Holy Roman Empire

The information was asymmetrical, so Viscount Fickney naturally didn't dare to take risks.Otherwise, he might take a gamble and directly launch a full-scale attack to drive the British out of South Africa at all costs.

Chapter 67 Accidents

The news of the British offer to negotiate was sent back to Vienna, and Franz immediately approved it.Although the loss on the battlefield is not big, it hurts money!

Since Cape Town cannot be conquered, it would be a waste of time to continue fighting.Looking at the intelligence from the front line, Franz was also very helpless.

The arrogance of the British Empire in this era is completely beyond the imagination of ordinary people.Millions of pounds were thrown in as soon as they were said to be thrown in. At first glance, there are dense fortifications, so how can we fight battles?

The original Cape Town Raiders could not play its due role at all under the local tyrant tactics of the British.

Don't look at the British being at a disadvantage. In fact, they still showed off their strength to the world fiercely. The funds invested by Britain before and after the South African War may have exceeded [-] million.

With this kind of financial resources, no country in the world can afford it except Britain.If he had moved to another place, Franz would have retreated early on, because he has no money and is short-sighted.

Even if it gained the upper hand on the battlefield, the price paid by the Vienna government was not small.The war has progressed to the present, and more than 4000 million Aegis have been smashed in.

He failed to conquer Cape Town. Franz summed up the reasons. It was not that the soldiers were not capable of fighting, or that the frontline commanders were incompetent. The main reason was that they had no money and were not brave enough.

Otherwise, at all costs, thousands of 80 heavy artillery pieces will be transported, and [-] million tons of shells will be fired, and no matter how many fortifications are bombed, they will be flattened.

Oh, it seems like the road needs to be built first.Otherwise, the logistics on the battlefield cannot be guaranteed, and it is useless to have guns but no shells.

After a preliminary estimate of these expenses, it is estimated that two or three billion Aegis is almost enough.

This is not what the Vienna government can afford, otherwise the railway construction in Africa would not be so slow.If the railway had been extended to the Transvaal early, the British would not have dared to start a war.

The Anglo-Boer war was not without benefits. The reality once again taught the world a lesson: war is a beast that eats gold, so don't fight if you don't have money.

South Africa's gold has not been mined on a large scale, and the outside world generally believes that there are no winners in this war.Austria defeated the British with the vest of the Boers, but did not capture the Cape of Good Hope, and its strategic goal was not achieved.

Economically, South Africa, which has not been developed, is not worth more than 5000 million Aegis.The British bought Cape Town back then because of the Cape of Good Hope. South Africa, without this strategic location, is worth nothing.

Compared with Austria, which suffered a small loss, the British suffered a blood loss.For the common-value colony of the Boer Republic, this war was launched on its own initiative.

The British spent a lot of war funds and paid tens of thousands of casualties. Not only did they fail to achieve their goals, they were also pushed back to Cape Town by the enemy.

Negotiations also need to pay a price. It is easy to start a war, but difficult to end it.Among other things, whether to take back the lost land is a headache.

Even if it is a colony and worthless, the strategic security of the Cape of Good Hope must always be considered, right?If a conflict breaks out and the enemy comes to the city, can't we survive that day?

Even if it is not opened, the daily necessities are in the hands of others, and no one can stand the price increase every now and then.

Therefore, there is no need for other places. The water source, coal, and farms outside the city, these urban necessities, the British must take back.

Empty promises are obviously impossible. Wearing the vest of the Boer Republic does not mean that the enemy outside the city is the Boer Republic.If you want to get all this on the negotiating table, you have to pay the price.

Franz didn't care about the specific outcome of the discussion.Anyway, they can't suffer. If the British are not in a hurry, it's fine to just stay in a stalemate.

The Boer Republic can provide most of Austria's living supplies, and the food problem of the frontline troops can be solved nearby.

It was a tragedy for the British in the city. Even fresh water had to be transported from Madagascar or bought from the Portuguese.Not to mention other living materials, all have to be transported from the outside world.

Don't look at the convenience of sea transportation, but also consider where it is.The Cape of Good Hope is not a good place. It has always been a high-risk area for shipwrecks. In a month or two, when the monsoon comes, it will be the world of murderous waves.

