In 1900, Britain fought two wars at the same time. In the Far East, the Eight-Power Coalition, including British troops, invaded the vast and populous China in the name of "protecting embassies." The Qing Dynasty seemed to be powerful, but in fact it was vulnerable, and the outcome of the war was naturally without suspense. The following year, the decadent Qing Dynasty signed the Treaty of Xinugu with the great powers, and Britain received about 50.62 million taels of silver in war reparations alone. This history is described in detail in the history textbooks of middle schools, marking China's complete degeneration into a semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. Whether students like it or not, the dry conclusions of the textbook are quite accurate and rigorous.
Unfortunately, this earth-shattering event in China is relatively less important in world history and has not made waves in the course of history.
At that time, the Focus of British Attention was on Southern Africa, more than 12,000 kilometers from Beijing. The two small Bur republics, founded by white colonists and mainly agriculture and animal husbandry, with a total population of less than 500,000, actually defeated 450,000 British troops (including regulars, native volunteers, colonial armies and South African local armies). What was supposed to be an "afternoon tea" military operation turned into a bloody and brutal all-out war, with Britain spending a total of £220 million on the military. If you calculate the 6.43 silver exchangeable for 1 pound in 1900, the reparations paid to Britain by the Treaty of Xinugu were only 7.87 million pounds, only 3.5% of the boer war military expenditure – barely enough for a fraction.
Of course, Britain, with its strong national strength, finally dragged the Boers to death in the stage of consumption. Even if the money is like water, the teeth of the number one power will survive. The problem is that the whole world has clearly seen that the indispensable goddess of Britannia is nothing more than a "weak chicken" in the middle of the outside world, and that the army of the British Empire seems to be no more than a war in the face of the feudal era and the pre-industrial era, and once the opponent has mastered advanced weapons, has superb combat qualities and established a new war system. Therefore, Britain, which adhered to the policy of "glorious isolation", had to lay down its body and choose allies based on the principle of pragmatism, and even Japan, which was not looked at at at all, became the object of solicitation. On the other hand, ambitious Germany was eager to move, and the impulse of a great power was born that "he can replace it". As a result, the "golden age" that everyone expected ended in a "world war" 14 years later, and the century-old colonial system finally fell apart.
The Boer War has been a hot spot in Western historical research until now, and perhaps people are curious, how did a group of "dirt buns" pull the noble "goddess" off the altar?
Britannia is an anthropomorphic goddess representing Britain. Wearing a battle helmet, holding a shield and a trident, she is simply a super powerful combination of Poseidon and Athena, an invincible look.
On 9 October 1899, the Transvaal Republic, established by the Boers, first issued an ultimatum to the British, demanding that the British government make the following commitment within 48 hours: first, that the British troops should immediately withdraw from the Boer border; second, that the reinforcements that had arrived in South Africa should withdraw; and third, that the British troops on the way should not land at any port in South Africa. Otherwise, it would be considered a "formal declaration of war" by Britain. If the parties to this announcement were replaced by Panama and the United States before the Panama War, and the location was changed to Latin America, the reader would probably be able to appreciate the connotation of "not measuring up to his own strength". Then British Prime Minister Salisbury and Colonial Secretary Chamberlain were greatly relieved to hear the news. Since it was the Boers who preemptively attacked, the crime of starting a war could not be blamed on the British, and it should be logical to gain public support. As for whether victory can be achieved, the Prime Minister does not bother to think about it, and such a "small matter" can be handed over to the commander of the front line. On October 11, the British government allowed the ultimatum to expire and received no reply except its unconcealed disdain.
Although on the surface the British were passive, in fact they had already begun to prepare for war. "Peace under Britain" is by no means dependent on "subjugating people with virtue", but on naked "ruling people by force", which Britain has long been well versed in. Three days later, a 20,000-strong expeditionary force, led by Its Commander-in-Chief, Sir Redvers Buller, set sail from the Port of Southampton and headed for South Africa on its toes. The parting ceremony was very moving, and the crowd was full of emotion, chanting "Rule, Britannia"; even the Crown Prince, the future Edward VII, came from Buckingham Palace to send him off.
