Chapter 229: Defeat Like a Collapsing Mountain

While the Spanish reserve forces and machine gun units were conducting large-scale training, the war on the Balkan Peninsula had already entered a white-hot stage.

The heavily battered Russian army received support from Romania and their homeland, gathering 150, 00 reinforcements in a short period.

This allowed Russia to relaunch its offensive against the Plevna Fortress, utilizing over a thousand artillery pieces in the attack, showing a clear intent to fight the Ottoman army to the bitter end at Plevna.

Although the Russian army had suffered nearly 100, 00 casualties in previous offensives, the Ottoman Empire's casualties were equally high.

The Ottoman army's weaponry and equipment were superior to Russia's, but they were far inferior in terms of artillery numbers.

This allowed the Russian army to have sufficient artillery to suppress the Ottoman Empire's guns during their offensive, causing the Ottoman Empire to suffer heavy casualties as well.

Russia managed to scrape together 150, 00 reinforcements in a short time, but where was the Ottoman Empire to find 150, 00 reinforcements?

The Ottoman Empire's 280, 00 troops on the Balkan Peninsula were currently reduced to just over 200, 00, and these 200, 00 troops were scattered across Serbia, Bulgaria, and Montenegro.

The Ottoman forces available for mobilization on the Bulgarian and Romanian borders were reduced to just over 100, 00; facing Russia's force of over 200, 00, the Ottoman Empire could only adopt a defensive, turtle-like posture.

The Plevna Fortress was quite sturdy and served as a very important military stronghold for the Ottoman Empire.

But no matter how sturdy a fortress is, there will always come a day when it is captured; the Russian army dug over 70 kilometers of trenches, engaging in a long, drawn-out war of attrition with the Ottoman army around the Plevna Fortress.

Ultimately, after suffering nearly 50, 00 casualties, the Ottoman Empire was forced to choose to retreat southward.

This left the 30, 00 Ottoman troops inside the Plevna Fortress instantly surrounded, and after struggling for a month, the Plevna Fortress was officially captured by Russia.

After the Plevna Fortress was captured, the situation of the Balkan Peninsula war underwent a massive transformation.

The Russian army successfully broke through the mountain pass, and south of the Plevna Fortress, there were basically no strongholds left that could block the Russian army's advance.

The path for the Russian army toward Constantinople and the Constantinople Strait would be very flat, and the Ottoman Empire had already lost its advantage in troop numbers.

Following the conclusion of the Battle of Plevna, the situation on the Balkan Peninsula saw Russia already holding the advantage in both troop numbers and military equipment.

Capturing the Plevna Fortress cost Russia nearly 150, 00 troops, with over 50, 00 dying directly on the battlefield and nearly 100, 00 suffering varying degrees of injuries.

But the Ottoman Empire also suffered heavy losses. The 30, 00 defenders of the Plevna Fortress were taken prisoner, and nearly 70, 00 had been lost in the preceding battles.

The Ottoman Empire had fewer than 180, 00 troops left on the Balkan Peninsula, while the Russian forces deployed there not only showed no signs of decreasing but had actually increased to nearly 350, 00.

With this back and forth, the number of Russian soldiers on the Balkan Peninsula had become double that of the Ottoman soldiers.

This did not even count the militias from ethnic groups like the Bulgarians and Serbians who supported the Russian war effort. Under these circumstances, the Ottoman Empire had fallen into a massive disadvantage.

Tsar Alexander II naturally would not let this good opportunity slip by; he arrived at the front in person and made the decision himself, ordering the Russian army to fear no low temperatures and continue their offensive south of the Balkan Mountains.

After the Plevna Fortress was captured, the time had reached November 1877. The temperature in Bulgaria in November was relatively low, especially near the Balkan Mountains, where temperatures were generally below 5 degrees Celsius.

But for Russian soldiers living further north, this could not even be considered a low temperature. The Russian army was naturally unaffected by the cold, launching a massive offensive south of the Balkan Mountains.

Compared to the high morale of the Russian army, the morale of the Ottoman army had plummeted to a low point.

Even worse, the frontline commander, despite the lack of manpower, not only forbade retreat but also ordered the Ottoman army to organize defensive lines in place.

Clearly, he overestimated the combat effectiveness of the Ottoman Empire's army. For such an army that had just experienced defeat and heavy losses, the most important thing at the moment should have been to withdraw to the rear for rest and reorganization.

Just like that, the Ottoman army was submerged in the Russian wave of attacks; the important Bulgarian cities of Sofia and Pernik were captured by the Russian army one after another, and the Russian army's spearhead reached Plovdiv in southern Bulgaria.

Inside the Ottoman Empire's new palace, the Dolmabahçe Palace, a large group of the empire's high-ranking officials, nobles, and military leaders had gathered.

These fellows gathered at the new palace for only one purpose: to discuss how to resolve this war.

The Russian army had already reached Plovdiv, and further southeast was the Ottoman Empire's old capital, Edirne. Edirne was not far from Constantinople; in other words, the Russians were about to reach their doorstep.

