Mediterranean Hegemony Road

After several days of hard fighting, the casualties on both sides of Greece and Turkey have exceeded five figures, and they are still growing!

Prince Constantine's only hope now is to delay time and create opportunities for the Greek army in the Ioannina region, which is now accumulating supplies and preparing to attack!

As for the Trikala region, the Ottomans have obvious advantages, and it is impossible to win with the strength in his hands!

At this time, on the front line of Trikala City, there were seven Ottoman infantry divisions, two cavalry regiments, three artillery regiments, and troops directly under the headquarters, totaling about 89,000 people! It has a total of more than 350 artillery pieces and 380 heavy machine guns!

Compared with the Greek Front, it was much worse. Prince Constantine had only six infantry divisions, plus two artillery regiments, of which two divisions were half-disabled. Oh, and a half-cavalry battalion with a total of more than 67,000 men! It has a total of more than 220 guns of various types and more than 400 heavy machine guns!

Since the Battle of Zanta at the end of the 17th century, the cavalry has begun to decline. Even if the famous Cossack cavalry still exists in Russia, it cannot change the fact that the cavalry has declined!

By 1897, all European countries had reduced their cavalry establishments, Mao Xiong was an exception. In the plains of Eastern Europe, the new cavalry was still capable of fighting!

Of course, for a country like Greece, the cavalry is already dispensable, if not for the needs of the honor guard, it may have been cancelled!

After the outbreak of the Greek-Turkish War, George I sent this cavalry to the front line, and the power of the cavalry on a specific battlefield is still very strong!

Don't be surprised that Edgy Pasha didn't send cavalry to harass the rear of the Greeks. It was because the cavalry was too restricted by geographical conditions, and the supply requirements were very high!

Besides, he sent troops to attack Kardica and break the deadlock on the battlefield. Can't he use cavalry to attack the city?

If you want to blame it, Colonel Kobie Pasha is so capable. After firing a few shots, he found that the Greeks were already prepared in Kardica, and ran to attack the Greek logistics supply line?

Although he played tricks, Colonel Kobie Pasha still completed the task brilliantly, and the strategic goal has been achieved!

Originally, Prince Constantine still had 67,000 people in his hands, but after the deployment of troops, only 53,000 people remained.

Of course, if you count the wounded, there will be more than 20,000 people under Prince Constantine now, but they can't provide much help for this war!

Discovering fighter planes is a compulsory course for every general on the battlefield. Ed He Pasha is no exception. Now is undoubtedly the time when the Greeks are at their weakest. Without any hesitation, Edgy Pasha immediately mobilized before the war!

...

After Ed He Pasha finished speaking, the eyes of the group of officers below shone brightly. This is definitely not about serving the country with loyalty to the monarch, but because of meritorious deeds, it also means promotion and making a fortune!

You must know that the class of the Ottoman Empire has long been solidified. The factor that determines where you can climb is not based on your ability, nor how much you have contributed to the country, but your background! !

However, this time General Edher Pasha made a promise that no matter who it is, as long as he has made military exploits, he will get the reward he deserves! On the contrary, if it messes up, who is responsible for it! !

Forget it, whether it can be notarized in the future, but one thing is for sure, you will be promoted and rich if you make military exploits!

The Ottoman Empire was also founded on the basis of military force. If it was in the government department, if the background was not good, no matter how many achievements were made, it might not have been promoted!

But in the military, after completing the military reform, there is no way to do it in peacetime! During the war, those who have made military achievements will definitely be promoted. Who said that the Ottoman Empire is now declining?

Of course, military exploits are not so easy to obtain.

It takes luck and strength at the same time!

First, there has to be a fight! Unlike the previous suppression of the Armenian rebellion, that is a small role, it is right to win, and it will be bad luck if you lose 100%!

The Greeks in front of you are a good choice! ! That is, it is not weak enough to ignore, nor strong enough to exceed everyone's tolerance. It belongs to the kind of fat that can make military exploits and win steadily!

Seeing the eager expressions of his subordinates, Ed Hepasha nodded with a smile, and then said solemnly: "Now I order, at 4:37 on April 28, 1897, all artillerymen will fire, and those on the opposite side of the target will fire. The Greek army's position was covered by fire for an hour and a half. At 6:07, the third division and two cavalry regiments were responsible for containing the enemy's left and right flanks. The other six infantry divisions all attacked and defeated the opposite Greeks from the front!! Understand? ?"

