The reports of the major newspapers on the Transvaal Incident and the Cape Town Incident caused a great sensation in both the government and the opposition, and the imperial court's purchase of overseas territories from Portugal in South Africa and its seizure of gold mining rights in the Transvaal were all revealed for the first time, and the vicious nature of the Cape Town incident and the strongly worded note of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs aroused a strong sense of national self-esteem among the Chinese people.

Demonstrations of various scales broke out in Guangzhou, Xiamen, Ningbo, Shanghai, Tianjin, Beijing, and other places, and the demonstration in Shanghai was the largest, with a procession composed of businessmen, workers, students, and citizens shouting slogans such as "severely punish the murderers," "boycott British goods," and "defend sovereignty," and a procession passed in front of the British Consulate in Shanghai.

The door of the consulate was closed, and the policemen maintaining order outside the door were lined up in two rows to prevent accidents, and on the balcony facing the street on the second floor, the minister in China, Wei Tuma, and the consul in Shanghai, Mai Huatuo, looked at the orderly procession with gloomy faces.

"Arrange it, I'll go back to Beijing tomorrow." Wei Tuma's voice was full of fatigue and helplessness, the two countries successively carried out public opinion guidance and made a big noise, it was a matter of time before war started, there was no need for him to continue to stay in Shanghai, maybe a war in South Africa was the best choice for both countries.

Zhenhai Road is also not clean, there are also demonstrations chanting slogans, but the team chose to pass quietly when passing through the Zhennan Palace, Changle Bookstore, Yi Zhengxing walked into the study with a telegram, and said loudly: "Father, Wu Changqing called to ask, do you need to notify the embassies of England and its overseas colonies to organize the evacuation of overseas Chinese?" ”

"Not necessarily." Easy to be content and reply without thinking.

Yi Zhengxing said tentatively: "The scale of the war will not expand? ”

"Unless we lose in South Africa, the scale of the war cannot be expanded." Yi Zhicontent said in a firm tone: "I have confidence in the first battle in South Africa. ”

With a slight groan, Yi Zhengxing said: "Since England will expand the war after winning South Africa, why don't we?" ”

"It won't do us any good to expand the war." Yi Zhizu said slowly: "The pace of our expansion has been too big in recent years, as the saying goes, we don't need to continue to expand, the top priority is to consolidate and digest the occupied land, develop industry, develop the economy, and recuperate." ”

Yi Zhengxing nodded, and asked instead: "In the current situation, will the war in South Africa break out in advance?" ”

"It's a bit hard to say." Yi Zhizu said slowly: "It is possible that the British will take the initiative to start a war in South Africa in advance, but it is more conducive to us to win the support of international and domestic public opinion, and we only need to guarantee the result." ”

South Africa, Maputo Port, the wharf fluttering high on the Daqing Dragon Flag declares the sovereignty of this port and this land, the harbor with the Daqing Dragon Flag ships busy in and out, a large number of food, machinery and military materials continue to arrive, the whole Maputo is busy and noisy.

On the north bank of the mouth of the Mabudo River in the southwest of the port, it is also a hot scene, countless black and Chinese are mixed together to build shore defense forts, Xiao Mingliang has to personally go to the construction site every morning and evening to inspect the progress of the project, once the war with the British starts, as the most important port of the Qing Dynasty on the east coast of South Africa, it must be the primary target of the British army, he naturally does not dare to take it lightly.

"The big shopkeeper called, the outbreak of war in South Africa is inevitable, and war may break out at any time." Xiao Mingliang stood on a small dirt slope overlooking the huge fortifications, "One month, at most a month, the main fortifications must be completed." ”

A month? Guan Changhai hesitated for a moment before saying: "In a month, the construction period is too tight, this hellish place is too hot, and the blacks are too lazy, and the situation of passive slacking is serious........" ”

"In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures are taken." Xiao Mingliang said in a deep voice: "Clearly tell them that they can't finish it on time, and once the British call, it will not be sweat, but blood!" ”

After a pause, he continued: "Also, the laying of the cable telegraph from Maputo to the Transvaal and the construction of the road must also be accelerated, and the cable telegraph must be connected before the war begins, and the road must also be opened, at least the wool road must be opened, and the carriage must be able to pass, otherwise the logistics cannot be guaranteed." ”

"We have recruited as many strong local blacks as possible." Guan Changhai said with a sad face: "However, black people are really not very reliable. ”

"Let the officers and soldiers of the army participate in the construction." Xiao Mingliang said in a deep voice.

