Holy Roman Empire

Shiploads of supplies set sail from Britannia, passing through the Suez Canal to the Persian Gulf, before being transported overland into the Ottoman Empire.

The arrival of international aid directly stimulated the Ottoman resistance movement. The Sultan, as if infused with invigorating tonic, burst forth with unprecedented enthusiasm.

The frontline soldiers felt this most keenly. The enemy’s resistance became increasingly tenacious—even the elderly, women, and children were taking up arms to shoot at them.

Before this, the Ottoman Empire had limited weapons; even equipping the regular army was a challenge, with some soldiers still using primitive flintlock guns.

The armaments of the civilian population mainly consisted of cold weapons, and the infrequent old antique hunting rifles were treasures that did not pose a great threat to the Allied Forces.

After receiving aid from the British, however, the situation changed dramatically; the Ottomans’ dire shortage of weapons and equipment was alleviated.

Perhaps due to Britain’s limited military industrial capacity, there was not a significant increase in modern rifles within the Ottoman army, but there was a substantial uptick in obsolete weapons and equipment.

It was evident that the British were clearing out their stockpiles. They supplied a motley array of weapons, with some artillery pieces dating back to the previous century.

No matter which century they came from, these firearms, when in the hands of the Ottomans and given the special geographic conditions, could still pack a significant punch.

As a result, the Allied Forces experienced greatly increased pressure on the battlefield. The first to suffer was not the Montenegro Duchy but, counterintuitively, Greece with its larger military strength.

There was no choice; Montenegro, with fewer lives to lose, could not afford casualties. Maxim Trenchev inherited his ancestors’ combat traditions, adhering to inflicting maximum damage on the enemy with minimal losses.

After more than a month of warfare, with their ports nearly flattened by the Austrian Navy, the Montenegrin Army had not even succeeded in landing, so their sentiment was naturally not profound.

Greece, however, was different. After a successful landing, they had been continuously embroiled in tough struggles with the Ottoman defenders, each advance costing them dearly in casualties.

The "Great Greece Empire Dream" didn’t allow Publius to shirk his duty. Though the Ottoman Empire was in decline, its territory was anything but small, spanning over 1.4 million square kilometers.

Such a large piece of meat—if Russia and Austria were to feast on it, they should at least be able to drink the broth, right? Not to demand much, but even a tiny fraction of the spoils would be enough for Greece to take a step further.

It’s important to note that there were several hundred thousand Greek people in the Ottoman Empire. Carving out a piece of land to bring these people back would directly double Greece’s strength—this was the last hope of the Greek nationalists.

Originally, the Greece Government was dominated by the Anti-war faction, with no preparations to participate in this war. It was the sudden "Envoy Incident" that riled up the Greek populace, and under the stirring of the nationalists, they joined the war. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Even Publius was not a conventionally trained military man; his other identity was as a leader of the Greek nationalist movement.

Perhaps it was his loud battle cries, or maybe his brilliant talent that caught the attention of King Ludwig I, who welcomed this "national hero" with the highest honor.

Before he could even grasp the situation, he was appointed as "Temporary Marshal" and commanded to lead troops into battle.

One cannot rule out that there were intentions to use him as a pawn: Ludwig I was of Lombard descent and had not been influenced by Greek nationalism. He had no interest in the revival of the Greece Empire.

Not just Publius, but many rousing nationalists within Greece were sent to the battlefield under the banner of the great national cause by Ludwig I.

As the saying goes, "Patriotism" means to fight for one’s country. What’s the point of hiding behind the lines and shouting orders?

Therefore, the combat effectiveness of this Greek expeditionary force was particularly moving. Had they not already landed, many might have deserted, unable to bear the stress.

A middle-aged man complained, "Marshal, if this continues we’ve only been at war a little over a month, and we’ve already lost over five thousand men.

Russia and Austria intend to monopolize the Ottoman post-war, and the Allied Command deliberately assigned us a suicide mission to deplete our strength."

Publius glared fiercely at him, "Shut up, Mckendos!"

"You fool, think before you speak. We volunteered to lead the operations in the Marmara Sea War Zone. The Allied Command intended for us to stay home and take care of children.

The battle plan was our creation, the fight was under our command, and if we suffer severe losses, how can we blame others?

Besides, is it only we who have suffered greatly? You have read the battle reports, Austria lost ten thousand, Russia lost eighteen thousand—each one suffering greater losses than us.

If defeated, we must accept our defeat, instead of blaming heaven and others, shirking responsibility. Are you even a soldier?"

Stay tuned to empire

No wonder Publius was angry. Suspicion was one thing, but could such accusations even be spoken out loud?

Even if they were true, the blame lies with their own lack of strength. Engaging in open strategems, they willingly accepted the mission, and now they must swallow the bitter pill.

General Mckendos defended himself, "But Marshal, the enemy’s resistance is much tougher than we anticipated. Continuing with the original plan is no longer appropriate.

The Allied Command even..."

Publius slammed the table abruptly, "Enough, Mckendos. Now I’m fully convinced that you are indeed a complete imbecile.

