The strongest fortress was always breached from within. Governor Delfo naturally understood this simple truth; from the very beginning, he had never intended to fight the Austrians in Africa.
Perhaps the Royal Navy could suppress the Austrian Navy and even blockade most ports, but they still had no chance of winning.
Though the total population of South Africa exceeded 2.5 million, most of them were black. By the mid-nineteenth century, the white population in the Cape Town region had only just surpassed 100,000, Boers included.
Under pressure from Austria's massive immigration efforts, the London Government also accelerated its own immigration program. Unfortunately, the United Kingdom had a limited population and far too many colonies.
There were too many places demanding their attention. First came Australia and Canada, where gold had already been discovered, followed by places such as New Zealand and India. By the time it was South Africa's turn, there were not many immigrants left to send.
This was also why Governor Delfo was so troubled. Whether he liked it or not, the shortage of immigrants had become the main factor limiting South Africa's development.
In the original timeline, South Africa only developed in the latter half of the nineteenth century, after the discovery of the world's largest goldfields drew in huge numbers of immigrants.
At this point in time, South Africa held no great advantage over the rest of Africa, at least not in the minds of the public.
Delfo asked eagerly, "Blair, how is the plan progressing? Are they willing to cooperate with us?"
Faced with Governor Delfo's hopeful gaze, Blair lowered his head. Only after a long while did he answer, "I regret to say, Your Excellency, our plan has failed.
"Austria's infiltration of Transvaal and Orange was even more thorough than we had imagined. Not