While Maputo was in full swing for war, the British envoy to the Transvaal, Caststone, secretly arrived in Pretoria, and because it was not clear what the British were coming, the Transvaal President Pretorius Jr. asked Vice President Boggs to receive him.

After meeting with the British envoy Chefstone, Boggs reported to Pretorius Jr., "The British proposed to follow the example of the North American Federation of Canada and to combine the various powers in South Africa to form a Federal Republic of South Africa....... ”

"It sounds good, but it just wants to annex us." Little Pretorius sneered, "In the end, it came for our gold mines. ”

"If our country does not agree, the British will declare war on our country." Boggs said softly.

"What are you afraid of declaring war? Isn't there still a Qing army? Little Pretorius said unappreliantly: "In order to protect the gold mines, the Qing army will definitely actively resist." ”

Unlike most Boers who had no formal education and were limited to their own small circle, Boggs graduated from Utrecht University in the Netherlands, his wife was Scottish, and he was inclined to incorporate into the British colonies.

Besides, the Qing people are not good men and women, these decades have also been frequently expanded abroad, and the British are the same hill, once the war breaks out, whether the British win or the Qing people win the war, our country has only one result! ”

Little Pretorius rolled his eyes and said coldly: "If the British win, we will lose the country, and if the Qing people win, we may not lose the country, at least there is a chance!"

As for the war, it is impossible to avoid it, and if our country agrees to be incorporated into the British colony, the Qing people will also go to war, because it is impossible for the Qing people to give up the mining of gold mines in our country! ”

"Nope." Boggs said in a deep voice: "The Qing people may not have the courage to declare war on the British. ”

"You underestimate Qingguo too much." Little Pretorius said: "If the Qing people don't have the courage, the Qing naval fleet will not dare to send troops to the Persian Gulf, and they will not dare to sign a security treaty with our country, and they will not send 5,000 troops first!" ”

Bergston was silent, whether it was Britain or the Qing Kingdom, they were behemoths for the Transvaal, and they could destroy their existence by pulling out their hairs, and after a while, he said: "If war cannot be avoided, we should also choose to stand with the victors." ”

This is a problem that must be considered, little Pretorius nodded slightly, as a small country, they must rely on the strong, otherwise it will not be a dead country, and it may even be extinct! After a slight groan, he muffled and said, "Do you think the British have a better chance of winning?" ”

"There's no doubt about it." Boggs said loudly: "Maybe the Qing Army is stronger than the British, but the Navy is far from being the opponent of the British Navy, and it is the Navy, not the Army, that decides whether this battle is won or lost, and I am naturally optimistic about the British." ”

"I don't think so." Little Pretorius shook his head, "You can see that the navy is the key to determining the outcome of this battle, can't the Qing people see it?" ”

Boggs seemed to have heard a funny joke, "Your Excellency, don't you think that the Qing Navy can compete with or even defeat the British Navy?" ”

"Nothing is impossible." Little Pretorius said: "When the Franco-Prussian War broke out, no one was optimistic about Prussia, and what was the result? The Qing State dared to come to South Africa to seize the gold mines, and naturally they would not be afraid of the British Navy! ”

This is true, when the Franco-Prussian War broke out, no one in Europe was optimistic about Prussia, but the result was that France was vulnerable, but could this result happen to Britain? Boggs looked at him coldly and said: "England is not France, especially the navy, it is even more impossible!" ”

"Let's not argue about that for now." Little Pytorius waved his hand, "What we need to confirm now is the attitude of the Qing country, if the Qing people can ensure the final victory and ensure the independence of our country, we are worth the risk!" ”

Pretoria, southern suburbs, Qing army camp.

