Lieutenant Colonel Hutier interrupted, “Alright, you two, enough joking around. This isn’t the time for lighthearted banter. We need to come up with a proper response plan.” Potiorek sighed and waved a hand dismissively. “Got it, Lieutenant Colonel. But given the current situation, I don’t think there’s much point in discussing strategy and tactics. The rebel main forces are already a mess, so we can only imagine what the irregular troops will be like. Just getting them to march onto the battlefield will be a challenge in itself. Frankly, I don’t have much confidence in this mission. At this point, I completely agree with the Governor. Our priority should be learning how to survive on the battlefield. Right now, our main focus must be securing command over the troops and giving these rabble at least some basic training. At the very least, they need to learn to follow orders.” Jokes aside, Potiorek wasn’t reckless enough to lead a disorganized mob straight into an attack on Cairo. The French Army of this era was still a formidable force, and no one in their right mind would underestimate them. With the rebels’ current strength, even spreading the war into the Nile Delta would be considered a miracle in military history, let alone capturing Cairo. Regular armies had their own ways of fighting, and so did ragtag militias. Since they were all inexperienced, there was no point in overcomplicating things. Strategy and tactics were meaningless for a force that couldn’t even execute them properly. Lieutenant Colonel Hutier nodded. “It’s good that you recognize that. Seems I was worrying too much. But we’re not entirely without opportunities. Just because we can’t defeat the French main forces doesn’t mean we can’t take on the Egyptian colonial troops. We can let Mahdi’s forces hold off the French while we focus on sabotage. I’ve heard that Egypt is France’s most important source of cotton. If we destroy the plantations, that should hurt them quite a bit. If we’re lucky, we might even incite the Egyptians to join the uprising. That would make a big difference. And if all else fails, we could look for an opportunity to blow up the Nile and create an artificial…” … Compared to Austria’s casual approach, the British took matters much more seriously. In order to create an opportunity to intervene in the Suez Canal, the British government sent a military advisory group led by Lieutenant General Jarrett. On one side were fresh-faced military academy graduates. On the other was a battle-hardened general. Any rational person would know which side to choose. Lieutenant General Jarrett did not disappoint Mahdi. He immediately presented a seemingly flawless battle plan. At least, it sounded perfect. With great confidence, Jarrett tapped his baton on the map. “This is the Nile Delta, the heart of Egypt and the foundation of French rule here. If we want to drive the French out, we must first destroy their base of power in this region. Without the Delta, the cost of French military operations will at least double. To France, Egypt is just one of many colonies. The French government cannot pour unlimited resources into this one territory. If we inflict enough pain, if we make them realize that holding Egypt is a mistake, they will be forced to reconsider. Of course, with our current strength, seizing the Delta directly from the French is unrealistic. But we do have one key advantage—the Nile. If we find the right location to build a dam, store enough water, and then destroy it at the right moment, the resulting flood will drive the French out for us…” It was pure deception, but the rebel leadership couldn’t resist hearing it. Compared to the Austrians’ proposal of carving out a small territory, the idea of driving the French out of Egypt was far more tempting. To fully convince the rebel leaders, Jerrett put in a great deal of effort, cramming knowledge about the Egyptian region. This allowed him to draft a seemingly flawless battle plan, boosting the Mahdist rebels’ supposed chances of victory by at least tenfold. However, this meant nothing. Multiplying zero by a hundred still results in zero, let alone ten. Unless something drastic happened in Europe, such as the fall of Paris like in the original timeline, the French government would never abandon the Suez Canal. Half of Sudan and Egypt combined had a population of just a few million, far weaker than the Ottoman Empire before its downfall at the hands of the Anti-Ottoman Coalition. Even if war costs increased, how much higher could they really go? The revolution two years ago had only made the French government poorer, but that did not mean the French people were broke. If pushed to the brink, the French government was not beyond resorting to genocide. As long as military strength was sufficient, colonial unrest would never be a real issue. Listening to Jarrett’s grand vision, Mahdi was tempted, but he kept his expression neutral. For a leader, personal image was crucial. If this plan went forward, many of the Egyptians who had supported him might begin to waver. Feeling somewhat uneasy, he asked, “General, isn’t this a bit too…” Jarrett shot a fierce glare at Mahdi and interrupted, “War always requires sacrifices. Those sacrifices can be soldiers, but they can also be civilians. As long as victory is achieved, those sacrifices will be worth it.” There