The Wheel Turns

Natal Colony.

British Commissioner Marshall arrived here by ship. With the South African War in a disastrous state and the Mozambique Allied forces in imminent peril, Commissioner Marshall disembarked in Natal Colony to investigate and question the conduct of the war.

Seeing Marshall come to South Africa empty-handed, the Natal garrison felt somewhat disappointed. What everyone needed most now was support and reinforcements from the homeland.

Marshall clearly did not see it that way. Before the war began, the Allied forces had held an overwhelming advantage on paper; before the Battle of Angola, their troop numbers had exceeded those of East Africa.

Thus, the root cause of the defeat in the South African War was incompetent commanders, with Count Roberts bearing the brunt of the blame. However, Count Roberts was currently trapped in Mozambique.

Naturally, Marshall could not fly over and trouble Count Roberts. Instead, the commanders of the still relatively safe Natal Colony garrison were in for a streak of terrible luck.

Rather than the aid they had awaited, they received a bringer of calamity. Marshall's first words upon arriving in Durban were, "Why aren't you attacking East Africa?"

"The East Africans have retaken and sealed off the Tugela River. Our route north to support Count Roberts has been cut off. More importantly, the most pressing issue now is how we should deal with the enemy's threat. They cannot possibly stop at the Tugela River line, so what we should be most concerned about is our own safety, not rescuing Count Roberts." Bredes, the highest-ranking military commander in Natal Colony, said through clenched teeth.

"Has the situation in South Africa really deteriorated to this extent?" Marshall asked with a frown.

"It is far worse than that. We have lost contact with Count Roberts. Three days ago, the East Africans