Holy Roman Empire - Chapter 189

Chapter 189: Chapter 76, The Plan of the Allied Forces

Translator: 549690339

On August 15, 1852, the Russian Army launched the second battle of Bulgaria, with the main force pouring out and launching an attack on the Allied Forces after crossing the Balkan Mountains.

Franz found it hard to understand why the Russians would risk everything in such a reckless way, without leaving a sufficient force to guard their supply lines. Incomprehensible as it was, he still had to clean up after them.

Austria needed the war to continue; only if the Russians and England and France were truly at each other’s throats would the opportunity for Austria to advance west emerge.

Franz frowned and ordered, “Command the front-line troops to stand by. If the Allied Forces advance, pose as Balkan Guerrillas and help the Russians hold the line.”

Were it not for the fact that Austria was a multi-ethnic state with a substantial number of minority troops, it would be difficult even to assist the Russians.

Politics is about shamelessness. As long as the lid remains unlifted and England and France lack evidence that Austria is involved, everyone would feign ignorance and seek opportunities for retaliation later on.

Should the lid be lifted, there would be no choice but to fight a backs-against-the-wall battle. Franz disliked such extreme and risky measures immensely.

Marshal Radetzky suggested, “Your Majesty, direct intervention might expose us. Why don’t we support the Bulgarian Local Militia and guerrillas?

“The Russians don’t take them seriously, but our frontline military observers report that they have strong fighting will and considerable combat effectiveness.

“As long as we provide them with a batch of weapons and armaments and equip these locals, with them on the ground, it would be nearly impossible for the Allied Forces to launch a surprise attack.”

Austria needed the Russians to keep fighting but was not prepared to actively join the war on Russia’s side, as that would signify the collapse of Austria’s strategy to expand westward.

Surely, one cannot expect the Russians to honor their word and send troops to help Austria unify the Germany Region after taking Constantinople, right?

Thinking from a different perspective, if Austria’s strategy was fully realized, would Franz still be so devotedly helping the Russians?

Sincere collaboration is built on mutual interests; once those interests evaporate, positions shift accordingly.

Franz shook his head and said, “Supporting the Bulgarians is easy; we aren’t short on military supplies.

“But how do we explain to the Russians? According to the alliance agreement, the Bulgarian region is Russian territory, and we can’t overreach.”

To avoid conflicts, the divisions of influence in the Russian-Austrian Alliance were very clearly defined, with a clear understanding that one could do as they pleased within their own territory but not interfere in their ally’s domain.

The Russians now promote Slavism in Montenegro and the Montenegro Duchy, but they have refrained from doing so in Serbia and the Two principalities of the Danube Basin.

The Russians abide by the rules, and naturally, Austria can’t break them. This is the foundation of the alliance, and while it’s easy to damage, it’s hard to rebuild.

Prime Minister Felix suggested, “Why not arrange for arms smuggling into the Bulgarian region? There are quite a few arms dealers active in the Balkans lately; we could find someone to act as our agent.”

Metternich objected, “No. If it were just a few thousand rifles, we could let the arms dealer sell them to the Bulgarians.

“But now we want the Bulgarians to have the capability to block an Allied Forces raid, which requires at least the weapons of two divisions.

“If so many weapons entered the Bulgarian region and we claimed ignorance, could that be plausible?

“Moreover, the Bulgarians themselves can’t afford so many weapons right now. Arms dealers who sell without payment – if such an outrageous incident happened, the Russians would know it was us as long as they aren’t fools.”

Arms smuggling can only be done on a small scale. Once it expands, it’s hard to keep secret.

The Ottoman Empire has always been controlling the influx of arms and ammunition into the Bulgarian region. If a large quantity of weapons now enters Bulgaria from an Austrian-controlled area, Austria simply cannot explain it away.

Franz thought for a moment and said, “Take some second-hand weapons from our storerooms, select some that are still usable, along with those captured in the Balkans, and have the quartermaster sell them to arms dealers under his own name. We won’t be involved beyond that.”

It was indeed an odd situation for a superior to order his subordinates to sell off weapons; and yet, that was precisely what was happening now.

