Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 494: Unexpected Incident

When news of the British proposal for negotiations reached Vienna, Franz immediately approved it. Although the battlefield losses weren’t significant, the financial toll was heavy!

Since Cape Town couldn’t be taken, continuing the fight would be a waste of time. Looking at the intelligence from the front lines, Franz felt helpless.

In this era, the extravagance of the British Empire was beyond comprehension. Tens of millions of pounds were spent without hesitation, resulting in defense fortifications as far as the eye could see. How could the war be fought under such circumstances?

The original plan to capture Cape Town was rendered ineffective by the British’s lavish tactics.

Although the British seemed to be at a disadvantage, in reality, they had flaunted their power to the world. The expenditure of the British for this war had likely exceeded a hundred million.

No other country in the world, apart from Britain, could afford it. If he were in the same position, Franz would have backed down early. A lack of money inherently limits one’s ambitions.

Even with the upper hand on the battlefield, the Austrian government had paid a hefty price. So far, the war had cost them forty million guilders.

The failure to capture Cape Town was not due to a lack of fighting spirit among the soldiers or incompetence among the commanders but rather a lack of financial resources and extravagance.

Otherwise, they could have spared no expense to transport a thousand or so heavy cannons, fired hundreds of thousands of tons of shells, and flattened even the most extensive fortifications.

Oh, but roads would need to be built first. Otherwise, logistics on the battlefield couldn’t be maintained, and having cannons without ammunition would be useless.

After roughly estimating these expenditures, it seemed that about 2,000,000 to 3,000,000 guilders would be sufficient.

This was beyond what the Austrian government could bear. Otherwise, the railway construction in Africa wouldn’t have been so slow. If the railway had extended to the Transvaal Republic early on, the British wouldn’t have dared to provoke a war.

The Anglo-Boer War wasn’t without its benefits. Reality taught the world once again that war is a money pit, and without money, war shouldn’t be waged.

The gold in South Africa hadn’t been mined on a large scale yet, so the outside world generally believed there were no winners in this war. Austria, fighting under the guise of the Boers, defeated the British but failed to capture the Cape of Good Hope, so their strategic goals were unmet.

Economically, the undeveloped South Africa wasn’t worth 50 million guilders. When the British bought Cape Town, it was because of the Cape of Good Hope. Without this strategic location, South Africa itself was worth barely a tenth of its value.

Compared to Austria’s small loss, the British suffered a huge loss. They had initiated this war for Boer Republic colonies of mediocre value.

The British spent a large amount of war funds and suffered tens of thousands of casualties. Not only did they fail to achieve their goals, but they were also pushed back to Cape Town by their enemies.

Negotiations also came at a cost. Starting a war was easy but ending it was difficult. Not to mention, whether to reclaim the lost land was a headache-inducing problem.

Even if the colony wasn’t valuable, the strategic security of the Cape of Good Hope had to be considered. If conflict arose, and the enemy was right at their doorstep, how could life go on?

Even without fighting, if daily necessities were in the hands of others, with prices rising every so often, who could stand it?

Therefore, while other areas could be forfeited, the water sources, coal, and farms outside the city, which are essential for the city, had to be reclaimed by the British.

Empty promises were clearly not an option. Wearing the guise of the Boer Republics did not mean that the enemy outside the city was the Boer Republics. To secure all these resources at the negotiation table, a price had to be paid.

Franz didn’t care about the specifics of the outcome. As long as Austria didn’t suffer losses, it was fine. If the British weren’t in a hurry, maintaining the stalemate was also acceptable.

The Boer Republics could provide most of the supplies for Austria, so the food problem for the frontline troops could be solved locally.

In contrast, the British in the city were in a tragic situation, having to transport even fresh water from Madagascar or buy it from the Portuguese. Other supplies were no exception and had to be shipped from outside.

Despite the convenience of sea transport, the location had to be considered. The Cape of Good Hope was notorious for shipwrecks, and in one to two months, the monsoon would bring killer waves.

The British had two options: either stockpile enough supplies for winter now or end the war before winter arrived.

Plans can never keep up with changes. Just as the “Anglo-Boer negotiations” began, an unexpected plague broke out.

It first appeared among the Indian colonial troops. The British didn’t pay much attention, thinking it was just a matter of not adapting to the local environment, and continued as usual.

During the battles, the plague spread to the cannon fodder units of the Boer Republics. In a battlefield where deaths were a daily occurrence, a few sick soldiers seemed normal, especially in the neglected cannon fodder units.

The terrible sanitary conditions in the military camps accelerated the spread of the epidemic. Soon, a large number of soldiers fell ill. The epidemic didn’t discriminate; white soldiers were equally susceptible.

The British were the first to discover it. As the defending side, the British army was much more densely packed, and the lack of water in the city further exacerbated the poor sanitary conditions.

