African Entrepreneurship Record

While Bronzino was chatting with his comrades, the East Africa Defense Army’s border patrol was conducting their routine patrol in the ”Wilderness.”

”Sergeant Hans, are those soldiers over there Portuguese?” asked Peter, a newly enlisted soldier, as it was his first time seeing Portuguese soldiers.

”That’s right, you can see their ranks include many Black people, and their uniforms are even uglier than our simplified military uniforms from over a decade ago, all in a dirt-gray color and looking quite wrinkled. Only the uniforms of the three officers look somewhat decent, though also quite outdated,” Hans commented on the Portuguese patrol across the border line.

The uniforms of the Portuguese Angola colonial troops could be described as extremely ugly, or more diplomatically, ”rudimentary,” resembling the warlord forces of the Far East Empire’s Republican era.

In fact, the Portuguese mainland army uniforms are barely passable, following the European ”flamboyant” style with a variety of designs that give them some semblance of flair, but the colonies can’t compare to the mainland.

This is also related to Portugal’s financial difficulties. In reality, after the last setback in East Africa, Portugal’s national fortune declined significantly.

”I’ve heard that Portugal used to be a great power with numerous colonies around the world, but now they’re really down and out. You can tell they’re in financial trouble. It really gives you a feeling of the vicissitudes of life,” Peter remarked thoughtfully.

Peter had received compulsory education in East Africa, so he had some knowledge of history and knew Portugal’s place in Europe, but he wasn’t very familiar with Portugal itself. After all, there are so many countries in the world, and East Africa couldn’t possibly cover Portugal in detail in their textbooks.

Of course, if it’s the history of the Age of Exploration, Portugal indeed had its heyday, but that was three or four hundred years ago.

”Portugal had a solid foundation. They’ve fallen from the empire on which the sun never sets to their current state and still hold a place in the world, all thanks to their ancestors’ pioneering efforts. If they lost even their overseas colonies, they’d be no different from those weak and poor Eastern European countries,” Hans said.

Hans spoke in German to his subordinates, which the Portuguese on the other side of the border couldn’t understand, but they could probably guess nothing good was being said about them since Peter and the others had faint ”smiles” on their faces, clearly revealing some hostility and disdain.

As a young man, Peter naturally felt a sense of pride after comparing with the Portuguese soldiers opposite, mainly because the difference between the two sides was clear at a glance.

The new-style military uniforms of East Africa had long shed the embarrassing situation of cutting corners to save costs in the past and were now developed towards being practical, aesthetically pleasing, grand, and comfortable.

The contrast with the Portuguese soldiers’ uniforms was stark, and uniforms have always been one of the hallmarks of an army. Attractive uniforms can significantly boost troop morale.

”These Germans, you can tell they’re well-fed just by looking, and their clothing material looks quite sophisticated, although it does differ somewhat from European aesthetics. What a waste of resources. You can tell at a glance their military boots are made from cowhide, as are their belts. This kind of face-saving project is something only these ’African natives’ would bother with,” Bronzino said disdainfully about the East African army.

In Bronzino’s view, the East African soldiers didn’t appear to be suited for combat. Dressing so well, they must think they’re European nobility!

Furthermore, because the East African army’s food situation was among the best in the world, ordinary East African soldiers were more robust compared to the Portuguese, making Bronzino feel even more unbalanced.

Even newcomers like Peter, due to their education and living standards in East Africa, didn’t suffer from malnutrition; instead, they had a refined military demeanor.

The Portuguese felt that the opposite side was the real army, while their own side resembled the ”country bumpkins” of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, forming a stark contrast with the once glorious history of the Portuguese colonial empire, making the disparity quite striking.

In fact, when Portugal’s finances were thriving, the military was also well-funded, especially a few hundred years ago, when the Portuguese army, clad in expensive plate armor, left its mark worldwide, defeating many Asian, African, and Latin American natives. So, this current psychological imbalance is understandable.

Hans, however, did not exhibit obvious behavior like Peter. As a seasoned soldier, he had rich experience in East Africa and had previously clashed with the Portuguese.

The 411th Division he belonged to was the main force that launched a surprise attack across hundreds of miles on the Angola colony, so he had enough confidence in facing the Portuguese army, even disdain to engage with such a defeated foe.

In his opinion, the Portuguese army’s combat power was no better than some difficult indigenous tribes he had encountered, based on his personal experience.

So he said to Peter and the other newcomers, ”If you consider only the colonies, Portugal ranks high worldwide because only a few countries have colonies reaching millions of square kilometers. However, the size and number of colonies don’t represent the fighting strength of the Portuguese, especially these irregular forces wearing Portuguese regular army uniforms mixed with the Black people.”

”Sergeant, why is that? Aren’t regular troops supposed to be stronger in combat?” Peter asked, thinking that in East Africa, the military was much stronger than militias, whether in professional quality, psychological competence, or equipment.

Hans, inclined to teach, said, ”The Portuguese colonies were taken during their time as pirates, whereas later, the Portuguese military became regularized but achieved little because piracy emphasizes ample reward for hard work and fearlessness in risking lives.

This point was particularly clear early on when our company commander led us in encountering the private armed forces of the plantations in Angola, where regular troops typically crumbled at the first blow due to their much worse conditions than ours.

At that time, I saw their rations. To put it bluntly, they were only slightly better than pig slop in East Africa. Considering their equipment still being at the levels of ten years ago, it’s clear that the military’s management was backward.”

Hans’s mention of ”pig slop” drew loud laughter from Peter and the others. Indeed, pigs in East Africa eat like ”humans,” although this comparison depends on the country, such as comparing with nations like Japan and Korea.

The laughter of the East Africa Defense Army was grating to Bronzino and the other Portuguese ears, causing them to glare angrily despite not understanding what the Germans were saying.

Clearly, the East Africa Defense Army also noticed this. Peter whistled provocatively, staring back defiantly.

”Captain!” the Portuguese patrol vice-captain, Laird, gritted his teeth as he signaled to Bronzino.

Obviously, his emotions were stirred up by the Germans, making him somewhat impulsive.

Bronzino looked at Laird, understanding his meaning, but then glanced around and noticed that besides the Portuguese, the other Black soldiers were clearly daydreaming, with an indifferent attitude.

He sighed internally; how could such an army be compared with theirs! Although the Germans on the opposite side were mixed-race, they were as united as one.

On his side, the Black soldiers were lifeless, like ”corpses,” how could they fight in this state! Moreover, as a captain, he couldn’t take the initiative to provoke a confrontation due to a momentary impulse. If it led to a military conflict, he couldn’t afford to bear the consequences.

It wasn’t the Black soldiers’ fault for behaving like ”ghosts”; after all, in the colonies, Blacks are lower-class, with no dignity, not to mention acting as pawns for the Portuguese.