A sudden influx of Austrian weapons into the Bulgarian region would certainly catch the Russians’ attention. They might even welcome it if it were influx of second-hand, obsolete equipment into the market.

Currently, the largest arms dealer in Bulgaria is the Russian expeditionary force. The officers sell confiscated weaponry to local guerrilla organizations for profit.

Since the Russian Army did it, it wouldn’t be surprising for the Austrian Army to follow suit. Even if the Russians discovered it, they would likely help cover it up, lest their own arms dealing be exposed as well.

Prime Minister Felix pondered and then said, “Your Majesty, this may be too little too late. The Bulgarian Local Militia is too poor; they hardly manage to purchase some firearms and ammunition, let alone afford artillery.

“If the Allied Forces send troops to cause havoc in the rear, the number of troops might not be very large, but it won’t be insignificant either; certainly, they would operate at least at the battalion level. The Bulgarian Local Militia is unlikely to be a match for them.”

“Don’t worry. We only need the Bulgarians to buy some time. With this buffer period, I trust the Russians should be able to respond,” Franz said calmly.

He was confident about the combat effectiveness of the Bulgarian militiamen, as he had previously been misled into thinking they couldn’t compete with regular troops in a head-on fight.

Yet on their home turf, with the terrain to their advantage, it would be feasible for these Bulgarians to delay the enemy’s march.

A surprise attack on the rear typically hinges on one thing – speed. Without sufficient speed, one wouldn’t even dream of cutting off the enemy’s supply lines; lucky just not to be wiped out after getting discovered.

Balkan Peninsula Allied Command

General Mustafa Pasha, how will you explain this to me? Why didn’t you have any information about the Russian offensive this time?

“Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed the movement of hundreds of thousands of troops?” the French Army commander Aimable Jean Jacques Pelissier questioned.

“General Mostepa Pasha, you can’t shirk responsibility for this. The Russians have already started their attack, and you didn’t even know. We had to inform you.

This is the Ottoman Empire’s homeland, and you couldn’t even gather this bit of intelligence. Are all your officials good for nothing?” the British military commander Montes accused.

Faced with the criticisms from both men, Mostepa Pasha had nothing to say. It was somewhat excusable for the foreign forces to be unaware of the Russian movements, but for them, the locals, to let the Russians complete their military deployment right under their noses without any knowledge was inexcusable.

“I apologize to both of you. We will deal with the negligent officials seriously, and such an incident will not occur a second time. Now that the enemy is upon us, let’s focus on facing them!”

Having said that, Mostepa Pasha picked up the command baton and pointed on the military map, analyzing, “Here, and here, are the focal points of contention with the Russian Army.

Based on the firepower observed on the battlefield, the Russians are likely focusing their attack on the strategic location — Sliven.

Sliven has always been a strategic site in the Balkan Peninsula, and once it’s occupied by the Russian Army, they will gain a strategic advantage over us.

From here to Edirne, the terrain is flat and open, making it nearly impossible for us to establish an effective defense. If the Russians station a hundred thousand troops in Sliven, we will have to leave two hundred thousand to hold them.

Besides that, another city that the Russians may focus on attacking is — Sofia.

Sofia is located in the southern part of the Sofia Basin and is also a strategic site of the Balkan Peninsula. Securing it means controlling half of Bulgaria.

If Sofia falls, the Russians will be able to link up with the Austrians to the north and the Serbian region, including our stronghold at Belgrade, will lose its strategic significance.”

Looking at the map, Montes’s expression changed. The location of the British Army, which was stationed in Sofia, along with thirty thousand Ottoman troops.

The reason for choosing this location was that preliminary analysis by the British Expeditionary Force assumed that the Russians aimed for Constantinople, with the main attack focused on the Sliven Region.

If the Allied Forces were victorious and launched a counterattack, Sofia would be in a favorable position to quickly move towards the Danube River and cut off the Russian retreat, making it an excellent place to earn military glory.

But now it seems the Russians might also attempt a breakthrough in the Sofia Region. If they take it, much of the Balkan Peninsula will fall, and the political gains will be greater than the military ones.

