African Entrepreneurship Record-Chapter 718 - 22 The Transvaal People’s Abacus

Little Pillotolius: "If the situation can indeed unfold as you say, it would be ideal. However, war is always full of unforeseen events, just like we didn't anticipate the East Africans' ambitions toward us back then, so we must not let our guard down."

"Moreover, we cannot abandon our original motivation because of the South Fett River defense line. Our ultimate goal is still to reclaim our homeland. If we gain nothing from the war and instead cower within our fortifications, increasing casualties, it would be a massive blow to our domestic unity and ourselves."

In Little Pillotolius's view, the greatest disaster for the Boers would be failing to gain spoils on the battlefield.

First of all, the Boer population is already small, and if a war breaks out, it could result in negative growth, so war inherently brings injury to the Boer nation.

Secondly, without territorial expansion, internal ethnic tensions would erupt. The Orange people are merely compromising temporarily now, but if they see no results, they will certainly rebel in the future.

The last issue is the debt problem, but to Little Pillotolius, it's of little concern. They're already indebted enough to the British, and even selling himself couldn't pay it off, so it no longer matters.

Of course, the British have already gained what they wanted, and the only remaining use for the Boers is to consume East Africa. Yet, the British focus, similar to Valspeg's, is indeed the Mozambique colony.

The Mozambique colony is the true threat to East Africa, situated near two of East Africa's major industrial areas. It poses a significant threat not only to all the important coastal cities in East Africa but also to its capital.

Although the British are unaware of East Africa's industrial investments in the Matebel Province, a random stroke of luck leading them there would be enough to cause East Africa distress.

Moreover, Mozambique directly opposes three East African military defense lines, threatening East Africa's three main military regions.

The most typical example is the Southern Military Region, which echoes with the Cape Town Colony and Boer Republic. East Africa's Southern Border Province is a narrow strip wedged between the British Natal Colony and Mozambique's Maputo.

If the garrison in New Hamburg Port City cannot withstand the pressure of this pincer attack, the southern segment of the Central Railway is bound to fall into enemy hands, thereby directly threatening the Hessen Province. Through Hessen Province, they could also threaten East African troops along the Orange River line from behind, or opt to advance north via the railway, invading central East Africa.

Thus, after Mbeya, the entire southern part of East Africa is at risk of falling, given the Portuguese still have an Angola colony in the northwest.

This is also why Ernst prepared to go to war with the Three Kingdoms only after the opening of the Hessen Railway, because even if the southern line of the Central Railway is lost, East Africa can swiftly support the southern front via the Hessen Railway from the north.

Previously, East Africa's Central Railway and the east were entirely reliant on Mbeya as a key node, but with the opening of the Hessen Railway, they can detour via the northern railway. Although it consumes a bit more time, it greatly enhances transportation security during wartime.

"Mr. President, rest assured, the Fite River defense line isn't so easy to break through. Historically, the attacking side suffers the greatest losses, and our defense line comprises fortresses. Losing one or two nodes won't affect the overall situation; we can still use these bunkers as bases for guerrilla warfare against East Africa, keeping East African troops busy once they enter the Transvaal Republic."

"Moreover, we still have numerous military facilities from the last civil war that can be used. However, our forces are limited, so we can only form militia groups to harass the East African troops as much as possible."

During the Orange Free State civil war, the Transvaalers and Oranges built many military facilities in what is now the Boer Republic.

Especially the military facilities left by the Orange people, many of them were built quite covertly, very suitable for guerrilla operations, which is related to the Orange people's initial weak position.

Furthermore, apart from Bloemfontein, the civil war occurred almost throughout the Boer Republic, and so did these military facilities. Thus, if utilized properly, they can indeed deal a significant blow to the East African troops. These facilities are also a valuable experience left to the Transvaal Rebel Army by the Orange people last time, thus this civil war was not fought in vain, and the Transvaal armed forces have grown.

"We'll take it one step at a time. I'm not worried about our Transvaal's fighting spirit and readiness; I'm mainly concerned about the unreliability of the British and Portuguese. If they compromise with East Africa, there's a risk they will betray us," Little Pillotolius voiced his true concern.

Valspeg: "Mr. President, there is no turning back now. Even if we don't act, the British will force us to fight East Africa. So much support isn't given for free but is to be forged with blood!"

From the start, this pirate ship wasn't something the Boers could just disembark from once aboard, and the Boers are likely one of its builders, with the British taking over, incorporating the Boers' plans into their grand strategy.

"That is exactly what we desire; the Transvaal Republic is our obsession. Even if there's just a one-in-ten-thousand chance, we must try. Even without the British, we will not yield to the East Africans!" Little Pillotolius affirmed resolutely.

Valspeg, however, raised one of his concerns: "Mr. President, the current challenge is that if we are to go to war with East Africa, under what pretext, when, and how do we make East Africa willingly engage with the Three Kingdoms simultaneously? It's infeasible for us to bleed and sweat on the front lines, while the British and Portuguese watch from the rear, and then pick the peaches after our blood is spent."

This is the dilemma faced by the Transvaalers, since the British reinstated the Orange Free State's independence, the Transvaal leadership has been troubled.

The three parties have always harbored ulterior motives, naturally hoping allies will contribute more while they watch idly, so ways must be found to drag them down with us.

Previously, this was indeed the Transvaalers' plan, but the British unveiled it early on, not giving them the chance.

"The outcome of the war still hinges on the British attitude, so we must pressure the British to assume responsibility, and not conspire to harm their allies. Solving the British issue will naturally lead the Portuguese to follow suit, especially since their real interests are at stake. However, someone must oversee them; otherwise, they might indeed secretly negotiate peace with East Africa," Little Pillotolius said.

This concern was overthinking on Little Pillotolius's part, as what East Africa desires most is to devour the Portuguese colonies, so East Africa wouldn't give Portugal the opportunity, even putting the knife into their hands.

Dealing with these non-native forces, East Africa dares not take them lightly and still must observe some international ethics. Being isolated internationally or losing international credibility is indeed unfavorable, as exemplified by Tsarist Russia.

Hence, East Africa is even hoping for the Portuguese to willingly present them with a pretext for war; otherwise, East Africa would have no choice but to shamelessly frame them.