Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 495

Chapter 495: Chapter 68, Cape Town Treaty
 

The sudden onset of the plague made the situation even more complicated. If it was just confined to the South African region, it would be manageable, but if it spread to the entire African Continent, Franz would be devastated.

There was no way around it, a colony was a colony. Despite Austria’s operations on the African Continent for over a decade, it still couldn’t change the reality of underdeveloped medical conditions.

Don’t look at the current number of infections as being small; the high mortality rate was the real concern. Many patients didn’t even know what hit them before they met their maker.

Franz, too, was blindsided; if he had looked closely at the data, he would have understood why the mortality rate was so high.

The group with the most infections was the cannon fodder army because of their lack of sanitation and effective treatment, which naturally resulted in a high death rate.

Besides ordering enhanced epidemic prevention measures, there was nothing else Franz could do.

Since the “Boer Republican Army” had seen an outbreak of the epidemic, the surrounding Native Tribe couldn’t expect to escape unscathed. The number of deserters from the cannon fodder army had always been high, and leaving with the virus was more common than not.

Viscount Feckney only had about thirty to forty thousand troops at his disposal, and he had to maintain the fighting strength of his forces to not give the British any advantages, meaning that at most a few thousand soldiers were available to guard the cannon fodder army.

Using a few thousand men to oversee hundreds of thousands, the desertion of a hundred or so people was insignificant. Coupled with the casualties from combat, the already significant daily losses further complicated supervision.

Unless there was a mass desertion, the officers didn’t take notice of one or two people going missing.

There were patrols outside, and those caught by them were out of luck. For those who got away, it was by the grace of God, though they might not even believe in God.

Franz’s assessment wasn’t wrong; the South African region indeed faced an epidemic outbreak, and the consequences were even worse than imagined.

However, those suffering the highest mortality rate weren’t the local tribes, or the colonists, but rather the soldiers of the Indian Colonial Army within the city.

Poor sanitary conditions provided fertile ground for the virus to thrive. Cramped space, high population density, along with inadequate medical resources—all these severe conditions collided, accelerating the spread of the virus.

The real culprit behind the high mortality rate among the Indian soldiers was acclimatization issues. Of course, diet also played a direct role. The bureaucrats in the London Government had not considered the life habits of the Indians, and simply imposed on them potatoes and bread.

There was no way around it; the bureaucrats in the London Government, who didn’t even care for their own people, how much less so for these cannon fodder?

Compared to the Near East campaign, the British logistics system hadn’t changed much and continued to operate by regulation.

One marginal improvement was that the Cape Town area at least had fresh fish and meat instead of dry beef every day.

Of course, most Indians do not eat beef. However, the logistic standards provided by the British didn’t even suffice to supply them with beef.

Even the worst dry beef was much more expensive than potatoes. This was a worry that the Indians would never encounter. How else would the bureaucrats in London cut costs and make money?

As the epidemic continued to worsen, Governor Derfu’s days became unbearable. Negotiations had reached a deadlock as both sides’ demands were too far apart.

The epidemic spread within the city, and as the daily death toll continued to climb, Governor Derfu was overwhelmed.

From the onset until now, the death toll due to the plague had accumulated to 3,817, with the number still increasing by about five hundred per day. At this rate, the epidemic would overwhelm them without any enemy attack.

The biggest problem in containing the epidemic was the scarcity of water. Unfortunately, ever since the outbreak was announced in Cape Town, the daily supply ships had been dwindling rather than increasing.

People are afraid of death, and no one wants to flock to a pestilence-stricken area. If it weren’t for the lack of options, Governor Derfu himself would want to flee.

Even with a fifty percent increase in freight charges, there were still not many willing to risk transporting supplies over, worsening Cape Town’s situation.

The military in the Cape Town area numbered one hundred and fifty thousand, half of whom were the Indian Colonial Army. It was with these cannon fodder troops that both sides had reached a stalemate.

Don’t assume that the fortifications in the rear are substandard; the buildings within the city are genuine quality. The Indian Colonial Army was evenly matched with the African expeditionary forces.

Seeing the Red Cross banners fluttering outside the city, Governor Derfu was sick to his stomach and at one point wanted to order his troops to break out.

If they won, the situation would be much improved. Breaking the enemy’s siege would alleviate the water crisis, reduce population density, and make epidemic prevention easier.

If they lost, it wouldn’t be too terrible either. The war would decrease the population, lessen the density, and reduce the demand for freshwater. It would play a very positive role in epidemic prevention.

As much as he wanted to, Governor Derfu didn’t dare to undertake such a measure. Negotiations were ongoing, and rashly initiating a war could be justified if won, but if lost, a military tribunal was inevitable.

Could they even win? Governor Derfu had long arrived at an answer in his heart; with the current morale, seeking out Austrians for a decisive battle would more likely lead to a mutiny than victory.

In fact, since the conflict began, Governor Derfu had already suppressed five mutinies, and he dared not further agitate the fragile nerves of the soldiers.

There was no way around it; the mob was just like that. The majority of white soldiers within the city were recruited temporarily from colonies or reinforcements called in by the London Government from various colonies. Regular soldiers were a minority.

In the view of many within the London government, suppressing the army was more important than the war at hand. The Anglo-Ebura War in the original timeline was such a shambles, actually a result of the London Government’s suppression of the army.

