Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 480

Chapter 480: Chapter 53, Injure Others with Their Own Tactics
 

No matter the display of political showmanship, it still couldn’t change the fact that the situation was deteriorating. All the contradictions that had been hidden in the past were now surfacing one after another.

The security in Cape Town deteriorated rapidly with murders, robberies, rapes… a continuous emergence of severe criminal incidents, leaving the public in a state of panic.

The Cape Town Colonial Government was extremely helpless in this regard, with policemen steeped in bureaucracy doing nothing. It’s not that they were entirely inactive, rather, they focused their forces on protecting the interests of the privileged.

The worsening public order was a minor issue, as violent conflicts became more frequent. The colony’s people were not pushovers. Even if the men were conscripted into the army, the women were just as capable of taking up arms and killing.

After the initial chaos, the public learned to band together for warmth. After all, it’s a tradition in the colony for everyone to bear arms, and most ordinary households had shotguns at the very least.

Without external interference, Cape Town was destined to be another gangland sanctuary. After this wave, it was difficult for gang powers not to grow and expand.

A middle-aged official reported with deep concern, “Governor, since the outbreak of the war, food prices within Cape Town have doubled and have exceeded what many ordinary people can bear.

Not just food, but the prices of most daily necessities have risen to various extents, with some goods even running out of stock.”

Making a fortune in times of national distress is a basic quality of an excellent capitalist. Of course, this time is an exception; the blame for the price surge cannot be wholly shouldered by the capitalists alone.

Because of the war, Cape Town lost access to South African-produced food and had to rely entirely on imports. The cost naturally increased, and the rise in prices become inevitable.

Governor Delf turned pale and ordered sternly, “Send a message down to quell the price surge at once. We absolutely must not allow the prices of grains to rise any further.

Forget it, I won’t trouble you anymore, I’ll take care of it myself. Tomorrow night, I will host a dinner at the governor’s mansion and invite these scoundrels. Anyone who does not cooperate with the government to stabilize prices will be made an example of.”

Under normal circumstances, Governor Delf would not resort to such extreme measures. But these are not normal times, are they?

His backers within the London Government had already made it clear—if he lost the war, Governor Delf only had one way out: death. The difference was in the method, whether he died in battle or was killed by others.

With his life on the line, Governor Delf naturally didn’t fear offending anyone. After all, even if he won the war, as the instigator, he had to retire home; he wasn’t afraid of their revenge.

Political struggles within the London Government do have limits; rarely do they result in utter extermination. With the support of his backers, it wouldn’t be difficult for Governor Delf to extricate himself.

A middle-aged man in military uniform spoke up, “Governor, our military supplies are severely inadequate. Due to insufficient preparations in advance, we only stockpiled supplies for twenty thousand men for three months.

Based on the current situation, these supplies will last at most a month. For newly enlisted soldiers, we can only provide them with retired rifles to make do.”

Because of the war, except for the Native Tribes, most of the population of the British-South African Colony had gathered in the Cape Town and Cape of Good Hope areas. Young and old combined, there were as many as four to five hundred thousand.

All these people’s living needs can’t be ignored. Even if sea transportation can meet the supply demand, the pressure is still massive.

Before the arrival of Austria, the Cape Town Colonial Government did not consider threats from the inland. The Royal Navy, as the world’s maritime hegemon, was more than capable of ensuring that sea routes stayed open.

Given this background, the Cape Town Colonial Government naturally did not consider strategic reserves, as the African Native Tribes could pose no threat to them.

Governor Delf could be regarded as one of the earliest to anticipate the threat from Austria. The main purpose of this offensive against the Boer Republic was to negate Austria’s advantages in the South African region.

Unfortunately, plans cannot keep up with changes, and he fell directly into the enemy’s trap, leading the Boer people straight into Austria’s arms.

Governor Delf calmly replied, “Regarding the issue of supplies, I have already asked for help from the homeland, and it will be resolved before long.”

What counts as before long? This question would test the integrity of British bureaucrats. If quick, it could take three to five days; if slow, three to five months.

The British Government’s procedure is so extensive that if there is a problem at any stage, the delay could be indefinite.

It’s important to note that not everyone wants to see him win this war. There are quite a few people within the London Government who would prefer to see Delf lose.

In political struggles, internal enemies are always more dangerous than external ones. To many, Cape Town is nothing more than a backwater, and the outcome of this campaign is completely irrelevant.

Frankly, the greatest value of the British-South African Colony at the moment is to hold the Cape of Good Hope and provide supplies for the Royal Navy.

If sacrificing a Cape Town would allow for a change of leadership in the London Government, many of the Opposition Party surely wouldn’t mind.

