The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1590 The Battle of Madagascar (Part 2)
Frederick also learned from the prisoners that Lanavarona I was trying to replicate firearms and wanted to learn about European military technology from the prisoners.

This is why these people survived; however, most of the prisoners knew very little about gun manufacturing technology and could not provide much intelligence or technology even under severe torture.

By this time, the Kingdom of Imerina was already able to manufacture simple firearms, but these improvised weapons had very poor range and quality, and this was not entirely due to the captives' tampering.

The main problem was that the basic scientific level of the Kingdom of Imreina was too low, and many things could not be produced. Even if the principles were known, they could not be manufactured, let alone reach the level of European countries.

The firearms factory in the Kingdom of Imreina could produce about five homemade muskets a day, a number that was clearly a joke to the Austrian Empire.

But another piece of news made the Austrian officers anything but happy: the Kingdom of Imreina had learned the rudimentary method of producing saltpeter from prisoners and was now able to manufacture hundreds of kilograms of gunpowder every day.

If the natives of Madagascar make good use of these explosives, the Austrian army will face great difficulties in this war.

However, Gablenz did not seem so pessimistic.

"Friends, don't worry. You must believe that this is not the first time that natives have possessed firearms. When we were in West Africa, we often encountered native tribes sponsored by Britain and France. Almost everyone in them had a gun, but they were still so vulnerable."

Today, our adversaries also have a high rate of firearms use, but the number of our soldiers who die from firearms is still less than the number who die from cold weapons.

They're just a bunch of apes.

General Gablenz was an experienced fighter against the natives, and hearing him say this greatly improved the mood of the officers in the Austrian Imperial Expeditionary Force.

After calming everyone down, Gablenz spoke to Archduke Friedrich.

"Your Excellency, please go to Bagamoyo and bring some more reinforcements."

"Is the situation really that bad?"

Friedrich asked, puzzled. He actually had a lot of confidence in the Austrian Empire's army, even though the current battle was a mess and the victory was not exactly glorious.

"It's really bad. I've never encountered any natives who can copy our weapons before. And these natives clearly understand tactics, are well-coordinated, and are much fiercer."

You might not believe it, but back in West Africa, three or five deserters could control a tribe of over a hundred people. However, the group of guys in front of us can't be intimidated by just a few people and guns.

Coupled with the numerous defeats suffered by other countries in the past, we have reason to regard them as adversaries.

Gablenz's attitude was very serious, so Friedrich did not question him further.

"Sending people back now will only get us a couple of weeks before reinforcements arrive. What are you planning to do now? Establish a position on the mudflats?"

"No, I will continue the attack as planned."

"Lay telegraph lines wherever you advance. If you encounter difficulties, wait for reinforcements. Don't be too impulsive in such situations. Our mission is to conquer this country, not to rescue anyone, even if he is Governor Tafi's younger brother."

"Understood. Your Excellency, I shall take my leave now."

Friedrich was actually somewhat disappointed that these natives lacked a navy; otherwise, he could have made a significant impact. As for Gablenz's concerns, he thought they were unfounded. The technological gap in weaponry couldn't be easily bridged unless direct purchases were made.
However, the new sniper rifle and sniper tactics that Franz had placed high hopes on did not achieve the desired results. Even though the natives were almost standing still and taking hits, it was difficult to snipe the enemy commander in the chaotic battlefield.

In particular, the large amount of smoke generated after firing is like a smoke grenade, forcing snipers to change positions or wait for the smoke to dissipate before they can fire a second round.

However, since the battlefield is also filled with smoke and fire, only the first shot has a slightly higher hit rate.

Overall, the new sniper rifles have a longer range, higher accuracy, and better handling, but their lethality is not significantly improved compared to previous sniper rifles.

Of course, it's also possible that the reference point was the indigenous people, but in any case, the test is basically complete, and the sniper unit will not participate in subsequent battles.

On the one hand, it is difficult to train snipers, and on the other hand, they do not want to continue to expose their strength.

In fact, the Austrian Empire's war ministry's estimate was correct; six thousand Austrian Imperial regular troops were fully capable of crushing the natives of the Kingdom of Imreina.

The arduous battle that Gablenz had anticipated did not materialize, because according to the War Department's plan, they could simply advance up the river and strike at the heart of the enemy's stronghold.

Therefore, the expeditionary force could avoid many troubles by advancing along the river, while the difference in strength between the two sides in a direct confrontation was huge.

Lanavarona I sent several waves of troops, but all of them returned empty-handed. Of the seven generals she had relied on, four had been killed in battle, and one even chose to surrender to the Austrian army.

In the end, Queen Lanavarona I had no choice but to send out her entire Black Armor Royal Guard, which was her trump card.

However, Lanavarona I lost this gamble. The Black Armored Guard was defeated by the Austrians in the battle, and due to their fierce fighting, less than one in ten survived.

Taking advantage of the situation, Lanavarona I's niece launched a rebellion, and the 63-year-old Lanavarona I was eventually found to have set herself on fire in a secret passage of the palace.

Less than a week after her coronation, Razakanavona I lost her capital, Antananarivo, to the Austrian army. Lacking the courage of her aunt, she chose to surrender.

The accompanying staff were unaware that Franz had already divided up the postwar interests, and they all felt that keeping Lazarava I, the puppet, would have great political value.

The Austrian Empire could have used this puppet state to control the Kingdom of Imreina at a much lower cost than colonization.

They were well aware that many of the Austrian Empire's colonies were losing money, since most nobles and officers held shares in the Austrian Imperial Overseas Development Company.

Furthermore, politics is a very fashionable topic in this era, and everyone enjoys discussing it and expressing different opinions to demonstrate their talents and knowledge.

With the assistance of Lazarnavona I, Gablenz finally found the long-lost Bishop Alfred.

Aside from looking somewhat haggard, Bishop Alfred hadn't changed much; in fact, he even had some more ornate ornaments on his hands and feet.

Later, at the strong insistence of Bishop Alfred, Gablenz and his party found the Prussian diplomat Otto von Bismarck.

However, the diplomat was visibly in poor condition. When they found him, Bismarck was in the stinking ditch of the Colosseum, dismembering a crocodile that had been dead for who knows how long with a crude weapon, while chewing on pieces of meat of unknown origin. There were also a dozen or so human and animal corpses nearby, as well as an alarming number of flies.