Chapter 130: Invasion
By the mid-16th century, the Kingdom of Burundi had already been established. The Tutsi, who lived by herding, had imposed their rule over the local Hutu farmers.
In the mid-17th century, the Kingdom of Burundi began expanding outward. By the first half of the 19th century, King Ntare Rugamba had unified much of Burundi and seized parts of what is now southern Rwanda and western Tanzania. However, the kingdom never formed a centralized regime and long remained fragmented under various local rulers.
Most of central and western Burundi is highland, but the terrain between it and the East African colony is essentially flat.
The task of defending Burundi falls primarily to the East African troops and militias stationed in the Soron Lake region—the western segment of the line between the Great Lakes and Soron Lake.
To better coordinate frontline operations, the East African colonial government established a Northwestern Wartime Command at Kasanda (place name).
Yarman personally took charge there, overseeing the situation at the front. Based on prior intelligence, Yarman decided to attack the Kingdoms of Burundi and Karawi first.
Burundi's power structure is scattered; there are many feudal lords and warlords. Karawi, on the other hand, has little territory or population, and was hit particularly hard by the previous "purge," leaving it in a half-dead state.
Both kingdoms have suffered severe blows, and the earlier onslaught by Eastern Bantu groups only splintered them further.
Yarman thus believed it possible to capture both kingdoms at once. He split the main body of the East African army in two, each part assigned to one of these kingdoms; then, when finished, both forces would converge on the borders of the Igara and Rwanda kingdoms.
…
May 3, 1868.
The East African colony invaded the Kingdoms of Burundi and Karawi without a formal declaration of war; East African forces simply crossed the provisional boundary.
At first, East African soldiers expected a fierce fight since the colony had mobilized on an unprecedented scale, plus it was an external campaign. They figured it might be tough going.
But reality diverged from the government's expectations. In the southern regions of Burundi and Karawi, East African troops encountered no real resistance—and hardly any people at all.
Invasion is nothing if not murder, arson, looting, and plundering. Yet in these two kingdoms, the East African army found little worth seizing. Killing would require opponents to fight back in the first place, and they had no interest in capturing the local population—East Africa's policy was to drive them away.
The previous "purge" had been so successful that southern Burundi and Karawi were left practically empty before the East African troops.
Within three days, the Western wing of East Africa's forces had advanced over a hundred kilometers, encountering very few natives. Villages stood abandoned, while many locals were hiding in the forests and countryside to avoid conflict.
Any such unfortunate souls who crossed paths with the East African army were out of luck. Among them were Eastern Bantu people the colony had previously driven out; upon seeing the troops, they fled at once.
Meanwhile, native Burundians—never having experienced East Africa's military might—naively stayed put and felt the brunt of the colony's iron fist. Even armed militias, with their modern rifles, could easily mow down locals who merely had spears. After a round of gunfire, the surviving natives panicked and fled northward.
Nearly all the inhabitants of Burundi and Karawi—99% of them—had never seen people of any other race, let alone firearms.
Arab traders and some European explorers in the northwest might possess advanced weapons, but typically they dealt only with the kings and nobles of African kingdoms. Arabs involved in the slave trade usually collaborated with local powers rather than meddling directly, especially so deep in the interior. European explorers were often sponsored by capitalists and nobles back home, effectively serving as advance scouts for colonization; they too mainly interacted with African rulers.
Though gains on the march were almost nil, East African troops did keep busy burning deserted villages. Smoke rose over large swaths of territory now under East African control.
The natives truly had little worth taking, and since the land lay fallow from prior warfare, there wasn't much food to seize. As for all the pots and jars, the soldiers had no interest; they simply torched everything to help prevent the spread of disease. Who knew what might have happened in those villages before?
Bujumbura (northern Lake Tanganyika city).
"Man, I thought with all this fanfare we'd see a major war. But it looks to me these so-called 'native kingdoms' aren't even as tough as the tribes on the East African savanna. We've been here for days and run into only a few people," complained Haisheng Li to his comrade.
"Isn't that a good thing? Do you really want a big fight? Right now all we do is march, burn stuff, and occasionally shoot a couple of natives—nice and easy. Why risk your neck?" John Zhang retorted.
"Risk my neck? Let's be real—it's them at risk, not me. With this rifle, I've got no reason to be afraid. Every time we've clashed with them, we've taken them out no sweat," boasted Haisheng Li, patting his gun proudly.