In the big tent of the Chinese army, Feng Zicai stood in front of a large map of the situation in South Africa with a cigarette and silently examined several black indigenous kingdoms, the situation in South Africa is somewhat complicated, and it can be roughly divided into three forces, the British colonies of Cape, Nata and Griqua Lancei, the Boer regimes Transvaal and Orange, and the indigenous black regimes of South Africa such as Xhosa, Zulu, Swazi, Soto, Wanda, Bedi, Tswana, etc.

The number of Boers in South Africa is not very large, the number of Boers in the Transvaal is just over 40,000, but the number of blacks is more than a million, and the situation in Orange is similar to that of the Transvaal.

The Marines went all the way west from Maputo to fight the Bedi entrenched in the eastern Transvaal, because the Bedi Kingdom was located on the road from Pretoria to Maputo, but it was all a small fight, and the Bedis in a primitive state did not even have the ability to fight back in the face of the well-equipped Marines.

Feng Zicai was not interested in the black indigenous regime, but at the moment he was in urgent need of labor to build roads and transport materials, the Boers could not count on it at all, the number was too small, and the only ones who could make up their minds were blacks, and now his troops were sweeping the nearby black tribes in all directions.

"General." The inspector came in and reported: "President Transvaal is asking for an audience outside the camp. ”

"Ask him to come in and teach him to translate." Feng Zicai casually ordered, after thinking about it, he strode out of the tent, at the moment many things must rely on the Boers, and the courtesy that should be there is still indispensable.

Little Pretorius rode his horse, and only dismounted in front of the big tent, and after seeing the salute and sitting down, Feng Zicai said with a smile: "I heard that the British sent an envoy to come?" ”

The other party actually knows about this? Little Pretorius was secretly surprised, and immediately said tentatively: "The British threaten to start a war...... ”

"Your Excellency, don't worry." Feng Zicai said with a smile: "The British are coming for the gold mines, that is, for our country, if there is a war, your country will stand by and watch, send troops to your country, and we will be ready for war." ”

Hearing this, little Pretorius seemed to have taken a reassuring pill, but he still asked: "Don't you need our country to send troops to help?" ”

Feng Zicai said affirmatively: "No need." ”

After hesitating, little Pretorius said: "If Britain provokes a war, it should be the navy that decides the outcome of the war, right?" ”

"Your Excellency the President has no confidence in our Navy?" Feng Zicai said with a smile: "My country has fought two battles with Britain, whether it is a naval battle or a land battle, and I have never lost it, if I am not sure, how dare my country come to South Africa?" ”

Seeing that the other party was full of confidence, little Pretorius completely put his mind at ease, in fact, the most reassuring thing for him was that the other party would not let the Boers participate in the war at all, as long as the Boers did not participate in the war, he had nothing to worry about, even if the Qing people were defeated in the end, they still had room for negotiation with the British, after all, they did not directly participate in the war, and the worst result was to annex the British colonies.

If they agree to be incorporated into the British colonies now, the British will definitely not let them stay out of the matter like the Qing people, and besides, even if the British agree, the Qing people will not let them stay out of the matter, and for the Transvaal, the best choice is to believe in the Qing people!

After receiving a telegram and learning of the Transvaal's unequivocal refusal to annex the Cape Colony, British Foreign Secretary Granville proposed in Parliament a bill to increase Cape Town to declare war on the Transvaal, and after debate, the Parliament passed the war appropriation for the Transvaal by an absolute majority of 331 votes to 202.

The parliament debated the war on the Transvaal Republic, which was established by the Boers, on the simple grounds that the Cape Town colony in South Africa was extremely important in maintaining the British overseas shipping routes, and that the Transvaal, which was strongly supported by the Qing state, was already a serious threat to the British colonies in South Africa.

In addition, the Kimberley, which has discovered huge diamond veins, is also under the threat of the Transvaal, and when the diamond was discovered, the Transvaal, Orange, and England fought fiercely over the ownership of the Kimberley.

Another is the huge gold reserves of the Transvaal, which must not be allowed to dominate by the Qing Dynasty, which will not only pose a serious threat to the South African colony, but also seriously affect the British pound hegemony!

On 6 November, Queen Victoria of England declared war on the Transvaal, and the British war machine was set in motion, with a huge fleet of 25 ironclads and 58 sail ships sailing for Cape Town.