Holy Roman Empire

At the military meeting, Albrecht said, "Everyone is clear about the situation of the Ottomans, the lengthy border line of the Asia Minor Peninsula is all a battlefield."

Considering the current special circumstances, I’ve decided to divide our forces and attack on multiple fronts to disrupt the enemy’s strategic deployment.

Taking into account the language barrier and difficulty in coordinating combined operations, the troops from different countries will operate independently for the time being. After the landings are completed, we will then proceed with joint operations based on the actual situations on the battlefield.

During the landing operations, the Austrian Navy will be responsible for transporting the troops from various countries and will also provide necessary fire support.

The Allied Command will send personnel to record military merits. Everyone’s performance on the battlefield will be taken as a reference for the allocation of spoils of war after the battle.

"Who has questions, you may now ask."

"Dividing forces," this news was so sudden that it caught everyone off guard.

Before this, the Allied Command had always been coordinating the cooperation amongst the countries. Albrecht did not consult everyone before proposing "division of forces."

It’s not that Albrecht is willful and autocratic; the main issue is that there are too many participants in the meeting, and when there are many people, intelligence is not always up-to-par.

Especially given that he was representing four countries, everyone was looking at the issue from their own standpoint; their starting points were inherently different.

Dragging everyone in for a discussion would just waste time and serve no purpose.

Marshal Ivanov of the Russian Army was the first to speak up, "Your Excellency the Commander, there is no problem with dividing forces, but how will logistics be ensured?"

Albrecht calmly replied, "The Allied Commander will allocate supplies based on the number of troops from each unit. When not in combat, supplies will be directly distributed to the division.

After the start of the landing operations, the central command will distribute the supplies to the commands of each country, and you will be responsible for disseminating them to your units.

The central command can arrange for ships to transport supplies to the ports you specify, provided that you ensure the safety of those ports."

After some thought, Ivanov responded, "I represent the Russian Empire and agree with division of forces!"

There’s no way around it; on the battlefield, whoever has control over logistics has the firmer voice.

Albrecht managed to quickly persuade so many proud and brave soldiers not because of his outstanding military achievements or his strong charisma, but because he had control over the distribution of logistics supplies for the Allied Forces.

This was determined by reality; of the four nations in the Anti-Turkish Alliance, Austria was a bit more affluent, while the rest were poor.

Montenegro and Greece were both poor and small, asking them to provide military supplies for a large army would starve the troops at the front.

The Russians could provide some supplies, since they still had quite a bit of strategic materials left after the Prusso-Russian War, but unfortunately, they couldn’t be transported over in a short time.

The logistics, completely dependent on Austria, naturally placed the power of discourse into Austrian hands. Albrecht, who was responsible for the distribution of supplies, naturally became the most powerful man in Constantinople.

The Russians also contributed over 300,000 troops, so the division of forces had little impact on them. With so many troops, even if they had to face the Ottoman Empire alone, Ivanov would not falter.

The division of forces affected Montenegro and Greece the most. Independently commanding their operations avoided the risk of becoming cannon fodder, but the risk of complete annihilation was also increased.

Following the main forces of the Allied Forces might involve dirty and tiring work, but since everyone was allies, the Russians and Austrians would surely lend a hand in times of danger.

Out of political considerations, should the loss of troops be heavy, the Allied Command would immediately reassign them to the rear for miscellaneous duties.

Even if their numbers were small, they still represented a country, one of the unwavering four pillars of the Anti-Turkish Alliance. If a whole army was wiped out, it would be equivalent to losing one country.

The military impact might be small, but politically it was extremely deadly. Whether it be Greece or Montenegro, the annihilation of any one would place the responsibility first and foremost on Albrecht, the Commander of the Allied Forces.

Dividing forces was different; the operations were conducted independently by each nation and each command was responsible for its own actions. Even in the event of complete annihilation, the political repercussions would be greatly diminished.

Especially for the Montenegro Duchy, with just the strength of an enlarged regiment, being oblivious could lead to complete annihilation.

