NOVPUBSt. Petersburg, upon receiving the news of Envoy Whight’s assassination in London, Alexander III exploded with anger.
If not for the last shred of reason that remained, restraining him from killing the British Ambassador in retaliation, the greatest political scandal of the century would have ensued.
"This is the British explanation, they clearly think we are fools!"
Having said that, Alexander III tore up the document, proving with his actions that he was indeed furious.
There was no way he could not be angry. According to the British, the main responsibility lay with Envoy Whight for his unguarded comments, which enraged the British public and caused the accident.
The dead cannot speak, and all the parties involved were controlled by the British; the truth of the matter was therefore impossible to discern.
No matter whether others believed it or not, Alexander III certainly did not. Envoy Whight was personally appointed by him; he may have had many flaws, but he was definitely not a fool.
Had he been sent to some minor countries, perhaps then he could have indeed been arrogant. But as the Ambassador to the Britain, where would Whight get the audacity to act arrogantly?
Especially claiming that the Russian Army had launched a surprise attack on the British forces in Afghanistan, which was utter nonsense.
Not to mention that the incident was a complete fabrication, even if it had truly happened, the overseas Envoy could not possibly admit to it while the Tsarist Government firmly denied any such event.
Marshal Ivanov, the Army Minister, advised, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. There is no need to damage your health over these damned British.
When the Central Asian war ends, we can slowly settle our scores with them."
Having become the leader of the War Party, Marshal Ivanov still did not change his consistently prudent style.
Retaliation against the British was necessary, but it would have to wait until after the conflict.
A premature falling out with the British, apart from being a waste of breath, would not have any practical impact and might even increase the difficulty of the war.
The governmental systems of Britain and Russia were different; the Tsarist Government controlled all state power and could prepare the nation for war at any given moment, but the British Government had to be constrained by the Parliament.
Before a war began, the government could not bypass Parliament and directly order national mobilization. Even just preparation for war could only be conducted on a small scale.
Not to take advantage of the present superiority would be foolish.
After a pause, Alexander III nodded, "If the British want war, then we shall oblige them.
The Foreign Ministry must secure the cooperation of France and Austria, and, working with the Finance Ministry, raise as much funding as possible. This war won’t end quickly."
Having made a decision, Alexander III still felt uncertain. Having learned from the lessons of the Prusso-Russian War, he was reluctant to engage in warfare with any great power.
Yet the tide of events was not something that could be swayed by individual will. The repeated provocations by the British had touched upon the bottom line of the Russian Empire.
...
On the Afghanistan battlefield, the outside world’s turmoil had not yet reached, and General Patrick was unaware that his telegram shirking responsibility could become yet another turning point in the relations between Britain and Russia.
At the moment, General Patrick was still troubled by the steadily increasing number of casualties.
Particularly since two nights ago, when the headquarters of The Seventh Indian Colonial Division suffered an attack by guerrillas and then a mutiny ensued.
"Hurst, where is that idiot? Why didn’t he come to the meeting?"
The meeting was intended for accountability, and the fact that the person involved hadn’t shown up made it understandable for General Patrick to fly into a rage.
An aide close by replied, "Commander, sir, Major General Hurst was attacked by a bomb on his way to the headquarters and is currently being rescued."
This response made Patrick’s heart sink halfway.
In the mutiny two days ago, many of The Seventh Colonial Division’s high-ranking officers had met their maker. If Major General Hurst, the division commander, met God as well, matters would become dire.
Usually, dead men need not be held accountable. Dying on the way to the meeting from an attack was considered dying in the line of duty.
If all the officers who could have been held accountable were dead, and the subordinate officers weren’t qualified to bear the responsibility, then the blame would fall on Patrick, the overall commander.
It is worth noting that it had been many years since Britannia lost an officer of Major General’s rank in foreign warfare.
Even though officers of the India Colonial Division were a notch below regular forces, a Major General was still a Major General.
With the person in question’s fate unknown, General Patrick no longer had the heart to continue the accountability session.
"Understood, read the casualty report for the Seventh Division."
The young officer behind him holding the documents immediately replied, "Yes!"
