Chapter 293： Possible enemy (1/2)

”If we rely solely on the army, we march from the south to the north, and the French march from the north to there, then how should we respond?” The prince once again asked this rather difficult question.

Leaving aside the attitude of Belgium, according to the agreement between the great powers, the Congo River is allowed to pass through all countries. If the French are really interested in Angola and plan to fish in troubled waters, they can send personnel without Belgium’s permission. To the north of Angola.

And the climate in the north is a savanna climate, and the south is a tropical rainforest climate. It is definitely more convenient to enter from the north than from the south. The Germans will definitely avoid the rainy season by taking action, which will start after May 1899. During this period of time, the German Army needs to make preparations in two respects. It needs to be deployed in German East Africa and German Namibia at the same time. For nearly half a year, it is difficult to say that it will not leak.

After all, the German garrison in Namibia has less than 2,000 people, and in German East Africa there are only 1,500. The Portuguese’s reaction is not a matter of German concern, but if the French want to fish in troubled waters, they must definitely pay attention!

It is true that France is weaker than Germany, but it is impossible for Germany to start a fight in Europe for the two colonies and the French! On the one hand, the German Army was not prepared to fight a war at all. It was an absolute loss to fight a national war for the two colonies. Moreover, the British and Russian armies did not allow Germany to launch an offensive against France, which was verified in 1879.

Therefore, the fight between France and Germany in the African colony can only be limited to a corner of Angola and the surrounding waters. And there is no doubt that the French are undoubtedly dominant in the overall strength of Africa! You know, France has the largest colony area in Africa, and the army deployed is second to none among the great powers!

Let’s not talk about the French superiority in French Equatorial Africa, nor the reinforcement that the French can mobilize from West Africa, nor the geographical fact that France is closer to Angola. Even if we take a 10,000 step back, the French will not start a head-on conflict with the Germans, and based on the principle of taking up as much as they can occupy, and if the northern part of Angola is included in the bag, the French will win and the Germans will lose!

The Germans braved the political and diplomatic pressures of other European countries to take action against Portugal. In the end, the French took a share of Angola under other banners. How do you look at it? How could Germany suffer. It is no problem to squeeze Portugal out of Africa, but how to eat the whole Portuguese Africa is the problem! Unfortunately. The current situation of geography and strength is a disadvantage for Germany!

”The French are not stupid. They will not fight with us in Africa. The two sides are fighting more about the situation, the ownership of the land. If we rely solely on the army, we cannot prevent the French from invading Angola from the north. . Our victory will be greatly reduced. So marching speed is the key.”

”It is too slow to advance from the south to the north alone. We need to bloom more, use the advantage of the navy to seize the ports on the western coast of Angola and then spread rapidly, especially Luanda and Cabinda in northern Angola! These are two very important Important ports, especially the former, can even berth capital ships. As long as we can control these two places, we can control the mouth of the Congo River.” The prince said.

”If this is the case, we need to send a navy, and the size of our troops will also increase. And this cost will also increase.” The Kaiser frowned. In his opinion, the possibility of the French sending troops is unlikely, and the prince's arrangement seems a bit overdone.

”The cost of war now will always be greater than what we have previously calculated based on previous wars! But considering the benefits we can obtain, this cost is not a big deal.” Prince Ruprecht argued for reasons.

”The scale of Prussia's troop dispatch this time is up to 10,000. If the navy's expenses are included, this scale may be reduced.