Australian Storm 1876

  Chapter 581 Morgada

"Wat, are you kidding me anymore... or it's just an April Fools' joke, if it's true, then it's better to shoot me in the head." Colonel Pellini was furious, his hands were crazy. Waving in the air.

  After all, in the conflict (Italy resolutely denies the use of the word "war"), the Italian army is the most harmed. In his opinion, as long as he does not make excessive demands, a secret agreement in private is easy to reach.

  Not to mention that so many black natives have been captured by these nasty mercenaries. This is a lot of wealth.

  Seriously speaking, I have to thank Colonel Pellini, who personally arranged for someone to send a letter to the native chief, and agreed to attack Ed Town together as a protector.

   Facing the furious Colonel Pellini, Li Yong's rare old face blushed. This kind of excessive request was really unspeakable, but he had to comply with it.

"Mr. Colonel, it's just a site in Morgard. We are willing to compromise in all aspects, including allowing your lightly and severely wounded to recuperate in Ed Town, releasing dozens of captured cavalry company officers and soldiers, and keeping secrets. And completely forgot all the details about this conflict, but no matter what we have to get Morgard, there is no need to deny that this is the above death order."

"It's impossible. The Italians have been operating in Morgada for more than six years. They have built perfect roads, bridges and port facilities. It is an important town in the entire eastern region, and there are more than 600 Italian diasporas here. God, yours. The appetite is amazing. I don’t have the right to do this. I can’t even kill me.”

Li Yong made a gesture of peace and security, and said slowly; "Mr. Colonel, let us analyze the problem rationally. From a tactical point of view, the mountains of Morgada are a natural geographic barrier. We must Take Morgada and stop threats that may come from the West, otherwise your army will be stationed in Eritrea. This is a huge threat that no one can ignore, and it will make you sleepless."

"It's absolutely impossible, you don't want to be foolish." Colonel Pellini categorically refused. He stood up coldly, picked up his military cap from the negotiating table, and prepared to leave; "If you insist on the lion's open mouth, The secret meeting will inevitably break down. When this lid cannot be covered, it will be a total disaster for you and us. Everyone will be reduced to ashes in the anger of His Majesty the King, including everything here. ."

   "If this is the case, then we can only choose to accept." Li Yong sat at the negotiating table calmly, not intimidated by the other party's words, but said in a deep voice;

   "Mr. Colonel, I also reached an agreement with you in sincerity. If you really don't have the right to make a decision, then let the person who has the right to make the decision come to the talk.

  We can make sufficient concessions to provide enough convenience for the treatment of hundreds of minor and serious wounded, and we can make certain compensations, and we can talk about many aspects.

As for the more than 600 Italian immigrants in Morgada, they will never be an obstacle, because starting from today, they will be attacked by black indigenous people who are running around. The panic will soon spread throughout the town, and there is no need to do anything else. I have to say more?

  According to our news;

  You may have taken a large area in the northern part of the Kingdom of Ethiopia, so that you will not be unable to house these Italians. Besides, this is only a small area. Apart from the African Expeditionary Force of the Kingdom of Italy, who cares? "

   Colonel Pellini said angrily; "Shut up and put away your greedy faces. It is an Italian colony that has been operating for many years. It is absolutely impossible to give in."

"Please don't let your emotions influence your sanity. There is nothing impossible in this world, Mr. Colonel, you can go and ask the noble Lord Earl. When it comes to the honorary status of aristocracy, it is not so in a shabby town in Africa. It’s important.” Li Yong thought for a moment, and said with a distressed twist on the teeth; “I can make some compensation to you personally. It is a batch of spices worth 15,000 pounds. If shipped back to Italy, the value will be at least 40,000. Above pounds, this is my greatest sincerity."

   "Hmph, stop daydreaming." Colonel Pellini slammed the door angrily and left.

  Li Yong shouted from behind; "Man, wait for your good news." Unfortunately, he didn’t get any response, only the sound of abrupt horseshoes gradually faded away.

  Slumped in the room

  Li Yong's thoughtful fingers tapped the table lightly, repeatedly speculating about the possibility of reaching an agreement.

  It is undoubtedly that the Italian side is desperate for the town of Ede. Other than that, the hundreds of minor and serious wounded people are in urgent need of proper treatment. The best way is to send them to the town of Ede, which is within easy reach.

  Morgada is still more than 100 kilometers away, in the middle is an uninhabited hilly mountain road, even horse-drawn carriages cannot pass, it is obviously not feasible to return the lightly wounded, the mountain road bumps down for a few days, it is estimated that half of the death before reaching the ground.

Not to mention the fact that the Italian army does not have enough mules and horsepower, and does not have the basic conditions for long-distance evacuation.

