Chapter 480: Anglo-French Conspiracy
As the largest client of East African slaves, the Ottoman Empire had enormous demand—not because they liked it, but because East African slaves were so cheap that even common citizens could afford them. To the Ottomans, slaves cost less than livestock and consumed less food, making them ideal for mass deployment.
However, the sheer number of black slaves in the Ottoman Empire had become excessive—to the point where they were being used in battles against Russia as expendable forces. The Russians found this particularly frustrating, although the slaves' combat effectiveness was low.
One advantage of East African slaves was their ease of organization. Their entire lifestyle in East Africa had been under regimented control. When transferred to the Ottomans, it was simple to deploy them in bulk. Even if they were a ragtag group, their presence relieved pressure on the regular Ottoman army.
...
Mozambique Colony.
"Governor Leiford! This is what you call an army?" exclaimed the French instructor in disbelief as he looked over Mozambique's military forces.
There were only about 1,400 troops in total, and they looked barely more advanced than a medieval militia. To the French instructor Delaisse, even some Indian Ocean island militias might be stronger than Mozambique's regular army.
Then again, if Delaisse had seen the state of Portugal's mainland army, he might have understood why the colonial army was such a mess.
Like Britain, Portugal focused on naval power. But now even its navy was in decline, and the army was even worse off.
Fortunately, Portugal's neighbor Spain wasn't doing much better, which helped maintain a fragile balance on the Iberian Peninsula.
Leiford, slightly embarrassed, said, "Most colonial armies are like this. Even in your French colonies, I doubt they're much stronger."
"That's not the point," Delaisse replied. "I've heard East Africa has tens of thousands of troops and can fight Boer forces, meaning Mozambique could be facing an enemy on par with some weaker European nations. And even a weak European military force is formidable in Africa. Your army is small, poorly trained, and terribly equipped. How are you supposed to compete with East Africa? No wonder they're expanding unchecked. It's obvious Portugal hasn't invested enough in its colonies' defenses."
Leiford responded, "That blame lies with past governors. They didn't prioritize military spending. But the real issue is that Lisbon doesn't care about colony development. We don't get much funding, so we just scrape by."
Delaisse said, "Well, Portugal needs to expand this army, fast. You lack both numbers and quality. No wonder the Germans gained so much ground in Africa."
Privately, Delaisse was thinking: these Portuguese are hopeless. No wonder the Germans got so lucky. If I'd known it was this bad, France should've claimed East Africa ourselves.
Of course, Delaisse was being simplistic. Portugal's colonial power was fragmented. While its official army was weak, private militias owned by colonial companies, merchants, plantation owners, and mine bosses made up a significant portion of Mozambique's actual fighting force—but they operated outside royal control.
Leiford replied, "But where do we find the manpower? If we could, East Africa wouldn't be walking all over us."
Delaisse said, "Africa has no shortage of Black people. Use them. Create an army strong enough to challenge East Africa."
"No way!" Leiford protested. "Giving firearms to Black troops is like handing teeth to a wolf and hoping it'll behave. What if they turn on us?"
It was a valid concern. Portugal controlled Mozambique's vast lands and Black population primarily through superior weaponry. In terms of civilization, Portugal wasn't far ahead of many native kingdoms. As a monarchy, Portugal wasn't necessarily more advanced.
Delaisse replied, "Governor, do you have any better options? Where else will you find troops? Yes, Blacks could pose a future risk, but your immediate threat is the Germans. Defeat them first—everything else can be dealt with later."
Leiford said, "Even if we have plenty of men, we lack weapons. The German army uses Dreyse and Mauser rifles—both cutting-edge. The gap between us is huge."
"That's true," Delaisse admitted. "But don't worry. We'll handle your weapons. Your troops don't need the best. Britain and France will supply enough Enfield and Minie rifles for 50,000 men."
"Do we have to pay?" Leiford asked, cutting to the point.
"No. This batch is jointly funded by Britain and France. But you'll need to handle food supplies yourself."
Britain had already paid for the weapons. They were taking East Africa seriously. They knew Portugal couldn't stand up to Germany alone, so they had to beef up its military capacity.
Though Britain's support wasn't massive, they believed Mozambique didn't need top-tier weapons—just enough to fight a skirmish. If East Africa showed any weakness, Cape Colony could step in directly.
Leiford said, "Even so, we're still far behind the Germans. Poor equipment is one thing, but I'm not sure these Blacks can fight."
"Governor, you're being too cautious. Sure, Blacks are weak soldiers—but East Africa's army isn't all German. They use many Far Easterners. You're basically even."
Delaisse was overconfident. Though France had lost to Germany, they saw it as a fluke—blaming poor mobilization. In fact, France believed their soldiers had shown better discipline overall. That's what they told themselves in their post-war analyses.
Also, East Africa's army included many Far Eastern immigrants. Given the poor performance of the Far Eastern Empire in recent years, Delaisse looked down on any force that included such troops.
He said, "We'll personally train your forces. With French military expertise, Mozambique will be able to stand up to East Africa in no time."
France was eager to join Britain's anti-East Africa plan. Their reasons weren't purely strategic—there was also bitterness. East Africa, being a German colony, was an eyesore. France's hatred for Germany had reached a boiling point, but Germany was too strong to challenge directly. Targeting East Africa was the next best thing.
If they could make Germany stumble in East Africa, maybe France could move in later and expand its own colonial empire.
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