Marshal Maxim Trenchev from the Montenegro Duchy hastily asked, "Your Excellency the Commander, how will the specific combat plans be allocated?"

Whether dividing forces was dangerous could be discerned by looking at the combat missions.

Maxim Trenchev had already made up his mind: if the risk was great, he would feign weakness. After all, the Montenegro Duchy didn’t have much of an international reputation to lose and wasn’t afraid of losing face.

This also had historical and cultural traditions, as they started resisting the Ottoman Empire since the 14th century. Defending a small area against the Ottomans for more than five hundred years without being destroyed proved their remarkable survival skills.

Although they would have a "friendly match" with the Ottoman Empire every few years, in reality, it was mainly guerrilla warfare, and they would retreat to the mountains at the slightest disagreement.

If they were to engage in a deadlock, with their small population, they would have been exterminated in the 14th century. How could they have persisted until now?

Albrecht calmly answered, "Combat missions will be determined based on the number of troops committed by each country. Right now, I only have a preliminary draft; detailed operations plans will be developed by the command of each nation.

Taking into account the needs of command, I plan to divide the battlefield into five major war zones: the Black Sea War Zone, Caucasus War Zone, Marmara Sea War Zone, Mediterranean War Zone, and Middle East War Zone.

As the name suggests, the Black Sea War Zone involves initiating attacks along the Black Sea coast, with all of the Ottoman Empire’s coastlines within the Black Sea being the scope of operations.

After completing the landings, we will move inland. How to fight and to what extent will be decided by the war zone command. In principle, the central command will not interfere.

Taking into account the actual situation, the Russian Army will be responsible for the Black Sea War Zone and the Caucasus War Zone. The Austrian army will take charge of the Middle East War Zone, Mediterranean War Zone, and the Marmara Sea War Zone.

The Greek and Montenegrin armies will act as reserves for the time being, and will reinforce based on the actual situation on the battlefield."

That’s fine, as long as the combat tasks for Austria and Russia are allocated. As for Greece and Montenegro, Albrecht had never considered them from the beginning.

Politically, Austria needed Greece and Montenegro to present a facade. Militarily, these two minnows were completely disposable.

The troop numbers from Greece and Montenegro were too low; they didn’t even qualify as cannon fodder. The battlefield is full of uncertainties, and no one knows when unforeseen events may occur.

Greece might be bearable, as they still have two infantry divisions; Montenegro, with only one reinforced battalion, has a much higher chance of complete annihilation.

Albrecht didn’t want to bear the ignominy of bringing disaster upon his allies. If he were to cause the demise of these two small players, it would be difficult for him to explain upon returning home.

This dose of reality was deeply hurtful to the representatives of both countries, as it was an outright display of disdain for their military strength.

It sounded nice to call them reserves, but in reality, unless absolutely necessary, neither Russia nor Austria would let these reserves enter the battle. This was a matter of national dignity for both countries.

Asking Greece and Montenegro for help? What a joke; did Russia and Austria still want to maintain their reputations? If there was a shortage of troops on the battlefield, just send reinforcements; no rule said they couldn’t send aid.

Marshal Ivanov replied with satisfaction, "No problem, this battle plan is very sensible and fully leverages our respective strengths."

How could he be unsatisfied when one of the key reasons for the Tsarist Government to join this war was to stake claim on the Black Sea coast and keep Austria out of the Black Sea?

By giving Russia the task of attacking the Black Sea coast, Albrecht was undoubtedly acquiescing to this mode of benefit distribution.

Seeing Russia and Austria reach an agreement, Marshal Publius, the Greek representative, went pale. They had joined this war to take advantage, but what claim could they have to the spoils of war if they were just hanging around in the rear?

Neither Russia nor Austria were running a charity. Without contributing on the battlefield, naturally, there would be no share in the war spoils for them.

Publius boldly said, "Commander, placing us in the rear doesn’t seem appropriate."

"We joined this war to seek justice from the Ottoman Empire. How can I explain to our citizens at home if the Greek Army never even makes it to the battlefield?"

