Chapter 191: Which Nation Has the Best Bureaucratic System
The Balkan Peninsula is once again engulfed in the flames of war. This war is the largest in the history of the European continent, with a total force exceeding 1 million deployed along a front line of over 400 kilometers.
Despite the monumental scale, this battle, destined to be recorded in history, unfolded like a comedy. Logically, with the allied forces’ unpreparedness, as initiator of the campaign the Russians should have held a significant advantage, possibly even securing a direct victory.
Reality was very tragic. As the attacking side, the Russian army also fell into chaos.
Artillery Commander Preston angrily cursed: “Damn it, we’re artillerymen. How could you send us a pile of bullets? Do you want me to feed bullets to the cannons?”
The logistics officer responsible for transporting supplies mechanically replied, “Apologies, Colonel. This is an order from above. If you have any issues, please contact headquarters. Now, please sign for the receipt of supplies.”
Preston’s artillery unit had just arrived, replacing the infantry unit that had previously held this position. However, the logistics department continued to distribute supplies according to the original plan despite the infantry’s advance.
Preston furrowed his brow and replied, “We’ve already reported this to the higher-ups, Major. These supplies are useless for us right now. You better take them back!”
The major sternly said: “Sir, that’s not possible. My orders are to deliver these supplies to the garrison here, and you must sign for them.
As for how you handle these supplies, that’s up to you. You can dispose of them privately or just find a place to dump them. After the war, you can simply report them as war losses.
These supplies are meant to sustain an infantry unit for the next week, and there are quite a few valuable items in there. Colonel, you won’t lose out on this.”
After a moment of hesitation, Preston reluctantly signed his name. Money was being handed to him on a silver platter, and since artillery units were considered treasures by the command, unlike those worthless infantry, a report would ensure their supplies continued to come.
……
In this battle, the main force of the Russian army was divided into two. General Gorchakov led four infantry divisions, two artillery regiments, and one cavalry regiment, totaling more than 73,000 troops, all of which were launching an attack towards Sofia.
The battlefield was ever-changing, with frequent troop movements that the logistical system couldn’t keep up. Unlike the previous battle, which took place in the Danube River Basin, where resupply was relatively easy that even if mistakes were made, they could be quickly rectified.
Now, things were different; the front line had advanced 200 kilometers, and it took several days to transport logistical supplies. Without telegraphs, they had to rely on messenger communication, leading to delays in the messages received by the logistics department.
The inflexible Russian bureaucracy obliged logistics officers to shuttle resources to assigned points, heedless of circumstances.
Even if the original unit was gone, they still had to transfer the supplies over. Colonel Preston’s artillery unit receiving infantry supplies was not an isolated case.
Gorchakov was a good general. He had to address this logistics issue. How could they fight without resolving logistics?
“Order the logistics department to increase the supply quantity for the front-line forces to one month. From now on, the supply deliveries will no longer be at fixed locations; they must be handed over to the respective units.
Units below the division level will no longer have separate transports; all supplies will be sent to the division headquarters for unified distribution. The artillery and cavalry units will receive supplies directly from the headquarters.”
A middle-aged officer reminded: “Chief of Staff, this goes against protocol. I’m afraid it would…”
Gorchakov shook his head: “Don’t worry; I will explain this matter domestically. Now, send someone to contact Commander Menshikov; I believe he is facing the same issues.”
……
After changing the logistics supply system, the logistical chaos of the Russian army was barely resolved. Of course, the previously misdelivered supplies could not be recovered and were written off as combat losses.
The Battle of Sofia began. The Russians were only 30 km from Sofia and both sides started to exchange gunfire.
At Sofia Allied Command, Fitzroy Somerset asked: “Have the intelligence on enemy forces been gathered?”
“Commander, it has been gathered. The Russian army has deployed a total of 4 infantry divisions, 2 artillery regiments, and 1 cavalry regiment, totaling 73,000 troops.
In addition, there are about 20,000 Bulgarian guerrillas. However, they seem to have had disagreements with the Russians and are not acting together.”
The response came from an Ottoman officer; naturally, they were tasked with reconnaissance. Sending British soldiers for such tasks would be impractical due to language barriers and the risk of getting lost.
