Chapter 605 The Orangemen Revolt
Orange people in Bloemfontein are easy to talk to, but that does not mean that Orange people in the countryside are the same as those in the city.
Because the economies of the Orange Free State and the former Republic of Transvaal are similar, most people in the Orange Free State live in rural areas.
And the Orange people in the countryside are each dependent on the big landowners, so the Orange people in the countryside are not easier to manage than the Orange people in the city. Moreover, the sudden influx of people from the Transvaal last time was very large, which further strengthened the German Empire. The power of rural Landesvaal.
At the same time, the Transvaal Provisional Government also took a fancy to the Orange countryside, and its minions, the Transvaal Restoration Army, began to "go to the countryside."
In towns such as Bloemfontein, the Transvaal Restoration Army was relatively easy to win, but outside the city, they encountered a hard nail.
The village of Bosland, west of Bloemfontein.
A group of Transvaal Unionist cavalry attempted to enter the village of Bosland to collect taxes.
"What! Taxation?" Karim, the head of Bosland Village, looked at this group of evil guests with some amusement.
"Chief Karim, this is an order from the Bloemfontein Government House, so I hope you can understand the government's difficulties."
In front of Karim, these Transvaal Restoration Army soldiers did not dare to be arrogant, because there were twenty or thirty people beside Karim, holding weapons and staring at them eagerly.
"This is really a joke. I have lived in Orange for so many years and I have never paid taxes, and you are the first people who dare to ask for money from me."
Karim is not joking. The two Boer countries, like the United States before them, have no tax collection departments at all, so Karim's grandfather never paid taxes.
"Times have changed now, Chief Karim. In the past, Orange was ruled by us Boers. Now everyone is under the rule of the British. Natural laws and other aspects also follow the British! So you can't use the same old traditions. Look now."
"Bah, I didn't agree with the annexation of Cape Town at the beginning. Our Orange Free State was completely betrayed by a group of cowards. Now, as expected, the British have turned their backs. I tell you, there is not a dime in the so-called tax. Karim said forcefully.
"Village Chief Karim, I advise you to keep your money together. The British are much stronger than us Boers!"
"Haha, the British are indeed strong, but it depends on where they are. The Orange Free State could have more autonomy. If it weren't for you Transvaal people, who are willing to be the British's dogs. , how could there be so much trouble now!"
"team leader!"
Sure enough, under Karim's ridicule, some Rionist soldiers were very angry, because the vast majority of the Rionist army were Transvaal people, so they looked at their captain, hoping to give this old immortal Austrian soldiers a chance. A lesson for the Lanzhi people.
But the commander of the Nationalist Army did not do this. The civil forces of the Orange Free State are not bad, especially in the countryside. They have their own voluntary armed forces. He has only a dozen people under his command, so he does not want to fight with Kari now. This old guy is angry.
If you fall out now, then I am afraid that my group will be gone today. Not to mention the twenty or thirty militiamen around Karim. They can continue to call people from the village. If they are surrounded, then I will definitely not be able to do well today. Eat the fruit.
This is the benefit of the all-people-military system. The reason why East Africa was able to easily capture the Transvaal Republic was entirely based on numerical superiority.
The number of troops in East Africa alone is almost equal to a quarter of the population of the Transvaal Republic, and they are merciless and give the Transvaal Republic time to prepare, so the Transvaal Republic is naturally unable to respond. Now Karim's situation in dealing with the Zionist Army is completely different. After another three months of expansion, the Zionist Army has now barely reached more than 6,000 people.
There are many villages in the Orange Free State, and the village of Bosland where Karim is located is one of them. Most of these villages are dominated by Orange people, while the Transvaal people are more in towns and mines. Therefore, it can gain the trust of the British and use it to check and balance the Orange people.
In the cities, the British acted side-by-side, so the Transvaal people could do whatever they wanted, but in the countryside it was a different story. Even the Orange people had long been dissatisfied with the British's differential treatment. There was ongoing connection between the villages and they wanted to The British and their lackeys were driven out of the Orange Free State.
So Karim continued to shout: "Humph, you Transvaal people still want to collect taxes. You are really tired of living. Honestly, it is so comfortable to stay in Bloemfontein. Don't think that it is enough to have weapons in your hands." If you do evil things, if you dare to come to Bosland Village next time, I will make you see blood."
"Okay, very good, Chief Karim, it seems you have made a choice. I hope you will not regret what you said today. Let's go!" The captain of the Transvaal Restoration Army had to order a retreat.
Then this small group of the Nationalist Army entered the village with great pride, and now they could only withdraw to Bloemfontein in despair. Of course, they didn't care. They went back to report to the government, and then came back to Bosland Village. trouble.
It's not just Bosland Village. This scene was staged in many villages around Bloemfontein today, but the choices in each village were different. Some were as tough as Karim, and some were still attracted by Bloemfontein. There was a large army encirclement and suppression in Dan City, so they chose to swallow their anger. There were also bloodshed in some villages, but the main ones who suffered were the Transvaal Restoration Army.
And Karim would not sit still and wait for death. Today he offended the Nationalist Army in Bloemfontein, so they, the Orangemen, started a nationwide network.
Large landowners from all over the Orange began to exchange letters, including the former Orange rulers who had long been ousted by the Transvaal in the city. They also began to prepare to cooperate with the actions in the countryside and retake Bloemfontein and other cities. of control.
February 28, 1881.
Unwilling to be seized of power, the Orange Bloemfontein city councilors and Orange citizens took the lead in firing the first shot to overthrow the tyranny of the British and Transvaal people.
Angry Orangemen stormed police stations, barracks, the puppet parliamentary government, and the Transvaal Provisional Government.
The Oranges looted the Transvaal and the British, but soon, under the suppression of the Transvaal Restoration Army, the Orange resistance failed, and the Transvaal Provisional Government took over the British. Longfontein, and retaliated against the Orangemen in the city, and many Orangemen who participated in the riot were executed.
In March, rural areas across Orange announced the establishment of a new Orange Free State government, and defined the British and Transvaal as invaders, and the two sides formally formed a confrontation.
The Cape Town government gave support to the Transvaal Republic, carried out a campaign against the Orange people, and promised to donate part of the Orange people's land to the Transvaal Republic after suppressing the rebellion.
East Africa also received news of the outbreak of civil war in the Orange Free State. In addition to the intelligence from the National Defense and Security Bureau, there was also the reason why the new Orange government sent people across the border to seek help from East Africa.
Faced with this unexpected situation, the East African government must also make an immediate decision on whether and how to support the Orangemen, and what benefits East Africa can obtain.
There were telegrams from the border to the central government of East Africa, so the East African government received the news on March 12. By this time, the Orangemen had already had several exchanges of fire with the British and German (Lansvaal) forces.
Although the Orangemen have a favorable advantage, they consume supplies and arms very quickly. Without external support, it will be difficult to fight against the British and German forces.
(End of this chapter)