Chapter 184: Chapter 183: The War Of Wakanda (5) (Bonus Chapter 14)
Wakanda's real fighting power lies in its 3,000 vibranium-equipped soldiers. The 30,000 Ethiopian auxiliary troops use regular Wakandan weapons that are only good for maintaining order.
But don't underestimate the 3,000 Wakandan soldiers. Their vibranium armor is nearly invulnerable, so regular weapons in the hands of 40,000 soldiers won't do much against them.
The only real threat to Wakanda comes from heavy artillery and naval guns—as Wakanda's vibranium weapons can't provide full protection yet.
Meanwhile, CIA agents stationed around Ethiopia have noticed the deep divisions between the Wakandans and Ethiopians, as well as their problems with other nearby African tribes.
Soon, intelligence about Wakanda was sent to the UN command center.
The UN forces set up their headquarters in Cairo, much to the delight of the Egyptian government, but not so much to the British and French.
The UN had promised that once Wakanda was dealt with, Egypt would be allowed to formally free itself from British control. The Suez Canal would be co-managed by the UN, with half the revenue going to Egypt and the other half to the UN for administration.
The British and French had no choice but to agree, since the decision had been made by both the Soviet Union and the United States.
The Suez Canal isn't as critical to the U.S., but with the discovery of vast oil reserves in the Middle East, the U.S. has long sought to increase its influence in the region.
In the original timeline, Israel was the first step for the U.S., followed by the Suez Crisis.
In this world, the discovery of Vibranium has made the U.S. even more eager to control the region.
By helping the Jews establish a state in Eritrea while gaining control of part of the Suez Canal, the U.S. would gain significant leverage over future vibranium trade routes. It was too good an opportunity to pass up.
The UN meeting was a formality.
With Wakanda on the defensive, its economy and colonial system on the verge of collapse, the British and French were powerless to oppose the decisions of the two superpowers. Especially after the U.S. and Soviet troops were stationed in Egypt, these two countries were completely powerless.
They had no choice but to accept.
For the Egyptians, while they wouldn't have full control of the Suez, they would at least get half of the revenue, a significant improvement from before when they had nothing.
After receiving the CIA's intelligence, the UN command in Cairo quickly devised a new strategy.
Initially, the UN forces expected that the rise of Wakanda would lead the black resistance movements in Sudan, Somalia, and Kenya to unite against the UN forces.
After all, these regions had begun to resist colonial rule after the British and French failed against Wakanda, and the British and French had lost control.
But the CIA's intelligence told a different story.
While the regions around Ethiopia were strongly resisting British and French rule, there was no connection to Wakanda. The local tribal militias fought independently and even disregarded Wakanda.
The weapons they used came from an American arms dealer operating in the region, with no sign of Wakanda's involvement.
With that in mind, why not allow one country to break away as a diversion and sneak through those regions to strike directly at the heart of Wakanda?
The UN quickly identified a suitable target.
Kenya.
Wakanda is located in the interior of Ethiopia, which borders Kenya and South Sudan.
Starting from Egypt and heading to South Sudan, the front line would be too long, making resupply difficult and easy to detect.
Landing on the west coast of Kenya, however, would put them only about 300-400 kilometers from Wakanda. With fast moving armored units, they could reach Wakanda in a day.
In addition, it would be more convenient to resupply by sea than by land.
Once the plan was set, the war quickly began.
The first wave of landing forces included the newly formed Israel Defense Forces with five mechanized infantry divisions.
Ten armored divisions from the United States came from Europe.
Ten armored divisions sent by the Soviet Union through Turkey and then transported by Allied ships.
Two armored divisions from the United Kingdom and one Australian brigade, plus one Canadian brigade.
One armored division and the French Foreign Legion from France.
Smaller nations such as Spain, Italy, and Austria also contributed troops.
The total number of troops was about 230,000.
Yes, Austria could indeed be considered a small country in this case, as it only contributed one brigade.
This wasn't because Austria wasn't active; it was because their land area was somewhat large, and their military numbers were insufficient.
Second, even if they won, as a relatively small ally, Austria wouldn't get much of the spoils, so there was no need to contribute much.
However, to show their good will, the Austrian armed forces generously sold dozens of their newly equipped fighter jets to Great Britain and France, as requested by their American allies.
Of course, the price was high.
After all, these were top-of-the-line fighters, so it would be shameful to sell them cheaply.
As for the money earned... it would be used to build the next generation of top-of-the-line fighters, like the F4 Phantom!
By the time Wakanda realized what was happening, the coalition's lead forces were less than 50 kilometers from the Wakandan border.
Azzuri, who had been struggling with how to deal with the UN forces, now panicked.
Wakandans are very proud and look down on the outside world, but they are not stupid enough to think they can take on the world alone.
At this point, talking to the UN forces was out of the question.
They could only fight and find out as they went along.
Thus began the largest regional war since World War II, known as The War Of Wakanda, involving most of the world's major countries.
"Another sad war," Captain Carter thought as she and two Super Soldiers parachuted in under the cover of night near the Wakandan border. As she watched the anti-aircraft fire in the distance, she couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness.
She knew her role in this war—an invader!
In fact, when she first heard about the mission from Josh, she felt some resistance.
But after seeing her brother's photo in the briefing, all her resistance faded.
After all, humans are complicated and conflicted creatures.
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