"That's only because you haven't met anyone serious. These folks have junk for weapons. The pitchforks back in my house are better than their spears," John Zhang said.
"Well, that's because they don't have anything else. If they also had rifles, of course I'd have to be more cautious—but they don't," retorted Li.
"It's just exploiting how backward they are. Didn't the foreigners bully the Qing Empire the same way?" Zhang asked.
"Heh, don't bring up the Qing. From the emperor down to every local landlord, none of them were any good. Being born into that place was a punishment for sins in a past life. On second thought, it would've been better just to be born in Germany from the start," Li said.
"Ha, being born in Germany in this era might not be so great either. Look at those Austro-Hungarian immigrants in our squad—they led a pretty tough life before coming here, only slightly better than the Far East," Zhang pointed out.
"That's not the point. Even if they were poor, at least they have backbone! They've got Austria-Hungary or Germany backing them up, so they're more confident than us," Li countered.
"What's to fear? We're Germans now, too. I heard from recruiters in the Far East that if you wear this uniform there, you get treated like a person. Those local landlords and town mayors will be forced to show you respect," Zhang said.
"Besides, Prince Constantin and Prince Ernst have declared repeatedly that in East Africa there's no difference among ethnicities—once you identify with Germany, you are a German…"
(Note: This dialogue is fictitiously set in the era described and is meant to reflect a shift in immigrant mindset. It should not be interpreted through a modern lens.)
…
Oruc Reis frowned as he stared at yet another abandoned village. Judging by its size, it might have been an important settlement of the local native kingdom.
It was several times bigger than the average hamlet, though by his and his comrades' standards—whether from the Far East or Europe—it was only a large village at best. But for backward Africa, it might have been the central hub of the area, even land belonging to a local noble.
This unimpressive village was effectively Bujumbura, future capital of Burundi. At present, Bujumbura isn't anything special within Burundi. In later years, the Germans colonized the region from there, using it as the center from which they governed Burundi. After Burundi's independence, it inherited Bujumbura as its capital.
The detachment under Oruc Reis, numbering over three hundred, had followed the eastern shore of Soron Lake (Lake Tanganyika) all the way north.
The lakeside area along Soron Lake must once have been heavily populated by the Kingdom of Burundi, but Reis had encountered hardly any locals en route.
In fact, at the speed his force was traveling, if they didn't run into a more formidable native group soon, they would reach the border of the Kingdom of Rwanda in just a few days.
Over a hundred li (some 50 km or so) had been secured in the overall Burundi theater, linking it to East Africa's Great Lakes District (Burundi lies farther south than Karawi).
Essentially, it spans from the northern tip of Soron Lake (Lake Tanganyika) to the southwestern shore of the Great Lake (Lake Victoria). Everything south of that imaginary line is now under East Africa's control.
As for the East African forces in Karawi, they're advancing along two main routes. One goes straight north, heading toward the border between Buganda and Karawi. The other goes northwest, pushing toward Igara. That northwesterly route comprises the main force in the Karawi theater, while the northern route is meant to keep Buganda from interfering, so it's primarily defensive.
From Bujumbura in the far west, all the way to Karawi's border with Buganda at Lake Victoria, the East African forces formed a northeast-to-southwest line, pushing steadily from southeast to northwest against the four northwestern kingdoms.
Oruc Reis's detachment was the westernmost force of the entire front, presently pausing in Bujumbura. Haisheng Li and John Zhang were two Chinese immigrant soldiers in his unit.
It was a temporary formation of regulars and militia, with over forty regular troops—mostly Chinese, since the Austro-Hungarian and German immigrants had arrived more recently and were fewer in the army. German (from Germany proper) immigration had spiked only in recent months, so they were even less represented among the troops.
The newest German arrivals were being used to "dilute" the population in each settlement, spreading German culture more widely.
Thanks to this policy, plus the addition of Austro-Hungarian immigrants, the broad "Germanic" population now formed a strong majority. (In official East African records, Europeans are collectively designated as "Pan-Germanic," while Chinese who intermarry with Europeans are called "mixed," as a way to divide the Chinese community. These categories appear in population statistics but aren't formal government terms.)
Through education and administration, East Africa is accelerating its Germanization.
Most of the original German mercenaries either left through non-combat attrition (climate issues) or fell in battle, but those remaining now hold positions in the colony's army and government.
Oruc Reis was one of those German mercenaries who had landed with Yarman in the first wave of colonization.
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Canserbero10