PS: The second update is here! Ask for a subscription, ask for a monthly pass, ask for a like! Thanks to the book friends for the command gun, the eagle of the People's Liberation Army, and the extremely deep-sea diving tips! Thank you for the monthly pass of Xiang Haitianfeng!

On 11 September 1899, the Boer coalition consisting of the Transvaal Army and the Orange Armed Forces marched eastward. Commander-in-Chief of the Cloth Army, Pierte? General Joubert led the main force from East Orange over Mount Drakens and into the Natal colony, where he attacked Leddy Smith, the main force of the British army in Natal. In the early morning of 17 September, the pursuing Cloth Army engaged in a battle at Mount Tarana with the British Brigade stationed here to defend the outer line of Leddy Smith. The commander of the Brazzaville army, General Meir, took advantage of the favorable terrain and the cover of the morning fog to launch a surprise attack on the British army. The British lost 865 men and the Burnese lost 145 men.

Another arm, commanded by General Delarry, known as the "Lion of the West Transvaal", entered British Bechuanaland on 11 September, cutting off the Western Cape Railway and thus cutting off the Cape from Rhodesia. De La Rey divided his forces into two routes, one under the command of General Cronye, which surrounded Mafrentin, and the other (mainly by the Oranges) by Louis? Botha commanded and besieged the diamond town of Kimberley.

The third armies crossed the Orange River and absorbed small groups of Boer forces from the British Cape colonies and operated in the northeastern part of the Cape, threatening the East-West Cape railway line. The British had to defend the Orange River Railroad Bridge tightly to guard against Boer attempts to blow it up. Dear, the most important railway junction on the Western Cape railway line and a distribution center for military supplies, was also harassed by the Boers. In order to protect the normal passage of the East and West Cape Railway, the British had to install 4.7-inch naval guns on the train and slowly advance under its cover. Repair the railway in small sections.

September 30, 1899. Lady Smith's Four Thousand British Army at George? Under the command of Lieutenant General White, a counteroffensive was launched against the Cloth Army. In the Nicholson Gorge, the British army was defeated with a loss of 1,272 men, and the rest retreated to Leddy Smith, where they were immediately surrounded. Due to the tight defense of Leddy Smith, Joubert failed to attack the city several times, so he sent scout troops deep into the heart of the British army, as far as the front line of Estcourt. Scouting locations that can be used to carry out entrenchment. The rest of the main force camped around Ladysmith and awaited the arrival of the British Overseas Corps.

At the end of September, the commander-in-chief of British reinforcements, who had suppressed a local uprising in Ireland, was replaced by Redfuss? The 20,000 British troops under Admiral Buller finally reached Cape Town. Beginning in mid-October, the British army under the command of Buller launched a counteroffensive against the Burenos forces on three fronts: Lieutenant General Mayhuin relieved the siege of Kimberley on the western front, Lieutenant General French attacked the Orange Free State on the central front, and General Buller led the main force to relieve the siege of Leddy Smith on the eastern front.

In the early morning of 15 October, Admiral Buller launched an attack on the Boo forces at the small station in Coronso, southwest of Ladysmith, in an attempt to force the crossing of the Tuguela River to Ladysmith. Buller commanded 16,000 men from the 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 6th British Brigades, as well as four light cavalry regiments and three squadrons of lancers from colonial cavalry. The artillery had 5 artillery batteries. 30 cannons, in addition to 16 naval 12-pounder guns and 4.7-inch guns. Including cavalry and artillery. The total strength of Bühler was 22,000 men. The Boer forces involved in the Battle of Colonso included militia groups from eight districts, including Johannesburg, Heidelberg, Krugersdorp, Freyhead, and Utrecht, troops from the Orange Free State, and white police forces from Johannesburg and Eswatini, totaling 35,000 men. In addition, there are 50 Chinese-made 105mm light howitzers and 100 Type 82 infantry guns. Due to the concealment of artillery positions by the British army, as well as the command errors of the British commander-in-chief, the dispersion of troops and the rigidity of tactics, the British army suffered a heavy defeat in this battle, with 4,139 killed, 30 missing, and 10 artillery pieces lost. The Boer army suffered only 8 killed and 30 wounded.

The current Boers, who have purchased a large number of advanced weapons from China, are not much worse than the British army. In this case, the British army could not resist the attack of the Boers at all, and the entire British colony of South Africa was in danger.

Britain is bogged down in South Africa, which has also turned the originally deadlocked negotiations between China and Britain into a turning point. The British had found that if they continued to be tough on China, they would not be able to be confident and bold enough to quell the Boer war in South Africa. At this time, China was making preparations for war against Japan, and did not want to continue to drag on with Britain.

