African Business Chronicles

Chapter 31 – Tribal Conflict

"Fire!"

Bang… bang… bang…

"Second row, prepare!"

…

One hour earlier.

Lake Malawi, Karonga.

The Sixth Unit had just arrived when they encountered fierce resistance from the locals. After parting ways with the Fifth Unit in Mbeya, they had moved south along the same route.

The local "Leta" tribe was a sizeable group, numbering in the thousands, and dominant in the northwestern area of Lake Malawi. The arrival of the Sixth Unit immediately drew their attention. As the undisputed rulers of the Karonga region, the Leta warriors had never faced a true rival.

Their chief, Haru, was an ambitious leader who had begun a campaign to conquer the region. Small neighboring tribes—some only a few dozen or hundred strong—stood no chance against the Leta's several hundred warriors.

While Haru was still basking in his victories and growing reputation, the arrival of the Sixth Unit gave him what he thought was another easy conquest.

A Portuguese expedition had once passed through this area, only to be wiped out by the Leta tribe. Portugal had never responded—at the time, exploration was a dangerous business, and missing explorers were often assumed to have gotten lost or eaten by animals.

Having "experience," the Leta tribe didn't see this small group of a few hundred foreigners as a threat.

Upon receiving reports from allied clans, Haru decided to lead his warriors personally. After a blessing from the high priest with sacred water, the Leta army set out.

They intercepted the Sixth Unit near the shores of Lake Malawi, and both sides entered a tense standoff. Haru studied the enemy's strength.

To him, the Sixth Unit wore strange uniforms—cotton fabric, rare and expensive in Karonga, worth more than gold. Locals usually had to trade with tribes from the Zimbabwe area to acquire even small pieces.

To Haru, this made the newcomers prey. He assumed their flintlock rifles were just a different kind of spear. He'd never seen a gun before. When they killed the Portuguese explorer, they'd found a pistol on him, but without bullets, and he couldn't figure out how to use it. Eventually, it was hung like a trophy in his "palace."

Haru blew his horn, and the Leta warriors charged forward, shouting wildly. Haru led from the front, spear raised high.

That spear was crafted from the Portuguese traveler's knife, lashed to a stick with cord. Haru sharpened it daily. With his "magic weapon" in hand, he felt invincible. He looked at the strange way the newcomers held their "spears" flat in front of them—what fools, he thought. His own spear was longer, sharper. They didn't even have blades!

The warriors of the Leta tribe charged like boars, hoping for glory and loot.

…

Commander Yuri of the Sixth Unit was stunned. He'd never seen such arrogant natives before. Who gave them the courage to charge a modern army with such primitive weapons?

If the tribe had used guerrilla tactics in the forests and mountains, it would've been a serious challenge. But a frontal assault? Even double their number wouldn't have made Yuri nervous.

He calmly ordered his troops to ready their weapons. The soldiers, though only recently trained, were able to align their flintlocks into a three-row formation.

Bang… bang… bang…

The gunfire startled Haru. Still, battle instinct pushed him forward.

"Courage wins the fight!"

With their chief still charging, the Leta warriors held firm. They didn't understand what the loud bangs meant, but they trusted Haru and followed.

After the first volley, only a few were hit—they were still far. Yuri showed no concern.

"Second row ready! Third row prepare! First row reload!"

"Fire!"

Bang… bang… bang…

Smoke rose. This time, the closest warriors fell instantly. Haru was hit in the arm, wounded.

But Haru wasn't one to panic. Even injured, he steadied his men. The warriors began to hesitate. He shouted: "Don't be afraid! The enemy is just ahead! If we run faster, their weapons won't matter!"

He now understood the enemy had ranged weapons. But it was too late to pull back. He believed if they could close the distance, they still had a chance. Otherwise, they were finished.

The Leta tribe lived up to their reputation. Even facing such deadly weapons, they didn't retreat.

Yuri stayed calm. Seeing them rush faster, he gave the next order: "Third row, fire!"

Bang… bang… bang…

More than twenty natives dropped. Haru barely escaped again, but morale crumbled. Three volleys in, almost fifty warriors were out of action. Some began to flee.

Yuri didn't give them the chance. "First row, fire! Second row prepare! Everyone else—fix bayonets!"

Two more volleys took down over forty more. For a tribe with just a few hundred fighters, that was a serious blow.

They hadn't even reached the enemy yet and had already lost nearly one-sixth of their men. While they could still fight, seeing their comrades fall so quickly broke their will. Haru couldn't hold them together. Panic set in. They scattered.

"Pursue!" Yuri drew his saber and led the charge.

The tide had turned. Without leadership, the Leta warriors were hunted down. The Chinese soldiers, tasting blood for the first time, were filled with a frenzied momentum.

By dusk, the battle was over. Yuri directed his men to clean up the field. The Leta tribe had lost over 300 men, with 62 captured—including the wounded Haru.

Sixth Unit's losses: two wounded in combat, one twisted ankle during the pursuit.

Undoubtedly a resounding victory—and the first recorded triumph of East Africa's newly formed Chinese colonial army.

As for the fate of the Leta tribe, Sixth Unit made no further moves. Without a leader, the remaining tribespeople fled toward Zimbabwe.

The soldiers didn't bother building a new camp that night—they just occupied the Leta village.

Most huts were small structures made of mud and woven branches. Only Haru's was slightly larger. For now, the soldiers would make do with whatever shelter they could find.

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