African Entrepreneurship Record-Chapter 678 - 366: East England Must Have a Battle

During the Berlin Conference, the resistance movement within the Orange Free State was thoroughly quelled, as the last batch of the northern Orange Free Resistance Army fled to East Africa, marking its end.

"The Orange Free Resistance Army was doomed to fail from the start. They were limited in strength, and the territory was too small, unable to contend with both the Transvaal people and the British. To win, we would have to take over the Orange battlefield, which is obviously impossible. The aid we can provide to the Orange people is already as much as the East African government can reasonably offer," Felix said.

In fact, the East African officials unanimously believed that it was quite remarkable that the Orange Free Resistance Army could hold out for so long, mainly because the present Orange Free State's depth was too narrow.

Once the British and the Transvaal people sealed off the Orange people, they would quickly achieve results, and the Orange people could not maintain production while fighting both the British and Transvaal.

Moreover, East Africa's aid was no more than a drop in the bucket, as East Africa was not a charity; it needed the Orange people to exchange resources for East African assistance.

"So, how should we handle these Orange people who fled into East African territory? They currently number over two thousand. These people have no possibility of reconciling with the British, but whether they are willing to be driven by us is also an unknown factor!" asked Southern Military District Commander Merk.

The Orange Free Resistance Army is indeed a problem because the Orange people have their own aspirations and don't wish to merge with East Africa. This must be clearly distinguished, although East Africa has its ambitions over the entire Orange Free State.

If it results in repercussions similar to the US and Soviet entry into Afghanistan, it would be counterproductive, so dealing with these Orange people who crossed the river to East Africa is not straightforward.

"The Orange people are destined not to be ours. The best way is to disperse them and integrate them into East Africa, eroding their national identity, or give them a grant to continue causing trouble within the Orange Free State and finally send them back to the Netherlands," Ernst said.

Ernst continued, "A forceful integration is unpleasant; those who wish to become citizens of East Africa must abide by the East African government's arrangements. I think not all Orange people want to keep fighting; a stable life is what ordinary people pursue. As for those who want to continue opposing the British and have strong nationalist tendencies, we will send them back to the Orange Free State, and let them be the British problem! As for the last option, we won't hinder it, as the Netherlands was once the sovereign country of the Orange (Boer) people. Returning to the Netherlands for redevelopment is also understandable."

"Your Highness, after resolving the Orange people, the British might turn their attention to us. After such a long war, the Transvaal Rebel Army has expanded to over sixty thousand, and the British have more than twenty thousand troops on the Cape Town border. Meanwhile, in East Africa's Southern Military District, our total military strength is just over sixty thousand. After integrating the Orange Free State, will the Transvaal people and the British take further action against East Africa?" asked Felix.

The Transvaal Rebel Army has grown significantly after prolonged warfare, and with the collapse of the Orange Free Resistance Army, many Orange soldiers have been recruited, making the Transvaal Rebel Army's strength noteworthy.

Moreover, the Transvaal people have the British backing them, along with two Portuguese colonies acting as agents. Looking at the clear data, the combined strength of the Transvaal people and the African Portuguese forces is not much weaker than East Africa; they can fully act as Britain's agent.

Of course, this strength refers to the number of active troops, similar to how North Korea, a small country, had over a million troops in history. The troop numbers of the Portuguese and the Transvaal people are evidently excessive, with both sides combined having around three hundred thousand.

While East Africa has many troops, it faces greater defensive pressure, particularly on the eastern coast and the north. Not all forces can be deployed in the south to guard against the Transvaal people and the Portuguese.

East Africa's advantage lies in its intact defense industry system, well-developed rail transportation (in Africa), and a powerful navy, which are East Africa's main achievements in the seventies, and also why Britain consistently holds animosity towards East Africa's rise in Africa.

The East African population exceeds thirty million (excluding black people), but looking closely at demographic structure, only over ten million are adults (the age of adulthood in East Africa is seventeen), and nearly half are female immigrants. The adult male population is over five million.

Moreover, many adult males might be over forty years old because East Africa has been established for twenty years, and the early immigrant groups are not young.

However, people in this era generally matured early. If East Africa lowers the conscription age, it can still achieve a terrifying war potential, and as wars drag on, East Africa adds new adults to its population every year.

"East Africa is the strongest in Africa, but it's not complacent because what East Africa truly lacks is time. Therefore, it must be cautious in the face of any danger. This is also the fundamental reason for the previous nationwide military mobilization, and East Africa lacks a founding battle; we have never truly faced a world power at full force," Ernst said.

As for Portugal, in East Africa's eyes, it is not considered a strong nation, and Portugal's strength is mainly in its homeland. Victory over Portugal's two colonies does not signify the strength of East African military forces.

Based on the process of the last East-Portuguese War, the state of the Portuguese army was not much different from a native state with a strong sense of resistance.

This can be compared to the Empire of Abysinnia, an old African "power" currently in a stalemate with Italy.

Italy's military strength is greater than the previous Portuguese in Africa. Even if Italy is disappointing, it is an industrial nation, and its core, the former Kingdom of Sardinia, has a much stronger industry than Portugal's homeland.

So, the original Portuguese strength in Africa might not be able to contend with native countries like the Empire of Abysinnia. Even the former Sultanate of Zanzibar could rival Portugal. As to the current military strength of the Portuguese colonies, East Africa has difficulty determining, mainly depending on the level of British support for Portugal.

"Knowing oneself and the enemy ensures hundred battles without peril, but war also carries uncertainty. Facing competition, one can never be complacent, and there must be a battle between East England and us. Even if not in the eighties, it will erupt in the nineties. If the British do not constrain East Africa by then, they will lose this chance completely. After the twentieth century arrives, East Africa will inevitably become a global power, altering the geopolitical landscape of the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic," Ernst stated.

As the maritime overlord, Britain will suppress East Africa while harboring illusions about its central and southern regions, and East Africa covets the geographic positioning and lands of Cape Town.

The conflict between the two is irreconcilable. In other words, even if Britain refrains from acting, once East Africa fully develops, it will certainly act against Britain's South African colonies.

This is similar to how America attacked Canada; only America lost, and thus had to continue choosing to hibernate under the international system established by Britain.