Chapter 274: First Contact
The Kingdom of Italy was completely thrown into chaos by Austria-Hungary's actions, and France was faring no better. However, compared to the Italian government, the recently formed Third French Republic behaved in a way that many found disgraceful.
The French National Defense Government tried to conspire with Prussia to put a stop to revolutionary developments, and began secret negotiations with Bismarck. Meanwhile, under pressure from the French populace, they belatedly took measures to strengthen Paris's defenses. Yet as the German Army advanced on Paris, it was as if moving through empty land.
…
Southeastern Botswana
"On the other side of the river lies Boer territory!" Jacob remarked, gazing at the gently flowing Limpopo River.
The Limpopo River was precisely the objective of this southern expedition. It rises near Johannesburg, South Africa, then curls northwest through Botswana in a wide arc before turning east to empty into the Indian Ocean.
Its course divides roughly into three segments: The upper tributaries carry little water, often forming seasonal rivers; the middle segment slices through the edge of South Africa's plateau with waterfalls, rapids, and shallows; and the lower segment runs across plains.
Downstream in Mozambique wasn't part of the East African Kingdom's goal. The East African expeditionary force was dipping its hooves in the river's middle and upper reaches; the Limpopo would serve as a convenient geographical boundary.
In essence, the East African Kingdom was following the Limpopo River to partition what in a future era would be Botswana and Zimbabwe from the Boers' sphere of influence.
"Yes, the Boers' farmland," replied Staff Officer Bohr, "though mostly wasteland, with large tracts of land claimed. If not for the Limpopo River blocking their path of expansion, we might not have had our chance to occupy it."
"It's not that they can't cross the river—there's just no reason. The Boers have a tiny population, and the land gets even more arid farther west. Plus they face threats from the British, so they can't afford to disperse. Their people remain concentrated in the east."
"That territory over there belongs to the Boer state known as the Transvaal Republic—formed in 1849 by merging a few smaller Boer entities. South of that is the Orange Free State Republic, another Boer country. The two are separated by the Vaal River (the largest tributary of the Orange)."
"Although the Boers are mostly of Dutch descent, quite a few German immigrants also joined them—though they're mostly old-stock Germans."
So-called "old Germans" refers to those who emigrated from German lands prior to 1865. East African colonization teams landed in Dar es Salaam exactly in 1865. From that point on, German immigration began flowing increasingly toward East Africa, to the point where 80% of German emigrants each year now ended up there.
This distinction arose because East Africa is a country dominated by German culture. Meanwhile, those who left Germany for overseas destinations before 1865—except for colonies—inevitably ended up in non-German states.
German immigrants in the Transvaal Republic were thus "old Germans," which actually helped the East African Kingdom gather any intel it wanted from the two Boer republics. The Boers' main language was Dutch—their only written tongue. Dutch is somewhat similar to German, akin to a dialect, but in East Africa, unless someone came from northern Germany, it was tricky to understand, given that East Africa's official language is a southern German dialect. Even among themselves, southern and northern Germans differ—East Africa's speech most closely resembles Bavarian, the same as Austria.
Hence, the East Africans derived information from "fellow Germans" inside the Transvaal and Orange Free State. The Boers, for their part, never noticed. If they tried to gather intelligence on East Africa in reverse, they'd only get limited bits at the free ports of Dar es Salaam and Mombasa. Worse, the Boers' two republics are landlocked.
Just then, while Jacob and Bohr were talking, a group of people appeared on the opposite side of the river.
"You're certain they're Germans over there?" Vincent asked his subordinate.
"Yes. Their outfits look a lot like the Prussian Army's—just not the same hats. I served in the Prussian Army, so I can tell right away," answered Backhausen.
"That can't be right. You can't expect entire Prussian units to pop up in Africa's interior, especially our western interior. Did they fly here?" Vincent was a true Boer, born and raised in South Africa, knowing Europe only from older folks' stories or from newly arrived emigrants.
