African Entrepreneurship Record

Chapter 526: Chapter 204 Decision

This time, East Africa was generous in setting the stage for the Russians, sending enough arms to Afghanistan to equip thirty thousand people. This is not a small amount, given that the British forces currently stationed in Afghanistan also number only about thirty to forty thousand. The Afghan authorities have already surrendered, so some have been withdrawn, but there are still about thirty thousand left.

This thirty thousand does not include the Indian auxiliary troops, which are the British’s own army, even though this army might be oppressed at home, the British are quite generous with their own people.

The British army might look pitiful at times, but that depends on who you compare it with. Compared to its own Royal Navy, its budget is indeed a drop in the ocean, but when compared to other countries’ armies, the British army does have some prestige. At least in terms of weaponry, it is on par with several top-tier strong countries, so even though the British army pretends to be poor, they are still the foolish son of a wealthy landlord, and other countries’ army benefits might truly not be as good as those of the British.

Thus, while the British army is mocked for not living up to its reputation, it can still team up with France to wrestle with Russia in Crimea, so playing a supporting role is not an issue, as long as they are not leading. Just like the past Boer War and Afghan War which were total humiliations.

Due to East Africa, the initially expected First Boer War did not happen after all, and Ernst is unsure if the British and the Boers would come to conflict again. Currently, the Orange Free State, which has just been incorporated into Cape Town, is in a honeymoon period with Britain, leaving East Africa without an opportunity to interfere.

However, Ernst believes that the Boer War will still happen, as the British rely on sweet talk but have already reached into the Boers’ pockets. It’s like an old scoundrel deceiving a naive young girl, not willing to take responsibility.

Moreover, with the Boers returning from the Transvaal Republic to Orange Free State, the overall strength of Orange Free State remains strong. After all, there is a substantial base of Boers in Cape Town, planting a landmine under the Transvaal Republic to Cape Town for which Ernst was responsible.

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Ilya looked at the suddenly ”prosperous” Afghan resistance forces with mixed emotions. Joy because they finally had enough equipment, albeit somewhat outdated but still usable; worry because the financiers behind Afghanistan had not provided much ammunition.

Seeing the pensive Ilya, Murat asked, ”Mr. Ilya, now that the equipment is sufficient, why do you still seem unsatisfied?”

Ilya shared his concerns with Murat, ”While we have enough weapons, how do we solve the ammunition problem? We can’t just fight one battle and that’s it! Even if we win, without ammunition replenishment, the British can still launch a successful counterattack later.”

Murat was not overly worried and said to Ilya, ”Without ammunition, we can rely on captures, and we can make gunpowder in the traditional way ourselves. If we shoot accurately, we can also save some.”

Compared to the well-off Russian army, Afghans are not picky; the gunpowder issue is not significant, and even guns can be handmade. They’ve conducted large-scale manual repairs on weapons provided by East Africa.

Because it’s free aid, East Africa naturally wouldn’t inspect Afghan weapons, let alone repair them. Although East Africa has the ability, Ernst believes Afghans do not need it.

The looting suggested by Murat made sense to Ilya, as the weapons provided by East Africa, besides front-loading flintlock guns, mostly included Enfields, precisely matching those of the British army.

”Moreover, in Afghanistan, we can handcraft gunpowder weapons, something the British cannot do. Their weapons and supplies definitely need to be transported from the rear, so we can find ways to intercept these supplies.”

Ilya also found this plan quite feasible. The British invasion of Afghanistan is no easier than traversing mountains; getting through the Khyber, Gulam, and Bolan Passes into Afghanistan demonstrates the complex terrain, making it no easy task for the British to transport supplies from India to Afghanistan, with enormous costs and high risks.

Thinking about Afghanistan’s daunting mountain roads, Ilya excitedly said, ”Murat, you are a genius. With the terrain advantage, we can ambush the British supply lines, which would greatly benefit your efforts to reclaim Afghanistan.”

Murat, however, had a different opinion: ”No, our primary target should still be Kabul. Only when the flames of war re-ignite in Kabul will the Afghan patriots dissatisfied with the British invasion take action. Just minor skirmishes are merely a scratch to the British.”

Ilya retorted seriously, ”Are you sure your objective is directly targeting Kabul? Kabul isn’t easy to capture; it took us several months to assemble this many troops capable of using firearms. What if they get wiped out?”

”Nevertheless, we still want to drive the British out of our land as soon as possible!” Murat said firmly.

Murat was less concerned about the lengthy battle with the British; he was warier of his ally—the Russians!

Although British colonization of Afghanistan is the main problem, Murat believes that Russians are not to be trusted either.

Moreover, the Russians mostly offer verbal support. If it weren’t for ”patriotic” businesspersons’ support, the resistance organization wouldn’t even have enough weapons. The Russians just sent a few people, wanting Afghanistan and Britain to fight desperately, then when they are both weakened, pluck the fruits of their struggle! Afghanistan borders Russia, so they have to be cautious.

Murat is somewhat far-sighted, having a less favorable opinion of both Britain and Russia, and understanding that relying on others’ strength is futile.

Of course, to prevent upsetting Ilya, Murat added, ”Certainly, while we focus most of our strength on attacking Kabul, we can also orchestrate the southern brothers to harass the British supply lines.”

But Murat was overthinking; upon knowing Murat’s intention to attack Kabul, Ilya found this idea quite appealing!

Don’t misunderstand; Ilya thinks it’s a good idea not necessarily because it’s advantageous for Afghanistan, but because it’s beneficial to his own career, related to his mission.

The order Ilya received was to cause trouble for the British, not necessarily to help the Afghans achieve victory, as the Russians also doubt Afghanistan’s ability to defeat Britain, especially when focused on dealing with the Ottoman Empire, leaving Afghanistan unattended.

Causing trouble for the British; if Kabul, the Afghan capital, has issues, it would undoubtedly be most noticeable, and problems in Kabul will soon be known domestically.

Following my own plan, attacking British supply lines might be more stable, but it doesn’t help me stand out!

Afghans attacking Kabul, regardless of success, as the person in charge of the Kabul area, the experience could add significant prestige to my record, possibly leading to promotion and transfer back home.

After all, the task is to cause trouble, not defeat the British. There’s no bigger trouble than attacking Afghanistan’s capital, so I stand to gain regardless.

Thus, Ilya immediately changed his tone, ”Murat, you’re right, Kabul is the political center of Afghanistan, and only by attacking and reclaiming there can we truly inspire people, so let’s prioritize reclaiming Kabul and hold off other matters for the time being.”