Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 468: The Boer Republics

In South Africa, the rampaging British forces finally encountered trouble. After penetrating deep into the Transvaal Republic, they were met with a devastating counterattack by the well-prepared private army of Austrian nobles, resulting in heavy losses for the vanguard.

This was also due to British arrogance. Their continuous victories had made them proud, causing them to overlook that their earlier successes were achieved with the help of local collaborators. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have recklessly divided their forces.

In fact, after the war broke out, someone had provided intelligence to the British, but they didn’t take it seriously.

What was a mere caravan compared to their might? In Africa these days, which trader doesn’t have a few lives on their hands? To the British, the noble private armies were just merchant escorts.

They had heard that these forces only numbered 2,000 to 3,000 men and were split among several groups, which made the British dismiss the threat entirely. To them, such a force would naturally scatter at the first sign of trouble.

This information was never reported up the chain of command. Although some Boers had defected and provided the intelligence, their low status meant they had no access to British high command.

Governor Delf never received this intelligence. Even if he had, he might not have taken it seriously given the vast numerical superiority of the British forces, which he believed negated any threat.

It was only after the defeat at the front lines that Governor Delf received the intelligence. By this time, the enemy force had grown well beyond 2,000 to 3,000 men.

Under the threat of the British, Viscount Falkner had successfully taken over the military and political control of the Boer republics, sending its leadership to the hinterlands of Central and Southern Africa (Zimbabwe).

After taking control, the first order of business was naturally to expand the army. The Boer republics had a system of universal conscription, and although training had been neglected in recent years, the framework of the militia system was still in place.

By the time the British had fought their way through, Viscount Falkner’s army had grown to over 15,000. Although still vastly outnumbered, the balance of power had shifted.

The 5,000 British troops at the vanguard became the first victims of this information asymmetry. Governor Delf didn’t care much about these losses, as most of the casualties were native cannon fodder.

What troubled him was how to proceed with the war. With the involvement of Austrian nobles, the enemy was no longer the rustic Boer republics but the formidable European military power of Austria.

Even the previously confident Major General Friedman now lowered his proud head. Despite still having nearly 26,000 troops under his command, in reality, less than 8,000 were white soldiers, with the rest being native troops.

The original purpose of training these native troops was to use them to harass the Austrians, in retaliation for their past expulsion of native tribes into South Africa.

It’s worth noting that the lack of expansion in the South African colony over so many years was not only due to insufficient attention and investment from the British government but mainly because of the native tribes driven there by the Austrians.

By the mid-19th century, the white population in Cape Town had already exceeded 100,000, but now, the number remained stagnant, showing almost no growth.

This stagnation was due not only to the opening of the Suez Canal, which diminished the economic value of the Cape of Good Hope’s ports but also to the disruption caused by the influx of native tribes.

To stabilize the situation, the Cape Town colonial government had been instigating internal conflicts among native tribes, occasionally intervening directly to suppress larger tribes, taking several years to resolve the issues.

This was also why the South African colonists resented Austria. Their earlier actions had caused heavy losses, forcing many colonial teams to change their development direction.

Madagascar fell into British hands under these circumstances, representing one of the few recent British achievements on the African continent.

However, this achievement had nothing to do with the Governor of Cape Town, as the British had established a separate colonial government on Madagascar, not incorporating it into the Cape Town Colony.

Governor Delf, with a dark expression, said, “Major General, I need to know if you can actually fight. If not, I can request the British government to replace you with someone capable.”

His anger was justified, as the battle had been poorly managed. Attacking without knowing the enemy’s situation and then losing was inexcusable. Winning would have been one thing, but losing under such circumstances was unacceptable.

Major General Friedman remained silent. After suffering a defeat, anything he said would be wrong. From a purely military standpoint, his actions were standard.

The defeat on the front lines was not solely due to his command. It was also due to the lack of combat effectiveness of his troops.

After all, most of Viscount Falkner’s forces were also new recruits, still in the process of incorporation. If the British forces had been strong enough, it might have been a great victory instead.

Having vented his frustration, Governor Delf’s tone softened, “Major General Friedman, what are your plans for the next steps?

The enemy is unlike the natives we’ve encountered before. This war will be extremely difficult. It’s arguably the toughest battle since the establishment of the Cape Colony, but you must win it!”

Governor Delf indeed wanted to replace Friedman. He had long been dissatisfied with the Major General, who talked big but failed to deliver on the battlefield.

However, to replace him, a suitable successor had to be found. The colonial forces were already weak, and colonial officers were often second-rate.

The idea of highly capable but rebellious officers being exiled to the colonies is a trope found only in novels.

In reality, those who offended their superiors were simply sent home, with no chance for a comeback.

Although conditions in the colonies were poor, they were good places to seek military merit. Many aristocratic scions sought to polish their credentials there, so how could opportunities be given to enemies?

In the original timeline, Napoleon IV had married into the British royal family and had gone to the colonies to gain experience before his wedding, but unfortunately lost his life due to bad luck.

Those capable of commanding tens of thousands of troops were high-level talents, treasured even in Britain. No matter how poorly they fared, they wouldn’t stoop to serve in Cape Town as colonial troops.

