Chapter 487 Tete City
Franz: "In other words, you East Africans think that you can deal with Portugal, or even Britain and France behind it, with your own strength alone?"
The number of troops does not represent combat effectiveness. Especially in this era, the records of populous countries such as the Ottomans, the Far East, and India show that the human sea tactic may not be useful. Of course, Prussia also used facts to prove that stacking the number of troops still has some effect, but the premise is modernization. army.
"Your Majesty, in short, Portugal is definitely not an opponent of East Africa. Of course, we also hope that Austria-Hungary can give us some diplomatic support." said the East African ambassador.
"Then how do you want us to support you diplomatically?"
"We hope that your country will exert certain diplomatic pressure on Britain and France. The war can be fought, but the other side cannot send out their navy to support the Portuguese. If Britain and France do this, we will also take countermeasures."
This made Franz interested: "You are countering two world-class powers, so what bargaining chips do you have?"
East African Ambassador: "The British and French colonies in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the British Cape Town colony, and the French colony in Madagascar are all next to the East African Kingdom. We have the ability to enter the above three areas at any time and cause Britain and France to suffer huge losses."
Franz's eyelids jumped, and he said excitedly: "If you do this, I believe Britain and France will go crazy, and they will probably fight you desperately."
If the East Africa plan is successfully implemented, it will instantly cut off the connection between Europe and Asia. Unless Britain and France take a long detour from North America, or take the traditional trade route in Eurasia, it will only benefit the United States and the Russians.
Of course, if East Africa can really do it, other big countries in the world will definitely not be idle. Germany, Tsarist Russia, and the United States all have little thoughts about Britain and France. That is to say, the Austro-Hungarian Empire is now in an awkward position, with poor geographical conditions and poor national cohesion. Poor, the national strength cannot be fully exerted.
Franz: "If you really succeed, the world situation may have unpredictable risks, so we will complete the exchanges with Britain and France. Everyone has a bottom line and will not lose face."
Franz is more worried about the turbulence of the international situation, especially when Austria-Hungary is not fully prepared. The plan for East Africa is indeed too bold, but it is best not to do it now, so Britain and France cannot really fight with East Africa. , the intensity of the war must be controlled, and Franz does not think that the East African plan is whimsical and may be of great use in the future, so it is better not to use it directly. Maybe the Austro-Hungarian Empire can use it next time.
"Your Majesty, you alone may not be able to attract the attention of Britain and France. It is better to drag Germany and Russia into the water." The East African ambassador suggested.
"Of course we will consider Germany, but what about Russia? Russia is still at war. What they are most worried about now is probably that the Austro-Hungarian Empire has plans for the Balkans, so our relationship with the Russians is very complicated."
"If only Austria-Hungary and Germany are enough, then it is two against two. We can balance the power of Britain and France, and the rest is up to you, East Africa and Portugal!" Franz said.
Whether East Africa is worth supporting depends on whether the country in East Africa has united front value. Everything depends on its military strength.
If Portugal can be defeated this time, then even if East Africa has some status in the international community, at least its popularity can reach the level of countries like Mexico and Brazil. If even Portugal cannot be defeated, then the colony will be a colony, and it will have no face to show its face in the international community.
…
In May 1878, Austria-Hungary, Germany, France and the United Kingdom exchanged views on the East African and Portuguese issues in Paris. That is, the scale of the war must be controlled, and the third country must not personally end the war. The final result will depend entirely on the performance of the East and Portuguese sides in the war. say. East Africa still did not participate in this meeting, or it was a closed-door meeting of the four major powers. However, the most nervous one was Tsarist Russia. I thought the other four countries wanted to join forces to trick them. After all, Tsarist Russia has already achieved victory in the Russo-Turkish War. Not a bad record.
Tsarist Russia was right. In fact, the attitude of the four countries towards the Russo-Turkish War can be ended. The Balkan Peninsula has become independent, and Tsarist Russia has also occupied some territories in the Ottoman Caucasus. Therefore, the other four hooligans believe that enough is enough for the Russians now.
No one wants Tsarist Russia to hit the Ottomans too hard, as that would be detrimental to regional stability. Maintaining a certain strength of the Ottoman Empire would help Britain and France balance Germany, Austria and Russia.
…
The meeting was held, but Britain and France did not give accurate information on when the war would begin, and it was impossible for them to let Portugal declare war on East Africa first.
Portugal is inherently weaker than East Africa. It would be foolish to fight East Africa openly and openly. Therefore, Portugal can gain the initiative in the war by going to war without declaring it.
Soon according to the previous plan, the Portuguese troops in Angola and Mozambique were mobilized, and East African intelligence personnel also stepped up their efforts to find possible breakthrough points for Portugal.
Soon, through the analysis of anomalies in Portuguese coastal ship data, East Africa discovered that the most likely military frontline for the Portuguese was the Zambezi River line, especially the city of Tete on the right bank of the Zambezi River, where many troops and supplies were gathered.
Tete is an important Portuguese city in Mozambique. It was the capital of Tete Province in Mozambique in its previous life. Tete was founded in 1531. It was once a stronghold for Portuguese colonists to expand into the interior of Africa, an industrial, mining, and transportation center. Before the Portuguese colonial era, Tete was Tete is the center of Swahili commercial activities.
Tete City, located along the Zambezi River, was the former gold and ivory trading center of Mozambique. However, this center showed a trend of decline as inland trade routes were cut off after the rise of East Africa.
The main reason for the rise of Tete is shipping. This is the starting point of the route on the lower reaches of the Zambezi River. From then on, the lower reaches of the Zambezi River started sailing, and after more than 200 kilometers, it went directly to the Indian Ocean. The convenience of water and land transportation made it naturally conducive to commercial development.
The transportation convenience has also made Mozambique pay more attention to Tete, especially after Clement's plan was proposed, Tete has become Mozambique's strategic fulcrum.
"If we defeat East Africa from the center, we cannot let go of the natural barrier of the Zambezi River. If we control the southern line of the Zambia River, we can separate East Africa from the north to the south. The next step is to cut off the land passage north of Lake Malawi, and we can separate East Africa. Divided into three parts."
"Tete is the front station of our army, and we are ready to move westward along here at any time, but are you sure there is nothing wrong with your map?" Clement asked.
The Portuguese inland map of Africa was actually an inland trade route map developed by some caravans in the past. It also marked various tribes along the route, which were all customers of the Portuguese traders in the past.
However, the quality of these maps is very poor, and the drawings are also very unprofessional. After all, since the rise of East Africa, Portuguese commercial activities in the interior have been banned, and local survey work has been terminated. Many of these maps are more than ten years old. If nothing else happens, many of the old products from years ago may be ineffective because East Africa is too harsh on the indigenous people in the interior, especially in Zimbabwe.
East Africa closed its trade routes, and Portuguese merchants turned to the trading ports designated by the Kingdom of East Africa for transactions. However, the trading place was at the mouth of the Rufuma River, so Portugal now has no knowledge of the situation in the interior of Africa.
(End of this chapter)