African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 397: Chapter 74: Taking Command in a Crisis

”Bastard, how dare you come back alive!” Little Pillotolius slapped Wiggins across the face, who had fled from East Africa.

As the President of the Transvaal Republic, Little Pillotolius should have retired from the presidency this year, but the unexpected invasion from East Africa forced him to remain in office.

Being the eldest son of Andres Pillotolius, the leader who led the Boers in the Great Trek, Little Pillotolius commanded unmatched respect among the Boers. He had once served as the leader of both the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State, promoting the unification of the two, but due to rough methods or an uneven division of spoils, the effort failed.

A bright red handprint was left on Wiggins’ face, a searing pain mildly flaring up, but in front of Little Pillotolius, he didn’t dare to breathe heavily.

”Your Excellency, everything was a scheme by the East Africans. They never told me that the letter was a Declaration of War; they handed it over casually. It was clearly intended to lull me into carelessness, then they ambushed Transvaal while I was delivering the letter. The East Africans have always harbored ill intentions, and all of this was premeditated!” Wiggins said.

”Hmph, saying more is useless now. Because of your carelessness, we’ve lost at least several days of response time. The East Africans are rushing from the banks of the Limpopo River towards Pretoria, and we can’t mobilize the army to block them. Such a huge responsibility can’t be dismissed as merely an East African scheme!”

Although Little Pillotolius wanted to execute Wiggins, who was more of a liability than an asset, he didn’t do so. Ultimately, it was his plan to secretly support the Ndebele rebellion that failed, causing losses not to East Africa but leaving a handle over them. Nonetheless, the East African Kingdom was unreasonable; just because of this, they would invade Transvaal. Regardless, he had to bear the main responsibility.

While Little Pillotolius was pondering how to deal with Wiggins, the door to the President’s office swung open. ”Report, Your Excellency! Latest news, the East Africans have conquered Petersburg, now less than a hundred miles from Pretoria!”

Upon hearing this, Little Pillotolius was shocked. ”Dammit, when did Petersburg fall? And when can the main forces fighting the Zulu people in the east return to reinforce Pretoria?”

”Your Excellency, Petersburg fell three days ago. Our men ran two horses to death to bring this news back as quickly as possible. As for our army, there’s no news yet. It’s estimated they’re held up by the Zulu people and can’t extricate themselves.”

”Dammit!” Little Pillotolius slammed his hand on the table in anger. After calming down, he thought carefully and said to the high-ranking government officials with a gloomy face, ”Does anyone have a strategy to stop the East Africans?”

The officials of the Transvaal Republic government exchanged glances.

”Your Excellency, with all due respect, right now, in the face of East Africa, we Transvaal are like lambs waiting to be slaughtered, especially after the fall of Petersburg. There’s no barrier in front of Pretoria. This is mainly because we underestimated the East Africans’ ambitions. We should have stationed more troops on the south bank of the Limpopo River back then, otherwise, we wouldn’t be so passive today.”

”Yes, Your Excellency, the militias in Petersburg are almost the only forces we can mobilize apart from those fighting the Zulu people. Now they’ve all become captives, and it’s too late to mobilize another round from within the Transvaal Republic. The East Africans won’t give us that time.”

The officials were discussing endlessly, but no one could offer an answer. Little Pillotolius almost ground his back teeth to pieces looking at these useless loafers.

”Enough! If you can’t come up with a plan, follow my arrangements. The Transvaal Republic cannot be lost! It is the blood, sweat, and tears of my father and all Boers. It is our Boer homeland. As organizing a counterattack in Transvaal is impossible now, I have decided to send someone to the Orange Free State to seek reinforcements, while we hold firm in Pretoria and fight the East Africans to the end!”

Though the Orange Free State is not as large as the Transvaal Republic, it now has a significantly larger population, all thanks to the Kimberley diamond mines and its closer proximity to Cape Town. The first stop for Boers moving north from Cape Town is the Orange Free State.

Now the East African forces are entering Transvaal on three fronts, and the territory is already mostly lost. To resist further, there are only two options: recall the troops fighting the Zulu people or seek help from the Orange Free State as a brotherly ally.

The first option is clearly too late. Since Little Pillotolius received news of the East African invasion of the Transvaal Republic, he’s been urging the Boers’ main force to return almost daily. However, the distance from the border with the Zulu Kingdom to Pretoria is great. Even if the message reaches them, it takes at least a week.

Even without interference from the Zulu people, it would take at least ten to fifteen days to return to Pretoria. This is in the ideal scenario. In a less ideal situation, the main force is tied up by the Zulu people and cannot be withdrawn from the frontline. Without the main force, the Transvaal Republic fighting East Africans is like a person without arms, only able to take a beating.

”Your Excellency, there is no better way. As for seeking aid from the Orange Free State, only you can take that on personally. Only your prestige can unite all the Boers to reclaim our Boer homeland.”

This is not flattery but a fact. As the descendant of a Boer hero, Little Pillotolius, like a modern-day Napoleon, benefits from the political legacy left by his father. The elder Pillotolius was revered as a war god by the Boers, someone who could consistently lead them to victory.

Little Pillotolius could only sigh and say, ”Very well, this is indeed something only I can do. However, the government must come south with me, as we need to continue leading the resistance against the East African invaders from the south. Still, Pretoria, as the capital and military stronghold, must have someone stay to resist the invasion. Who will stay?”

This was a question courting death; all the Boer officials took a step back. Pretoria was untenable, at least from the reports from Petersburg, where the strength displayed by the East African army was formidable.

”Your Excellency, let me do it!” A voice rang out, and to everyone’s surprise, it was Wiggins!

”You?”

”Yes, Mr. President. I know holding Pretoria is a fantasy, but the East African invasion was caused by my mistake, so I’m willing to bear the consequences. The thought of being executed by my own people doesn’t thrill me; it’s better to fight the East Africans to the death. If I must die, let it be on the battlefield, so I implore you to give me this opportunity!” Wiggins said.

Little Pillotolius did not answer Wiggins; instead, he again asked the others, ”Is there no one willing to stay in Pretoria?”

No one responded.

”Sigh, fine! Wiggins, this opportunity will be yours. Actually, you don’t need to hold Pretoria to the death; just deal a significant blow to the East Africans.”

Wiggins shook his head and said, ”I am resolved to live and die with Pretoria.”

No one doubted Wiggins’ capabilities. In fact, Wiggins was sent as a military advisor to the Ndebele people because of his military prowess. He was skilled in fighting the Zulu people. Although the Ndebele, guided by Wiggins, was defeated by the East Africans, it wasn’t Wiggins’ fault, as he was merely an advisor, not the actual commander.