NOVPUBThe Asia Minor Peninsula, after five continuous days of bitter fighting, and at the cost of nearly three thousand casualties, the Russian Army finally subdued the enemy at the port, Ava lay stripped as a cherry without its skin.
General Ivanov had personally overseen the frontline battle, and yet, just for a conflict over a single port, five days had been spent, which was extremely detrimental to the Russian Army’s subsequent military plans.
In war, speed is of the essence. To swiftly secure the Black Sea Strait, one word is most critical—speed.
The Ottomans’ inland transportation was blocked, and the Austrian Navy had already sealed off the sea routes, and what they most needed for massive troop redeployments was time.
The Sultan Government, uncertain of the exact landing location of the Allied Forces, could only set defenses everywhere. Even now, while the Sultan Government defended the coastlines of the strait, they also had to prevent the Allied Forces from marching straight into the heart of the Empire.
The Ottoman Empire had already lost the capital once; it couldn’t afford to lose it a second time. Should Ankara fall and the Asia Minor Peninsula be split in two, the Sultan Government would be left with no other path but death.
According to Russian military plans, they were supposed to take Ava within two days, and then swiftly expand outward, posing as if to strike directly into the heart of the Empire, forcing the Sultan Government to dispatch nearby troops to intercept them.
Now that three extra days had been added to the timeline, the situation was completely different. The Sultan Government had the time to readjust the deployment of forces, and the difficulties of the war had increased.
Watching stretcher after stretcher bearing the wounded pass by and listening to the cries of the injured, even Ivanov’s icy heart began to melt.
Suppressing his rage, General Ivanov ordered, "General Vlasov, immediately request reinforcements from the Allied Command. Ask Austria to dispatch medics to treat the wounded.
Lieutenant General Harosov, you are in charge of commanding the subsequent cleanup operations. We must eradicate the enemy forces within Ava City by the end of today."
That was all he could do; the Russian Army was severely lacking in medical personnel, able only to ensure the safety of the officers while the soldiers injured had to fend for themselves.
In the past, there was no alternative; how could there be warfare without deaths? Medicine was so expensive, and the Tsarist Government was poor, utterly unable to afford it.
Moreover, medics in the Russian Empire belonged to the middle class, they lived comfortably within the country, and very few enlisted in the army.
Not just in the Russian Army, but most countries around the world had this common problem. Relatively speaking, countries like Austria and Prussia, which practiced universal conscription, fared slightly better.
Over a decade ago, the Vienna Government began to heavily invest in the construction of nursing colleges, training a large number of medical personnel. Under a system of universal obligatory military service, these individuals were also required to serve in the army.
In addition to that, the military itself also trained a number of battlefield medics. In terms of that era, the Austrian army’s field medical and emergency services system was considered one of the most comprehensive.
General Ivanov was not the type to suffer in silence for the sake of pride. With Austria responsible for logistics, it was naturally time to ask for assistance.
He did not hope for every soldier to receive enough medicine, but at least to provide effective battlefield first aid, and to try to save as many of the lightly wounded as possible.
It was very unfortunate for the severely wounded. Medical technology was limited at that time, and chances of survival were very low; indeed, many who were rescued ended up disabled.
Some casualties, unable to endure the pain, needed comrades to help them find release. War was this cruel—"For the death of one commander, a thousand bones lay bare", was no exaggeration.
"Yes, Commander Your Excellency." both men replied almost in unison.
After speaking, they each departed to carry out their orders, while General Ivanov continued inspecting the battlefield. Looking around, the land was filled with pits and craters blasted out by artillery shells.
The smells of blood and gunsmoke were sharp in the air, and under the sun’s glare, the earth was particularly reddish amid the yellow, creating an exceptionally eerie atmosphere.
Walking along, it seemed Ivanov stepped on something; looking down, he saw half a skull barely covered by a thin layer of earth, which his step had uncovered.
Frowning, Ivanov continued forward. The battle had just ceased, and there was no time yet to clean up the battlefield; along the way, he saw scattered limbs and body parts.
Arms, thighs, heads, internal organs... every part that could be found on a human body could be found here. This was a living hell on earth—if not for a strong mind, an ordinary person might collapse at a single glance.
(The details cannot be described; too much gore and violence would lead to censorship—beyond this, the author can only...)
For a soldier like Ivanov, this was hardly anything. The battlefield was inherently a sea of corpses and a wilderness of bones; he had seen even more ghastly scenes and had long become numb within.
"Sigh!"
With a silent sigh, General Ivanov was uncertain whether this war was right, and if possible, he would have preferred the original "harassing strategy".
...
Within Ava City, the Ottoman Empire army had almost completely retreated, leaving behind Death Squads to stall the enemy.
Most of these men were fanatical about martyrdom, not only choosing to stay and fight to the death themselves but also organizing civilians to join them in the struggle.
Weapons had been distributed; due to shortage, most people could only arm themselves with cold steel to make do—knives, swords, spears, bows and arrows—as if overnight, they had regressed back to the medieval period.
Akeul and his disciples were among them. They were too slow to flee Ava City amidst the confusion and now had no choice but to share the city’s fate.
