Cape Town, South Africa, City Hall.

Simon Berger lit his pipe and took a few puffs in a sullen mood. Simon was the new governor of the Dutch East India Company in Cape Town, and it was a fat gap for everyone to break their heads and move forward. However, after coming to Cape, Simon already regretted coming to the southern tip of the African continent, thousands of miles away, to be the governor of Rausch.

Who would have thought that the Dutch East India Company, which had a monopoly on the entire spice trade in its glory days, had reached such a state. The Dutch East India Company had long been in a predicament of making ends meet, and it was no secret that the company's income and expenditure accounts were in disarray.

Especially in colonial Cape Town, deception and corruption have reached the point of shocking! In the face of the company's successive losses, the senior staff of the company stationed in Cape Town actually owned large pastures and grape plantations, and they were all very rich. If this is said that there is nothing greasy in it, a fool will not believe it. Simon felt like he was sitting in the crater, ready to erupt at any moment.

Colonel Hurd Tasfinn came to Simon's desk and said in a deep voice, "Mr. Governor, the British fleet has sailed into the port of Cape Town, do you need me to send someone to keep an eye on them?" ”

Colonel Staffen was the company's supreme commander of the Cape Region Army and was responsible for the defence of the entire Cape Region. The arrival of the British fleet in the Cape to dock for supplies also put a lot of pressure on him, especially since the British fleet also had a newest fourth-class battleship, the "Lion", which was larger than any Dutch warship in Cape Town's harbor.

Simon Berger slammed his pipes on the oak table and scolded, "These ghostly Brits! Don't think I don't know their sinister intentions, the Cape is a piece of fat in their eyes, and if the United Provincial Republic and them weren't allies now, they would have done it a long time ago! Colonel Tasfin, send me a few men to keep an eye on the harbor, and report to me if any Englishman leaves the harbor!" ”

The British had sent officers on several occasions to help train the Bantu in northern South Africa, so Simon Bergle was going to be careful not to let any of the British go to the heart of South Africa.

Colonel Hurd Tasfinn saluted: "Yes, Your Excellency the Governor. If any member of the British Mission leaves port, we will be informed within half an hour. By the way, Mr. Governor, do you want to send a regiment to garrison the docks, just in case? ”

Because of the lack of money of the Dutch East India Company, the shore defense batteries in Cape Port have not been renovated for a long time, and if the British ** ships parked in the port break out, then Cape Port will be shelled into ruins within an hour.

Simon Berger shook his head: "No, my Colonel. Excessive irritation can only give the British an excuse, and now Britain is still our ally, and in Europe we need the help of the British to resist the increasingly aggressive French. ”

Simon was a member of the Grand Parliament of the Netherlands before coming to Cape, and no one in Cape knows the situation in Europe better than he does. France is now like an unfettered mad dog, eyeing the Dutch lowlands (present-day Belgium and the Netherlands).

After thinking about it, Simon added: "Tomorrow night I will prepare a grand welcome dinner for Lord Margarny of England, although I would love to draw my pistol and duel this damned Scotsman!" Remember not to be absent tomorrow, lest the British become suspicious. ”

"As you wish, Your Excellency." Colonel Hurd Tasfinn gave another salute and slowly withdrew from the governor's office. Although the Governor did not agree to any military moves, he had to be prepared for a conflict with the British.

While the Dutch were worried about the arrival of the British visiting fleet, Wickham was quietly boarding a transport boat under the cover of moonlight and mist. The sailors on the transport boats, with the help of their compasses and charts, are rowing towards the established waters outside the port area.

Except for the "whoop" sound of oars lapping against the sea, the whole body of water seems to be unusually silent. Wickham could even clearly feel his own heartbeat and breathing. After forty minutes of sailing, by the light of the moon, the people on the boat could spot the surface of the water not far away, and slowly revealed the outline of a ship.

A naval officer on board the transport boat immediately lit a penetrating whale oil lamp, covered it with a tarpaulin, and then uncovered it, and so on three times. Two minutes later, when the boat on the opposite side had replied with the same signal, the naval officer whispered to the rowing sailors: "This is the boat, hurry up and row over." ”

The merchant ship, called the "Rose", did not anchor in the harbor, but took advantage of the darkness to stop less than a mile from the harbor to prevent the tax officers of the port of Cape Town from coming on board to inspect the ship.

When the transport boat approached the side of the merchant ship and made a muffled "thump", a rope was quickly lowered on the side of the "Rose". The naval officer saluted Wickham and said, "Lieutenant Wickham, may God bless you." Wickham nodded, put on his soft woollen gloves, and climbed the rope up to the deck of the Rose.