16 October 1899, Prime Minister's House, Downing Street, London, England. British Prime Minister Arthur? Balfort, once again, convened a cabinet meeting, which was held in the conference room of the Prime Minister's Office. Balfour's face was rather ugly.

"Who can sue me, what the hell is going on? How could those Boers become so powerful all of a sudden? If we continue like this, will we lose South Africa? "Prime Minister Arthur? Belfort asked, grimace.

"Your Excellency, the strength of the Boers has exceeded our expectations, and they are equipped with weapons that are better than the ones we use, and even the artillery is more powerful than ours. This is also the main reason for the defeat of Admiral Buller this time! "Field Marshal Neville? Powers? Sir Chamberlain replied.

"So, what the hell is going on? How could those Boers have such powerful weapons? "Arthur? Prime Minister Balfour asked. He was very aggrieved and finally came to power, but he had to face a mess left by the former Prime Minister, the Marquess of Salisbury. Now, the Sino-British negotiations have reached an impasse, and China has begun to shrink its forces after completing negotiations with the United States and Russia and ending the war. The new Viceroy of India, George? Nathaniel? The Marquis Curzon constantly sent telegrams to the British cabinet, asking the British to send more troops to India to strengthen India's defenses so that it could resist possible attacks by the Chinese. But where did Britain have the surplus troops to transport to India! Moreover, even if more troops were dispatched, after the defeat of the navy, it would be impossible for the British Army to resist the attack of the squadron. And now, the Boers have launched another attack on the British, and the British army has been defeated, and British rule in South Africa is in jeopardy. Prime Minister Balfour is so anxious that he has to face questions from the Queen or Parliament every day.

"Your Excellency, we suspect that behind these Boers there is the support of the Chinese. The weapons used by the Boers were almost all standard weapons equipped by the Chinese army. "War Secretary Neville? Powers? Sir Chamberlain said.

"What? Those damned yellow-skinned monkeys, how dare they use such a conspiracy against the British Empire! "Arthur? Prime Minister Balfour was furious, but then he thought that the current Britain no longer has any deterrent effect on China. China simply ignored the British threat, and even threatened Britain's most important colonies.

"So, gentlemen, what shall we do now?" Arthur? Prime Minister Balfour asked, gasping for breath.

"Your Excellency, I think the most important thing now is to reach an agreement with the Chinese to end this damn war. There are two obvious benefits to this. First, our threats to India and Australia can be lifted. Second, we can put all our energy into crushing the damned Boer rebellion! "Chancellor of the Exchequer Charles? Thomson? Ridge built yì road.

"However, the conditions of the Chinese are too harsh, they not only want Burma and the Straits Settlements, but also want us to pay 200 million pounds in war reparations!" Lord of the Admirals John? Sir Fisher said with a frown. Britain's finances are no longer loose, and if it pays a huge amount of war reparations to China, it will undoubtedly affect the navy's shipbuilding program.

"Sir Fisher, Burma and the Straits Settlements have been occupied by the Chinese, and we will not be able to recover these colonies unless the navy is restored to the best strength in the world. As for the war reparations, if we lose South Africa and India, our losses will be far more than 200 million pounds, or even ten times or dozens or hundreds of times this amount! "Field Marshal Neville? Powers? Sir Chamberlain said. He was also in favor of making peace with China first, and then concentrating all his efforts on suppressing the Boer revolt.

Arthur? Prime Minister Balfour was silent, and he had to admit that this was the best solution to these problems now. Although I was very reluctant, there was no other way to replace it.

"Well, since everyone thinks so, then send a telegram to Lord Lansdowne and ask him to find a way to reach an agreement with the Chinese!" However, it is still necessary to protect the interests of the British Empire as much as possible! "Arthur? Prime Minister Balfour said. Obviously, in this war with China, Britain lost a lot of money, not only losing a part of the Far East, but also ceding the entire Pacific Ocean to China. Moreover, a strong China would pose a direct threat to Britain's most important colonies, whether India or Australia, South Africa and Canada, all of which were already within China's reach. In the event of another war between the two countries, these important colonies will become China's primary targets. And if these colonies were lost, the decline of the British Empire would be inevitable. A powerful Eastern empire on the rise will begin to challenge Britain's world supremacy.

Lord Lansdowne, who was far away in Beijing, was relieved when he received a telegram from the Cabinet. He's been in China for almost three months, and now, he's finally able to come to an agreement with China and leave this place he hates! (To be continued.) )