African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 500: Chapter 178 Tete City

Franz: ”So, you mean that East Africa believes it can handle Portugal on its own and even the British and French behind it?”

The number of troops does not represent combat effectiveness, especially in this era. The military achievements of populous nations like the Ottoman Empire, the Far East, and India demonstrate that human-wave tactics may no longer be effective. However, Prussia also proved that piling up troop numbers can still have some effect, provided it’s a modern army.

”Your Majesty, in short, Portugal is definitely not a match for East Africa. Of course, we also hope 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 your country will exert some pressure on Britain and France diplomatically. War can be fought, but the enemy cannot deploy their navy to support the Portuguese, and if Britain and France do so, we will also retaliate.”

This piqued Franz’s interest: ”You can counter two world-class powers; what leverage do you have?”

East African Ambassador: ”The British and French colonies at the Mand Strait, Britain’s Cape Town colony, France’s colony in Madagascar—all these places are next to the Kingdom of East Africa. We have the ability to enter these three regions at any time, causing significant losses to Britain and France.”

Franz’s eyelids twitched, and he said excitedly, ”If you do that, I believe Britain and France will go crazy and they might fight you to the death.”

If East Africa’s plan succeeds, it could instantly cut off Europe’s connection with Asia unless Britain and France take the long route via North America or follow the traditional Eurasian trade route, which would only benefit America and Russia.

Of course, if East Africa could really achieve this, other major powers in the world wouldn’t sit idly by. Germany, Tsarist Russia, and America all have their thoughts on Britain and France. Only Austria-Hungary is in an awkward position right now, with geographic constraints and weak national cohesion, unable to fully exert its national power.

Franz: ”If you really succeed, the world situation could face unpredictable risks, so we will communicate with Britain and France. Everyone has a bottom line, and it won’t come to a complete break.”

Franz is somewhat worried about international turmoil, especially when Austria-Hungary is not fully prepared. East Africa’s plan is indeed audacious, but it’s best not to execute it now. Therefore, it shouldn’t really escalate between Britain, France, and East Africa, war intensity should be controlled, and Franz doesn’t believe East Africa’s plan is fantasy. It might have a great use in the future, so it’s best not to use it directly now; perhaps Austria-Hungary can make use of it next time.

”Your Majesty, you alone may not be enough to draw Britain’s and France’s attention. How about involving Germany and Russia as well?” suggested the East African ambassador.

”We will definitely consider Germany, but Russia! Russia is currently at war, and what worries them most is probably Austria-Hungary’s ambitions in the Balkans, making our relations with the Russians quite complex.”

”Even if it’s just Austria-Hungary and Germany, it’s enough. That makes it two against two. We can balance the power of Britain and France, and the rest is up to you in East Africa and Portugal!” Franz said.

Whether it’s worth supporting East Africa depends on whether the country has strategic value, and everything hinges on its military strength.

If they can defeat Portugal this time, East Africa would gain some status in the international community, at least reaching the level of countries like Mexico and Brazil. If they can’t even beat Portugal, then a colony is just a colony and has no face to show itself on the international stage.

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In May 1878, Austria-Hungary, Germany, France, and Britain exchanged views in Paris on the issue of East Africa and Portugal, agreeing that the scale of the war should be controlled and that no third country should intervene personally. The final result would depend entirely on the performance in the East Africa-Portugal conflict.

East Africa didn’t participate in this meeting, or rather, it was a closed-door meeting of the four major powers. However, the most nervous was Tsarist Russia, fearing that the other four countries wanted to team up against it, especially since Tsarist Russia had already achieved good results in the Russo-Turkish War.

Tsarist Russia’s suspicions were not unfounded; the four countries actually wanted the Russo-Turkish War to end. The Balkans had become independent, and Tsarist Russia had already occupied parts of the Ottoman Caucasus, so the other four great powers felt that the Russians should now stop.

No one wants Tsarist Russia to hit the Ottoman Empire too hard, as it would be detrimental to regional stability. Maintaining a certain Ottoman power helps Britain and France balance the German-Austrian-Russian trio.

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The meeting was held, but Britain and France didn’t give a clear signal about when to go to war, nor would they allow Portugal to declare war on East Africa first.

Portugal is inherently weaker than East Africa; engaging in a head-on battle with East Africa would be a foolish move. Therefore, only by launching an undeclared war does Portugal have a chance to seize the initiative.

Quickly, according to the previous plan, Portugal mobilized its troops in Angola and Mozambique, while East African intelligence personnel intensified efforts to identify potential breakthrough points for Portugal.

Soon, through an analysis of unusual data on Portuguese coastal ships, East Africa discovered that Portugal’s most likely military front line was along the Zambezi River, particularly the right bank of the Zambezi at Tete City, where troops and supplies were concentrated.

Tete City is an important city for Portugal in Mozambique, the capital of Mozambique’s Tete Province in the past life. Tete was built in 1531 and was a base for Portuguese colonizers heading inland. It has been a center of commerce and transport even before the Portuguese colonial era, being a hub for Swahili traders.

Tete City is along the Zambezi River, previously serving as the center of Mozambique’s gold and ivory trade, but this center declined after East Africa rose, disrupting the inland trade routes.

Tete’s rise was mainly due to shipping; it is the starting point for the lower Zambezi River navigation, with a water-land route extending over 200 kilometers to the Indian Ocean, naturally favorable for commerce.

The convenient transportation made Mozambique place more importance on Tete, especially after Clement’s plan was proposed, making Tete a strategic fulcrum for Mozambique.

”If we defeat East Africa from the center, we cannot let go of the Zambezi River, this natural barrier. If we control the southern line of the Zambia River, we can split East Africa into the north and south. The next step is to cut off the land route north of Lake Malawi, dividing East Africa into three parts.”

”Tete is the forward base for our troops, ready to advance westward from here anytime, but are you sure there are no issues with your maps?” Clement asked.

The Portuguese inland maps of Africa were essentially old merchant caravan routes that marked various tribes along the way, which were Portugal’s trading clients in the past.

However, these maps were of poor quality and amateurishly drawn. With East Africa’s rise, Portuguese commercial activity in the interior was banned, halting surveys. Many of these maps are over a decade old and potentially outdated, especially since East Africa was harsh on the indigenous people, particularly in the Zimbabwe region.

East Africa sealed trade routes, and Portuguese merchants turned to trade at designated trade ports in the Kingdom of East Africa. However, the trading spot was at the mouth of the Ruvu River, leaving Portugal clueless about the situation in inland Africa.