Chapter 488: Intelligence War
The nearest East African military outpost to Tete was still more than a hundred kilometers away, but the Portuguese troop movements in the Tete area had already been discovered by East African reconnaissance cavalry.
"It looks like the Portuguese plan to use Tete as a breakthrough point to attack us. Let's hurry and bring this news back to Songho."
Songho, located upstream from Tete, is an East African military outpost established on the banks of the Zambezi River, about twenty kilometers downstream from what used to be the Cahora Bassa Dam in another timeline.
There existed a significant intelligence asymmetry between East Africa and Mozambique. Due to East Africa's closed-door policy, it was extremely difficult for Mozambique to gather intelligence inside East Africa, while East Africa could easily obtain intelligence on Mozambique.
First of all, Mozambican spies could be intercepted right at the border by East African military outposts, checkpoints, or border troops. If they were lucky enough to enter East African territory, they would then face supply issues.
Even if their survival skills were maxed out and they could press deeper, they would still face the awkward issue of lacking identification. East Africa had a household registration system, and anyone without proper identification or documents risked exposure if they encountered any village or East African locals. Avoiding settlements meant having to live among Africa's wild beasts.
In short, obtaining intelligence from East Africa was arguably the most difficult task in the world.
Of course, the Portuguese had managed to gather some information in the past—back when East Africa had just begun occupying Matabeleland (modern Zimbabwe).
However, during that time, East Africa hadn't yet had the chance to develop the region, so aside from geographical data, the Portuguese gained no valuable intelligence.
Moreover, intelligence work in East Africa was a high-risk profession. Early on, Portuguese agents operated with ease, but once East Africa's population in Matabeleland grew, Mozambique's intelligence personnel suffered more than a 30% attrition rate. Eventually, Portugal stopped sending agents into East Africa altogether. The losses were too high, and no one wanted to go on a suicide mission. East Africa even feigned ignorance, claiming the African continent was full of dangers—who's to say the Mozambican spies weren't eaten by wild animals?
However, in the eyes of East Africa, Mozambique was practically transparent. Thanks to its reconnaissance cavalry, East Africa could freely move in and out of Mozambique, and the colony had no way of countering it—mainly due to lack of manpower.
As a result, East Africa frequently crossed into Mozambique over the years. In fact, the northern regions of Mozambique were so infiltrated they practically looked like sieves.
When East Africa noticed unusual activity in Mozambique, cross-border reconnaissance became even more frequent. The scouts stationed at the Songho outpost had penetrated over a hundred kilometers deep to gather intelligence directly in Tete.
At the same time, the Portuguese stationed in Tete had no idea their movements had already been detected by East Africa. Tete, flooded by tens of thousands of troops, was in chaos. The black troops were a disorderly mass, and since Tete was merely a declining commercial outpost, it lacked the infrastructure and capacity to suddenly house so many soldiers.
All the black troops had to camp outside the city. The outskirts of Tete turned into a noisy "vegetable market," making the abnormalities of the city visible from afar to East African reconnaissance cavalry.
"Was someone on horseback watching us from that hill just now?" a black soldier asked his companion, pointing to the small mound where East African cavalry had just stood.
"Oh! Maybe? I didn't notice. Might've just been a white officer on inspection."
"Who cares? It's got nothing to do with us," another soldier replied.
And just like that, the East African scouts swaggered off openly under the watchful eyes of the black soldiers, and no one even suspected they could be enemy spies—nor did anyone think to report it to the Portuguese inside the city.
That's right, all the Portuguese were inside Tete. Calling it "Tete City" was actually a bit of a stretch—it was more like a large fortress. All 2,000 white Portuguese soldiers were gathered inside for leisure and entertainment.
They smoked, drank, played cards. There was even a brothel run by Portuguese merchants in the city, where Swahili girls danced on stage to the cheers of drunken Portuguese men.
President of the Tete Chamber of Commerce, Dares, said: "Hahaha, Generals, after such a long and tiring journey, you must be exhausted. Our little Tete isn't a big place, so our abilities are limited. I can only serve you with these humble meals."
Clément lit an East African cigar he had purchased in Dar es Salaam, took a puff, crossed his legs, and said, "President Dares, since you're doing business here and Tete is close to East Africa, you must know quite a lot about them, right?"
Dares patted his beer belly and replied, "General, you misunderstand me. Even though Tete is only a hundred or so miles from East Africa, I actually know very little about the interior. Ever since the Germans took over, they cut off our old trade routes. Many caravans left, and now I rely on local resources to do a bit of small business."
Clément: "I see. Then it's clear that East Africa has infringed on your commercial interests. Why haven't you resisted?"
Dares: "General, that's where you're mistaken. While it's true that East Africa cut off trade routes, they developed several commercial ports in the north. Caravans go there to get goods and sell them worldwide. Only people like me, who used to earn service fees from the caravans, really suffered. So not everyone hates East Africa. Besides, the German military is very powerful. I'm just a small-time merchant—not someone who can afford to offend them."
Clément: "Oh? You're very aware of the German military's strength?"
Dares shook his head: "Not really. I'm just comparing them to our commercial militias in Mozambique. The Germans have a proper, formal army. Our forces are just playing at war."
Clément: "Then you should at least have a rough idea of how many German troops are stationed along the border with East Africa in the Tete region?"
Dares: "That much I can guess. As far as I know, about a hundred kilometers northwest along the Zambezi River, there's a German military outpost."
Clément: "How large is it? What's the troop strength?"
Dares: "It's not very big. I'd estimate two to three hundred soldiers. That outpost has been there for more than three years."
The outpost Dares referred to was the Songho outpost. East Africa had deliberately chosen that location—it was situated on the same high plateau as Tete, which sits at an elevation of 500 meters. To the east is the Amotize Basin, and to the west is the Zambezi Basin.
East Africa's Songho outpost was located at the western edge of this small plateau, while Tete was to the east. Both places controlled the section of the Zambezi River that runs across the plateau. East Africa built its outpost in Songho precisely to confront Tete and block any westward advance by the Portuguese.
Dares: "General, I wonder if my information is of any use to you?"
"Hahaha." Clément laughed heartily. "Of course, Mr. Dares. Your intel will be a great help in our war against East Africa. Once we return victorious, we'll be sure to take good care of your business."
Now that Clément knew East Africa only had about 200 troops stationed at Songho, he relaxed. Following his recommendation, Portugal had chosen to launch a surprise attack without declaring war—relying on the element of surprise to catch East Africa off guard.
Once Songho was captured and the southern bank of the Zambezi River was secured, East Africa would fall into a strategically passive position. Their main forces were concentrated in the north and south. Controlling the Zambezi would cut off contact between those forces. At that point, the focus could shift entirely to defeating the southern army, while the northern German troops could simply guard the river and hold the line.
Additionally, another Portuguese force was already moving toward Lake Malawi. If they could cut off the overland route between Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi, East Africa would be unable to send reinforcements in time.
Lake Tanganyika—known to East Africa as Lake Solon—was also known to the Portuguese. However, they didn't realize it was one of the sources of the Nile. Portuguese explorers of the past had explored from south to north, so they were unfamiliar with Lake Tanganyika. They only knew there was a large lake north of Lake Malawi, and it was probably no smaller in size.
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