CHAPTER 407: CHAPTER 84: TOUGH

Boer People’s Militia Captain: "General, you may not know that the Griqualand Republic has already become part of the British Cape Town colony. If we withdraw from Griqualand’s territory now, we can pretend nothing ever happened."

Naldo维奇’s face darkened: "Are you threatening the great East Africa Kingdom?"

"We don’t mean that, we’re just stating a fact. After all, it’s the British who call the shots in Griqualand now. If your country wants to annex Griqualand, I believe it is the British who would be nervous, not us."

Though the language was crude, the point wasn’t. Now, the Griqualand Republic is effectively a local government of the Cape Town colony, with decision-making power in Cape Town’s hands. Griqualand can at most strive for some special privileges.

This put Naldo维奇 in a difficult position. As he was pondering how to handle this situation, the main forces arrived from the rear.

"Naldo维奇, what happened? Why did your troops stop here and not continue advancing?" Naldo维奇’s superior, Brigade Commander Griffin, came over and asked.

"Reporting to the Brigade Commander! We’ve encountered a small problem..." Naldo维奇 recounted the situation to Griffin.

Griffin: "I see. You don’t need to handle this matter; I’ll take care of it."

Saying this, Griffin went to the Boer people’s militia: "Are you the soldiers of the so-called Griqualand Republic?"

Seeing their numbers increase gave considerable pressure to the Boer people’s militia. The Boer People’s Militia Captain took a deep breath and, with neither arrogance nor inferiority, said: "Yes, General, we are the militia of the Griqualand Republic."

Griffin: "Very well. Regardless of whether you’re representing Griqualand or Cape Town, the upcoming matters are not something small figures like you can participate in. So I advise you to lay down your arms and surrender to our army on the spot. Of course, you can choose to resist, but I, Griffin, never make things difficult for people."

As for Griqualand, even if it involved the Cape Town colony, Griffin didn’t care. At worst, there would be a battle. The whole world knows the German army is number one, and as a German nation’s East African kingdom, it is, of course, not lacking in this regard.

This was Griffin’s true state of mind. Prussia defeated France, the Austro-Hungary Empire defeated Italy, and the encouragement of German nationalism similarly influenced East Africa. Plus, the East African kingdom had been easily defeating opponents in Africa and hadn’t yet suffered a defeat, leading to some inevitable internal swelling.

Griffin was demanding that the Griqualand militia lay down their arms, and the Boer people’s militia of the Griqualand Republic exchanged bewildered looks.

"What are you waiting for? Lay down your weapons." At this moment, the militia captain spoke up: "General, we give up resisting, but you must guarantee our personal safety."

Seeing Griffin as obviously a tough character, even more so than the previous Naldo维奇, made the Boer People’s Militia Captain realize that the British couldn’t scare off this unknown East African kingdom.

Honestly, from the moment the large East African forces arrived, he knew that the initiative was completely in the hands of the East African kingdom. The strength East Africa displayed had already allowed them to contest with Cape Town.

The opposition wasn’t militia like them, who were non-professional soldiers, but regular troops like those on the European continent, evident from their equipment and military uniforms.

The Cape Town colony’s military strength mainly consisted of militia forces like Griqualand. Although Cape Town also had British regular troops, their numbers weren’t large, and in the eyes of most, a militia isn’t easily matched against well-trained regular troops.

Moreover, there were only a dozen or so brothers under his command, while the other side had several thousand. Even if they also had just a dozen, they would need to weigh their actions carefully. Unless he was out of his mind, he wouldn’t choose to oppose the East African kingdom.

Under the Boer People’s Militia Captain’s reprimand, the Boer people’s militia voluntarily handed over their weapons to the East African Army.

"Very good, you are a smart man. From now on, you can go wherever you want. Our people won’t trouble you any further." After confiscating the weapons from the Boer people’s militia, Griffin said.

Griffin did not care about where these militiamen would go, whether they would return to report or stay put. The East African Army wasn’t concerned about feeding them.

Turning around, Griffin said to Naldo维奇: "Now continue advancing the troops. Don’t stop until we reach the Orange River; this is the strategic baseline set by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Naldo维奇 said: "Commander, what if we encounter obstruction from the Griqualand Republic or the Cape Town colony again?"

Griffin: "What are you afraid of? Are you holding a worthless stick? Whoever obstructs us, convince them with your Dreiser rifle, do you understand?"

Naldo维奇 shuddered, saluted, and said: "Yes, I will complete the task!"

So, under the watchful eyes of the disarmed Boer people’s militia, the East African Army continued advancing toward the Orange River, stirring up clouds of sand and dust as they moved.

After the East African Army had completely left, a Boer people’s militia member asked: "Captain, what do we do now?"

"What else can we do? Of course, we go back."

"But now we don’t even have guns..."

"What are you afraid of? You saw the scene just now. They had thousands of regular soldiers, all with a fierce look in their eyes. With your thin arms and legs, do you still want to mess with them?"

"Of course not. That’s just courting death."

"So when something can’t be done, it can’t be blamed on us. Even if the president comes, there’s nothing he can do. The subsequent headache is for those big shots up there to consider."

The Griqualand Republic is just a small Boer nation, with a population barely comparable to a slightly larger town in East Africa. It cannot be equated with a true Boer state like Transvaal or the Orange Free State. East Africa can annihilate it with just a regiment of troops, making the continued existence of the Griqualand Republic a significant issue.

Don’t be fooled by the Griqualand Republic joining the Cape Town colony. In reality, it holds no value for Cape Town.

Griqualand is located on the southern edge of the Kalahari Desert. The east faces water scarcity in the Orange Free State and Transvaal, but it’s just a lack of water—some drought-resistant crops can still be planted. In Griqualand, water resources are a precious asset, and the little rainfall available is only for watering pastures, not even suitable for agriculture.

Cape Town’s acceptance of the Griqualand Republic was simply because Griqualand offered itself for free. After accepting it, the Cape Town colony found that Griqualand was actually a burden, mainly due to their government’s severe debt issues. Griqualand offered itself because of financial difficulties that made continued operation impossible, hoping to pass the burden to the Cape Town colony.