What is lost on the battlefield can still be retrieved at the negotiating table. Overconfident British believe no one dares to challenge their authority.

However, those who hold such views are not in the government’s upper echelons. Otherwise, Governor Delf would have indeed been doomed.

Once Anglo-Austria reach a compromise, the war will be over. But as the chief culprit for the loss of territory, Governor Delf will have to face military court with a blemished name, without even the chance to redeem himself.

Even his backers would be implicated; with the colony fallen, the Colonial Department would naturally be the first to bear the brunt. Without support from his backers, Derfu would truly be doomed.

This terrible scenario did not occur, as the politicians in the London Government still had their wits about them and did not take commands from those who were all talk and no action.

Austria had great influence on the African Continent, and losing Cape Town would mean that its recapture was entirely uncertain.

If the Vienna Government did not comply, could it really be taken back by force?

It’s not boasting: at sea, even if the Austrian Navy doubled in size, the Royal Navy could still drub them; on land, it’s exactly the opposite. Even if the British Army doubled its forces and sent them to the African Continent, it would not be enough—they would all be killed.

Relying on “naval deterrence” to force Austria to concede was something that existed only in an ideal state. Even if the London Government went all-out, at most they could seize a few of Austria’s inconsequential colonies; they couldn’t take down the African Continent.

Sending the Royal Navy to blockade the Adriatic Sea used to be the most intimidating action. Alas, times have changed. Should the Royal Navy dare to enter the Mediterranean, they must be prepared for a one-way trip.

The French had taken Sicily, splitting the Mediterranean effectively in two. At this point, sending the Royal Navy into the Mediterranean posed a much greater risk; if France and Austria joined forces to attack them unexpectedly, they could very well annihilate the Royal Navy.

The possibility was not just there; it was inevitable. The reason France and Austria had not joined forces against the British was simply that they hadn’t had the opportunity.

Otherwise, in the face of interests, the two would have clashed long ago. It was the intention of France and Austria to act together against the British from the very start.

…

The roaring of artillery fire was deafening, signaling the beginning of the great war. After the barrage, a dark mass of people armed with all manner of weapons charged towards the British Army’s position.

A dense volley of gunfire rang out, and many in the charging crowd fell. The heavy casualties devastated the morale of the attackers, and many of them even turned and ran.

Having put down his telescope, Viscount Feckney’s frown could not have been deeper. Clearly, he was very dissatisfied with this exploratory attack.

After sighing, Viscount Feckney gave the most ruthless order, “Deploy the Supervisory Team to oversee their attack. Anyone who shows fear in front of the enemy or runs away on the battlefield is to be executed without question.

From now on, we will attack day and night without stopping. Unless our cannon fodder army is completely wiped out, the assault shall not cease.”

This was a typical case of attrition warfare, also known as: the worst possible tactic.

Such a method of siege was totally self-destructive. Even if the war was ultimately won, the overwhelming losses would make the victory seem lackluster.

This concern didn’t bother Viscount Feckney in the slightest; he was using a cannon fodder army, after all, and he wouldn’t care less how many of them died.

In Viscount Feckney’s view, as long as Cape Town could be taken, even if the entire force of over a hundred thousand cannon fodder troops were expended, it would be worth it.

A young officer immediately replied, “Yes, Commander.”

This probe of an attack was not entirely fruitless; at the very least, it revealed the enemy’s firepower positions.

Without waiting for orders from Viscount Feckney, the frontline commanders had already made minor adjustments for the second round of artillery fire.

This time the barrage wasn’t scattered; instead, it focused on heavily bombarding the areas with the strongest firepower.

In no time, the British Army’s positions suffered terrible losses, with Colonial Division Six stationed north of Cape Town becoming the first victim.

Colonel Beauregard, hidden in the fortress, cursed furiously, “Have our gunners gone to shit, or what? They still don’t know how to strike back!

Guard, get me connected to the headquarters; request fire support immediately. We must act quickly, or the Sixth Division will soon be decimated.”

The Sixth Division being “decimated” was an overstatement. Even after suffering two rounds of bombardment, the Sixth Division’s casualties numbered only around a hundred and eighty men.

It was the demoralizing experience of being passively bombarded that enraged Colonel Beauregard.

The British artillerymen did launch a counter-attack, but they had suffered a setback during the initial exchange of fire.

After all, Cape Town had limited space, congested with buildings, which created few suitable locations for the artillery to set up.

The “Boer Republic” army assaulting from outside was different—they had plenty of space to disperse their artillery positions.

Although commanding dispersed units became more difficult, it wasn’t a big issue with telephones available. Considering the improved safety for the artillery positions, this was an acceptable trade-off.