Besieged on All Sides

The navy was currently unable to play a decisive role in the situation in South Africa. This was mainly because Britain lacked secure strongholds in the nearby waters. Historically, Britain had annexed Zanzibar to check German East Africa, but Zanzibar had long since been conquered by East Africa.

It was precisely the lack of Zanzibar, this strategic fulcrum, that had left Britain without naval power throughout the Western Indian Ocean. Britain's naval forces in South Africa were basically concentrated in Cape Town, but because of the Suez Canal, Cape Town's naval strength had not grown much over the years.

Instead, Port of Alexandria in Egypt and British Somaliland—that is, the Mediterranean Fleet—had been strengthened across the board, demonstrating the importance of the Red Sea shipping lanes.

Compared with the navy's performance, the army was the main force in this South African War. At the same time as the Battle of Lamu Bay began, the Allied forces launched attacks on the East African mainland from multiple regions.

East Africa suddenly came under military pressure from the south, east, and west. The north was currently at peace, mainly because the Sudan region was unsuitable for marching. Britain was temporarily unable to launch military operations against northern East Africa through Egypt, while British Somaliland's military strength had declined; it was primarily naval and lacked the conditions for a land war.

Yet the military pressure from three directions still made the East African National Defense Army feel an immense threat. Angola, South Africa—Cape Town and the Boer Republic—and Mozambique sent hundreds of thousands of troops simultaneously into East Africa's interior. For the first time in Africa, East Africa found itself short of troops.

First Town.

Count Yalman reported the current state of East Africa's war to the government. This intelligence had been compiled