Chapter 498: Peace Negotiations
"Mediation?" Ernst was only slightly surprised, but then calmly said, "This is pretty much what we expected. Still, it's amusing that the British are already getting restless when the war's outcome hasn't even been decided."
Constantino, however, was a bit worried. "Are we really going to stop the war with Portugal now?"
From his perspective, Angola and Mozambique were already within their grasp—it would be unbearable to give them up now.
Ernst understood what Constantino was thinking. He, too, wanted to seize both Portuguese colonies in one go. But now was clearly not the time.
"We won't be able to swallow both colonies in one bite. If this were merely a conflict between us and Portugal, it wouldn't matter. But this war is actually a reflection of deeper tensions between us and Britain. The British will definitely do everything they can to keep Portugal's colonies intact. They need Portugal to hold us back in East Africa."
Constantino nodded. He understood the geopolitical logic, but still felt frustrated. "Then we can't let Portugal off the hook. We need to make them bleed—to show other countries what happens when they provoke us. Not even British backing will save them."
Ernst fully agreed. If the British wanted peace now, so be it. East Africa had nothing to lose. But if Portugal didn't offer satisfactory compensation, things wouldn't proceed just because Britain said so.
"At the very least, we need to carve out a large chunk of territory from both colonies. We can't have an unbalanced map—East Africa's borders need to look more even," Ernst decided. Portugal would have to pay.
…
Soon after, East Africa agreed to a ceasefire, surprising the British. Used to getting their way, they had assumed negotiations would start with terms. That East Africa would accept mediation without laying out demands made no sense.
Of course, East Africa had conditions—it was just in a position of strength and didn't need to show its hand early. What it couldn't win on the battlefield, no negotiation could deliver. So East Africa would make its demands during the talks—calm and confident.
East Africa and Portugal, under the supervision of Britain, France, Germany, and Austria-Hungary, began negotiations in the city of Dar es Salaam.
The venue was the former Zanzibar Royal Palace, now converted into a reception hall for foreign dignitaries.
"We want all of Angola and half of Mozambique!" East African Army Chief of Staff Sivet opened with a heavy blow.
In truth, much of Angola was still under Portuguese control. But East Africa had already seized key areas, including the capital Luanda. Outside of Cabinda, the rest of Angola's Portuguese forces consisted mostly of plantation and mine owners—no real threat. With the government having fled to Cabinda, any remaining resistance was meaningless in East Africa's eyes.
"General Sivet, this is excessive! We cannot agree to East Africa's terms. Angola is an inseparable part of the Portuguese Kingdom," protested Portuguese representative Yadis.
He saw East Africa's demands as completely unacceptable. Angola and Mozambique were Portugal's two most important colonies. Losing either would be a catastrophe—East Africa wanted to take both? Unthinkable.
British delegate Herr chimed in, siding with Portugal: "East Africa's demands are indeed excessive. The war isn't over yet. The outcome is still uncertain—Portugal might even turn things around."
The other representatives looked at him in disbelief. Was Britain seriously suggesting Portugal could win? Unless Napoleon himself was reborn, that was laughable.
Sivet ignored Herr's nonsense and said, "Everyone here knows East Africa's strength. If we really wanted to erase Portugal's colonies from the map by force, it would only be a matter of time. The only reason we're even negotiating is to respect the norms of the international community."
If not for British and French interference, East Africa would've already deployed its full army and taken both colonies by now.
Herr replied, "Angola and Mozambique may have made mistakes, but there's no need to punish Portugal so harshly. Both sides should return to the status quo."
Sivet grinned. "And what about accountability? Portugal clearly had plans to seize East African land. Their troop numbers far exceeded what they could sustain. From what I know, Mozambique's army used to number only a few thousand. Before the war, it suddenly ballooned to sixty or seventy thousand—clearly aided by foreign powers."
His pointed remarks left Britain and France looking uncomfortable. Who else could he be referring to?
Still, Britain and France had thick skin. They weren't about to admit they had meddled. Herr said, "Portugal is still an old power. It's only natural for them to strengthen their colonial forces—especially when someone nearby is clearly eyeing their lands."
Sivet's expression twitched. It was true—East Africa had long coveted those colonies. But this war wasn't their doing. Mozambique had given East Africa the excuse to act.
"East Africa is a peace-loving nation. We've always sought friendly relations with our neighbors. But this time, Portugal provoked us—and some countries even attacked without declaring war. That's not the behavior of a civilized state. It's shameful."
Sivet's words embarrassed the Portuguese delegation. The sneak attack had failed, and now Portugal risked becoming the new laughingstock of Europe—replacing Italy.
Yadis weakly replied, "Yes, we were in the wrong… but this was all a misunderstanding…"
He didn't know what else to say. He could only try to excuse Portugal's actions with vague words.
"Alright, let's all take a step back," said the French delegate, trying to act as mediator. "Portugal did start this, so punishment is warranted. But let's not be overly harsh. Let's gather everyone's opinions and then finalize the terms of compensation."
Germany and Austria-Hungary, of course, supported East Africa. They insisted that Portugal must accept the consequences of its actions. If not, where was the rule of law in international relations? Whether that rule existed or not, one thing was clear—East Africa's strength made its words law.
After several rounds of negotiation, East Africa secured the following compensation: one-third of southern Angola and all Mozambican land north of the Zambezi River.
Britain and France had tried hard to preserve Portugal's colonial holdings, but Portugal had performed so poorly in the war that they had no leverage against the Germans.
Worse, during the talks, East Africa launched several major military offensives, keeping constant pressure on Portugal. The situation grew untenable. In the end, Portugal had no choice but to cede territory to secure peace—otherwise, it risked losing both colonies entirely.
Having lost so much land, Portugal was heartbroken—and furious at East Africa. Though they had started the war, this defeat solidified Portugal's allegiance to Britain even further.
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