was no doubt that he saw through Mahdi’s true intentions. No one wanted to take responsibility for an order that was bound to be controversial. His seemingly hesitant inquiry was, in reality, a way to shift the blame onto Jarrett. Still, for the sake of the British Empire’s strategy, Jarrett chose to tolerate it. There was no point in getting angry at a dead man walking. From the very beginning, the fate of this rebellion had already been sealed. After hesitating for a moment, Mahdi sighed and said, “Alright then. To free ourselves from French oppression, we will have to let the people downstream bear the burden. Abdullah, have someone record the people’s losses. Once we drive the French out, we will compensate them in the future.” With that decision made, Mahdi seemed noticeably relieved. ... With a “perfect” battle plan in place, the rebel leadership became even more dismissive of the Austrian military officers. If it weren’t for the fact that Hutier and his men controlled the weapons and equipment they needed, along with Austria’s financial support, they probably wouldn’t have even bothered to meet with them. “General, the French forces are overwhelming—” Before Hutier could finish speaking, Mahdi cut him off. “Lt. Colonel, we already have a flawless battle plan. For security reasons, we cannot disclose it. I hope you understand.” The atmosphere in the room suddenly became awkward. Hutier’s goodwill had been taken for nothing, leaving him red with anger. If not for the mission, he would have stormed out on the spot. Even so, he was already on the verge of an outburst. Rejecting his advice was one thing, but the remark about a “perfect battle plan” and the need to keep it “undisclosed for security reasons” was practically an outright expression of distrust. They might as well have written the word “suspicion” on their foreheads. The moment he finished speaking, Mahdi realized he had misspoken. Some thoughts could be entertained privately, but they should never be spoken aloud. What was said without ill intent could still be taken the wrong way. Calling it a “perfect battle plan” implied that Hutier and his men were incompetent and that their own strategic planning was garbage. Saying it was “undisclosed for security reasons” only reinforced a deep sense of mistrust. Trying to salvage the situation, Mahdi quickly added, “Lt. Colonel, I didn’t mean to doubt you. It is just that this matter is of great importance, and we must be extremely cautious. I hope you understand.” Hutier let out a cold laugh and mocked, “Of course, I fully understand your position. In a situation like this, anyone would want to keep things confidential from an outsider. After all, outsiders are unreliable. What if one of them ran off and informed the French?” Sensing the growing tension, Mahdi realized the situation was becoming dangerous. He was no fool. He knew full well how powerful the French were. This was the African continent, where British influence was limited and nowhere near strong enough to challenge France. Without Austrian support, the idea of independence was nothing more than a joke. He patiently explained, “Sir, you misunderstand me. I do not doubt you. If you wish to know more, you may refer to our upcoming military meetings.” Mahdi truly never suspected Austria of betraying them. In his view, when it came to this issue, the British and Austrian representatives were more trustworthy than even the high-ranking members within the rebellion itself. The fact that these people had come this far was already proof of their governments’ stance. If they were to turn informant, it would be an act of treason. If the French could successfully turn the British and Austrian representatives against them, then this would no longer be a matter of African independence. Instead, it would become a full-scale confrontation between Britain, France, and Austria. Great powers cared about their reputations. The French would never accept foreign interference in their internal affairs, just as Britain and Austria would never tolerate the French planting spies within their ranks. If such a situation were to unfold, Mahdi would be overjoyed. If the great powers clashed, the French would have no time to deal with them. In fact, Mahdi’s grand reception for the British and Austrian delegations was not just about securing military aid. More importantly, it was meant to send a message to his own people. The organizational structure of the rebel forces had always been problematic, and their systems were far from well-established. The main force holding the uprising together was Mahdi’s personal charisma. This was clearly not enough. Loyalty was fragile and could not withstand the trials of war. If things went wrong on the battlefield, the rebellion could collapse at any moment. Restructuring the rebel forces in the short term was impossible, and the French would never give them that much time. Bringing in external forces had become a necessity. Britain and Austria were both major powers, and their support would greatly boost the confidence of his subordinates. So far, the results have been remarkable. Ever since the British and Austrian delegations arrived, morale within the rebel forces had stabilized rapidly. Those who had been wavering and considering defecting to the French had now halted their plans. If independence was