"Understood!" Everyone said in unison

Ed He Pasha nodded with satisfaction, and then said: "Now start proofreading the time, according to the big clock on the wall! No one can delay, and those who violate the military law will be engaged!"

...

Perhaps Ed He Pasha's mobilization work has played a role, or perhaps the temptation to get promoted is too great. Whether it is an officer or a soldier, the morale of the Ottoman army has reached its peak at this moment!

Time passed by in a hurry. On April 28, 1897, after the order of Ed He Pasha was issued, the first action was the artillery unit. They quickly pushed the artillery and loaded it in the pre-built artillery position.

Ed He Pasha looked at the time, it was 4:37, the roar of artillery sounded in his ears, he knew that the decisive battle had begun!

The Greeks on the opposite side were also used to it. During the years of confrontation, the Ottoman artillery also launched attacks from time to time. Soon the Greeks also reacted, and the Greek artillery began to fight back, and the two sides started an artillery battle again!

Hundreds of cannons on both sides sounded at the same time, deafening, resounding through the sky!

The cannonballs were flying scattered, and one of the cannonballs accidentally landed in a Greek regiment headquarters and exploded instantly. Three officers were killed on the spot, and five others were injured!

The explosion caused a small area of ​​chaos, but it quickly subsided. The guns and guns on the battlefield have no eyes, and if they are hit, it can only be regarded as their own bad life!

Soon the Greek artillery fell into a disadvantage, which Prince Constantine has long been used to. After all, the number of artillery of the Ottomans on the opposite side is more, and the quality is similar. It is normal to fail to win!

More than an hour later, he felt that something was wrong, and the Ottoman artillery seemed to have no intention of stopping.

To know that the two sides have been bombarding for such a long time, it does not make much sense at all, after all, the hit rate of artillery in this era is extremely low!

Even if the opponent's artillery position can be found, it is not so easy to destroy the opponent. Moreover, the opponent's artillery positions were exposed, and so were their own!

Artillery is a precious weapon, so it is consumed like this. Under normal circumstances, the commanders of both sides are reluctant to use such a lose-lose style of play!

Moreover, this is still a game of luck between the two sides. It does not mean that the Ottoman army has more artillery, and it will definitely have an advantage. Greece, which has fewer artillery, may also cause them more casualties, but the probability is smaller!

Prince Constantine knew that the deployment of troops from the front had been exposed, and the Ottomans were obviously prepared!

He immediately shouted: "Guards! Guards!! Immediately send orders to the various units to prevent the attack of the Ottoman army!"

Fortunately, at the end of the 19th century, there were already telegraphs and telephones, these two communication tools, otherwise even if Prince Constantine found out, it would be too late to notify the troops!

But it was all too late. When the front-line units got the news, the Ottomans had already started to attack under the cover of artillery!

Fortunately, Prince Constantine had anticipated that the Ottomans might launch a full-scale attack when they were short of troops, and made some targeted arrangements!

However, these preparations were not sufficient. Under the baptism of artillery fire, the simple fortifications built by the Greek army with all their might have now fallen to pieces, and the current defense capability has dropped by a grade!

And it is early in the morning, the genius has just been lit, and many Greek soldiers are still asleep before being awakened and have not yet entered the state!

It may be that they are used to the roar of artillery fire. After all, in these short few days, the Ottomans have launched dozens of attacks, and everyone has come to see it!

Of course, this is just the thoughts of the soldiers. The real senior leaders of the Greek army know this. This attack is different from the past. This is the time when the defenders are at their minimum. As long as the Ottomans are not stupid, they will start a decisive battle now!

With the advantage of artillery, the Ottoman army had the advantage at the beginning of the attack! But the war is not simply won by artillery! If this is the case, then the Greeks don't have to fight, just run away!

After the Ottoman army broke through the outer defense line, the Greek army has also reacted. The combination of trenches + machine guns + wooden fences caused a large number of casualties to the Ottoman army!

Obviously, the heavy machine guns that shined brightly in the Bulgarian War have entered the stage of history, and the Greeks have already installed them.

However, due to ammunition, the Greek army was still unable to equip it on a large scale. It's not as good as the Bulgarian army during the Bulgarian War!

There are still capable people in the Greek army. In the absence of steel mesh, they can replace it with the most primitive wooden fence in the shortest time. Even if it's not as good as the wire mesh in terms of defense, it's still an amazing feat!

The brutal war began, and the soldiers of the Ottoman army rushed to the positions of the Greeks regardless of their lives. The Greek army also showed no signs of weakness, bravely greeted them, and launched a desperate struggle!