There are two ways before the British, either stock up enough winter supplies now, or end the war before winter comes.

The plan has never changed quickly, and at the same time as the "British-Bomb negotiations" started, a sudden plague broke out.

It first appeared in the Indian colonial army. The British didn't pay attention to it. They just thought it was acclimatization, so what should be done.

During the fighting, the plague was also brought into the cannon fodder troops of the Boer Republic.On this battlefield where people die every day, it is normal for a few people to fall ill, let alone the neglected cannon fodder troops.

Poor sanitary conditions in the military camps accelerated the spread of the epidemic.Soon a large number of soldiers fell ill, and the plague did not recognize people, and white soldiers were not spared either.

The British were the first to discover it. As the defender of the city, the density of the British army was much higher, because the lack of water in the city exacerbated the deterioration of sanitary conditions.

These conditions brought convenience to the spread of the plague. A large number of British soldiers fell ill, which attracted the attention of the military doctor Horace, who found out that the plague was coming after investigation.

Not daring to neglect, Horace immediately reported the news of the discovery of the epidemic.It was reported to the governor of Delphi step by step, and it was already May 1871, 5.

It is impossible to verify when the epidemic first appeared.The British medical system has not yet been perfected to the point of providing full-time doctors for Indian soldiers.

This is a bolt from the blue, and for Governor Delphi, this is one of the worst news.Without any hesitation, Governor Delphi immediately held a high-level meeting and issued an epidemic prevention order:

"Isolate all the patients immediately, and send power to the local area to ask the country to send professional plague prevention experts. The epidemic prevention work must be done now, and you should consult a doctor about what to do."

This is all he can do, the plague is out of control, and the medical technology of this era is limited, so he can only resign himself to fate.

Soon after the British discovered the epidemic, the Boer Republic army outside the city also discovered the epidemic.

The first to be infected was Second Lieutenant Murks, who was sent to command the cannon fodder unit. While seeing a doctor, he chatted and complained that there were many sick people under his command, which aroused the curiosity of an intern doctor.

Curiosity didn't necessarily kill the cat. It didn't mean that Dr. Lukedu went to the black barracks to check it on the ground. He didn't know if he didn't check it.

This is clearly a plague, but a plague that has spread.The number of people infected by a single unit is not scary, but if the total number is added up, it will be very scary.

After the news was reported, Viscount Fickney immediately sent someone to investigate, only to find that the confirmed number of infected people was as high as 87, including [-] Boer soldiers.

This is only those who have already developed the disease, and the virus carriers who have not developed the disease do not know how many there are.Looking at the data in his hands, Viscount Fickney was speechless for a long time.

Fortunately, the cannon fodder troops and the main force were stationed separately. Except for the officers in charge of this force, the main force rarely had contact with them.

Needless to say, the epidemic prevention work started automatically.There is a special epidemic prevention department in the Austrian army, usually a military doctor works part-time, and this army wearing the vest of the Boer Republic army is no exception.

All units carried out epidemic prevention work in an orderly manner in accordance with the promulgated epidemic prevention regulations.

Viscount Fickney asked with concern: "Has the type of epidemic been determined? What caused this plague?"

Plagues are also divided into grades, and the most lethal is naturally the plague, including the Black Death that nearly wiped out Europe, which is a type of plague, followed by smallpox, cholera, malaria, and influenza.

All of them are fear killers, regardless of high or low, they all kill without fail.

The military doctor Leisner who presided over the epidemic prevention work thought for a while and said: "The transmission route of the plague is still uncertain, and there are two preliminary judgments about its origin.

The biggest possibility is that the corpses were not handled well on the battlefield, which led to the breeding of viruses and finally triggered the plague.

Another possibility is that it was brought from outside. According to the information we collected, a plague broke out in India not long ago, and it is very likely that it was brought by Indians.

If the virus originated from India, then the plague would not be difficult to solve. It has been proved that the plague outbreak in India is not very contagious.

Judging from the current situation, the former is more likely.If the virus originated in India, then the virus has mutated. "

Wars are often accompanied by diseases. This South African war may seem inconspicuous, but the death toll is definitely the highest in human history.

