On May 12, 1870, Governor Delfo led an army of 30,000 men in an invasion of the Orange Free State, and the great war in South Africa erupted.
Once the news spread, the Boers were thrown into panic. The manor where Viscount Fikeni was temporarily residing was soon flooded with visitors.
Transvaal and the Orange Free State were practically one entity. Whenever they faced the British, the two nations had always joined forces against a common enemy.
The gap in strength between the two sides was simply too great. No one had any confidence in defeating the British. When dealing with the British, the Boer Republic had always chosen to yield.
But that had been before. Things had changed now. Since they were all going to join Austria, naturally they no longer had to fear the British.
There were two main reasons everyone had come to visit at this time. First, to make their stance known to Viscount Fikeni and openly choose a side; second, to hope that Austria would intervene in this war.
Viscount Fikeni said with complete confidence, "There is no need for concern, everyone. The British army may look imposing, but in truth it is strong on the outside and weak within.
"The British garrison in Cape Town does not exceed three thousand men, and the London Government has made no major troop movements recently.
"Even if the Cape Town Colonial Government has recruited civilian militias, its combat-capable forces cannot possibly exceed five thousand. As for the rest of the British troops, one can well imagine what sort of rabble they are."
No one understood you better than your enemy. The competition between the United Kingdom and Austria in South Africa had not begun just yesterday; both sides had long been gathering intelligence on one another.
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