The war was still going on, and Franz had already prepared a plan for the development of post-war Africa. By this point, the Anglo-Boer War had turned into a confrontation between Britain and Austria.

In the whole international situation, the South African battlefield is only one part of it. Now that the world has been carved up, it is very difficult for everyone to continue to exercise restraint.

It is conceivable that colonial conflicts will continue to play out in the future. The South African War was only a warm-up game, and it could be regarded as a new way to resolve international conflicts.

The law of the jungle will be the theme of this world, and the competition between the great powers is becoming increasingly fierce. The strong get more cakes and become more and more powerful; The weak are oppressed, and the living space is further compressed.

Western Victoria, South Africa.

Endless baggage carts, raising billowing gray balls, seemed to envelop everything. Vehicles creaked forward, winding for dozens of miles on makeshift roads.

bathed in the morning light, the quilt thrown on the carriage, shining red; Rakes, shovels, and small wooden barrels were all erected, like sentry posts......

There are also busy crowds in the distance, clearing obstacles in the road. At this time, South Africa was vast and sparsely populated, with several indigenous tribes along the way for hundreds of miles, and road traffic was almost none.

The road they are taking now is the same one built by the British in order to attack the Boer Republic, and many places along the way have been destroyed.

When the infantry marches, these difficulties can be overcome, but the baggage convoy will not work, and the passage road must be built first.

The original cannon fodder unit has now become sappers, struggling hard. From time to time, there were overseers wielding leather whips, urging, trying to speed up.

Viscount Fikni, who was moving with the large army, looked at the time and asked, "How long will it take for the baggage convoy to arrive?" ”

As in most wars, now the "army of the Boer Republic" is waiting for baggage. There is no way, to fight deep into the enemy's territory, it is inevitable that a large army will open the way, and the baggage convoy will follow.

Because the advance ahead was too fast, the logistics gradually couldn't keep up.

It was originally planned to transport supplies through the river, but unfortunately it was now the winter dry water etiquette, and the British destroyed the river during the retreat, making the water transport a dream.

In this war, the biggest enemy is time. Viscount Fickney and his troops had arrived in Worcester, not far from Cape Town, and could be in the city in two days at most.

By the time the war had progressed, the British had abandoned their defensive lines along the way to concentrate on the defense of Cape Town.

Cape Town is now heavily armed, and British reinforcements are still coming. If the war cannot be ended within this year, then it means that the battle plan is bankrupt.

The advantage of sea power is such a cow, John Bull relies on sea transportation and supplies, and supplies are not a problem at all.

Austria, on the other hand, had to rely on horse-drawn carts and ox-carts to transport supplies, and the troops that could be put into this offensive and defensive battle were extremely limited.

If you can't make a time difference, end the war before the main force of the British army is assembled, and the offensive and defensive forces behind will be reversed.

"The first supplies will arrive tomorrow evening; The second shipment is expected to arrive in a week. ”

The answer to the question was a young officer, about twenty years old, with a sonorous voice and a military uniform that looked particularly energetic, as if it had been tailor-made for him.

After thinking about it in his heart, Viscount Fikney ordered: "Urge the logistics department again, and transport the supplies as soon as possible at all costs."

The 2nd Engineer Regiment was ordered to dredge the river along the way as soon as possible. Allowing them to recruit indigenous laborers on the spot must be done this dry season! ”

Viscount Fickney is no longer a second-year teenager, and the credit for conquering Cape Town is certainly tempting, but this war is not easy to fight.

If it weren't for the previous war that had knocked down the morale of the British, he would not have launched this winter offensive.

Now the British are concentrating their forces around Cape Town, and they have gathered an army of more than 85,000 men in this area of more than 1,000 square kilometers.

Most of them were white troops, and the cannon fodder units were basically exhausted in the previous battles, and it was too late to replenish them.

In this respect, the Governor of Delphi is qualified. Although the city was lost, the main force was retained.

