African Nationhood

On June 6, the rising sun shed boundless golden light.

A long queue stretched from the town of Bura (now Bujumbura, Burundi) to the distance.

On the armored vehicle at the front of this team stood a tall middle officer. He was Zheng Tong, the commander-in-chief of the Northern Expeditionary Force.

The legion commander looked at the plateau in front of him and shouted loudly: "It's all about meritorious service. Everyone, follow me on the expedition!"

The surrounding soldiers who heard Zheng Tong's shout also shouted in unison: "Might~wu, Might~wu"

The "powerful" shouts from the soldiers in front quickly spread to the entire expeditionary force. Their voice became more and more powerful, resounding directly throughout the entire lakeside town.

The Chinese immigrants in the city were delighted by the majestic military power of the soldiers, while the black workers in the city were full of fear.

……

The sun was getting hotter and Shi Hao's forehead was covered with sweat, but he knew he could still hold on.

Because he received preferential treatment, he could travel in an armored vehicle instead of walking on foot.

His butt was a little sore from being burned by the armored vehicle, but he still gritted his teeth and persisted.

They had set out from the town of Duma for more than three hours, and most of the soldiers on foot looked tired.

While marching in silence, suddenly a messenger on horseback rushed from the front.

"Rest, we will continue our journey in an hour and a half."

Upon hearing this order, the soldiers all had smiles on their faces, but they did not stop immediately, nor did they show any signs of confusion. They still needed further orders from their leader.

Qu Yijiang wiped the sweat from his forehead and said loudly: "Rest where you are and don't run around.

The cooking team hurriedly prepared lunch. "

The cooking squad leader immediately answered loudly "yes".

After hearing the battalion commander's order, Shi Hao immediately stood up and jumped off the hot armored vehicle.

Qu Yijiang also jumped off his horse at this time. He walked to Shi Hao and asked, "How is it?"

Shi Hao was embarrassed to say that his butt hurt from being burned, so he smiled and said, "It's not bad."

Qu Yijiang nodded, and then whispered, "If you have any requirements, tell me quietly, and I will arrange it for you."

Shi Hao wanted to refuse, but this was Commander Qu's kindness. He couldn't refuse, so he could only answer: "Yes."

After Qu Yijiang finished speaking, he went to express condolences to other soldiers.

Shi Hao is Qu Yijiang's adjutant. He follows his boss and learns how to lead troops.

Qu Yijiang walked up to the soldiers and laughed and cursed with everyone. Instead of being disgusted, everyone became more and more excited.

After all, his battalion commander is easy-going and doesn't like to put on airs, so it's not easy for the officers and soldiers to become estranged.

……

During this time, Shi Hao learned a lot from Qu Yijiang.

He found that this son of a general did not play tricks on people when he was enthusiastic, and loved to impress people with his sincerity.

Uncle Qu arranged for himself to be with Qu Yijiang, just to let him discover Qu Yijiang's advantages and pave the way for his eldest son.

Shi Hao appreciated this, but he also had his own considerations. Once he ascended the throne in the future, people like Qu Yijiang could be reused, but they could not be fully trusted.

After all, military and national affairs cannot be solved solely with sincerity.

……

The wide Rovuma River has fast currents because the rainy season has just ended. Soldiers have been crossing the pontoon bridge on the river. However, the bridge deck is too narrow and the soldiers cannot pass quickly.

In addition, 500 meters upstream of the pontoon, there are hundreds of flying fish boats constantly crossing the river to transport ordnance and supplies.

Simple docks were built on both sides of the river to facilitate the loading and unloading of supplies.

Seeing that the morning had passed, only half of the soldiers of the Southern Expeditionary Force had crossed the river.

Xu Chuan, who is tall and well-proportioned, has a sad look on his face.

The shorter, dark-faced deputy commander Ding Yibo looked at the wide river and sighed.

"We are on a very tight schedule for this expedition, and the river is really in the way."

Xu Chuan nodded, but there was nothing he could do.

"Commander Xu, should we let the troops who have crossed the river attack first, and those behind will be responsible for mopping up?"

Xu Chuan thought for a while, nodded and said, "That's fine. The troops who have crossed the river will form an attack column first and head inland."

...At around 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the army stopped advancing. This place was already more than 60 miles away from the town of Duma.

Soldiers from the National Guard need to repair the road to the town of Douma as soon as possible and repair bunkers along the way.

Because in this battle the military headquarters required the three armies to march step by step.

Therefore, the army does not use rapid push as a strategy, but advances step by step.

With the transportation lines and bunker groups built along the way, the escape routes of the East African colonials can be effectively blocked and trapped in Tanga, East Africa.

……

By the time night fell, several large enclosures had been set up in the campsites of the central army.

The pen is built with military tents, which can be connected into one piece so that there will be no loopholes.

The Nanhua Army had already popularized marching tents. Initially, the army would arrange special mules and horses to transport tents.

Later, cars became available, and now the army uses trucks to transport tent supplies.

These tents have two-way doors for easy entry and exit.

This kind of structure can not only protect against wild beasts, but also better spray powder to prevent mosquito and fly bites.

These things are hard to guard against, and you must be well protected when you come to East Africa.

……

Shi Hao was very tired after riding in an armored vehicle for a day, mainly due to soreness in his lower back.

After following Qu Yijiang to inspect the military camp in the evening, each of them returned to the barracks carrying a basin of hot water.

"The situation here is very rough, you have to adapt well."

Shi Hao smiled and said, "It's already very good. At least we still have a single tent to live in."

This is a benefit for officers. Their tents are on the inner side of the enclosure, while ordinary soldiers can only sleep in large bunks on the outside.

"Tomorrow we will be acting alone, you have to be mentally prepared."

Shi Hao nodded, "I know."

Qu Yijiang nodded, and then said sheepishly: "You wash your feet and go to bed quickly, otherwise you won't be able to sleep as soon as I start snoring."

Shi Hao had a bitter look on his face after hearing this, "Okay, I'll try my best to sleep."

After quickly washing his feet, he helped Qu Yijiang pour the foot washing water, then climbed onto the bed and got under the mosquito net.

"I'm going to sleep first."

Qu Yijiang nodded, "Okay, I'll patrol the camp later."

Shi Hao fell on the bed and hummed. He thought he might have insomnia tonight, but he didn't expect that he fell asleep not long after.

Qu Yijiang came back from the camp tour and found that Shi Hao was also snoring.

He chuckled, fell on the bed and soon began to snore. The two brothers sang together until dawn.

……

After breakfast, the 21451st Battalion began their solo attack.

Qu Yijiang handed Shi Hao the latest hand-drawn map he received from his superiors.

Shi Hao took it and took a look and found that there were four or five black spots within their attack range.

He immediately understood that this was the aboriginal gathering point that their troops wanted to clear.

……

The troops marched quickly, and they soon reached the nearest indigenous gathering point.

Qu Yijiang did not attack. This aboriginal gathering point was not large. There were only more than a hundred people, and his vanguard troops could handle it.

Shi Hao could easily observe the route of the small forward unit through the telescope.

These soldiers moved very skillfully and reacted quickly when encountering black natives.

There was basically not much confrontation between the two sides. It was a one-sided massacre. The whole process was over in less than 20 minutes.

The tribe's cattle, sheep, livestock and supplies must be taken away, and the rest can be burned.

Shi Hao looked at the gathering point engulfed by tongues of fire, and for the first time he felt fear in his heart.

He finally realized what kind of iron-blooded army his father had forged. How could such a team be invincible?
When he thought that he would be able to control this army one day, his heart couldn't help but beat violently! (End of chapter)