Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 647 The Battle of Shenicha (Part 2)
However, the disparity in strength was undeniable. By the evening of February 25th, the defending forces had dwindled to less than two thousand combat-ready men, were running out of ammunition, and controlled less than a quarter of the city center. They were surrounded on all sides, their communication with the outside world completely severed.

As night fell, the gunfire subsided temporarily. Topz leaned against the ruins, gazing at the ravaged city and the exhausted, wounded soldiers and civilians around him, a wave of sorrow washing over him. He knew that the final moments were likely approaching.

Commander Topz leaned against a section of the still-warm broken wall, looking at the warriors who had followed him to the very end by the dim moonlight.

"Commander," the adjutant said hoarsely, dragging his injured leg over, "we've done the count. Those who can still move, including the lightly wounded, total 1,827. We've used less than five rifle bullets on average, and as for grenades... we're out."

Topz nodded silently. He took a deep breath of the cold air and struggled to his feet.

"Brothers and sisters," his voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to everyone's ears, "we held out for three days and three nights. We made the Serbs pay with at least three thousand lives! We did everything we promised!"

He paused for a moment, suppressing the emotions surging in his chest.

"Now, we are out of ammunition and food, and there are no reinforcements. Dawn is approaching, and the enemy will not let us go. Surrender?" He suddenly raised his voice, "No! We are soldiers of the Ottomans, sons and daughters of Bosnia! Surrender means humiliation, it means that all the blood we have shed these past three days has been in vain!"

"Then what should we do?" a young soldier asked, his voice trembling, his face still bearing the traces of childhood innocence.

Topz drew his chipped sword, its blade gleaming coldly in the dim moonlight. "Rather than be slaughtered like lambs, we shall die like lions! At dawn, we shall launch our final charge against the enemy's main force! With our bayonets, with our teeth, we shall tell those invaders: Seneca will never fall!"

There was no cheering, no fear, only an almost sacred calm spreading among the remaining defenders. They silently checked their last weapons, polished their bayonets, and embraced their comrades tightly.

Just as the tragic atmosphere reached its peak, and the eastern sky was beginning to lighten, a muffled thunderous sound suddenly came from behind the Serbian army's encirclement.

At first, everyone thought it was an illusion, an auditory hallucination caused by extreme fatigue. But the sound grew closer and clearer. It was the sound of horses' hooves! Dense as raindrops, heavy as war drums, accompanied by a unique, heart-pounding bugle call!

Topz lunged to the edge of the ruins, straining to see in the direction the sound was coming from. Behind the Serbian camp, chaos was already palpable; fires flickered, and shouts and the neighing of horses filled the air!
"It's cavalry! It's our cavalry!" a sharp-eyed soldier exclaimed, pointing into the distance.

In the dim light of dawn, a familiar green flag embroidered with a crescent moon and stars suddenly rose! Then, like a flood bursting its banks, countless Ottoman cavalrymen wearing red Fez hats and wielding gleaming sabers descended like divine warriors, fiercely piercing into the rear of the unsuspecting Serbian army!

It's reinforcements! This is an Ottoman cavalry division, which miraculously arrived at the last moment!
"God is great!" Someone shouted this first, and instantly, the cry ignited like wildfire in the hearts of every desperate defender! Commander Topz, tears welling in his eyes, raised his sword high and roared with all his might, his voice even drowning out the distant sounds of battle: "Reinforcements have arrived! The Sultan has not forgotten us! Sons and daughters of Bosnia, our sacrifice has not been in vain! Now, follow me and charge out! With a coordinated attack from within and without, crush these Serbs!"

More than 1,800 wounded defenders, like springs pushed to their limit, suddenly released astonishing energy. With bayonets fixed to their rifles, entrenching tools, machetes, and even bricks in hand, they leaped from the last ruins of their fortified position, launching a counter-charge like a raging torrent against the Serbian army already in disarray!
Meanwhile, the Serbian military camp was in an unprecedented state of chaos and panic.

General Misich was awakened from his sleep by the urgent shouts of his guards and the deafening sound of horses' hooves. He rushed out of his tent and saw an apocalyptic scene: the logistics camp was ablaze, supply wagons were on fire, and thick smoke billowed out; countless soldiers were fleeing in all directions like headless flies, their screams of terror mingling with the roars of the Ottoman cavalry charging; the voices of officers trying to organize a resistance were completely drowned out.

"Hold on! Form a defensive line! Face the rear!" Misich shouted hoarsely, but his orders seemed so pale and powerless in the face of the sudden attack and the pervasive panic. The impact of the cavalry was devastating in the chaotic infantry formation, especially psychologically.

Just as the Serbian army was struggling to turn around to deal with the cavalry charge from behind, Topz's defending troops charged out of the city like mad tigers, crashing heavily into the frontal lines they had been using for the siege. They were now attacked from both sides!
The Serbian army's morale collapsed instantly. Exhausted from three days of continuous attacks, and with victory seemingly within reach, this devastating blow from behind completely shattered their psychological defenses. Soldiers ceased obeying orders, focusing only on survival. Organization was disrupted, and the command system crumbled.

The battle transformed from a siege assault into a brutal pursuit and annihilation campaign.

General Misić, under the desperate protection of his personal guard, attempted to break through towards the mountains, but was quickly spotted by a squad of Ottoman cavalry. After a brief and desperate resistance, the Serbian general was cut down by an Ottoman cavalry officer with a saber, and his honorary banner was trampled into the mud and blood.

As the sun rose high, dispelling the morning mist and smoke, the scene outside Shenicja resembled hell. The fields and roads were littered with the corpses of Serbian soldiers, and abandoned weapons, armor, flags, and various supplies were scattered everywhere. Of the once formidable 18,000-strong Shamtsky Division, fewer than 4,000 survivors had managed to escape into the mountains, and their organization had been completely broken up, rendering them incapable of fighting.

Inside the city of Shenicha, however, lay a different scene of survivors. The surviving defenders and civilians embraced and wept, gazing upon their cavalry brothers who had come to their rescue, and upon the enemy corpses strewn across the city walls. They felt both the ecstasy of victory and the immense grief of losing loved ones. The city was almost completely destroyed, and the streets were littered with the bodies of soldiers from both sides.

Commander Topz found the commander who had led the cavalry division to relieve the siege in the crowd: Rejep, commander of the Ottoman 7th Cavalry Division.

“If you had come half a day later, you would have been left only to collect our corpses.” Topz’s voice was still hoarse, but full of gratitude.

"His Majesty the Sultan and the General Staff received the last few telegrams you sent with your lives on the line," Rejep said in a deep voice. "We traveled day and night, without daring to stop for a moment. You created a miracle, Topz! With a mere few thousand ragtag troops, you held off a Serbian elite division for three days, buying us the most crucial time to mobilize our forces! You are heroes of the Empire!"

The two, covered in blood, embraced each other tightly.

(End of this chapter)