NOVPUBThey abandoned the plan to integrate the Afghan Resistance Organization, but support that needed to be given was still provided; the Russian Army now needed these people to cause trouble for the British.
As for potential future troubles, that was a matter for after victory in the war; it couldn’t be concerned with in the short term.
Moreover, with so many factions within the Afghan Resistance Organization, there would always be a few turncoats; by inducing defection and making offers, the matter would be settled. In his heart, General Okinets deeply despised the British.
With the support of the Russians, the Afghan Resistance Organization became even more active.
Today they would destroy roads, tomorrow they would blow up bridges, occasionally take potshots, and attack a convoy, making life terribly difficult for the British Army.
In Andehui, Colonel Macau, who was defending the city, now only wanted to cry. The Russians overlooked the strategic locations and chose to break through here, which was beyond his comprehension.
Inside the Ninth Indian Colonial Division Command, a haggard Colonel Macau asked, "When will the reinforcements arrive?"
Before the young officer could reply, the boom of cannon fire sounded again—the Russian Army had started another assault on the city.
Hearing the artillery, Colonel Macau’s face instantly darkened. The defense of Andehui had only begun two days ago, yet the Ninth Division had already lost over a thousand men.
Colonel Macau didn’t care about the loss of soldiers; as a pure Englishman, he never considered Indian soldiers as his own. No matter how heavy the losses, it didn’t pain his heart.
But the problem was that the morale of the troops was priceless. If it were the main British Army units, they could persist despite losing twenty to thirty percent of their forces.
Unfortunately, this was the Indian Colonial Division; with just a few hundred casualties, there was already instability among the troops.
If it wasn’t for the defense provided by the city’s fortifications, which gave everyone a sense of security, and the effectiveness of the Supervisory Team, the troops would have already collapsed.
Sensing the brigade commander’s displeasure, the young officer anxiously answered, "Sir, the communications soldiers we dispatched for help should reach Mazar-i-Sharif by this afternoon.
In theory, the reinforcements could arrive in five days at the earliest.
However, the headquarters are in Kabul, and without orders from the headquarters, the Fifth Division stationed in Mazar-i-Sharif might not deploy.
If the Fifth Division does not move out, we can only wait for orders from headquarters. The communications soldiers sent to headquarters will take a week to reach Kabul; reinforcements may take half a month to arrive."
Without considering other factors, purely from a military standpoint, starting the war early had its value for the Tsarist Government.
Before the war broke out, the British Army in the Afghan Region had been preoccupied with eradicating guerrillas; the forces guarding the front line were severely insufficient.
Even the headquarters was in Kabul, so in the face of emergencies, it was impossible to coordinate joint operations among the frontline British Army.
According to the British Army’s plans, the war would erupt next spring. With such a long preparation period, temporary telegraph and telephone lines would have been laid out, and the headquarters, even if situated in the rear, could coordinate command.
Regrettably, the situation changed faster than the plan, and now the British Army units could only communicate through the running of communications soldiers.
As for carrier pigeons, that only existed in novels. Not to mention the dangers the pigeons might encounter on their way or whether they would even find the place; the key issue was that the British Army did not equip themselves with such a thing.
Colonel Macau abandoned the last bit of false hope in his heart; it wasn’t about waiting for half a month, the Ninth Division might not even be able to hold out for five days.
Besides, these were all theoretical numbers. Only if the call for help was immediately answered by deploying reinforcement could the troops possibly arrive in five days.
In reality, that was impossible. According to practice, faced with such situations, the first reaction would be to verify the accuracy of the message and then to discuss it in a meeting.
When a decision could be made depended on the commander’s responsibility. If they encountered someone who was timid and afraid, without orders from headquarters, they simply would not deploy troops.
After hesitating for a moment, Colonel Macau slowly said, "Order the troops to hold until nightfall, then retreat to the secondary defense line."
Colonel Macau had to be grateful that he was cautious enough to have arranged several defense lines; now he could retreat step by step to buy time.
Unfortunately, the enemy was too numerous; no amount of preparation could withstand their absolute strength.
Even a retreat was impossible. The Indian soldiers could still fight to some extent when defending the city, but if they left to fight the enemy in open battle, it was likely that a single Russian charge would disperse the Ninth Division.
Whether for the greater war effort or for himself, Colonel Macau must continue to hold on. Even if he ultimately couldn’t keep Andehui, he had to gain time for the main forces.
As for the Ninth Division, it was meant to be cannon fodder; naturally, it had to play the role of cannon fodder. The time for sacrifice had come.
In this regard, General Patrick’s decision to split the main forces and designate them as the Supervisory Team was undeniably correct.
