Chapter 510: Giving Britain Something to Do
As Ernst's thoughts began to turn, he immediately set a plan in motion—to set a trap for the "victim." In this regard, East Africa had a natural advantage.
He picked up the phone and made a call: "Connect me to the National Defense and Security Bureau. Get the director over here… Yes, have him report to the palace immediately. I'll be waiting in my office."
Before long, the director of East Africa's National Defense and Security Bureau arrived, rushing to the palace. For Gero, a personal summons from His Highness could only mean something big.
As a newly established agency, the NDSB still held little clout in East Africa and was virtually unknown to the public.
Though it carried the name of a defense organization, it had no connection to the military. The army had its own intelligence unit focused on military-related affairs. The NDSB, on the other hand, was a full-fledged secret service—tasked with foreign espionage and covert operations.
Soon, a relatively young officer arrived at Kiweete Palace. Dressed in uniform—since the NDSB was technically a "defense bureau"—he stood at attention.
"Gero, you're here. Take a seat."
"Yes, Headmaster!"
Gero saluted and sat down, his expression serious. "Headmaster, whatever orders you have, please say the word!"
Ernst took a sip of tea and said, "It's nothing major. You've heard about Britain's latest pressure campaign against us, right?"
"Yes, Headmaster. As per your instructions, we've been closely monitoring intelligence from both Britain and the U.S. I've personally overseen our tracking of the British sanctions and their efforts to rally regional powers. We've made sure nothing important slipped through the cracks."
"Then you probably know why I've called you."
"You want us to retaliate against Britain?"
"Not exactly. We're in no position to confront them directly. That's why I called you—we need to work indirectly."
Sitting upright on the sofa, Gero thought through Ernst's words. "So you want us to cause trouble for the British, distract them so they can't focus on East Africa?"
"Very good. You've got it. I want Britain to stop obsessing over us. There are plenty of regions more important to them than East Africa. They're just too idle right now."
"I see… Do you have any specific plan in mind? Do we need to activate any agents in Britain?"
"No. Inserting deep agents is too difficult, and it's not worth wasting good assets unless absolutely necessary. This time, we'll work through the outermost layers. I want you to find a few Members of Parliament in Britain who care about things other than East Africa—maybe start with Afghanistan or South America. Have them issue statements. Stir things up. Shift the government's focus."
"That might not be enough. A few MPs won't sway government policy."
"You're right. That's why I'll have our media team back them up. Once you've picked your MPs, send me their names. We'll have our press amplify their voices."
Is that really all? Gero wondered.
"Headmaster, that still might not be enough to meet our goal."
Ernst nodded. "Of course not. That's just the surface. The real play is what I'm about to tell you—since we're talking Afghanistan and South America, our work will center on those regions."
"You mean the two ongoing wars?"
In 1879, two major wars involved British interests: the Second Anglo-Afghan War, and the War of the Pacific (also known as the Guano or Nitrate War) in South America.
"Exactly. Britain is already involved in both. Afghanistan is obviously more critical—it's a direct military engagement. But the Pacific War is important too. Just like last time, when Britain pushed Portugal to fight us, this time they're backing Chile behind the scenes."
Clearly, Britain had strategic deployments across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. But while East Africa was too big for Portugal to handle—foiling Britain's plan—Afghanistan and South America were in worse shape.
Britain's early moves in Afghanistan had been successful, but Ernst knew the real trouble was just beginning. Guerrilla warfare would soon make city occupations useless.
In South America, several countries were battling over saltpeter. Their armies still used crossbows and primitive gear—just like in the Paraguayan War. Again, this was Britain's way of tightening its grip on the continent.
"So use these wars to our advantage. Draw Britain's attention toward them. South America's already on fire, but Afghanistan's too quiet. I'm giving you a budget—go stir up trouble in Afghanistan."
Ernst's main target was Afghanistan. The Pacific War was a bonus—a tool to entertain British citizens and flood their media with distractions. The more war stories in the headlines, the fewer mentions of East Africa. Public pressure would shift the government's focus.
"Headmaster, are you saying we should intervene in the Afghan War?"
Ernst shook his head. "Not we. Let Russia, Persia, or the Afghans themselves do it. East Africa must not be involved. Understood?"
"Yes, Headmaster. But we don't really have much operational capacity in Afghanistan. It won't be easy."
"I know. But money solves many problems. We've got plenty of leftover weapons from the last war. Let's 'donate' them to the Afghan people. Your agency will handle the delivery—but make sure there's no trace linking them to us."
"Understood, sir. We'll work through Arab Muslim traders. And we won't send everything—just a batch of generic models. Nothing obviously German. We'll frame it so the weapons appear to have come from neighboring countries."
Gero laid out his plan. Ernst added, "Our people should speak Russian during the operation—no German, ever. Make it believable. Russia was already planning to intervene, so let's help their story make sense."
"I see. So it's a Russian-led operation. No other countries involved. Especially not East Africa."
"Exactly. And don't forget—figure out the logistics yourselves. We can't appear in the transport chain. Use Zanzibar or some other channel. No one must know the weapons came from us."
Even without East African involvement, Afghan resistance would've kicked off in a few months anyway. Ernst simply wanted to speed things up. Once Afghanistan went up in flames, Britain would have no choice but to focus there. Unlike with Portugal or Chile, they were sending real troops.
"Get it done quickly," Ernst said. "But don't rush. Above all, be cautious. Even if the mission fails, East Africa must remain unconnected."
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Canserbero10