OR1-EP5: Hymn of the Bridge (8)

As they entered the Messidor, the defense forces were gradually giving up on the unrealistic idea that this war was unlikely to end anytime soon. While the humongous Airborne Regiments wreaked havoc in the Rhodesian rear, they did not shake the rebels to their foundations. On the contrary, the African Britannians, who widely supported the rebels, surrounded the Airborne Corps, which was unable to hold the city and was forced to retreat to the north, thus declaring Lt. Gen. Wood's plan for a decisive battle to be a complete failure. At a conference held on Mulet Day (June 23), Governor-general Herzog once again emphasized the importance of keeping the rebels completely at bay.

Since the Rhodesian Rebellion, the number of casualties from the war had increased dramatically. In the north, the African Britannians have attempted to exterminate all non-whites and even non-Britannians, most of these actions not under the direct command of the rebels, but rather the spontaneous actions of local civilians. Similar retaliation occurred in the south, where defense soldiers, unable to distinguish between militia and ordinary citizens, had no choice but to shoot to kill. While the number of soldiers killed in action on both sides numbered no more than tens of thousands, the civilian death toll went straight up to 100,000, sparking unrest among the EU's native European bureaucrats. a proposal to remove the South African Governor-general and negotiate with the rebels was made at a Senate meeting in mid-June, a proposal that was swiftly vetoed by the opposition, but similar debates never ceased.

"Cowardly and incompetent waste of space." Governor-general Herzog threw the newspaper on the table, "They were the ones who were adamant about defending their rights by force in the first place, only to cower after seeing the deaths and injuries ... Do they think that singing about love and peace will make the enemy lay down their butcher's knives?"

The officials present at the emergency meeting included all the departmental chiefs of the South African colonial administration and the administrators of the various localities, in addition to representatives of the military headed by Lieutenant General Wood. In the face of the sudden disaster, they chose to unite and establish a temporary alliance. One glory for all, one loss for all, if Governor-general Herzog fell, they would suffer with him, this was a result recognized by all. For now, their main task was to destroy the Rhodesian rebels at all costs and eradicate the African Britannian influence in the region.

Public opinion sometimes shifted quickly and without warning. This was one of the things that gave Governor-general Herzog a headache; he could never guess what his supporters would make of the facts at the next stage. Although Governor-general Herzog did not have a good reputation, he managed to get the natives and the whites who supported native affirmative action on the same side as himself, thanks to the African Britannians' decision to go to extreme measures to defend their legal rights. But as the casualties mounted, these citizens, who had only moments before been waving the Governor's flag, suddenly backed off, and began to wonder if the war was a necessary price to pay - that is to say, some saw it as nothing more than an unjust war deliberately waged by Governor-general Herzog to root out dissent. Similar remarks abounded, and greatly affected the confidence of the citizens in the Governor.

Lieutenant General Wood picked up the newspaper and references and read them for a few moments, saying in a sincere tone:

"These people do not understand Your Excellency's bitterness. Your Excellency could have cooperated with the African Britannians if he had done so for his own selfish reasons, instead of enduring the pain of deciding to turn the guns themselves on his fellow citizens." He put down the paper and looked around at the other officials with varying expressions, "His Excellency is not only a source of pride for us in South Africa, but a role model for all EU citizens. He has dared to take the blame for the good of more citizens, is there a more competent member of the social elite in contemporary times than His Excellency?"

"However, it remains to be seen whether we will last until the end of the war." The Commissioner of Finance complained sadly to the Governor, "In order not to let the homeland interfere, we have to bear all the expenses ... by ourselves, and if it goes on like this, the workers of the diamond mines will also go on strike."

"Workers, well, they're afraid to shoot." Lt. Gen. Wood said dismissively, "If they had the same ambition as those citizens of Bulawayo, they would have been in open rebellion long ago and would have chosen to go on strike again?"

The question of the Bulawayo was the first subject that needed to be discussed at the meeting. The Bulawayo municipality had already overthrown the original mayor and set up its own set of management systems, and the local businesses, banks, roads, power plants, water plants, and other facilities of the African Britannia businessmen had been confiscated and confiscated, making them the city's public property. In addition, Bulawayo has made a bold appeal to Union of South Africa for independence, meaning that, apart from the Governor-general himself, only the elected bodies of the citizens of Bulawayo can administer the city, and that all other Union of South Africa-appointed officials have no power to intervene. According to the Governor's analysis, these citizens want to be placed on an equal footing with the states and counties that make up the Union of South Africa.