When Wickham had already been waiting on the deck of the merchant ship, one of the well-dressed gentlemen, probably thirty years old, asked in a loud voice, "This gentleman, you have been sent by Lord Magalny?" ”

Wickham nodded, holding his hat and replied, "I guess you're Mr. Jeff, I'm George Wickham, it's nice to meet you." I hope that this time we can work together to fulfill the mission that the Kingdom has given us. ”

Wickham had a polite smile on his face, and since the two of them didn't have much contact in the upcoming mission, he didn't plan to have a deep friendship with the spy named Jeff.

Jeff nodded, unconcerned about the estrangement in Wickham's words, and began to explain the situation in a loud voice: "Mr. Wickham, the Rose will sail to the eastern shore of the Cape of Good Hope, where you will disembark. The Dutch don't have a tight grip on it, and the men of the South Xhosasavi family have brought a detachment of men and horses to meet you there. ”

The war between the Xhosa and the Dutch had reached a fever pitch, but the Xhosa lacked effective heat, weapons, and weapons, so in the face of the Boer People's Corps on horseback and with carbines, the Xhosa did not take much advantage, but lost many good warriors.

Wickham nodded: "Mr. Jeff, I don't know how much arms there is this time?" If there are too many, it will take a lot of time to unload the cargo from the ship's sampan alone. It would have been bad if the Dutch cruisers had discovered it during this period. ”

The strategic location of the Cape was so important that any ship destined for India and the Far East passed through it during the years when the Sui Canal was not open, and the Dutch East India Company deployed there was no shortage of naval forces. The "Rose" is just an armed merchant ship, and it is still a bit unsightly to encounter a warship. Wickham didn't want anything to go wrong when unloading the cargo, and at that point it would be a "death before the ambition was paid".

Jeff didn't have a worried look on his face, but explained to Wickham as he instructed the captain next to him to set sail: "Mr. Wickham's concern is not unreasonable. However, this is not a big problem, the total number of these weapons is only 1,500 smoothbore guns, 200 barrels of gunpowder and matching bullets, and there are no heavy weapons such as artillery. Moreover, the Xhosa people have prepared a lot of canoes on the shore, which can also help when the time comes. ”

Now that they had thought of everything, Wickham stopped asking, but asked Jeff for a cabin to rest in, and waited intently for the merchant ship to arrive at the delivery location.

When it was dawn, the "Rose" really encountered a Dutch fast cruiser with 24 guns, which made everyone on board sweat. Fortunately, the Dutch seemed to be quite relieved about the British-flagged merchant ship, and did not stop to inspect it at all, and swept it over.

Seeing the Dutchman's warship slowly fade out of sight, Jeff breathed a sigh of relief. Although this was within his expectations, he was inevitably in a state of panic. In this business, the rewards are high, and the risks are correspondingly high, and if the Dutch find the arms, then he will only have to go to the gallows.

But this could not be blamed on the carelessness of the Dutch warship, there were a dozen ships that rounded the Cape of Good Hope every day, most of them were British ships, and they had long been accustomed to it, and felt that there was no need to stop and check.

After a while, the Rose finally sailed to a remote harbor, and on the hill on the shore there were three columns of smoke rising into the sky, which was the signal agreed between the British and the Xhosa. The sailors on the Rose also rang the bell hanging from the ship, in groups of three, for a total of three sets. In a short time, more than two dozen canoes rushed out of the estuary on the shore, and under the vigorous rowing of the Xhosa people, they were like arrows off the string.

With such a big movement, Wickham had already woken up, changed into a convenient riding suit, and came to the deck. Jeff seemed to be in a good mood, and when he saw Wickham coming to his side, he smiled and said, "Look, Mr. Wickham, those are the Xhosa people who have come to pick us up." Don't look at the fact that they are rowing canoes, the speed and loading capacity are very good. ”

Wickham looked in the direction Jeff was pointing and found that the Xhosa canoes were indeed larger than he had imagined, hollowed out of hundreds of years old hardwood, with a length of about ten meters, and could accommodate about fifteen heavily armed soldiers at a time.

Within a few moments, several Xhosas were on the deck of the Rose. Jeff laughed and greeted the Xhosa people in the local language of the Xhosa, and the Xhosa people gave Jeff a warm hug and then muttered a few words in the native language.

