"Shell loaded!"
"Target point sighted! Ready, fire!"
Boom... With a deafening blast, billowing black smoke surged from the barrel. The tremendous recoil jolted the cannon clean off the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. The target piled from earth on the bank of the Vaal River was blown to pieces in an instant.
But it was not over yet. The Third Brigade had eleven cannons in total—everything the 511th Division possessed. As the first cannon fired, the others took turns firing at the destroyed target, kneading its corpse over and over. Once the dust settled, the mound of earth and stone that had stood over a meter high had become a deep pit.
"Third Cavalry Company, attack!"
More than two hundred warhorses thundered across the open wilderness. As their speed gradually increased, the cavalrymen drew their Dreyse carbines and swiftly loaded them on horseback. Then they reined their horses to an abrupt halt, aimed, and fired toward the Vaal River in one fluid motion, without the slightest pause.
Afterward, the various units of the Third Brigade carried out a series of tactical demonstrations according to the hypothetical enemy laid out by headquarters before the exercise: advancing, retreating, counterattacking. The units coordinated with one another, displaying the Third Brigade's ability to work as one. The exercise lasted four hours and finally ended when the midday sun hung overhead and the call for meals sounded.
The British, Boers, and natives across the river had also watched the fine show the Kingdom of East Africa had prepared for them.
The British mine owners stood in the distance with binoculars, discussing the significance of the Kingdom of East Africa's exercise.
"Oh, my God! The Germans are showing off their strength to us!"
"But you have to admit, at least on the surface, they