Military issues were reported by Lt. General Wood, who produced an update that the Defense Force and the citizens of Bulawayo were working in tandem with each other in order to counter the Rhodesian rebels from the north.

"The rebels' supply lines have been pinched by our forces and we are always able to snap their necks if the rebels decide to launch another major campaign south." Lieutenant General Wood pointed to several highways labeled on the slide, "In the south, the rebels have lost the initiative, and they are currently banking on smuggling through the north for more supplies."

"Very well." The Governor-general gave a positive assessment of the Defense Force's work, "General Wood, we need to prepare for post-war management at this stage. The African Britannians in Rhodesia were able to rally and start a rebellion because our past management model helped them place their men throughout the Rhodesian region. Additionally, the demographic makeup is also important ... However, forcing other ethnic populations to relocate to the north would offend the same citizens who originally supported us in this war. Therefore, assuming we can cause Rhodesia to implode after the war by granting powers of varying sizes, it will be powerless against South Africa."

The crowd murmured as they realized that the Governor-general was making a risky move. Granting Bulawayo a special status would make Bulawayo a target in the eyes of the citizens of the rest of Rhodesia. In addition, for the Governor-general to simply agree to the other side's demands instead of haggling might make these citizens suspect that there was a traitor among them who was secretly dealing with the Governor.

Governor-general Herzog demonstrated his thunderous style of governing. He immediately called his secretary and drafted a statement on the spot as a response to the citizens of Bulawayo. At the same time, he gave an important promise at the end: any northern towns that took the initiative against the Rhodesian rebels in this war would be granted full autonomy. Specifically, whereas originally the states, counties and provinces of the Union of South Africa had the right to control the municipalities within their territory, the relationship between the two parties was now completely independent of each other in matters other than nominal subordination. In this way, the cities gained an independent status and their autonomy increased substantially. At the same time, the power of the opposition has been drastically weakened - if Rhodesia did not have the power to dictate to the cities under its name, it is assumed that there would be no rebels in Rhodesia at all.

"Read it from beginning to end." The Governor-general handed the script to his secretary, "And listen up, if there is a mistake in this statement, it will be the responsibility of all of us here."

"Wait." Lieutenant General Wood interrupted the secretary, "Your Excellency, this does stop other future opposition from using their power to start rebellions or boycotts of South African decrees, but how can we be sure that we can control these cities ourselves?"

"As I dare to empower them with confidence and boldness, I will not let them have the capital to be able to resist me." The Governor-general gave a winning smile, "Don't forget, this is South Africa, and I am the Governor-general General of South Africa ... not the High Commissioner. We can easily send people to a municipality to intervene as soon as we declare certain behaviors illegal. These measures should be regularized."

So, the defense forces were finally able to bypass Bulawayo and advance with confidence. They wasted a lot of time on the city, a waste that later proved to be worthless. Fearing that the city of Bulawayo would suddenly defect to the rebels and attack their flanks, the defense forces had been on guard against these citizens who were really only interested in defending themselves, thus leaving many of their troops idle. The Airborne Corps, which had caught the rebels by surprise, was besieged in the rear and thus forced to withdraw from Rhodesia due to a missed opportunity by the defense forces, something that many commanders, including Lt. Gen. Wood, had not considered. Under normal circumstances, citizens would not have assisted the army in battle, however, the African Britannians were far more stubborn than the defense forces had anticipated, leaving the Airborne Regiment with a choice between defeat and massacre. Even though Governor-general Herzog had repeatedly stated that the Rhodesian civilians who dared to fight against the Airborne Regiment were trained enemy soldiers, the Airborne Regiment still did not dare to go on a killing spree.

However, the retreat of the Airborne Corps also provided a new opportunity for the defense forces. Previously, Lieutenant General Wood's plan was to directly eliminate the hub of the Rhodesian rebels, and then the Airborne Corps and the Defense Force would attack back and forth to wipe out the rebels in southern Rhodesia. Now that the Airborne Corps had withdrawn, they could completely surround Rhodesia from the north, completely blocking Rhodesia's ground transportation routes and escape routes. Governor-general Herzog, who had long expressed his dissatisfaction with the consistent isolationist behavior of Southwest, Central, and East Africa (especially considering that the other side also regularly supported armed groups in South Africa in their efforts to wreak havoc), ordered the Airborne Regiment to move into the territory of the neighboring administrations after sending a symbolic briefing.

Governor-general Herzog was far too optimistic; the defense forces had never reached a size where they could completely blockade Rhodesia. This method of routing an opponent without a fight by besieging him and consistently weakening him was something he had heard from Adalbert. Lieutenant General Wood, unable for the moment to think of anything that would be effective against the rebels after the failure of the Airborne Regiment's surprise attack that he had single-handedly spearheaded, had been forced to agree with the Governor's whimsical idea.

