Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 327 Death of the Caliph

With Andrew's timely order, the 1st Colonial Division quickly rushed forward, delaying enough time for the infantry deployment of machine guns and artillery.

The ensuing war was simple, as the natives had no means of resistance under the heavy fire from Spanish machine guns and artillery.

It is true that they have hot weapons, but in the face of the huge gap in firepower, let alone a few thousand rifles, even tens of thousands of rifles would not be able to play a big role.

After all, the colonial troops on the Spanish side are all equipped with standard rifles. How can these indigenous troops have the ability to resist the Spanish army?
This encounter with the natives also demonstrated to a great extent the power of machine guns in colonial warfare.

Because these natives did not know about the powerful weapon called machine guns, they swarmed forward when attacking the Spanish army.

The Spanish machine guns only needed to fire one round, and the indigenous soldiers fell one after another. It looked shocking.

Of course, only the Spanish colonial troops were shocked. As for the indigenous soldiers who were being bombarded by machine gun fire, the only feeling they had was panic and fear.

How could the soldiers of the Sokoto Caliphate have experienced such a war? The other side used a weapon that looked somewhat similar to a rifle, causing great casualties on their side at a very fast speed.

The loyal fighters of this Muslim nation founded by jihad suddenly discovered that the God they believed in, Allah, did not seem to be so effective.

At this time, they could not care about their own beliefs. The native soldiers ran as fast as they could. Because those who ran slowly were all fed with Spanish bullets. Not to mention that smokeless gunpowder bullets were indeed more painless than pyrotechnic powder, which was probably the only good news for the native soldiers.

The current Caliph of Sokoto, Omar Ben Ali, was stunned at this time. He did not expect that the Spanish army had such powerful weapons.

What they didn't expect was that the Guards, which they were so proud of, collapsed in just a few minutes in the face of the powerful firepower of the Spanish army.

Hey, you know what, the training for the guards has really worked. Look at the fastest runners on the battlefield, they are all Omar's guards.

Because the Guards had a more abundant supply of food, these soldiers were physically stronger than ordinary soldiers, even though they were all under the rule of the Caliph.

At this time, Omar Ben Ali, the Caliph of Sokoto, didn't know whether to cry or laugh. Because these guards ran very fast, the more than 8,000 guards did not suffer many casualties.

But the problem was that the rapid escape of these guards caused the entire front-line army to collapse quickly. Although these 8,000 guards were saved, the remaining tens of thousands of troops, especially the more than 10,000 troops at the front, seemed to be in great danger of being killed.

The ruler of the country, who had only inherited the caliphate in 1881, was completely panicked at this time. He didn't know whether he should gather the troops and continue to organize the defense line, or bring the remaining troops back to Oyo Iboho and fight a street battle with the Spaniards in the urban area of ​​the capital.

As we all know, street fighting is one of the battle maps with the highest mortality rate. The complex terrain and layout of different urban areas will effectively delay the enemy's attack.

The defender who is familiar with the terrain can use it to launch an effective counterattack, causing huge damage to the enemy.

In a better situation, we can turn defeat into victory, force the Spanish army to withdraw, and win the war.

A worse-case scenario would also increase the casualties of the Spanish army. On the premise of preserving one's own army, there would be a guarantee for negotiations with the Spanish army.

Before Omar Ben Ali could make up his mind, the Spanish army had already made his choice.

As soon as he discovered the defeat of the indigenous army, Andrew ordered the army of the indigenous states to launch a pursuit, further disrupting the order of the retreat of these indigenous soldiers.

As expected, as the pursuers got closer and closer to the enemy's position, the native soldiers couldn't help but quicken their pace of escape, for fear that they would be left behind and become scapegoats for their comrades.

This caused the army of the Sokoto Caliphate to become even more chaotic, and it became almost impossible for Caliph Omar bin Ali to issue orders.

No one could integrate a defeated and chaotic army in a short period of time, let alone the indigenous people whose military discipline was already poor.

A large group of defeated indigenous soldiers fled madly towards the capital, Oyo Iboho. They rushed into the city, and some even ran towards their homes without looking back.

A few hundred meters behind these defeated indigenous soldiers were the pursuing state troops. Because both sides were local indigenous people, the pursuing state troops did not encounter any obstruction and entered Oyo Igboho so easily.

When Caliph Omar bin Ali saw that his country was doomed, he realized that his country was doomed.

Compared with the Spanish army who are unfamiliar with the area, these state troops, who are already their own people, will be more familiar with the terrain of Oyo Iboho.

