Australian Storm 1876

  Chapter 575 Calling Number

Eritrea is located on the south bank of the Red Sea, bordering Sudan to the west, Ethiopia to the south, Djibouti to the southeast, and the Red Sea to the northeast. It covers an area of ​​124,000 square kilometers and has a coastline of 1,200 kilometers. It faces Saudi Arabia and Yemen across the sea, and it connects Europe and Asia. The strategic position of the Strait of Mande, the throat of non-sea passages is very important.

  Especially the Assab and Ede areas controlled by the Queenslanders, adjacent to the Mande Strait, the Strait Fortress Grand Hanish Island is just northwest of Assab Town, only 21 kilometers away, within the blockade of large-caliber shore artillery.

  Occupied here

   can form a dual blockade of mainland and island fortresses, supporting each other. If you want to break the blockade, it is not enough to break one of them, and the difficulty of winning has also risen sharply.

The Eritrea region is about 1,200 kilometers long along the southwest coast of the Red Sea. Most of the territory is plateau and mountainous. The central plateau occupies one third, with an altitude of 1800-3000 meters. The western lowland has an average altitude of 1000 meters. The above-mentioned areas are currently occupied by Italian colonial forces. The coastline It is about 840 kilometers long and has a total area of ​​about 89,000 square kilometers.

  Eritrea looks like a funnel on the map. The western part of the Italian colonial army and the Central Plains plateau are the main part of the funnel, almost 70% of the land area.

The lower end of the sharply narrowed funnel shape is the eastern mountain hills, with an average elevation of 600-1200 meters. This section is about 360 kilometers long along the coastline and is distributed with three major towns. These three towns are lined up along the shore of the Red Sea. They are Morgada, Ed and Assab, and continue to the southeast from Assab to reach Xi'an-City.

some of

  Morgada is controlled by the Italians, while Ed and Assab are controlled by the Somali garrison. The dispute between the two parties is in the fine pastures in the valleys on the outskirts of Ed town.

Here is a rolling hilly area with an altitude of about 800-1000 meters. The cool season is from December to February of the following year, with a temperature of 15°C. The hot season is from May to June with a temperature of 25°C. The average precipitation is 800~1200 mm, which is a very good plateau pasture.

  The only river in Eritrea that has continuous water all year round is the Seedit River. It is 180 kilometers long and flows from the mountains near Morgada to the Ede region, and finally flows into the Red Sea in the suburbs of Assab.

  Such a river with water all year round is extremely precious in the arid northeast Africa, and it is of extraordinary significance to the development of agriculture and animal husbandry.

Large herds of grazing cattle, sheep and horses must have sufficient and clean water, which is also a prerequisite for the development of agriculture. The Saidit River Basin covers an area of ​​about 6,800 square kilometers. Although it is not large, it is the essence of the essence of the region. The place of choice for animal husbandry.

  Ed Town

  This place was originally the seat of a large tribe of the Tigray black indigenous people. The tribe has a population of 33,000. It is built in a valley next to the Saidit River. The surrounding scenery is beautiful and the water plants are abundant. It is a rare and good place.

After the Queenslanders occupied this place, they drove the original black indigenous tribes to the mountains at the junction of Morgada and the town of Ede. Housing roads and commercial shops were built here, gradually forming a small town with a population of about 3,300, with scattered surrounding areas. There are a large number of ranches and private farms scattered, with a population of more than 10,000.

There is no regular garrison in Ed Town. The only defensive force is more than 400 armed militias. The leader is Major Mo Zhenxiong (Militia Reserve). He is also the largest private rancher and plantation owner here, with a team of more than 80 people. A team of mercenaries to undertake smuggling and other armed **** tasks.

  After Li Yong led more than a thousand cavalry to rush to the Starry Night, the force of Ed Town rapidly increased to more than 1,500, which gave the local Chinese the confidence of resistance and was warmly welcomed.

  In front of the Italian colonial army and local black natives, Chinese immigrants chose to believe in their compatriots and took up swords and guns to defend their homes.

  On the hill

  Li Yong observed carefully for a while, put down the monocular in his hand and was silent, Mo Zhenxiong stood by and couldn’t help asking; “Yong Ye, what do you think?”

"The Italians are coming fiercely and the soldiers are overwhelming. They are definitely not here to travel and play." Li Yong put the monoculars into the horse bag, tidied up the saddle, then turned on the horse and said coldly; The enemy comes with a shotgun."

  Mo Zhenxiong touched his nose, but was not annoyed. He was also an officer from the Guards, and was also one of the first partners to follow Li Yong in a smuggling business. The relationship between the two was irresistible, so he just bowed his head and worshipped the handle.

  So he immediately turned on his horse and leaned in and said; “Yong Ye, tell me about it, it’s the first time to deal with the large-scale regular army in European countries, my brother has no bottom!”

   "Zhenxiong, do you think the British will come to mediate for us?" Li Yong asked back.

