Wild North America 1846

In the first days of the early 20th century,
London, England
Downing Street Prime Minister's Residence

At the just-concluded high-level military meeting, it was confirmed that the commander-in-chief of the South African Expeditionary Force will be Lord Kitchener, and the next step will be to increase the number of troops to South Africa to 4 within 5 to 45 months.

Amid the rising anger, the House of Commons of the British Parliament passed the special war budget for South Africa. This year, an additional funding of 4400 million pounds was allocated, equivalent to 2.2 million Tang dollars.

Note that this is an addition to the original military appropriation.The Anglo-Saxon nation is roaring like an enraged lion.

Parliament has given the green light to further expand the war, Liberal leader Sir Arthur Balfour said in a speech to Parliament debating an increase in the war budget;

"The military operations in South Africa have suffered setbacks, and the heroic soldiers are still fighting bloody battles. What I want to say is that this is not the end but just the beginning..."

"The queen's government must take the strongest stance to strike back at those who oppose us. The dignity of the empire cannot be underestimated."

"Now... right now, we need to crush those Boers to death one by one like bedbugs."

Sir Arthur Balfour's tough speech won thunderous applause in the lower house of a parliament, and the special proposal to increase the war budget was passed with absolute votes, indicating that South Africa, thousands of miles away, will face a stronger storm advent.

outside the prime minister's office
The Prime Minister, Lord Robert Cecil, was walking in the corridor with Chamberlain, Secretary of the Colonial Department, and said, seeing Admiral Kitchener standing at the door of the Prime Minister's office, he nodded and said;

"Dear Mr. General, come to the office and talk, we still have time."

"Happy at your bidding, Your Excellency."

Three people walked into the office one after another, Lord Robert Cecil turned around and snapped his fingers, and said to George Emonton, the cabinet secretary who followed closely;
"Mr. Emonton, if it's convenient, a cup of hot coffee for each of us. It will make us feel lighter."

"Okay, Your Excellency, please wait a moment."

The Prime Minister, Lord Robert Cecil, walked to his desk and sat down, raised his hand as a signal, and said, "Sit down, gentlemen, where should we start? What I want to know now is...why Tang Guo People are fighting smoothly in the East Indies, but it’s our turn to struggle, where is the problem?"

Colonial Secretary Chamberlain shrugged his shoulders without answering, and turned his head to look at Admiral Kitchener who was sitting aside. It was best for him to answer this professional question.

Admiral Kitchener is a typical British gentleman, rigorous and well-organized, and has an in-depth understanding of wars happening all over the world. After a little thought, he said;

"His Excellency the Prime Minister;
Regarding the war launched by the Tang State in the East Indies, the military believes that this is a typical colonial expansion war, just like what they did in Mexico, Cuba and Colombia, with the intention of further colonial expansion to the Western Pacific.

It must be admitted that the timing chosen by the Orientals is very subtle, and can minimize the hostility from Europe.

It can be considered that this is an excellent expansion strategy.

The Tang State has always been like this. They have an Emperor Richard who is called the world's most outstanding international geostrategist, and a wise monarch who is enough to be recorded in the annals of history.

From a military point of view only
The geographical environment of the East Indies belongs to the archipelago that is separated and difficult to connect with each other. After the Royal Navy of the Tang Dynasty completely destroyed the poor sea power with few Dutch people, it became several isolated and separated battlefields.

Due to its location in the tropics and the fact that the Dutch colonists had invested little in infrastructure for hundreds of years, the roads were in terrible condition, filled with impassable swaths of tropical rainforest.

After losing control of the sea, coastal transportation also came to a standstill.

Even if they are on the same island, the coastal towns are difficult to pass through each other, and this gives the Tang army the best chance to defeat each other.

In fact

The army of the Tang Dynasty did the same. They adopted a step-by-step approach, conquering a town and consolidating a town, and then started colonization and construction, and firmly controlled it.

After several months, gradually occupy the entire island.

Due to the dense tropical rainforest, the Dutch army could not cross tens of kilometers or even hundreds of kilometers to attack the Tang army's logistics and weak points. This is also the biggest difference.

on the South African battlefield
Taking advantage of their familiarity with the terrain, the Boer cavalry often penetrated hundreds or even thousands of kilometers to attack weak links such as our army's logistics transportation lines, outposts, warehouses, and hospitals.

As a result, there were wars everywhere on the battlefield, a night of shocks, and our officers and soldiers were exhausted to cope with the passive situation. These situations did not exist in the East Indies. "

At this time, the door opened.

Cabinet Secretary George Emonton held a tray with four cups of hot coffee on it. He gave a cup to each of the Prime Minister, Colonial Secretary and General Kitchener present, and the last cup was for himself.

The British cabinet secretary is not a secretary in the ordinary sense, but the highest executive who manages 37 civil servants and has the right to attend cabinet meetings, a typical position of real power.

At the same time, he is also the close chief of staff of His Excellency the Prime Minister.

In this office, he is the second owner, so no one is surprised when he sits down with a coffee cup.

Hearing General Kitchener's explanation, Prime Minister Lord Robert Cecil was not satisfied. Every British Prime Minister is a veteran of the political arena, and it is not easy to be fooled.

General Kitchener neither talked about the previous general's command mistakes, nor pointed out the essence of Tang's army's glorious victory, but only briefly mentioned it.

Therefore, the Prime Minister, Lord Robert Cecil, frowned insignificantly and asked;

"Mr. General, Tang's army has captured more than 5 Dutchmen. The difference in geographical environment alone may not explain why the combat effectiveness of these Dutchmen has shrunk sharply?

Could it be that the tropical jungle has caused them so much harm?
In the frontal battle, should we learn from the strengths of the Tang army? "

General Kitchener nodded in agreement and replied;
"As your Excellency the Prime Minister said, Tang's army is indeed remarkable in many aspects, and the military has heard a little bit about it.

They pioneered the use of the armored chariot, a tracked motor vehicle covered in iron armor, in warfare.In the frontal attack, it can defend against dense bullet rain and cause a lot of damage to the place.

As an innovative ground weapon, it played a major role in the war against the Dutch.

The British Army is also researching this kind of armored chariot, but due to the short period of time, it is temporarily unable to provide similar equipment to the troops, which is quite a pity.

But we have the confidence and the ability to completely strangle the Boer farmers.

I plan to take a step-by-step tactic and build extensive bunkers and barbed wire fences on the South African battlefield to limit the raids of the Boer cavalry and stifle their space for movement.

And all those civilians who provided logistics for the Boers were thrown into concentration camps, leaving them without food, ammunition, and logistical supplies, and eventually they inevitably went to perish.

South Africa will definitely belong to the British Empire, which is the solemn promise of the military. "

"Well said, Mr. General, I am looking forward to this day." Prime Minister Robert Cecil said encouragingly.

In fact, his confidence was not that high. (end of this chapter)