Chapter 232
After more than two months of bitter fighting, the allied forces finally defeated the Greek “civilian militia” and achieved the first major British victory since the outbreak of the Near East War.
Major General Oliver’s tense heart finally relaxed; he now had a commendable military achievement. With less than 5,000 casualties on their side, they killed 18,000 enemy soldiers and captured 14,000. No matter how you looked at it, it was a brilliant victory.
The fact that the enemy forces were a ragtag bunch was something he had deliberately ignored. As long as he continued to go on like this and defeat the Montenegrin army, he would have accomplished all of his mission objectives.
A young military officer reported, “General, there’s a military order from the homeland: we have been ordered to pursue the enemy. If the Kingdom of Greece shelters these enemy forces, we are authorized to take the necessary measures.”
Necessary measures? In reality, it meant finding an excuse to invade the Kingdom of Greece and teach the Greek government a lesson. Obviously, the British government was very unhappy with the Greek government and wanted to show them who was the boss.
“Understood,” Major General Oliver replied calmly.
He didn’t have a positive impression of the Greeks. If it hadn’t been for the Greek surprise attack that forced the Ottoman forces to withdraw troops from the front lines, they wouldn’t have lost the Battle of Sofia.
Although Major General Oliver had shifted the blame to others, he still knew that he could not escape responsibility for that battle. It would stay with him for the rest of his life, becoming an everlasting stain on his record.
Now that he had a chance to settle the score with the Greeks, he was not going to let it go.
There would always be excuses. Even if Otto I pretended to give in, the British government still wanted to act against this unruly lackey.
It was obviously impossible to muddle through. It was just that if the Greek government did not admit to this expedition, then the British could not use it as an excuse to do anything to them out in the open.
All of Europe was watching, and if they went too far, other countries would intervene. John Bull was still not at the point of being able to cover the sky with one hand.
Even domestically in Britain, there was no major problem with Greece attacking the Ottomans, it was just that the timing they chose was inappropriate.
At the last moment, the Greek government realized its mistake and did not join the Russian camp. This gave them room to maneuver. Obviously, King Otto I’s political judgment was still passable.
……
Outside Constantinople, at the Russian Army Headquarters, General Menshikov received another letter of reprimand from Nicholas I.
After such a long assault and hundreds of thousands of casualties, Constantinople was still in the hands of the enemy and showed no signs of being conquered. Needless to say, the Russian government was getting anxious.
Menshikov’s pressure increased considerably. If he couldn’t find a solution, the Russian government would replace him. The glory of conquering Constantinople would be lost forever, something Menshikov could not tolerate.
A middle-aged officer suggested, “Commander, you should consider the Austrian proposal. As long as we can take Constantinople, the rest will be easier to handle.”
Menshikov shook his head and said, “The Austrian proposal is too expensive! They don’t want to conquer Constantinople, they want to level it with cannons.
The heavy artillery that they are recommending can only be used as coastal artillery after the siege is over, in addition to being used for sieges. If we follow their suggestion and bring in a few hundred giant cannons, the daily consumption of ammunition would be thousands of tons.
Not to mention whether we can afford it or not, even if the Austrians are producing at full capacity, they may not be able to meet our needs.
To shoot millions of rubles worth of ammunition every day just to conquer Constantinople would require at least hundreds of millions, perhaps even more than a billion rubles in expenses. Do you think we can afford it?”
Even more problematic than the cost was the uncertainty that Constantinople might not be taken even after the money was spent.
The giant cannons recommended by Austria were extremely cumbersome to move on the battlefield. If the enemy destroys the artillery positions, it would be even more disastrous.
The middle-aged officer warned, “But Commander, this seems to be the only way to break through Constantinople.
The enemy on the other side is very stubborn and relies on fortifications for defense. Our six-pound cannons are like scratching an itch for them, and even twelve-pound cannons can only deal with ordinary fortifications.
If we can’t destroy these fortifications, how can we take Constantinople? If we miss this opportunity, we will be considered the sinners of Russia.”
This was the most frustrating aspect; regardless of the feasibility of this method, it was the only possible way to succeed.
The Russian government wouldn’t care, and the local population would care even less. They were already at the gates of Constantinople; if they didn’t capture the city, could they face their ancestors?
……
After inspecting the camp, seeing the dwindling morale, and hearing the pitiful cries, even the stone-hearted Menshikov was involuntarily shaken.
He knew they couldn’t go on like this. If the fighting continued, it was likely that the Russian army would revolt before Constantinople was conquered.
Even Russian cannon fodder was merely human. When the casualties reach a certain point, they too will crumble. This was a consequence that Menshikov could not afford.
……
In a corner of the camp, a group of soldiers were conspiring.
A dirt-covered young soldier with a somber tone said, “Joi, have you figured out the route? If we continue like this, it won’t be long before we all die on the battlefield.
