Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 227 A crushing defeat

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

The Russian army, which suffered heavy losses, received support from Romania and the country, and gathered 15 reinforcements in a short period of time.

This also prompted Russia to re-launch the attack on the Pleven Fortress, and used thousands of artillery pieces in the attack, as if it was determined to fight to the death with the Ottoman army in the Pleven Fortress.

Although the Russian army suffered nearly 100,000 casualties in the previous attack, the casualties on the Ottoman Empire were also not low.

The Ottoman army's weapons and equipment were superior to those of Russia, but it was far inferior to Russia in the number of artillery.

This also allowed the Russian army to have enough artillery to suppress the Ottoman Empire's artillery during the attack, causing the Ottoman Empire to also suffer heavy casualties.

Russia gathered 15 reinforcements in a short period of time, but where could the Ottoman Empire find 15 reinforcements?
The Ottoman Empire currently has only a little over 28 troops left out of its 20 troops in the Balkans, and these 20 troops are still distributed throughout Serbia, Bulgaria and Montenegro.

There were only a little over 20 Ottoman troops that could be mobilized on the borders of Bulgaria and Romania. Faced with more than Russian troops, the Ottoman Empire could only adopt a defensive posture.

The Pleven Fortress is quite strong and it was also a very important military fortress of the Ottoman Empire.

But no matter how strong a fortress is, there will always be a day when it will be conquered. The Russian army dug more than 70 kilometers of trenches and launched a long tug-of-war with the Ottoman army around the Pleven Fortress.

In the end, after suffering nearly 50,000 casualties, the Ottoman Empire was forced to retreat south.

This also caused the 30,000 Ottoman troops in the Pleven Fortress to be surrounded in an instant. After struggling for a month, the Pleven Fortress was officially conquered by Russia.

After the capture of the Pleven Fortress, the situation of the Balkan War underwent a major change.

The Russian army successfully broke through the mountain pass. South of the Pleven Fortress, there was basically no fortress that could stop the Russian army.

The Russian army's journey to Constantinople and the Strait of Constantinople would be very smooth, and the Ottoman Empire had lost its advantage in the number of soldiers.

After the Battle of Pleven Fortress, Russia had already gained an advantage in the Balkan Peninsula in terms of the number of troops and the amount of armaments.

The capture of the Pleven Fortress cost Russia a total of nearly 15 troops, of which more than 5 died directly on the battlefield and nearly 10 suffered injuries of varying degrees.

But the Ottoman Empire also suffered heavy losses. 3 defenders of the Pleven Fortress were captured directly, and the previous offensive and defensive battles also lost nearly 7 people.

The Ottoman Empire had less than 18 troops left in the Balkans, while the Russian troops deployed in the Balkans not only showed no sign of decreasing, but instead increased to nearly 35.

As a result, the number of Russian soldiers in the Balkans became twice that of the Ottoman Empire.

This does not include the militias of Bulgaria, Serbia and other ethnic groups that supported Russia in the war. In this case, the Ottoman Empire has entered a huge disadvantage.

Tsar Alexander II naturally would not miss this good opportunity. He went to the battlefield in person and made the decision personally, ordering the Russian army to continue the attack south of the Balkan Mountains despite the low temperature.

After the capture of the Pleven Fortress, it was already November 1877. The temperature in Bulgaria in November was still relatively low, especially near the Balkan Mountains, where the temperature was generally below 11 degrees Celsius.

But for the Russian soldiers living further north, this was not even considered low temperature. The Russian army was naturally not affected by the low temperature and launched a mighty attack south of the Balkan Mountains.

Compared with the Russian army whose morale was high, the morale of the Ottoman army had dropped to a low point.

What's worse is that the front-line commander not only did not allow retreat in the face of insufficient troops, but instead ordered the Ottoman army to organize a defense line on the spot.

Obviously, he overestimated the combat effectiveness of the Ottoman Empire's army. For such an army that had just experienced a defeat and suffered heavy losses, the most important thing at the moment should be to evacuate to the rear to rest.

In this way, the Ottoman army was overwhelmed by the Russian offensive wave. The important cities of Sofia and Pernik in Bulgaria were successively occupied by the Russian army, and the Russian army also arrived in Plovdiv in southern Bulgaria.

A large number of high-ranking officials, nobles and senior military officials of the empire have gathered in the Dolmabahçe Palace, the new royal palace of the Ottoman Empire.

These guys gathered in the new palace for only one purpose, which was to discuss how to resolve this war.

