Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 454: The Troubled Luís

The strongest fortress is always breached from within, a simple truth that Governor Delf naturally understood. From the beginning, he had no intention of fighting Austria in Africa.

Even if the Royal Navy could suppress the Austrian Navy and blockade most ports, they still had no chance of victory.

Despite the total population of South Africa exceeding 2.5 million, most of them were black. In the mid-19th century, the white population in the Cape Town area, including the Boers, barely surpassed 100,000.

Under the pressure of Austria’s mass immigration, the British government also accelerated its immigration efforts. Unfortunately, Britain had a limited population and too many colonies.

They had to balance many areas simultaneously, primarily Australia and Canada, where gold had already been discovered, followed by New Zealand, India, and other regions. By the time it came to South Africa, the number of immigrants left was already small.

This was the reason for Governor Delf’s concern. Whether he liked it or not, insufficient immigration had become the main constraint on the development of the South African region.

In the original timeline, South Africa developed significantly in the late 19th century, attracting a large number of immigrants due to the discovery of the world’s largest gold deposits.

At this point in time, South Africa did not have many advantages over other parts of Africa, at least not in the minds of the public.

Governor Delf eagerly asked, “Blair, how is the plan progressing? Are they willing to cooperate with us?”

Faced with Governor Delf’s eager anticipation, Blair lowered his head. After a moment, he replied, “I’m sorry, Governor, our plan has failed. Austria’s infiltration of the Transvaal Republic and Orange Free State is even more severe than we imagined. As soon as we made contact with them, the news appeared in the newspapers.

You know, the grievances between us and the Boers cannot be resolved in just a few words. After the news was leaked, the friends who had been in contact with us did not dare to act rashly.”

Where there are people, there are disputes. Among the Boers, there are quite a few who oppose cooperating with Austria. However, this does not mean they are willing to cooperate with the British.

These Boers had originally moved inland to avoid becoming British subjects, so they naturally harbored no goodwill toward the British, who had seized their homeland.

Anti-British sentiment among the populace was already strong. With Austria’s involvement, opposing the British had become the politically correct stance in the Transvaal Republic and Orange Free State.

After the news leaked, those who had intended to collaborate with the British found themselves caught in a whirlpool of public opinion, unable to protect themselves, and thus were naturally too afraid to continue their actions.

As for British threats, unfortunately, Austria is the dominant power on the African continent. The Transvaal Republic and Orange Free State are landlocked countries, and no matter how powerful the Royal Navy is, it cannot come ashore.

Even for the British in the Cape Town area, who threatens who is a question that needs careful consideration.

This outcome was unexpected for Governor Delf. He had initially planned to buy off the anti-Austrian faction among the Boers, stir up conflicts between the two sides, and force the Transvaal Republic and Orange Free State to turn towards them.

With the Boers acting as a buffer, British rule in South Africa would become more secure. Austria was exhausted and had no capacity for retaliation in the short term.

Meanwhile, future issues would be for the next administration to handle. Governor Delf did not think he needed to worry about that. Stabilizing the situation with minimal cost was his immediate priority.

Governor Delf complained, “It seems our troubles have increased. Unless we eliminate the threats of the Transvaal Republic and Orange Free State, we won’t sleep well at night.

Damn Boers, couldn’t they just serve as a buffer state properly? Why did they have to lean towards Austria? Do they really think we are easy to bully?”

If the Boers knew his thoughts, they would certainly feel wronged. They had always remained neutral!

Their closeness to Austria was natural; besides the sentiments of the populace, they also needed trade.

As a small landlocked country surrounded by the British, Austrians, and Portuguese, if they didn’t get close to Austria, should they instead turn to the Portuguese?

Explanations were futile. Their alignment with Austria posed a threat to British rule in Cape Town. This reality was more compelling than any justification.

Blair suggested, “Governor, since our attempt to sever the relationship between the Boers and the Austrians from within, has failed, we must quickly initiate our contingency plan.