Albrecht nodded, expressing his sympathy, "Alright then, after we’ve completed the landing operation, you will be responsible for rooting out the remaining Ottoman forces in the area."

Publius’s face darkened; this task was only slightly better than doing nothing at home. It sounded good to be tasked with hunting down remnants of the enemy, but in reality, it was like maintaining public order.

At best, they’d capture a few guerrilla fighters, a typical thankless task. Hard work with no recognition, and if something went wrong, they would be held accountable.

After hesitating for a moment, Publius requested permission to engage, "Commander, the Greek Army is not afraid of sacrifice. We want to be sent to the battlefield."

He was reminded of the terrible aftermath of the last war when Montenegro’s army had stayed within its borders without deploying, and then faced widespread condemnation.

Maxim Trenchev quickly followed suit, "Commander, the Montenegrin Army is not afraid of war. We, too, want to go to the front."

Clearly, they had realized Albrecht was not planning to use them as cannon fodder. Keeping them off the battlefield was primarily to avoid responsibility. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

While they were allies, if the Russian Empire lost eighty or a hundred thousand on the battlefield, nobody would blame Austria for undermining its allies because they could afford such losses.

If Greece were to lose ten or twenty thousand, it would be a crippling blow; if Montenegro lost more than a hundred, it would be deemed a heavy loss; a thousand or more would severely damage its vitality.

Yet, such levels of casualties are quite normal on the battlefield and can’t be completely avoided.

After another moment of hesitation, Albrecht said with a smile that was not a smile, "Since you both feel so strongly, the Marmara Sea War Zone will be entrusted to you."

Clearly, Albrecht was indifferent to these two allies of convenience. You want to volunteer for battle? Very well, I’ll assign you a combat mission, and you’ll be responsible for the consequences if you fail to achieve it.

The Marmara Sea War Zone, located at the Black Sea Strait, was the first area to fall during the previous Near East war and had yet to recover.

The terrain is flat and easy to attack but difficult to defend. The Ottoman Empire also did not have a substantial number of troops stationed there, making it arguably the easiest of the five war zones to achieve a breakthrough; Albrecht was truly not being underhanded.

However, the battlefield still depended on strength. For Russia and Austria, the Marmara Sea War Zone was insignificant, but for Greece and Montenegro, it remained a challenge.

Seeing no response from both men, Albrecht added, "The Marmara Sea War Zone is not the focus of this war. There’s no need to end the battle right away; just contain the enemy forces there.

Once other war zones have made a breakthrough, we’ll circle back and sandwich the enemy with attacks from both front and rear."

"The focus of the war"?

Unfortunately, this war never had a focal point to begin with.

Albrecht’s battle plan was to blossom on all fronts, as any breakthrough at any location would suffice to win the war.

If it were about defeating the enemy, Publius would, of course, lack confidence, as even though the Ottoman forces in the Marmara Sea were limited, they numbered over a hundred thousand.

With fewer than 30,000 combined troops from Greece and Montenegro, Publius had no assurance of overcoming a numerical disadvantage. Yet merely holding the enemy at bay was something Publius felt worth attempting.

With naval superiority on their side, they could retreat and land elsewhere if the battle turned. As long as the war did not cease, they could keep the enemy’s attention.

After another moment of hesitation, Publius replied, "No problem, we guarantee to complete the mission."

Seeing the Greek acceptance, Maxim Trenchev had no choice but to grimly accept as well. If he were to back out now, they’d have no place within the Allied Forces.

…

In Vienna, Franz was somewhat bewildered by the battle plan received from the front.

This was a war of annihilation, and the Ottomans would resist fiercely, so casualties were inevitable.

Creating the Anti-Turkish Alliance was not only to share the international pressure among allies but mainly to pull in cannon fodder.

Now, suddenly diverting forces meant all of Franz’s preliminary preparations had been in vain.

As an amateur in military strategy, Franz was self-aware enough not to think his commanding abilities would surpass those of the officers at the front.

After reviewing the 18 disadvantages of a joint operation listed by Albrecht, Franz decisively accepted the battle plan from the front.

…

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