Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 251 Kismayo
ps: The exam is coming up soon, so I will not update for three days.

German Emperor Wilhelm I nodded in approval of Father Fabry's proposal to expand overseas colonies, and thus the minor differences in the transaction process with the Han government were quickly resolved.

On July 12, German Chancellor Bismarck signed an agreement on the exchange of colonies between the two countries on behalf of German Houyak.
The main contents of the agreement are as follows:

The Han Kingdom transferred control of Cameroon's aluminum mines and affiliated colonial outposts to the German Empire, recognizing the German Empire's colonial sovereignty claim over Cameroon.

The Second Han Dynasty sold quinine and other drugs for the prevention and treatment of tropical diseases to the German Empire at a price 15 percent below the market price.

The three German states recognized the Han government's occupation of African colonies such as Congo and Kismayo, and allowed the Han immigrant fleet to use the German Empire's stronghold in Zanzibar for supplies.

The four German states transferred control of Zibolu Island to the Han government, and the chamber of commerce bases in Samoa and Tonga were transferred to the Han Ocean Shipping Company, with the handover taking place two years later.

The contents of the four agreements were all within the bottom line set by Li Mingyuan, and the postponement of the transfer of control of several islands and outposts in the Pacific Ocean to Germany was due to the upcoming war to unify Argentina.

Argentina is a white country in South America. Directly annexing Argentina may lead to hostility from some Western countries towards the Han Dynasty. Therefore, delaying the acquisition of several islands and strongholds in the Pacific Ocean is beneficial to the future development of the Han Dynasty.

After signing the colonial exchange agreement, Hu Yaqi stayed in Germany for a few days, then left Germany to meet up with Li Han and others who were receiving the warships, and left the European continent on July 19.

After sailing on the sea for more than ten days, on July 30, braving the hot sea breeze, Hu Yaqi and Li Han arrived at Kismayo, a colonial outpost established by the Han State in Somalia.

It has been two years since the war between the Chinese troops in Kismayo and the Italian colonists ended, but when Hu Yaqi and Li Han got off the warship and walked to the port on the coast, they could still see traces of the war.

"Captain Cai, it was with this castle that you defeated the attacking Italian army two years ago?"

Li Han asked, pointing to a low and simple castle in front.

"To be honest, General, when we fought the Italians, Kismayo's defenses were even more rudimentary than they are now."

Cai Jiu, the commander of the Kismayo stronghold, approached the castle and explained in the direction of the city gate, "General Li, please look, the yellow wall above the castle was newly added after the war. Before the war, the Kismayo stronghold castle was less than five meters high, 200 meters in circumference, and 50 meters wide, and could accommodate no more than 400 people.
At that time, the Italian army brought in several mountain cannons to bombard the castle, which caused a three-meter-wide hole in the western wall of the castle. It was I who personally led a team of militia to block the gap and keep the Italian army out of the castle. Otherwise, Kismayo would probably have fallen into the hands of the Italians on the first day of the battle.

"I remember that two years ago, there were only a few dozen regular troops in Kismayo, and the militia and adult Chinese men added up to only two or three hundred people. It was not easy for Captain Cai to defeat the Italian colonial army with these men."

"There are many difficulties." Cai Jiu said as he led everyone towards the castle, "But after holding off the first day of the Italian attack, I soon discovered that the Italian colonial army was not as difficult to deal with as I imagined. They attacked the castle by relying on artillery bombardment and then a wave of infantry attacks. When the artillery bombardment and infantry attack failed, the threat of the Italian colonial army to the castle was reduced by half."

"Haha, did Captain Cai find out that the Italian colonial army was useless at that time?" Li Han asked with a smile.

"Italy was still full of energy during its first attack, but after the failure of the first day's attack on the castle, their morale quickly declined, and the troops' awareness of defense was also insufficient. In the end, they were defeated by the castle's militia led by me in a night raid."

Although he defeated the Italians, Cai Jiu did not completely despise them. At the same time, as the region bordered the Italian colonial forces, Cai Jiu paid more attention to collecting intelligence about Italy.

"My Lords, according to the intelligence I have obtained, the Italians have been increasing their military strength in Africa over the past two years. Now there are more than 700 colonial troops in the Marka stronghold alone. I believe that the Italians are likely to annex central and southern Somalia in the next three or four years. Therefore, we need to be prepared for the Italians' ambitions in advance."

"Kismayo is far away from the mainland. The Royal Navy cannot provide you with much help. If you want to defend the Han country's colonial outpost in Somalia, you still have to rely on your efforts."

Li Han said, then turned to Hu Yaji and said, "Sir Hu, the African Department is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. I believe the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already made appropriate arrangements for the support of Kismayo."