  Mo Zhenxiong thought about it, frowning and replied; “After the conflict, we reported it as soon as possible. It has been more than 10 days now. There is no shadow of the British people. I think this matter is unclear.

After the local Tigray indigenous blacks were suppressed by us, they were originally prepared to carry out a large-scale eradication and eradicate this scourge. However, the small Italian army stationed in Morgada often came out to make trouble, causing many indigenous people to escape into the mountains. More than 20,000 people. "

Having said this, Mo Zhenxiong smiled bitterly and shook his head, sighed and continued; "Lost the opportunity to completely solve the Tigray indigenous blacks is a serious disaster for the nearby private ranch, so many private ranch The sheep drove to seek refuge near the town. It’s not a long-term solution to keep going like this!"

"So... don't expect others to solve the problem for us." Li Yong looked at the Italian army camp in the valley in his eyes, and said with a stern look in his eyes; "Send someone to send a letter to the Italian commander, clearly They are warned that they have invaded the area of ​​Ede town. According to the spirit of the Berlin Conference, the area is under the actual control of Somalia Province and has been internationally recognized. It is limited to evacuation within one day, otherwise it will be regarded as an invasion."

   "Master Yong, will this make the other person angry and irritated?"

"Brother Zhenxiong, the Italians have made it clear that they are not doing well, and they are only concerned about the British behind us, so they are hesitant. If they can let the British stand on the sidelines through diplomatic channels, these arrogant Italians may have long been unable to bear it. Now, they think we are soft persimmons, so they deliberately want to make an attempt to invade Xi’an. Never overestimate the moral standards of the colonists, and don’t underestimate their greedy appetite. In that case, I simply want to invade Xi’an. Just help them make up their minds."

   "It turned out to be like this, I understand."

"Remember Zhenxiong, abandon fantasy and prepare to fight. The Italians want to play Chen Bing border tricks with me. I just set up the table and arranged for them to send serious warnings, just to be polite, advantageous, and respectful. Commander Riesling is not difficult. Don’t forget that we are mercenaries. When have we been afraid of war?"

   "Well, I understand, I will arrange for someone to deliver the letter after I go back."

  Li Yong nodded in approval, slammed his legs and galloped up, and returned to Ed Town with his cavalry team.

  In order to prevent the army of the Kingdom of Italy from attacking suddenly, it is necessary to deploy troops and prepare before the war. In the face of barking wild dogs, it is necessary to prepare a dog stick.

  It was already dark when they returned to Ed Town. Another cavalry squad of about 500 people had just arrived, all of whom were veteran mercenaries with guns and live ammunition.

  Ed town was busy with flying dogs, lighting dozens of bonfires to cook food, and there was a lively scene everywhere.

  The town arranged for someone to take the horses and feed them carefully. The horses are the lifeblood of the cavalry and the private property of the mercenaries. This is nothing sloppy.

  Men's war horses and weapons are self-provided, and they carry dry food that can be used for a week. Most of them are storage-resistant bacon, bag cakes, canned fish and other foods to ensure basic combat effectiveness.

  In Xi’an, there are dozens of mercenary forces, large and small. There are 700 or 800 people, and only a dozen people. On weekdays, everyone has no affiliation with each other, and cooperation is entirely voluntary.

  Generally speaking

These mercenary leaders who licked their blood were mainly engaged in smuggling merchants, ranchers or plantation owners. Most of their mercenaries were cowboys or hired laborers. They went out to get a vote when they had the opportunity, and came back honestly at other times. Do things realistically.

This situation is somewhat similar to the wild west of the United States. In the barren land of the Horn of East Africa, Xi’an is an alternative existence of strange growth, a gathering place for exporting smuggled goods and force, full of oriental cuisine, fine wine and flesh. The prosperous place for depraved enjoyment is also the port where ocean freighter crews like to rest.

  As long as you have money, you can buy almost everything here.

  If it receives a large amount of hire business and the mercenary leaders publish heroic posts, Xi’an-city can quickly assemble a considerable number of troops, from a few hundred to thousands of people.

  Li Yong’s business is very large, and he has tentacles even as far away as Lebanon and Syria. He himself is the largest mercenary leader and one of the largest employers. He often hires people to go to some dangerous commercial routes.

  Even if they encountered the Ottoman anti-smuggling army, these bold mercenaries dared to let go and fight.

  This time, in order to deal with the army of the Kingdom of Italy, Li Yong decisively ordered the people to sound the calling call, and in a short time they gathered thousands of cavalrymen. This is the amazing appeal of the "African Lion King".

  According to the established rules;

  These mercenaries who followed the call to participate enthusiastically accepted a large-scale employment mission. Li Yong was the employer, and these soldiers would die under his command.

  As for the remuneration, no one mentioned it, what's the joke?

  The "African Lion King" can achieve the high prestige of today's response is not without reason. He has always been loyal, will not treat his brothers badly, be fair and open, and mercenaries will follow him without any worries.

  Men’s are originally a very high-risk industry.

  (End of this chapter)