McNeil was already on the highway leading north when he heard the news. Colonel Duttmann had left Bulawayo with a curse; he had gone there only to find an opportunity to ingratiate himself with the Brittany merchants who were willing to be loyal to South Africa, and since those factories had been seized by the workers, he had to find a way to get them back. Who knew that Governor-general Herzog had absurdly acceded to the pleas of the citizens, which placed Colonel Duttmann in an exceedingly awkward position, and he behaved as if he had jumped through hoops, and all his intentions had been in vain. But he did not dare to vent his anger on Adalbert at all, and had to scold the soldiers under him frequently.

Adalbert always had a smile on his face when he talked to McNeil about it. At this point, even the soldiers who usually didn't have a good relationship with McNeil, seeing McNeil and Adalbert sitting together in the armored car chatting with a smile, should understand that the relationship between the two was not ordinary.

"His Excellency won't let those who just want to speculate get away with it."

"That said, he actually did agree." McNeil was incredulous, "You know, I always thought His Excellency the Governor-general was conservative and wouldn't cede at least some of his power to them so easily."

"Conceding today is to collect interest better later, His Excellency the Governor-general is not a philanthropist."

From the gossip the soldiers learned the shocking fact that McNeil had previously saved the life of Major Adalbert Herzog. They went to Lieutenant Heinz Meyer to ask for details, and the latter not only did not deny it, but described in graphic detail the scene where McNeil had gone to investigate and take evidence. Major Herzog had been arrested for a suspected homicide, and then it was McNeil who found crucial evidence and locked up the suspect, a favor probably comparable to saving a comrade in the line of fire.

McNeil hadn't realized what his friendship with Adalbert meant at first, and it wasn't until Lieutenant Meyer came to talk to him of his own accord that he had the hindsight to understand what the other soldiers were thinking.

"You should tighten up."

They were crossing the border line and would soon reach Central Africa. The soldiers were exhausted from many consecutive days on the road, and many simply fell asleep in the armored vehicles, while the drivers who had to stay awake due to the demands of their position were on the verge of breaking down. The colonel ordered the drivers to rotate to avoid accidents caused by fatigued driving.

"I'm keeping that status." McNeil tore open the package of compressed crackers with concern.

"I know that you have no thoughts of taking advantage of this friendship. But the truth doesn't always look that way to others." Lieutenant Meyer sighed, "In any case, you're a common soldier, yet you can casually talk to the Army Major who is the Governor's only son, when the time comes in the battlefield will they listen to you or me? We EU have had cases of chicken farmers commanding troops at will before ... Sorry, I'm not prejudiced against you."

For the other soldiers, McNeil's one hand had climbed into territory they had only dared to look up to.

It was here that the troops would split into two as they entered Central Africa from western Rhodesia. McNeil thought back to the last time he and Adalbert had been in the vicinity on a sightseeing excursion and wondered if the area was now under rebel control and if the rebels intended to use those transportation facilities and the railroad lines that ran high up in the mountains to continue to deliver supplies. For the time being, the defense forces have decided to adopt a blockade tactic and sustain the destruction of Rhodesia's rear installations through intense bombardment until the rebels are no longer able to produce arms and ammunition or to provide the necessary material locations for the civilian population in the rear.

The ambush near the city of Bulawayo was a disaster for the rebels, and this is where Colonel Duttmann really established his credentials, to which the Colonel himself turned a blind eye. When the Colonel realized that the citizens would not attack the Defense Force on their own initiative, he boldly sent all his troops except the Guard Company out on an ambush. By the end of June, the rebels were afraid to continue the transportation of supplies by these roads and railroads, and the greater part of the previous supplies fell into the hands of Colonel Duttmann. The colonel surrendered the non-military supplies and then secretly withheld most of the military supplies, such as arms, ammunition, and other provisions. Despite this success in the war, the Colonel was still bitter about his failure to find opportunities to ingratiate himself with the socialites.

After leaving Bulawayo, they arrived at the border almost non-stop. The colonel mercifully allowed them to rest near the border line and wait until friendly troops from the rear arrived before moving on.

"I don't know if we'll be in the attacking force or the staying force."

Dumiso Tutu tried to unscrew the kettle, he was so tired that several successive attempts ended in failure. Seeing this, McNeil signaled him to give the kettle to himself and easily opened the lid.

