The Black Swan slowly sailed away from Poolen Harbor and then began to move at full speed towards its final destination; For the remainder of the voyage, she will not call at any port until she arrives in Djibouti. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

In Captain Henderson's view, time was of the essence.

However, for Duncan, O'Connor, and their mercenaries, time was also extremely short. In Abyssinia, the development of the situation has brought the country into a crucial period, the moment of its final showdown with Italy is fast approaching, and the time left for them is rapidly dwindling...... Even, it's almost finished.

Asmara, Eritrea.

“…… Our army has successfully captured Axum and Makalay, bringing almost the entire province of Tigray under our control, and the Abyssinians, these stupid natives, still look vulnerable. In the conference room of the Doge's Palace, Brigadier General Matteo•Alberto was talking, "Therefore I suggest that we should direct our army to launch a direct attack on Addis Ababa, and settle the minor problems of the land once and for all." ”

Brigadier General Alberto, fifty-five, was not a commanding officer accustomed to arrogance, and he had a great deal of experience in dealing with the indigenous people of Africa - but it was this experience that led him to misjudge; The general believed that the Abyssinians were so vulnerable that a reconnaissance balloon or a few searchlights would allow them to flee.

This is an example of what has happened before, and Alberto believes it can happen again.

Giuseppe•Brigadier General Alimonti had the same opinion. "It is true, we can easily capture the capital of Abyssinia, which will allow us to win this offensive directly."

But there were objections. "Gentlemen, please do not despise our adversaries, who are cunning and cruel, and who do not lack courage, and whose overly reckless actions can put us in danger." Brigadier Vittorio•Brigadier General Dabaulmida reminded, "I hope you remember the terrible battle in the Satyr region. ”

He refers to a defeat of the Italian army: on January 26, 1887, an Italian force of 550 men was lured into a valley by Tigray warriors in the Satyr region, where it was attacked and annihilated. Unfortunately, many have forgotten this lesson and are talking about "success stories" such as scaring off the Abyssinians with a scout balloon.

But Brigadier General Dabauer Mida remembers. "Remember, gentlemen, that four hundred and thirty Italian soldiers were killed in that battle, and I only hope that such a tragedy will not happen a second time."

"You're too pessimistic, Vittorio." "It's a tragedy for Saty, but this time, we have four brigades and 25,000 soldiers, and it's impossible to ambush such a large army," Alberto said. ”

"And the Abyssinians didn't have that many troops either." Brigadier General Ali Monti added.

"Maybe they have." There were four brigadier generals in the room, and when the other three had already made their statements, Giuseppe• and Brigadier General Irena began to speak. "We all know that Menelik II is trying to raise a strong army and buy weapons in large quantities in Europe and the United States, and those dukes and generals who are loyal to him will also bring a considerable number of samurai."

"A rabble." Alberto did not hide his contempt, "Even if Menelic II could gather a large army and arm his soldiers with modern weapons, they would still be a rabble—"

The door was pushed open and the guards shouted "Rikupasa" interrupted him, and his head turned with the others.

Two men of the same goal and very different appearances had entered the conference room—of course, it was Baratieri and his lieutenant. Alberto immediately returned to his chair, while Baratieri took his place and sat at one end of the table. For a moment, Baratieri stared directly at Alberto, then looked away as if he hadn't seen anything.

As the Italian governor slowly looked around the table, a satisfied smile as thin as a razor solidified on his face. "Gentlemen, I have just received news that the Parliament of the Kingdom has passed a resolution requiring me to lead an army to launch an attack on Addis Ababa and force Menelik to accept Italian rule."

A burst of astonishment echoed the crowd. "As soon as all kinds of supplies arrive in Asmara," Balatieri continued, "we will go on the offensive. ”

"It's too late." Alberto suddenly interjected, "Why don't we start attacking now?" ”

"Maybe you didn't notice, Brigadier General Alberto, but our army still lacks a lot of supplies, especially weapons and ammunition." "Of particular interest," he explained—he smiled more visibly—"is your troops." The level of equipment of the Eritrean soldiers under your command is clearly not good enough. ”

"But that doesn't have any adverse effects. General, our forces are already strong enough to take Addis Ababa. Alberto was very sure.

