Now Rock is slowly realizing the British wisdom in running colonies.
The sun that has dominated the world for hundreds of years is indeed very experienced in this aspect. For example, on the peninsula, the former Aden Protectorate and the Muscat Sultanate were surrounded by a loose federation of tribes, which can form a buffer zone and effectively
Block the influence of external forces.
Southern Africa also needs a buffer zone to isolate the influence of British and French colonies in Southern Africa. However, a country with more than two million square kilometers like the Congo Free State is not suitable. It is best for each country to have tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands.
It looks like the Kingdom of Mozambique now, so that it is easier to control in southern Africa.
Returning to the issue of arms sales to the Kingdom of Congo, Barry wants to purchase weapons and ammunition sufficient to arm 500,000 people. Roque will definitely not be able to agree to this request. Let’s not talk about whether he has the money. If the Kingdom of Congo has 500,000 troops, Roque will
I won't be able to sleep at night either.
The plan that Roque finally agreed to was 20,000 rifles, 3 million rounds of ammunition, with a total price of 10 million rand. If you want a loan, the annual interest will be 100%.
Not to mention Luo Ke's ruthlessness, this kind of interest is still like a donkey's rolling, and it will double if it doesn't pay in a year.
In Roque's view, such interest rates are simply destructive, but for the Kingdom of Congo, this interest rate is really not high.
High interest rates represent high risks. It is uncertain whether a new country like the Kingdom of Congo can survive. If the country perishes, not to mention the interest, all the capital will be lost.
Therefore, for the Kingdom of Congo, interest is not a problem at all. It is thankful to God if you can get the money. That means Roque is willing to take risks. If it were a commercial bank, he would probably not be allowed in.
Of course, Rock makes money from both ends. The selling price of 20,000 rifles will definitely be less than 10 million. In this way, the business can be done.
After sending Yaya to blackmail Barry, Roque called Christian and asked about the situation in the Republic of Congo and Belgium.
"This incident is indeed an accident. Isaiah Chamberlain did not expect that Pulitzer would actually shoot Banda directly. Now the Kingdom of Congo is preparing to attack, and the Belgian government is also stepping up its efforts to form an expeditionary force. I heard that there are already tens of thousands of people
"The situation in the Republic of Congo is very dangerous." Christian is not optimistic about the prospects of the Republic of Congo.
The key is that there are too few people. The Kingdom of Congo has a population of nearly 10 million, and Belgium relies on the whole of Europe. Only the Republic of Congo is helpless. Although the Republic of Congo is generally supported by public opinion, the kind of foreign volunteers during the Boer War are not large.
may appear again.
This also fully proves how hated Britain is. Whether those foreign "volunteers" during the Second Boer War were really "volunteers" is indeed worthy of verification.
"Tell Isaiah that this is our last batch of aid this year, and the next batch of aid will not be until half a year later." Roque is betting on both ends. No matter which side wins the final victory between the Republic of Congo and the Kingdom of Congo, Roque and the South
Africa is a winner.
If this thing hadn't happened, the Republic of Congo and the Kingdom of Congo would have been able to strive for peace. Whether it was separation of territories or a temporary truce, they would always have had a chance to recuperate.
As a result, Pulitzer shot Banda, which directly led to the breakdown of negotiations. The Republic of Congo's current situation was brought about by itself.
Rock can now understand how helpless the United States was in 1949. It was like this when the mud was stuck on the wall. If the cards were played carefully, it would be a doomed situation unless Southern Africa personally participated in the battle.
Qi Gui Qi, as long as there is hope, Rock will not give up.
In fact, it is almost the same as Rock himself. The Republic of Congo still has a force composed entirely of Africans. The members of this force are experienced veterans and are good at guerrilla warfare and jungle warfare. This force is also Rock's greatest hope.
.
"Isaiah does not lack weapons now, but he lacks people." Christian is also trying his best to save the life of the Republic of Congo. Most of the members of the army in the Republic of Congo are Yaya's subordinates, and they can also be regarded as Christian's subordinates.
.
"If you still have extra manpower, send it over. Don't worry about mercenaries." Rock won't let Umbrella participate in the battle, at least not now.
When the last resort comes, I'm afraid Umbrella will have to go to the Republic of Congo. Roque has already thought of the reason: they are foreign volunteers who have resurrected their bodies.
During the Boer War, more than two thousand foreign volunteers rushed to southern Africa from all over the world to participate in the war, so it is normal for foreign volunteers to be willing to go to the Republic of Congo now.
In fact, when the rebellion first broke out in the Congo Free State, some people demanded that the border be opened to allow southern Africans to freely travel to the Congo Free State to join the war.