The Russian army has arrived in Plovdiv, and further southeast is Edirne, the old capital of the Ottoman Empire. Edirne is not far from Constantinople, in other words, the Russians are about to reach their doorstep.

If the navy had not been able to block the Marmara Strait with the help of the British, the Ottomans at this time would probably be discussing how to make peace with Russia to avoid the collapse of the empire.

The Ottoman Empire had a vast territory, but was divided into two parts by the Sea of ​​Marmara and the Aegean Sea, namely the European part and the Asian part.

Both the European and Asian parts are important to the Ottoman Empire, and both are indispensable.

But the problem is that the Ottoman Empire had to pass through the Sea of ​​Marmara to transport troops to the Balkan Peninsula. Whoever could control the Sea of ​​Marmara and the Aegean Sea could directly split the Ottoman Empire into two.

The biggest fear in the Ottoman Empire was that the Russians would fight all the way to Constantinople and drive the Ottoman Empire out of the Balkan Peninsula.

But the Russians have already shown such a trend. If the Russian attack cannot be stopped, the Ottoman Empire may only have the Anatolian Peninsula left.

"Everyone, do you have any other solutions? The empire has reached a moment of life and death. If we cannot repel the Russian attack, perhaps the Ottoman Empire will no longer exist." The new Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Abdulhamid II, said with a sad face.

Originally, the throne of the Ottoman Empire was inherited by Abdulhamid II's elder brother Murad V. However, Murad V was too close to France and disliked Russia, which was close to the Balkan Peninsula.

This led to Murad V being deposed on the grounds of mental illness just 93 days after he ascended the throne, and the throne was succeeded by Murad V's younger brother Abdulhamid II.

Abdulhamid II had not been trained as an heir before, and he was only a young king of 35. Facing the crisis of the empire's survival, he was in a panic and could only look at his ministers.

The commander-in-chief of the frontline army, Muhammad Ali Pasha, shook his head helplessly and said to the expectant Sultan Abdulhamid II: "Our frontline troops are no longer able to resist. Unless we are willing to give up all the land north of Plovdiv, we can only rely on the support of the British."

The Ottoman Empire's own financial situation was very bad. Even if it wanted to organize reinforcements to support the Balkan Peninsula, it had to wait for the British aid to arrive.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Ottoman Empire has survived to this day thanks to the assistance of the British. As long as the British assistance is cut off, the Ottoman Empire will immediately fall into a financial crisis, and there will be no need to fight this war.

Upon hearing this, Abdulhamid II looked at his foreign minister and asked, "Are the British willing to help us win this war? If we lose this war, Istanbul will belong to the Russians."

The Ottoman Empire certainly understood why Britain supported it, which was to prevent the Russians from gaining control of Istanbul and the Straits.

Although the British repeatedly promised to support the Ottoman Empire, apart from financial and material support, there was not a single British soldier seen on the battlefield.

The Ottoman Empire's own military strength is currently unable to stop the Russian attack. If the British are not ready to provide support, the Ottoman Empire will have no choice but to seek peace.

"It has been half a month since we last contacted the British. The British were not willing to join the war, but they were willing to provide more financial and food support." The Ottoman Foreign Minister shook his head helplessly and replied. Britain was obviously not ready to fight a war with Russia, and their support was more in terms of weapons and equipment, funds, and food.

These aids were indeed useful to the Ottoman Empire, but they could not change the situation on the front battlefield at all.

"Contact the British again. I need to know their specific attitude." Abdulhamid II ordered: "Tell the British that if they are unwilling to support us in this war, I will start peace talks with the Russians in a month for the sake of preserving the empire."

One month was the deadline that Abdulhamid Oud gave the British. If the British did not take any action within a month, the Ottoman Empire would be forced to surrender to Russia.

This is also a reminder and threat to the British that if they fail to provide stronger support, Constantinople and the Strait will belong to the Russians.

The Ottoman foreign minister nodded to show that he understood.

Then, Abdulhamid II turned his gaze to the commander-in-chief of the front, Muhammad Ali Pasha, and ordered: “General Muhammad, I hope that within this month, the army can stop the Russians north of Plovdiv.

If we receive reinforcements from the British in a month, it will be our chance to recapture Sofia and the Pleven fortress.

But if the British are unwilling to join the war, we can ensure that the capital, Istanbul, will not be captured by the Russians, and we will still have a way out. "

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

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

It is easy to leave the Balkan Peninsula, but it is not so easy to return to the Balkan Peninsula.

Once the Ottoman Empire lost control of the Balkan Peninsula, countries like Serbia and Bulgaria would surely become independent with the support of Russia and divide up their occupation of the Balkan Peninsula.

