Chapter 491: Failed Assault
And so, while the East African army stationed at the Songho military outpost looked on as the Portuguese busied themselves outside, the Mozambican troops were held back by their own Black soldiers—because apparently, the French hadn't thought to teach them how to make siege equipment during training!
It's not that Africans couldn't make ladders, but it depended on the region. For example, in the tropical rainforest areas, natives who built tree nests used ladders as essential tools. Some of the more advanced native kingdoms also had a need for simple ladders.
But these ladders were usually made by carving a groove into a single log or tying wooden steps with grass ropes. There were hardly any mortise-and-tenon or nailed wooden ladders. As such, they weren't suited for siege warfare. Using these during an intense assault would probably get their own soldiers killed before they even reached the wall—something that would make the East African troops laugh their heads off.
And the natives of the East African region were even less skilled. Most lived on savannas and built low, round huts or square mud houses out of plant fiber and woven strips or earth, rarely higher than two meters. They had no need to climb up and down, so ladders—the simplest climbing tool—had no use or context.
Cléry had no choice but to curse under his breath and take charge himself, personally guiding the construction. Even so, it still took half a day to produce just over twenty ladders.
As night fell, Rodé suggested, "Lieutenant Cléry, why don't we leave it for tomorrow? Looks like we'll be spending the night here."
Cléry responded with clear displeasure, "I don't care what it takes—we need those ladders ready tonight. The attack must begin at dawn!"
Meanwhile, the East African army at Songho simply watched the show without any intention of interfering. Thanks to their intelligence networks, they had known for some time that Songho might become a frontline post.
After reconnaissance cavalry gathered information outside Tete, it only took two days to relay that intelligence to Songho. Although the outpost was small, it was equipped with a telegraph, and the message was quickly sent to Harare, the capital of Matabeleland Province.
Matabeleland's defense was overseen by the 512th Division, and that very day, division headquarters ordered reinforcements to Songho. The first batch of reinforcements arrived just one day before the Portuguese finally reached the outpost.
So, the number of troops inside Songho had already increased to over 500—more than the enemy likely expected.
Commander of the 512th Division: "Hold off the enemy. Use all available weapons and ammunition. The main force will arrive in three days. Do not attack proactively. Just keep the Portuguese pinned down."
The 512th Division's orders to Songho were clear: delay the Portuguese. Even though the East African army had the capability to wipe out the vanguard outside, they remained on the defensive.
The so-called "main force" was being transferred via the Central Railway from Southern Salzburg Province to the Zambezi Railway Bridge and was expected to arrive in three or four days. This was the opponent East Africa had carefully prepared for the Portuguese.
The East African Black Legion could finally be put to use. Until now, their exact deployment had been uncertain due to not knowing Mozambique's attack direction. That's why the legion had remained in Southern Salzburg Province, ready to be dispatched quickly by railway in case of sudden war.
Over thirty thousand Black troops were packed into train carriages like livestock and shipped to the Zambezi Central Railway Bridge. From there, they would follow the river downstream to Songho.
Other Black troops were stationed by the shores of Lake Malawi, waiting to ambush any Mozambican forces who might show up.
Back at the outpost, Songho's garrison mocked the still-busy Portuguese: "It's almost dark and the Portuguese still haven't attacked?"
"Is this what the so-called Portuguese Royal Army looks like? They come here hoping to take the Songho outpost without preparing anything—just by sheer willpower?"
The Mozambican vanguard was so pitiful. No heavy weapons, not even basic siege equipment. They only started building it after arriving at Songho, which astonished the East African defenders, who had been preparing for days. Did the Portuguese really think this was a picnic?
"Commander, why don't we open the gates and wipe them out right now? The Black Portuguese troops don't even look experienced. What combat power do they have? There aren't even that many of them."
"I'd love to finish them off immediately, but higher-ups have ordered us to hold position. No proactive attacks."
"So we just sit around and wait for the Portuguese to make the first move? That's way too passive."
"Passive? We've got cover and fortifications. As long as we don't lose Songho, we control the initiative. Are you afraid of this pathetic little Portuguese force?"
"Commander, we've got four machine guns. Let's greet the Portuguese with a proper surprise—they'll learn the times have changed," said the machine gunner.
Originally, Songho had two machine guns. With the reinforcements from the 512th Division, two more were added.
"Stash the machine guns. Don't let the Portuguese see them! What if we scare them off before the real show starts? Unless we absolutely have to, we don't use them."
East Africa had distributed machine guns to lower-level units even before heavy artillery. That meant a single company from the 512th Division already had four. If they fired them together, the Mozambican vanguard wouldn't last long.
To keep the Portuguese from panicking and pulling back, the Songho garrison had dismantled the machine guns from the walls even before the enemy arrived.
"This performance is for the Black troops coming later. If the Portuguese run away now, there won't be a show."
Machine guns, especially against infantry with no countermeasures, were devastating—like mowing down grass. So it was crucial to make the Portuguese think East Africa's gear wasn't much better than theirs.
In reality, the two sides were on completely different levels. East Africa had the home-field advantage and better terrain, and their troops were equipped with Mauser and Dreyse rifles. Against the Mozambican colonial army, they were executing a dimensional suppression, even without heavy weapons.
After waiting through the night, the Portuguese finally began their attack on Songho. Just as the defenders expected, the Portuguese troops had outdated weapons. At best, they could match Dreyse rifles at a 4:6 disadvantage and were completely outgunned by the Mausers.
From atop Songho's walls, with superior range and elevation, the East African troops completely dominated the advancing Portuguese.
Cléry: "Third Company, keep pushing forward. Get in close to the Songho outpost!"
But the Black soldiers, remembering earlier losses, lay flat on the ground as soon as they started their advance, clutching ladders and refusing to move. Cléry thought they were dead. But as soon as the gunfire slowed, they suddenly sprang up and moved forward again.
This prompted the East African commander to order: "Any enemy that drops to the ground—don't hesitate. Fire two or three more rounds into them."
That trick only worked once. From then on, any prone bodies were treated as potential threats and shot again. This made the Black Portuguese troops hesitant to continue, and many began to fall back.
Cléry, supervising from the rear, shouted, "No stopping! Charge forward! Anyone who retreats will be shot!"
He raised his rifle and fired at a soldier trying to sneak away. For an assault like this to work, morale had to remain high. If fear spread, the whole operation would collapse.
But the Black troops were uncooperative. Their rhythm was disrupted, and fear began to set in. After several failed probing assaults, nearly a hundred had already been lost.
Cléry had no choice but to call off the attack. He turned to Rodé and said, "We need heavy firepower—or we need the East Africans to come out and fight us. Otherwise, we'll never break through Songho. Even if we somehow succeed, we'll lose our entire force doing it."
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