We need to take action to disrupt their cooperation before Austria annexes the Boers. Now is the perfect opportunity.”

Indeed, it was an opportunity. The African continent was vast, and despite the Austrians’ efforts to build railways, they still hadn’t solved the transportation issue.

In the regions of Zimbabwe and Botswana, the Austrians’ capacity to mobilize forces was very limited. It’s not that they didn’t have a large army, but the harsh transportation conditions restricted the number of troops they could deploy.

This was the real reason Austria’s expansion had reached its limit. Despite having many immigrants on the African continent, once they dispersed, there weren’t many in any given area.

To locate these settlements, one just needed to follow the rivers. Areas without rivers were mostly undeveloped.

The British contingency plan was to eliminate the threats of the Transvaal Republic and Orange Free State before Austria could solve its transportation issues.

“Sigh.”

After sighing, Governor Delf then said, “Start the preparations. The Cabinet has approved our plan. The Foreign Office will coordinate with our actions.”

…

King Luís of Portugal found himself in a panic. As he sat comfortably at home, trouble seemed to descend from the sky out of nowhere.

With Britain and Austria locked in a fierce struggle for control over South Africa, Portugal was now forced to choose a side.

Though a small country with limited influence in Europe, Portugal still wielded considerable power on the African continent, particularly in South Africa.

Their hold on Mozambique and Angola wasn’t solely due to deft diplomacy but also their own strength.

While this might seem insignificant in Europe, it was formidable in Africa. Without this strength, no amount of diplomacy could have kept their colonies safe.

King Luís was acutely aware of the reality: Portugal could no longer compete with Britain, France, and Austria for overseas colonies. For years, Luís I had been on the defensive, focused solely on preserving what they had.

Thanks to maintaining good relations with both Britain and Austria, Portugal’s African colonies remained untouched.

But now, Britain demanded that Portugal choose a side. The British government sought Portuguese support in Africa to help expel Austria from South Africa.

Whether or not this was possible, just the notion of facing Austria directly made Luís I uneasy.

As for their “Pink Map” project, which aimed to connect Angola and Mozambique, Luís I had long since abandoned it. This was no longer Portugal’s era; holding on to their current territories was the best they could hope for.

Caught between two empires, life was anything but easy for King Luís I. Had he not been strong-willed, he might have already collapsed under the pressure.

The promises Britain offered held no interest for Luís I.

Perhaps a British-Portuguese alliance could suppress the Austrians in South Africa, but what about the aftermath where there would be Austrian retaliation?

Relying on British protection would be like a lamb entering a tiger’s den. Historically, when Portugal was forced to side with Britain, much of their colonial wealth ended up in British hands.

Now, the consequences could be even graver. An alliance with Britain would doom Angola. Austria’s well-established Congo region was already capable of supporting a force of 100,000 troops.

Mozambique wouldn’t fare any better. With so many shared borders between Portuguese and Austrian territories, a conflict would mean perpetual strife for Portugal.

Luís I didn’t believe that the British, despite their promises to protect Portuguese colonies, would really go to war with Austria for their sake.

Even with severe conflicts of interest in South Africa, both sides were exercising restraint, avoiding open warfare—an indication of the stakes involved.

Moreover, Portugal and Austria had a history of amicable relations. When Austria began its colonial ventures, it received support from Portugal. Franz had publicly promised not to covet any Portuguese colonies.

Luís I trusted this declaration. Over the years, Austria had indeed kept its hands off Portuguese territories.

Breaking this favorable status quo for British promises seemed a losing proposition to Luís I.

Even if Portugal were to gain Zambia and connect Angola with Mozambique, it might not be beneficial.

Acting as a buffer between major powers is always tricky, especially for a nation that has already picked a side, binding itself to British interests and facing Austrian retaliation.

This was not the outcome Luís I desired. However, refusing the British was equally difficult. Given John Bull’s typical behavior, how could they possibly let go of such a valuable pawn?