OR1-EP2: Battle of Rhodesia (4)

People from different regions generally hold different opinions about the treatment of indigenous Africans under EU rule. The North African colony was built by the EU as a homeland, and the aborigines here received a complete European education from birth. They believed that their ancestors originated in Rome and Greece like EU, despite the fact that they were a part of the Arab world in the past. However, this kind of peaceful appearance will only appear in the north. In sub-Saharan Africa or Black Africa, the reign of terror implemented by the EU is not significantly different from that of the Britannian Empire. The most famous tragedy occurred in the territory which belongs to the Congo of the Central African Commission. At that time, some French and Dutch real estate merchants from the EU native controlled the land through mercenaries and looting, and then forced the local indigenous people to perform high-intensity labor for factories and plantations. If the natives cannot complete the work, the overseers will chop off the natives' hands and feet to warn other natives who are trying to be lazy. This kind of brutal atrocities had caused the abnormal deaths of more than 10 million indigenous men in Central Africa at the end of the first century in the Republican calendar, and similar situations were very common throughout Black Africa.

Because of this tradition, the image of indigenous people in different groups in the EU is also quite different. EU citizens still living in Africa hope that the indigenous people will maintain their enslaved status in the past, while those in Europe who have relied on the hard work of the indigenous people to enjoy a superior life in the past have sympathy for the indigenous people. However, this sympathy disappeared once it encountered a real fight with the natives. No matter how kind people are, they will not bet their lives. The military will not have any good feelings for the natives. Hardliners represented by Colonel Karl Duttmann have always maintained that only dead natives are good natives. Therefore, when the colonel heard that there was an indigenous outpost that was suspected of monitoring them nearby, he did not hesitate to order it to be cleared.

"I have never seen such an aboriginal who is proactive and vigilant before." Gene Smilas was squatting on the ground looking at the body of the aborigine, ignoring the disgust on the faces of others. The material circulation speed in Africa may be far faster than anywhere on the earth, and the corpses in the tropics will return to nature soon. The implication is that the decay is so high that even professional soldiers can't tolerate it. After hearing about the suspected presence of Britannians in the guard post, Smilas planned to inquire in detail about the fighting in the early morning, and at the same time conduct detailed inspections on the bodies of the indigenous people. Except for the two natives who were stabbed by McNeil with a dagger and died of excessive blood loss caused by sharp weapons, the rest of the natives all died of gunshot wounds of varying degrees. It is worth mentioning that one of them was killed by shrapnel embedded in the back of the neck. It seems that the instructor suspected to be from Britannian did not tell the indigenous people about the importance of the helmet.

Michael McNeil stood beside Smilas, asking questions about pensions.

"You don't need to care about this matter. We have already investigated it clearly. That guy has no living relatives, and we don't have to deal with those troubles. " Smilas explained, "Not only him, I think there are also many people who have used forged identities for a long time... I am afraid that nothing can be found."

"Even the Guardian Corp can't find it out?" McNeil asked rhetorically.

"You don't think we are really incapable, do you?" Smilas smiled bitterly, "Everyone thinks it would be better if we can't find out, so we can find excuses to pay less commissions. After all, if even the army can't find anything, then it's useless to force others to do it."

David Roberts is being questioned by Colonel Duttmann. He carefully described what he saw at the time through memories. The unknown person who appeared in the sentry post was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts (rather than wearing almost nothing like the natives), and had slightly longer hair. The most important thing is that the person's face is not like an aboriginal. After obtaining this information, the colonel thought about it and couldn't understand his meaning. Although he had always suspected that the Britannians were doing sabotage behind their backs, it's a completely different concept to really get into the indigenous people and fight alongside the indigenous people. If the Britannians, who are obsessed with their blood and reputation, could do such a thing, it would be as ridiculous as the EU's announcement of the restoration of the monarchy one day. As for the team member who died in the battle, after discussion with the colonel and other officers, they decided to bury him directly in the field. Anyway, he had no relatives or friends who would come to his door and call for grievances.

The one who cares most about the result is naturally Adalbert Herzog. If the troops trained by him lose the battle, he will always feel indecent. After hearing that only one person was killed, the young officer silently stopped the movement of turning his cap. Afterwards, Major Herzog, accompanied by others, went to check the scene near the guard post. The guard post itself has been damaged to a certain extent in the battle. The soldiers of the defense force are repairing it. They plan to set up a guard post of their own on the spot.

At first, Adalbert tried to find the enemy's whereabouts through shoe prints, but this method soon failed. The opponent deliberately erased the traces before leaving, and only traces of indigenous activities can be clearly identified. This is a somewhat tricky enemy, or at least a battle-tested enemy. If the suspected Britannian made any mistakes, it is probably preconceived that the defense forces would not choose to use this risky method to carry out surprise attacks from behind. According to McNeil later, if they failed to find the outpost during the reconnaissance, then it would be their turn to be attacked by the natives.

"Fortunately, we found it early. Otherwise, when they can unimpededly monitor our activities, these indigenous people will inevitably gather people on the other side to launch an attack, and we will not notice any abnormality until we are attacked." Thinking of what he had originally advocated to wait and see what happened, Smilas felt scared. Their luck lies in the timely reconnaissance and the fact that their opponents have not sent reinforcements, otherwise no one can predict the direction the situation will develop, but it will certainly not be beneficial to them.

This seems to mean that they must act earlier. The current group of indigenous people is very different from the unorganized stragglers in the past. However, no one wanted to take the initiative to take this responsibility. In the end, the colonel himself decided to report the truth to his superiors. Around three o'clock in the afternoon, everyone held another meeting, focusing on the next step after disturbing the indigenous people.

"I have one piece of good news and two pieces of bad news. Which one are you going to hear first?" The colonel smiled and looked at his colleagues on the left and right.

