Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 139 The Danube Retreat
News of Iran's recapture of Yerevan reached Vorontsov's ears, which surprised him. He never expected Yerevan to fall so quickly, and could only order his troops to set up camp in Gyumri and prepare for defense.

"Quick, follow up."

After capturing Yerevan, the Iranian army did not dare to be complacent and advanced northward toward their objective.

Where is the Fourth Division now?

Upon hearing his commander's question, the communications officer replied, "They just sent word that the 4th Division has arrived in Tallinn, where they have routed a 2000-strong Russian resistance."

Upon hearing the reply, Salami took a military map and located the town, which was north of Yerevan. He was quite satisfied with the progress made.

"Any other news?" Salami asked, still looking at the map.

"The 14th Division is attacking Hrazdan, but the local defenders are putting up a strong resistance, so it may take some time."

With Yerevan, Iran now has a rear supply base. It can obtain supplies directly from here instead of relying on Tabriz. The Iranian Railways is also surveying the terrain, preparing to build a railway from Tabriz to Yerevan.

"Let the Fourth and Fifth Divisions press on with their offensive. The Russian army is likely to return soon. We must take the initiative and annihilate them."

With Iran's capture of Yerevan, the operation officially entered its second phase. The western route army drew in and annihilated the main Russian forces in Armenia and Georgia, buying time for the eastern route army to capture Baku.

Meanwhile, Qassem Soleimani, commander of the 4th Division, was also uncertain about the information he had just received. The 2000 Russian troops they had routed in the town had been reported by their pursuing units to have retreated to a small town called Shamiram. The pursuing troops, seeing numerous positions and a large number of Russian troops—estimated to be tens of thousands—had hastily retreated. He was now considering whether to launch a probing attack to confirm the situation or report directly to General Salami. Ultimately, he decided to report the situation and launch an attack simultaneously.

The Russian forces at Shamiram, which was about to be attacked, numbered 18,000, with another 20,000 ready to support them. Approximately 60,000 Russian troops were deployed along the line from Shamiram to Gyumri. Commanding this defensive line was Andrei Skvortsnik, Vorontsov's deputy.

Having lived in the South Caucasus for decades, Skvortskoy knows the area like the back of his hand. After the fall of Yerevan, Gyumri became Armenia's last stronghold, and there could be no room for error here. Osterman has already been executed; now only he can personally lead the charge in hopes of salvaging the situation. God help him.

The next morning, in a small village called Dosk next to Shamiram, the 3rd Battalion of the 4th Division got up early. After breakfast, they would prepare to head to Shamiram under the leadership of their battalion commander. The messenger sent the night before said that they would launch an attack on the Russian troops entrenched there that day.

This delighted the soldiers who had long wanted to fight the Russian army. So early that morning, they planned to give these infidels a good thrashing of their troops, and then let the people bask in the light of God's mercy.

Upon arrival, they first constructed their positions. The Russian troops opposite them showed no intention of harassing them; they quietly observed their actions. By noon, the positions were complete, and the artillery regiment moved their cannons to the newly constructed emplacements, piling up freshly turned soil around them. The battalion commander rallied his soldiers, "Those Russians are cowards. As long as you charge ahead of them, they'll scatter and flee. So all you need to do now is charge forward and you'll achieve victory."

After the encouragement, came the artillery. Fifty-five cannons bombarded Dosk, and the battlefield was instantly filled with smoke and the sight of Russian soldiers being killed in the explosions. This scene of billowing smoke, combined with the excitement of the impending attack, thrilled many.

Just then, they heard their superior shout, "Attack!"

On the battlefield, Iranian soldiers charged toward the Russian positions. Defensive artillery fire arrived as expected, bombarding the attacking troops. Soldiers were frequently hit by exploding shells, and many fell on their way to the front.

Of course, the artillery wouldn't allow its units to bear the brunt of the bombardment alone. When Russian artillery appeared to bombard the positions, the retaliatory artillery fire was also directed at the defending units, reminding them of their presence.

"Go ahead."

The soldiers charged forward with their company commander. They moved with incredible agility, dodging attacks as they rapidly approached the enemy positions, much to the surprise of the Russian soldiers on the ground.

Taking advantage of this moment, the soldiers rushed into the trenches, and a fierce hand-to-hand battle ensued. As time went on, the Russian soldiers gradually became outnumbered by the Iranian soldiers, at which point a large number of Russian reinforcements arrived from the rear. The Iranian side had no choice but to order a retreat.

In this probing attack, Iran sacrificed 216 lives to test the strength of Russian positions. Russia, at the cost of 193 lives, failed to lure the enemy into continuing their attack. It is believed that the two sides will have another opportunity to clash soon.

At this time, the Russian army began a large-scale withdrawal in the Danube region. This led some locals to defect to the Ottomans, which angered Nicholas I, and the Russian army issued a warning to the people of the Danube Duchy.

"His Majesty the Tsar does not believe that those who claim to be Orthodox Christians would pledge allegiance to a non-Christian government. Even if the Wallachians, being so heavily influenced by Europeans, do not understand this and thus pledge allegiance to a false religion."

The Tsar could not abandon the divinely ordained mission bestowed upon him as leader of the Orthodox Church: to liberate the Greeks, who held Christianity as their sole faith, from Ottoman rule. Since his ascension to the throne, His Majesty had held this belief, and now the moment had arrived. His Majesty would realize his long-planned grand scheme, regardless of the intentions of the incompetent European nations. The treacherous Wallachians had enraged His Majesty; one day, they would pay a heavy price for their disloyalty.

This withdrawal was even more damaging to Russian intellectuals. For the Slavophiles in Moscow and St. Petersburg, the Russian advance into the Balkans was a war of liberation for the Slavs, and they were deeply shocked by the withdrawal, seeing it as a betrayal of their ideals, and thus felt profoundly frustrated. Some dreamed of establishing a Slavic federation under Russian leadership, and they had imagined the war would result in a cross hanging atop Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. The withdrawal from the Danube filled them with disgust and shame.

These intellectuals rallied in salons in St. Petersburg and Moscow, hoping to persuade the Tsar to rescind the withdrawal order and allow Russia to fight Austria and the Western powers alone. They were overjoyed that their country could confront Europe alone and believed that if Russia could wage a holy war against the West for the liberation of the Slavs, it would successfully assume the role of savior.

(End of this chapter)