Chapter 386: Enemy at the Gates
Less than sixty kilometers away from Pretoria, there is a river called the Moretele River by the Boers. On its northern bank, the East African Army's 111th, 123rd, and 514th Divisions have set up camp.
After over ten consecutive days of high-intensity marches, the East African soldiers are generally quite fatigued. Even Ernst, who rode a horse, is feeling worn out. Furthermore, back in Pietersburg, they fought a small Boer detachment, so the East African Army needs a break. They will also wait for the units transporting grain and supplies.
The battle at Pietersburg wasn't even an appetizer for the East African Army. Altogether the Boer forces there were fewer than five hundred men; their weapons were more outdated than those of the East African Army. A single East African cavalry battalion charged them and scattered them.
Night came, and a gentle breeze brought a slight chill. From the army camp on the banks of the Moretele River came the sound of singing:
"By the little river near the village on the Rhine,
Over fields of golden wheat,
The young hawk soars free.
Who packs up my gear,
Who helps me don this uniform,
Never forgetting the gentle girl back home.
The Rhine is my beautiful homeland,
Who could forget a dear home…"
Accompanied by a zither-like Austrian instrument called a Zittra, the East African soldiers tapped the beat, sitting around a bonfire, singing in chorus. They wore relaxed smiles on their faces, enjoying a rare moment of leisure. It was a small show the soldiers organized to pass the time.
Hearing them sing, Ernst unconsciously relaxed his brow and smiled. It had been a long time since he had listened to such a rustic tune!
In Germany, aside from visiting Hechingen, Ernst had rarely been to rural areas. He'd attended a good number of high-end concerts—an essential part of noble life—but songs reflecting the style of German farming villages and the military were unfamiliar to him, despite having lived two lifetimes.
Seeing that the prince was interested, Sivitt explained, "The East African soldiers have created quite a bit of military music. This tradition started back when First Town Colony was just being established, and if we trace it even further, we find it in the German states. Most of our first mercenary teams came from the armies of various German states, each of which had its own military band, so inevitably East Africa was influenced as well. Plus, in the army camps, where entertainment was scarce, songs from all parts of Germany soon caught on. Some with a little musical knowledge began trying to write their own tunes and words—many became popular within the ranks."
Ernst said, "These are precious pieces of cultural wealth for the East African Kingdom. After the war, let the court musicians collect them."
When the chorus finished, the next act was unexpected—at least to Ernst.
"The next performer is an artist from the East who will bring us an Oriental opera called 'A Tale of Three Nations.'"
This announcement was met with applause. Apparently, there were plenty in the audience who liked it, including many German-born soldiers. Ernst wondered how German speakers could understand it.
Then music that made Ernst's scalp tingle began to play—performed on a local pipa-like instrument. It had a clear flavor of Eastern opera.
Ernst wasn't very familiar with opera from the East, but he'd heard Yu Opera, Huangmei Opera, and Qu Opera before—never because he liked it, but because his grandmother did when he was a kid, and so he listened along, especially to stories of the Yang family generals.
The biggest surprise was yet to come: once the prelude ended, the man with the lute-like instrument began to sing in German!
Because it was in German, Ernst understood it: it told part of the story of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms—"The Three Heroes Battle Lü Bu." The wildest part was that the lines actually rhymed in German! Ernst exclaimed in astonishment, "This is genius! Amazing!"
He had never imagined someone might sing "opera" in a "foreign" language, and it sounded pretty good. While he was stunned, the soldiers around the bonfire seemed to enjoy it thoroughly. Maybe it was the exotic Far Eastern story that drew them in, or perhaps the unique singing style appealed to them.
Ernst said, "Sivitt, once this show is over, investigate that person who's performing the Eastern opera. I want his information."
"Yes, Headmaster," Sivitt replied.
He could guess why Ernst was so surprised. In truth, the first time Sivitt had seen someone perform Eastern opera in German, he reacted the same way—strange, indeed. But with East Africa's diverse immigrant population, weird things weren't unusual. This was hardly the only oddity. Though the kingdom's infrastructure might make East Africa feel just like Germany, culture can't be entirely shaped by government decree. They can only guide it—promoting German as a language is one success.
…
Having rested, the East African Army marched on. Two days later, Pretoria appeared before Ernst.
From horseback, he drew the telescope at his waist to study Pretoria's layout, calculating in his mind.
"Pretoria, as the capital of the Transvaal Republic, is roughly the same size as our First Town. By African standards, it's quite a developed place," Ernst commented.
Sivitt said, "Headmaster, the entire Transvaal Republic's population isn't big—probably less than our Central Province has alone, and we haven't even fully developed the Central Province yet."
Currently, Transvaal's population might be around the tens of thousands. There were no precise statistics like East Africa's, so it was hard to be sure. Historically, during the Second Boer War, Transvaal plus the Orange Free State combined had only about four hundred forty thousand people in 1899. So now, Transvaal definitely wouldn't exceed two hundred thousand; more likely, just over one hundred thousand.
If Transvaal's population already exceeded two hundred thousand, they wouldn't be so bullied by the small Zulu Kingdom.
From a distance, Pretoria looked about the same size as First Town, probably with no more than thirty thousand inhabitants. Ernst's three divisions currently under his command totaled over twenty-three thousand men, so taking Pretoria shouldn't be a problem.
Thus, Ernst ordered, "Prepare for action. Let the 514th Division launch a probing attack on Pretoria first!"
The 514th was a second-line division in East Africa, though currently considered regular troops, still a level above the militia. The 123rd was the cavalry unit for mobile combat—strong in maneuvering, not so much in siege. Mainly, it's intended to take on the Boers' cavalry. Pietersburg's capture had been accomplished by subordinate units of the 123rd.
The 111th, like the 123rd, is an elite East African unit—but more versatile, the kingdom's second-ranked infantry division (the first being the 101st, the Royal Guards). Strictly speaking, the "Royal Guards" should be called an army, because it has thirty thousand troops responsible for defending the entire Central Province, especially its three major cities—Bagamoyo, Dar es Salaam, and First Town.
Against Pretoria, Ernst decided first to test the waters with the 514th. The 514th was one of the older units in the Southern Route Army but also the weakest in terms of combat prowess. Other parts of the Southern Route Army had various strategic tasks. For instance, the 511th and 513th were advancing from Botswana on Transvaal's western bank of the Limpopo, whereas Ernst led three units down from Zimbabwe on the northern bank.
The middle and upper Limpopo flows in a big horseshoe shape, wrapping around the west and north of Transvaal. That's the structure of East Africa's offensive. There's also Felix's two divisions in the east, passing through Transvaal but mainly heading for the Kingdom of Swaziland, which is situated on the eastern slopes of the Drakensberg Mountains. Because of the terrain, East Africa's only mountain division—the 331st—belongs to Felix, responsible for mountain operations.
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