Born into a large aristocratic family in Britain, Buller joined the army after graduating from Eton College, participating in the Second Opium War and the famous Canadian Red River Expedition. He served in South Africa in 1878, excelled in the 9th Cape Frontier War and the Zulu War, and was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery. Such a man of impeccable qualifications, prestige and pedigree undoubtedly deserves this heavy responsibility. Buller was also extremely confident in his abilities, and it is said that when he saw the composition of the expeditionary force, the bull coaxed: "Very good, if you can't win this way, kick me away." But Buller had been dealing with administrative affairs in Whitehall for nearly 20 years, away from troops and actual combat for a long time, and was unfamiliar with the ever-changing new tactics, but fortunately, Britain had an overwhelming advantage, and the commander only needed to be prestigious enough to convince the public. Public opinion generally believes that the war can be ended in just 6 months, even before Christmas.
There was no wireless telegraphy at the time, and the expeditionary force was completely isolated for two weeks after boarding the ship, and naturally knew nothing about the war in South Africa. But the entire army, including war correspondents, speculated that the Boers would be defeated by the British garrison in South Africa before the expeditionary force landed. At the thought of this boring possibility, the officers were so depressed that they had to hold a "healthy and interesting" military-civilian masquerade ball with the civilians who came with the ship. Buller had been quiet and silent, and at this time he was even more gloomy and walked on the boat every day. He had fought side by side with the Boers during the Zulu Wars and had a considerable knowledge of the enemy. The Boers were brave, but after all, small countries and widows, if the speed of navigation did not speed up, it was really possible to give the current actual field commanders Penn Symons and George White the upper hand.
On 29 October, the expedition encountered a steamship that had just left South Africa. The two sides immediately shouted in their throats, but the distance was too far, and the steam ship put up a board and wrote three sentences in a concise manner:
The Boers were repulsed.
Three battles.
Payne Simmons was killed in battle.
The British were shocked that a general had been killed, presumably the battle was fierce, and then they were quite frustrated that the repelled Boers would not propose an armistice? The answer was soon revealed the next day. When the expedition arrived safely at Table Bay in Cape Town, it was learned that neither side had achieved a final victory. The expeditionary force was a little saddened by the happiness, because the losses of the British army were too heavy, and many excellent officers were killed. What about "pleasant travel" and "afternoon tea"? The war is clearly far from being as simple as it seems.
As the world's number one power at the time, the Logistics of the British Army was almost insignificant; Buller was also waiting for more troops to assemble, so the Expeditionary Corps needed to rest in the Cape Colony for more than a month before it could move forward. Two journalists from The Manchester Guardian and The Morning Post decided to leave the main force and head to the front lines of Ladysmith in the Natal region. Ever since the birth of the world's first war correspondent, William Russell, in the Crimean War, journalists have always been indispensable in the British Empire's army, and they are even braver and fearlesser than real soldiers. Moreover, these journalists are often noble sons of high society, and officers also rely on them to speak for themselves, so the treatment and status of war correspondents in the army is quite high.
The train the two reporters were riding had to stop at wheels in the small town of Estcourt. They were still a step slower, the Boers had surrounded Lady Smith, and a large number of British troops were trapped in the city in urgent need of rescue. Although Estecott had not yet been attacked by enemy troops, the two towns were already covered with Boer cavalry. Estecott has only 2,300 troops stationed at any time, which could be destroyed at any time.
The railway from Estecott to Ladysmith had not yet been destroyed by the Boers, and perhaps they planned to keep the line for their own use in the future. It happened that the British had an armored train in their hands, so the British commander sent trains with cavalry reconnaissance troops out of the city from time to time to detect the enemy's movements. It's a dirty idea.
Armored trains look mighty and powerful, and it may be efficient to conduct security patrols on weekdays to scare the common people; in fact, they are extremely bulky, and they can only advance or retreat along fixed lines, without any maneuverability, and it is not easy to face the mysterious Boer cavalry. The enemy could easily make it immobile by destroying a bridge or culvert, and the British troops inside could only be shot.
The fate of the British army and Churchill's was similar, and at the beginning of the Boer War from the end of 1899 to the beginning of 1900, they were beaten to the ground as soon as they entered the battle. And the seemingly completely asymmetrical war began with a completely unexpected plot that surprised observers around the world. To say that the English and The Boers were both white, shouldn't it be common sense to join forces to bully the black natives? How can we turn against each other? This story has to start more than 250 years ago.
This article is excerpted from the War Code 052