"Take advantage of the dry season to build the chain bridges as soon as possible, and we must build at least five chain bridges on this section of the river to ensure the smooth flow of traffic."

"An iron bridge connects the north and south banks, and the army can directly enter the south from the bridge, but fortunately, East Africa is dominated by light infantry, and the requirements for the bridge are not high."

"Transportation is nothing more than connecting two places, and these chain bridges will also play the role of the most important hub in the region for a period of time in the future."

The two engineers were standing on the north bank of the Zambezi River and chatting, and the overall frame of a bridge had already appeared in front of them, as long as the planks were laid on the iron cables.

As the fourth largest river in Africa, the Zambezi River has a total length of 2,660 kilometers and a basin area of 1.35 million square kilometers, second only to the Congo River and the Niger River in Africa.

The most important feature of the Zambia River is that it is steep, full of canyons, rapids and rapids, and it is easy to flood in Mozambique downstream.

Therefore, if you want to cross this moat, you have to build bridges, but the Zambezi River is too far away from the economically developed areas of East Africa, and the territory of the East African Kingdom, except for the eastern land, which has been repaired for many years and established a rudimentary road system, the rest of the country can be said to be blank.

Therefore, it is too unrealistic to transport building materials from the rear, so it is more time-saving and labor-saving to use chain bridges.

"When the bridges over this river are all erected, it is almost the time when the southwestern provinces are completely settled."

Now East Africa is planning to build roads in Zambia.

There is a good saying, there is no road in the world, and when there are more people walking, it becomes a road.

Indigenous Africa actually has its own path, but it really came out barefoot, and East Africa is only expanding on this path.

Unlike the Tanganyika region of East Africa, there are some indigenous kingdoms in the southwest, so the traffic is not zero, especially in the north, the former Kazenbe kingdom has the best transportation conditions.

There is often a misconception that the speed at which roads are being built in East Africa is incredible, but in fact it is completely unnecessary, and that road construction in East Africa is not at all the same concept as road construction in later generations.

Except for the eastern Central Province and those cities in the east, which use hardened roads, the rest of the area is still dirt roads, what can you say about these dirt roads? Some lots haven't even been touched, so they just use it.

However, in East Africa, drainage measures will be strengthened when roads are built, and this is actually the most expensive work.

In parallel with the construction of the road, the East African Government also planned to build a telegraph line from Mbeya, South Salzburg, to Lusaka, the capital of the Southern Frontier Province, so that the central government could have direct access to the south-western region.

East Africa has not yet fully digested Zambia, but it is eager to enter Zimbabwe and beyond.

This is also the reason for the haste to build bridges over the Zambezi River, and at the same time East Africa is actively expanding its army, intending to expand the army to about 200,000.

Now the role of the army is very important, East Africa is too big, more troops are needed to consolidate the territory, and at the same time, East Africa intends to develop a slave economy in recent years, and the suppression of slaves also needs an army.

The river and lake forces will be greatly strengthened as a key object of support, and the Zambian River basin is crisscrossed by water systems, which is a good place for them to display their strength.

……

Rome, Italy.

In a remote courtyard, there were more than 100 people on this day.

"Pastor, where did you get this yard? Although it can accommodate a lot of people, the conditions are too simple! ”

"Well, it's nice to have a house to live in, and let's not forget the purpose of our visit, of course, it's more convenient to get together, otherwise, if things change, the command will be a problem, and it's just far away from the suburbs, so that the Italians won't notice it."

"Alas, to be honest, I'm not surprised to go abroad, it's the hardest thing for me to go abroad with my bare hands, a soldier has no gun, is he still a soldier?"

"Mr. Bryce, don't complain, as the elite of the Empire, we should continue to maintain the integrity of the military, and send us to Italy to show the importance of this operation, if it succeeds, we will be the heroes of the Empire when we go back." The priest taught.

As a "devout believer" from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it is natural to have a true priest with him, so that it is not easy to goof. It would have been a disaster if these Austrian disguised believers were allowed to operate alone.

"Knock Knock Knock ......"

There was a knock on the door.

"Who?" The priest opened the door and looked.

"Sir, do you want an Italian pizza?"

"What flavor?"

"Pineapple taste."

"It's delicious, but I prefer pasta with tomato sauce."

The code is on the right.

"Major General Karl is the head of this operation, he should have passed Ostia by now, and is on his way to Rome, and two days later, at three o'clock in the afternoon, the heads of the districts will come to this address for an early meeting."

As he spoke, the person who came to deliver the letter handed a note to the pastor, who looked at the location on it and said, "I know, but are we really doing this with our bare hands?" ”

"You don't need to worry about weapons, the empire will naturally solve this problem, you are ready, and when the time comes, you can receive it."

This was one of the military strongholds that Austria-Hungary had planted into the Papal States, and this time the Austro-Hungarian Empire sent more than 4,700 soldiers, most of whom were from the elite troops of the Empire, including the two Janissaries under the royal family.

In addition, Franz followed Ernst's advice and sent a diplomatic team to Rome, although the diplomatic team was somewhat overstaffed, and many entered the Papal States as diplomats.

At the same time, Austria-Hungary also deployed troops in the territory, in order not to make this military operation too eye-catching, so it played the banner of changing defenses.

But with a little attention, it turns out that the equipment of the army defending the Italian direction has been significantly raised to a notch.

……

In June, Spain's cabinet decided to find a suitable successor to the Spanish throne.

Prince Leopold of the Hohenzollern family, a distant relative of King William I of Prussia, seemed to have a promising prospect of becoming a candidate for the Spanish crown, but news unfortunately leaked at the end of June 1870.

The Duke of Gramont, the French Foreign Minister, immediately pressured Prussia to give up its support for Leopold, and at the same time demanded that Prussia promise never to touch the Spanish throne, but William I politely refused.

Now East Africa is sharpening its knives in Zambia, while Austria-Hungary is secretly gathering forces on the southern front, and Prussia has been plotting to change the situation on the continent for more than a decade.

The strength of the Prussian army has been rising, and now the contradictions between the two countries have begun to appear. Everyone was waiting for the moment, or rather, for the next decision of Prussia, which would be the protagonist of the event. If Franco-Prussian went to war, East Africa and Austria-Hungary would also attack their respective targets.

(End of chapter)