Chapter 275: Southern Limit
Upon hearing Buckhausen's account, Vincent couldn't help but simmer down. In hindsight, he realized it had been a mistake not to consider the land on the opposite bank of the river as part of his own farm. He could have expanded there once his farm had enough manpower. But now, this so-called "Kingdom of East Africa" had exploited that oversight.
As for the indigenous people like the Khoisan residing on the west bank of the Limpopo River, they weren't considered "people" in the Transvaal Republic. Most of the labor force on Boer farms consisted of Black slaves. While slaves were also utilized in East Africa, there was no such category as indigenous people there. Official East African documents referred to the indigenous laborers as "individuals of unknown nationality," reflecting the fact that many African natives didn't identify with a particular country but rather with their tribes.
The use of slaves differed between East Africa and the Transvaal Republic. In East Africa, common people still had to work for a living, but the Boers took a different approach. With slaves to till the land, they didn't need to farm themselves. This held true for Vincent's farm as well. White landowners held the upper hand and could exert control over the slaves whenever necessary.
"Well, Buckhausen, it seems that these Germans on the other side aren't here to attack the Transvaal Republic!" Vincent remarked, relieved after taking a step back.
"Well, boss, it's hard to say, but according to them, as long as we don't cross the border, which is to say, as long as we don't cross the river, they won't pose a threat to us."
"In that case, we're fine." Vincent heaved a sigh of relief. Vincent's primary concern had been that these Germans, like the British, intended to eliminate the Boers.
In fact, the Boers were quite wary of Britain at this time. They had fled from the Cape Colony and crossed the Orange River and the Drakensberg Mountains to re-establish their nation. Back in 1834, the British had enacted regulations in Cape Town to abolish slavery, which had a profound impact on the Boers, who relied heavily on the slave-based farming economy. To escape the British's oppressive policies, the Boers departed the Cape Colony and migrated deep into the interior of South Africa.
This migration was what allowed the Boers to penetrate the African interior, even though they arrived later than the Portuguese in Mozambique. They were essentially compelled to leave the Cape Colony due to British policies. The British hadn't used force; instead, they had coerced the Boers into departing the Cape Colony willingly.
Later, in the Battle of Bronkhorst Spruit, the British lost 77 out of 247 troops, with 157 wounded, while the Boer militiamen only suffered 2 dead and 4 wounded. This battle revealed the British colonists' vulnerability and encouraged the Boers to stand up to the British directly, eventually leading to the Second Boer War.
To be honest, if the East African Kingdom hadn't been given this name but had instead been a colony of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Boers would have been equally fearful.
In fact, the East African Kingdom posed a greater threat to the Boers than the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Although the Austro-Hungarian Empire was a great power, it couldn't match the overseas reach of the Habsburg royal family. The Austro-Hungarian Empire had also established diplomatic relations with the Far Eastern powers around the same time as East Africa. Additionally, the Minister of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the Far East also served as the Minister of Japan and Siam, with their offices located in Tokyo, Japan.
However, the Boers remained ignorant of these facts. Were it not for Buckhausen being German, Vincent might have considered the sudden appearance of the East African Army as a British incursion.
"Boss, we should report this matter to the government. We can't rely on our strength alone, especially when facing the cavalry on the opposite bank. Moreover, they claim to have tens of thousands of troops on the other side of the river," Barkhausen suggested.
Barkhausen's words were not an exaggeration. Judging by the uniform attire and weapons of the East African Kingdom's army, they appeared to be a well-disciplined force, almost like a standing army. In contrast, the Transvaal Republic's standing army numbered only a few thousand.
Of course, the data wasn't so straightforward. While the Boers had a small standing army, ordinary citizens were armed. For instance, on Vincent's farm, all adult white males were issued firearms. These were the source of militia during conflicts. As for the effectiveness of these militia forces, the British had already provided an answer.
This was also why Ernst had no intention of attacking the Boers. If the Boers engaged in guerrilla warfare with East Africa, they wouldn't gain control of South African territory, and they might even disrupt East Africa's control over Zimbabwe and Botswana.
The Transvaal Republic was vast with a sparse population, and all the Boers had horses. In a short span, they could seemingly vanish. Therefore, any attempt to conquer the Boers would require sending a large number of armed immigrants, not a conventional army. Each immigrant settlement would encroach on Boer living space, ultimately resolving the Boer issue.
Regarding the 450,000 troops deployed by the British during the Second Boer War, while the number far exceeded the Boer forces, those troops engaged in a protracted game of cat and mouse with the Boers in the South African interior. The cost of maintaining such a force was astronomical, something the British could afford.
"You're right. If we've encountered the East African Kingdom's army here, there must be more in the north. So, those tens of thousands of troops they mentioned might be a reality," Vincent analyzed.
The Limpopo River stretched over 1,000 kilometers. Excluding the Portuguese colony, there remained nearly 600 to 700 kilometers of river to the north. If the East African Kingdom had deployed defenses along the Limpopo River, it would likely have stationed more troops in the northern region, as they were already quite close to the river's source.
Soon after, Vincent reported the appearance of the East African Army on the west bank of the Crocodile River (Limpopo River) to the government. He wasn't alone; other Boer landowners whose farms bordered the Limpopo River also reported this unfamiliar force to the Transvaal Republic.
The Transvaal Republic had no choice but to analyze this new force based on the limited information provided by the reports. The conclusion was rather bleak, and the Transvaal Republic wasn't taking it lightly.
The garrisoning of the Limpopo River in East Africa was essentially complete. More than 15,000 troops were stationed along the river, with an additional 10,000 troops guarding the Mozambique border.
East Africa had effectively used its military to block any potential expansion by the Portuguese and the Boers into the African interior. The only way forward for these two groups was to declare war on the East African Kingdom.
Whether they would indeed wage war against East Africa was uncertain, especially in the case of Mozambique, which had no clearly defined geographical boundary with East Africa. The potential for conflict between the two