For Viscount Fikney, this is not a good thing. The enemy on the opposite side is an old fritter who is slippery, and he will not have a main decisive battle with him at all.

In a war, the first winner is not the winner, but the last winner is the real winner. In order not to be overturned by the British, Viscount Fickney is also preparing aftermath measures.

Dredging the river is one of them, as long as the logistics and transportation are ensured. Even if the British won the Battle of Cape Town, they would at most keep the Cape of Good Hope.

If you want to counterattack back, first expand the British Army by two or three times! Otherwise, the pocket-sized version of the army will not be enough to fill this hole.

"Yes, Your Excellency, Commander."

As soon as the words fell, a young officer got up, walked dozens of meters away, and picked up the phone to convey the order.

True, the phone has already appeared in the army. As in many countries, state-of-the-art technology is often used in the military before appearing in the civilian sector.

Because of the war, the telephone was also brought into the army of the "Boer Republic". It's just that it appeared for too short a time, and was only used as a short-distance information transmission tool, and telegraphy was still used for long distances.

Contacts within the command have now been replaced by telephones. Originally, the heralds needed to make a trip, but now they are directly notified by phone.

After the sound of "Didi, Didi, Didi, ......", the phone of the logistics department was connected, and the young officer quickly conveyed the order, and then connected to the engineering headquarters......

After a moment's pause, an army staff officer proposed: "Your Excellency, the Cape Town offensive and defensive battle is not easy to fight this time. In order to reduce losses, I propose to recruit as many cannon fodder troops as possible.

If the attack is blocked, it will be filled directly with human lives. We can also learn from the experience of the Russians in attacking St. Petersburg. ”

It's not the best way, but it's the most effective. The Viennese government of heavy artillery had long been ready and was already on its way to transport.

While using heavy artillery to attack the city, it is naturally indispensable to fill it with human lives. Don't look at everyone in the vest of the army of the "Boer Republic", in fact, it is still Austrian troops.

It is certainly impossible to fill these troops up. Moreover, there are not enough of them. Even now, there are only about 40,000 people.

Fortunately, the British army on the opposite side was not much better, it seemed to be outnumbered, and the actual number of regular troops was only twenty or thirty thousand.

The rest are either young and strong people who have been temporarily recruited, or colonial troops from all over the country, and the situation of indiscriminate filling is very serious.

In addition, the continuous defeats made the morale of the army completely demoralized, and they were pressed and beaten by Austria.

Without any hesitation, Viscount Fikney gave the order: "Order the Third Division to go out and recruit troops, and recruit all the young and strong people of all tribes that appear in their line of sight, and those who violate them will be killed." Remember to collect another part of the grain to reduce the logistical pressure as much as possible. ”

Ruthless, this is a must for a colonizer. Viscount Fikney didn't care what the consequences of this order would be, as long as he could win the war.

……

The city of Cape Town is now in fear. Governor Delphi gave several speeches to boost morale, but his words were not convincing in the light of his past achievements.

The "200,000" Boer Republic army is about to arrive in the city, how can the people in the city not panic, the rich people have already left by boat.

Those who have no money are also ready to drag their families and go to the Cape of Good Hope area to avoid trouble. Despite the fact that the two places are not far apart, Cape Town will not be able to survive the loss of Cape of Good Hope.

But it's always good to stay away from the enemy, at least for the time being.

The Pringer family was also among the people who were sheltering from the disaster, and because the family was poor and could not afford a carriage, they could only rely on manpower to propel the wheelbarrow forward.

On the way to escape, there are many such families. Armed with what few possessions you have, escape Cape Town and head to the Cape of Good Hope.

"Pringer, you've been drafted, hurry up and report to our troops!"

A familiar voice rang out, and Pringer fell into hell. It was this voice that sent his three sons to the battlefield, and now their lives and deaths are unknown.

