December 12, 1888.

On the banks of the Sawei River.

While the Anglo-Portuguese coalition forces were building new headquarters and government offices in Shoquay, the East African troops that had been resting for nearly half a month were finally ready.

In the darkness of night, the 221st East African Division began to cross the river at the Massangena Ferry, and the total length of the Sawei River was more than 680 kilometers, so it was impossible for the coalition forces to deploy too many troops in each area of the Sawei River defense line.

The 221st Division chose to cross the river to the west of the Sawey River, which is the most primitive area of Mozambique because of the climate and other reasons, and the Portuguese have basically not developed here.

Archduke Ferdinand: "The Navy has cooperated with the Guards Division, and we will assist the Guards Division to land northeast of Maputo, although there are no ships to dock there, so we will have to use small boats to bring our soldiers ashore. ”

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The worst is the Transvaal Republic, which was directly destroyed by East Africa, and the Kingdom of Eswatini and the Zulu Kingdom, which was easily cleaned up by East Africa.

In the southwest, which is also the least rainfall in Mozambique, with scarce rivers and sparse vegetation, it was only a wildlife sanctuary in Mozambique even in its previous life, and such a place was only bleak in the 19th century.

It didn't matter if the Boers had an advantage in the region at that time, after all, the Boers themselves were very backward, and even if they occupied the whole of South Africa, they probably would not dare to provoke the Kingdom of Portugal.

Although it looked very simple due to the lack of materials and the rush of time, the 221st Division still successfully completed the needs of crossing the river.

During the decades-long conquest of Africa by East Africa, the harsh natural conditions of Africa have never been an obstacle to the advance of the East African Defence Forces, and even in East Africa itself, most of the area has not been effectively used and developed.

The chief of the General Staff, Witt, and other military and political personnel have arrived, and the countdown to the war in South Africa has now begun, and after the troops have been fully rested, the target in East Africa is now Mozambique.

For this, the commander of the 221st Division, Mars, is naturally very clear.

The Guards Division sent only one brigade to the battle this time, but one brigade of the Guards Division was equivalent to the strength of one of the main divisions of other military districts in East Africa.

The lack of good ports in southern Mozambique and the coastline is almost as straight as in Somalia may have been an important reason why Maputo Bay has become the notification center of the Portuguese in Mozambique.

Of course, the main driving force for Portugal's expansion in the later period was the severe pressure on Mozambique caused by East Africa, just like Tsarist Russia, which lacked a sense of security, so it was extremely eager for land to achieve a buffer.

Stepping on the land on the south bank of the Sawey River, Major General Mars seemed to see Maputo right in front of him, of course, now is not the time to stay here, the 221st Division successfully crossed the river, and it should also help the fraternal troops to go south according to the plan of the General Staff.

But East Africa upset the balance between regions, while also directly threatening the security of Britain and Portugal.

Siite: "At present, the combat units of the three major military regions have been prepared, in addition to the participation of some troops of the Northern Military Region and the Nile Military Region, the newly formed 221st Division of the Eastern Military Region and the Northern Military Region, and the 222nd Division will be the first to act. ”

"The Western Military Region is the strongest and has the largest number of people, and at the same time, some units of the Nile Military Region will also cooperate with the Western Military Region to carry out military operations in the east, and the main battlefield of this war may be on the Eastern Defense Line."

Looking at the map, the various forces in South Africa were relatively balanced at that time, especially before that when the Ndebele people still existed.

First Town City.

Twenty-six-zero-five: fseven-zero-zero: four-three: six-zero-zero-zero:: six-f-six

Mozambique's rivers run east-west, so the East African Defence Forces (EDF) will encounter a river every distance along the way, and the Portuguese have been outrageously unexploited by Mozambique.

In this environment, it is natural for the various units of the East African Defense Forces to learn the craft of paving bridges and roads, and it is a necessary means, just like the several pontoon bridges built by the 221st Division at present.

Ernst: "Are the troops ready now?" ”

"The British and Portuguese are mainly in the Sawey River, and the eastern part of the country is sparsely populated, and although this gives us an opportunity, it also means that we will be affected by the supply of supplies and water, and the logistics will become more difficult."

However, this practice of the Portuguese proved to be effective, and the territory occupied by the Portuguese effectively slowed down the march of East Africa, and if Mozambique had maintained its former territorial form, I am afraid that East Africa would have been under Maputo long ago.

However, all this has changed because of the turmoil in East Africa, which has directly become a thorn in the side of the other four forces.

Naturally, river crossing operations were carried out from multiple locations, with the Eastern Military District and the 221st Division cooperating intensively, and rivers such as the Sawey River, which the East African Defence Forces had crossed.

Of course, Mozambique's continued expansion to the north made Maputo's position in Mozambique very unusual. However, this is also in line with the topography of Africa, where the Portuguese almost carried out their expansion needs along the plains of Mozambique.

"By the time the Anglo-Portuguese forces were forced into a narrow area to the southeast, they were facing more and more difficulties, and if the military operation went well, we could have won ahead of schedule."

The vast majority of rivers are in their most pristine condition, with only a handful of bridges and certainly heavily guarded by the Portuguese.

Therefore, the East African Defence Forces can only do it themselves, but most of the East African armies have this skill.

"Finally, the Southern Military Region, the main force of the Southern Military Region is currently distributed around the port of New Hamburg, and the target is Maputo, but Maputo should not be easy to fight, so we still adopt the method of compressing the living space of the British and Portuguese armies from the west and north."

If it were not for the elimination of the Zulu Kingdom and the Kingdom of Eswatini in East Africa, Maputo's position could be said to be quite good, after all, in the face of indigenous forces, the rest of the parties had enough confidence and advantages.

"Therefore, after crossing the river, our army immediately marched east along the Sawei River and fought with other troops, instead of going directly south, which is an order of the General Staff, and at the same time, I think it is a more reasonable arrangement."

……

After all, the speed of territorial expansion in East Africa was too fast, and even the Zulu Kingdom in southern Mozambique was wiped out by East Africa, which was originally a buffer zone between Portugal and the United Kingdom, but when the British and the Portuguese did not react, they were stolen by East Africa, and the time-controlled territory of East Africa at that time actually only reached the line of the Limpopo River.

Just as the British Expeditionary Force crossed the Indian Ocean and attacked the Abyssinian Empire, it was the first time that the East African army threw a large number of troops from land and sea to the enemy.

The participation of the Guards Division in the war means that basically all units in East Africa have participated in the encirclement and suppression of Mozambique, and it is also the final battle of East Africa against the Anglo-Portuguese coalition forces.

(End of chapter)