"Firstly, the good news," McNeil said.

"The good news is that the Guardian Corp gave us a bunch of excuses to continue to be stationed on the edge of the northern reservation. In other words, in the next few months, we don't have to worry about unfavorable factors in public opinion. As long as the superiors do not suddenly change their minds, we can completely This task is done from beginning to end."

"...I think this bad news is probably the good news." Smilas has already guessed what will happen next, he is familiar with the contradiction between the defense force and the Guardian Corp.

"The bad news is that since we are going north in the name of preventing the indigenous people from continuing their destruction, if there are similar attacks or violent activities during this period, no one can imagine what kind of trouble we will face." The colonel said with a sad face. "Even worse, the railroad workers went on strike again us this morning."

In fact, such strikes are not uncommon in the EU, and sometimes they can even paralyze traffic in the homeland area for several days. Although they are both workers, the treatment of local European workers and African workers is very different. Those who have seen this gap will doubt whether they are compatriots in the same country who are engaged in the same industry. Once a large number of indigenous people appear in various industries, they will vaguely become synonymous with indigenous people. When the administrative commission or the governor-general decides to use force to fight against strikes and sabotages, they will only advertise to the public that this is necessary mean to deal with the indigenous people who endanger the order.

"...It can't go on like this anymore." Smilas said solemnly, "If the Guardian Corp deliberately seized supplies, we still have reason to appeal to the higher authorities; every time we are delayed by the workers' strike, make our military actions so embarrassing. No one believes anything about it, and outsiders will only blame us for incompetence."

"According to your opinion—"

"This is not a common problem. The Britannian Empire or other foreign powers have organized these actions and secretly undermined our military plan." Smilas said triumphantly, "We should advise the Guardian Corp to fire at the workers and even dispatch tanks. Any action is worthwhile. Restoring normal order is the only task. This is Africa, and there is no need for cheap sympathy and excess mercy."

After inspecting the firearms held by the indigenous people, everyone confirmed that these weapons were produced by Britannia, but the EU does not have direct evidence to prove that the Britannia Empire provided weapons to the indigenous people. McNeil noticed that there were not many bullets left in each rifle, and no spare bullets were found in the guard post. This may indicate that Colonel Duttmann's blockade plan really worked: The lifeline of various channels for the delivery of weapons and ammunition to the indigenous people was cut off. However, when he thought that the Britannia Empire could deliver supplies to the natives in the hinterland under the heavy surveillance of the EU, McNeil's little thrill disappeared. He didn't know exactly who was secretly assisting the Britannian Empire—obviously, the Britannians alone could not do this—if they were African Britannians, then the danger facing by Governor Herzog will be even more terrifying than they can imagine. If not, the situation will not get better: the defection of non-Britannian EU citizens will only show that the EU is incompetent.

At about six in the afternoon, after dinner, McNeil went out on patrol as usual. Considering that the indigenous people might conduct reconnaissance nearby, he was extra careful. There are no bunkers in the wilderness and grassland that can be used to escape. After being discovered, the enemy and himself will inevitably end in a bloody battle. As he was walking down the slope, two figures appeared vaguely in the distance. McNeil hurriedly ran down the slope, crawling on the ground, hoping to get through. He raised his head from the grass to observe the movements of the two natives, and continued to approach when the other was not paying attention. The two natives did not find the uninvited guest hiding beside them. They were still standing there, talking in a language that McNeil could not understand. When McNeil realized that the two natives were walking in his direction, he was ready to fight back. Unexpectedly, the two natives just walked a few steps forward, then turned their heads back to the path, which disappointed McNeil for a while. After the two had gone far, he got up and returned to the station.

"The original plan may not work anymore." After listening to McNeil's report, Adalbert Herzog's conclusion is not optimistic. "If your previous idea was to force the natives out and destroy them by large forces, now you are probably responsible for destroying a large part of the natives... the enemy who can train these natives into soldiers with certain basic combat capabilities so quickly is not a weak rival."

In the evening, other scouts also gave similar information. It seems that the abnormal activities of the indigenous people are not isolated incidents. Someone is directing them from behind. Although Colonel Karl Duttmann still had many concerns, he could not withstand the ups and downs of others and decided to change his plan so that McNeil could command the task force to dispatch immediately. At the same time, according to Adalbert Herzog's opinion, Colonel Duttmann hopes that McNeil and others will eliminate as many indigenous peoples as possible in the battle, and keep the situation under control without the need for large troops to be dispatched as much as possible.

Due to changes in the plan, McNeil had to consult with Major Herzog to discuss the detailed deployment of the various troops before. They will start from their garrison and move towards the active area of the indigenous tribe. Whenever they clear an area controlled by an indigenous tribe, the defense forces will follow up and occupy the area, gradually reducing the encirclement net. After completing a series of scheduled attacks, they will control the only nearby river, leaving the indigenous people in desperate situation with exhaustion of ammunition and food. At this time, in addition to choosing to flee to the neighboring East Africa or Central Africa, the indigenous people only have the option of risking their lives to break through. At that time, they will turn into dead bodies under the guns of the defense force.

"What to do if they really flee to a nearby area?" McNeil asked a sharp question.

"Then it proves that the Governor-general's colleagues are indeed secretly endangering the public security in South Africa. We have reason to accuse the Council and the Consuls of these people's criminal behavior." Adalbert laughed, "They have their methods, we have ours. ...No one needs to look down on each other, they are all friends who are eating Africans' flesh. If they want to perform as the slaves in the arena and show themselves to the audience on the stage, then they should never blame us for being unruly."

"Humorous."

"Clowns."

TBC

Chapter Notes:

Well, remember, maybe all the characters in a scene are telling lies from beginning to end. Maybe my explanation itself is false.