If they had been a regular army, and if Derfu had had a doubling advantage in troop numbers, he wouldn’t be in such an embarrassingly losing situation, constantly under pressure from the enemy.

Militarily speaking, the ability of a commander to conserve the vast majority of their forces despite constant defeats is also considered passing. Of course, General Long Run doesn’t count; it’s not enough to just be good at fleeing.

Although it was a passive situation for the North, the sudden outbreak of the plague still advanced the Anglo-Ebura negotiations. The increasingly dire situation was also constantly lowering the British bottom line.

This time, the Cape Town Colonial Government took the lead in the negotiations, understanding the situation crystal clear and not daring to drag things out.

The epidemic had caused a reduction in transport ships, and the supplies stored in Cape Town were not increasing but rather continuously depleting. Freshwater resources were especially scarce.

There was no choice; conserving large amounts of freshwater is not easy. It can only be stored in reservoirs or water tanks. Now in wartime, reservoirs are out of the question.

The cannons outside the city were not just for show, with shells occasionally exploding in the reservoirs. Even if one didn’t care about gunpowder or heavy metal poisoning, the reservoirs couldn’t retain water!

Therefore, the British had to build numerous water tanks, which wasn’t an easy task. Addressing the drinking water needs of so many people was no small project.

Digging a hole wouldn’t just solve the problem. If the issue of seepage wasn’t resolved, all the water would probably have leaked away by winter.

Out of water conservation necessity, the British Army in Cape Town had long since started rationing, with 5 liters of water per day for white soldiers and 3 liters per day for Indian soldiers.

Just for drinking, this was almost enough, and perhaps the remainder could be used to wipe one’s face. If the British soldiers were frugal, they might manage a body wipe as well.

This is only in theory, as water for daily life isn’t limited to drinking. People can’t always go without washing clothes, hands, or bathing, although in this era, it’s true that Indians didn’t bathe much.

This supply was barely enough to sustain life; anything else was out of the question. Unless the British cheated by desalinating seawater, it was impossible to meet all the demands.

The situation inside Cape Town was impossible to investigate, but the number of ships entering the harbor each day could not be kept secret.

The decreasing number of ships entering and leaving Cape Town each day was a simple math problem, and everyone knew it meant reduced supplies.

Without sufficient supplies, Cape Town was doomed to fall, which gave the “Boer Republic Representative” even more confidence in negotiations.

Of course, this was just in theory. In reality, as long as the plague did not end, the “Boer Republican Army” outside the city dared not attack.

The Cape of Good Hope was indeed important, but its importance to Austria was just so-so, not enough to compel Franz to take it at any cost.

The lack of supplies wasn’t insurmountable. Just reducing the number of troops stationed there could solve the problem, as the plague itself was the best barrier.

If they risked an assault during the outbreak, by the time they captured the Cape of Good Hope, the Boer Republican Army would have been nearly destroyed. This “destruction” referred not only to casualties but even more to the morale of the troops.

When soldiers become war-weary and unwilling to die for their country, even the most formidable army can turn into weaklings overnight.

Watching winter approach day by day, the British finally couldn’t hold out and had to make significant concessions.

On June 18, 1871, Britain and the Boers signed an armistice treaty in a military camp outside Cape Town, declaring the end of the year-long great war.

The terms of the treaty:

1. The war between Britain and both the Transvaal Republic and the Orange Free State was completely accidental. For the sake of world peace, both sides agreed to end the war as of the date the treaty was signed; (June 18, 1817)

2. The British side shall pay 3.6 million British Pounds in ransom to repurchase lands within a 200-mile radius of Cape Town;

3. Both parties shall exchange prisoners of war, with remuneration for excess numbers according to international customs. The agreed-upon rate: 180 Pounds per soldier, and for officers, from 300 Pounds to 20,000 Pounds depending on rank and title.

There was no pursuit of war responsibility, no mention of victory or defeat, as if it were a trivial minor skirmish not worth mentioning.

Reality is so cruel; even Britain cares about face, and admitting to a war defeat is not so easy. Even if the Cape Town Colonial Government were willing to accept it, the lords in London would not agree.

Ceding territory and paying indemnities were out of the question. The London Government couldn’t bear the political fallout of a war defeat. But land redemption fees and prisoner ransom were more palatable.

After all, the land lost was mostly that of the South African Colonial Company, not the British Government’s.

With a thicker skin, they could pretend it was simply a failed colonial venture by the Colonial Company, and the London Government would buy back a piece of the colony from the Boers.

The matter of prisoner ransom was simpler, as European society didn’t frown upon it. If the number of prisoners was on the higher side and the ransom sizeable, the exchange itself would cover it up.

If they had no shame, they could even declare it a great victory. Strategically crushing the enemy’s plot for the Cape of Good Hope and forcing them to abandon this unrealistic fantasy.

Politics has always been like this, including this Anglo-Ebura war, which can all be blamed on the South African Colonial Company. After all, this unlucky company was already bankrupt from the war, and no one would come forward to refute.

In fact, Governor Delf had already begun doing so. As a qualified politician, even if he had suffered a defeat and signed an unfavorable treaty, he needed to minimize the responsibility for the war.

No matter what, the Cape Town Colony was still preserved. Even though it was a downsized version, the British public would not know, and nobody would care about the exact size of the Cape Town Colony so far away.