Chapter 1023 Russian Navy Lands
"In that case, we should provide the Kingdom of South Germany with 2,000 rifles and bullets, which is enough for them to sweep the entire Komadugu Yobe River Basin!" Ernst said.
So far, the Kingdom of South Germany has formed a 5,000-man army, which is relatively easy for a country with a population of one million.
And it is precisely with this army, which seems very weak in East Africa, that the Kingdom of South Germany has basically formed a huge advantage over the surrounding indigenous forces. After all, the Kingdom of South Germany is Libya in the north and Sudan in Egypt in the east, and the core territory is basically separated by the Sahara Desert.
Even if Egypt seems to be much stronger than the Kingdom of South Germany, it is impossible to cross the Sahara Desert to attack the Kingdom of South Germany, not to mention that the Kingdom of South Germany has the giant East Africa behind it.
In other words, except for East Africa in the south, the other directions of the Kingdom of South Germany are either deserts or some extremely backward nomadic peoples. The west is special, with colonies of Britain and Germany, but the borders are still indigenous forces.
...
October 4, 1904.
Luanda.
Due to the continuous victory of Japanese military forces in the Far East, Russia, which had extremely despised Japan before the war, tended to over-exaggerate Japan's strength.
The reorganized Pacific Second Fleet of the Baltic Fleet, which had been prepared since the year before, finally arrived in East Africa.
Under the escort of East African warships, the Russian Navy's warships entered the port of Luanda in East Africa in an orderly manner and enjoyed a rare rest.
"God, we finally arrived in Luanda! I don't know what the government's idiots are thinking. They should negotiate with the East African government to set the port of call to Cabinda, so that we can suffer less." Russian General Kurovsky complained.
"When I saw Cabinda, I even thought we had reached our destination, but it turned out to be a waste of joy. Fortunately, Luanda looked as prosperous as Cabinda, and we could finally have a good rest."
Kurovsky was not dissatisfied with the environment in Luanda, or thought that Luanda was worse than Cabinda, but because if they waited to go ashore in advance in Cabinda, even a few hours in advance would give the Russian navy, who had been tortured at sea, greater comfort.
For the Russian sailors, the journey of these days was simply a disaster. Except for the comfort in the German waters, the following journey caused indelible damage to everyone's mind or body.
Since crossing the English Channel, basically many countries, including France, and most countries or colonial ports refused to allow Russian warships to enter.
In addition, the British warships monitored the Russian navy for a long time and watched the Russian navy to the waters near Morocco.
In addition, British warships often provoked the Russian army. Under this influence, the psychological destruction of the Russian navy was even worse.
On the way, due to the joint pressure from the Japanese and British governments, most colonies were not open to the Russian Navy. This situation continued until the German colony in Cameroon, but the conditions in the Cameroon colony were too poor to provide high-quality services to the Russian Navy.
Therefore, the Russian Navy carried a large amount of coal to ensure that long-distance voyages would not be unable to be replenished due to fuel exhaustion. Although the East African government and Russia reached an agreement to replenish at East African ports, the Russian government was also worried that the East African government would change its mind temporarily, so it was necessary to prepare enough fuel.
In fact, if it were not for the help of William II, no fleet would be willing to help Russia transport coal. Behind the Russian Navy, there were German coal ships, but even with William II's intercession, these German shipping companies only promised to escort them to the Strait of Malacca, because they were also worried that Japan would not be moral and take action against the Russian Navy in advance.
If it were not for the pressure from William II, the ships of these German shipping companies might not even want to go to the Indian Ocean.
In fact, the Russian navy was divided into two routes, one taking the Mediterranean route, and the other choosing the west coast of Africa. They finally met in Mombasa and headed to the Strait of Malacca. After the last rest in Pontianak Port, they would go directly to the East Asian waters.
The fleet that Kurovsky was in was the part that took the west coast of Africa. Compared with the Second Fleet, which was still under British surveillance in the Mediterranean, the Russian army that chose the west coast route was undoubtedly much luckier.
The Mediterranean must always be vigilant against the Japanese and British navies, while the west coast of Africa, starting from the Cameroon section, does not have to worry about being plotted against, not to mention that after arriving at the port of Luanda, the Russian navy received sufficient rest and supplies.
Many Russian sailors landed in Luanda. After carrying the supplies, the commander deliberately gave the exhausted sailors a half-day holiday, and the officers of the fleet also began to look for places to spend money.
Kurovsky and several colleagues came to a more luxurious state-owned hotel in Luanda. Compared with the lower-income sailors, the Russian officers like Kurovsky undoubtedly had a higher spending power.
Russian sailors can only go to some cheap taverns that provide services specifically for sailors, while Kurovsky and others naturally eat fish and meat in hotels with elegant environments and excellent services.
They stuff their mouths with imported Argentinian steaks, drink high-end red wine made in East Africa, and listen to elegant music.
Kurovsky said: "This is the life that people should enjoy. I feel like I'm about to grow hair on the sea. If we come a little later, we may only be able to eat low-quality black bread like ordinary soldiers."
Ankarev said: "There is no way. It is basically difficult to get supplies on the sea. All materials must be carefully calculated. If we don't reach an agreement with the East African government, I'm afraid we will still suffer for the next two or three thousand miles of sailing."
"If there is no East Africa, we can only choose the French overseas territory of Madagascar as a foothold, but I believe that the conditions in Madagascar may not be as good as those colonial ports we passed by in West Africa."
Kurovsky: "Yes, the conditions of those ports are too poor. Compared with the East African coast, it is simply two worlds. I really want to know, the same Africa, why is the gap so big? The colonies of other countries on the West African coast are simply undeveloped wilderness. Cabinda and Luanda on the coast of East Africa are probably not bad in Europe. "
Ankarev: "Who knows! Maybe it's the difference in race? Anyway, I have hardly seen black people in Luanda. This is the most fundamental difference between the colonies in East Africa and West Africa. Maybe it is because the black people are too low in civilization, and it is difficult to be civilized even if they come into contact with the civilized world. "
Kurovsky said: "It's possible! Along the way, the closer you get to East Africa, the more prosperous it is. Although it can't reach the level of the coastal areas of Western Europe, it is definitely better than many areas in Russia. The advantages of East Africans are too great. They face the ocean, which is what we Russians dream of. Those colonies in West Africa simply waste this great resource. "
For the Russian Navy, East Africa is a very unfamiliar country. In the past, they could only see the general outline on the map. Only when they really came here, especially in the strong contrast with the backward areas in West Africa, did the Russian Navy understand the uniqueness of East Africa.
In fact, this feeling becomes more profound as we enter the South Atlantic. There are not only more towns, farmlands, and plantations near the East African coastline, but also better infrastructure conditions. The cities are large in scale, and the buildings are obviously stronger than other regions. The water conservancy facilities in rural areas are more complete, and there are more livestock than in West Africa.
In particular, the facilities of the ports of Cabinda and Luanda are obviously more modern, with more large equipment and obviously more ships in the ports than in West Africa. This is a reflection of the relatively prosperous trade. Many ships fly the East African flag, and there are also rare fishing boats, which can be reflected more directly.