These factors facilitated the spread of the plague, and the large number of sick British soldiers caught the attention of military doctor Horace. Upon investigation, he discovered the outbreak of a plague.

Not daring to delay, Horace immediately reported the epidemic. The news was escalated up the chain of command and reached Governor Delf at the helm on May 18, 1871.

The exact time when the epidemic first appeared was now impossible to verify. The British medical system was not yet advanced enough to assign dedicated doctors to Indian soldiers.

This news was like a bolt from the blue for Governor Delf, the worst news possible. Without hesitation, he immediately convened a high-level meeting and issued epidemic prevention orders: “Immediately isolate all infected individuals and send a telegraph to request domestic specialists in plague prevention. Start the epidemic prevention work right away and consult the doctors on what needs to be done.”

This was all he could do. The plague was uncontrollable, and with the limited medical technology of the era, they could only rely on fate.

Not long after the British discovered the epidemic, the Boer Republic forces outside the city also discovered it.

The first to be infected was Lieutenant Merckx, who was sent to command the cannon fodder units. During a casual conversation, while visiting the doctor, he complained about the number of sick men under his command, which piqued the curiosity of an intern doctor.

Curiosity doesn’t always kill the cat. Dr. Luke rushed to the black soldiers’ camp for an on-site inspection, and what he discovered was shocking.

It was clearly an epidemic, and it had already spread. The number of infected in a single unit wasn’t scary, but when totaled up, it was terrifying.

After reporting the situation, Viscount Falkner immediately dispatched personnel for investigation. The results revealed that over two thousand confirmed cases of infection had been identified, including eighty-seven Boer soldiers.

This was only for those who had shown symptoms. The number of asymptomatic virus carriers was unknown. Looking at the data in his hand, Viscount Falkner was speechless for a long time.

Fortunately, the cannon fodder units were stationed separately from the main forces. Except for the officers managing these units, the main forces had little contact with them.

Without delay, epidemic prevention measures were initiated. The Austrian army had dedicated epidemic prevention departments, usually managed by military doctors, and this unit, disguised as the Boer Republic army, was no exception.

Various units orderly carried out epidemic prevention work according to the already published regulations.

Viscount Falkner asked with concern, “Have we identified the type of epidemic? What caused this plague?”

Plagues vary in severity, with the most deadly being the bubonic plague, including the Black Death, a type of plague that nearly wiped out Europe. Next in severity are smallpox, cholera, malaria, and influenza.

Each is a feared killer, indiscriminate of status or rank. They kill without exception.

Dr. Lesnar, in charge of epidemic prevention, pondered and said, “We haven’t determined the transmission route of the plague yet, but there are two primary possibilities for its origin.

The most likely cause is the improper disposal of bodies on the battlefield, leading to a breeding ground for the virus and eventually causing this epidemic.

Another possibility is that it was brought in from outside. According to our collected data, there was a recent outbreak of plague in India, so it is very likely that the Indians brought it here.

If the virus originated from India, this epidemic should be easier to handle, as the plague in India has already proven to be not highly contagious.

However, given the current situation, the first possibility seems more likely. If the virus did come from India, it might mean the virus has mutated.”

War often brings disease, and although this Anglo-Boer War might seem insignificant, the death toll ranks among the highest in human history.

People are not only dying on the battlefield but also outside of it, and the number of casualties off the battlefield is likely not much less. After the outbreak of this war, the total population of South Africa dropped to less than 30% of what it was before the war.

With so many deaths, dealing with the bodies has become a problem. On the surface, most of the bodies on the battlefield have been burned or buried in deep pits.

However, with flesh and blood scattered everywhere, there are always some remnants. This might seem minor, but over time, the accumulated impact can be significant.

At the beginning of the war, Franz had secretly ordered proper epidemic prevention measures. So, this Boer Republic army was not unprepared, but they hadn’t expected the plague to break out just as the war was nearing its end.

The origin of the epidemic was only of concern to professionals. Viscount Falkner was more interested in prevention and control. Regardless of the source, as long as the epidemic could be controlled, that was enough.

After some thought, Viscount Falkner made a decision, “Order the main force to withdraw from the already occupied streets and have the 7th Division of the South African Special Expeditionary Force take over the defense.”

In the face of a plague, all war achievements are meaningless. In these ruins, no one knows which corner might hide an undiscovered corpse.

It was too dangerous to station the main force in such a place. It would be safer to station them outside the city.

The 7th Division of the South African Special Expeditionary Force was the unit most affected by the epidemic, so assigning them to take over the defense was a way to make use of the situation.

If the British decided to attack, they could have it. Viscount Falkner had already decided to place the quarantine camp at the forefront, hoping to increase the number of British patients.

Even if this had no effect, it would at least disgust the British. Venting his frustration was important. At this point in the war, both sides deeply hated each other.