On the Near East Battlefield, a thrilling scene erged. At the height of the frontline combat, chaos erupted in the Ottoman rear.
The Arnians rebelled, the Greek people rebelled, the Slavs rebelled, and even the Kurds displayed signs of instability.
If there was no rebellion, it was only because no one had incited them. Otherwise, the ethnic groups rebelling within the Ottoman interior would have swelled considerably.
The initial waves of ethnic uprisings were all thanks to the work of the Anti-Turkish Alliance. Everyone knew that the Ottoman Empire was on the brink, and it was ti to switch sides, or it would be too late.
The upper echelons of society needed to secure their futures and thus had to pledge their allegiance. If they did not act now to prove their stance, how would they ensure their status in the future?
If the Anti-Turkish Alliance were to open its doors wide at this mont, it’s quite possible that even those within the Ottoman Governnt would defect.
Without a doubt, the internal turmoil hastened the decline of the Ottoman Empire.
Unlike previous independence movents, this ti the Rebel Army had weapons; the Austrian Army air-dropped arms and ammunition to the rebels.
The aftermath of being a multi-ethnic nation burst forth; although the rebels were in the minority, a stab at such a ti still led the Sultan Governnt to lose trust in its minority ethnic groups.
The rebellion exacerbated the already tense ethnic tensions within the Ottoman Empire.
The morale of the citizens that the Sultan Governnt had managed to uplift suffered greatly, and the minorities’ sense of belonging to the nation diminished sharply.
First, the Austrian Army captured Kershishir, then the Russians took the Ottoman Zheke, with both countries on the verge of eting at the Kizil River.
Once this military strategy was completed, the Ottoman Empire would be divided in two by the Anti-Turkish Alliance, unable to defend front and rear simultaneously.
Especially in the western heartlands, completely surrounded by the Anti-Turkish Alliance, they could receive no external aid.
Giving up the west was out of the question; the capital Ankara lay to the west of the Kizil River.
Moreover, since the Austrian Army had entered sopotamia, the Ottoman eastern territories were also insecure.
The narrow lands of the Asia Minor Peninsula provided the Anti-Turkish Alliance with favorable conditions; the Allied Forces could penetrate the middle point and split the Ottoman Empire in two.
"eting at the Kizil River" was just one of several contingency plans; sopotamia could also serve as a eting point. Unfortunately, the rugged terrain in the Caucasus region impeded progress, with the Russians still engaging in mountain warfare against the Ottomans in the Greater Caucasus mountain range.
Faced with an increasingly tense situation, the Ottoman Empire had no choice but to consolidate its forces defensively.
The main forces retreated, putting the burden of defense entirely on local militia, whose commanders were not governnt-appointed officers, but Religious Leaders...
When faith was involved, the combat effectiveness often exploded. And though not comparable to the regular army, the might of the Ottoman militia still shocked the Anti-Turkish Alliance.
In Constantinople, the Commander-in-chief of the allied forces, Albrecht, was fuming, "Marshal Publius, did you co here for a vacation, or to fight?"
For a military officer, such an accusation is undoubtedly a great insult. Luckily, Publius was a pseudo-soldier who ca into service halfway through his career, with a deanor closer to that of a politician.
"Your Excellency the Commander, this was entirely unexpected. No one knew that the Ottomans would deploy their main forces in..."
Before he could finish his explanation, Marshal Ivanov of the Russian Army, with none of the pleasantries, interrupted, "The battlefield is not an amusent park, so don’t look for so many excuses for failure.
And as for the whereabouts of the Ottoman main forces, we are all well aware of that. We are not unscrupulous politicians; no one wants to listen to your bluster here."
There was no help for it; in a recent battle, the Greek Army was ambushed by the Ottoman guerrillas and unfortunately lost dozens of artillery pieces.
While losses on the battlefield are not unusual, the problem was that the Greeks, in their escape, failed to destroy the cannons, which, along with the ammunition, fell into the hands of the Ottoman Army.
Experience tales at empire
After such a major blunder, the Greek Army naturally did not disclose their loss. In the battles that followed, these cannons unleashed fire on the Russians.
Unprepared and underestimating the enemy’s firepower, the Russian Army suffered the loss of a thousand n in an unwary mont.
After capturing so prisoners and understanding the sequence of events, the Russians were not about to swallow this pill silently, leading to this eting of the Allied Command.
As a military officer of traditional pedigree, Ivanov had little regard for Publius, a marshal who had risen from the political realm.
With this new incident, he certainly wasn’t going to be polite. In the Allied Command, while all four countries’ military leaders bore the title of Marshal, there was a clear hierarchy among them.
Ivanov and Albrecht, both from traditional military backgrounds and decorated with military honors, naturally held top-tier status.
Montenegrin commander Maxim Trenedyev, though lacking significant military achievents, also hailed from a traditional military background.
Even if Greece was stronger than Montenegro, in this setting, Maxim Trenedyev’s status was still higher than Publius’s.
This subconscious judgnt was confird on the battlefield. As the main forces, Russia and Austria were naturally successful.
Although the Montenegro Duchy had fewer soldiers, the combat achievents they gained were nearly equal to those of the Greeks.
The military is a place that respects the strong; regardless of the tactics used, commanders who can win battles are the most esteed.
Luckily, Publius had a good disposition; an ordinary person would have collapsed by now.
"Marshal Ivanov, we deeply regret this matter. Since the troops escorting the artillery were completely wiped out that day, we did not receive any news; therefore..."
This explanation was clearly not satisfactory, but since everyone was flying the banner of the Allied Forces, political interests dictated that they could not afford to fall out with each other.
Albrecht’s initial mockery might seem like it was targeting Publius, but in reality, it was more about diffusing tensions.
No matter how incompetent Publius might be, he was still a representative of Greece and could not be casually dismissed by the Russians in a fit of anger.
Under normal circumstances, eliminating an ally’s representative is not sothing most would do, but that didn’t an the Russians were incapable of such an act.
Albrecht had no expectations regarding the Russians’ volatile tempers.
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