In addition, since they were all African natives who believed in Islam, it was difficult to distinguish between the two sides. This also meant that the hope of the Sokoto Caliphate to rely on street fighting for its final resistance was completely dissipated, and it could only become fish on the chopping board of Spain and be slaughtered by the Spanish army.

"Is our country going to perish in my hands?" Omar bin Ali showed despair and looked at the pursuing federal army in the distance with some reluctance.

"Great Caliph, perhaps we still have one last way to save the situation." Just when Omar Ben Ali was in despair, a man stood up and still tried to save his country.

"Tell me quickly, what's the solution?" Hearing that there was still a way to save the current situation, Omar Ben Ali looked quickly at the person who spoke with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"I have two ways to save the current situation." The man saw the Caliph looking at him, and he was not nervous. He spoke his suggestions slowly and calmly: "Although the enemy has entered the city, these troops entering the city are all from our state.

The reason why they are against the country is very simple, the biggest reason is the originally harsh tribute. If you, the Khalifa, can personally issue an order to reduce most of the tributes of these states, it may not be impossible for them to rebel against the Spanish army.

Even if we cannot make them rebel against Spain, it will make the Spanish more suspicious of them, thus buying us more time and opportunities.

The second way is to seek outside assistance to help us mediate this war. The British who had trade relations with us before and the French who had contacted us can all become our targets for help.

If we can gain their support, even if we lose some land and population, at least we can ensure the continued existence of our country.

As long as we rest for a while, we may be able to fight back and regain our land."

"Will the reduction of tributes from most of these countries have an impact on our tax revenue?" Omar Ben Ali was still a little hesitant at this time. The tributes from these southern states accounted for a considerable proportion of the fiscal revenue of the entire Sokoto Caliphate. If we just give up like this, it would really make people feel reluctant.

"Great Caliph, now is not the time to feel bad about these tributes. If we cannot get external support and the armies of these southern states are still unwilling to support us, I am afraid we will have no choice but to let the Spaniards slaughter us.

According to the Spanish attitude towards other countries, our country will most likely be divided into several parts, and your title of caliph may be abolished by the Spanish at that time. "Looking at the distressed look on the caliph's face, the person who made the suggestion continued to persuade him.

When the survival of a country is at stake, anything can be given up. As long as one can preserve the country and one's own position, there may be a chance for a comeback.

Omar Ben Ali obviously understood this truth, and after thinking about it for a few seconds, he nodded with a painful expression and said, "Then let's do as you say.

Contact the armies of those southern states and ask them how they got involved with the Spaniards? Is their betrayal of their country worthy of the great God? Is it worthy of all Muslims?

Tell them that if they are willing to help us defend the city, I am willing to forgive their mistakes in this war.

But if they are still unwilling to cut ties with the Spaniards, they will be sinners of the country and shameful apostates! If they do not want to be punished by Allah, they should stop colluding with those damned Spaniards. "

"Yes." Although he was a little surprised at the Caliph's tough attitude at this time, the one who went to convey the message was not the Caliph himself, so the message he conveyed could be modified to a certain extent.

Therefore, the official who made the suggestion agreed quite readily. If they could gain the support of these states' troops, it would be no problem to defend Oyo Iboho before the Spanish troops entered the city. This also meant that they had to hurry up and successfully incite these states' troops to revolt before the Spanish troops arrived.

Many officials present were still confident in inciting the rebellion of the states' troops. After all, compared to the outsiders, the Spaniards, they and these states were truly their own people.

Although there had been a gap due to high tributes before, it would not be difficult to repair the relationship between the states and the empire as long as the tribute issue could be resolved.

As long as we can hold on to the capital, Oyo Igboho, and wait for reinforcements from dozens of northern states, this crisis can basically be resolved.

They didn't even need to seek support from European countries including Britain and France. They could have repelled the Spanish attack with their own strength.

After the plan was finalized, most officials of the Sokoto Caliphate, including Omar Ben Ali, were visibly relieved and some hope returned to their faces.

But soon, the cruel reality slapped them in the face.

The officer who went to instigate the rebellion of the Bang State Army never came back. It was not because he also rebelled against the Caliph, but because he was shot directly by the commander of the Bang State Army before he had time to instigate the rebellion of the Bang State Army.

This poor official who thought he could save the country ultimately lost his life before he could even say a few words.

Why are the armies of these states so decisive?

The main reason is that they are aware of the cruelty and selfishness of the Sokoto Caliph, Omar Ben Ali himself.

