African Entrepreneurship Record

The number of British troops in Cape Town is actually not large, with a portion stationed in Kimberley, but Kimberley has already been blockaded by East Africa, forcing this diamond-producing area to halt production.

This has affected the interests of many British mine owners, and now there are voices in Britain calling for a ceasefire, though still weak, as the situation is still undecided, and temporary losses are acceptable.

Especially since the main British forces on the eastern front have not yet shown significant decline, this has allowed the pro-war faction in Britain to occupy an absolute advantage.

Amid the crisis where all of Cape Town might fall, the limited forces of the Cape Town colony have used the southern main channel of the Orange River as a barrier to try to prevent the invasion of the East African Army.

In fact, East Africa currently has no plans to invade Cape Town; dealing with the Boer Republic alone has already consumed much of East Africa’s energy.

The situation on the main battlefield in the east is also very unfavorable for the British, especially after East Africa’s eastern army district forces crossed the Zambezi River and captured land north of the Pongui River.

The allies’ sphere of influence is further compressed in southern Mozambique, and if the next step sees the fall of the Sawei River, the north will completely lose its natural barrier, allowing East African troops to move south unimpeded and directly take Maputo.

Although the allies are currently losing on the eastern front, their forces have also become more concentrated, making each direction subsequently more difficult to attack.

”In response to the eastern front, our strategy is to engage the allies with superior forces after the end of the Angolan War, and we can also reactivate New Hamburg Port City behind enemy lines,” Ernst reminded.

New Hamburg Port City has been besieged for more than three months, but the main urban area has not been greatly affected. As the allies attack, two brigades from East Africa, equivalent to a composite division, are stationed there.

As long as the East African army reopens the Central Railway, they can reactivate this strategic hub of New Hamburg Port City.

Currently, the supply at New Hamburg Port City mainly relies on pre-war reserves, though it may not be sustainable for long. The food supply is not a major issue, but there is a shortage of weapons and ammunition.

Although New Hamburg Port City has a munitions factory, its production capacity is far from meeting the consumption needs of a division, especially with the constant enemy offensives.

”New Hamburg Port City is a crucial point, and its forces are an important part of the eastern front. The navy should attempt to strike the allied navies in South African waters from the sea, which might be key to our victory on the eastern front,” Ernst suggested.

Grand Duke Ferdinand commented, ”Currently, our navy has repaired two of the main ships from the last naval battle, so we should retaliate against the British and Portuguese navies in South African waters.”

The allied navy in the eastern Mozambique waters does not consist of the main British forces but is part of the Cape Town navy and the Portuguese colonial navy.

Neither has strong capabilities, but the East African navy, fearing a British Royal Navy raid like last time, mainly patrols the northern end of East African waters and monitors the British Seychelles colony.

From the current perspective, the last naval battle also dealt a serious blow to Britain, and after confirming there is no short-term risk, the East African navy can allocate forces to support the South African front.

Ernst stated, ”With naval cooperation, the army on the eastern front should perform better, especially the garrison at New Hamburg Port City. If this naval battle is won, we could unexpectedly gain control of the southern waters, restoring logistics to New Hamburg Port City and increasing support for the eastern front using it as a base.”

If shipping at New Hamburg Port City is restored, East Africa can constantly transport supplies from the eastern area and use it as a base to strike Durban and Maputo, accelerating the war’s progress.

Ernst continued, ”If the war can end as soon as possible, that would be ideal, but we should prioritize stability. My expectation is to end it by the end of this year, though it mainly depends on the military. Do you have any disagreements about the timing?”

Sivert replied, ”If everything goes smoothly, we are confident of ending the war within three months, but that may require greater material support and sacrifices, so if we’re not in a rush, we could finish in six months.”

It’s already July, leaving only five months to end the war before the year ends, creating urgency for East African military forces.

However, given the current state of the war, even if it cannot end this year, it should exhaust much of the enemy’s vital forces.

The war’s outcome still depends on British support; Britain is certainly more conflicted than East Africa, as this South African war is an expedition.

East Africa is fighting locally, with a relatively comprehensive independent military industry and a sufficient population, resulting in the East African army becoming stronger the longer the fight continues, while British forces suffer severe declines due to disease, acclimatization issues, and attrition.

The two allies, the Portuguese, are unreliable, and the Boer numbers are too small, leaving the South African war seemingly helpless.

Of course, the British army’s situation is not overly dire, as they still have some fight left, but with East Africa’s Defense Army’s continued reinforcement, the mindset of the South African British forces will likely change over time.

The biggest mistake by the British was insufficient intelligence gathering on East Africa before the war, which is the main reason they found themselves on the back foot.

Following conventional thinking, East Africa was expected to be at best like Brazil, but no one imagined East Africa to be a fierce wolf lying dormant on the African plateau.

The ”insidious” aspect of East Africa lies in the low profile of the Heixinggen family, but Ernst actually thinks East Africa is not overly modest, as the navy cannot be hidden.

The British, however, would disagree since navies can be bought with money, as seen with the navies of the Far East Empire and Japan.

But buying ships does not equate to swiftly forming combat power, whereas the East African navy, with Austria-Hungary’s hands-on training, evidently attained combat capability.

Even more surprising is the capability of the East African Army, with the British now viewing it as a competitor akin to European mainland forces.

The East African Army matches or exceeds the British Army in numerous ways, which frustrates the British government.

Currently, the war’s prolongation is exerting immense pressure on the British government, with continuing the South African war being the most contentious issue in the British Parliament lately.

As the full extent of East Africa’s military potential remains unknown, and should the British Empire continue its involvement to no avail, what then?

If Ernst found himself in such a situation, he would likely find it difficult to make a choice. His expectations of British forces are modeled after the Boer Wars of the past.

But against East Africa, the British clearly lack the resolve they had to eliminate the Boer Republic. Even if the Boers caused trouble, they couldn’t threaten Britain directly; continued pressure would eventually cause the Boers to collapse.

After all, the Boer population is limited, but East Africa is not a small country like that, so the British approach to East Africa is now overly cautious.

When unable to secure victories on the battlefield, the British begin to focus on tangible benefits.