"All we have to do is shrink the encircling net gradually, and they'll just be trapped in this little circle." McNeil sat down on the highway as he flattened his pack on the ground, leaned his head against the side of the pack, and began to rest. The more intense the battle he faced, the more he needed to recuperate.

Just as he was about to take a serious nap, there was a sudden scuffle not far away. McNeil jumped up from the ground and ran quickly to the spot where the shouting came from, and saw several soldiers holding a middle-aged man wearing a straw hat to the ground, while several other soldiers were searching a truck parked nearby.

"Hurrah, we're fighting for our lives against the rebels, and you wild dogs are sneaking across the border with so many supplies-" one of them shouted and cursed, "I'll have to break both of your legs today... ..."

Michael McNeil ignored the unknown person who was already under the control of the soldiers, he went around to the back of the van with the others and found that in the van were some medical supplies. With hundreds of casualties on the front line every hour, the shortage of medicines was becoming a thorny issue. The citizens of Bulawayo were faced with a similar dilemma, only they didn't have to deal with so many casualties and thus the problem didn't seem as serious.

"He's also too careless, driving a big van and trying to dream of getting rich overnight." The soldier who counted the medicines with McNeil complained that the middle-aged man couldn't do business, "You should let someone else do this kind of thing for you, or else the whole business will be over if something goes wrong."

The middle-aged man on his knees after being kicked and punched by the soldiers was tearfully begging the soldiers to let him live. He said that he was originally just a peaceful businessman, but he didn't realize that South Africa had fallen into such a mess this year, and all the various businesses he had done had lost money, and he was about to be penniless, which was why he took the risk and decided to secretly sell supplies to the rebels.

"Master, on the face that we are all South Africans, I will never do this business again ..." He clutched a black soldier's thigh handily and began to beg for forgiveness, a scene that looked incredibly comical to the other soldiers. The black soldier turned to him coldly:

"Don't call me master, you're the master."

He kicked the middle-aged man aside and returned to the armored car with a flourish to go back to sleep. Adalbert Herzog then arrived on the scene, and after listening to McNeil's description of the incident, decided to deal with it impartially according to the relevant rules and regulations.

"Citizen, when you supplied the rebels, you should have considered that doing so would strengthen the rebels, prolong the war and cause more casualties among soldiers and civilians. As such, your actions are undoubtedly treasonous, second only to joining the rebels directly." McNeil relayed Adalbert's disposition to the middle-aged merchant, "However, considering that you are a first-time offender and that there is a reason for your actions - assuming that you are telling the truth - we have decided to confiscate only your wagon and goods, and you may now leave."

As soon as the middle-aged merchant heard of this result, he howled and rolled on the ground, while the soldiers around him watched in contempt as he performed in front of the crowd. He stammered that his business, which had just picked up a little, was about to lose everything again, and that he was probably going to end up on the streets now. His complaint failed to attract any sympathy from the soldiers, some of whom had been vagabonds before joining the army, and were happy to see decent businessmen in the same situation as them. Seeing that the deadbeat merchant didn't want to leave, Lieutenant Meyer next to him growled in a stern voice:

"You have seen the activities of our troops in this area, who knows if you will report this information to the rebels? Our decision to keep you alive is already an extra-judicial favor, but you don't know what's good for you, and instead you start bargaining ..." He drew his pistol and aimed it at the merchant's head, "Hurry up and get out of the way or you won't be able to leave either!"

At the sight of a real gun, the merchant was scared to death and ran faster than a rabbit. He rolled and crawled down the highway to escape from the soldiers, looking back from time to time, lest someone catch up and give him a supplementary shot. The crowd laughed when they saw the merchant running away, pointing in the direction of the merchant's escape and making jokes at each other's expense.

"Gee, it looks like he's running toward a minefield set up by friendly forces." McNeil grabbed his binoculars to observe the merchant's movements and was surprised to see that the middle-aged merchant was making a fool of himself.

There was a loud bang, and the straw hat whirled around and floated in mid-air before crashing shakily to the side of the road, becoming the only punctuation on the monotonous highway. The crowd looked in the direction of the explosion and were momentarily speechless, their hearts filled with a sense of absurd drama, wondering if they should feel sad.

McNeil lowered his binoculars and patted the soldier on the side, no longer looking at the scene behind him.

"The people are dead, there is nothing to see ... all dispersed."

TBC

Chapter Notes：

The Russian army of the 1990s proved with its own bitter lessons that the so-called special forces, once committed to a prolonged tug-of-war on the ground, would not suffer any less losses than ordinary ground troops.

It is feared that South Africa's political problems will evolve even worse after this.