Chapter 156: Azzuri

Before World War II, whether in this Marvel Universe or in Josh's previous life, only three countries in Africa were independent, while the rest were colonies of nations such as Britain and France.

The three independent nations were Egypt, Ethiopia, and Liberia.

But Egypt was independent in name only.

So, strictly speaking, only Ethiopia and Liberia were truly independent.

Liberia achieved this status because it was an early American colony, relatively advanced in many ways, and maintained good relations with the United States, which also allowed it the capacity for expansion.

This left Ethiopia as the only African nation with an ancient heritage—it had a history of over 3,000 years of civilization.

But that's not the point.

The key is why Ethiopia has managed to remain independent.

Throughout history, the country has faced countless invasions, especially in modern times, from Portugal, the Ottoman Empire, Sudan, Britain, and Italy.

However, for various reasons, all of these invasions failed (A/N: although Italy did occupy Ethiopia for five years during World War II). (TL/N; Lol, then why did you write that all invasions failed)

This is a situation that no other country in Africa has experienced, which is very strange.

In the Marvel Universe, however, it doesn't seem so strange.

The reason lies in a small tribe on Ethiopia's southern border with Sudan; Wakanda.

At this time, Wakanda was not an independent nation, but a small tribe hidden behind Ethiopia. Whenever Ethiopia faced a major crisis, Wakanda would secretly intervene to repel the invaders.

Wakanda would not become an internationally recognized country until the events of Avengers, after the birth of Black Panther T'Challa's father, T'Chaka.

For now, forget T'Challa—even T'Chaka hasn't been born yet.

In fact, Wakanda's current ruler, T'Challa's grandfather, Azzuri, is only a man in his twenties.

That's not surprising, considering how early Josh traveled to this timeline.

Even General Ross was only born last September, not to mention some of the key figures in the eventful period of the future.

Alexander Pierce, for example, was born in 1936, making him a 10-year-old student.

Nick Fury wouldn't be born until 1950.

The older Black Panther, T'Chaka, was born in 1952.

Thor and a major supporting character in The Avengers, Dr. Selvig, a doctor of astrophysics, was born in 1953.

The Black Panther T'Chaka's younger brother and father of Killmonger, was born in 1954.

Star-Lord's mother was born in 1961.

Phil Coulson was born in 1964.

Iron Man 2 villain Ivan Vanko, War Machine Rhodey, and Captain Marvel Carol Danvers were all born in 1968 (A/N: and no, Josh's daughter is not related to Danvers—don't overthink it).

Bruce Banner and the second Ant-Man, Scott Lang, were born in 1969.

Tony Stark in 1970.

Hawkeye Clint Barton in 1971, Pepper Potts in 1973, and Falcon Sam Wilson in 1978.

Star-Lord, the second Wasp Hope Van Dyne, and Black Panther T'Challa were born in 1980.

Maria Hill in 1982.

Killmonger in 1983.

Black Widow and Gamora in 1984.

Wanda and Pietro Maximoff in 1989.

(A/N: All birth years are taken primarily from the MCU Wiki).

However, because Wakanda remained hidden behind Ethiopia, even though Portuguese, British, and Italian forces were active in the surrounding areas for centuries, they never uncovered its secrets. Wakanda would not be officially revealed until the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron.

But with two intelligence reports—one explicit, the other subtle—placed on the desks of British and French officials, the situation changed.

In the past, it was impossible to know the truth, both because Wakanda kept a low profile and because the invaders were too close to the situation to see it.

But after reviewing and carefully examining some of the information from that time, anomalies became apparent.

There is no doubt that in this era, the only person in the world who could know the inside story of Wakanda and fabricate plausible report is Josh the Time Traveler, except for some very old monsters who have lived for a very long time.

Not to mention the hidden network of information left behind by the Red Skull, which also played a significant role in this revelation.

Under Josh's subtle manipulation, British and French "tourists" suddenly flooded into Ethiopia.

"Your Majesty, there has been an unusual increase in British and French individuals near the border. Although they try to disguise themselves well, our warriors have noticed traces of military training, and they seem to be searching for something. I suspect they know something," T'Pani, the chief of the border tribe, respectfully reported to King Azzuri in the Wakandan palace.

"Your suspicions are correct, T'Pani. The British and French have somehow obtained information that suggests Austria's technological advances are related to us. Those individuals at the border are indeed British and French spies," Azzuri confirmed.

While Wakanda has long pursued a policy of isolation, it has never been completely cut off from the outside world.

Each generation of Black Panther kings controls a secret intelligence agency known as the War Dogs.

War Dogs predates modern intelligence agencies and operates similarly to ancient organizations like the Assassins or Embroidered Uniform Guards, infiltrating powerful civilizations to collect intelligence and advanced technology.

Wakanda's technological advancements weren't developed in isolation. They relied on Vibranium—a near-perfect material—and built on the technological foundations of other civilizations to create superior innovations.

While Wakanda's technology was always ahead of the outside world, it wasn't as far ahead as Josh thought.

However, Wakanda's limited population, traditional cultural practices, and isolationist policies meant that there were limits to its development.

Before T'Chaka's reign, intermarriage between Wakandans and other African tribes was strictly forbidden.

If Britain and France discovered Wakanda's existence and launched a full-scale invasion, Azzuri could not guarantee its survival.

The United States, with its nuclear weapons, was an even greater source of fear to him.

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