"Finish the suspension bridges while the dry season lasts. We need to build at least five suspension bridges along this stretch of river before transportation can flow smoothly."
"With an iron bridge linking the north and south banks, troops can stream directly across into the south. Fortunately, East Africa mainly relied on light infantry, so the demands placed on bridges were not high."
"Transportation was nothing more than connecting two places. For some time to come, these suspension bridges would also serve as the most important hubs in this region."
The two engineers stood on the northern bank of the Zambezi River and chatted. Before them, the overall framework of a bridge had already taken shape; once wooden planks were laid over the iron cables, it would be complete.
The Zambezi River, formerly the boundary between Zambia and Zimbabwe, was Africa's fourth-largest river. It stretched 2,660 kilometers and had a drainage basin of 1.35 million square kilometers. In Africa, its water volume was surpassed only by the Congo River and the Niger River.
The Zambezi River's greatest characteristic was its perilous terrain: numerous gorges, rushing rapids, and treacherous shoals. Its lower reaches in Mozambique were also prone to flooding.
Thus, to cross this natural moat, bridges had to be built. But the Zambezi River lay far too distant from East Africa's economically developed regions. Within the Kingdom of East Africa, aside from the eastern territories, where years of work had established a rudimentary road network, the rest could practically be called a blank sheet.
Transporting construction materials from the rear was therefore utterly unrealistic. Suspension bridges were still far more efficient and less laborious.
"By the time all the bridges over this river are erected, the southwestern provinces should also be completely pacified."
As the saying went, before troops and