Chapter 1218 Occupying Zalingei
Zalingei.
The capital of Central Darfur State in its previous life, this place was already part of the hinterland of the Darfur Plateau. It took the East African army less than two days to officially enter this important town in Darfur.
“Drive right into the city center!”
Following Fal Sheng's order, the 7th Infantry Regiment marched into the city of Zalingei in a swaggering manner.
To say that it is an urban area is already respecting the local indigenous people. In fact, the entire Zalingei is not as prosperous as the villages in East Africa. Due to climate conditions, the population is only about three to four thousand, and this is the largest the 7th Infantry Regiment has ever seen. residential area.
As for why the speed is so fast, this is mainly due to the motorized construction of the East African army. Facing this kind of steel creation, the local tribes in Darfur, let alone resistance, just saw East African soldiers and weapons and equipment. The car made my legs tremble.
"God bless you!" After an Arab believer saw a car that was beyond comprehension, he shrank in the house in shock and peeked through the window hole in the wall. The narrow earthen house might bring them some psychological relief. sense of security.
Some bold Zalingei residents stood on the street, their eyes full of curiosity about East Africans and cars.
"The houses here are very similar to other areas in Sudan. They are all earthy yellow, but the construction is relatively regular. This should be regarded as the most prosperous town in Darfur we have seen along the way."
Faersheng sat in the passenger seat, firmly grasping the armrest on the roof of the car with one hand and said to the driver.
The experience of military vehicles is naturally not much better, and the road conditions in Darfur are basically the same as no roads, even in the so-called urban areas of Zalingei.
The so-called roads are just narrow passages for living rooms. They have been strengthened due to the movement of people, but this strength cannot bear the weight of East African trucks. The whole way here can be said to be filled with smoke.
There was a thick layer of dust on the heads, clothes, and weapons and equipment of the East African soldiers in the rear compartment.
"The situation is similar to what I expected. There is no army at all in the hinterland of Darfur. Those tribal warriors armed with primitive cold weapons don't even have the desire to fight us." Faersheng said.
"Captain, if it were me, I wouldn't be able to confront the truck with an iron knife or spear. Military vehicles are probably no different from monsters in the eyes of these natives."
Falsheng's driver controlled the steering wheel firmly, paying attention to the road conditions while talking to Falsheng.
Not to mention how remote Darfur is, it is also a place where birds do not poop. Otherwise, the British would not be able to allow this local autonomy. If the Sudan of Darfur had not sent troops, I am afraid that the British would not want to deal with Ali Dinar. .
Naturally, the people of Darfur in remote areas do not have much knowledge. Their situation is slightly better than that of the indigenous Africans a few decades ago. After all, they can still have some commercial exchanges with the Arab world, but this exchange is also very effective.
Because it is too poor, especially after East Africa closed the border, Darfur's economic and trade channels with the southern grassland were cut off, and even middlemen could not be used.
Arabs are all natural businessmen. After all, the region they live in generally does not have much material output. The Arab religious countries in the Middle East used to thrive by monopolizing trade between the East and the West.
In the past, the Arabs in Darfur were similar. Darfur merchants could trade with black people in the southern grasslands and ship them to other parts of North Africa.
However, since East Africa occupied the Azande Plateau, this trade has basically been ended. Especially after the opening of the Northern Railway, the materials from the Azande Plateau basically chose to go to the sea from Mombasa.
Fortunately, the agricultural conditions in Darfur are pretty good. We can engage in some planting and nomadic industries, and we can barely make a living. The distance from the outer edge of Zalingei city to the center is not far, so the vehicles of the 7th Infantry Regiment arrived quickly.
As for how to distinguish the city center, it is very simple. Just aim in the direction of the spire of the Zalingei Mosque, and the Zalingei Mosque is the only decent building in Zalingei.
Soon, a large group of the 7th East African Infantry Regiment gathered in front of the mosque. Along the way, the 7th Infantry Regiment had already divided up about two companies of troops to control the occupied area.
So when we arrived at Zalingei, the Seventh Infantry Regiment was not full, but the number was still considerable. Even if the indigenous armed forces in the entire Darfur region and the British colonial army united, they could not be the opponent of the Seventh Infantry Regiment.
"Captain, this person is the Sheriff of Zalingei. According to him, the tribal coalition forces in Darfur are currently fighting the British army in Fasher in the east, and the entire hinterland of Darfur is empty."
An East African warrior carrying an Arab attire reported to local officials.
El Fasher was the capital of North Darfur in its previous life, and it was also the place where fierce fighting broke out between Sudanese government forces and local Darfur armed forces.
It is also an important transportation artery connecting eastern Sudan to the Darfur region.
At least if the British want to quell the rebellion, they must first capture El Fasher before they can enter the hinterland of Darfur. Now Darfur Sultan Ali Dinar is probably leading his army in a final resistance against the British colonial army.
This Ali Dinar can't see the situation clearly. Although Britain is indeed deep in the quagmire of the European war, the British Egyptian colonial government does not need local support at all. It can suppress the entire Sudan region with one hand, let alone the mere Darfur region. .
As the Sudan of Darfur, Ali Dinar's power is not strong. This is closely related to the economic conditions, social culture, natural environment, and terrain of Darfur.
The various regions in Darfur have inconvenient communication and are scattered in oases. In addition, nomadic tribes account for a large proportion of the local area and are divided into black and white forces. Therefore, Darfur is to a certain extent a large-scale Tribal Alliance.
That is to say, the British were too inappropriate in the past, which triggered many forces in Darfur to gather under Ali Dinar's command to seek independence and fight against the British.
But this kind of coalition is destined to be very fragile. As long as Ali Dinar fails, it will immediately disperse.
Of course, East Africa is satisfied with "freedom fighters" like Ali Dinar. Without his resistance to the British, East Africa's invasion of Darfur would not have been so smooth.
"Clesen, Zalingei and the surrounding areas will be responsible for your battalion next. Next, the regiment leader and I will lead the large troops to Fasher to end this farce." Hera said.
The distance from Zalingei to Fasher is only two hundred kilometers. If the East African army sets out now, it will only take a few hours.
As for why it took Fasher and others two days to arrive at Zalingei, the main reason was that they overestimated the military strength of the Darfuris at the beginning.
Therefore, the 7th Infantry Regiment was quite cautious in marching at first, especially on the first day. It wasted most of its energy, only to find that there was no decent army in Darfur at all, and its main force had already followed Ali Dinar to the east. Went.
Only a small number of elites under Ali Dinar can use firearms, and most Darfur soldiers can only fight the British army with cold weapons.
As for Ali Dinar's elite, or the British colonial army, the weapons in their hands can be said to be two orders of magnitude inferior to those in East Africa. The regiment leader Fal Sheng and the regiment staff Hera could not imagine how they could lose!
If even the British colonial forces can't be defeated, then the East African Defense Force should simply disband. Now it is different from the South African War. East Africa not only has an absolute advantage in weapons, but also in military strength, and in logistics.
When the British colonial army encountered the 7th Infantry Regiment, they could only avoid it, but this would have to wait until the 7th Infantry Regiment arrived in Fasher.
(End of chapter)