulnerable..."
When Marshal Frederick Roberts said these words proudly, he walked out of the wooden house, stood in front of the corridor and took a look at the military camp.
Soon he would review the troops in Johannesburg, and by then the whole British Empire would be cheering his victory.
When the marshal walked out of the wooden house, a Rolls-Royce car slowly drove past. At this time, no one thought that it was this car that exposed him.
Almost 800 meters away, on the hillside, as the car moved, the Jackal spotted what he had been waiting for - a high-value target.
Although he did not know the official rank of the owner of the car, he immediately pulled the trigger when he saw the target person about to get into the car through the sight.
The moment the gunshot rang out, he immediately pulled the bolt to eject the shell and load the gun. Just as he finished loading the gun, he saw a pool of blood gushing from the target's chest and the man fell down. At this time, he pulled the trigger again, aiming at another target.
At the same time, the British machine guns sounded, and the British machine gunner operated the Maxim machine gun and fired crazily at the area where he was.
What the British didn't know was that the Jackal had used the smoke from the explosion to successfully escape. When he escaped, the British military camp was in chaos - the marshal was dead, the general was also dead...
Just half an hour later, the news that Marshal Frederick Roberts and General Phillips, the British commander, were shot dead by snipers reached London. While public opinion was in an uproar, this became the last straw that broke the camel's back for the British, and even directly led to the resignation of Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone.
Peace talks...
Four years after the war broke out, peace talks became the only option to end the war.
The old group has been blocked, and a new book club group has been established: 739209015. Everyone is welcome to join and discuss and deduce the plot together.
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