Backhausen was a Prussian immigrant who'd come to Vincent's father's farm a decade ago to make a living—meaning he was, in East African parlance, an "old German," unaware of the East African Kingdom. He also wasn't up to speed on Prussia's invasion of France.
"I get you," Backhausen conceded. "But you can't fake that uniform. It's not like British troops would be wearing it out here."
Vincent frowned. "We'd better go ask them. Since they might be Germans, that's your job."
"All right," Backhausen agreed.
Soon, Backhausen mounted his horse and approached the riverbank. The East African soldiers let him cross, as Vincent's party was just a few men, and Backhausen carried no weapon. Botswana's limited rainfall made the Limpopo shallow during the dry season, so he could easily ford it alone on horseback.
"May I ask where you come from?" Backhausen asked in German.
"We're the East African Kingdom's Army—15th Division, 23rd Regiment, 3rd Cavalry Company. I'm Staff Officer Bohr."
"I've never heard of an East African Kingdom. But judging by your uniforms and accents, you must be from Germany, yes? Any link to Prussia?" Backhausen asked.
"We're indeed German but not Prussian. The East African Kingdom is an independent German state, just like Prussia."
Hearing the word "German" somewhat reassured Backhausen. He dismounted and stepped forward. "Hello. I'm a German from Prussia. I moved to South Africa in 1851, so I'm clueless about European events these days. Could you tell me about this East African Kingdom?"
He had no idea how Germany could be tied to some place called the East African Kingdom. But since Germany had been so fragmented, maybe a new state had emerged somewhere, though how an African country could be "German" baffled him.
"I see. You're Prussian? Great! I used to be from the Kingdom of Württemberg. I'm Jacob, commander of this unit," Jacob said.
"So you really are fellow countrymen—that's fantastic. Commander Jacob, mind telling me how you all ended up here?"
Bohr then asked, "So you must be from the Transvaal Republic over there?"
"Yes, indeed. If we're talking about location, everything on the far side of the river is my boss's ranch. We happened to be hunting and spotted you, so he sent me over to check."
"All right," Bohr replied. "Then please go tell your boss that this side of the river now belongs to the East African Kingdom. Make sure your friends across the water understand, so we avoid any unfortunate misunderstandings."
"Huh?" Backhausen stood dumbfounded. Wasn't this no-man's land? Just crossing the river, and it's suddenly the East African Kingdom's sovereign territory?
"Exactly as it sounds," Jacob explained. "Because of geographical circumstances, our country is called the East African Kingdom. Also tell the Transvaal not to get any bright ideas. We've deployed tens of thousands of troops along the Limpopo, but we mean the Republic no harm—just see us as border guards."
"But… this is South Africa!" Backhausen said. He now grasped that this was a newly formed state, likely founded by Germans, but he couldn't fathom how it connected to the region. "East Africa," from the name alone, had nothing to do with southwestern Africa.
Jacob chuckled. "Indeed, you might think 'East Africa' incongruent. But we traveled a thousand miles, pushing inland from the east. As for 'South Africa'—once it's annexed by East Africa, it's East Africa as well."
"I see…" Backhausen mumbled, feeling more confused than ever. He'd never heard of an East African state on any map. Then again, he also hadn't heard of the Transvaal Republic or any of that back in Europe.
…
Backhausen returned to his group, looking dazed. Vincent asked, "So, did you figure it out?"
"I did, Boss—though not clearly."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Vincent demanded.
"It's definitely a bunch of Germans, but they're calling themselves the 'East African Kingdom's Army.'"
"East African Kingdom?"
"Yes. I'm not sure how to explain it. Seems it's some newly established country. Just now, they told me the land across the river is already part of their territory!"
"What? Says who?" Vincent bristled, having always assumed the land west of the Limpopo was his for the taking—he just lacked the manpower to exploit it.
"They mentioned tens of thousands of East African troops along the river," Backhausen relayed.
"Tens of thousands? That's hardly possible," Vincent muttered skeptically.
"I can't say for sure, Boss. But there were definitely a few hundred cavalry there, which is nothing to scoff at. So best not be rash."
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