Kerry had no way to deal with Songo Fortress. The entire fortress was like a turtle shell, while the East African Army was like turtles hiding their heads, refusing to come out and fight. The two sides remained deadlocked here.
Kerry, who had only ever fought well-supplied campaigns in the French army, was furious. When had he ever suffered such indignity? But he resented the Portuguese of Mozambique even more. A colony was a colony—something that could never be brought onto the grand stage.
Having only just entered the field, Kerry finally understood why colonial countries and regions were so vulnerable before Westerners. It was not merely a matter of equipment; the people and the system were also deeply flawed.
The Portuguese were this incompetent, yet they still held such a vast stretch of land in a firm grip. One could only imagine how unbearably pathetic the native regimes there had originally been.
Yet the East African Army's performance was indeed striking, especially its fortifications and level of armament. They were both colonies, yet East Africa surpassed the Portugal before his eyes by heaven and earth.
So Kerry muttered to himself: *Colonies come in different ranks too. The United States, already independent and developing rapidly, should belong in the first tier. Its size and economy unquestionably make it a world power. India should be in the second tier; without India, the British could never have kept France beneath them. By the same token, Brazil belongs at that level as well. Portugal, without having lost Brazil, could no longer be considered a great power in Kerry's eyes. Australia, Canada, and France's own Algeria should belong to the third tier. East Africa should be in that tier too. As for colonies waiting to die, Cape Town could barely count as one—but East