You know, just yesterday Rozbicki injured his left leg in an explosion. They had to amputate it to prevent infection. Unable to bear the blow, he committed suicide the same night.”
A middle-aged soldier next to him reminded him: “Fuks, don’t talk like that. We have to plan the escape route carefully, otherwise, if something goes wrong, we’ll be hanged at the gates of the camp!”
To deter deserters, the Russian army used a brutal method: hanging people from a pole and letting them die slowly from heat, thirst, and hunger...
After seeing the expectant faces of the group, Joi sighed and pulled out a sketch, pointing to it as he explained, “The route has been identified, but it’s a difficult one. Leaving from here, there are guards all the way. You must evade them and enter the Balkan Mountains to be temporarily safe.
This is only the first stage of the escape. Later, you’ll have to cross the Balkan Mountains to enter Austrian-occupied territory.
During this time, you won’t receive any supplies from the outside world and will have to forage for food in the forests. In addition to being on the lookout for poisonous creatures and wild animals, you will also have to worry about losing your bearings.
Reaching Austrian-occupied territory doesn’t mean you’re safe. As our allies, even if you inadvertently enter their territory, you would not be disarmed but likely sent back.
The only way to blend in is to pretend to be a war refugee, and language is a big problem. Russian and Bulgarian are very similar, but there are still differences. Once exposed, no one knows what will happen.”
The middle-aged man said solemnly, “We have no choice. You may not be aware of it in the logistics unit, but the casualties on the front lines have been devastating these days.
Every day, you can see familiar faces disappearing from here. Half of our camp has already been gradually replenished. If we continue to stay here, it won’t be long before everyone dies.
Joi, whether we can escape or not, thank you.
You can rest assured, we know what to do. When attacking, we’ll find an opportunity to play dead, and when it gets dark, we’ll quietly leave.
Even if we are discovered, we can say that we were stunned and disoriented by the explosion.”
A premeditated escape plan had begun. They were not the first, and they would not be the last. The brutal losses had already driven them to the brink of collapse.
They would rather risk fleeing for an uncertain chance at life than remain here.
Anyway, their whole family were serfs, the property of aristocrats. Even if they were discovered, there was no fear of implicating their families.
……
The middle-aged man asked in a low voice, “Hurry up, where’s Wallace? Why can’t we see the boy?”
Fuks replied, “Uncle Marni, I didn’t see him coming along. I’m afraid something has happened. Shall we go back and look for him?”
After a moment’s thought, the middle-aged man said, “No need to bother with him. Life and death on the battlefield are up to fate. Where can we find him in this darkness?
Now, everyone, hurry. It’s not safe here. If we can’t move through here quickly, we won’t be able to escape when the light comes.”
Their luck was good. With someone providing them with a map, they didn’t run in the wrong direction and made it safely through the first day of their escape.
Not everyone was so lucky. Shortly after their departure, another group of deserters unfortunately encountered a patrol and were captured.
The military judge asked, “Commander, last night we caught seven more deserters. Shall we proceed as usual?”
“Mmm.”
Menshikov seemed to grunt nonchalantly, but in reality, his mind was not at ease.
The number of deserters was increasing, and as a high-ranking officer who didn’t have rocks for brains, he knew that meant the army was nearing its breaking point.
Faced with reality, Menshikov quickly made a compromise. He didn’t want to become a traitor to the nation, so he had to fight this battle to the end.
Let the Russian government worry about money. After all, no one could back out now.
Menshikov said, “Somebody, use the Austrian telegraph network to send this telegram to the Russian government!”
Since Austria took control of the Danube principalities, telegraph lines had spread rapidly. By the end of 1853, they were connected to the domestic telegraph network.
At this time, the Russians often borrowed the Austrian telegraph network to transmit messages that were not particularly confidential and could be completed in two or three days.
If they used Russia’s own communications network, they would have to go to large cities in Poland or Ukraine to send a telegram. Without ten days or half a month, it would be impossible to get the message back to St. Petersburg.
Obviously, Menshikov did not think that this plan needed to be kept secret from the Austrians. Even if he wanted to keep it secret, it was impossible. After all, they had to buy cannons from Austria.
Menshikov had no intention of relying on the domestic military industry for supplies. If they waited for the artillery to be produced and transported to the front, who knew if it would be a year or two later?
On the question of attacking Constantinople, Nicholas I gave Menshikov his full support. Anyone who made trouble here would be opposing the great Tsar.
Without the Tsar’s support, Menshikov would not have been able to change the logistics system of the Russian army in the Balkans. Without change, life at the front would not have been so smooth.
The responsibility was transferred to St. Petersburg. Menshikov explained all the circumstances, and the decision on how to proceed was left to Nicholas I.
TN: This should've been posted yesterday but I got busy with the celebrations and family outing so I could only do so today. Thank you for all the support. Happy New Year! Cheers!
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