Chapter 63: Conquering the Zanzibar Palace
The East African colonial army swiftly defeated the Zanzibar army in a hasty battle. Hundreds of Zanzibar soldiers were captured within the palace, while others scattered throughout Dar es Salaam, unable to continue resisting.
Felix and his troops entered the Zanzibar palace's banquet hall, where the Zanzibar ministers awaited them.
Meanwhile, three minutes before this happened, inside the palace:
The news of the Germanic invasion reached Bhagash bin Said and his ministers, shocking them. They couldn't understand how the Germans had arrived so quickly and captured General Abdullah alive. Bhagash bin Said's plan had been to gradually gather troops, but this sudden turn of events had caught them off guard.
In a panic, they received news that the palace was under attack. Bhagash bin Said was dismayed and questioned the competence of his own troops. He had expected that they would have at least ten minutes to resist the Germanic forces, but the reality was very different.
In the hall, the ministers were divided. Finance Minister Ali and others had been secretly plotting against Bhagash bin Said and saw this as an opportunity to act. They accused Bhagash bin Said of being a traitor and a thief, stating that they had been waiting for the right moment to act against him.
Three minutes later, Felix and his troops arrived at the palace and captured Bhagash bin Said and his ministers. Ali, the Finance Minister, pretended to be excited about their arrival and tried to gain their sympathy, claiming that they had always cherished their friendship with the Germans and had been supportive of their presence in East Africa.
Bazel intervened, reminding Ali that they were responsible for the losses incurred due to the chaos in Zanzibar. He agreed to wait for instructions from higher authorities regarding the resolution of the matter.
Felix and his team left the palace, leaving the Zanzibar ministers in their temporary custody.
Back in the East African Colony's first town, high-ranking officials including Von der Leyen, Yarman, and Wei Te gathered to discuss the situation. They agreed that Bagash bin Said, the new leader of the Sultanate of Zanzibar, posed a threat to the East African colony's plans for immigration and development.
It was decided to send troops, led by Yarman, to support Sultan Majid bin Said in restoring order in Zanzibar. The number of troops discussed was around 1,500, as they believed this would be sufficient to deal with the Zanzibar forces.
The decision to send troops was unanimously approved, and the colonial government planned to send Yarman and the troops to confront Bagash bin Said.
(End of Chapter 63)