Fitzroy Somerset calmly said: “Our reinforcements will arrive tomorrow night. Order the troops not to engage the enemy hastily. Leave a small force to slow down their advance.
Except for a few crucial strongholds that must be defended, withdraw the rest. We will have a decisive battle with the enemy after the reinforcements arrive.”
Not being calm was not an option. Fitzroy Somerset was one of the few “veterans” in the British army, having commanded a battalion and suppressed a colonial rebellion of several hundred people.
Unfortunately, for the past decade or so, the British Empire has enjoyed peace and prosperity. Without major wars, the British army, apart from suppressing Irish rebels, can only bully the natives in the colonies.
The largest-scale battles have been limited to battalion-level engagements. Senior officers like Fitzroy Somerset, who have seen actual combat, are not common. Therefore, he has risen to become the commander of the British expeditionary force.
There’s nothing wrong with learning on the job. Currently, Fitzroy Somerset is doing well, adhering closely to the principles outlined in military strategy. Even if he can’t gain a significant advantage, he’s also avoiding major losses.
……
Evening
In a camp, soldiers gather in twos and threes, looking up at the stars. A man with a Genoan accent asks, “Arturo, why do you think they sent us from the homeland to the Balkan Peninsula to fight the Russians? What’s the point?”
Arturo casually replies, “Those old gentlemen had already said it, didn’t they? This time, we’re fighting the Russians for revenge. They say in the previous Austro-Sardinian War, the Russians supported Austria. Now, they remained allies.
Alfonso, why are you asking about this? We’re all just trying to make a living. If there were jobs back home, who would come here to suffer?”
“No reason, just curious. I always feel there’s something off about this. Sending us to the Balkan Peninsula to fight the Russians for no apparent reason doesn’t seem normal.
Even if it’s for revenge, it’s the nobles and capitalists who need to seek revenge. We poor folks haven’t suffered any losses, so why come here?” Alfonso shook his head.
Doubts aside, they hadn’t received much education, so they didn’t think too deeply. They enlisted in the army just to make a living.
“I say, what are you guys talking about? Hurry up and go get tomorrow’s rations. If you miss the time, you’ll have to figure it out among yourselves.”
A familiar voice interrupted them, and the two stopped their conversation, running to join the queue to collect their provisions.
After receiving their food, Alfonso’s expression turned sour. He complained, “Damn British bastards, do they really enjoy eating beef jerky and hard biscuits so much?
They don’t even provide bread. This life is simply unbearable. They are deliberately mistreating us, and these rations probably don’t even compare to what the Ottomans provide!”
In this war, the expenses of the Sardinian army were covered by the British, and naturally, logistical supplies were arranged by the British as well.
It’s not deliberate mistreatment, as British soldiers’ rations are the same. There’s a uniform standard: 2 pounds of beef jerky and three pieces of hardtacks per person per day, and that’s all of it. (1 pound is approximately 0.4536 kilograms)
Forget about vegetables and fruits, there was not even a piece of brown bread. The British did not do this to save costs. Cost wasn’t a concern as beef is not cheap. Switching to brown bread would have been much more economical.
The cause of this tragedy is the bureaucratic system. The bureaucrats at the British Ordnance Department believed that beef jerky was easy to transport and then it became the supply for the British army in this war.
On the surface, having beef every day seems decent. However, if it’s beef jerky every day, the experience would be awful. The first challenge is whether your teeth can handle it.
Not only is the beef tough, but the issued hardtacks are even harder. This might be one of the earliest forms of compressed biscuits. If someone can manage to bite into them without soaking them in water, then they must have iron teeth.
This kind of food is a disaster for Italians who pursue delicious cuisine.
Even if the Kingdom of Sardinia is poor, their army has never skimped on food expenses, and the quality of their food is much higher than that provided by the British.
“Alfonso, don’t complain. If the Ottomans find out, they wouldn’t mind exchanging with you. Do you really want to trade with them?” Arturo said with a smile.
Happiness was relative. The British rations were at worst unappetizing, but at least they did not risk starving.
The beef jerky can be processed again; if conditions allow, some vegetables can be added and cooked together, without even needing to add salt.
The Ottoman forces’ supplies were genuinely abysmal. Soldiers had to pack personal rations when deployed. The quality of food issued was left to chance; getting mostly full was deemed a good occasion.