As the first city to be conquered, the resistance in Ava City was bound to be the fiercest. The Sultan Government, lacking confidence in winning on the battlefield, sought to deter the enemy with such intense measures.
If all the Ottomans fought to the death, even Austria with its vast wealth and assets could not afford the continual drain. War also requires a consideration of costs; endless investment is impossible.
The youth, trembling slightly, asked, "Master, do our enemies truly intend to kill us all?"
In the face of life and death, ordinary people cannot stay calm, let alone a young boy, right? At an age suitable for middle school, he should have been studying and learning in school, yet he was forced onto the battlefield.
Akeul tried to maintain a composed demeanor and said, "Who knows! Once the fighting starts, you’d better stay sharp. If you manage to escape their sight, just find a corner to hide in until darkness falls, then we can make a run for it."
As he spoke, Akeul’s hands were shaking, clearly not as composed as he tried to appear.
Protecting one’s home and country was a luxury too extravagant for these small-timers living from day to day, an unattainable dream.
Whether the enemy was terrifying, they did not know, but they had personally experienced the horrors of the Ottoman Government.
Being a port city, Ava was inevitably exposed to foreign thoughts and ideas, gradually changing everyone’s consciousness and notions.
Resentment towards the enslaving Ottoman Government grew over time, diminishing their loyalty. Such changes were insignificant during normal times but became pivotal at the moment of survival or extinction.
The Russian Army began to move in, and the Ottomans lying in wait inside buildings did not stop them. Now was not the time for a decisive battle.
A disorganized mob cannot win against a regular army, and cold weapons were no match for firearms.
Ava City had been abandoned, with the remaining defenders having retreated to the outskirts, preparing to use the terrain to slow down the advancing Russians.
To trouble the Russians, the best time would be during the darkness of night when the city’s residents could use the terrain to their advantage and create significant problems for the Russian forces.
Plans never keep up with changes, and the Russian Army was not a flock of lambs. They came into the city to feast. The Tsarist Government was impoverished, and the Russian Army had a tradition of looting to replace their wages.
The Russians participating in the Battle of Ava were no exception. The Vienna Government might supply them with logistics, but they did not pay them salaries.
Even if Franz were willing to pay, the Tsarist Government would not dare to accept it. If they really disbursed the money, it would disrupt the Russian Army’s system of low pay, making future wars untenable.
With such great sacrifices, if they did not reap some benefits from Ava City, how could they heal the wounded spirits of their troops?
Faced with the Russian Army soldiers who had broken in, the Ottomans’ ambushes could not continue. Without a word, the fight was on!
Cries and combat yells filled the skies; the Russian soldiers on the battlefield had long been bloodthirsty, and against Ottomans daring to resist, they mercilessly raised their butcher’s blades.
By the time Lieutenant General Harosov came to his senses, it was already too late. Ava had been a small city to begin with, and because of the war, quite a few had fled. Now, only twenty or thirty thousand unfortunate souls were left.
How could so few civilians possibly stand against tens of thousands of Russian soldiers? The battle lasted until evening, and apart from a few lucky ones who hid and escaped, the rest fell to the Russian soldiers’ blades.
The complete pacification of the city was indeed achieved; with most people dead, Ava was naturally secured. But the aftermath left Lieutenant General Harosov in tears without the ability to cry.
What was supposed to be a looting turned into a "massacre." Well, the Russian soldiers could not be entirely blamed; seeing Ottomans with weapons, they merely eliminated the threat ahead of time.
But this excuse, one expects, would only be believed by the Russians themselves. Announced publicly, no one would trust it.
Massacres had fallen out of fashion in the European Continent, of course, excluding the "natives." However, even colonial massacres in the late 19th century would be somewhat covered up.
At this point, Lieutenant General Harosov had no choice but to bite the bullet, resigning himself to the label of Butcher General.
Fortunately, this was the Ottoman Empire; in the European world, the status of the Ottomans was not much higher than that of "natives."
To Lieutenant General Harosov’s relief, given the grudge between the Ottoman Empire and Russia, the radical faction and religious figures at home would support him, and the Tsarist Government could not scapegoat him.
… 𝒏𝙤𝙫𝒑𝙪𝙗.𝙘𝒐𝙢
The next day, General Ivanov, who had just entered the city, was stunned by the horrific "battle results." As the supreme commander of the Russian Army, he had a much more comprehensive perspective on the situation.
On the surface, given the grudges between the European world and the Ottoman Empire, many would simply cheer and clap their hands.
But politically, it’s not about simply judging by grudges; this event had already provided an excuse for the European countries to interfere in this war. It likely wouldn’t be long before St. Petersburg faced international diplomatic pressure.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, General Ivanov immediately ordered, "Seal off the news immediately, impose a gag order on the events inside Ava City, and announce externally that we have expelled all the city’s residents."
With things as they stood, there was no choice but to brazen it out. Aside from stubborn denials, General Ivanov didn’t know what else to do.
After a pause, and a glare at Lieutenant General Harosov, General Ivanov added, "Organize the details of the event as quickly as possible and report to the Allied Command and St. Petersburg. This matter is no longer something we can handle on our own."
