Reborn South Africa as a police officer

Chapter 357 Messy Mess (update last night's update)

Compared with Johannesburg, Bloemfontein is indeed in a lot of trouble. The key reason is that there is no money. Johannesburg has gold mines that can be taxed, and the surrounding farms are gradually getting on track. There are also textile factories and woodworking factories that have been put into operation. , motorcycle factories, etc., can provide tax sources for the municipal government.

Bloemfontein did not have these conditions. People are actually easy to slack off. When the war just ended, the Boers did not immediately enter the state of reconstruction, but waited for London's rescue.

London has indeed fulfilled its promise, not only paying the promised grants, but also granting more loans, which gave the Boers the illusion that aid from London would continue. Much better than toiling away on a farm.

After London realized that the reconstruction of the Boers was a bottomless pit and cut off its support to the Boers, the Boers realized that the British government was not the savior, and everything had to depend on itself.

It's a pity that it was too late. I was used to sitting on the ground and taking money, and now I rebuild the farm. The contrast is so great that the reconstruction of Orange is extremely slow.

It is also self-inflicted!

On the day of the wedding, Rock got up early and changed into the dress he had prepared in advance.

There's nothing to say about the dress. Roque put so much effort into designing the wedding dress for Phyllis, but it doesn't matter to me. Fortunately, Roque's background is still good, and the dress looks imposing, and it matches Phyllis very well.

This day was doomed not to go well. Not long after dawn, Roque received the latest battle report from Natal. The Zulu ambushed the local garrison in Natal near Pietermaritzburg, killing 150 military personnel and more than 400. captured.

Rock held the telegram dumbfounding, who is to blame?

Originally, in the Second Boer War, the Cape Colonial Government and the Boers reached an agreement that neither side would recruit Zulus to join the war.

As a result, the expeditionary force suffered heavy casualties at the beginning of the war, so the British government blatantly tore up the agreement and hired a large number of Zulus to participate in the war by using the livestock on the Bull farm as bait.

At first, the Zulus were only used as scouts to serve the Expeditionary Army, but later, this rule no longer existed, and the Expeditionary Army would not spare even the police, let alone the Zulus. As a result, many Zulus took Take up arms and truly participate in the war.

Therefore, the combat effectiveness of the Zulu people was trained by the expeditionary force. The British government certainly did not expect that the Zulu people are now using the combat method trained by the expeditionary force to deal with the Natal garrison.

It's not just an expeditionary force. Don't forget that in order to deal with the Portuguese, Rock also recruited many Zulu scouts who served the British in the war. The combat capabilities of these Zulu scouts were further strengthened in Portuguese East Africa. Portugal After reaching an agreement with the Yao people, some Zulu people stayed in Portuguese East Africa and became part of the Yao people. More Zulu scouts returned to Zululand. Now it is estimated that many people also participated in the war against the Natal government. army in combat.

Relatively speaking, Rock is not worried about the Zulu scouts trained by those expeditionary forces. The Zulu scouts at that time fought in the same way as the conventional expeditionary forces.

What Rock is really worried about is those Zulus who fought against the Portuguese. They have a certain understanding of guerrilla warfare through fighting in Portuguese East Africa. The guerrilla Zulus were undoubtedly more difficult to eliminate and would cause more trouble for the Rhodesian Northern Division.

"Send Anton and Martin a telegram, tell them to be careful, don't underestimate the Zulus, they are different from those vulnerable mercenaries." Rock still wants to remind Anton and Martin as soon as possible, in case Anton and Martin suffered a loss at the hands of the Zulus for a while, and Narok also shot himself in the foot.

"Okay, I'll send a telegram right away—" Li De was a little depressed. The Johannesburg Police Department wanted to maintain the law and order in Johannesburg, so he couldn't go to Natal to suppress the rebellion. Li De was quite regretful.

There is a wireless telegraph in the baron's mansion, and Li De sent a telegram without returning to Johannesburg. When Rock arrived at the church, Li De also got a reply from Nyasaland.

"Anton and Martin have already taken the train to Natal, and now they can't be contacted—" Li De hurriedly walked, which had already attracted the attention of the guests.

The 150-person church was packed, and those who were eligible to enter were Roque's friends, subordinates, and officials from Johannesburg and Pretoria.

The outside of the church was crowded with residents who came to bless Roque. As soon as Roque appeared, cheers and applause rang out.

Roque greeted the residents with a wave, drawing even louder cheers.

Looking back, Rock told Li De: "Send a telegram to Pretoria, and tell Anton and Martin at the train station—"

There is no direct train between Nyasaland and Natal. If the Rhodesian Northern Division wants to go to Natal, it must pass through Pretoria. At that time, Henry can remind Martin and Anton.

