African Nationhood

Chapter 265 Proxy War

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  November 1888, 11, Mapuchang City Council Hall.

Through previous coordination, Paul Kruger, President of the Transvaal Republic, Lucas Meyer, President of the Neway Republic, and Sir Swain Hannibal, the new colonial governor of Natal, gathered in the port city of Mapu.

Lucas Meyer is 48 years old, with thin cheeks, a thick beard on his chin, a shiny forehead, and very energetic gray eyes.

Governor Hannibal must be 40 years old. He has fat cheeks and a short, dark beard.

He is not tall, but his protruding belly makes his waist very thick.

As the host of this meeting, Shi Jintang lit up the cigarette ashes on his hand with a smile.

"The purpose of everyone getting together this time is of course for peace. We have been hanging out in southern Africa for a long time, and we have some friendship. I hope everyone will give me a face and live in peace."

Shi Jintang said these words with a smile, but Governor Hannibal directly expressed his dissatisfaction and said "hum".

"I just came here not long ago, and I have no friendship with you."

Shi Jintang was not familiar with the new governor. He only knew that he came from a noble family in England.

He wasn't annoyed when the other party didn't give him face, and he still smiled and said: "Just because we didn't have friendship before, doesn't mean we won't have friendship now or in the future. We Chinese believe in 'once you are born, and you are familiar again'. The more you interact with someone, the more friendship will come."

The British Governor was not willing to give Shi Jintang face, "The Neway Republic abused and enslaved the Zulu people and violated the agreement between the Natal colonial government and the Zulu leader Usudu chief Dinzulu.

Therefore, I cannot allow the existence of the Neway Republic. I must dissolve the Neway Republic and return the territory to the Zulu Kingdom. "

The British were very good at dividing their opponents. The Zulu rebellion in 1879 led to a war between the British and the Zulus.

Later, the Zulu rebellion was put down, and the British divided the Zulu Kingdom into 13 blocks, each of which supported a chief to serve as a regional leader.

When the Zulu leader Cetshwayo was allowed to return, the chiefs in 13 areas disowned his leadership, and one even killed him directly.

It was Cetshwayo's son Dinzulu who formed the Usudu military alliance to attack the Zulu chief who killed his father.

The Boer Lucas Meyer led 200 compatriots to help Dinzulu kill the regicide.

Then Lucas Meyer naturally obtained land from Dinzulu and established the Neway Republic.

Now that Din Zulu and his two uncles have been exiled again by the British, the Zulu Kingdom is once again leaderless and can only rely on the British again.

The Natal Colonial Government issued an ultimatum to the Neway Republic on July 7 this year.

The Transvaal Republic immediately stepped forward to express their acceptance of the annexation of the Neway Republic to the Transvaal, but the Natal colonial government did not agree.

Lucas Meyer found Nanhua Company and asked for asylum.

Shi Jintang immediately sent a message to the Natal colonial government, stating that the Neway Republic was under the protection of the South China Company.

The Governor of the Natal government, Terland, was transferred back to the mainland during a change of office, and the matter was delayed.

Now Governor Hannibal has arrived and wants to bring up old matters again.

That's why Shi Jintang called everyone to sit together and talk.

Seeing that Governor Hannibal was very powerful, Shi Jintang thought for a while and said, "Well, can the Neway Republic pay a sum of money to purchase this land?"

Lucas Meyer gave Shi Jintang a pass before coming here. As long as they could maintain their independence, they were willing to pay some blood.

Governor Hannibal ignored Shi Jintang's suggestion at all, "I have already decided on this matter. I will give the Neway Republic 15 days, by which time the Zulu Guards will invade Neway territory."

After listening to the governor's words, Shi Jintang was secretly happy. Boss Shi finally had a chance to fight a proxy war.

The Zulu people know nothing. As long as the British don't do it themselves, it will be easy to handle.

Paul Kruger looked at Lucas Meyer, "How many people do you have on hand?"