There is no doubt that these ethnic groups hated the Ottoman Empire. After they occupied these lands, the Ottoman Empire had to fight them one by one if it wanted to return to the Balkan Peninsula.

For the weak Ottoman Empire, this was almost impossible to accomplish. Therefore, Abdulhamid II's order was very clear. He did not want the Ottoman army to lose the Plovdiv fortress, because this meant that Edirne and Istanbul would be exposed to the Russians.

"I understand." Muhammad Ali Pasha nodded.

He was a German who converted to Islam and had excellent military skills, which is why he became the commander-in-chief of the Ottoman Empire's frontline troops.

However, the combat effectiveness of the Ottoman Empire's army was uneven. Except for a small number of new troops trained in imitation of European countries, the combat effectiveness of other armies was a mess.

This also made it difficult for Muhammad Ali Pasha to exert his command ability. After all, the execution ability of the grassroots troops determines the effectiveness of an order.

Even if the order itself is quite good, if the grassroots troops lack the ability to execute it, the effect of the order will only be unsatisfactory.

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

The Ottoman army held the Pleven Fortress for several months, so it should be easy for them to hold the Plovdiv Fortress for a month.

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

Of course, if British reinforcements did not arrive in time, the Ottoman Empire would have to prepare for the worst.

"Great Sultan, perhaps we can rely on the help of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to ease our pressure in the Balkans." The Foreign Minister then put forward new suggestions, which made Abdulhamid II, who was already relieved, even more excited.

"Tell me more about this," Abdulhamid II motioned for the foreign minister to continue.

“In addition to the British not wanting Russia to control the situation in the Balkans, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was also unwilling to let the Balkans fall under Russian control.

Although there would be great problems in relying on the Austro-Hungarian Empire to expel Russia, it may be our only hope besides Britain.

Apart from these, no other European powers would be willing to fight Russia for us. Even if Britain is unwilling to join the war to help us, as long as Austria-Hungary can join the war, we can still stabilize the situation in the Balkans.

Russia has a much larger army than we do. If we can hold out long enough, Russia's finances will be overwhelmed.

On the contrary, we have the help of the British, so financial problems will not be a problem in the short term. As long as either Britain or Austria-Hungary is willing to help us, we can kill the giant Russia even if it takes time. "The Foreign Minister said with a smile.

As the Foreign Minister of the Ottoman Empire, he had a relatively clear understanding of the situation in Europe, especially around the Balkan Peninsula, and he knew exactly which powers were paying attention to the Balkan Peninsula.

At present, apart from relying on aid from Britain, the only one the Ottoman Empire can rely on is perhaps the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The main reason why Austria-Hungary remained neutral in this war was that Russia promised to allow Austria-Hungary to obtain Bosnia and Serbia after the war.

But would Russia really be willing to give such a large piece of land to Austria-Hungary? Wouldn't this cultivate a more powerful competitor for itself in the Balkans?

"Sultan, what the Foreign Minister said makes sense. Perhaps we should give it a try." Before Abdulhamid II could give his opinion, the commander-in-chief of the front-line army, Muhammad Ali Pasha, stepped forward and expressed his approval.

As a German who converted to Islam, he was relatively clear about the situation in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After all, Austrians were also Germans, but because Prussia unified the German region, Austrians were excluded from Germany.

"Since General Mohammed also believes that Austria-Hungary may be able to help us, let's contact the diplomatic department together." Abdulhamid II nodded repeatedly, and the panic expression on his face had long disappeared.

"Whoever can persuade one of Austria-Hungary and Britain to join this war will be the greatest contributor to the empire. After the war is over, I will reward you according to your merits and commend your contributions one by one." Abdulhamid II, who had a solution, was overjoyed and promised his ministers generous rewards.

With Abdulhamid's promise, many ministers became more motivated and began to take action for the future of the Ottoman Empire.

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

Although the British were reluctant to interfere in this war, their attention to it was unprecedented.

As early as when the Pleven Fortress was captured, the British government held an emergency meeting to discuss whether to increase support for the Ottoman Empire.

But what was unexpected was that within just two and a half weeks after the capture of the Pleven Fortress, the Ottoman Empire suffered a crushing defeat, and even important cities such as Sofia and Pernik had been captured by the Russian army.

Before the British government could even discuss whether to increase aid to the Ottoman Empire, the Ottoman Empire was on the verge of losing the war.

This also changed the British government's discussion from whether to increase aid to whether to join the war. After all, if the Ottoman Empire failed, Russia's expansion in the Balkans would be unstoppable.

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(End of this chapter)