African Entrepreneurship Record-Chapter 809 - 113: Hardline Attitude
As the monarch of Portugal, Carlos I's unlucky days are definitely not few, but having East Africa as a scapegoat can resolve many issues. However, the future path for Portugal is likely tough, since under Carlos I's leadership in a previous life, the Portuguese government went bankrupt twice.
Now losing two important sources of revenue, Mozambique and Angola, and owing a large debt to the United Kingdom due to military expansion to deal with East Africa, Portugal's finances will only become more difficult.
And Carlos I's close ally, Prime Minister Frank, is not skilled in economics, and even his political maneuvers are very mediocre. Otherwise, Carlos I and his son wouldn't have been assassinated in the street in their previous lives.
The only reassuring aspect is Frank's loyalty to the royal family, which is more important than anything else for a monarch.
"Your Majesty, after this war, East Africa is unlikely to return Angola and Mozambique to us. We must be prepared to lose these two most important colonies! However, this might not be a bad thing for us, as it means getting rid of two burdens," Frank said to Carlos I.
To be honest, the importance of Angola and Mozambique to the Portuguese government is mainly in maintaining the prestige of an old colonial power. In reality, they don't bring Portugal much substantial benefit, and over the years, the colonies have been running at a loss due to defenses against East Africa.
Garrisoning troops in Angola and Mozambique for years is a burden that Portugal finds difficult to sustain. If it weren't for the British needing "cannon fodder" and the need for united fronts, East Africa wouldn't have had the chance to bully Portugal.
For Carlos I, these weren't the main issues; the big problem now was dealing with potential domestic political issues.
Carlos I had just ascended the throne and did not have a strong grip on domestic affairs, and Portugal, this European country, had a severe internal democratic movement.
A large group of Republicans was ready to overthrow the rule of Carlos I at any time, but this wasn't an issue that stemmed from Carlos I himself.
After all, Carlos I had just taken the throne and had not yet showcased his "iron-fisted politics," and the blame couldn't be entirely placed on Carlos I, but rather it was due to Portugal's long-standing political struggles.
With Portugal's continuous decline, the citizens naturally had little faith in the Portuguese monarchy. Of course, even without the monarchy, based on Portugal's performance in the previous life, no change would occur.
"Prime Minister Frank, the outcome of this war we can no longer change. Against a powerful enemy like East Africa, Portugal can't possibly organize more troops to reclaim lost territories. Therefore, for the small-minded ones at home, we must guard vigilantly and oversee diligently to prevent them from achieving their aims," Carlos I said.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I've been prepared for a long time. These are the hardest times for Portugal in a hundred years, and anyone trying to destroy Portugal's unity is my enemy," Prime Minister Frank said firmly.
Then Frank turned the issue back to the South African war and asked: "But Your Majesty, we must also resolve the issues of Angola and Mozambique. If handled poorly, it could still trigger new waves."
Carlos I said with a troubled expression: "At this time, we can only rely on the British. Send someone to negotiate with the British government; they must give us an account for the mess in South Africa."
This was intended to exert pressure on the British. Although Portugal did not perform well in the South African war, it was in response to the call of the British government.
And Carlos I himself intended to align with Britain in foreign policy, so as a subordinate, with interests harmed, naturally, he hoped the British would smooth things over.
Of course, the British government isn't easily trifled with, but surely they can't persuade the East Africans to return Portugal's two colonies, since Ernst isn't a foolish ruler; having won the fight, he won't allow England and Portugal to reclaim East Africa's spoils at the negotiation table.
France's "diplomatic" success in Vietnam can't be replicated by the British in East Africa.
...
First Town.
"Your Highness, this is the message from the British government in London. They're ready to talk with us and end the four-nation war in South Africa," Minister of Foreign Affairs Herman reported to Ernst.
"What price are the British offering?" Ernst asked.
Ernst wasn't surprised that the British were willing to negotiate at this point, as the East African Defense Army was close to pushing south into Cape Town.
"The British advocate for the restoration of pre-war territories of all nations and the signing of a ceasefire agreement among the four countries to maintain stability in South Africa."
"That's it!" Seeing that Herman didn't continue, Ernst asked.
"Uh, yes, that's it," Herman responded.
"It seems they still lack sincerity. The British and Portuguese can no longer change the situation in this war. Cape Town has less than two hundred thousand troops left, most of which are Indians and Boers. Does the British government expect Indians to stand up for them?" Ernst mocked.
To suggest restoring pre-war territories for the four countries is simply treating East Africa as insignificant. Of course, Ernst knew this was just a test by the British government.
For the British, it would be best to intimidate their opponents; there is precedence for that in the world. If they can make East Africa retreat with just words, it would be a "great" victory for Britain.
Ernst said: "Tell the diplomatic department to reply to the British government that East Africa won't engage in a meaningless war. If they don't come to negotiate seriously, we will claim our spoils on the battlefield."
At this time, Ernst certainly couldn't declare his position in advance, but wait until the British had prepared for a significant concession, then East Africa would lay out the conditions.
According to Ernst's psychological expectations, Angola and Mozambique were to be included in East Africa's territory, while the Orange Free State should be the main contentious point in negotiations.
However, East Africa would not place too much importance on the Orange Free State. Instead, they would make a comprehensive move by using British colonies like Cape Town as leverage, shattering British fantasies, and naturally making the British yield the Orange Free State.
As for Angola and Mozambique, those were the bottom line for East Africa. If the British were unwilling to cede these areas to East Africa, then there would be no point in negotiations; the war would simply continue.
"Of course, the wording shouldn't be too harsh; it should be standard and measured, otherwise it might be used by people with hidden agendas, potentially leading the situation to develop unfavorably to us," Ernst emphasized.
For great powers in the world, dignity is also extremely important, especially for hegemonic countries. Even though East Africa is the victor in the war, they shouldn't be overly arrogant. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
In this era of nationalism, it's very easy to arouse British public resentment, which would allow British hawks to use this as a pretext to continue the war.
And this clearly wasn't what Ernst wanted to see. As the war raged on, East Africa's losses were not unsubstantial. Just the military and civilian casualties in the war exceeded 28,000, with New Hamburg Port City suffering the most, having been besieged for several months and repeatedly shelled by the British, causing severe losses to New Hamburg Port City.
Of course, while East Africa suffered, it was entirely within a bearable range, and the losses of countries like England and Portugal were several times more than East Africa's. In the Maputo campaign alone, East Africa captured and killed over 60,000 allies, mostly consisting of Indians and Black people, which was the price the United Kingdom and Portugal had to pay for utilizing colonial residents as soldiers.