possible, no one wanted to live under foreign rule. Colonial rule in these times was brutal, and even local elites could lose their heads at any moment under the colonizers. No one wanted to continue living in such uncertainty. Now that there was hope, they were willing to take a gamble. After hearing this explanation, Hutier’s expression softened slightly, but he still did not give Mahdi a friendly look. “No need, General. I have no interest in your plans. I am only involved in this because we share a common enemy. You have been to Europe, so you should know that we and the French are sworn enemies. If there is an opportunity to trouble our enemies, we are always happy to take it.” There was no talk of friendship as such things were unreliable. Ever since the rise of the Habsburgs, the Ottomans had ruled Sudan, placing them directly at odds with Austria. Naturally, no friendship existed. Compared to friendship, enmity was a much stronger bond. Anyone familiar with European history knew exactly how the Austro-French rivalry had come to be. The two nations had been locked in conflict for centuries and were still opposing each other. Until the struggle for dominance in Europe was decisively settled, both France and Austria had ample motivation to undermine each other. The rebel forces, in their effort to overthrow French rule, also stood in direct opposition to France. With a common enemy, both sides had a reason to draw closer together. At this point, Mahdi understood Hutier’s intentions, though they were still within his acceptable limits. Mahdi nodded in agreement. “Yes, our goal is to defeat our common enemy. However, Lt. Colonel, we are currently facing some difficulties and need your assistance. As you know, the uprising was only recently established, and we have not had time to properly organize our internal structure. One of our biggest challenges is the lack of capable officers. I know you are a distinguished graduate of the Austrian Military Academy, and I would like to ask you to help train the Eighth Division and temporarily take command as its division commander.” He paused for a moment before adding, “The Eighth Division is a newly formed unit, and its weapons and equipment are somewhat lacking, so…” On paper, the rebel forces had surpassed 100,000 men and had even been organized into eight infantry divisions based on European military structures. In reality, however, only Mahdi’s First Division, his personal loyalists, had any real combat experience. The rest of the force was composed of various rebel groups that had gradually joined the movement, making for a highly diverse and disorganized composition. The Eighth Division was a newly formed unit, the weakest in combat among all the rebel forces, and its equipment was in a terrible state. The entire division had over 9,000 men, yet there were only 800 rifles in total. Now that he was handing the unit over to the Austrians, Mahdi was even considering reclaiming those 800 rifles. There was no other choice. The rebels were desperately short on weapons and equipment. While it was true that Britain and Austria supported him, their military supplies were not limitless. Until they saw concrete results, both countries were limiting the extent of their support. The British had provided 7,500 rifles, 300 pistols, and five field artillery pieces along with some ammunition, barely enough to equip a single infantry division. Austria’s aid was roughly the same. Even when combined, the military assistance from both nations was only enough for two infantry divisions. The rest had to be acquired by the rebels themselves. Until the uprising proved itself on the battlefield, securing greater support would be difficult. Mahdi’s decision to hand over the Eighth Division to Hutier was, in truth, a desperate move. How could a unit where not even one in ten men had a rifle be sent into battle? From Mahdi’s perspective, the Austrian officer corps wanted to fight simply because these restless young men were eager to prove their worth on the battlefield and earn promotions. Since these men wanted to make a name for themselves on the battlefield, they first had to solve the issue of the Eighth Division’s weapons and equipment. Even if they turned out to be nothing more than useless showpieces, Mahdi could still take advantage of the situation and acquire some extra weapons. If the Austrians managed to properly train the Eighth Division, he would be even more pleased. With the French counteroffensive imminent, Mahdi would not pass up any opportunity to strengthen his forces. As for the troubles that might arise in the future, those would only matter after the French were driven out. If they failed, there would be no future to worry about. “Glad to be of service! We can find a way to solve the equipment issue.” After a brief moment of thought, Hutier decisively agreed. Weapons and equipment were minor concerns. Everyone had an allocated supply, and arming a single infantry division wouldn’t require much and scraping together enough weapons wouldn’t be difficult. Opportunities for real combat experience were rare, and giving up some decommissioned weapons was hardly a big sacrifice. *** https://postimg.cc/gallery/PwXsBkC (Maps of the current territories of the countries in this novel made by ScH)
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