CHAPTER 412: CHAPTER 89: STILL NEED TO INVITE DAD

The series of wars launched by the East Africa Kingdom in South Africa left the Cape Colony overwhelmed from May to July. Due to delays in transportation and communication, the news reached Cape Town a dozen days late, so while the southern frontline battles of East Africa ended in June, it wasn’t until July that Cape Town learned that one and a half states, Basutoland and the Zulu Kingdom, had been partially destroyed or entirely conquered.

Cape Colony Parliament.

"Gentlemen! This is just-received news from the front line, north of the Orange River. According to reports from the Natal Colony, a remnant force of the Zulu Kingdom fled into Natal Colony about half a month ago. They claim their king has fallen in battle, their territory is fully occupied, and around the same time, the Germans launched an attack on Basutoland, capturing its capital, Maseru, forcing the Basotho to migrate south. Next, we will hold an anonymous vote on the February proposal to establish a responsible cabinet in Cape Town." Presiding was Ang Oelsen, the speaker of the Cape Colony Parliament.

Thereafter, the members of the Cape Parliament began the voting process, concluding fifteen minutes later.

"One vote against, two votes against... The result of this vote: the proposal to establish a responsible cabinet in Cape Town has been unanimously rejected."

As Ang Oelsen announced the voting results, the hall resounded with intense applause, marking a major step toward autonomy for Cape Town that had been entirely thwarted by the East Africa Kingdom’s invasion of South Africa.

Ang Oelsen: "Now, I invite His Excellency the Governor to brief us on the current situation of the East Africa Kingdom’s invasion of South Africa."

Henry Barkley was quite pleased with the outcome of this meeting, as the Germans had indeed been quite helpful to him. However, a strong condemnation of the East Africa Kingdom was necessary to make Cape Town Parliament members realize the gravity of the situation.

Henry Barkley: "Gentlemen, I believe you have somewhat gathered information through various channels about the East Africa Kingdom’s invasion of South Africa, and some gentlemen have even fallen victim to this war. All signs indicate that the East Africa Kingdom is an extremely aggressive nation, and like Prussia, it carries a warlike instinct within.

Starting from March, the East Africa Kingdom suddenly attacked the Transvaal Republic. In the unprepared Transvaal Republic, they completed the occupation in less than a month. Soon after, the East Africa Kingdom invaded the Griqualand Republic without any justification for war. Almost simultaneously, the Kingdom of Swaziland fell, the main forces of the Transvaal Republic were defeated, and next, it was the Zulu Kingdom and the Basutoland Kingdom.

In less than four months, the East Africa Kingdom had eradicated three sovereign states and simultaneously occupied half of the Basutoland Kingdom’s territory."

Henry Barkley’s words plunged the parliamentarians into deep contemplation; it was too swift!

"Governor, where did this East Africa Kingdom come from? Why have we not heard about this country before?"

Henry Barkley: "This is an excellent question; it is our delayed intelligence that caused this major oversight, failing to realize the threat of the East Africa Kingdom, allowing them to rampage across South Africa. I can briefly introduce the specific situation of the East Africa Kingdom to you.

The East Africa Kingdom emerged from the former East Africa colony, established by the Germans in the Tanganyika region. The Germans began activities around Tanganyika circa 1865, but the exact date of their landing is unknown, and their development in East Africa is also unclear.

However, we learned from the Portuguese that in 1867, the Sultanate of Zanzibar became a protectorate of East Africa following a war defeat, thus inheriting the mainland portion of the Sultanate of Zanzibar’s territory. The current cities of Dar es Salaam and Mombasa were incorporated into East Africa at that time.

Meanwhile, the Portuguese also faced fierce competition from the Germans. According to the Portuguese, the East Africa Kingdom deployed about a few thousand troops on its border. Simultaneously, East Africa had annihilated several indigenous nations, known ones including the Kingdom of Malawi, Kazemb Kingdom, and the Matebel Kingdom."

A parliamentarian interrupted: "Governor, we just want to know how many troops the East Africa Kingdom currently has in South Africa and how many more they can mobilize. Do they harbor ambitions toward the Cape Colony? What if they suddenly attack Cape Town?"

This put Henry Barkley at a loss: "Uh, these few questions, how do I say this? According to our investigation, we estimate that East Africa’s forces in South Africa should number between thirty to fifty thousand."

Henry Barkley hadn’t even finished speaking when a commotion erupted among the members of the Cape Parliament.

"My God! Thirty to fifty thousand? That’s enough to wage a low-intensity war in Europe."

"Cape Town’s population this year doesn’t even reach that number. Our 1865 census shows Cape Town had 15,118 whites, 13,065 colored and Asian people, plus 274 native blacks. Even adding the surrounding suburbs now barely compares to the East Africa’s army number."

"Why did the Germans of the East Africa Kingdom suddenly appear in South Africa so quietly? The government should provide an explanation!"

"We don’t even understand East Africa Kingdom’s information and have to rely on the Portuguese—it’s outrageous."

"No comment without knowing the full picture."

"Beat that bastard in front!"

...

"Silence, silence! Please let the Governor finish speaking!" Ang Oelsen called for order in the meeting room.

At this moment, Henry Barkley also spoke: "There’s no need for panic. Though the Germans are powerful, our British Empire is the foremost in the world. Under the protection of the British Empire, even the German and Austrian powers must weigh their actions, let alone the little East Africa Kingdom. However, even so, we must remain vigilant against the East Africa Kingdom’s ambitions.

For instance, the Griqualand Republic is already our territory under Cape Town, yet the East Africa Kingdom has yet to respond, showing any sincerity in returning the Griqualand Republic. Maybe the East Africa Kingdom considers Griqualand just a small nation and is indifferent, but they are merely separated by a river from our diamond mines in Kimberley.

Such a situation poses a significant threat to us. Fortunately, the people of East Africa do not appear to know about the Kimberley diamond mines’ existence; otherwise, they might have crossed the river and claimed the mines as theirs,"

"Damn, do we not have any means to counter the Germans? Governor! Where does all the tax we pay each year go? Why is our military unresponsive?"

Henry Barkley: "Please watch your language, parliamentarian. We must note that the only relatively combat-effective military forces in Cape are the navy, but the navy cannot venture inland for battle.

Our land forces, as I believe you know, barely qualify as an army, and their numbers are pathetically low. If any of you are willing to contribute your mercenaries, perhaps we could have a fighting chance against the East Africa Kingdom. Or if a few years ago, funds weren’t withheld, I believe London would have sent more land forces here."

Of course, Henry Barkley’s proposal was impossible to accept. Asking for money was out of the question; after all, people came to Cape Town to make a fortune. Cape Town wasn’t a pleasant place, concentrating on farming and mining, the income was low, and the expenses high, leaving no energy for military support.

Besides, even if military funds were paid, the amount of forces London would dispatch solely depended on London’s conscience, and London’s conscience often translated to a lack thereof. Everyone’s push for autonomy was driven by the desire to pay fewer taxes! Now, facing the German threat, not causing trouble was already progress.

In all the bickering, no one could come up with a better solution. Since it was so, asking London for assistance became the only plausible recourse because Cape Town alone could not handle the East Africa Kingdom.