African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 508: Chapter 186 Preparing for a Counterattack

With the two old foxes, Britain and France, watching, Ernst felt some pressure. However, East Africa’s strength lay in having two big brothers, Germany and Austria, backing it. Therefore, Britain and France couldn’t go too far. Of course, relying on others is not as good as relying on oneself. The favoritism of Germany and Austria towards East Africa is a matter of sentiment. If East Africa cannot stand on its own, it is all in vain. Ultimately, strength speaks louder than words.

Nonetheless, this war brought East Africa into the sight of the international community. Although East Africa had existed for over a decade, it had been keeping a low profile, almost like a transparent entity.

This time, with Britain and France targeting East Africa and East Africa challenging Portugal alone, the attention of other countries around the world suddenly shifted to Africa.

As the heat increased sharply, people suddenly realized that quite a few countries had set their sights on Africa. Apart from the remarkably gifted East Africa, even small countries like Italy and Belgium had their colonies in Africa.

Poor Italy, a great power in the previous life, was reduced to a regional power on the Apennine Peninsula by Ernst in this life. However, East Africa’s relations with Italy were surprisingly good.

This was all thanks to East Africa’s indispensable assistance in Italy’s colonial endeavors in the Abyssinian Empire. After all, like the erstwhile Heixinggen royal family, it was Italy’s first attempt at colonial ventures, so it lacked experience.

And the Abyssinian Empire wasn’t a minor nation. Although East Africa looked down on it, in global terms, the Abyssinian Empire was not small, with millions of people and a long history. It had merely declined in modern times, just like the Far East and the Ottoman Empire.

Ernst retained the Abyssinian Empire because its skin color was lighter than that of regions south of the Sahara, barely acceptable to him. Moreover, annexing the Abyssinian Empire wouldn’t be easy. East Africa, with over ten million square kilometers of land, had just over thirty million natives; ten million of them had barely been integrated over a decade through semi-selling and semi-gifting. The Abyssinian Empire alone had over ten million people. Additionally, Abyssinia wasn’t a cultural desert; it had its own culture and history with frequent external exchanges. East Africa couldn’t replicate its tactics for pure Black people on the Abyssinian Empire.

The main point was that the Abyssinian Empire became a British protectorate after losing to the British last time. The new emperor was supported by the British. In short, attacking the Abyssinian Empire would be a thankless task.

Italy, however, was different. Italy was actually pro-Britain. After the Italo-Austrian War, caught between Austria and France and losing a significant portion of its territory, Italy could only return to Britain’s embrace.

When Italy colonized the Abyssinian Empire, the two pro-British nations saw no interference from Britain. After all, Italy’s importance and closeness were higher than the Abyssinian Empire’s.

However, the abandoned Abyssinian Empire did its best. Its relationship with Britain wasn’t particularly close to begin with. Becoming a British protectorate last time was like being forced to become a son, and after a battle, Britain left, so it still retained autonomy.

While Britain chose to stay aloof, Abyssinia sought to develop relations with East Africa and Egypt for support. Although Egypt and the Abyssinian Empire were arch-enemies historically, Egypt didn’t want to see the Abyssinian Empire occupied by Italy, an outsider. In the eyes of Egyptians, European nations posed a far greater threat than the Abyssinian Empire did.

As for East Africa, it naturally benefited from both sides, engaging in arms trade with the Abyssinian Empire and food trade with Italy. Of course, the weapons sold to the Abyssinian Empire were not considered advanced.

However, with support from East Africa and Egypt, the Abyssinian Empire managed to resist the industrial power of Italy’s attack, forming a stalemate on the Northern Ethiopian Plateau.

Italy and Belgium quietly occupied colonies in Africa, and other countries began contemplating, like the Kingdom of Naples eyeing Libya. Germany had established colonial outposts in Central and West Africa, but France’s disruption made Germany’s colonial efforts unsuccessful.

The Netherlands and Spain, traditional colonial powers, also began to firmly defend their own colonies. Through the East-Portuguese War, these established colonial powers quickly realized that a new wave of colonial fever was imminent.

The Netherlands’ colonies were mainly in East India and South America, facing competition from Britain, France, Portugal, and Spain. Spain, however, had to contend with the US and other nations. Yet Spain, with its large size, could still pretend to be strong and had significant pull value. Countries like Britain, France, Germany, Austria, and others had good relations with Spain, except for the US, which harbored ill intentions but dared not act rashly.

The unfortunate Portugal on the Iberian Peninsula had East Africa as its neighbor and was destined to have no peace. Moreover, Portugal’s homeland was weak, making its colonies insignificant in East Africa’s eyes.

Constantine rarely came to check on the progress of the war. Lately, Constantine had been busy overseeing water conservancy projects, so he wasn’t too aware of the war’s developments. The East-Portuguese War hardly dampened Constantine’s enthusiasm for farming, as he knew East Africa’s strength wasn’t something a weak nation like Portugal could shake.

Constantine: ”What’s the current status of the war? Have the Portuguese determined their direction of attack?”

Ernst: ”Father, you’re here. I’ve been closely monitoring the war’s progress. We’ve discerned that the Portuguese are concentrating their forces mainly in the areas of Lake Malawi and the Zambezi River. It seems they want to cut off our connection to the interior.”

Constantine, staring at the map with a frown, said, ”The area between Lake Malawi and Soron Lake (Lake Tanganyika) is indeed a weak point. Can we hold it?”

Ernst: ”Rest assured, Father. Our troops deployed here are the elite of the kingdom. Lake Malawi is also under our control. For the Portuguese to reach there, they must advance from the west coast of Lake Malawi, where we’ve stationed heavy forces. With the advantage of the terrain, not even a fly can get through.”

”Hmm, but we mustn’t be complacent. By the way, you mentioned another Portuguese force heading towards the Zambezi River. Are we secure there?” Constantine reminded.

”We received intelligence as soon as the Portuguese reached Tete. With the help of the Central Railway, our forces have already reached the frontline at Songgo outpost and are currently resting there. The subsequent outcome of the war will depend on the feedback from the front lines.”

”What if we fail? Will it affect us?” Constantine asked.

”No worries. Our first wave of forces mainly consists of Black people. Even if they don’t perform well, our regular troops can promptly step in. The 512th division is already on standby in the rear, ready to take over the battlefield at any moment.”

Constantine: ”You’re really using the Black Corps as cannon fodder?”

Ernst calmly said, ”As long as they can wear down the Portuguese, that’s enough. I have low expectations and demands for them. Now that all units have reached the front lines, we can push the war forward according to our rhythm at any time.”

Once the Portuguese’s direction and strategy of attack were confirmed, East Africa could also launch a counterattack against them.

”We can now confirm that the Portuguese’s military preparations south of the Lufuma River are very lax. We will use the Black people to pin down the Portuguese main forces in the northwest, and the troops stationed at the Lufuma River line can now move south.”

Regarding the temporary border line of the Lufuma River, Ernst had long wanted to eliminate it. Judging by the Portuguese stance, it seems they intend to abandon this area. Hence, with this war, Ernst plans to completely capture northern Mozambique, including the shores of Lake Malawi, allowing East Africa to solely enjoy the three Great Lakes.