The Defense Line Falls

Three days later, which was 6:00 AM on April 7, East African Time, the well-prepared British forces began an all-out offensive under the cover of dawn.

The British crossed the Tugela River simultaneously across five river sections, causing massive, instantaneous breaches in the defenses of the Ninth Brigade.

This had long been anticipated by Aristotle; after all, the Ninth Brigade possessed limited manpower, making an effective defense against the British reliant on the Tugela River utterly impossible.

The East African Tugela River defense line was a "single-line serpentine formation," and the multi-pronged British advance struck the "snake's seven-inch fatal spot," leaving the scattered units of the Ninth Brigade unable to effectively coordinate or support one another.

Furthermore, the British were astonished to discover that East African firepower seemed even weaker than it had been three days prior.

This discovery was hardly a coincidence, rooted instead in two distinct reasons to which the East African brigade headquarters had already provided the answer.

Aristotle's adjutant stated, "Our fifteen heavy artillery pieces retreated to New Hamburg City a day early, and a third of our light artillery has also been pulled back. That has reduced our artillery support and made it much easier for the British to cross the river."

Aristotle waved a hand and said, "Even if we left those heavy weapons behind, they wouldn't be of much use to us. Just like now—the British are launching forced assaults from multiple locations along a coverage line over a hundred kilometers long. Even easily mobile light artillery wouldn't have time to provide support.

That is why I have already issued orders to all frontline units to break down into company-sized groups, disperse, and independently deal with the British in their respective jurisdictions."

Moving artillery was no easy task, especially along the winding Tugela