Not only are people dying on the battlefield, but the number of people dying outside the battlefield is not necessarily much less than on the battlefield.After this war, the total population of South Africa is less than 30.00% of that before the war.

With so many dead, corpse disposal became a problem.On the surface, most of the corpses on the battlefield were burned or buried deep.

But there are always some parts left behind that are full of flesh and blood.It seems that the harm does not seem to be great, but after the accumulation of small amounts, I don't know what changes will happen.

At the beginning of the war, Franz secretly issued an order to do a good job in epidemic prevention.So the Boer Republic Army was not unprepared, but it just didn't expect the plague to break out when the war was about to end.

The source of the plague is only the concern of professionals.Viscount Fickney is more interested in prevention and treatment, no matter how it came from, as long as the epidemic can be controlled.

After a little thought, Viscount Fickney made a decision: "Order the main force to withdraw from the occupied streets first, and the Seventh Division of the South African Special Dispatch Army will take over the defense."

In the face of the plague, all the results of the battle are just clouds.In this kind of street with broken walls and remnants, no one knows which corner has a dead body that slipped through the net.

It is too dangerous for the main force to be stationed in such a place, and it is safer to station outside the city.

The Seventh Division of the South African Special Expeditionary Force is the unit with the most serious outbreak of the epidemic. Letting them take over the defense is waste utilization.

If the British run to attack, give it to them.Viscount Fickney has decided to put the isolation camp at the forefront to see if he can add a few more patients to the British.

Even if it doesn't work, the British should be disgusted.Vent the resentment in your heart, the war has reached the present, and the two sides have already formed a blood feud.

Chapter 68 Treaty of Cape Town

The sudden plague made the situation even more complicated.It would be fine if it was limited to South Africa, but if it spread to the entire African continent, Franz would cry.

There is no way, a colony is a colony. Even though Austria has been operating in the African continent for more than ten years, it still cannot change the status quo of backward medical conditions.

Don't look at the small number of people infected now, but the high death rate cannot be sustained.Many patients went to see God without knowing what was going on.

Franz is also a fan of the authorities. If he reads the information carefully, he can understand why the death rate is high.

At present, the most infected are the cannon fodder troops. Because they do not pay attention to hygiene and have not carried out effective treatment, the death rate is naturally high.

Apart from ordering the strengthening of epidemic prevention work, Franz could do nothing else.

Now that there is an epidemic in the "Boer Republic Army", the surrounding indigenous tribes should not escape. The number of deserters in the cannon fodder troops has always been high, and it is normal to leave with the virus.

Viscount Fickney has a total of [-] to [-] troops in his hands, and he has to ensure the combat effectiveness of the troops. The British cannot be left with a chance. The number of soldiers who can be used to guard the cannon fodder troops is only a few thousand at most.

Thousands of people are used to guard more than a dozen or 20 people, and it is inconspicuous to lose a hundred and NO.

Unless it is running in groups, usually a few people are missing, and the officers don't care.

There are still patrols outside. If they encounter them, they are considered unlucky. Those who escape are blessed by God, although they may not believe in God.

Franz's judgment is not wrong. The epidemic has indeed broken out in South Africa, and the consequences are beyond imagination.

However, the highest death rate was not the local aborigines, nor these colonists, but the Indian colonial army soldiers in the city.

Poor sanitary conditions have created good conditions for the breeding of viruses.The small area, high density of people, and insufficient medical resources combined so many harsh conditions to accelerate the spread of the virus.

The real culprit that caused the death rate of Indian soldiers was caused by acclimatization.Of course, it is also directly related to food. The bureaucrats in the London government did not take into account the living habits of Indians, and directly gave them potatoes and bread.

There is no way around this. The officials and gentlemen of the London government don't even pay attention to their own people, let alone these cannon fodder?

Compared with the Near East War period, the British logistics system has not changed much, and it still operates according to regulations.

The relatively good thing is that there are at least fresh fish supplements in the Cape Town area, which is much better than eating beef jerky every day.

Of course, most Indians don't eat beef, but the logistics supply standard given to them by the British is not enough to supply beef.

No matter how rubbish beef jerky is, it is much more expensive than potatoes.Indians will not be able to meet this trouble. The bureaucrats in London always treat them as cheap as possible, or how to make money?