Although he had inherited the title of Caliph for only four years, Omar bin Ali had already shown a rather foolish and cruel side.

Originally, the tributes from the southern states were not that high, and everyone's life was acceptable, so there were naturally no major conflicts with the Caliphate government.

After Omar Ben Ali became the new caliph, the originally relatively peaceful situation underwent tremendous changes.

In his first year as Caliph, Omar bin Ali expanded the original 5,000 guards to 8,000 and equipped all the guards with hot weapons.

Whether it is expanding the army or equipping it with hot weapons, it is a huge expense for the caliphate government. Where does the money come from? Omar Ben Ali certainly does not want to pay from his own pocket.

He chose to let the wealthier states in the south bear the military expenditures by continuously increasing the tributes from the southern states.

In just four years, the tributes of these southern states almost doubled. Originally, the natives of these southern states had the best life. Although they were not rich, at least they could fill their stomachs.

But as the tribute to the Caliph increased, the state governments were forced to increase taxes on the natives.

This has also caused the living standards of the indigenous people of the southern states to plummet, and to date, a considerable number of people are unable to fill their stomachs.

You know, the Sokoto Caliphate had a population of nearly 10 million and a non-Muslim slave population of more than 1 million.

Relying on the labor of more than one million slaves alone, a large amount of food and income can be obtained every year. Coupled with trade with European countries, the overall living standard of the people of the Sokoto Caliphate is much higher than that of other surrounding African indigenous countries.

Under such circumstances, the southern states, which were originally relatively wealthy, were actually facing a situation of food shortage. This is enough to show how harshly Omar Ben Ali exploited the southern states.

Having already launched a rebellion against the Caliph, the emirs of these southern states had already made plans.

If the Spanish had some credibility, then what the Caliphate said had no credibility at all.

Even if the conditions proposed by the Caliphate government are fulfilled now, after the future war is over, those states and their rulers who once rebelled against the Caliphate will definitely be liquidated.

In this case, we might as well rebel with great fanfare.

If the Spanish kept their word, they could continue to exist in the Spanish colonies as a protectorate.

Even in the future, with the fall of the Sokoto Caliphate, there is hope that the area of ​​these southern states will increase, and in turn divide the territory of the Sokoto Caliphate.

On the other side, when Omar bin Ali heard that the messenger he sent out had been killed before he could state his conditions, the Caliph, who had been smiling, was stunned.

He did not expect that these states were so determined to resist him and did not give the envoys he sent any chance to speak.

At present, the armies of these southern states have rushed into the capital. If we cannot deal with them, the war will basically be over when the Spanish army enters the city.

"Is there anyone who can save the current situation?" Omar Ben Ali looked at the officials who bowed their heads and said nothing with a pleading look in his eyes.

It was obvious that the officials of the Caliphate government could not think of a way to save the situation at this time.

It will take a long time for reinforcements from the northern states to arrive, and it will take even longer to seek help from European countries. It is obvious that such an approach will not quench immediate thirst.

The army of the southern states, the only state that could quench their thirst, was unwilling to help the caliph. What did this mean? It meant that the supreme caliphate government in their eyes had become an object of scorn.

Seeing the officials remaining silent, Omar Ben Ali knew that the situation was already hopeless.

He was silent, his eyes suddenly became calm, and after looking at all the officials, he said word by word: "Since you have no way to save the situation, you might as well surrender to the Spaniards.

I hope the Spaniards will be civilized enough to let you live. As for me, the great Caliph of Sokoto, I will live and die with my country.

May God bless you and may the people of Sokoto be free from the scourge of war!"

After saying this, Omar Ben Ali returned to his palace with a calm expression, where there was a pistol that belonged to the Caliph himself.

Originally this pistol was just a decoration, but now it has its own function, which is to allow the Caliph to end his life with dignity.

After hearing the Caliph's final farewell, the officials present showed a hint of emotion in their eyes, and some of their throats moved, but no words were uttered.

Obviously, they panicked at this critical moment. Although some people wanted to save the Caliphate, what could they do?

Apart from praying that the Spaniards would not kill innocent people after entering the city, did they also expect the Spaniards to let them and the Caliph go?

Obviously this is impossible. Although Europeans claim to be civilized, their colonization has always been cruel and bloody.

Not to mention letting the Caliph and his officials go, the Spanish could have been considered merciful if they had killed fewer Sokoto people.

5000 words two-in-one chapter, please vote for me!



(End of this chapter)