The French Army commander Aimable Jean Jacques Pelissier analyzed dispassionately, “If the Russians want to take Constantinople, the Sliven Region is an obstacle they can’t bypass. Unless they are not afraid of us cutting off their retreat, they must take it.

If we lose the Sliven Region, the battles that follow will be difficult for us. Then, the Russians can advance or retreat at their convenience, and we can only react passively.

Your country has already abandoned the Serbia region, and even if we lose Sofia, it’s merely the center and west Bulgaria plus Belgrade that we’ll be giving up.

The war is far from over, and the one who laughs last is the true victor. We don’t need to concern ourselves with the gain or loss of individual cities or lands, as sacrificing some territory temporarily for the ultimate victory is worth it.”

Montes strongly opposed, “The Sofia Region cannot just be given up like this, the Russians have already bewitched the Bulgarians. If this continues, even more Balkan citizens will be manipulated.

By then, we will find that the more battles we fight with the enemy, the more numerous they become. Even if we defeat the Russians, we will have no way to drive them out of the Balkan Peninsula.

Our country’s 30,000 reinforcements have already set off, and they will arrive in the Balkan Peninsula at the latest by the day after tomorrow. The Kingdom of Sardinia’s 20,000 troops have also arrived in the Balkan Peninsula. We can send these 50,000 soldiers to reinforce Sofia.

Limited by logistics, the Russian forces in the Balkan Peninsula are finite, and their troops attacking Sofia cannot be too numerous; one hundred thousand troops can definitely hold their ground.

This side of Sliven is guarded by the French Army; it is almost impossible for the Russians to break through. As long as we block this wave of attacks, we will be able to launch a counterattack.

In terms of military strength, we have an absolute advantage. No matter how strong the Russian forces are, they are not our match on the Balkan Peninsula.”

Military serves politics, and as the first battle of the British Army on the Balkan Peninsula, Montes cannot retreat without fighting—this is related to the face of the British Army.

The French have already started to excel; even if the French Army suffered, from an overt perspective, they are the victors, and any failure would be blamed on the Ottomans.

The British Army also needs to establish its might; they must demonstrate their strength to the outside world and enhance their domestic standing. This dictates that they cannot act in concert with the French, otherwise, they would be dismissed as mere bystanders.

General Montes Pasha supported the proposal, “General Montes’s suggestion is good, Sofia is too crucial to lose. We cannot afford the political impact of losing it.”

To speak negatively, whether we can drive out the Russians is an unknown. What if both sides end up equally damaged, and the Ottoman Empire cannot recover the lost territory? Wouldn’t it be a great loss to give up on Sofia now?

The British are very strong, that is the might of the navy; the French are very strong because it was Napoleonic France that was mighty; the Ottoman Empire was strong in history.

The strength of the Russians is in the present, and it is their army that is formidable. Having encountered the Russian Army several times, the Ottoman Government has plenty of those who fear Russia. Even General Montes Pasha could not entirely avoid being affected.

The Sultan Government has made preparations to relocate the capital. If not to inspire morale, the capital of the Ottoman Empire would now have been in Ankara.

Russia is too tough an adversary. If we cannot drive them out of the Balkan Peninsula, the Sultan Government dares not keep the capital in Constantinople, having them as neighbors.

Outnumbered two to one, Aimable Jean Jacques Pelissier no longer opposed. Although they are Allied Forces, he can only command the French Army and barely command the Ottoman Army; the proud John Bull would not heed his orders.

Aimable Jean Jacques Pelissier proposed, “In that case, let us divide the responsibilities. The Sofia Region’s garrison will be primarily the British Army, named the Left Army, commanded by General Montes.

The Sliven Region, including the area around Karzanlek, will be guarded by the French Army, and I will personally serve as the commander, acting as the Central Army. The remaining areas will be under the responsibility of General Montes Pasha, serving as the Right Army.

The situation at the front line is urgent; we have no time to waste. If there are no objections, let’s take up our posts as soon as possible!”

Without hesitation, Montes said, “No problem, this distribution is reasonable and can maximize the combat power of our troops.”