The so-called official press conference was jointly organized by the Cape Colony and the South African Company. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

As a party, Rhodes, representing the South African company, first presented the results of the investigation into the timing of the attack on the night of 23 May, a brief description of what happened, the people attacked, and the casualties and property damage caused. On several occasions, he deliberately stressed that the attackers were white, Dutch-speaking, well-trained, and armed with several Maxim machine guns. Witness testimony, bullet casing evidence, and many photographs were released at the scene, which can be described as well-prepared and informative.

Never before has a city been attacked by unidentified armed men in the era of hot weapons, and the methods are so novel that no, the official call it cruelty. All of the accusations are implicitly directed at the Transvaal, a neighboring country of the Kimberley, the Dutch-speaking white nation.

"Upon receiving news of the attack on Kimberley, the British Empire garrison intercepted and pursued the armed bandits, who had scurried into the Transvaal forty kilometres north of Freiburg. We have just received the latest news that the pursuing Imperial cavalry has been ambushed by the Transvaal army that has taken up the bandits, and the troops have suffered heavy casualties. ”

Milner interjected suddenly, he had just received a telegram of the news, and that Major Ashley, who had fled to Freyburg, had indeed reported it. This truth is very much in line with his needs, so he instructed that the relevant personnel must be controlled and the accusations are solidified.

Like a bombshell being detonated, more than a dozen reporters who came to the press conference were instantly shocked by the news.

"Mr. Milner, what is the official explanation for this in the Transvaal?"

This is a question from the neutral media.

"May I ask you, Your Excellency, what is the response of the Cape Colony to the acts of war in the Transvaal?"

This is a question from the media of the British Empire.

"Two days ago, the Cape Colony sent an official telegram to the Transvaal asking for an explanation on the matter, but unfortunately there has been no reply." Milner righteously stated that he would never say how his telegram was worded, that diplomacy only needed to emphasize the truth that was in his favor, and that the Transvaal's failure to reply was now unfavorable to them, which amounted to acquiescence, at least for the time being.

"In response to the brutality of the Transvaal, I and the soldiers and civilians of the Cape Colony are so indignant that the garrisons on the border with the Transvaal have been put on heightened alert, and have sent an urgent telegram to the country requesting reinforcements."

There was a good excuse for the use of force, and Milner felt that he had handed over the trigger of the war, and if London chose to pull it, the whole history of South Africa would be completely rewritten. It was the dry season, the war was not good for the attackers, and he was not worried that the Boers would really come right away.

In the face of such a detailed and explosive truth, most journalists choose to believe that Milner, the authoritative publisher, believes only what he needs. Only Rhodes knew best in his heart at the scene, and the truth was not necessarily the case, at least those machine guns were secretly stored by him. But this must not be said, the storage of these weapons is a taboo in itself, not to mention the heavy casualties caused by the Imperial soldiers. Besides, he is also very satisfied with the ending that seems to be done now.

But the truth doesn't matter anymore, and journalists are more concerned about the future, whether the British Empire will go to war on the Transvaal.

"Although we were caught off guard, and although the Cape colonies were seriously underarmed, if the Boers attacked, we would fight to the end until reinforcements arrived."

The slender Cape Governor was now straight-backed, his face resolute and resolute, and he looked less like a politician than a brave warrior.

His peers gathered around Milner, and Rhodes, who had been left out in the cold, looked even more gloomy. He's the real victim! Anne was full of sympathy for Rhodes. There has never been an absolutely impartial journalist in this world, and her position determines the tendency of the content of the report, and as an American of Irish ancestry, she has an innate affection for Rhodes and the British Liberal Party.

The butt decides the head, and the former prime minister, Earl Rosebury, the political tycoon that Rhodes has turned to, is a political ally of the Irish Home Rule Party. So Rhodes was also a sympathizer and sponsor of the Irish autonomy movement. In return, when he was elected Prime Minister of the Cape Colony in 1890, Irish immigrants were also Rhodes's staunchest supporters.

"Mr. Rhodes, I'm Anne, a reporter from the New York Times, and I am deeply sympathetic to your company for what has happened to you, what are your next steps?"

American journalist, Rhodes turned his attention from Milner to the beautiful female reporter in front of him. The hateful Americans, if it had not been for the American muddling in South America in 1895, the Jameson Expeditionary Force would probably have continued to receive official British support and would not have failed. But he is not only a businessman, but also a politician, so he is naturally a good actor.

"Thanks to the kindness of our American friends, our South African company will contribute a huge amount of money to the victims of the incident and do our best to treat the injured. These losses will be borne by the company and its shareholders, and the company's employees are good employees who are brave and resilient in the face of armed bandits. ”

The sigh is almost tearful, and it arouses Anne's female sympathy. Alas, who would have thought that the two men who had a good impression of him would be mortal enemies of each other. She glanced up at the northern sky, wondering what the mysterious native was up to and if she would gloat over what had happened to Rhodes.

The initiator of the whole turmoil had returned to his base, and after repelling the pursuing cavalry, Liang Hong led his men all the way to the northeast. Fortunately, by this time it had entered the dry season, and the Boers could not live without horses, and horses could not do without fodder, and their patrol cavalry rarely came out.

The base in the North Transvaal was stable, the perimeter fortifications were nearing completion, the militia had recruited more than 2,000 men, and the early recruits had undergone initial training to use rifles and obey simple orders. The lack of food and water during the dry season made it easier to recruit troops, but it also put a strain on the base's logistics, which needed to buy more food and therefore more pounds.

The cash that Liang Hong looted back was temporarily able to meet the demand, but the grain was transported over long distances and the price was already very high. Especially in the context of last year's poor harvest in the United States, the global food price has risen, and the Transvaal has also risen, forcing him to spend more money to buy enough food. At present, it costs three pounds a month to feed each soldier, which is equivalent to thirty silver dollars.

Food is a big problem, and the ideal solution is to develop local agriculture. There is still land in the North Transvaal, part of which was originally occupied by steppe animals, and another part of which is under the threat of tsetse flies, and few people dare to enter. At the same time, there is a shortage of manpower to cultivate the land, and the local natives are accustomed to nomadic hunting and are unwilling to be bound to the land.

Another solution is to get more money, in real-world money, of course. The New Dana deal with Fenia is close to its peak, earning £3,000 a week, barely enough to cover its current monthly expenses. The more than 10,000 pounds he had stolen from the Kimberley had almost all turned into orders for grain reserves. Although the looted diamonds are more valuable, they are on the cusp of the storm and are clearly not a good time to sell locally.

Therefore, Liang Hong felt that it was very quick to grab money, and was ready to plan to do a big ticket again and save enough money to meet unexpected needs.