If it were not for the navy still being able to blockade the Sea of Marmara with the help of the British, the Ottomans would likely be discussing how to sue for peace with Russia to avoid the collapse of the empire.

The Ottoman Empire's territory was quite vast, but it was divided into two parts by the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean Sea: the European part and the Asian part.

Both the European and Asian parts were very important to the Ottoman Empire; the two could be said to be indispensable.

But the fatal issue was that the Ottoman Empire had to pass through the Sea of Marmara to transport troops to the Balkan Peninsula; whoever controlled the Sea of Marmara and the Aegean Sea could split the Ottoman Empire directly in two.

What the Ottoman Empire feared most was the Russians fighting their way to Constantinople and driving the Ottoman Empire out of the Balkan Peninsula entirely.

Yet the current Russians already had such a trend; if the Russian offensive could not be stopped, the Ottoman Empire might be left with only the Anatolian Peninsula.

"Gentlemen, do you have any other ideas? The empire has reached a moment of life and death; if we cannot repel the Russian offensive, perhaps the Ottoman Empire will cease to exist," the Ottoman Empire's new Sultan, Abdul Hamid II, said with a face full of grief.

Originally, the Ottoman throne was to be inherited by Abdul Hamid II's brother, Murad V. But Murad V was overly close to France and, conversely, detested Russia, which was very close to the Balkan Peninsula.

This led to Murad V being deposed after only 93 days on the throne under the pretext of mental illness, with his younger brother, Abdul Hamid II, inheriting the throne instead.

Abdul Hamid II had not been groomed as an heir before, and he was only a 35-year-old young king. Facing the crisis of the empire's survival, his mind was filled with panic, and he could only look to his ministers.

The frontline commander-in-chief, Mehmed Ali Pasha, shook his head helplessly and said to the expectant Sultan Abdul Hamid II: "Our frontline troops are no longer capable of resistance; unless we are willing to abandon all land north of Plovdiv, we can only rely on British support."

The Ottoman Empire's own financial situation was extremely dire; even if they wanted to organize reinforcements to support the Balkan Peninsula, they would have to wait for British aid to arrive.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Ottoman Empire had survived until now by relying on British aid. As long as British aid was interrupted, the Ottoman Empire would immediately fall into a financial crisis, and this war would not need to be fought at all.

Upon hearing this, Abdul Hamid II turned his gaze to his foreign minister and asked: "Are the British truly willing to help us win this war? If we are defeated in this war, Istanbul will belong to the Russians."

The Ottoman Empire naturally understood the reason for Britain's support: to prevent the Russians from gaining control of Istanbul and the straits.

It was just that although the British kept promising to support the Ottoman Empire, apart from financial and material support, not a single British soldier had been seen on the battlefield.

Relying solely on the Ottoman Empire's own strength, they could no longer block the Russian offensive. If the British were not yet prepared to intervene, then the Ottoman Empire would have no choice but to sue for peace.

"It has been half a month since we last contacted the British. The British attitude last time was that they were unwilling to join this war, but they were willing to provide more financial and food support," the Ottoman Empire's foreign minister shook his head helplessly and replied.

Britain was clearly not yet prepared to fight a war against Russia; their support was mostly in the form of weapons, equipment, funds, and food.

This aid was indeed useful to the Ottoman Empire, but it could not change the situation on the frontline battlefield at all.

"Contact the British again; I need to know their specific attitude," Abdul Hamid II ordered: "Tell those British that if they are unwilling to support us in this war, out of consideration for preserving the empire, I will begin peace negotiations with the Russians in one month."

One month was the deadline Abdul Hamid had given the British. If the British took no action within a month, the Ottoman Empire would be forced to surrender to Russia.

This was also a reminder and a threat to the British: if they could not provide more powerful support, Constantinople and the straits would belong to the Russians.

The Ottoman foreign minister nodded, indicating he understood.

Immediately, Abdul Hamid II turned his gaze to the frontline commander-in-chief, Mehmed Ali Pasha, and ordered: "General Mehmed, I hope that within this month, the army can block the Russians north of Plovdiv."

"If we can welcome British reinforcements after a month, that will be our opportunity to recover Sofia and the Plevna Fortress."

"But if the British are unwilling to join this war, we must ensure that the capital, Istanbul, is not captured by the Russians, so that we still have a way out."

As long as Istanbul remained, the Ottoman Empire could still mobilize a steady stream of troops and supplies from the Anatolian Peninsula to the Balkan Peninsula.

But if Istanbul were captured, the Ottoman government would be forced to retreat to the Anatolian Peninsula, and the empire would completely lose control of the Balkan Peninsula.

Leaving the Balkan Peninsula is easy; wanting to return to the Balkan Peninsula is not so easy.

Once the Ottoman Empire lost control of the Balkan Peninsula, countries like Serbia and Bulgaria would certainly declare independence one after another with Russian support and divide the occupation of the Balkan Peninsula among themselves.