In fact, there is no need to block the news. Among the guests attending the wedding, many people are equally well-informed. Before Rock came to the church, many people were talking about the war in Natal.

Unlike Rock, these guests were not clear about the situation in Natal, nor did they know the fighting power of the Zulus. As a result, when they first learned about the battle report, many people were shocked by the result of the battle.

In 1879, a war broke out between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom of South Africa. At that time, the confident British troops were attacked head-on by the Zulu Kingdom. The war caused 1727 British troops to die and 256 people were injured.

After the Zulu War, except for the second Boer War, British troops never suffered major losses in southern Africa. When the Zulu people in Natal began to rebel against the Natal government, many people thought that the Zulu people The resistance was short-lived, and when the army reached Natal, the Zulus would be vulnerable.

As a result, as soon as the Pietermaritzburg battle report came out, many people realized the seriousness of the situation, so many people linked the Zulu resistance with the Zulu War and the just-concluded Second Boer War.

Now everyone knows that the British government paid 2.2 million pounds in military expenses for the second Boer War, so is the British government ready to pay another 2.2 million pounds?

Everyone knows that it is impossible. The British government would rather give up Natal and let the Zulu people in Natal become independent, and will not launch another protracted war for Natal. Even this time, the British government will not start The mainland dispatched troops to Natal to suppress the rebellion.

When Rock came to the church, the chaotic discussion stopped immediately, but everyone's expressions were a little dignified. It didn't look like they were attending a wedding, but rather like attending a funeral.

Well, that's right, marriage is the grave of love.

"My lord, congratulations—"

"My lord, you are so handsome today!"

"Locke, long time no see—"

As soon as Rock entered the church, familiar friends and colleagues greeted him one after another.

"Thank you - thank you very much - let's have a good drink later -" Roque greeted Bishop Ilya.

Ilya is the head of the Protestant church in southern Africa. The last wedding between Henry and Lacey was hosted by Ilya. Of course, Ilya will not miss it this time.

Seeing Roque, the smile on Ilya's face was also a bit awkward. No one expected Natal's situation.

"Be happy, Father, the Governor has ordered the Rhodesian Northern Division to go to Natal to suppress the rebellion, and it won't take long for good news to come. After all, the Zulus are not Boers, and there will be no Boer War. "Rock took the initiative to reassure Ilya. If Ilya was so out of shape all the time, I'm afraid he might even say the wrong prayer later.

"North Rhodesia Division—is that the army that wiped out the mercenaries in the Congo Free State?" As a bishop, Ilya must be well-informed, and many things are not secrets in southern Africa.

Now it was Rock's turn to be embarrassed, but fortunately, someone rescued him immediately.

"Whatever his army is, as long as he can kill the Zulu!" It was Rock's old friend Marcus Beaufort who spoke.

In Johannesburg, if you don't consider Henry's family, among all the officials, Marcus Beaufort and Rock have the best relationship, and now Marcus Beaufort is still the Commissioner of Revenue, Natal's war and Marcus Although Marcus Beaufort is okay, the war will definitely affect the stability of Johannesburg, and then affect the tax revenue of Johannesburg, so Marcus Beaufort's attitude towards the Zulus is as firm as he is towards the Boers.

"Mercenaries and Zulus are still incomparable. Mercenaries are fighting for money, but Zulus are fighting for their homes. I am afraid this time it will be very troublesome." Immigration Director Ulysses Noel and Luo The relationship between the two countries is also good. Johannesburg was able to recover from the war so quickly. Chinese immigrants played a very important role. Ulysses Noel didn't care about the skin color of the Chinese. The British were white, but unfortunately they didn't want to come to Johannesburg.

As soon as Ulysses Noel finished speaking, many people nodded one after another, and the discussion became louder again.

It was only then that Rock realized that a group of people had gathered around, and the church was as chaotic as a vegetable market.

"No, the Rhodesian Northern Division is a very powerful force. This time, the training battalion of the Rhodesian Northern Division and 3000 temporary reorganized companies are going to Natal. The total number of people has exceeded [-]. The Lu people will definitely not be able to fight against the Northern Division of Rhodesia." Rock was determined, what is needed most at this time is confidence, and confidence will infect others.

"It's only three thousand—"

"I heard that there are more than [-] Zulus involved in the rebellion!"

"It's hard to say, 10 people must include the old, weak, women and children. For those who can really go to the battlefield, it would be good to have [-] to [-]."

"Ten to twenty thousand is not a lot!"

Rock's words did not play a role in stabilizing people's hearts, but the discussion became louder and louder.

It was in this chaotic atmosphere that Philip and Phyllis came to church.

　There may be four changes today, but I can't be sure——

　　

　

(End of this chapter)