If it weren’t for a main battalion of the British Army backing him up, Colonel Macau wouldn’t have been able to make the Indians fight desperately.
... 𝘯𝑜𝑣𝑝𝑢𝘣.𝑐𝑜𝑚
At the British Army headquarters in Kabul, General Patrick was in a very bad mood. The war between England and Russia had broken out, and he, the Commander, was the last to know.
Whether it was the frontline troops or the London Government thousands of miles away, they had all received the news before him.
Brigadier General Howell suggested, "Commander, the Russians are coming on strong. I fear the troops we have deployed on the front lines are not enough. We should send reinforcements to the front!"
Even without receiving specific battle reports from the front, everyone could guess with their feet that the situation would not be optimistic.
Brigadier General Lawrence, sitting opposite, objected, "It’s not that simple. The battle situation is unclear right now, we have no idea where the enemy’s main direction of attack is. We can’t just send reinforcements in every direction, can we?
We don’t have that many troops at our disposal, and the reinforcements promised from the homeland haven’t even set out. It will be two months before they arrive.
The reinforcements from the Indian region have come, but the elite units from the Indian Colony have all been brought over by us. The current reinforcements are mostly newly formed units, and their combat effectiveness is not to be relied upon.
Besides, the operation to eradicate the guerrillas has reached a critical moment. The frequency of clashes with the enemy has increased significantly recently. If we pull out now, all our efforts will have been in vain.
If we miss this opportunity, we will have to face the double threat of the Russians and Afghan Guerrillas going forward, and the future war will only become more disadvantageous for us."
Because of the anti-guerrilla operations, nearly half of the British troops in the Afghan Region were burrowed into the mountain ravines. Apart from a few strategic locations, the frontline was understaffed elsewhere.
Such deployment of forces couldn’t be considered wrong, after all, the Afghan Guerrillas also posed a great threat to the British Army. During their most rampant period, they could cause hundreds of casualties to the British every day. Not eradicating them was not an option.
It only could be said the British Army was unlucky, encountering a Russian offensive while engaged in counter-guerrilla operations, leaving them stretched from both ends.
Howell shook his head, "We can’t worry about that now. The guerrillas can only give us a hard time, but the Russians are capable of taking the Afghan Region from our hands.
Dividing the forces to reinforce is not the best choice, but right now, we have no choice. Once the Russians come in, it will be hard to drive them out again.
I propose we leave a division’s troops to watch the guerrillas and prevent them from causing significant chaos, and the rest of the troops should reinforce the front immediately."
Due to the uncertainty of the enemy’s main direction of attack, I believe we can set up several forward command posts to coordinate the troops on the front line. It would be best if we personally went down to the troops."
With communication still unresolved, having the Command at Kabul is inopportune. By the time we get a message and go to the front, it’ll be too late even to collect the corpses."
...
The two deputies were at loggerheads, making General Patrick’s headache worse. What they said all made sense and only made the issue more complicated.
Deep down, he still hoped to eradicate the guerrillas first and then have a final battle with the Russians. Unfortunately, reality left him no choice, the threat of the guerrillas was great, but he had to ensure that the front line did not collapse first.
After much consideration, General Patrick made a decision, "Howell is right, having the Command at Kabul is just for show, it’s completely ineffective.
Starting now, we will set up three forward commands on the left, center, and right, with each of us serving as Commanders.
The Left Army will consist of the first, third, fourth, and sixth infantry divisions, the fifth, sixth, and seventh artillery battalions, and a cavalry division. I will personally take command and reinforce the Herat Region."
The Central Army will consist of the..."
Plans cannot keep up with changes. Just as the British Army gave up on suppressing the guerrillas and sent troops to reinforce the front, the battlefield of Andehui also reached a critical moment.
After struggling to hold on for a week, the defense of Andehui by the Ninth Infantry Division still collapsed. The reinforcements from the fifth division, which Colonel Macau had hoped for, never appeared from beginning to end.
It wasn’t that the commander of the fifth division lacked a big-picture perspective, but that the Russians had already appeared in the Mazar-i-Sharif area, and combat was imminent.
In the face of unclear prospects, how could the fifth division dare to divert troops to reinforce Andehui?
With the last line of defense breached, the Russian Army had already overrun all the defensive fortifications of Andehui, leaving only urban combat as an option.
Colonel Macau had not gone mad to expect the demoralized Indian Colonial Division to engage in street fighting with the Russians.
Looking at the few hundred people who had gathered around him, Colonel Macau knew the situation was over and, with no choice left, he ordered resignedly, "Retreat!"
...