South Africa had yet to shine. Before the gold mines were discovered, it was just an ordinary colony.

Although Major General Friedman was somewhat annoying, he was competent enough, certainly better than many others. Governor Delf couldn’t replace him with an incompetent fool; that would be self-sabotage.

Regardless of their ability, getting someone sent from home might not even be feasible, not to mention the time it would take. This war was all about timing—dragging it out for three to five months would turn it into a war of attrition.

At that point, it would come down to manpower and resources. While Britain might not flinch at a financial battle, manpower was another story.

If tens of thousands died, there would be no way to explain it to the people back home. Attacking small nations like the Boer republics and incurring such heavy losses would surely lead to a military tribunal.

Major General Friedman quickly responded, “Governor, the situation was beyond our expectations. We never anticipated that the Austrians would be so shameless as to masquerade as Boer republic troops and engage us in combat.

No one knows the extent of their commitment. There are already 30,000 enemies before us; defeating them would already be challenging enough. If they continue to reinforce, the outcome could become unpredictable.”

This attempt to shift blame displeased Governor Delf, but he remained silent. They were all in the same boat now.

Exaggerating the enemy’s strength was always a safe bet—winning would make their achievements even more glorious, and losing could be blamed on the enemy’s overwhelming power, absolving them of fault.

With an unwavering expression, Governor Delf said, “Indeed, the Austrians are despicable for pretending to be Boer republic troops. We must crush their plot. Cage, send a telegram to London immediately, outlining our difficulties and requesting assistance. Also, have the Foreign Office lodge a protest with Austria.”

If it weren’t for the fear of raising too much suspicion with an overly large number, Governor Delf wouldn’t mind doubling the reported enemy strength.

As for having the Foreign Office lodge a protest, that was merely a joke. The Austrian government would never admit to such things. The Boer governments were already in Austrian hands, and they would take full responsibility.

No matter what, as long as the Boer republics insisted it was their own army, the matter couldn’t be pursued.

Unless they caught a big fish, but the possibility of that was zero. The Austrian nobles commanding this war were not active-duty officers and had little international reputation.

From beginning to end, the Austrian government had no official involvement in this war. As for merchants supplying weapons and ammunition, those were purchased by the Boer republics.

Austria, being part of the free trade world, selling arms was perfectly normal.

Even the source of the Boer republics’ military funds was clear. The Austrian government hadn’t sponsored a single penny. The Boer republics had mortgaged land to take a loan of three hundred million guilders from the Imperial Bank.

Don’t talk about risk—this was high-interest lending, with a monthly rate of 18%. Given such high interest, the risk naturally couldn’t be small.

Franz handled all the aftermath meticulously, ensuring no one could find fault.

It was inevitable that the Boer republics wouldn’t be able to repay the money after the war. Without this reason, how could Austria justify annexing the Boer republics after the war?

As an emperor, Franz didn’t want a republic to exist within the empire. Not being able to repay the debt and seizing the collateral, then dissolving the Boer republics was a natural course of action.

It could be said that this Anglo-Boer War provided Austria with an excellent excuse, even greatly reducing the cost of buying off local elites.

If Franz were shameless enough, he could even consider defaulting on the loan. Since the conditions weren’t met, the initial promises naturally became void.

It could be said that Viscount Falkner’s move to send the Boer republics’ high officials to the rear was a masterstroke, completely cutting off their leverage for negotiations.

Of course, those who initially chose to cooperate with Austria wouldn’t face such a tragic fate. Franz, who was always magnanimous, wouldn’t resort to such a shameless thing.

The unfortunate ones were those who hadn’t negotiated good terms and now couldn’t negotiate anymore. Now, they were left with only three options: follow Austria, defect to the British, or quickly flee.

Anyway, Viscount Falkner didn’t force anyone. How could they accommodate their meritorious officials without eliminating some interest groups?

This war wasn’t fought for nothing. The more they invested now, the greater the post-war gains. Without sufficient benefits, there wouldn’t be so many nobles bringing their own resources to join the fight.

The land in South Africa is indeed very good, with fertile soil and a very habitable climate. These plantation owners had long wanted to come and stake their claims.

Fortunately, they didn’t know about the gold mines underground. Otherwise, not just a dozen or so nearby nobles, even the homeland nobles wouldn’t be able to resist joining.

Not just these people—thinking about the terrifying gold reserves of the Rand gold mines, even Franz was tempted, though he managed to restrain himself.

There were immense riches on paper, but gold mines were too high-profile and prone to inciting resentment. If gold mining is pursued, it should be done discreetly.

Buying gold is a good business. The profit might not be less than that of mine owners and wouldn’t also attract attention.

On the surface, the profit from buying gold didn’t seem very large, just slightly lower than the market price.

In reality, after a round of circulation in the financial market, then processing it into art pieces and flowing into the gold consumption market, the profit would be completely different.

More importantly, the capital cost for banks to purchase gold was negligible. Gold was also a type of currency, and keeping it as a reserve was more reliable than any currency.

Even in the event of a bank run, no one would refuse payment in gold.