The white people in southern Africa are European immigrants, many of whom are Belgians. The white people in the Congo Free State suffered heavy losses in the rebellion. Indeed, some people felt the same and were willing to go to the Congo Free State to fight.
Such behavior is not allowed in Southern Africa. As soon as the rebellion broke out in the Congo Free State, Southern Africa blocked the border with the Congo Free State and did not allow anyone to enter or leave.
Of course, with the amount of troops in southern Africa, it is impossible to completely block the border, so it is normal for someone to cross the border into the Congo Free State. Even if Roque is discovered by the Belgian government, it can be explained.
As for whether the Belgian government believes it or not, Roque has no control over it.
"Those Belgians are all poor people, poor and stingy. Fifty pounds a month for an experienced mercenary is still too expensive. When selling land, they were very aggressive. An acre actually costs five pounds. Why not?"
Go grab it!" Christian had a strong opinion. Isaiah Chamberlain was a profiteer when he was the general manager of the Haut-Katanga Mining Conglomerate, and he is not much better now.
Five pounds per acre means more than 1,200 pounds per square kilometer. This is indeed a sky-high price in Africa. Plantations in the local countryside of Belgium cannot be sold at such high prices.
However, Christian is not much better. The annual salary of the elite mercenaries of the Umbrella Company is only more than 100 plus overseas allowances. Christian's mercenaries are all Africans, and their monthly salary is only three to five pounds.
, but Christian asked Isaiah Chamberlain for fifty. It is estimated that Isaiah Chamberlain also called Christian a profiteer.
"Five pounds per acre? One square kilometer!" Luo Ke was heartbroken. When the colonial government in Cape Town sold the farm in Bechuanaland to Roy, it seemed to be 280 pounds and three thousand acres. When converted, it was almost 12 square kilometers. One square kilometer.
The kilometers also add up to more than 20 kilometers.
The farm sold to Roy by the colonial government of Cape Town is located in Bechuanaland, 850 kilometers away from Cape Town in a straight line. It is definitely a place where birds don't poop, which is why it is sold so cheaply.
Now with the gradual immigration of Chinese, the price of farms in Bechuanaland is also soaring. One acre now costs about five pounds.
"Yes, it must be one square kilometer. I will go to Isaiah Chamberlain at this price." Christian was overjoyed. Under Roque's influence, Christian is now one of the few large landowners in Africa, not just in the south.
In Africa, in Southwest Africa and Tanganyika, and even as far away as East India, Christian had industries.
Five pounds per square kilometer is indeed too cheap. If you calculate it this way, more than 10 million can buy the entire Congo Free State.
However, this price is not impossible. With the current situation in the Republic of Congo, as long as you still want to get assistance from Christian, you must make appropriate compromises.
It is impossible to sell the entire Congo Free State to Christian, but selling part of it can be considered. In the past, several large companies in the Congo Free State, each of which had millions of acres of plantations, sold it to Christian at will.
One or two million acres is not impossible,
The key is that the area currently controlled by the Republic of Congo is only the few hundred square kilometers at the seaport. The vast area in the interior is controlled by the Kingdom of Congo. Under the premise that the outcome is undecided, Christian is willing to pay for the land. The Republic of Congo
You should be overjoyed.
Such fools are not common.
No matter how much Christian blackmails Isaiah Chamberlain, Rock has undergone tremendous changes in the Congo Free State. If Rock wants to eat meat, he also needs his men to drink some soup, otherwise he will cause trouble to Xiao Qiang.
In early December, the Kingdom of Congo, which had just received weapons from Nyasaland, could not wait to launch an attack on the Republic of Congo.
Roque is really helpless. Many rebels in the Congo Free State are still at the level of swords and spears. They have never even been exposed to flintlocks. Now they have obtained the most advanced magazine-type rifles and don't even have time to train.
They launched an attack directly, probably hoping to find the Republic of Congo to fight with bayonets.
The result was a natural failure, and it was a huge defeat. Barry mobilized nearly 200,000 people to attack Leopoldville and Boma in two directions, but they did not even see the walls of Leopoldville and Boma.
The 200,000 troops lost more than 180,000 in one week, and the newly acquired rifles also lost more than 4,000.
Barry was smart enough not to distribute all the rifles, otherwise he would have lost as many as he had.
The organizational skills of the African troops are really disappointing. This group of black men who have received almost no formal military training go to the battlefield with enthusiasm. When the wind is going smoothly, they are overwhelmingly powerful. Once the battle situation reaches a stalemate, some people start to take advantage of it.
Deserters, once the battle situation is unfavorable, it doesn't matter if there is a law enforcement team behind them, they still have to run when they should.
When escaping, the rifle becomes a hindrance to the speed, so it is normal to throw away the rifle.
It is really difficult for such an army to win the battle.