The Blame-Sharing Conference

As East African forces converged on Luanda, Angola's "stream of victory reports" from a month ago was completely exposed as a sham.

"You bunch of bastards! How did you become unable to beat the East Africans in less than a month? Were all the military reports from the past few months lies?"

Angolan Governor Owen flew into a rage. It was as though the air in the conference hall had dropped by more than ten degrees, and everyone fell silent as cicadas in winter. The more smug Owen had been a month ago, the more furious he was now.

The Portuguese Army at the front had fought so disgracefully that it barely resembled an army. If the Portuguese Army had been rotten from the start, Owen would have had nothing to say. But when the war began, every subordinate had clamored for credit, as though they would soon march into First Town and capture the Hechingen Royal Family alive.

Yet the moment East Africa exerted a little force, the Portuguese Army showed its true colors. For the past two weeks, every front had either been contracting or collapsing into utter rout. Could the outcome of the last East Portugal War be replayed in his hands?

During the last East Portugal War, weak Angola had been utterly unable to stop East Africa's advance. That had been understandable, since Angola had received no support from the homeland at all.

As a colony, its military strength had been weak to begin with. It did not even possess many standing armed forces, so being crushed beneath East Africa's wheels had been perfectly reasonable.

But this time, Portugal had spent ten years sharpening one sword, made ample preparations, and returned to the fray—only to fight the war into this miserable state. Owen naturally bore an