Do not bring your external set of notions into the military. An order is an order, without so many conditions for debate.

If stiff enemy resistance becomes a justification for not following orders, then there might as well be no war to fight."

On the battlefield, military orders are absolute, there is no room for negotiation.

Moreover, they themselves devised the battle plan that they submitted to the Allied Command for approval; now, the Command insists they must complete the mission, and no one can say that it’s wrong.

...

It wasn’t just the Greek people who were troubled, looking at the ever-increasing number of casualties, Albrecht, the Allied Commander, was also deeply concerned.

Casualties do not equate to fatalities, the Austrian army’s medical support system was basically perfected, and most of the soldiers could return to their units after recovery.

But the rate of casualties was increasing rapidly, especially in the last week, the Austrian army’s casualty figures had increased by 21%, and the Allied Forces’ had grown by 31.4%.

Despite the staggering exchange rate on the battlefield, behind the casualties suffered by the Allies, the Ottomans bore even more severe losses.

Including civilians, since the beginning of the war, the Ottoman side has suffered at least 500,000 casualties, and their coastal areas were essentially reduced to ruins.

This was just the beginning. Once they advanced further inland, the Austrian Navy’s fire support would become unreliable, whereas the Ottomans would have the advantages of terrain and local support.

The deeper the frontline penetrates, the more apparent becomes the Ottomans’ territorial advantage. Fortunately, the Asia Minor Peninsula wasn’t large, only about six hundred kilometers wide from north to south.

With the Allied Forces striking from both sides, it was equivalent to penetrating over three hundred kilometers on each front; the line wasn’t too long. Otherwise, given enough time, the Ottoman Empire could have held out until a major shift in international affairs.

After scrutinizing the map, Albrecht made a decision, "Send a telegram to Vienna, reporting the situation on the battlefield.

Suggest to the diplomatic department to put pressure on Persia, forcing them to close the trade routes with the Ottomans, cutting off their lifeline.

In the name of the Allied Command, issue an order directing the Caucasus War Zone and the Middle East War Zone to march toward Mesopotamia, severing the connection between the Ottomans and Persia."

The free trade system was also targeted.

When the British sold materials to the Ottomans, it fell within the realm of free trade; when Persia did business with the Ottomans, that was not free trade but siding with Austria’s enemies.

Judging based on the person concerned is the essence of international politics. The same incident, if occurring in different nations, results in entirely different outcomes.

Austria could do nothing about the British, even protests were of little use; but they could reach the Persians, as the Austrian army was powerful enough to influence them.

...

The British’s splendid performances seemed to render the Vienna Government collectively blind, seeing nothing, with an attitude of total indifference.

Of course, it’s not that the Vienna Government failed to see or lacked the means to intervene, but there was only one truth, it was all suppressed by Franz, the Emperor.

Including Albrecht’s telegram, it too was pushed aside by Franz, who concurrently vetoed the battle plan to cut off the Ottomans’ lifeline.

Franz asked, "Has the cannon fodder army been assembled?"

Army Minister Feslav, "The African Corps is not yet at full strength. There’s a limited number of native colonials, and we have only managed to raise seventy thousand so far.

For the shortfall, the Army Department has recruited fifty thousand criminals who entered illegally, and we expect to reach full strength by next week."

As the soldiers’ casualties on the front increased, the Vienna Government naturally did not fail to notice. To annihilate the Ottomans, a large number of cannon fodder troops were needed.

Franz was reluctant to commit the main forces, and thus, the cannon fodder army had to step in.

The African Colonial Corps was the initial choice, but the excessive exploitation by the colonial government had caused native populations to decline drastically due to the exorbitant head tax, leading to a severe shortage now.

The Vienna Government could have raised cannon fodder troops from other colonies, but unfortunately, the transportation costs were too high, making it economically unfeasible.

So they had to make do with "criminals" to fill the numbers, as the cannon fodder army of one hundred and fifty thousand needed to be completed to contend with the Ottoman Empire for lives.

This was just the first wave, and if it wasn’t enough, they could continue later. Allowing the British to supply the Ottomans was essentially aimed at a more thorough resolution of potential threats.

The stronger the Ottomans’ resistance, the smaller the problems left after the war, and incidentally, it would also help the Vienna Government to dispose of the cannon fodder troops that had lost their value and could become a potential threat.

As for putting allies in a bind, that was purely an unintended benefit. Franz had not planned on undermining his allies.

After all, Greece and Montenegro were too weak to warrant Franz’s involvement; and the Russians had already suffered greatly, so there was no need to bleed them further.

Franz nodded, "Once the numbers are complete, send them to the battlefield as soon as possible. The casualties at the front are growing, and the commanders are starting to struggle under the pressure.

Have the Foreign Ministry send a bland protest to the Persians, focusing on criticizing them for colluding with the Ottomans and interfering in the Near East War.

Find the right balance; don’t scare the Persians. We still need them to serve as a transportation corps for the Ottomans."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

...