“It’s not that I am shirking my responsibility or unwilling to help the brothers in Kismayo. The truth is that although the African Affairs Department is affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the actual management work is directly in the charge of Mr. Huang, the Director of the African Affairs Department. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has no authority to interfere in the internal affairs of the African Affairs Department.

Therefore, if Captain Cai wants to continue to receive support, he still needs to apply to Director Huang, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not suitable for Vietnam to manage. "

Hu Yaqi politely rejected Cai Jiu's request, and then said, "On the way to Europe to receive warships, the fleet brought six gunboats and seventy sailors to Kismayo for support. The defense capability of the Kismayo stronghold should be greatly improved compared to before.

Captain Cai does not need to worry too much about the situation in Kismayo. His Majesty has personally reviewed the report submitted by the African Department last time. I believe that another batch of supplies and troops to support Kismayo will arrive soon. "I am anxious. I also want to thank Lord Hu for clearing up my doubts." Cai Jiu bowed to Hu Yaji and thanked him.

"It's okay. We've been sailing on the sea for more than ten days and we're a little tired. Let's go in and rest first."

Hu Yaji chuckled and walked into the castle hall with Li Han and others.

The next day, after sleeping for a night in the Kismayo outpost, Huyaki was awakened by noises outside the door before he got up.

"Sir, this is a telegram from home. Please review it."

After tidying up his clothes, Hu Yaji took the telegram handed over by the guard, read it carefully for five or six minutes, and then ordered, "Tell General Li and Captain Cai that there is an order from the country. Let them wait in the castle hall. I will be there later."

"Yes, sir."

The day breaks early in Kismayo, and the temperature inside the castle becomes hot around seven in the morning.

"Captain Cai, let me tell you a piece of good news. The two gunboats and one hundred regular National Defense Forces that are sent to reinforce Kismayo will arrive in half a month. In addition, His Majesty has personally approved the expansion of the Kismayo Castle. The task of building the castle will be undertaken by mainland Chinese immigrants transported by the ocean-going fleet. After completing the task of building the castle, the immigrants will be settled in Kismayo as a reserve militia force for the Kismayo stronghold.

Haha, Captain Cai's concern about insufficient manpower can be solved. Now you don't have to worry about the threat from the Italians anymore."

Hu Yaqi said with a smile.

"How many weapons and ammunition are there?"

Cai Jiu asked impatiently.

"Three hundred standard Wehrmacht rifles, eight hundred old-style rifles, five Gatling machine guns, three 75mm field guns, 300 rounds of rifle ammunition, rounds of machine gun ammunition, and rounds of field gun shells."

Huo Yaqi read the telegram aloud, then smiled and said, "Well, Your Majesty has not treated the troops in Kismayo badly."

"No, no, your Majesty's support for Kismayo was very timely. With the reinforcements and material resources sent by your Majesty, I guarantee that Kismayo will be firmly controlled by the National Defense Forces."

Cai Jiu expressed happily.

"Don't worry, Captain Cai. His Majesty has given Kismayo so much support. There will definitely be a time for you to show your abilities." Hu Yaji reminded the other party meaningfully, then skipped over this matter and introduced another thing in the telegram to the two of them.

"You two, His Majesty has agreed to marry the daughter of the Lord of Songkhla as his queen. The fleet escorting the future queen has just set out. We need to stay in Kismayo for a while and wait until we meet up with the fleet escorting Miss Wu before returning to the country."

After explaining the contents of the telegram, Hu Yaqi said seriously, "The safety of the future queen is very important to Your Majesty, so I think we can't just stay in Kismayo and wait for the escort fleet to arrive. We should send a squadron to meet the escort fleet and ensure the safety of the future queen. What do you think?"

"That's right." Li Han nodded and said, "The two 3200-ton cruisers received from France have good performance. I suggest that I lead the two ironclad ships to sail to meet the escort fleet, and Lord Hu and Captain Cai will stay in Kismayo to wait for news."

"I am familiar with the situation in the waters from the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea. How about I accompany General Li to meet the escort fleet? What do you think?"

"Yes, I agree with Captain Cai's opinion." Li Han made a decisive decision and arranged, "Sir Hu, the Chaoyang and Liming will stay in Kismayo. The deputy commander of the Second Fleet will assist you in defending Kismayo. Sir Hu can just stay in the stronghold. After we meet up with the escort fleet, we will rush back to meet up with Sir Hu immediately."

"I am not familiar with military affairs, so I'll leave it to you two." Hu Yaji bowed to the two men and agreed to their suggestions.

Thanks to Qin Junwei for the reward and support!
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(End of this chapter)