Pringer hurriedly explained: "Dear Sergeant Amber, I am 48 years old, long past the age of military service, and I am not included in the draft. ”

His sons have all served in the army, and now he can't go anymore, and what if the pillars of the family are gone, and the three young grandchildren?

In this era, women's salaries are much lower than men's, and it is difficult for them to support their children.

Sergeant Amber sighed, suppressed the shred of conscience in his heart, and scolded sharply: "Two hundred thousand enemy troops are pressing the border, and Cape Town is in crisis."

In order to defend Cape Town, the Governor's Office has just issued a new decree extending the length of service to 55 years.

If you don't want to serve, you pay £50 for immunisation. If you don't have money, you don't have to talk nonsense, and it's useless to talk to me. ”

This was clearly not an order from the Governor of Delphi, and as a qualified politician, he could not have given such a heartless order.

People in this era age quickly, and it is difficult for them to function on the battlefield when they get older. The recruitment order of the Governor's Palace is only for young people aged 18~40, and there is no interest in the old and weak.

It's just that the officials below changed the rules in order to collect money, and the rich people spent money to escape military service, and someone needed to fill this shortfall.

Pringer, who couldn't afford it, had to be forced to enlist in the army. This is also his bad luck, if he runs fast enough, he may have escaped a catastrophe.

In this era of war and chaos, there is no Pringer and other unlucky people on top, in short, it is enough to get enough people, and it doesn't matter who the specific people who serve are.

"Two hundred thousand" This is what Viscount Fikney called himself, and the Boer Republic, with a population of less than 200,000, was able to gather 200,000 troops, it is not known.

Anyway, the Governor of Delphi swore that there were 200,000 enemies. Yes, there can be no doubt that the Boers defeated them by being outnumbered.

The telegrams to the government in London said so, and the colony of Cape Town was no exception. As long as he doesn't want to be a scapegoat for the defeat in this war, he has to make sure that number is real.

The British people are not intolerant of defeat, and it is forgivable to fail once in a while when the enemy is strong and we are weak.

It's all about propaganda, and the Governor of Delphi is clearly good at self-packaging. The responsibility for the defeat of the war has been pushed to the core.

Otherwise, the government of London would have changed long ago, and no one could tolerate a governor who kept failing. Especially a restless governor who took the initiative to provoke war.

The middle-aged officer reported: "Your Excellency, the new round of conscription has been completed, this time a total of 8,000 soldiers. ”

Governor Delphi nodded, and said compassionately, "Very well, you have done a very good job. It's just that the people of Cape Town are suffering, and this time they need to make sacrifices for the Empire. ”

At this moment, the Governor of Delphi looked less like a treacherous politician and more like a compassionate Madonna.

An official immediately cooperated: "There is no way either, the enemy is menacing, and once Cape Town is lost, no one can hide."

Now people are also enlisting in the army to protect their families from the suffering of war.

Your Excellency the Governor, don't be too sad, the sacrifices of the people are worth it, and I believe you will understand your painstaking efforts. ”

The Governor of Delphi, who seemed to be possessed by the actor, shook his head and said: "It doesn't matter what the people think of me, it's all for the Empire.

As long as I can keep Cape Town, even if I were to die right now, I won't frown.

I have decided to live and die with Cape Town. This is my suicide note, and if I unfortunately die on the battlefield, I will ask you to help hand it over to my family. ”

The scene was very sensational, and everyone was moved. However, this was only superficial, and it was clear to everyone that once Cape Town was lost, the Governor of Delphi who had started the war would be finished.

Returning to London alive is also indispensable to a military court. He will spend the rest of his life in prison, and his family will not be able to hold his head up.

The best option is to die on the battlefield, then the situation changes in an instant. Even for the sake of political propaganda, the London government will turn him into a "tragic hero".

The Governor of Delphi knew all about this, and even knew that even if Cape Town was kept, he would not have good fruit to eat.

In order to alleviate the responsibility, now he must act in this bitter drama and portray himself as a "hero".