  Considering that the Italian upper-level officers have a strong desire to cover up the fiasco, Li Yong feels that the opponent is really likely to agree to this outrageous request, with at least 50% certainty.

Morgada is a small town surrounded by mountains, on the edge of the Red Sea, with an average elevation of 1300~2 kilometers. The pastures and arable land in the area are mostly in hills and valleys. To the south is the Ethiopian plateau. There is only one winding road that can be passed by horse-drawn carriages. Walk through the mountains and connect with central Eritrea.

   Therefore, the area is a natural geographic barrier.

  The Italians occupied this place earlier than the Queenslanders. Many stone buildings full of Italian style were built here, stone roads were paved, and a road leading to the pier was even built, about 4.6 kilometers long.

  Developed in a few years

The town of Morgada continues to expand. Now it has more than 2,700 permanent residents, most of whom are from Italy. There are also a small number of Chinese and Arabs. In addition, there are more black slave laborers in quarries, ranches and Plantation labor.

  Occupied here, the Italian army can get supplies on the spot, and it is easy to attack Ed and Assab to the east, and continue to attack from Assab to the southeast, and they can reach Xi'an-city unimpededly.

If the Somali Province militia occupy this area, it is possible to build this area into an insurmountable fortress pass, and the entire slender shape of the eastern Red Sea coast area (length 340 kilometers, width 85 to 102 kilometers, with a total area of ​​about 32,000 square meters. Kilometers) to be built into a safe back garden.

  As the biggest threat, the Italians have stationed up to 14,000 troops in western and central Eritrea, and they have the ability to quadruple or even more in a short period of time.

It is undoubtedly wise to take Morgada into his own hands.

  Italian Army Valley Camp

   Rows of new cemeteries appeared next to the camp, all of which were the dead officers and soldiers buried in a hurry, and the whole camp was shrouded in misery.

  In the military account

   Colonel Pellini reported the preliminary talks in a heavy tone, saying that the attitude of the Somalia Province is very firm, and Morgada is a prerequisite for reaching a secret agreement and cannot be changed.

   "Give them if you want, there is no hesitation." Count de Santis readily agreed.

  This caught Colonel Pellini off guard and said subconsciously; "No...Your Excellency General, so we can't explain it."

   "Is there anything to explain, as long as we don't tell who knows?" Count de Santis glanced sternly at Colonel Pellini, and he said in a deep voice when he saw that he bowed his head in horror;

  "I want to remind you, Mr. Colonel, that the most important thing now is to arrange the wounded and sick so that they can recover from their injuries in a warm house, with hot water and soft beds. This is the most important thing to stabilize the military.

  Only when the army is stabilized can we talk about the next step.

  We must get rid of the current predicament. The Eastern Region is not just a small town in Morgada. I will communicate this issue privately with Your Commander.

  All you have to do is to return immediately and agree to the request of the respondent. The condition is that our wounded officers and soldiers must all enter the town of Eddy before the night falls. The situation here is already terrible, and mutiny may occur at any time.

  Don’t forget...we are grasshoppers tied to a rope. "

   "So... what will we do from now on?" Colonel Pellini still had doubts.

A cruel look flashed across the face of Count de Santis, no longer the elegant and calm noble style before, and said in a cold tone; "As long as I get through this difficult time, I will go to the headquarters as soon as possible. Asmara, meeting privately with His Excellency General Balatieri, presented the current predicament.

  Only for the African Expeditionary Force Command, which is about to own a vast area in the northern part of the Kingdom of Ethiopia, it is not a big deal to mark a small town on the colony map.

  As for the country, no one cares about the **** Morgada.

  All you have to do is to strictly seal and lock Morgada’s only passage to the central region during my departure. No one is allowed to pass, and offenders will be killed without pardon.

  Mr. Colonel, can I trust you? "

   "Yes, Your Excellency General."

  Under the aggressive questioning of the Count de Santis, Colonel Pellini nodded with difficulty, as if sitting on the chair somewhat weakly. .

  He knows what it means?

  The two sides will work together in a tacit agreement to spread an atmosphere of terror by burning and looting the surrounding pastures, prompting the Italians who settled here to leave because of panic, and any Italian nationals who have not evacuated Morgada will be abandoned.

   Colonel Pellini knew that he was on the thief ship and became the biggest accomplice in fact, but now it is too late to regret.

Count de Santis nodded with satisfaction and said; "That's good, now you can't rest. The camp will immediately organize the wounded and sick to move to Ed Town. Your task is to arrive there in advance, and The other party reached an agreement as soon as possible, and then be prepared to accept the wounded and sick. We need enough medicine, beds and hot water, as well as food, tents, and a sufficient number of mules and horses. We must arrange all of this quickly and there is no time to delay."

   "It will be as you wish, Lord General."

  (End of this chapter)