Chapter 495: Preparing for the Counterattack
With the watchful eyes of old foxes like Britain and France upon him, Ernst did feel some pressure. However, East Africa's strength lay precisely in the fact that it was backed by its "big brothers" Germany and Austria-Hungary. That meant Britain and France couldn't push too far. Still, relying on others was never enough. Germany and Austria's favoritism was a gesture of goodwill—if East Africa couldn't stand on its own, all that support would be meaningless. In the end, strength spoke loudest.
This war also marked East Africa's true emergence on the global stage. Though the region had existed for over a decade, it had always kept a low profile, practically invisible on the world scene. But Britain and France's coordinated stance against East Africa—and East Africa's sudden head-on clash with Portugal—shifted international attention toward the African continent.
With interest in Africa rising sharply, countries began realizing that quite a few players had already staked claims there. Besides East Africa, even smaller nations like Italy and Belgium had carved out their own colonies.
Poor Italy—once a great power in the previous timeline, now reduced by Ernst's actions to a regional player confined to the Apennine Peninsula. Yet despite everything, East Africa and Italy actually had decent relations.
That was largely thanks to East Africa's assistance in Italy's colonial venture in the Abyssinian Empire. Much like the early days of Hechingen's own royal house, Italy was inexperienced in colonial matters. It needed help.
The Abyssinian Empire, despite being dismissed by East Africa, was no small country. It had a population in the tens of millions and a long, rich history. Its decline mirrored that of the Far East and the Ottoman Empire—former great civilizations fallen on hard times.
Ernst chose not to absorb Abyssinia partly because its people had lighter skin than those from sub-Saharan Africa—just enough to make them tolerable in his eyes. More importantly, annexing Abyssinia wouldn't be easy. East Africa already spanned over ten million square kilometers, with a population nearing thirty million, most of whom had been absorbed through a mix of coercion and assimilation over the past decade. Abyssinia alone had over ten million people and couldn't be treated the same way as other tribal regions. It had its own culture, history, and international ties. East Africa couldn't apply the same tactics it used on "pure Blacks" to Abyssinia.
Most critically, after its defeat at the hands of the British, Abyssinia had become a British protectorate. Its new emperor had been propped up by the British. Attacking Abyssinia would be high effort with little reward.
Italy was a different case. It leaned pro-British and, after its war with Austria, was caught between Austria and France. Having lost much of its territory, it had no choice but to return to the British sphere of influence.
So with both Italy and Abyssinia aligned with Britain, the UK didn't interfere with Italy's colonization plans. Italy was more valuable than Abyssinia in Britain's eyes.
Still, Abyssinia didn't roll over. Its ties to Britain had never been strong to begin with. Becoming a protectorate had been more symbolic than practical—Britain fought a war and left. Abyssinia retained autonomy.
With Britain standing aside, Abyssinia chose to develop ties with East Africa and Egypt in search of support. Though Abyssinia and Egypt had been historic rivals, the Egyptians preferred Abyssinia to fall into regional hands rather than be overtaken by a European outsider like Italy. From Egypt's perspective, European threats far outweighed local ones.
As for East Africa? It played both sides. On one hand, it sold arms to Abyssinia; on the other, it sold food to Italy. Of course, the weapons it sold to Abyssinia weren't exactly cutting-edge.
Yet with support from East Africa and Egypt, Abyssinia managed to withstand Italy's attacks, despite Italy being an industrialized nation. The two sides reached a stalemate on the northern Ethiopian plateau.
With both Italy and Belgium quietly carving out African colonies, other nations began to take notice. For example, the Kingdom of Naples started eyeing Libya. Germany also set up outposts in Central and West Africa, though French interference hampered its efforts.
Traditional colonial powers like the Netherlands and Spain started tightening their grip on their remaining territories. The East Africa–Portugal war made them realize that a new wave of colonial competition was underway.
The Netherlands focused on the East Indies and South America, while Spain, besides fending off competition from Britain, France, and Portugal, had to deal with pressure from the United States and others. Still, Spain remained a relatively large player and could bluff its way through. Its size made it an attractive partner—Britain, France, Germany, and Austria all maintained friendly ties with it. Only the U.S. kept a covetous eye, though it didn't dare act rashly.
Meanwhile, Portugal was in a sorry state. With East Africa as its neighbor, it had no hope. The mainland was already weak, and its colonies were little more than afterthoughts for East Africa.
Constantino made a rare appearance to check in on the war. He'd been busy with irrigation projects and hadn't followed the conflict closely. The East Africa–Portugal war hadn't affected his enthusiasm for agriculture—he knew that Portugal was far too weak to challenge East Africa.
Constantino asked, "So what's the current state of the war? Have the Portuguese revealed their attack plans?"
Ernst replied, "Father, you're here. I've been monitoring the situation closely. The Portuguese have concentrated their forces around Lake Malawi and the Zambezi River. Looks like they're trying to cut us off from the interior."
Staring at the map, Constantino frowned. "The area between Lake Malawi and Lake Solon (Tanganyika) really is a weak point. Are we confident we can hold it?"
Ernst answered, "Don't worry, Father. We've stationed our elite troops there. Lake Malawi is under our control. For the Portuguese to reach it, they'd have to advance from the western shore, and we've heavily fortified that area. Combined with the terrain, not even a fly could get through."
"Good. But don't get complacent," Constantino cautioned. "You also mentioned the Portuguese are advancing toward the Zambezi. Are we ready there?"
"We received intelligence as soon as they reached Tete. Using the Central Railway, our troops are already at the Songho outpost and resting. The outcome of the next stage will depend on reports from the front."
"What if they fail? Will that affect our position?" Constantino asked.
"No issue. Our first wave consists mainly of Black troops. Even if they don't perform well, our regular forces are on standby. The 512th Division is ready to step in at any time."
Constantino chuckled. "You're really using the Black legion as cannon fodder?"
Ernst replied coolly, "As long as they can wear down the Portuguese, that's good enough. I don't have high expectations for them. Now that all our forces are in place, we can start directing the war according to our own rhythm."
With Portugal's strategy and direction now clear, East Africa could plan its counterattack.
"We've confirmed that Portuguese defenses south of the Ruvuma River are lax. If our Black troops keep their main forces tied up in the northwest, then our forces along the Ruvuma can now begin advancing south."
Ernst had long wanted to eliminate the Ruvuma River as a temporary border. Portugal seemed to be abandoning the area anyway. This war was the perfect excuse for Ernst to seize all of northern Mozambique, including the Lake Malawi shoreline—allowing East Africa to monopolize three of the Great Lakes.
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