Whether it is the Ottoman general Ed Hepasha or the Greek prince Constantine, the expressions on their faces are ugly now, obviously this is not the result they want!

With the passage of time, the Greek army gradually could not stand it anymore. Even if the defensive side had a geographical advantage, it could not stand the Ottoman army!

Moreover, most of the Ottoman troops are professional soldiers. Unlike the Greek patchwork army, the combat effectiveness of the two sides is not on the same level!

On the left flank of the Greek army, a Turkic cavalry was watching the front. The head of the regiment, Orisel Pasha, was looking for a fighter plane. Facing the Greek army huddled in the trenches, he could only sigh!

If there is no heavy machine gun, Captain Orisel Pasha may dare to take a wave of cavalry. As long as he breaks through a point, he can be interspersed behind the Greek army, and there will be a front and back attack!

But now? Aurisel Pasha looked at the cold muzzle through the eye-viewing state, was speechless for a long time, and said from the bottom of his heart: The glory of the cavalry has passed!

Faced with a monster that can shoot more than 600 bullets per minute, how many lives will it take to fill this hole? ?

Aurisel Pasha asked coldly, "When will the artillery be in place?"

"There's still half an hour!" An officer answered decisively

Aurisel Pasha said fiercely: "Then wait another half an hour! Start feinting now!"

When the heavy machine gun first appeared, there were very few weapons in the world that could deal with the machine gun, and there were only two most effective methods!

One is to use snipers to directly kill the machine gunners, and then launch an attack when the firepower is interrupted; the other is to use artillery, one cannonball, and everything is done!

Obviously, in the Ottoman army at the end of the 19th century, there were still very few professional snipers, the hesitant troops lacked training, and there were not many soldiers with good marksmanship!

The sound of the artillery sounded, and the Greek positions on the opposite side were immediately hit hard, and the firepower points were patronized by artillery shells one by one.

Well, the artillery hit rate of this era is really pitted! One hundred and eighty shells passed, and only three machine guns were killed, plus nearly a hundred Greek soldiers!

Then the Ottoman army launched another round of attacks. Well, there was no cavalry in the attack. It was the work of two infantry regiments that came over at zero hour!

The Ottomans can't do the stupid thing of filling trenches with cavalry! As a result, it was no surprise that the Greek reinforcements quickly replenished and blocked the defense line!

Aurisel Pasha looked at the heavy casualties of the infantry, and he was still thankful. Fortunately, the mission of the cavalry regiment was not to break through the defense line, as long as it pretended to contain the enemy.

...

Edgy Pasha's heart is not calm now. The resistance of the Greeks has exceeded his expectations. After more than four hours of fighting, more than 8,000 casualties have been paid!

On average, the Ottoman army lost a regiment in an hour and lost a platoon every minute!

The use of heavy machine guns has heightened the intensity of this war, and the situation has surpassed that of the Bulgarian War two years ago.

In terms of combat effectiveness, the Ottoman army is slightly stronger, but the Greeks, as the defensive side, can be considered a draw, and it is considered an opponent!

As time passed by, the battlefield gradually changed. In the tragic battle situation, both sides appeared to varying degrees - deserters!

In order to win the war, Ed He Pasha also desperate, sent a supervising team to directly attack the back of the troops and set up heavy machine guns!

"Either die on the way to the attack, or die in the hands of the supervising team!"

...

The Ottoman army has stepped up its offensive, and Prince Constantine is in a hurry. Since the start of the war, he has not received good news. The front line keeps asking for support and support!

Now his headquarters, there is only one regiment of troops left. Reserve team? At this point, the Ottoman army suffered heavy losses. How could the Greek army feel better?

It may be surprising to say that, as the defending party, the number of casualties so far is actually higher than the attacking Turkish army!

No way, it's all the recruits to blame! After all, I was just fighting the gun, and I just trained in a hurry, and I was sent to the battlefield. Many life-saving measures on the battlefield were unknown, so naturally I died quickly!

The casualty ratio between the two sides has been maintained at 1.3:1, and the Greeks suffered a big loss in this regard!

An officer hurried over and said loudly, "Report! General, the commander of the 18th Division has just sent a telegram, requesting support again!"

...

(Note: The Battle of Zanta took place in 1697. A large number of European infantry lined up for a volley of guns. The Ottoman elite cavalry was vulnerable in front of the musketeers. The Habsburg Empire won the victory! This war marks The fall of the Ottoman Empire also marked the decline of the cavalry!)