Chapter 756: A Welcomed Surprise |
Ship after ship of supplies departed from Britain, traveled through the Suez Canal to the Persian Gulf, and then continued by land through Persia into the Ottoman Empire.
The arrival of international aid directly fueled the Ottoman resistance. It was as if the Sultan had been injected with a surge of energy, displaying an unprecedented level of enthusiasm.
The impact was most evident on the front lines. The enemy’s resistance grew fiercer, and even the elderly, women, and children took up arms and fired at the invading forces.
Before this, the Ottoman Empire had been suffering from a lack of weapons. Even equipping the regular army had been a challenge, with some soldiers still using outdated flintlock muskets.
The civilians were even worse off, relying mostly on melee weapons, with only the occasional old hunting rifle which were antiques that posed little real threat to the coalition forces.
But after receiving British aid, the situation changed. The Ottomans’ shortage of weaponry was alleviated.
Perhaps due to Britain’s limited arms production capacity, there wasn’t a dramatic increase in modern rifles within the Ottoman army. However, a massive influx of outdated weaponry flooded in.
It was clear that the British were clearing out their stockpiles. A wide variety of weapons appeared, including artillery pieces that could be traced back to the previous century.
Yet, regardless of their age, these firearms and cannons, once in Ottoman hands, proved highly effective under the region’s unique geographical conditions.
This was inevitable. Montenegro had too small a population to afford heavy casualties. Maksim Terentyev inherited the military traditions of his ancestors, adhering to the strategy of inflicting maximum damage on the enemy while minimizing his own losses.
The war had already dragged on for over a month, and Austrian naval bombardments had nearly flattened the ports. However, the Montenegrin forces had still failed to land successfully, so they hadn’t felt the full impact of the conflict.
Greece, however, was a different story. After landing successfully, Greek forces had been locked in brutal combat with the Ottoman defenders, paying a steep price in blood for every inch of progress.
The dream of a “Greater Greek Empire” left Publius with no room for half-hearted efforts. The Ottoman Empire, though in decline, still had an immense territory which was a vast 1.4 million square kilometers.
With such a massive prize at stake, if Russia and Austria were feasting on the spoils, surely Greece could at least get some scraps? Even just a minor portion would be enough to push Greece forward significantly.
It was also important to remember that hundreds of thousands of ethnic Greeks still lived within the Ottoman Empire. If Greece could seize some land and reclaim these people, its national strength would effectively double. This was the last hope of Greek nationalists.
Originally, anti-war factions had dominated the Greek government, and Greece had no plans to join this war. However, the sudden “Ambassador Incident” had outraged the Greek populace. Under pressure from nationalist agitators, Greece was drawn into the conflict.
Ironically, Publius was not even a professional soldier. His true identity was that of a Greek nationalist leader.
Perhaps it was his stirring war rhetoric or exceptional charisma that caught the attention of King Ludwig I, who personally welcomed him with the highest honors as a “national hero.”
Before Publius could even process what was happening, he found himself appointed “Temporary Marshal” and sent to the battlefield to lead the army.
There was a strong suspicion that Ludwig I was using this war to eliminate troublesome elements within Greece. After all, he was of Lombard royal descent and had never been influenced by Greek nationalism. He had no real interest in reviving the Greek Empire.
It wasn’t just Publius. Most of the loudest nationalist agitators in Greece had been sent to the battlefield under the banner of patriotic duty.
As the saying goes: “If you love your country, fight for it. What kind of patriot just sits at home shouting slogans?”
Because of this, the Greek expeditionary force was woefully lacking in combat effectiveness. Had they not already landed and found themselves with no way to retreat, many of them would likely have deserted by now.
A middle-aged man grumbled, “Marshal, if this continues, we’ll be finished. We’ve already lost over five thousand men in just over a month of fighting.
The Russians and Austrians clearly intend to carve up the Ottoman Empire for themselves after the war. The High Command deliberately assigned us this suicide mission to wear down our strength!”
Publius shot him a sharp glare. “Shut up, Mikéndos!”
“You idiot! Use your brain before you speak! We were the ones who demanded to take command of the Sea of Marmara theater. The High Command actually wanted us to stay at home and mind our own business!
The battle plans? We wrote them. The operations? We directed them. Now that we’ve suffered heavy losses, how can we blame anyone else?
Besides, are we the only ones taking heavy losses? You’ve seen the battle reports. Austria has lost 10,000 men, Russia 18,000. Their casualties are even higher than ours!
If we lost a battle, own up to it. Sitting here whining and making excuses, is that the conduct of a soldier?”
It was no surprise that Publius was furious. Suspicions were one thing, but could those words really be spoken aloud?
Even if they were true, they had only themselves to blame for their lack of strength. The coalition had played an open and obvious strategy. Since Greece had volunteered for the task, they had to swallow the bitter pill.
General Mikéndos tried to defend himself, “But Marshal, the enemy’s resistance is far stronger than we expected. Continuing with our original plan is no longer appropriate. High Command should—”
Publius slammed his hand on the table.