Constant vacancies in the army units let Ottoman bureaucrats “creatively” cut corners. If a certain unit is at full strength, they would most likely starve.
Alfonso shook his head and said, “Forget what I just said, but the British logistics officers really should be shot. I bet there are more soldiers mistreated to death by them than those who died on the battlefield.”
Arturo laughed and said: “We don’t know about that. Maybe the British have different stomachs from ours, and they can endure it. Let’s not talk about this.
Remember some vegetables you managed to obtain today? I have two potatoes left. Tomorrow, let’s stew them with the beef jerky and make do with it!”
The two exchanged smiles. Even with poor rations, Italians could use their talents to improve meals under limited conditions.
In this regard, the Sardinian army also made contributions. Their arrival directly improved the living standards of the British troops and reduced the number of soldiers with scurvy.
The accompanying British soldiers quickly learned from these excellent experiences and rapidly popularized them. In the past, when they went out, it was purely for looting wealth, which was a significant waste.
Now, everyone wised up. Crops and livestock could all become spoils of war. Many soldiers have even learned to preserve food, utilizing any available conditions for food storage.
The direct consequence of this was a significant decrease in marching speed, and military discipline had become even more lax. With the presence of these experienced Sardinian soldiers, no matter how officers command them, they do whatever they want.
With no one to be held accountable collectively, facing a united group of big-headed soldiers, officers dare not do anything to them.
This has also influenced the British soldiers, and everyone has discovered the power of unity. As long as they stand united, officers would not dare to take action against them.
The actual arrival time in Sofia was exactly two days later than Fitzroy Somerset had estimated. In the ever-changing battlefield, two days was a game changer.
The most immediate impact is that the Russian army has already pressed forward. Due to insufficient manpower, Fitzroy Somerset did not allocate too many troops to defend the surrounding strongholds, and now they have all fallen.
The delayed arrival of reinforcements has caused the allied forces to lose the best opportunity. Trying to launch a counterattack while the Russian army was not yet firmly established was now too late.
Fitzroy Somerset angrily roared: “You idiots! It took two extra days for such a short march. Were you sightseeing on the way? Do you even know what military law is?”
Sardinian Major General Mantuya righteously lied: “Commander, our rearguard was raided by guerillas, causing dozens of casualties. We took time to eliminate them.”
Everyone understood. To evade punishment they unanimously claimed guerrilla attacks and the wounded were proof of this.
“The guerillas are so rampant that they dare attack you even though you have so many troops?” Fitzroy Somerset asked in puzzlement.
Mantuya quickly came up with an idea and said, “Commander, the guerrillas are very cunning. They avoid direct confrontation with us and only launch sneak attacks stealthily.
They dig pits on the road, shoot arrows at night, making them very tricky and their numbers are not small. In order to prevent these people from cutting off our retreat, we had to eliminate them.”
He wasn’t making it up; there were indeed soldiers who fell into pits, but it happened when they were searching for game in the mountains and accidentally fell in. Them getting shot by arrows were also real, as some soldiers encountered Ottoman hunters in the mountains and got shot at.
Fitzroy Somerset had never met such a talented liar able to deceive shamelessly. British officers were generally more honest, and were entirely different from Italian officers.
Mantuya had done this before. Back when he followed Marshal Badoglio, they collectively deceived their home country. Now, fooling Fitzroy Somerset, who lacked experience, was naturally a piece of cake.
Fitzroy Somerset coldly snorted: “Hmph!”
Then he began to scold them angrily, “Even so, you shouldn’t have delayed for such a long time. Couldn’t you leave a small force to encircle the guerrillas and bring the main force over?
Don’t you know how much damage your delay has caused to my army? We even missed the best opportunity for a counterattack!”
However, at this moment, he didn’t bring up military law, and everyone couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Mantuya didn’t continue to defend himself either; what did he have to fear from being scolded? It wouldn’t cost him anything.
After the Austro-Sardinian War ended in failure, generals who kept their ranks were rare in Sardinia. That Mantuya became one of them was not because he was capable, his military skill was actually very limited.
His greatest ability was eloquence, reading situations, shifting all responsibility to others, and standing by the king’s side at the first moment to gain trust, earning this opportunity to rise from the ashes.
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