Chapter 238: Three "Knives"
"Hurry and finish building those suspension bridges while it's still the dry season. We need at least five of them along this stretch of river to keep traffic flowing smoothly."
"A single iron bridge connecting north to south bank means the army can pour straight across to the south. Luckily, East Africa mainly uses light infantry, so the bridges don't have to meet excessively high standards."
"Transportation is just about linking two places. These few suspension bridges will serve as the most crucial transit points in this area for a good while."
Two engineers stand on the northern bank of the Zambezi River, chatting. Right before them, the main framework of a bridge has already taken shape; once planks are laid on the chains, it'll be ready.
The Zambezi River, formerly the boundary between Zambia and Zimbabwe, is Africa's fourth longest river at 2,660 kilometers in length, with a drainage area of 1.35 million square kilometers. In Africa, only the Congo and Niger Rivers surpass it in water volume.
The Zambezi's defining characteristics are its treacherous terrain, numerous gorges, rushing rapids, and dangerous cascades. In its lower reaches within Mozambique, it's prone to flooding.
So if you want to cross this natural barrier, you need to build a bridge. Yet the Zambezi is far from East Africa's economically developed regions, and except for the eastern portion of the kingdom—which, after years of reconstruction, has some basic roads—the rest of the territory is basically uncharted.
Transporting construction materials from the rear is just not practical, so a suspension bridge is the easiest method for now.
"By the time all these bridges across the river are finished, the southwestern provinces will basically be settled, too."
As they say, you can't move the troops until you've got the provisions. East Africa is planning to build roads in Zambia.
There's a saying: "Originally there is no road; it becomes a road when many people walk it."
In native Africa, there actually are roads—ones trodden out by bare feet—but East Africa merely expands upon these paths.
Unlike in the Tanganyika region of East Africa, the southwest at least has some indigenous kingdoms, so it's not devoid of all roads. In particular, the north used to be the Kazembe Kingdom, whose transportation system is comparatively the best.
People often misunderstand East Africa's road-building pace as "unbelievable," but there's really no need to exaggerate. East Africa's road building can't be compared to modern highway construction.
Apart from Central Province in the east and a few eastern cities—which do have hardened roads—everywhere else is still just earthen roads. Some sections haven't even been touched: basically, East Africa just took over existing paths.
When East Africa builds roads, the main difference is that it adds better drainage, which is actually the biggest chunk of the workload.
Meanwhile, the East African government also plans to build a telegraph line from Mbeya in South Salzburg Province straight to Lusaka in the Southern Frontier Province, so the central government can directly contact the southwestern region.
Though East Africa hasn't fully digested Zambia yet, it's already itching to move into Zimbabwe and other areas.
This explains why the Zambezi bridge construction is so rushed. At the same time, East Africa is actively expanding its army, aiming for around 200,000 troops.
The army is essential given the kingdom's vast territory. They need more soldiers to consolidate their domain, and because East Africa has decided to develop a slave-based economy, troops are also needed to keep the enslaved population under control.
Additionally, the riverine units—i.e., the navy operating on inland waters—will get significant support. The Zambezi River basin has extensive waterways—just the right environment for them to shine.
…
Italy, Rome.
In a small, secluded courtyard, about a hundred newcomers arrived that day.
"Pastor, how did you find this place? Sure, it can hold quite a lot of people, but the setup is too rundown."
"Enough. Having a roof over our heads is good enough. Don't forget why we're here. Grouping together makes it easier to take action if something goes wrong. Anyway, we're pretty far in the outskirts, so the Italians won't suspect a thing."
"Honestly, it's not that I'm surprised we came abroad, but heading overseas empty-handed is tough. A soldier without a rifle—how can he be called a soldier?"
"Mr. Blaise, cut the complaining. As elite troops of our empire, we must carry ourselves with dignity. The empire wouldn't send us to Italy if this mission weren't significant. If we succeed, we'll return home as heroes." The pastor offered some moral guidance.
Because they're "devout believers" from Austria-Hungary, there must be real priests among them, or their cover won't hold. Letting these disguised Austrian troops operate on their own would be a disaster.
Knock, knock, knock…
Someone rapped on the door.
"Who is it?" The pastor opened the door to check.
"Sir, can I interest you in an Italian pizza?"
"What's the topping?"
"Pineapple."
"It's quite tasty, but I prefer tomato sauce with pasta."
Their code words matched.
"Major General Karl is in charge of this mission. He's presumably passed Ostia and is on his way to Rome now. In two days, at three o'clock in the afternoon, each district's leader should come to this address for a meeting."
The messenger handed the pastor a slip of paper. After glancing at the location, the pastor said, "Got it. But are we really unarmed for this mission?"
"Don't worry about weapons; the empire will handle that. Just get ready—when the time comes, you'll pick them up."
This was just one Austrian outpost inside the Papal States. Austria-Hungary had sent 4,700 or so soldiers there, mostly from elite units, including two Imperial Guards under the royal family.
Additionally, heeding Ernst's suggestion, Franz had sent a diplomatic group to Rome—though somewhat oversized, with many who entered the Papal States as "diplomatic personnel."
In parallel, the Austro-Hungarian army was repositioning units at home under the pretext of rotation so as not to arouse suspicion. But any observer could see that the troops facing Italy now had substantially improved equipment.
…
In June, Spain's cabinet decided to search for a suitable heir to its throne. Leopold, a prince of the Hohenzollern family related to Prussian King Wilhelm I, emerged as a candidate, but that news unfortunately leaked in late June 1870.
French Foreign Minister Gramont immediately demanded that Prussia abandon its support of Leopold and that Prussia promise never to get involved with the Spanish throne. Wilhelm I refused.
Meanwhile, East Africa was sharpening its "knives" in Zambia, and Austria-Hungary was covertly massing forces along its southern front. For over a decade, Prussia had plotted to change the continental order.
Prussia's army kept growing stronger, and tensions between France and Prussia were rising. Everyone was waiting—waiting for Prussia's next move. If war broke out between France and Prussia, East Africa and Austria-Hungary would each seize the moment to pounce on their own targets.
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