Chapter 327 Going South
There are no rivers with high shipping value due to the geographical conditions in East Africa. One is due to topography, as all large rivers pass through areas with large differences, and the other is due to climate, with large seasonal differences in rivers.
The construction of canals in Central Province avoids the above two problems. The terrain in Central Province is relatively flat and the natural rivers have navigation value. Although the rivers in Central Province are seasonal, the precipitation is sufficient even in the dry season.
For example, the Ulugulu Mountains, one of the birthplaces of the Wami River and the Little Rhine River, has an astonishing average annual precipitation of more than 3000mm. The Ulugulu Mountains are actually the eastern extension of the East African Plateau, and the terrain suddenly rises and intercepts it. Most of the water vapor from the Indian Ocean has been removed, which is why the precipitation in Dodoma City, west of the Uluguru Mountains, has dropped dramatically.
The Rufiji River is even more exaggerated. Its source comes from the mountains along Lake Malawi. It flows through a large area. At the same time, it strengthens again in the middle. The precipitation in the downstream catchment area is also very large.
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After half a month's march, the South Salzburg Provincial Border Guard, led by Sweet himself, and a counter-insurgency force composed of some militia armed forces took advantage of the Luangwa River to take Bulawayo, the capital of the Kingdom of Matabele.
The Ndebele people along the way were unable to resist the aggressive South Salzburg border guards. The South Salzburg army was used to deal with the Portuguese army and ensure that East Africa connected the Tanganyika region and the Katanga Plateau corridor. The strategic troops are regular troops in East Africa, and their combat effectiveness is naturally the same.
Three months ago, graduates of the Hechingen Military Academy and students who had participated in the Franco-Prussian War arrived in East Africa and were incorporated into various main forces in East Africa to undergo special reorganization and training for the main forces in East Africa.
The South Salzburg Border Guard is one of them. The South Salzburg Border Guard is all equipped with Dresser rifles and 18 light movable artillery pieces. Its strength alone is quite explosive in the sub-Saharan region.
This era is still the era of rifles and artillery. Although the Dreiser rifle has lagged behind in Europe, it is only for the military powers in Europe. Even the Dreiser rifle with many shortcomings in the Franco-Prussian War is not available in many European countries, such as the Kingdom of Portugal. , the East African Kingdom's equipment of Dresser rifles is simply too much for Mozambique, which is a colony of the Portuguese Kingdom.
Sweet asked the guide Kasos beside him: "How many kilometers are there to reach Bulawayo?"
"Report to the Chief of General Staff that there are still about forty kilometers left to cross the small river in front." Kasos replied.
Sweet: "Are you sure the river is deep enough to wade through directly?"
Cassos: "Yes, even in the rainy season, the depth of this river will not exceed fifty centimeters, and the deepest point is only about one meter. We used to often wade across the river, so we are very familiar with it."
Kasos is a survivor who escaped from the previous Ndebele rebellion. When some East African strongholds developed the Ndebele rebellion, they knew something was wrong and ran away in advance. The less populated the stronghold, the more In this way, facing hundreds of Ndebele people, it would be strange not to run.
However, there are conditions for running. It is better to have strongholds with horses and communication strongholds. If there are no stronghold armed personnel without horses, they can only choose to compete with the Ndebele people.
The advantage of East African armed personnel lies in their durability, while the African natives are more explosive in short distances. The natives of Zimbabwe are different from the natives of the East African plateau in that they are not good at running because they are half-footed in the farming and pastoral civilization. The blame for all this All because of the Ndebele people.
The Ndebele people come from the Zulu Kingdom and are relatively knowledgeable, and the Shona people they enslaved have a relatively high level of civilization among African indigenous people. The Shona people make a living by farming and animal husbandry, and have mastered rough iron-making, Alchemical technology.
The Matabele Kingdom under the rule of the Ndebele people has strengthened the agricultural and pastoral attributes of Zimbabwe. The Ndebele people learned from the Boers, built pastures and farmland in Zimbabwe, and became landlords themselves.
The indigenous people engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry do not need to rely on hunting for a living like the Bantu tribes in East Africa. They do not have to chase prey all day long, and their long-distance running ability is not strong.
The East African troops, including the militiamen, are all well-trained, and in this era, everyone has good physical fitness. Therefore, the two sides mainly compete for the understanding of the terrain and endurance. In terms of physical strength, the East African armed personnel are not at a disadvantage.
And Kasos escaped from the Ndebele people's encirclement and suppression by virtue of his amazing perseverance and long-term activities here, and he had a good understanding of the terrain.
With Kasos as a living map, it was much easier for Sweet to carry out his actions.
He ordered: "Send the order and the whole army is ready to cross the river."
Fortunately, the natives did not understand the art of war, but if they had some military ideas, they lurked by the river, waiting for the East African army to cross the river, and attacked them halfway across the river. The East African army must have suffered heavy losses. Unfortunately, many natives could not even count five fingers, so the East African army successfully penetrated deep into the Matabele Plateau again.
There must be some knowledgeable people among the Ndebele people, but they are all concentrated in the royal capital. After all, knowledge-based talents must give priority to Lobengula.
The prime minister appointed by Lobengula was a top talent with rich knowledge among the indigenous people and could do the simplest mathematical operations. His father was a Swahili businessman, so he also learned some superficial mathematical knowledge.
Basically, the tax work of the Matabele Kingdom is monopolized by his family. Most of the leaders of the Lobengula and Ndebele people are warriors who only know how to use violence, so managing the delicate work of the country requires their own family. Come.
The benefits are also obvious. As long as the basic needs of the Ndebele people are met, most of the remaining tax revenue goes into the pockets of the prime minister's family.
The Ndebele people rely on the Shona people for support. Twenty percent of the wealth created by the Shona people goes into the pockets of the prime minister through taxes. Lobengula doesn't understand this at all. He only knows how to control the army and himself. The rule will be as solid as a rock.
Therefore, as long as the Prime Minister can get money to support his expansion of the army and upgrade of equipment, he can continue to be the "King of Kings". As for who the Prime Minister takes the money from, it doesn't matter. Therefore, the monarchs and ministers of the Matabele Kingdom are rushing in both directions. .
Bulawayo.
The East African army came from the north, and Lobengula also got the news. Looking at the northern military leaders who retreated from the front line and knelt on the ground asking for help, Lobengula became furious. These old immortals only It will cause trouble for yourself.
Lobengula: "Look at you! In the past, when you were asked to obey the central government's orders, you would blame each other. When you meet Baipi, you will be as timid as a mouse. It has brought shame to our Ndebele warriors. , and now you actually dare to come see me."
"The great 'King of Kings', it's not that we don't work hard, it's that the enemy's equipment is too powerful. Like the Boers, they are equipped with many firearms and artillery. No matter how brave our soldiers are, they cannot pass through flesh and blood. body against bows, arrows and spears."
Lobengula: "Okay, stop talking. Failure is failure. Don't look for reasons. I only look at the results. I don't need any excuses. When my father led the men to fight the Boers, the weapons were also at a disadvantage. The same. The fight was impressive, but now you don’t even want to resist. You must have been drained of alcohol and sex and have forgotten the military tradition of our Ndebele people.”
Faced with Lobengula's accusations, a group of military leaders who were nearly fifty years old remained silent. Oh, yes! What you said is correct. Anyway, we have escaped now. We have to kill us all for the sake of the old king!