The hatred these ethnic groups held for the Ottoman Empire was beyond doubt; after they occupied these lands, if the Ottoman Empire wanted to return to the Balkan Peninsula, they would have to fight them one by one.

For the currently weak Ottoman Empire, this was an almost impossible task. Therefore, Abdul Hamid II's order was very clear: he did not want the Ottoman army to lose the Plovdiv fortress, because that would mean Edirne and Istanbul would be exposed to the Russian spearhead.

"I understand," Mehmed Ali Pasha nodded.

He was a German who had converted to Islam, and his military competence was quite excellent, which was the reason he became the commander-in-chief of the Ottoman Empire's frontline army.

However, the combat effectiveness of the Ottoman Empire's army was uneven; apart from a small number of new troops trained in the style of European countries, the combat effectiveness of the other troops was a mess.

This made it very difficult for Mehmed Ali Pasha's command ability to be effective, as the execution of the rank-and-file troops determined the effectiveness of any order.

Even if the order itself was quite excellent, under the condition of insufficient execution by the rank-and-file troops, the effect of the order was only mediocre.

After arranging all this, Abdul Hamid II finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The Ottoman Empire's army had held the Plevna Fortress for several months; holding the Plovdiv fortress for one month should be easy.

As long as they could wait for British reinforcements within this month, the Ottoman Empire still had hope of winning this war.

Of course, if the British reinforcements kept delaying, then the Ottoman Empire would have to make the worst-case preparations.

"Great Sultan, perhaps we can also seek the help of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to alleviate our pressure on the Balkan Peninsula," the foreign minister proposed a new idea at this moment, which made the already relieved Abdul Hamid II's eyes light up even more.

"Explain in detail," Abdul Hamid II signaled for the foreign minister to continue.

"Besides the British being unwilling for Russia to control the situation on the Balkan Peninsula, the Austro-Hungarian Empire is also unwilling for the Balkan Peninsula to fall into Russian control."

"Although relying on the Austro-Hungarian Empire to expel the Russians would also present major problems, it might be our only hope besides the British."

"Apart from them, no other European great power would be willing to fight a war against Russia for our sake. Even if the British are unwilling to join the war to help us, as long as the Austro-Hungarian Empire can join the war, we can still stabilize the situation on the Balkan Peninsula."

"The Russian army is much larger than ours, but as long as we can hold out long enough, Russia's finances will surely become overwhelmed."

"Conversely, we have the help of the British, so finances are not a problem in the short term. As long as either Britain or the Austro-Hungarian Empire is willing to help us, even if we just wear them down, we can exhaust this Russian behemoth to death," the foreign minister said with a smile.

As the foreign minister of the Ottoman Empire, he was quite clear about the situation in Europe. Especially regarding the areas around the Balkan Peninsula, the foreign minister was very clear about which great powers were concerned with the Balkan Peninsula.

Currently, besides relying on British aid, the only thing the Ottoman Empire could perhaps rely on was the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The main reason the Austro-Hungarian Empire remained neutral in this war was that Russia had promised to let the Austro-Hungarian Empire acquire the Bosnia and Serbia regions after the war.

But would Russia really be willing to give such a large piece of land to the Austro-Hungarian Empire? Wasn't that just cultivating a more powerful competitor for themselves on the Balkan Peninsula?

"Sultan, the foreign minister's words make a lot of sense; perhaps it is worth a try." Before Abdul Hamid II could give his opinion, the frontline commander-in-chief, Mehmed Ali Pasha, stood up first to express his approval.

As a German who had converted to Islam, he was quite clear about the situation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After all, the Austrians were also Germans, only because Prussia unified the German regions, the Austrians were excluded from Germany.

"Since General Mehmed also believes that the Austro-Hungarian Empire might help us, then the diplomatic department should contact them together," Abdul Hamid II nodded repeatedly, his face no longer showing any signs of panic.

"Whoever can win over either the Austro-Hungarian Empire or Britain to join this war will be the empire's greatest hero. After this war ends, I will reward you according to your merits and commend your contributions one by one." Having found a solution, Abdul Hamid II was all smiles, promising rich rewards to his ministers one after another.

With Abdul Hamid's promise, many ministers gained more motivation and began to act for the future of the Ottoman Empire.

While the Ottoman Empire was discussing the dire war situation, discussions were also taking place within Britain and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Although the British were unwilling to interfere in this war, their attention toward this war was unprecedented.

As early as when the Plevna Fortress was captured, the British government had urgently convened a meeting to discuss whether to increase support for the Ottoman Empire.

But unexpectedly, in the mere two and a half weeks since the Plevna Fortress was captured, the Ottoman Empire's defeat had been like a mountain collapsing, and even important strongholds like Sofia and Pernik had been breached by the Russian army.

The British government had not even finished discussing whether to increase aid to the Ottoman Empire before the Ottoman Empire was almost about to lose this war.

This caused the British government's discussion to shift from whether to increase aid to whether to join the war; after all, if the Ottoman Empire failed, Russia's expansion on the Balkan Peninsula would be unstoppable.

5000-word two-in-one chapter, please support!





(End of this chapter)