"Salute!"

The East African officers and soldiers responsible for defense affairs expressed their respect to these Germans.

Although Xavier and his soldiers were brutal colonizers, at this moment, they were returning to Germany to fight for their homeland, as Xavier and the German soldiers stood on the ship bidding farewell.

With the sound of the ship’s whistle, Xavier and his group gradually distanced themselves from the African coast until they disappeared from everyone’s sight, while the East African officials continued their discussion on the shore.

Commissioner Andel turned to the first Governor of Gabon territory in East Africa, Helder, and said, "The German army’s quality is quite good. Even the colonial troops have shown a high level of military prowess. I hope they survive the war."

Helder agreed, saying, "Our army was initially established in accordance with German standards. Globally speaking, the comprehensive ability of the German army is definitely first-rate, and perhaps only the French army can be compared with it."

Helder, born from the Defense Army, had studied in Germany and participated in the South African war. Back then, Helder was only in his thirties, so Andel trusted Helder’s words quite a bit.

Out of curiosity, Andel asked, "Senior Helder, where do you think our East African Defense Army stands among the world’s armies? How would it compare to the armies of Germany and France?"

Earlier, Helder had stated that the German army was of first-rate level, and only the French army could compete, which did not include the Imperial Defense Army, hence Andel’s question.

Andel does not believe the East African Defense Army is inferior, primarily regarding the army. As for the navy, the United Kingdom certainly firmly holds the world’s premier position. Without discussing the quality of the British Royal Navy, no single country can match its scale.

In response to Andel’s inquiry, Helder shook his head and sighed, "Oh, if you had asked me this question over twenty years ago, I would have clearly informed you that the Imperial Army surely was a world-class powerful army."

"After all, the Imperial Army was initially completely modeled after Germany. Initially limited by conditions, it certainly didn’t reach the German level, but later, as industrial and economic capabilities improved, it was no different from the strong military powers of Europe. Even compared to Germany and other top army powers, it wasn’t lagging behind, except in artillery where we had some gaps with Germany."

"As for the current Defense Army, to be honest, I, as an old-timer, can’t understand it anymore. In the past decade, a variety of novel weaponry keeps emerging, with mechanization, motorization, increased types and quality of machine guns and artillery, and even the establishment of an Army Aviation Corps a few years ago. I’ve been away from the army for so long that I can’t grasp the current Defense Army’s tactical concepts and true standards anymore."

"Presently, the Imperial Army can be said to have formed a divergence from other armies in the world, and of course, this change is certainly heading in a good direction, seeing the improvement in weaponry and army construction."

"But precisely due to the unfamiliarity with the current Imperial Army, I dare not make rash conclusions, and although the military of Europe and America hasn’t changed as drastically as ours in East Africa, it’s still quite incredible compared to when I served."

The combat effectiveness of a military ultimately still relies on process and outcome, namely actual effectiveness in war. As of now, aside from minor operations in the Persian Gulf region in the Beibu Gulf territory, the East African army hasn’t undertaken many significant actions, so Helder hesitates to guarantee the Defense Army’s combat effectiveness.

Most importantly, East Africa’s military actions in the Persian Gulf region have not been satisfactory. Although various constraints are present, there’s no doubt that the paper-strength of the East African Defense Army exceeds that of the Arabs significantly, yet it took more than half a year.

Of course, the troops dispatched by the East African Defense Army belong to the category of traditional forces, receiving insufficient domestic attention in East Africa. In contrast, the new-style army, equipped with cars, airplanes, and tanks, hasn’t had a single actual combat case globally yet.

Helder said, "In summary, our army is developing in a positive direction, and if forced to compare with other countries, I believe the Defense Army is surely above other national armies."

...

While the two discussed the combat strength of the Imperial Army, on the Balkan Peninsula, the East African Defense Army’s observation team was learning in the Austria-Hungary’s military camp.

Governor Potiorek was the main person responsible for Austria-Hungary’s campaign against the Serbian battlefield this time, and he was the same general who had been by Archduke Ferdinand’s side during his assassination previously.

The impact of Archduke Ferdinand’s assassination was extremely negative, yet Potiorek, favored by Franz, was not implicated by this incident at all, and instead became the frontline commander of nearly thirty thousand Austria-Hungary troops.

At this moment, Potiorek was receiving this group of "unexpected guests" from East Africa, which were organized by the East African Defense Army’s military observation team.

"General Potiorek, we’ll be troubling you over the next period! We have long heard of your great reputation," the head of the East African military observation team, Wang Lade, said to Potiorek.

Actually, Potiorek wasn’t excited about this group of East African greenhorns; the so-called East African military observation team was essentially composed of East African students studying at the Vienna Royal Military Academy.

Potiorek viewed that the battlefield is not child’s play, and this group of East Africans were just a bunch of drag, but since they came under the guise of exchange and learning at the front, backed by the royal family and East Africa, he couldn’t show them a bad face.

If these were some famous generals from East Africa, Potiorek wouldn’t have such a thought, but he underestimates these young individuals from deep within.

Yes, East Africa does have its famous generals and has received recognition from various countries, as East Africa had fought the tough South African war and had military achievements to show. Although the UK is not known for its army, its army is still decent as a world overlord. East Africa gained fame by standing on the UK’s shoulders, and the generals from the South African war naturally received considerable attention.

The saying "don’t hit a smiling face" applies here. Since Wang Lade was quite humble towards him while also flattering him, Potiorek’s attitude towards them improved slightly.

However, Potiorek still warned, "Observations and learning are certainly fine, but the battlefield isn’t as simple as a military academy playground, so you must stay at the command center and cannot run around the battlefield. This is the safest place."

Wang Lade agreed wholeheartedly. Staying at the command center of the Austria-Hungary army, although he cannot feel the intense atmosphere of war up close, still offers significant advantages.

The command center acts as the focal point of Austria-Hungary’s war against Serbia, allowing firsthand insight into how Austria-Hungary’s high command maneuver and instruct frontline forces.

This opportunity is indeed rare, considering it involves coordination and command of nearly thirty thousand troops, which involves considerable learning.

Besides, only in such large-scale warfare can one experience the difference between the battlefield environment and the usual simulated exercises.

Except for the South African war period, East African army personnel had hardly encountered such large battle campaigns again, and especially the military trainees from East Africa.

Potiorek continued, "Any actions must follow command, you may learn and discuss by the sidelines during our operations, but mustn’t interfere with our work as you young ones are still starting out with a long road ahead."

Faced with this group of East African youngsters, Potiorek naturally exhibited a sense of superiority, which led him to keep talking about his "rules" with the members of the East African military observation team.

Although the young cadets from East Africa were spirited, they indeed dared not retort against an experienced individual like Potiorek.

According to Potiorek’s arrangement, the East African military observation team was mainly restricted to the battlefield rear, watching and learning how Potiorek and his subordinates commanded and deployed the frontline combat forces.