Chapter 350: New Players in Africa
While the Far Eastern Aid Group was staying in Dar es Salaam, new changes were taking place on the African continent.
May 13, 1871.
After gaining the support of the British, the Kingdom of Italy embarked on the path of debt repayment, and the Kingdom of Italy was so poor that it had nothing left but debts, so it could only transfer these debts through colonization.
An infantry division from the Kingdom of Italy landed at the port of Assab on the coast of the Red Sea, officially marking the start of its colonial path. This was very important for the Kingdom of Italy because, without the colonization route to relieve the anger of its people, the Kingdom of Italy could explode at any moment.
Assab Port.
After a simple intimidation, on the morning of May 13, the Kingdom of Italy's government drove the Egyptians out of Assab city. Eritrea was too far from Egypt, and dealing with a colonial gang like the Rubatino Company was easy for the Egyptian garrison in Assab city. But when the Kingdom of Italy's army landed, the defenders immediately abandoned their positions. The entire garrison of Assab city consisted of only one regiment, and the gap was obvious in front of the Italian division.
To make matters worse, the Rubatino Company in the city and at the port launched a timely rebellion, occupying a series of important facilities, including the port, and bought valuable time for the Italian army's landing.
The Kingdom of Italy's Abyssinia Expeditionary Force's first division won its first battle and took this important stronghold from the Egyptians.
After the first division entered Assab city, the owner of the Rubatino Company, Giuseppe Sapeto, personally came to greet them:
"General Samuel, hello. I am the owner of the Rubatino Company, Giuseppe Sapeto!"
General Samuel, the commander of the first division, replied: "Mr. Giuseppe Sapeto, thank you for your support of the homeland. The people of Italy will not forget your contributions."
Samuel was the most outstanding general in the Italo-Austrian War. Through his military achievements, he rose from being a company commander to a brigade commander, and from the start to the end of the war, he had never suffered a defeat. However, because of the incompetence of allied forces, the Kingdom of Italy still lost.
After the war, the Italian army reviewed the conflict and found that Samuel, a general from a civilian background, was much better than the Italian noble officers, despite most of the high-ranking officers being nobles. They had almost no problem blaming Italy's defeat on the enemy's strength. But why was Samuel able to achieve excellent results even against the Austro-Hungarian Empire?
"Why?" they wondered. Of course, it wasn't because the Italian army was incapable. After all, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was one of the world's top powers, and it was normal for Italy to lose to them.
As for Samuel, he could keep winning because, like Albrecht, he was a naturally gifted military talent. By elevating the enemy and colleagues, the army could deflect blame for Italy's failure.
Sapeto said, "No, General Samuel, compared to me, you are the true hero of the Kingdom of Italy. It's a shame that you appeared too late. If you had risen to a senior position earlier, you would have led Italy to victory!"
Sapeto wasn't just flattering; he truly believed this. After being packaged by the Italian army, Samuel had become a national hero of Italy, used to restore the people's dwindling self-esteem.
Samuel responded, "No, no, Mr. Sapeto. For Italy to overcome this crisis, all Italians must work together. Losing anyone would be fatal. I am simply a lucky Italian, but the fate of our entire nation isn't as lucky as mine. This is painful for every Italian, so we must unite and fight against Italy's tragic fate!"
Samuel had always appeared humble in front of outsiders, which is why he had remained relatively unknown before the war. He wasn't good at self-promotion, and this was not friendly to his rise in ranks. Had it been peacetime, he would not have emerged. However, he had encountered war during Italy's most difficult time.
Samuel had reached the rank of company commander before the war thanks to his talent. With a middle school education, he was automatically promoted when Italy expanded its army.
Although Samuel came from a humble background, his family wasn't very poor. They were somewhat affluent, which allowed him to complete his middle school education.
While Samuel was hailed as a famous general, much of it was due to the Italian army's public relations efforts, but he did possess real skills. When fighting against the Austro-Hungarian Empire, he was generally cautious. In situations where the enemy was stronger, he never took risks, but once he found a flaw in the Austro-Hungarian forces, he would pounce on the enemy like a lion, and before reinforcements arrived, he would quickly retreat. He never lingered in battle.
Sapeto said, "General, you are too humble. This time, our enemy is not as invincible as the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It is merely an indigenous country in East Africa, so I believe the royal army will easily resolve the situation in Abyssinia."
Samuel shook his head and said, "We cannot underestimate any opponent, even if they are indigenous. Just like Europe, before the war, no one expected Prussia to easily defeat powerful France. If we do not take our enemy seriously and attack recklessly, we will leave openings and be defeated. This is what I learned from fighting the Austro-Hungarian army!"
Sapeto began to doubt Samuel's abilities: "In fact, the British broke the Ethiopian Empire into pieces with very few colonial troops, and the emperor committed suicide. So, Abyssinia is not strong, or perhaps it is quite weak."
Samuel replied, "Just because the British did it, doesn't mean Italy can do the same, because our two countries have different goals. The British started the war to show force, but we Italians are fighting for the survival space of our entire nation. There is a fundamental difference. The British initiated the war to encourage Ethiopian imperialists to overthrow their emperor, while the goal of the Italian nation is to gain land. For the Ethiopian Empire, that means their very lives. They will unite and fight us across all of Ethiopia, even to the last man. So we must not be careless. We must not fail in Abyssinia. Italy has staked its future here."
Samuel was very clear that Italy's invasion of Abyssinia was fundamentally different from that of Britain. The British were fighting for hegemony, while Italy was carrying out a national extermination campaign, clearing the land to sustain the homeland.
Italy's next steps must be planned carefully. Italy must ensure that the Ethiopian Empire remains divided and cannot unite. Only then will Italy be able to break the Ethiopian Empire into pieces and defeat them one by one.
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