Chapter 390: Persuading Them to Leave
With Pretoria's fall, the Transvaal Republic was essentially destroyed. President Andries Pretorius Jr. (small Pretorius) and his government fled to the Orange Free State. The only uncertainty was the whereabouts of the main Boer forces that had been fighting the Zulu Kingdom.
That reminded Ernst of King Wu's campaign against King Zhou in ancient history. The Shang Dynasty fell partly because its main army was off fighting the Eastern Yi and couldn't return in time. The hastily assembled slave soldiers defected on the battlefield, leaving the Shang king powerless. He ultimately set himself on fire.
Hence, it's critically important for a capital to maintain a force loyal to the royal family, ready at all times to meet sudden crises—precisely why the 101st Guards Division was originally established.
Of course, the Transvaal's slave troops on the whole performed adequately. Even once they collapsed, they didn't seize the chance to settle scores with the Boers; they simply scattered and ran.
After occupying Pretoria, the East African Army gathered its citizens in the Transvaal Parliament Building to announce how they would handle the Transvaal Republic.
"The East African Kingdom is a monarchy that aspires to order and justice. Anyone who opposes the monarchy, refuses to comply with the nation's policies, or holds a hostile attitude toward our kingdom is unwelcome. In the territory of East Africa, all people, of whatever race, are equal under the law, without any special privileges. All land in East Africa is owned by the state…"
Sivitt continued speaking, but the Boers below were already in an uproar.
They had no particular objection to monarchy. They could accept that. But abolishing slavery was huge. If they had no slaves, who would handle the work on their farms? Well, perhaps they could manage themselves. Yet the clause that all land would be reclaimed by the state left them with no path to survive.
Someone shouted from among them, "The Transvaal Republic does not welcome you invaders! Get out of our land!"
From off to the side, Ernst, who had been listening quietly, actually admired that person's nerve. He rose from his chair and addressed the Boers:
"Who just yelled out loud? Are you pretending to be a hero? If you truly have courage, step forward instead of hiding in the crowd, roaring in impotent anger. Then I'd call you a real man."
He waited a moment. No one came forward.
Ernst said, "Starting now, the Transvaal Republic no longer exists in the eyes of the world. This place is East African land.
"As for anyone displeased with the East African Kingdom, you are free to leave. We won't stop you from departing with your personal property and belongings so long as you leave East African soil. Should you seek revenge, you're welcome to try. In fact, the Transvaal Republic and East Africa had no prior quarrel—even had a decent relationship.
"The only reason for all this trouble is your president. He never should have supported the Ndebele rebellion. It's like supporting your enemy the Zulus or rousing your slaves to revolt. So this war of ours is completely legitimate and just. You've only suffered because of the misdeeds of the president you yourselves elected."
What Ernst was saying might sound "twisted," because the end result would have been the same whether or not the Boers supported the Ndebele. But as far as legal justification goes, Pretorius had indeed handed them a pretext.
Some among the Boers, lacking independent thinking, heard Ernst's words and decided it was indeed the president's fault. The example he used was just too apt. The Zulus had been the Boers' worst enemy before East Africa invaded. If someone backed the Zulus, from a Boers' perspective, they wouldn't stand for it.
Of course, most Boers fully realized that East Africa was simply shifting the blame. Their biggest enemy now was the East African Kingdom, not the Zulus.
One Boer asked uneasily, "Sir, who are you?"
"I am Ernst, Crown Prince of the East African Kingdom."
"Your Highness Ernst, supporting the Ndebele was indeed Pretorius's wrongdoing. It's got nothing to do with us…"
Ernst replied, "If small Pretorius was the president you elected, then whatever he did represents the Transvaal Republic. And since his attempt to harm us backfired, leaving him beaten by East Africa, the losers have to pay the price."
Those who lose wars often either cede territory and pay reparations, or face national annihilation. That's simply the rule of this era. Being fellow Europeans doesn't exempt you. Even in West Africa's colonial zones, the colonizers are fighting to the death among themselves.
East Africa's decision—allowing Boers to depart with their property—was just slightly less harsh than how the British in Cape Town might handle things. It's not that the British are more compassionate, but that Cape Town has a much bigger Boer population, forcing them to compromise. East Africa, on the other hand, doesn't need to pretend. With its strong army, there's little the Boers can do.
Ernst said, "Enough. There's nothing more to negotiate. If you wish to live by East Africa's rules and remain in our kingdom, you're welcome. If not, then go. But let me warn you: don't cause trouble. The East African Army does not jest. We have, in fact, deployed more than fifty thousand troops here, so I hope no one ignores this warning."
His words had an effect. The Boers of Pretoria realized there was no chance. The East African Army alone was an insurmountable mountain. Even if they mustered every able-bodied man in the Transvaal, they'd end up around that same total—and that's before accounting for the elderly and children. There's no way to resist.
Many large farm owners among the Boers had already fled with Pretorius. Others planned to go to the Orange Free State. In both the Transvaal and the Orange Free State, huge tracts of land were held by a handful of people, sometimes families possessing properties on the scale of entire towns. When Boers moved into a new region, they devoted themselves to racing around on horseback to stake out claims, marking boundaries with streams, woods, or hills, then receiving official proof of ownership from the Boer legislature. Yet because those territories were so vast, portions often lay abandoned for decades, left undeveloped.
Thus, the number of these big Boer farm owners was limited; staking out land on such a scale required resources, and threats from the Zulus or other native tribes forced them to band together. Consequently, the Boer population in the Transvaal and Orange territories was more centralized, saving the East African Army a lot of trouble. If they'd been scattered everywhere, it would've been far harder.
With the East African Kingdom's "friendly persuasion," virtually all the Boers chose to leave. Almost none wanted to stay. The only ones who did were a few "German" Boers who owned no property.
"Boer" was a flexible label. They called themselves Afrikaners, but there were immigrants from the Netherlands, Britain, France, and the various German states. After the British took Cape Town, some British settlers emerged from among the Boers and returned to the fold of English rule. By the same token, certain "German" Boers joined East Africa. That portion, having been "re-Germanized," wasn't likely to cause any trouble in the future.
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