"I know, but I still wish I had been a little more prepared. The attack on Addis Ababa was not an attack on Makalay, it would be a long expedition, so it was necessary to act in a step-by-step manner. And what's the point of waiting three more months? Baratieri's smile turned into a mockery, "No matter how many armies the Abyssinian natives have gathered, the mighty Italian army can wipe them out." ”

"As the Prime Minister and the Parliament of the Kingdom hope," Brigadier General Alimonti added, not without sarcasm, "it will be." ”

The Italian generals were so optimistic about the future of the war, but unfortunately, as Brigadier Generals Dabaulmida and Brigadier Irlena feared, their opponents had a much greater force than they had anticipated.

"Nineteen-six thousand brave warriors have gathered under your command, Great Majesty." Alula•Duke Engida, chief military adviser to the Emperor of Abyssinia, was making a brief report, "And your army already has 110,000 rifles and 200 artillery pieces, and plenty of ammunition." ”

"Ha," the Emperor smiled, pleased with the great power he possessed - though he still could not fully believe that he could crush the Italian army and win the war, "Duke, have the Americans brought all the weapons I have bought?" And the American soldiers we hire? ”

"Not yet, Your Majesty. But they are certainly already on their way. ”

"Well, it looks like I'll have to wait patiently, right?" Menelik tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of his chair, feeling a little uncomfortable with his current situation. Abyssinia had no connection with the United States, so he had no idea at all whether the Americans had fulfilled their promises to him; He can only hope that they will fulfill their promises, but people are not always credible.

"I hope they'll be able to get here soon, before we start the battle to reclaim the territory." He continued, "Those weapons...... And the American soldiers, who will be a significant force in this war, and I have to get them. ”

"You will definitely get theirs, Your Majesty, the Americans will definitely rush here." The Duke of N'Gida assured him—of course, he didn't believe Duncan, but in the presence of the Emperor, he had to say so. "Americans can't yet afford the wrath of a great emperor."

"I hope so." Menelik did not think that Americans would be afraid of their own power; The Italians were not afraid of him, and the Americans certainly did not. Still, Njida's assurances made him happy. He was content for a moment, then turned his gaze to the others in the room: the Duke of Weil, Mangasia•, the Duke of Atikham, the Duke of Maikar of Volo, the Duke of Maconnan of Hara,[note 2] and the son of the dead Emperor Johannes IV, who had sworn allegiance to Mangasia• not long ago; His gaze slowly swept over them, finally stopping, but not on anyone.

"Has the Edict to the People been drafted?" He asked.

"The final revisions are still being made, Great Majesty."

"Hurry up." The emperor ordered, "I will publish it as soon as possible, and I will call on all Abyssinians to unite against the Italians." ”

"As you wish, Great Your Majesty."

"Then, Great Your Majesty, when are you ready to launch a counterattack against the Italians? This will determine when the dukes and generals will come to join you with their armies. One of the dukes asked, it was Atikham.

Menelik has always had his own schedule. "It takes some time to assemble an army, as does harvesting, collecting and transporting food, so I decided to lead my army north in November to retake Tigray from the Italians."

"I see, Great Majesty." The Duke nodded in satisfaction.

"Who else has questions?" The Emperor then asked, his gaze scanning back and forth over the dukes.

But now there is only silence.

So he stood up. "God, by His mercy, defeats my enemies, expands my empire and blesses me. My reign is by the gift of God...... The enemy who is going to destroy our country and change our religion has come. They crossed the ocean that God has given us as a frontier...... These enemies are advancing, entering the country like moles. With God's blessing, I will get rid of them. [note 3]

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Note: The four Italian brigadier generals are Matteo Albertone, Giuseppe Arimondi, Vittorio Dabormida and Giuseppe Ellena

Note 2: The Duke of Maconnan was the father of Haile Selassie

Note 3: This seems to be Menelik's original words, the translation is very poor, if there is an error, please help point it out (to be continued, if you want to know what happened next, please log in to the WWW.CMFU.COM, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!) (To be continued.) )