As the epidemic continues to worsen, Governor Delphi's life is difficult, because the interests of the two parties are too different, and the negotiations have reached a deadlock.

The plague spread again in the city. Looking at the increasing death toll every day, Governor Delphi was in a bad mood.

From zero to the present, the number of deaths caused by the plague has accumulated to 3817, and this number is still gradually increasing at a rate of 500 per day.If this goes on without the enemy attacking, they will be tossed and finished by the plague.

The biggest problem in containing the epidemic is the lack of water. Unfortunately, since the news of the plague outbreak in Cape Town spread, the number of supply ships coming every day has not increased but decreased.

People are afraid of death, and no one is willing to join the plague. If there is no other way, Governor Delphi would want to run away.

Even with a 50.00% increase in shipping costs, there are still not many people who are willing to take the risk of transporting supplies, which makes the situation in Cape Town even worse.

There are now 15 troops in the Cape Town area, half of which are Indian colonial regiments. It is with these cannon fodder troops that the two sides have reached a stalemate.

Don't look at the forts and bunkers in the rear, which are all tofu slag projects. The buildings in the city are still genuine.

Seeing the flag of the Red Cross hanging outside the city, Governor Delphi was so disgusted that he once wanted to order the troops to fight out.

If you win, it's naturally a good form.Breaking the siege of the enemy, getting rid of the water crisis, reducing the population density, and the epidemic prevention work will be done easily.

Losing is not too bad.The population has been consumed through war, reducing population density and reducing the need for fresh water resources.It has a very positive effect on epidemic prevention work.

After thinking about it, Governor Delphi would not dare to do it if he really wanted to do it.Now the two sides are still negotiating, and they provoked a war rashly. It's okay if they win, but if they lose, they have to go to a military court.

Can you win?Governor Delphi already had an answer to this question in his heart. With the current morale of the army, if he went out of the city to find the Austrians for a decisive battle, the chance of mutiny was greater than the chance of winning.

In fact, from the outbreak of the war to the present, Governor Delphi has suppressed mutiny five times, and he really did not dare to stimulate the fragile nerves of the soldiers.

There is no way, the mob is like that.Most of the white soldiers in the city were temporarily recruited from the colonies, or they were reinforcements drawn by the London government from the colonies, and the regular army was only a minority.

In the eyes of many people in the London government, suppressing the army is more important than this war.The Anglo-Boer war in the original time and space was fought so badly, which was actually the result of the London government's suppression of the army.

If it was a regular army with a double strength advantage, Governor Delphi wouldn't be so useless, and he would be suppressed and beaten from the beginning to the end.

From a military point of view, to be able to keep most of the troops in the face of continuous failure, the commander's ability is also qualified.Of course, long-distance running generals don't count, just being able to run is not enough.

Although the North was passive, this sudden plague still promoted the negotiation process between Britain and Borussia.The deteriorating situation is also constantly refreshing the bottom line of the British.

The leader of the negotiations this time was the colonial government of Cape Town, who had a clear understanding of the situation and did not dare to procrastinate.

Due to the plague, the number of transport ships decreased, and the materials stored in Cape Town not only did not increase, but continued to decline.Especially fresh water resources are scarce.

There is no way, it is not easy to save a large amount of fresh water, so it can only be put into a reservoir or a storage tank.Now is the time of war, don't think about the reservoir.

The artillery outside the city is not a vegetarian, and shells explode in the reservoir from time to time. Even if you don't care about gunpowder and heavy metal poisoning, the reservoir can't hold water!

No, the British can only build a large number of water storage tanks, which is not so easy to complete. It is not a small project to solve the drinking water problem for so many people.

This is not a problem that can be solved by just digging a hole.If the leakage problem is not solved, it is estimated that the water will leak out before winter.

In order to save water, the British army in Cape Town has already begun to limit the supply of water. White soldiers have 5 liters of water per day, and Indian soldiers have 3 liters of water per day.

Just drinking water is almost enough, and the rest may be used to wipe the face. The British soldiers save a little, and it is estimated that they can wipe the body.

This is only in theory, domestic water is not just for drinking.It is impossible for people not to wash clothes, wash their hands, or take a bath all the time. Of course, Indians do not take baths very much in this era.