Start 1861: I Just Inherited the Dutch Throne

Although Portugal has conducted a rigorous assessment of the Dutch counterattack in Mozambique and Angola and made corresponding deployments, it turns out that this estimate was still wrong.

In the first half of March 1864, the Netherlands had gathered on the border between Tanzania and Mozambique in the southwest Indian Ocean. The speed was so fast that Portugal was shocked after the war started.

Specifically, William IV signed the mobilization order on February 25, and the Dutch army began to set off from then on. By early March, they had basically completed their work.

The Dutch strategy in Africa is: Congo first stabilizes its position, then launches an attack as soon as possible in Mozambique, and finally counterattacks against Congo.

In order to prevent Portugal from defeating the Congo in the west of Africa and focusing on Tanzania and Kenya in the east.

Therefore, the Netherlands quickly deployed two armies. Among them, the Congolese Army used a mixture of the Transvaal Army, which once shamed the British Empire Army and used more than 100 to 200,000 local British troops. The army is tightly defended in the northern Congolese city of Pointe-Noire and in Matadi, Kinshasa, Bandundu, Kananga, Solwezi and other places in the middle reaches of the Congo River. Since the Portuguese launched its offensive in January, in addition to the gains made by surprise attacks, Except for Banana and Cabinda, there was almost no profit.

Especially in Pointe-Noire and Kinshasa, tens of thousands of people were stationed there each, making it difficult for the Portuguese army to shake them.

Although Angola geographically broke into the territory of the Dutch Congo, there were only two practical routes of attack.

The area along the Congo River to the north and Lukapa to the northeast were separate routes of advance.

However, Kinshasa in the north was heavily defended, and there was Bandundu behind Kinshasa. The Portuguese army could neither bypass them nor capture them in a short time.

Once they invade this area of ​​the Congo River, they will inevitably face many river algae swamps composed of the Kwilu River, the Kuango River, and the Kasai River.

It is simply impossible to cross these places where many indigenous people exist.

The eastern side also has to face the huge barren mountains and ridges composed of the upper reaches of the Kasai River and the Sangkuru River. Moreover, on this route in the Congo, the Dutch are also heavily guarded at Kananga and Ilebo. If Portugal attacks , it will be difficult to get out, like falling into a quagmire.

What's more, Portugal still has to face the Dutch Transvaal soldiers, a white alternative fighting force that is very popular in Europe. They are the strongest in the field war, no one.

Therefore, from the beginning of the war to the present, apart from the naval advantage that Portugal is more convenient and closer to the Netherlands in the Atlantic Ocean, Portugal does not actually have much advantage in the army.

Even Louis I and many others suspected that the Transvaal soldiers had been deployed in the Congo more than a year ago, as if the Netherlands had predicted today's Portuguese invasion.

Angola in the west annexed Congo, but bad news came one after another in Mozambique in the east.

It seems that Portugal has experienced ups and downs in the two colonies in the past few hundred years.

Portugal had no choice but to divide its troops into two groups and attack the Netherlands from the east and west respectively.

I originally wanted to cooperate, but because the two places are far apart from each other, and the two armies have their own leaders, it is actually very difficult to coordinate operations.

In contrast, the Netherlands has great advantages in coordinated operations.

The reason, of course, is that the Netherlands is in Africa, bordering Tanzania, Kenya to the east, and Congo to the west.

And more importantly, the military leaders of Tanzania and Kenya in the east are George Nash, the leader of the Orange Free State in South Africa who made the British helpless, and is now the Deputy Minister of Army of the Netherlands.

On the other side of the Congo is Martinas, the leader of the Transvaal Republic, who was the best partner in the fight against the British in South Africa.

After many years of tacit understanding as partners, the two quickly completed the battle plan in the Netherlands perfectly and beautifully.

Martinas provided defensive resistance against the Portuguese forces at sea and in the direction of Angola in the Congo, while George Nash cooperated with Leon Booker, the deputy chief of staff of the General Staff from Madagascar, in Tanzania to attack Mozambique.

Commanded by George Nash, who had an army of 50,000, he went south directly from the north to occupy Pemba.

Leon Booker of Madagascar landed in several other places.

Two attacks left northern Mozambique defenseless. In the end, the Portuguese army concentrated its forces on the Zambezi River in the south and formed a large force, which blocked their attack. At the same time, the British army in South Africa was in Europe. Nelspruit added 20,000 troops and was already approaching the Portuguese-occupied part of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) close to the city of Kwiru. It was obvious that the British intended to make the Dutch wary and reminded the Dutch to stop. Eventually, George Nash and Rai Leon Booker was wary of the British, and his strategic policy changed accordingly. George Nash secretly entered Zambia along the Zambezi River, while Leon Booker used cover to defend the newly acquired northern Mozambique.

As a result, the Portuguese-Mozambican army was clamped in southern Mozambique and entered into the Dutch strategic plan. Except for the unexpected changes by the British, this plan seemed very thorough and the results were good.

