African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 325 Supporters of the Ndebele People

There are still some differences between the Zhuhai Commercial Area and the previous Zhuhai Special Economic Zone. The reason why the Zhuhai Special Economic Zone was established was to attract investment from the opposite Macao, Portuguese and other regions.

The East African government did not consider this, but chose Zhuhai in order to gain a share of the market in the Far East and the South. The reason for choosing Zhuhai was that the places with good locations in the south had long been occupied by the British and French.

Behind Tangjiawan is Xiangshan County, and the current Xiangshan County is almost the same as Zhongshan and Zhuhai in the previous life, so the potential is still believable.

This belief is Ernst's own belief. In fact, his own people don't understand it very well. The current Xiangshan County is completely inland, and the coast is basically full of tidal flats. For example, Tangjia Bay in East Africa is leased to build a port. Several small fishing villages are engaged in local trade, and all infrastructure must be built with their own funds.

However, trade in this era is like this. It has only been more than 20 years since the Qing government opened up the coast, and the good places have long been occupied by Britain and France, such as Guangzhou and Shanghai. The inland, where everyone is jealous, can't monopolize it.

Looking at Germany in the previous life, it came late, so it had to choose Jiaozhou in the north as its base. In order to open up the inland, Germany had to work hard to build a railway, but when it was completed, the Japanese took advantage of it before it was warmed up.

……

East Africa, Matabele Plateau.

Lobengula still has some real skills. By integrating the military leaders of all levels of the Ndebele people under him, the Ndebele people, who are almost all soldiers, forcibly formed a rebel army of 5 people. [-] servants.

They seized the inland transportation bases set up in East Africa. For a while, the material delivery channels that East Africa conveniently built during the South Expedition were cut off. If these channels cannot be opened in time, the East African troops on the border will be trapped Food shortage situation.

Stewart personally went to South Salzburg Province, organized a counter-rebellion army of more than 5000 people, and sent down the Luangwa River. At the same time, he sent cavalry to inform the border troops of the Matabele Plateau to cooperate with the suppression of the rebellion from three directions: east, west, and south.

Bulawayo.

The capital of the Kingdom of Matabele and the stronghold of Lobengula.

The Prime Minister of the Kingdom is reporting the uprising to Lobengula: "Your Majesty, our military leaders in various places have completed their missions and destroyed 78 East African strongholds and wiped out more than 1 enemies."

Obviously this battle report is false news. If there are really more than 1 people in the interior of the Matabele Plateau in East Africa, it is impossible for the Ndebele rebellion to have a chance to start.

The strongholds set up in Matabele in East Africa are mainly for the maintenance of grain transportation and commercial roads. Each site has a maximum of 30 people, and some even have only single digits.

However, when Lobengula was in a good mood, he did not delve too deeply into this data. It is human nature to falsely report his military exploits. Anyway, the effect he wanted was achieved.

Lobengula: "Very well, order them to continue their efforts. We will drive all East Africans out of the Matabele Kingdom at once."

Lobengula has a very high spirit, and in order to seize the throne, he is also the master of the four directions for a long time to crusade against disobedient ministers.

That is, when he had just subdued all forces and ascended the throne, the East Africans came.At that time, Lobengula still couldn't figure out the reality of the East Africans, and the kingdom was in a weak period due to turmoil, so he could only watch the East African army enter the Matabele Kingdom.

The mighty East African South Route Army really frightened Lobengula at the time, but soon he discovered that the main force in East Africa was mainly facing Portugal and the Boers in the east and south.

At the same time, the East African Kingdom sent envoys to make Lobengula submit to the East African Kingdom. If they can monopolize it, why should they share it and pay tribute? This is intolerable for Lobengula.

Lobengula said to his subordinates: "The reason why these white skins can defeat the heroic Ndebele fighters is entirely by virtue of their firearms. Now we have also organized our own firearms troops. People, our Kingdom of Matabele will be able to win the final victory."

As a branch of the Zulu people, the Ndebele people are no strangers to firearms, and suffered a great loss in the hands of the Boers. Therefore, after the former king Mzilika moved to Zimbabwe with his tribe, he actively contacted the Portuguese to buy firearms , Form your own firearms unit.

This is even more so after Lobengula succeeds to the throne, but the supplier has changed from the Portuguese to the Boer enemy.

Although the Governor of Portugal and Mozambique is not very interested in East Africa, the strength of East Africa is indeed worthy of respect. Without local support, it is better not to go to war with the East Africans, which will only benefit the British in the south.

The Boers are different. The Ndebele people who come to trade with gold are naturally very welcome. As for the East African Kingdom, gold is important for you!

In the past, the Boers must have educated the behavior of the Ndebele people crossing the market with gold bricks, but the arrival of the Germans made the Boers feel threatened.

But let the Boers fight the Germans themselves, just thinking about it, the Boers feel guilty.But the Ndebele people begged, and the Boers had a way to test the power of the Germans.

The Boers imported firearms to the Matabele Kingdom through arms smuggling, and the Boers bought firearms from British merchants. Then the Boers smuggled across the Limpopo River and traded with the Ndebele people in the dense forests on both banks.

In just three months, the Boers imported [-] muskets to the Ndebele people, most of which were retired by the British Army after the Crimean War.

In the past, the Boers certainly would not have supported the Ndebele people so much. After all, they coveted the land on the north bank of the Limpopo River.

However, now that the north bank of the Limpopo River has become the territory of the Kingdom of East Africa, the expansion direction of the Boers has been cut off, and the Ndebele people have changed from an enemy to a chess piece that can be used. Anyway, the Ndebele people are the scourge of the East African Kingdom. I can still fish gold from him, killing two birds with one stone, why not do it.

The 1000 firearms is where Lobengula's confidence lies. With the addition of the original 6000-plus firearms troops, he can organize a firearms army of 10,000 people, plus the remaining [-]+ army. No matter how you look at it, you have a better chance of winning.

Lobengula was obviously misled by the Boers. He thought that the East African Kingdom, like the Boers, was the kind of white people who relied on the advantage of firearms to enclose land in Africa but had a small number.

But this situation only exists in Zimbabwe. The immigrant population of East Africa in Zambia is much larger than that of the Ndebele people in Zimbabwe.

It's just that because of the distance, the development of Zimbabwe is relatively lagging behind, so the manpower is small, which gave Lobengula an illusion.

Although there are a large number of East African troops in Zimbabwe, they do not farm their own land. As long as they cut off their food supply, they will surrender within a month because of lack of food.

(End of this chapter)