Lucas Meyer said with a bitter look on his face, "We only have a few hundred people."

The Republic of Neway is short of manpower. Although their land is close to the sea and has many tidal flats, there is also good land inland.

The plains at the foot of the Drakensberg Mountains near the border with Swaziland are very fertile, and they, the Boers, are very comfortable opening up farms there.

Just because they were used to enslaving the Zulus, the British found an excuse.

Shi Jintang held a cigarette in his mouth and looked at Lucas Meyer, "What weapons do you have in your hands?" Lucas Meyer whispered: "There are only some Mauser 1871 single-shot rifles with only bullets. Multiple shots.”

Shi Jintang thought for a while, "I have four artillery pieces here that I can sell to you. They are the British army's standard artillery 4-pounder and 3-pounder, with 6 shells and 500 kilograms of black powder.

In addition, I can also provide you with 500 Martini-Henry rifles, two Maxim heavy machine guns, and matching bullets totaling 10 rounds. These are enough for you to deal with those Zulu guards.

Boss Shi’s generous support gave Lucas Meyer some peace of mind.

"Thank you, Sir Shi. I am touched by your generosity. It is just the cost of these bullets..."

"It doesn't matter. You just need to accept your account and take your time. Don't worry."

With Shi Jintang's words and the ammunition and artillery provided by Nanhua Company, Lucas Meyer became more confident.

They Boers are not even afraid of the British, they are afraid of the Zulus.

……

Time passed quickly, and the South China Company launched an emergency transportation plan and coordinated the Boer transportation capacity of the Transvaal Republic.

仅用了12天时间就从哈城把4门火炮、2挺马克沁机枪，500把马蒂尼-亨利步枪和10万发枪弹很快运抵了纽韦共和国境内。

When receiving these military supplies, Lucas Meyer simply smiled from ear to ear.

These Martini-Henry rifles and Maxim heavy machine guns are brand new, and the gun oil has not even been removed.

The last step was to find an ambush location. With artillery and Maxim heavy machine guns in hand, they naturally had to find a commanding height.

After much thought, they built a high slope with earth mounds in the capital, Xinbao. In addition to Maxim, there were four artillery pieces on it, and the installation was very spectacular.

Everything is ready, just waiting for the enemy to come.

……

On December 1888, 12, more than 13 Zulus, led by officials from the Natal colony, marched toward the border of the Neway Republic.

When their team entered the country, they found no resistance, so they relaxed even more.

I spent a few days wandering around the Neway Republic like an armed parade.

Little did they know that the Boer rangers had already detected their movements and conveyed the news of their movement to many levels. The Boers at the ambush site had already been prepared.

The attacking Zulu guards and the British leaders had already relaxed their vigilance and continued to move forward leisurely.

As the information that they entered the ambush circle was conveyed, Lucas Meyer directly ordered, "Fire!"

"Boom"

A red iron ball broke through the resistance of the air and rushed directly into the crowd.

As soon as the bullet fell, several Zulu soldiers were killed.

Some Zulu soldiers had their arms knocked off or their bodies smashed by iron bullets. They did not die immediately and could only cry helplessly...

The muzzle flames continued, and the iron bullets continued to harvest lives. The Zulu guards did not know how to deal with these sudden iron bullets.

The spears and cowhide shields in their hands were of no use at all, and the white officials leading the team were so frightened that they hid for fear of being sniped by the Boers.

Suddenly, the ambush turned into a one-sided massacre.

Artillery and Maxim were responsible for the main force of killing and wounding Zulu guards. The British who led the team were either sniped by Boers or trampled and injured by horses or running Zulu guards.

Soon the Boers stopped their attack and began to clear the battlefield.

More than 1100 Zulu guards died in this battle, 3100 Zulu guards were captured, and most of the rest fled without a trace.

After Governor Hannibal of Durban learned the news, he immediately summoned the Natal Guard, and he wanted to personally invade the Neway Republic.

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  (End of this chapter)