"After the outbreak in the camp, the Seventh Division suffered 786 killed, 565 wounded, and 1,218 missing on the spot, including 76 officers killed and 94 wounded.
Additionally, 7 supply depots were burned down by fierce fires, and there was an explosion in an ammunition depot..." Discover stories at freewebnovel
As he listened to the casualty report, General Patrick’s heart bled as if it were dripping blood. They hadn’t even encountered the shadow of the enemy, and they’d lost the strength of a battalion just like that.
It was one thing to suffer losses in defeat, after all, it was a colonial division, and the soldiers that died could be recruited again—India was never short of people.
The loss of officers was a different matter altogether; the higher echelons of the Seventh Indian Colonial Division had been practically wiped out. It’s important to remember that the mid and high-ranking officers of the colonial divisions were British. If they were lost on the battlefield, they couldn’t be immediately replaced.
Once this report reached home, it would be another deadly stain on General Patrick’s military career.
As for the missing soldiers, since they were Indians, the colonial lands were plentiful, and such cannon fodder was not valuable; Patrick dismissed them outright.
"You all heard it—the incident with the Seventh Division is a warning bell for all of us.
You’re all well aware of the caliber of the troops you command. Watch your units, I don’t want a similar incident happening again.
With the Seventh Division having suffered heavy losses, they must withdraw and rest. During the upcoming encirclement battles, you will be tasked with detaching troops to fill these gaps."
Upon hearing the order to redistribute troops, everyone’s expression immediately tensed.
The Afghan region is vast. In the planned encirclement, each unit’s defensive area is large, with an inevitable shortage of troops. Dividing further will only increase everyone’s pressure.
An older officer spoke up to persuade, "Commander Sir, our Eleventh Division’s defensive area exceeds one hundred Londons. If we divide our forces further, I fear we will struggle to complete the task of containing the guerrilla forces.
As far as I know, not only is the Eleventh Division’s area large, but the situations facing all the units are similar.
The war has raged on for so long, and none of us have had a chance to rest. Morale has dropped to the lowest point since the beginning of hostilities.
Now it’s not suitable to continue pursuing the guerrillas into the mountains. It would be better to pull the troops back to rest for a while, and after reinforcements have arrived, we can proceed with the encirclement."
The facts were right there before them. These units hadn’t properly rested since the outbreak of the war.
The mutiny in the Seventh Indian Colonial Division and the constant fighting had contributed to the decline in morale and the heightened tension among the soldiers.
"Commander Sir, Major General Winston is right; the troops do indeed need to rest. If we keep fighting like this, mutiny will break out in our forces."
"Commander Sir, the troops really need to rest..."
...
Just as General Patrick had said, only he knew the true mettle of the troops he commanded. But it was precisely because they knew all too well that they had no confidence in dividing their forces.
Words of persuasion came up in ones and twos, pulling Patrick back to reality—his forces were indeed exhausted.
One must remember that these were not elite troops capable of continuous combat for several months. That they had been able to do so was already beyond their normal capacity.
No, using "continuous combat" might be a bit of an exaggeration. However, on average, they did have a combat mission every ten days to half a month, usually involving the encirclement of guerrilla forces.
To elite units, this might not differ much from a field trip. But for the Indian Colonial Divisions, it was pushing the limits.
Yet, giving up like this was something General Patrick found hard to accept. They had finally managed to encircle the main force of the guerrillas, and backing off now would mean all previous efforts were in vain.
Without making a move now, fearing there would be no next opportunity.
The London Government was already very dissatisfied with the British Army’s poor performance on the battlefield. If they couldn’t achieve results, changing commanders would be just a matter of time.
Patrick did not want to return in disgrace; he now had to deliver a passable report to prove his capability to the home front.
"Reinforcements will arrive next week. You have all worked hard for so long—I believe none of you want to return without accomplishment!
Just hold on for one more week, and others will come to relieve you. Put in the effort, and I believe you can overcome the difficulties..."
Upon receiving the good news of incoming reinforcements, the crowd reluctantly accepted the outcome. After all, you can’t twist the arm that’s stronger than yours. You can’t disobey orders on the battlefield!