With the victory on the battlefield in Mozambique, the morale of all parts of the country ruled by the Netherlands, whether in the east or west, or in the mainland, was greatly boosted.

On April 1, 1864, the eastern Dutch troops were divided into two groups, one of which continued to fight in Mozambique. Led by Leon Booker, the Dutch deputy chief of staff, they continued to launch attacks on Mozambique.

The other route goes upstream from the Zambezi River to Zambia, then goes north to the southern town of Lumbashi in Congo. Then follow the northwest corridor route, passing through Tengkai Town, Kamina, Kananga and Ilebo.

George Nash did not continue to move west, but chose to station himself in Kananga, a city in central Congo.

In addition to leaving 10,000 people to return to Tanzania and Bique to set up defenses, the 50,000 people who went south this time, according to the instructions of William IV and Chief of the General Staff of the Ministry of Defense Mark Rudd, he led 40,000 people to Kanan add.

“Kananga is a place that can be attacked, retreated and defended, guarding central and southern Congo.

Entering Lucapa in Angola from the southwest of Kananga, as long as we capture Saolimu, we can either go west to attack Portugal in Luanda, the largest city in Angola, or we can go south to capture Luena and then carry out the second round of Angola. Two horizontal routes. "

George Nash looked at the map and thought hard.

The mainland did not ask him to specify the location of the attack on Angola.

He was only given the task of assisting Martinas in resolving the Congolese crisis.

"The Portuguese invasion obviously angered all of us Dutch people," George Nash said fiercely: "Although I am currently serving as the military's deputy minister of defense and war, I am still a low-key official in the local officialdom and have no connections of my own. In this case , a big victory is needed to break this embarrassing situation, and I think Martinas thought the same."

Thinking of this, he immediately picked up paper and pen and quickly wrote a highest-level military letter.

"If you come, please send it to Deputy Minister Sammartinas in Kinshasa in the east as quickly as possible. You must see him before giving it to him."

"Yes, my lord"

As this letter was sent, George Nash began to worry about all the military generals and began to deploy.

On April 6, 1864, the war between Portugal and the Netherlands had been outshone by the Ethiopian-Oep War and the American Civil War in the world's newspapers. This week, many people thought that Britain and France The reconciliation worked, and both countries chose to have a quiet meeting.

But just like King Louis I of Portugal, they are obviously a little naive.

Because on this day's newspapers, everyone couldn't help but see a piece of news that dominated the headlines of major newspapers. : "The Dutch Eastern Army marches thousands of miles to attack Angola, West Africa!" 》

“The Dutch main battle force from East Africa, thousands of miles away, arrived in Kananga, southern Congo, and launched an attack on Angola on the 7th. In just three days, they occupied Lukapa and Saurim.

According to the original Portuguese garrison in Saolimu, this army exceeded 30,000 people.

After occupying these two places, the next target of the Dutch army is said to be Luena in the south. According to the predictions of our newspaper’s military experts, if the Netherlands really captures Luena in eastern Angola, Angola will enter A very dangerous situation, because Luena has a special status. It is located in the east of the central waist of Angola, in the center of the south and north of Angola, and far away from the coastline, making it difficult for the Portuguese navy to play its role.

If it falls, Portugal's current rule in Angola will immediately enter a dangerous situation. "

Portugal was naturally aware of this, so as early as Shaolimu was occupied, it began to quickly gather surrounding troops.

But the final strength reached just over 10,000, and the Dutch invaders, in addition to the 10,000 people left behind in Saurim and Lukapa, there were 20,000 people heading south to Luena.

Under the fierce attack of the Dutch, more than 1,000 people were paid, and the Portuguese eventually suffered more than 7,000 casualties due to the mutiny of the indigenous people in the city, and more than 2,000 people surrendered.

It’s impossible not to surrender. Those natives have been holding back for too long and being ridden on their heads for too long, so it would be absolutely terrifying to take revenge. When George Nash saw the heads being torn off by the natives of Angola, he felt in his heart Something strange.

However, he remained calm. This action was thanks to the leader of the Luenaba Congolese in Angola in front of him.

As Congo fell into the hands of the Dutch, the King of Congo explained the history of the Kingdom of Congo. Therefore, the indigenous chakras in Angola also became an important condition for this operation, because in the account of the King of Congo, the migration in the early years The Bacongo people who came to northern Angola have actually long wanted to return to the Congo, and it is clear that their treatment in Angola is that they are squeezed by the grape people, which is more suitable for the record.

Therefore, George Nash used the Pakistani Congolese to cooperate internally and externally, and achieved unprecedented victory.

With Luena falling into his hands, his reputation would immediately expand in Europe under the banner of the Portuguese-Dutch War.

In fact, his guess was good. The latest war reports about Angola are now on the desks of heads of state in Europe, and his name has been mentioned frequently.