“Enough, Mikéndos! I am now absolutely certain. You are an idiot, a complete and utter fool!
Stop bringing your civilian way of thinking into the army. Orders are orders. There are no conditions to be negotiated.
If enemy resistance alone were an excuse to disobey orders, then there would be no point in fighting wars at all!”
On the battlefield, military orders were absolute. There was no room for bargaining.
Besides, they had written the battle plan themselves and submitted it for approval. Now that the High Command was insisting they follow through, they had no right to complain.
…
It wasn’t just the Greeks who were troubled. Albrecht, the Supreme Commander of the coalition, was deeply concerned as well at the increasing number of casualties.
Casualties didn’t necessarily mean fatalities. The Austrian military’s medical system was well-developed, and most wounded soldiers could return to duty after recovery.
But the casualty numbers were rising too fast. In just the past week alone, Austrian casualties had increased by 21% compared to the previous week, while overall coalition forces casualties had surged by 31.4%.
There was a staggering exchange ratio on the battlefield. For every loss of the coalition, the Ottomans suffered even greater casualties. The sheer scale of the conflict was alarming.
Including civilians, Ottoman losses had already surpassed 500,000, and the coastal regions had been reduced to wastelands.
And this was only the beginning. As the war moved deeper inland, Austria’s naval fire support would no longer be effective. Instead, the Ottomans would gain the advantage of terrain and local support.
The further the coalition pushed, the stronger the Ottomans’ strategic position would become. Luckily, Anatolia wasn’t too large and was only about 600 kilometers from north to south.
With the coalition attacking from both sides, each front would need to push just over 300 kilometers inland. The frontlines wouldn’t stretch too thin. Otherwise, if the Ottomans could trade space for time, they might just hold out until the international situation changed.
After carefully studying the map, Albrecht made his decision. “Send a telegram to Vienna, report the situation on the battlefield.
Advise the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to pressure Persia into closing its trade routes with the Ottomans, cutting off their lifeline.
Issue an order in the name of the High Command. Command the Caucasus and Middle Eastern fronts to advance into Mesopotamia and sever the route between the Ottoman Empire and Persia.”
The concept of a “free trade system” was always selective.
When the British sold supplies to the Ottomans, it was considered “free trade.” But when Persia traded with the Ottomans, it wasn’t “free trade” anymore. It was an act of hostility against Austria.
Tailoring responses based on the country involved was the essence of international politics. The same action, when performed by different nations, could be interpreted in completely different ways.
Austria couldn’t do much about British involvement. Even protesting wouldn’t make much of a difference. But Persia was another story. The Austrian army could reach them.
…
The British put on a spectacular show, while the Austrian government acted as if it were collectively blind—seeing nothing, hearing nothing, and doing absolutely nothing.
Of course, it wasn’t that Austria was unaware, nor was it incapable of taking action. The truth was simple. Emperor Franz had personally suppressed the matter.
Even Albrecht’s telegram was blocked, and the plan to cut off the Ottoman supply lines was rejected outright.
Franz asked, “Has the cannon fodder units been assembled?”
Minister of War Veitslauf replied, “The African Corps is not yet at full strength. The colonial native population is limited so we’ve only managed to gather 70,000 men so far.
To make up for the shortfall, the Ministry of War has recruited 50,000 illegal immigrants convicted of crimes. The unit is expected to reach full strength by next week.”
The rising casualties on the front lines were not something Vienna could ignore. To destroy the Ottoman Empire, they still needed a massive number of expendable troops to fill the gaps.
Franz was unwilling to sacrifice his main forces, so the cannon fodder units were the only option.
Originally, the African colonial troops were the first choice, but the colonial administration had been too ruthless. Exorbitant head taxes had pushed the native population into negative growth, leading to a severe manpower shortage.
The Austrian government could have recruited troops from other colonies, but the transportation costs were simply too high so it was not economical at all.
Then they had no choice but to make up the numbers with “criminals.” After all, the 150,000-strong cannon fodder force had to be filled up and then thrown into the meat grinder against the Ottoman Empire.
This was merely the first wave. If it wasn’t enough, more could always follow. Letting the British continue supplying the Ottomans was, at its core, a way to eliminate the problem once and for all.
The fiercer the Ottoman resistance, the fewer hidden dangers would remain after the war. At the same time, it would also help the Austrian government get rid of these now-worthless, potentially problematic cannon fodder troops.
As for dragging their allies down… Well, that was just a bonus. Franz had never originally planned to sabotage his allies.
After all, Greece and Montenegro were too weak, they weren’t even worth the trouble. Russia was already severely weakened so there was no need to make them bleed them any further.
Franz nodded and ordered, “Once the numbers are filled, send them to the battlefield as soon as possible. Casualties on the front are mounting, and the commanders are struggling to hold the line.
Have the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issue a mild protest to the Persians, strongly condemning their collusion with the Ottomans and their interference in the Near East War.
But make sure not to push them too hard. We still need them to serve as the Ottomans’ logistics team.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”