Although Jeff did a good job of concealing it, Wickham noticed a fleeting hint of disgust in the corner of his eyes at the moment of hugging the Xhosa. It seems that Jeff, a self-proclaimed gentleman, was not accustomed to the warm embrace of the Xhosa, and only had to endure it because of the task handed over from above.

After greeting, one of the younger Xhosa people asked Jeff in a strange English, "Mr. Jeff, what about what we agreed on?" My friend, you know that the damned whites have crossed the river of big fish several times, and we need good weapons. ”

Realizing that there was something wrong with his words, the young Xhosa man hurriedly said, "Oh, I don't mean you, you Britons are our Xhosa friends, I'm talking about the greedy Dutch. ”

Jeff chuckled dryly to hide his embarrassment: "Of course, we Britons will always be friends with the Xhosa. I can assure you of that, Savida. The 1,500 guns we brought this time are the most advanced guns in Europe. I am sure that these weapons, in your hands, will teach those arrogant Dutchmen a profound lesson. ”

Savida's eyes lit up when he heard that there were so many weapons, and he turned around and conversed in the native language with the other two Xhosa, who were both excited when they heard Savida's words. Wickham secretly observed the Xhosa man named Savida, and found that this young man should be the highest status among the three. Not only because it was he who had been negotiating with Jeff, but also because the two Xhosas didn't dare to speak without Savida's permission.

As if to confirm Wickham's suspicions, Jeff led Saveda to him: "Saveda, this is Lieutenant Wickham, a brave and witty officer in our King of Britain's ** team. He will be responsible for delivering the arms to your tribe and instructing the warriors of your tribe in the use of these weapons. Lieutenant Wickham, the son-in-law of the chieftain of the Xhosa tribe, was a brave Xhosa warrior. ”

Wickham nodded slightly and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, His Royal Highness Prince Savida. Hope we can have a good time working together in the coming time. ”

Savida didn't answer, but looked at Wickham a few times before saying to Jeff, "Jeff, there are so many warriors in our tribe who can use guns and guns, so we don't need any military personnel. "Now the Xhosa people are friendly to the British, and that is because the British can supply them with much-needed weapons. But deep down in the hearts of the Xhosa, they have a natural distrust of whites, so they are very repulsed that Wickham will go back to the tribe with them.

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Wickham's face, but Lord Magalny had specifically told him to personally assess the Xhosa's combat effectiveness and war potential. This is a great reference for whether the British will continue to support the Xhosa against the Dutch, after all, no one wants to spend money in vain. If the Xhosa did not meet the expectations of the British, then this operation to provide free weapons would be immediately halted and replaced by a paid arms trade.

"His Royal Highness Prince Savida, knowing how to use weapons does not necessarily mean that you can win the war, and weapons are matched with military ideas, tactics, army structure and other invisible things, these invisible things and weapons and equipment can help you defeat the Dutch." If Prince Saveda didn't take him, then he wouldn't be able to complete the task given to him by Magalny, so Wickham had to strike first and defend himself first.

Savida stared at Lin Zihan's eyes, and the fierceness in his eyes flashed: "Mr. Wickham, so you are a brave warrior?" As he spoke, he looked at Wickham's not-so-strong physique with a playful look, "That's all right, Mr. Wickham, if you can defeat this tribal warrior next to me, I'll take you to our tribe, how about it?" ”

Wickham glanced at the tall, muscular black warrior beside Savida, sweating profusely from his forehead. What are you kidding, if you run over and fight against such a humanoid machine, you won't be abused into scum? He's not that stupid! Jeff looked at Wickham with interest, wanting to see how the young officer would handle such an emergency.

Wickham took a deep breath and looked directly into Savida's eyes without fear: "Your Royal Highness Prince Savida, I think you have made a mistake. A good commander doesn't have to be a brave samurai. In front of a team, no individual force can influence the situation on the battlefield. In today's world, there is no possibility of winning alone in the face of a close-knit army. ”

This is the difference between the medieval army and the modern army, the cold weapon era relied on the bravery of individual soldiers, while the modern army emphasized the overall cooperation, with the maximum firepower to kill and injure the enemy.

Savida is not a mediocre person, on the contrary, he is quite smart. Wickham's words made him understand to a certain extent why the warriors of the Xhosa always suffered against the Boer militia on horses and carbines. So if the British ** official in front of him can hand over those things to the Xhosa, then will they be able to inflict heavy damage on those Boer people's groups?

After thinking so, Savida said to Wickham: "Very well, then Wickham will go back with us." ”