Chapter 472 Preparing for War
In 1877, the main military task in East Africa was to increase security investment in South Africa. Only the Cape Colony around East Africa had the ability to launch a modern large-scale war involving more than 10,000 people in East Africa.
Especially after the Cape Colony merged with the Orange Free State, this gave Britain access to an excellent source of Boer troops, especially those residents of the former Transvaal Republic.
If military expenditures and weapons and equipment are sufficient, the British can mobilize tens of thousands of combat troops in the former Orange Free State area.
East Africa quietly increased the number of troops in South Africa to about 50,000. Due to the Eastern Development Agreement after the last war, East Africa reduced the number of troops in the border areas, so this time East Africa used New Hamburg Port, Weinburg, and Sechen ( At the same time, an elite division and two cavalry divisions were deployed in Hechingen Province (formerly the Republic of Transvaal).
At the same time, the construction of military strongholds along the Orange River and Tugela River was strengthened. In the South Africa region, more than 200 large and small military fortresses were built in East Africa according to the European model.
"We must be prepared for a long-term war. Each military stronghold must store grain, water, and ammunition, conduct detailed surveys of the surrounding terrain, and maintain good communication with other combat units." Ernst told senior army officials. The generals ordered.
“Your Highness, does Cape Town really dare to launch a war against us?”
Ernst replied: "It can only be said that it is possible, because the choice is not on our side. I have no idea about Cape Town. I just don't know whether the British have any idea about East Africa."
“But that area of South Africa, except around Cape Town and Natal, to be honest, doesn’t have much value, and the climate is not as humid as other areas. The British will go to war with us over that piece of rotten land!”
Ernst: "It depends on the specific standards. No matter how bad the land in South Africa is, is it worse than Australia and Canada? The Australian desert and the Canadian forest and snowfield can be eaten by the British, not to mention the rich grassland in South Africa."
Of course, what Ernst said was biased. The British only developed areas with superior conditions in Australia and Canada. As for the deserts and ice sheets, they were easily occupied and there were no threats around them, so there was no need to send people to garrison them. Naturally, there will be no additional burden. You can occupy a piece of land by shouting. Even a fool can do this kind of free prostitution.
"Moreover, the meaning of South Africa's existence is different. Cape Town's importance to the UK will not be abandoned just because the Suez Canal is opened. It is still an important strategic fulcrum, so for the forces that can threaten Cape Town , even if the UK doesn’t care about it, I believe Cape Town itself will take it seriously.”
The four British colonies, India, Canada, Australia and Cape Town, all have a certain degree of autonomy. The local British immigrants also have their own interests. In order to increase their own power and wealth, they are also more active in external expansion. A typical example is Indian colonies firing guns left and right in Asia.
The existence of East Africa itself is a threat to Cape Town. Not only that, East Africa now also threatens Egypt and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, so Ernst does not believe that the British will let East Africa go. It is just a matter of time. What East Africa can deal with is Be prepared for war.
Preparation is preparation. It is hard to say whether the British will take action themselves. Moreover, even if the British choose to take action, whether they will fight a small or large one, where they will fight, and how long they will fight cannot be confirmed.
It is impossible for any country to completely break up with Britain in this era. Take the United States as an example. Now the United States is large enough, its industry is developed enough, and it is separated from Europe by the Atlantic Ocean, but it cannot do so in front of Britain and France. He can only be a grandson.
If Ernst really wanted to offend Britain to death, he would have to deal with Germany and Austria. But this only means fighting against Britain. If it were a world war, Germany and Austria alone would not be enough, unless another great power joined the camp. almost. Although the current land area of East Africa is very large, it is still far behind the great powers in other aspects, and it may be at the level of two Belgiums.
“If war comes, our response strategy is to neither be too radical nor too weak, and turn a short-term war into a long-term war, consuming the enemy’s national strength while also striving for international status.”
International status is earned through hard work. Although you can win respect by making friends, feelings are not persuasive in the face of national interests. Relatives can turn against you for the sake of interests, so only strength is the last word, even if others are harsh in words and physical in nature. Also honest.
In the previous life, the Boers made Germany see the weakness of the British through the Boer War. Although it later turned out that the British sword was not old enough and it used its strong national power to bury Germany's European hegemony, the British also lost its world hegemony.
“If war is inevitable, I hope it will break out in South Africa. We are not afraid of fighting a war of attrition, especially in South Africa.”
Although South Africa is important and particularly rich in resources, it cannot change the fact that South Africa is now a white land in East Africa. There is almost no industry and agriculture. Therefore, Ernst will not feel bad if South Africa becomes a battlefield, because the enemy has almost no way to attack South Africa. Regional attack on East African industry, agriculture and cities.
With the Orange Free State gone, South Africa is East Africa's own buffer zone. Within this area, East Africa can freely fight the invaders without worrying about civilian problems. After all, there are not many immigrants in South Africa as a whole.
As long as South Africa does not lose, East Africa can rely on the central railway to continuously provide blood transfusions to the battlefield from the rear.
In fact, East Africa can also save a big wave and pull up an army of millions to directly overthrow Cape Town. However, this is not in line with Ernst's expectations. Not to mention the huge war cost that East Africa will bear, which will delay the development of East Africa. . This is also not conducive to consuming the energy of the British. In case the British are scared away, moving the battlefield from land to sea is a dimensionality reduction blow to East Africa.
So if a war breaks out between the two countries, Ernst's purpose is to give the British Army the illusion that I can fight it! As long as the parliament allocates more military spending, every day can be a good news.
At the same time, East Africa can also use war to improve and test the strength of the East African Army. To be honest, Ernst has always been doubtful about the combat effectiveness of the East African Army, because East Africa has fought too many smooth battles and has never fought against a truly powerful enemy. .
The British are a good target. If it is the army of Germany, France, Russia and Austria, it is worth all the efforts of East Africa. If it is the British Army, then the emphasis must be dropped to a level. The British Army is strong but not strong. Condition, a fine whetstone.
Of course, the ability of war to promote the economy cannot be underestimated. If a war breaks out, East Africa's industry can also develop around the war, testing East Africa's industrial system management capabilities, especially the development of military industry.
Of course, Ernst is not a war maniac. It would be best if no war breaks out between the two countries. Peaceful development is the best option for East Africa. As long as East Africa’s land and population are slowly accumulated, it will only take a few decades to has become a world power, but East Africa has been involved in the whirlpool of world changes, and the choice is not in East Africa's hands.
So Ernst finally concluded: "I will not attack others unless they attack me; if they attack me, I will attack them. We in East Africa are not hostile to Britain (that's strange), but when a war breaks out, the advantage must be on our side." "
(End of this chapter)