The Rise of the Empire

Just when the prince was about to dig the foot of the wall of Austria-Hungary, the Boers and Americans were struggling to dig the foot of the British Empire with their hoes in South Africa, but how could the foot of the British Empire be so easy to dig? The Boers only had a certain advantage in the early stage of the war. Taking advantage of their strength and adequate preparations, the Boer army under the command of Kruger successfully brought the entire Eastern Cape region under their control. The descendants of the Netherlands eat pots of pulp to welcome the king's teacher.

The incorporation of the Eastern Cape region provided the Boers with continuous personnel and funds. Among other things, the number of people who can be mobilized has more than doubled! The warehouses, supplies, and infrastructure of the British army in the Eastern Cape were also taken over by the Boers. Although the powerful Boer army failed to capture Durban in the end, the port was also shattered by the war, even though the British still occupied it. However, it will take quite a long time and a lot of energy to turn it into a bridgehead to attack the Boers!

But the British who really mobilized still put tremendous pressure on the Boers. The war has been going on for half a year. According to history, the Boers have lost the ability of large corps to fight head-on at this time, and the mode of war will change from regular warfare to But at this time, the Boers, who are in full swing, are confronting the British army in a place called Bloemfontein after receiving Bavarian weapons and American support...

This is the southern gate of the Boer Republic, and it is also an important railway line junction for entering and leaving the Boers. If the British take this place, then they can use this as a base to go straight to Johannesburg along the railway line, or even Pretoria, the capital of the Transvaal Republic. Solve this war in one fell swoop, and if the Boers are stuck on this key point, then the cost of maneuvering the British troops who have lost the railway will increase greatly. After all, if there is no train, then all the equipment and supplies of the British army can only use horses Transportation, and it is obviously very difficult for a large army to cross half of South Africa to Johannesburg!

The 20,000 British British troops, 5,000 Australian troops and 15,000 Indian regiments that the British gathered in half a year confronted 27,000 Boers here. Kruger not only concentrated the most elite Transvaal First Division Here, at the same time, there were American artillery and Orange's elite troops. The fighting situation between the two sides was forced to turn into a positional battle.

The British have the advantage in numbers and firepower, but Naihe is the attacker, and the opponent has a terrain advantage, and they are backed by their own motherland, so it is very easy to replenish supplies and personnel. So the two armies fought like raging bulls. For a while, no one could do anything to anyone.

There is a deadly crisis hidden under the stable battlefield. According to the plan made by Caliput for the Boers, after the Eastern Cape area is captured, the main force should be quickly concentrated and advanced to the hinterland of the British army. No matter how many places can be occupied, At least the transportation system, material warehouses and important transportation hubs of the entire South Africa should be completely destroyed. However, Kruger's actions were slower after all.

With the Eastern Cape already in hand, in order to expand the territory of the "future Boer Republic" as much as possible, Kruger even used precious military power in Bechuanaland (later Botswana) in the west and Botswana in the north. Southern Rhodes.

The number of the Boer Legion was not large. After the troops were dispersed, they naturally lost their advantage in strength. When Kruger realized that he had used his precious strength in places where he did not need it, he regrouped and prepared to go south. People have concentrated a large number of troops, starting from Cape Town along the railway line to kill the Boer Republic!

In half a year, the British mobilized 100,000 troops and as many as 30,000 livestock, of which 12,000 mules were ordered, and 30 ox cart transportation companies were formed, each with an ox cart 100 cars. But even so, in the face of the transportation network that has been destroyed by the Boers, the British can deploy 40,000 people in Bloemfontein and have reached the limit of transportation.

Moreover, under such circumstances, the British dare not launch an offensive, because they have calculated that once a large-scale offensive is launched, let alone whether they can break through the opponent's position, the ammunition consumed in a simple attack is not what the British army can afford now. . "In a maximum of three days, we can use up the ammunition that the logistics troops have transported for more than half a month. If the offensive fails, then our defense will be a problem. Because almost all of our ammunition now comes from Cape Town, East London and Port Elizabeth are shipped here, and the nearest port is more than 400 miles away from us! And these railways are still intermittent!" Lord Roberts, the commander-in-chief of the British army, wrote in his diary, which shows the plight of the British army's supply One spot.

Of course, it is not easy for the Boers. In addition to collecting food from the old places, the Boers’ weapons transportation road is farther than that of the British. The weapons and equipment shipped from Germany will first arrive at the German Mozambique, which has now become a German colony. , and then it can be transported to the front line through a long transportation line, but fortunately, no one destroyed the Boers' transportation line, and the railway transportation is still smooth. Although it is farther away, the logistical supply pressure is not great. The food, clothing and shelter of the troops have been effectively guaranteed.

But this kind of stalemate made the Boers themselves a little overwhelmed. The opponent is an empire, the most powerful enemy country in the world! Wouldn't it be courting death to consume it compared to it? For the British, maintaining an invincible and undefeated situation for the time being is a victory in itself! After giving the British a few months, the British can mobilize another 100,000 troops into South Africa. At that time, what will the Boers do to confront the British?

"The British Bloemfontein's troops are more defensive than aggressive, and if we can further weaken this supply line, then when the opponent's material storage drops to a certain level, we only need to consume it, and then a round of violent A breakthrough can be achieved by attacking. Then go south and defeat the British before they can concentrate a stronger army. We must use our maneuver advantage to burn the fire to the British rear!" Pershing said bluntly at a military meeting Said.

The idea is very good, but it is very difficult to implement. The British have 100,000 troops in South Africa! In addition to the 40,000 people on the front, the remaining 30,000 people were deployed on the railway line along the way, while another 30,000 people were used to hold important cities and forts. Although these troops deployed along the way are scattered, they still have various firearms including machine guns and rapid-fire guns, and many of them are marines composed of Royal Navy sailors, who are superior in terms of technical and tactical levels and artillery skills. one chip.